Chapter 98: A War of Blades

The director of the Institute of Technology, Gu Zhi, had been gone for an unknown length of time. He never announced the end of the opening ceremony, nor did he reappear.

The content of the holographic projection left the freshmen utterly stunned. Before the ceremony and before watching the video, they had all assumed that King Tianmu, having ascended to the throne, was one of the world’s three supreme rulers, whose daily duty was simply to guard the Green Forest main city and prevent mutant beasts from invading.

They never expected that a world-class ruler would be busier than themselves. While they struggled monthly to pass assessments, King Tianmu was fighting for the survival and propagation of his race.

The sophomores sat silently below, motionless. Though this was the second time they were watching the footage, only a few could meet the present reality head-on; most chose to avoid it.

No one could fully describe the dangers of the Divine Wood Mountain Range; perhaps even King Tianmu had never set foot anywhere within it. Yet the sophomores knew about the warrior who had been instantly killed there—someone at least at the peak of the Growth Tier, possibly even at the Main Tier. To be slain in an instant was a shock surpassing even the impact of King Tianmu destroying a tree giant several meters high.

Some people spend their entire lives unable to break through to the Growth Tier. Those considered elites by outsiders had only just crossed from the Entry Tier into the Foundation Tier.

If warriors at the Growth Tier were dying deep in Divine Wood Mountain, what hope was there for them? Would they become stronger after graduation?

The five-colored firefly crystal chandelier hanging from the auditorium ceiling glowed only with white light, growing steadily brighter until it illuminated the entire hall.

“Heh.”

Finally, a sophomore let out a self-mocking laugh. The shock on his face from the first viewing had given way to numbness and retreat, though his fighting spirit had not been completely extinguished.

One person silently stood and walked out of the auditorium, forgetting even the other two members of his group. Gradually, others inside began to leave as well.

Ye Bai was shaken after watching but slowly felt his blood begin to boil. His fighting spirit stirred restlessly within him, yearning to rush to King Tianmu’s side and assist him.

“Let’s go.”

Yao Ling tugged at the unresponsive Cao Xiaoseng, who seemed detached from everything happening around him.

“Ling’er, did you know about this all along?”

Ye Bai suddenly thought of the Yao family, one of the top clans in Green Forest main city. Even with their strict information blockade, Yao Ling would hardly have been left completely in the dark growing up.

“Yeah, I knew a little. But it’s not that I deliberately kept it from you all; it’s just that if you’d known, you might have lost heart. My father and my senior brother in the fourth year are almost never in the main city. Like King Tianmu, they’ve gone in search of the Source, only King Tianmu always goes to the most dangerous S-level Source sites.”

“How many levels of Source are there?”

Since entering Purple Star Academy, Ye Bai realized how ignorant he had been before. Now, he was like a sponge, absorbing all the information he could to better understand this world.

“There are only two levels—the S-level and the A-level Sources. The S-level Sources must be handled personally by a King or by a team led by three Main Tier peak Star Core warriors. A-level Sources only require a team led by one Main Tier peak warrior.”

Yao Ling and Cao Xiaoseng walked ahead, with Ye Bai following behind. Not far ahead of Yao Ling, a man dressed in a simple white training uniform, holding an ordinary knife, had just reached the auditorium’s entrance.

Beside the white-clad man were a man and a woman. The man had a pointed face and kept smiling obsequiously, flattering the white-clad man. The woman, however, appeared somewhat cold and aloof. It was unclear if this was her natural demeanor or if she had been shaken by the earlier holographic projection. She said little, but her flamboyant outfit—wearing ultra-short shorts resembling bikini bottoms and a red short-sleeved shirt tucked in to accentuate her figure—left no doubt about her confidence in her appearance.

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“Boss, those so-called three supreme kings they boasted about just now aren’t all that great. None of them have the style of you cutting down a mid-entry-level mutant beast with one strike.”

The man beside the white-clad figure bowed and scraped, practically licking his shoes, praising the white-clad man’s every virtue while criticizing the opening ceremony. Little did he know that when a stranger’s gaze swept over him, he nearly fainted.

The white-clad man frowned, as if restraining himself from responding to the relentless flattery, his cold eyes briefly glancing at the scheming man. The man felt as if his neck had been sliced and immediately fell silent.

With every step, the woman beside the white-clad man swayed her waist, her shapely hips drawing the eyes of the mutant beasts following behind. The sophomores who had been walking ahead slowed their pace upon seeing her, their gazes darting around before inevitably being drawn back.

Ye Bai trailed behind Cao Xiaoseng, whose bulk blocked his view of the scene ahead. Yet all of this was clearly visible to Yao Ling, who walked beside Cao Xiaoseng.

Yao Ling tugged Cao Xiaoseng briskly, attempting to pass the white-clad man’s group quickly, not wanting Cao Xiaoseng to see the woman’s seductive movements and expressions. Such women seemed to have seduction ingrained in their very bones—not deliberately flaunted, yet irresistibly alluring.

