“Hey, fam! I’m Piggy Who Loves to Eat, welcome to the livestream! We’re now at the finals, and the champion will be decided between these two.”
“Huh? You wanna see the teacher? No way, I’m scared of getting beat up.”
“Hey, buddy, move those little fingers of yours and hit that follow button—don’t let them stay idle!”
“If we hit over 100K likes, I’ll sneak a pic of the teacher for you… (whispers)”
“Damn, seriously? That fast? Fine… A promise is a promise, I guess. Guess Piggy’s risking a beating today to satisfy your curiosity.”
“Nah, bro, don’t even joke like that. Our Teacher Ye is actually super gentle, especially with her students.”
“Ahem, guys, cut it out. Snagging these three seconds was hard enough—he’s not your average person, after all.”
Not far away, Su Mo’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he pretended not to hear any of it.
He quietly observed the ongoing match between Luo Xiu and Huo Jingshu.
During this time, he noticed that both of them had solid combat skills—whether in raw strength or technique, they were a cut above the rest.
Huo Jingshu, in particular, had crisp, decisive moves, every punch and palm strike carrying a faint trace of killing intent.
This was something only someone who had truly faced life-and-death situations could possess, and in this regard, she completely outclassed Luo Xiu.
Not that Luo Xiu had never killed before, but his experience was too limited—he lacked that natural, instinctive edge.
Both at C-rank, Huo Jingshu ultimately emerged victorious.
Luo Xiu’s gaze toward her grew fervent, as if he had found a kindred spirit.
Su Mo led the applause and cheers.
He awarded the top three with spirit stones—three, two, and one respectively—leaving the others green with envy.
Since when had spirit stones become so common that they could be handed out as prizes for a small competition like this?
They were even more shocked by the financial power of this underage teacher.
Normally, the organization only distributed one stone per month, yet here she was, casually giving away six at once—one of which even went to someone she didn’t get along with.
Unfathomable.
Truly unfathomable.
Su Mo checked the time.
It was almost the end of class anyway, so he decided to dismiss them early.
Being the same age as them, Su Mo knew exactly how they thought:
Better to end early than to drag things out!
“Goodbye, Teacher!”
“See you, Teacher!”
…
Most of them had already accepted his role as their teacher—after all, with strength like his, resistance was futile.
Xia Qingqing had already forgotten the earlier awkwardness and was pulling Ye Qingyi toward the cafeteria.
“Teacher Ye.” A voice called from behind—Huo Jingshu’s.
Su Mo turned to look at her. “Yes, Huo Jingshu? Do you have any questions?”
Huo Jingshu paused for a second before speaking. “I know you’re a high-ranking member of Beidou. You must have access to special training grounds. I was wondering…”
She hesitated, then continued somewhat sheepishly, “I’d like to join you on those missions. I want to improve my skills through real combat.”
Su Mo was silent for a long moment before responding:
“First, let me clarify—I’m not some high-ranking official. Like all of you, I’ve just had some standout performances. Second, I don’t decide where we train, but if you’re interested, I can put in a request for you.”
A flicker of delight crossed Huo Jingshu’s face. “Thank you so much, Teacher Ye.”
“You can just call me by my name in private.” Su Mo still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the title “Teacher Ye”—at least not yet.
“Okay. Thank you, Qingyi.”
Noticing she wasn’t leaving, Su Mo caught on and said to Xia Qingqing, “Go ahead without me. I’ll catch up soon.”
“Alright.” Though Xia Qingqing could be a bit dense at times, she wasn’t stupid.
The two made their way to the bleachers, where Huo Jingshu stared at him, her eyes gradually burning with fighting spirit.
“What’s wrong?” Su Mo sensed it immediately and took a step back.
Huo Jingshu quickly waved her hands. “No, no! It’s just that seeing you makes me want to fight…”
Huh?
I help you get a training opportunity, and your first instinct is to throw hands?
“Listen here, don’t think just because I’m your teacher now, I won’t hit back. At worst—”
Realizing her phrasing had caused a misunderstanding, Huo Jingshu hurriedly explained, “I mean you’re the benchmark I’m chasing. Sooner or later, I’ll catch up to you.”
Her expression was firm, with no hint of pretense.
“Oh, why didn’t you say so earlier? You scared me.” Su Mo rolled his eyes. “Huo Jingshu, right? I’ll remember you. Let’s talk more another time.”
“Okay.”
Huo Jingshu blinked, looking like she still had more to say.
“Something else?”
“Yeah… When exactly is ‘another time’? I need to adjust my schedule.”
“You’re that busy?”
Huo Jingshu nodded. “My training regimen is intense.”
“Tsk, another grind king, I see.”
“The early bird catches the worm. My talent’s only C-rank. If I want to stand out, this is the only way.”
To most people, this might sound like humblebragging, but given that her goal was Su Mo, it made sense.
Before parting ways, they exchanged contact info and agreed to meet over the weekend.
Watching her retreating figure, Su Mo sighed inwardly.
Wasn’t I the same? Endless training wasn’t something just anyone could endure.
Now that he’d met another grind king, the only thing left to do was… grind even harder.
Back in his apartment, he immediately relayed Huo Jingshu’s request to Yang Jie, curious how much “face” he had. To his surprise, Yang Jie agreed without hesitation—even offering Su Mo five slots to bring others along for an upcoming ruins expedition in twenty days.
Huh… Suddenly, this ruins expedition doesn’t seem all that exclusive anymore.
“Don’t underestimate these ruins. They’re naturally suited for combat training, and not just anyone can enter. You’ll be going as the team leader, so the benefits will be even greater.”
Oh, so I’m just premium labor? What’s so special about a slightly higher paycheck?
“Fine~”
He tried to pry more details about the ruins, but Yang Jie hung up before he could ask.
Sigh… With Shiniang gone, there’s no one to back me up…
Yang Jie wasn’t actually unwilling to explain—a few minutes later, he sent over a detailed document about the ruins.
Su Mo opened it: ten pages long.
After skimming through it, he couldn’t suppress the grin spreading across his face.
Because this ruin had a unique restriction: only those below C-rank could enter. Anyone stronger would not only have their power suppressed to D-rank but also risk being erased by the rules.
And that wasn’t all—the restriction applied to all living beings.
Meaning even the native creatures inside would be bound by the same limitation.
A world where the strongest are only D-rank?
Heavenly.
(￣y▽￣)~* Oh yeah!