Caelen had been wondering. Where was his so-called ’girlfriend’? Since he took over the body and saw the state it was in, how could he not be suspicious of everyone and everything close to him?
So, when he heard that voice, a name instantly came to his mind. Lysandra!
The woman Caelen had fallen in love with and entered the Academy just to pursue because she was also an instructor here.
Caelen looked up.
An elegant and graceful woman stood before him. Her face was soft and delicate, and her full lips appeared gentle, as if she would smile and spread warmth at any moment. Her blue eyes were clear and seductive.
Indeed, she was very beautiful.
But Caelen wasn’t appreciating any of that beauty at the moment. Because the instant his eyes met hers, a strange warmth spread from his chest, and he actually felt... something was trying to corrode his will!
His heart immediately turned cold, and his iron will slammed down like a mountain, crushing the power trying to invade his mind!
Lysandra froze, but then the moment passed, and her face remained the same as she looked at Caelen with worry.
"You shouldn’t fight, Caelen. It won’t do you any good. Why don’t you follow me, and we can rest instead?"
Her voice was filled with deep affection, and it immediately tugged at the heart. Who could ignore such a voice? All around them, people glared jealously at Caelen. A talented Unbound beauty throwing herself at a useless man. Wasn’t that a tale of beauty and the frog?
While those people were feeling jealous, Caelen himself instantly went on alert! Although his face was calm and his body seemingly relaxed, he was already in battle mode!
The voice he heard from Lysandra appeared like strings connecting to his heart! If he allowed it, it would sway his actions, control his emotions, and make him do as the voice commanded!
Caelen felt a chill. It wasn’t because he was afraid of the power trying to sway his mind. Rather, he was afraid of the fact that... everything around Caelen seemed to be targeting him somehow!
Nobody could be trusted!
Lysandra was also thinking her own thoughts. She had been surprised when Caelen first broke through the little bewitchment she had used, but now, she was actively using her Essence Art. What could he do?
She sneered inwardly.
’Fool. What gave him the right and power to accept a challenge? It seems I have been too lax with him. I need to handle him with a firmer hand! With my Myriad Desires Scripture, he has been under my thumb all this time. But even without that, I can still control him through lust...!!’
Lysandra suddenly felt as if something wasn’t right!
When Caelen felt the strings drill into his heart, he didn’t try to break them as he had previously done. Instead, he warped his own awareness around them and then tugged hard!
Caelen’s will, mind, and awareness were far, far above those of Lysandra. How could she possibly stand a chance?
There was a sound of a string breaking, a crisp snap!
Lysandra’s expression changed, and she stumbled forward. Blood even dripped from her nose. She was the one who had forcefully broken the strings.
Just when she was about to control Caelen’s heart... it was as if she had touched a wall enshrined in blood. It was as if she were facing the fangs of a brutal beast. Danger bloomed in her mind, and terror enveloped her senses.
Through her brief disorientation, a warm hand suddenly held her tenderly. But she felt no comfort. All the hair on her body stood on end!
"Are you okay?"
His voice, just like her own, was just as tender. But why had Lysandra suddenly tensed up? Why did it feel as though the hand holding her was hot and his voice was made of daggers?
She shivered, and her heart started beating fast with fear. Sweat trickled down her spine.
"O... of course. Of course."
Caelen settled her into the chair beside him. The eyes that looked down at her were cold, red like the tip of a burning spear.
"You have been working since earlier. Rest here for now."
His words left no room for negotiation.
So, she was part of those scheming against him. Let her stay here for now. He could pick her brain later.
Lysandra couldn’t speak, and she actually shivered.
’What’s going on?! What’s going on?! This is not Caelen... It’s impossible! No! No!... I know him. Isn’t he just my puppet? Isn’t he...’
But then something suddenly occurred to her, and her heart tightened.
’What if I never knew him at all?’
Caelen wasn’t aware of her thoughts, and he didn’t care either. He only asked indifferently, "Why should I not accept the challenge?"
Hundreds of reasons rushed to her lips, but she couldn’t speak! That voice just now, so cold and indifferent, filled her with dread!
But she didn’t have to speak because, just then, Class Sixty-Seven arrived!
They came in through the front gate, their faces arrogant and their heads held high. They didn’t even look at Class Thirteen, as if they didn’t want to sully their eyes by looking at the lowest of the lowest classes.
They sat in their own place.
The arena was a little quieter now because the rumours... Yes, they could only be rumours, because why would Class Thirteen be so blind and yet act so arrogantly? But now... the rumours had been confirmed!
Everyone started placing their bets. But the vast majority of bets instantly tilted towards Instructor Hadrian beating the shit out of Class Thirteen. Not a single person bet on Class Thirteen to win!
It was as if everything had already been settled and they were just waiting to reap their rewards. And why shouldn’t it be like that? After all, the only one in the whole class who was supposed to know how to fight and hold his own was none other than Kolu!
But was Kolu enough to protect the whole class and help them win?
☆☆??☆☆
A lot of people didn’t think so.
Inside a large, neat, and modest room, a man sat behind a table, his hands lightly holding a piece of paper. The man seemed old, with white hair and wrinkled hands. But his eyes were bright and piercing, full of vitality, as if he were a young man trapped in the body of an old man. This chapter was taken from novelping dot com without permission.
He wore a purple robe, and at his waist was a small jade token with an inscription. It was his identification as a Vice Hall Master of Three Tail Flare Hall.
Three Tail Flare Hall had one Hall Master and five Vice Hall Masters. They represented the highest authority and power in the hall. The power they held in both the hall and the Academy was tremendous.
"The Seradon boy has finally shown his claws," the old man said. "It’s a pity that he has to show them this way. A pity for him, though."
A voice, neither low nor loud, filled the room.
"Yes. His existence has been a contradiction for so long. How could the heir to such a family be weak? I still don’t understand his purpose."
The old man’s expression flickered as he heard that part. As one of the strongest and highest authorities in the Academy, how could he, along with the many powerful people like him, not know about the problems surrounding Caelen? How could they not know that a lot of people were interested in him?
All of them had been filled with curiosity and vigilance about what was happening. They were all waiting to see if there was something they could benefit from!
But the old man was still surprised to hear that even the person behind that voice didn’t know Caelen’s purpose.
’Even if they don’t know... isn’t that level of power and trouble too much for me to handle?’
The old man paused.
"We should be cautious if we are to progress..."
But the voice came again, and this time, it was filled with indifference.
"So what? No matter who is lurking in the shadows or what they’re planning... let’s draw them out and see what they will do! Have Instructor Hadrian crush him and even kill him if possible!"
The old man’s eyes flickered with surprise.
"He’s a Seradon."
"Yes. And isn’t it because of that very fact that the Seradon want him dead? It will be difficult to kill him in private. But it shouldn’t be difficult to do so now, in public."
The old man sighed. He was one of the shadows looming behind Hadrian and had raised him as one of his tools. To dispose of him now just to kill Caelen... was it worth it?
No matter what, no matter how, and no matter who benefited, anyone who killed Caelen under any circumstances would face the anger of the Seradon family. That kind of anger... who would want to bear it?
The voice, as if reading the old man’s thoughts, said, "It will be worth it. That person in the Seradon family will not go back on his promise. You can rest easy. You will not lose out in this."
The old man smiled.
"Isn’t it just a Hadrian? His life could never be worth that of a Seradon heir. Not even close."
It seemed the old man had only been pretending to hesitate just to get more benefits!