Cao Xiaoseng, who had been in a daze, was somewhat awakened by Yao Ling’s pull. His gaze passed over the cold and aloof woman before he glanced at Yao Ling and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Uh…”

Yao Ling felt a bit embarrassed, realizing she had overthought things. She smiled to cover her awkwardness and said, “Nothing. Let’s hurry.”

Lowering her head, Yao Ling quickened her pace, pulling Cao Xiaoseng along.

Ye Bai was confused by the sudden change but didn’t ask. He also quickened his steps, following Yao Ling and Cao Xiaoseng out of the auditorium.

As they passed the auditorium entrance, Ye Bai’s steps suddenly halted, and he turned to glance at the white-clad man.

A knife.

Ye Bai saw a blade flash from the white-clad man’s eyes, flying straight toward his mind.

Instantly, Ye Bai’s vision blurred, but he recovered quickly, his expression unchanged as he looked at the man.

They locked eyes. Yet those around them felt as if they had stepped into the realm of blades, as if a knife could materialize at any moment to kill them. Instinctively, they distanced themselves from the two.

Yao Ling, who had gone ahead, sensed something wrong and turned back with Cao Xiaoseng.

The scheming man had already distanced himself from the two when Ye Bai and the white-clad man made eye contact. Others didn’t realize that he was wary of his leader’s strength.

The cold and enchanting woman beside the white-clad man, whose starry eyes reflected the night sky, was filled with astonishment.

The Knife, ranked first on the Divine Wood list among freshmen, had instantly slain a mid-entry-level mutant beast. Though the three of them were in the same group, the Knife had yet to fully reveal his power. No one knew whether he was at the upper entry level or the Foundation Tier…

This enigmatic man was a mystery not only to Ye Bai but also to the woman and man in his group. Aside from the assessment day and the first class of the semester, they had never seen the Knife. He had never been to the library or the training ground and was even absent at meals.

He was solitary and cold, like a blade drawn from its sheath—visible but untouchable. The enchanting woman actually disliked the scheming man, but since the Knife never spoke, and she didn’t know anyone else besides him, she had no choice but to chat with the schemer to vent her frustrations.

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The woman’s watery eyes held a trace of seduction. Her red lips parted slightly, as if doubting anyone could hold the Knife’s gaze so long, never expecting anyone besides the Knife to catch his attention.

The scheming man tried to curry favor with the Knife, but one thing he said was true: the Knife did not regard the three supreme kings of the fourth year. When the Azure Supreme Zhang Yue appeared, the Knife’s lips twitched slightly, seemingly unimpressed. But when Mo appeared, the Knife’s eyes brightened, as if recognizing a kindred spirit.

Yao Ling and Cao Xiaoseng approached Ye Bai not far away. Yao Ling wanted to urge Ye Bai to leave, but Cao Xiaoseng stopped her with a shake of his head.

The two locked eyes quietly. Within a meter around them, the space became a forbidden zone.

Thirty seconds, fifty seconds, one minute, one minute and thirty seconds passed. Finally, Ye Bai could no longer endure the Knife’s gaze and yielded.

“Ye Bai.”

Leaving these words behind, Ye Bai turned and walked away with Yao Ling and Cao Xiaoseng.

Only a few steps away, the Knife’s voice sounded from behind.

“Knife, I’ve remembered you, Ye Bai. I believe having you at Purple Star Academy will be interesting.”

This was the first time the Knife had spoken so much since entering Purple Star Academy. His tone was sharp, each word like a blade, carrying both a challenge and a mark of respect for the strong.

Ye Bai’s palms were sweaty. He knew Purple Star Academy housed many hidden talents but had never expected someone so terrifying. The Knife’s name was well-known to him, more than once.

Hearing about someone is no substitute for seeing them in person. Upon meeting the man holding an ordinary knife, standing face to face, Ye Bai felt he was not confronting a mere living being but an invincible blade.

Ye Bai was certain that if he hadn’t broken through to the mid-entry level or awakened the Swift Flying Knife, he might have been defeated upon first encounter. The fear was like a raging flood or a ferocious beast. Without the Swift Flying Knife in hand, he didn’t know what would have become of him.

Originally, he had followed Yao Ling and Cao Xiaoseng out of the auditorium, but as they passed beside the Knife, his weapon trembled suddenly. When he looked back, their eyes met.

Though it was their first meeting, Ye Bai felt as if he already knew the Knife, or rather, his own blade sensed something.

Ye Bai walked ahead alone. At some point, Yao Ling and Cao Xiaoseng had vanished behind him. He returned directly to his dorm, took off the black formal wear he had carefully chosen for the academy for the first time, revealing a sweat-soaked white shirt beneath.

He exhaled deeply and lay flat on his bed, recalling the less-than-three-minute encounter with the Knife. He found himself oddly excited, even somewhat looking forward to their next meeting.