Volume One: The Wild Child Chapter Seven: Mountain Rain Descends Upon the World

Floating above righteousness, standing between heaven and earth.

That had once been the dream of countless youths, but in the instant they transcended the ordinary, what occupied the pinnacle of many hearts was the ugliest, most bestial nature.

Arrogance and prejudice are narrow gates through which people judge by class. Even without differences in wealth, starting from zero, there would still be divisions and hierarchies.

This was why, in the classroom, all the Awakened except for the Strongman scrambled to escape. In a sense, they were not yet qualified to wield the power Heaven had bestowed upon them.

...

The Strongman, his whole body shimmering with golden light, wrestled with the tentacle. Relying on his indomitable strength, he surged forward, enduring the tentacle’s furious blows. With all his might, he pinned it beneath him, clasped his hands together, braced his waist, and, with a great shout, seemed intent on tearing this once-arrogant Hunter in two!

The tentacle grew more frenzied, thrashing in rage, its green, bristling fur at the tip bristling in loathsome defiance. The two struggled, neither yielding, like a battle between gods and demons, each with the other’s hell at their back.

The deadlock was broken by a sharp strike of icy cold. The tentacle recoiled in pain, the pores on its surface glaring malevolently at the attacker.

The one who intervened had a face as pale as snow, frost gathering on his hand and forming into icicles—clearly another Awakened, favored by the heavens.

Taking advantage of the tentacle’s momentary distraction, the Strongman wrenched it apart with brute force! The severed appendage fell to the ground, twitching weakly a few times before going still. The spattering green blood snapped the stunned students back to reality; shock was written on every face, followed by a brief silence, then a deafening chorus of joyous relief.

The Strongman collapsed powerlessly to the floor, while nearby, the ice crystals began to melt. The man shook his head, trying to clear his mind, and slowly walked over to Lin Xiaoxi, helping her to her feet.

She was weeping like a pear blossom in the rain, but, alas, such pitiful beauty often meets with indifference. An ordinary person would have offered gentle words of comfort to win the maiden’s heart.

But how could those who rush towards danger be ordinary?

Recalling the legends of Lin Changtian’s prowess, he looked up at the ceiling, nostrils flared at Lin Xiaoxi, picturing his own striking figure. He silently repeated to himself: “Say nothing, act mysterious; say nothing, act mysterious.” Then, without a word, he strode out, leaving behind the disarrayed classroom.

Lin Xiaoxi, realizing she might have misunderstood, quickly followed him out the door.

Out in the hallway, Lin Xiaoxi tiptoed and tapped the Strongman, who was still striding ahead. She bit her lip, lifted her delicate face, and gazed quietly at him, her eyes filled with shyness and curiosity, as if beholding a god descended to earth. After a long pause, she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito: “You saved me. I can repay you.”

“Repay me?” The man’s face twisted with disdain, his handsome features marked by a look of utter contempt. “If you were a man, I’d have no qualms about swearing brotherhood with you. But you’re just a frail girl, so small you probably couldn’t even take one punch from me! What repayment could you possibly offer?” With that, he strode back toward the classroom, leaving Lin Xiaoxi half laughing, half crying in his wake. “Hey, at least tell me your name!”

“Chen Ziliang,” the Strongman said with a wave, walking off in steady strides.

When the two returned to the classroom, Yu Baili, Lin Changtian, and a group of white-clad figures had just arrived.

Xu Yong, the one who controlled ice, recounted the events in detail. Yu Baili looked at the newly seated Chen Ziliang with an odd expression. He remembered their first meeting, when this guy was ready to punch a teacher; had his sense of duty really evolved so quickly that he’d now protect his classmates?

But then, catching sight of Lin Changtian, who was still gazing at the ceiling, feigning mystery, Yu Baili felt reassured. If someone like that could exist, then perhaps anything was reasonable.

Yu Baili picked up the severed tentacle, glanced at the “Heavenly Curtain” monster in the distance, and frowned. He ordered the Guardians to lead the students out of the classroom while he himself hefted his blade and charged toward the indistinct curtain.

“Go with them,” he instructed.

Lin Changtian pursed his lips, watching Yu Baili’s retreating figure for a long moment before following the Guardians out.

...

Like a startled swan, the white-robed Guardian approached. The wind’s song remained, but the Tiger-Dove Blade was already in place. Yu Baili scrutinized the monster beneath the curtain; the “Hunter” that had terrorized the students was now eerily quiet—whether from fear or anticipation, he could not tell.

...

The crowd moved like an undulating line of ants as the Guardians escorted the students, the procession merging and swelling, growing increasingly noisy.

Lin Changtian walked with the group, his gaze wandering over the indistinct sea of people. Suddenly, he felt someone tap his back. He turned to see a chubby boy looking at him with excitement. Lin Changtian was delighted and felt compelled to offer some reassurance: “Kuisheng, I thought you were a goner. Did you just come back from the underworld?”

Kuisheng instantly regretted seeking him out, casting Lin Changtian a mournful look. “Brother Lin, have you always been this sharp-tongued? We were fine on our side—didn’t run into anything serious, just a few small fry, and someone else took care of those.”

“That’s good,” Lin Changtian said seriously, glancing at Kuisheng.

“Oh, right!” Kuisheng, still nursing a bruise to his ego from Lin Changtian’s quip, suddenly perked up. “I heard Chen Ziliang ripped a monster’s tentacle off! And is he sworn brothers with Lin Xiaoxi now?”

“Yeah,” Lin Changtian’s mouth twitched. Odd as he was, even he had to admit Chen Ziliang was a formidable guy. The chubby boy grinned, winking repeatedly at Lin Changtian, as if he could hardly contain his joy.

The procession continued, seemingly safe. Any mutated monster that appeared was swiftly dispatched by the Guardians. At times, even the newly Awakened students could handle the weaker ones. Many people began to relax, not out of a lack of fear, but because their nerves simply couldn’t stay taut any longer.

The Guardians, however, were worried; they could not bring themselves to smile. Their clarity let them see further than the ignorant masses.

The mist thickened around them.

“This...this is where we just were!” someone in the crowd cried out in alarm, and with that, the seeds of panic began to sprout.

The Guardians, trying to suppress the terror, worked to maintain order while hurriedly sending scouts to probe the depths of the fog. But as those who ventured into the shadows vanished without a trace, the unrest in the crowd grew, panic spreading through every heart, as if Death itself were silently drawing near.

In the mist, towers vanished and sight was lost; the prey, wrapped in a shroud of fog, could only cling to each other and move forward.

“Wait—” a girl frowned, noticing that the hand she held suddenly felt damp and insubstantial. Unable to resist her curiosity, she turned to look—and in that instant, her hair stood on end. Her companion’s beautiful face had transformed into a grinning skull, pink and fleshless. The girl’s body shook, her face drained of color, and she realized her own skin was sloughing away, leaving bone exposed. She could stand it no longer; with her last bit of courage, she cried out in terror and despair.

Her scream shattered the final barrier in everyone’s hearts. Panic clung to them like a shadow; Death whispered on the wind.

...

Yu Baili seemed to sense the change in the group. He decided to wait no longer. Rising slowly, he drew his long blade, becoming the incarnation of the Tiger-Dove. The tentacles beneath the curtain bristled in alarm, and the hidden monster roared into the wilderness—the battle was about to begin.