“Qingyi.” An unfamiliar male voice called out from behind. Su Mo calmly turned around to face the speaker.
Hmm, not bad-looking. Tall. But no idea who he is.
The guy was from the neighboring Yicheng Academy, a school comparable in strength to Jingjiang Academy.
“Long time no see,” Su Mo greeted him first.
The guy seemed surprised but quickly smiled. “Yeah, it’s been a while—over two months.”
Two months? Must’ve been a high school classmate then.
“You could’ve reached out in all this time. I almost forgot who you were,” Su Mo said, trying hard to mask his awkwardness.
“You deleted me,” the guy replied bitterly.
“Uh… right, hahaha, my bad…”
“It’s all in the past. No point bringing it up. I… might’ve overstepped back then. We weren’t that close, and I rushed things.” His voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, and murmurs quickly spread through the crowd.
Su Mo’s expression darkened. The guy was clearly doing this on purpose—letting others hear those ambiguous words.
Su Mo had no idea what incident he was referring to or if it even happened. But gossip spreads like wildfire, and who knew how this would be twisted?
While this wouldn’t hurt him, it would damage Ye Qingyi’s reputation—something he couldn’t allow.
Just as Su Mo struggled to respond, Ye Qingyi suddenly appeared beside him, scowling. “Oh, so this is that creep from high school? The one who wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer after confessing?”
Seizing the opportunity, Su Mo sighed. “Ugh, let’s just ignore this loser. He’s ruining my mood and my appetite.”
With that, he turned and headed toward the cafeteria, with Xia Qingqing and Ye Qingyi following closely. Xia Qingqing even threw in a “Jerk!” as they left.
The guy didn’t leave. Instead, he stared longingly at their retreating figures and muttered, “Fine, fine… After what I did, it’s normal for you to be mad. But… I’ll take responsibility.”
The onlookers were confused, but that didn’t stop the rumors from spreading—each version wilder than the last.
In the cafeteria, Su Mo angrily shoveled food into his mouth while Xia Qingqing tried to comfort him. Ye Qingyi, meanwhile, seemed lost in thought.
Though his anger was partly an act, Su Mo was genuinely disgusted. That kind of “if I can’t have you, I’ll ruin you” mentality was repulsive.
He knew how dangerous rumors could be. If left unchecked, the consequences could be disastrous—especially for someone as high-profile as “Ye Qingyi.”
Fortunately, information within the training base couldn’t easily leak out, so the situation was still manageable—for now.
On the way back, they passed Yicheng Academy’s camp but didn’t see the guy. However, the way people looked at Su Mo had changed, and whispers followed him.
Back at their own camp, Su Mo brushed off Xia Qingqing’s company, claiming he needed space. Instead, he immediately messaged Ye Qingyi:
“Tell me everything you know about him.”
“No. It’s too dangerous to act here—you won’t get a chance.”
“I know. I just want to understand him first. If I really wanted to do something, I wouldn’t need your info.”
After a long pause, Ye Qingyi sent over everything she knew, adding:
“Honestly, I don’t care what people say. The truth will come out.”
Su Mo knew she was just trying to stop him from doing something reckless.
“Cut the crap. Right now, I’m Ye Qingyi. You might not care, but I do.” After a moment, he added: “And don’t worry—I’m not stupid enough to act here.”
Deep down, Ye Qingyi didn’t want Su Mo to overreact. But knowing he was genuinely angry for her sake… warmed her heart.
If it weren’t for that bastard Wang He, today would’ve been perfect.
Ugh! ( ~︿~)＜*
Just as she was fuming, another message popped up:
“Got time? We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Come out and I’ll tell you.”
She looked outside—Su Mo was already waiting nearby.
“What’s up?” She sat down beside him.
“Your sister visited last night.”
“What? She’s back? When did she leave?” Her voice trembled with excitement.
“She just wanted to see you. Taught you a blade technique, then left.”
“Oh.” Disappointment flashed in her eyes. “Did she say when she’d be back?”
Su Mo hesitated. “No. But probably soon. You’re her only little sister—she’ll visit whenever she can.”
“…Okay.”
After a silence, Su Mo couldn’t help but ask: “Aren’t you curious about the blade technique she taught you?”
Ye Qingyi, still downcast, didn’t answer. She just stood and walked back to her tent.
Su Mo clicked his tongue but didn’t press further.
Time to train.
7:00 PM.
Everyone assembled on the field.
No long speeches—just equipment distribution.
This round included half-filled canteens, fitness trackers, flashlights, and other essentials.
Once everything was handed out, a short man—who somehow seemed even more intimidating than Wang Ye—stepped forward.
Adjusting his slipping black-framed glasses, he barked:
“Ten minutes. Grab your gear and regroup. Dismissed.”
Confused but obedient, everyone scrambled to comply.
“Where are we going at this hour?”
“No clue. Follow orders first, think later.”
Exactly ten minutes later, the groups reassembled. The short man nodded in approval.
“Good.”
“Starting now, you’ll learn what it truly means to be warriors—not just in name. But first, I need to see what you’re made of. Your performance here will determine your future resource allocation.”
With a wave, each team was led away by their captain.
Nearly 1,000 students—over 30 squads—headed toward different destinations.
All of them? Deep into the mountains.
Some of the more timid girls huddled together for comfort. The boys, though some were just as scared, mostly pretended to be brave.
“Where are we going? Will we stay together?”
“You’ll see when we get there,” Wang Ye replied, unwilling to reveal anything—whether by orders or choice.
Su Mo suspected it was the former. This was a military operation. Every command trickled down from above.
“One more thing.” Wang Ye suddenly stopped, scanning each face seriously.
“After the spiritual awakening, it wasn’t just superhumans who emerged. Unexplainable supernatural phenomena exploded too—
Like ghosts.”