Huang Lingjing, the form teacher of Class 5, was currently sitting in the classroom. He stared blankly at the roster in his hands, lost in thought.
The week was almost over. Twenty-nine students had already checked in with him one after another, and now only the last one, Li Heng, was missing.
Ordinarily, Huang Lingjing wouldn’t have been so dazed. He would have just been reading a book or practicing calligraphy while he waited, just like the past few days.
But just over half an hour ago, Bai Shasha had returned to report in.
A student returning safely should have been a good thing, but the news Bai Shasha brought back made it impossible for Huang Lingjing to be happy. Instead, he was filled with anxiety.
And after being anxious for so long, he had naturally started spacing out.
’You have to reach the Soul Pupil Realm to go to the entrance of Wild Wolf Valley!’
According to the secret realm’s data files, Blood Wolves could appear at the valley entrance! And the mostly red wolves that Bai Shasha had described were almost certainly Blood Wolves.
’Blood Wolves can use Soul Energy Skills!’
’Without cultivating to the Soul Pupil Realm, you’re no match for them at all. If you run into a pack of Blood Wolves, you might not even have time to tear a Teleportation Talisman!’
"I teleported back and waited for a few minutes, but Li Heng didn’t come out."
As Bai Shasha had been reporting in, this sentence replayed in Huang Lingjing’s mind over and over. He even started to recall Li Heng’s face and smile from class.
Nearly an hour had passed now. Although Huang Lingjing had his suspicions, he still hadn’t crossed Li Heng’s name off the roster.
’Sigh! Such a hardworking kid! I heard he’s pretty brave too—dared to kill wolves as soon as he went in and even got a piece of Soul Energy Equipment to drop... I really don’t know how I’m going to explain this to his parents.’
For every exam, even though the school considered student safety from every angle, there was always an acceptable number of deaths.
Huang Lingjing hadn’t expected that his class would actually fill one of those slots this year.
At this thought, Huang Lingjing felt a wave of melancholy and pulled a cigarette from his pocket to light it.
"Teacher Huang?! You’ll be fined for smoking in the classroom!"
"Fine me then! The most hardworking kid in my class might not be coming back. Can’t I, his half-a-parent, feel a little sad for him... Fuck?! Li Heng?!"
The voice came so suddenly that Huang Lingjing assumed someone passing by had seen him smoking and was reminding him of the rules, so he had just replied casually.
But halfway through his sentence, he saw who it was and was so shocked he couldn’t help but curse.
"Ahem, ahem... What I meant was... Li Heng, you’re back safe and sound? Weren’t you surrounded by a wolf pack?"
Realizing his gaffe, Huang Lingjing immediately changed the subject, stubbed out the lit cigarette in his hand, and very naturally tossed it into the trash can.
Li Heng had overheard the words his form teacher had muttered while smoking. Although they were a bit strange, they were clearly born out of concern for him, and a warm feeling spread through his heart.
"Teacher Huang! Li Heng of Class 5, Third Year, has completed the first secret realm placement exam and is reporting in."
"Hahaha! That’s everyone accounted for! The most seriously injured one is that brat Lei Huailun! Hahaha, a few days in the hospital to cool his head might do him some good!"
Li Heng’s formal check-in finally put Huang Lingjing’s anxious heart at ease. The entire class had returned, and what’s more, two students had come back on the seventh day!
That meant at least two students could participate in the pre-exam intensive training. It also meant he might have another student from his class get into a Soul Energy University!
He was happy not just because of the bonus he’d get for his teaching results, but also because he felt gratified for these kids.
’Hardworking people won’t have a bad future!’
But if Li Heng knew what his teacher was thinking, he might have added: ’Hardworking people might not always succeed, but people with cheats do.’
"It’s good you’re back! Now, hurry up and tell me, how did you escape from that wolf pack? Don’t you hold anything back; Bai Shasha already told me everything!"
After his bout of happiness and relief, Huang Lingjing seemed to remember something and quickly pressed Li Heng for details.
Li Heng had already prepared his story. He said that with his ace in the hole, the Teleportation Talisman, and the effect of the Soul Energy Equipment he’d acquired, he had forcibly broken through the pack of wild wolves near the forest. In the end, after giving it his all, he had only managed to kill four of the stronger wolves before the situation turned bad, forcing him to tear the Teleportation Talisman.
Li Heng didn’t mention a single word about the heavily injured Blood Wolf King that appeared at the end, nor did he bring up the system. He only revealed some of the attributes of the Blood Wolf Fang Bracelet.
After all, the fact that he possessed this piece of Soul Energy Equipment had been witnessed by everyone in the class. It wasn’t a secret, which made it a perfect excuse.
"You! Honestly... Do you have any idea what you were facing? Those were Blood Wolves! Secret Realm Creatures that have Soul Energy Skills! Generally speaking, only a Soul Pupil can barely hold their own against them! You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that, but you were definitely just lucky!"
Listening to Li Heng’s description, Huang Lingjing broke out in a cold sweat for him. Then, as if he felt the lesson wasn’t over yet and wanted to teach Li Heng some more, he spoke again in a grave and earnest tone.
"You were lucky! The Blood Wolves you encountered were far away, and you were surrounded by normal wolves first. Otherwise, if the Blood Wolves had surrounded you, you really wouldn’t have had a chance to tear your Teleportation Talisman. And if you’d run into the Blood Wolf King, your whole village would probably be eating at your house for your funeral right now!"
Though his words were half-joking, Huang Lingjing hoped Li Heng would take them to heart. After all, the secret realms were fraught with danger, and you only get one life. The next time he encountered such a situation, he absolutely had to prioritize his safety.
"You’re right, Teacher Huang! By the way, do you know where Bai Shasha went?"
’Actually,’ Li Heng thought, ’I didn’t just meet the Blood Wolf King, I fought one of them one-on-one and even managed to kill it, getting away with only minor burns.’
’Even though that Blood Wolf King was already heavily injured.’
But Li Heng had no intention of saying any of this to show off. For one, there was no point, and for another, it would increase the risk of exposing his system.
’It’s better to get rich in silence!’
’There’s nothing wrong with keeping a low profile.’
Li Heng originally wanted to ask about the class president’s injuries, but since he’d heard the teacher say he’d probably be in the hospital for a few days, he knew it wasn’t anything too serious. So, he casually asked about the flat-chested loli instead.
"Oh! Now that you mention Bai Shasha, I almost forgot. You have a three-day break now. The school needs to tally and post the scores for your placement exam, so report back to school in three days! Take these three days to relax! As for student Bai Shasha, she should have gone home already," Huang Lingjing said.
’A three-day break?!’
’This is crucial!’
He had been worried the school would have a tight schedule, but he still had things he wanted to take care of and some theories he wanted to test.
Seeing Li Heng’s departing figure, Huang Lingjing finally relaxed completely. Having not slept well for a week, he slumped over the lectern and drifted off to sleep right after Li Heng left.