Chapter 119: Male Lead 4’s Confusion
Jian Yu retracted the black mist and erased all traces. As she looked up, her eyes met Teacher Hu’s concerned gaze.
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Teacher Hu looked away.
?
There were only two people left. He probably looked away because Jian Yu didn’t seem to be in any trouble.
Teacher Hu’s gaze fell on Shen Gu.
After all, there weren’t many Awakeners in this class, and Shen Gu happened to be one of them. He also happened to have stayed in the classroom and happened to fit the target profile for a Soul Ghost Body’s possession.
Teacher Hu had faintly sensed the Soul Ghost Body’s aura, but after searching for a long time, he couldn’t see the soul body at all.
He clapped Shen Gu on the shoulder, his tone one of admiration and approval. "It attacked you, and your Soul Beast retaliated and destroyed it?"
Shen Gu’s mouth fell slightly open. "Huh?"
He waved his hands. "No, no, it did attack me, but I..."
Jian Yu blinked.
She sat back down in her original seat.
Shen Gu could only pretend to be cool and distant. With his timid personality, he would expose himself the moment he spoke.
He struggled to organize his thoughts. "It’s like this, Teacher. Not long after class ended, it suddenly appeared and attacked our spiritual brains with a piercing sound. I could feel a tremor in my Spirit Domain, so I looked around, but who knew..."
Before Shen Gu could finish, he saw Duan Feiye approaching in a chief uniform out of the corner of his eye.
He lowered his eyes, his fingers nervously picking at his pant leg.
The tension seemed to be contagious. Jian Yu shot to her feet as well, her posture obedient and a little meek.
It was as if she saw a reflection of herself in Shen Gu.
Her curled fingers relaxed, and Jian Yu calmed down.
To distract herself and ease her awkwardness, she feigned composure and secretly sized up Duan Feiye’s chief uniform.
It had a black and gold base, accented with a light green outer tunic. The Chief’s insignia dangled from the end of the tunic’s sash, and a purple diamond on the brooch refracted a cold light.
Jian Yu hadn’t interacted much with the ’F4’ and rarely spoke to them, but in their two encounters, she could see their composure.
Their uniforms, similar to the ones Ling Yanzhi and the others wore, were a mix of interstellar and traditional styles.
The uniform colors suited their personalities, and the flawless design accentuated their long legs and narrow waists, giving them an overwhelming presence.
"Who dealt with it?" Duan Feiye’s gaze swept over the three people present.
He could sense the death-scent of an S-Class Soul Ghost Body.
But Teacher Hu’s Level was only A.
Jian Yu met his gaze without a trace of fear.
’It seems my identity as a Primordial Beast isn’t considered a benevolent one in the eyes of humans.’
’The situation is unclear. Better to lay low.’
"It was this student of mine." Teacher Hu nudged Shen Gu forward.
Shen Gu waved his hands so fast they almost left afterimages. "Not me, not this student."
He denied it. "I think I was its target, but for some reason, the Soul Ghost Body couldn’t seem to attack me."
Duan Feiye’s gaze shifted downward, and he stared into Jian Yu’s eyes for a moment.
’So that’s what they mean by "eyes shimmering like water."’
Shen Gu saw that Jian Yu was getting a little uncomfortable from being stared at.
He shifted his body, trembling as he blocked Duan Feiye’s line of sight.
"It was like this, Chief. Only after the Soul Ghost Body made that sound did I see it floating above my head."
Shen Gu pointed to the space above and between him and Jian Yu.
"Right up there. It was making a terrifying noise. I looked up and saw it staring with two bloody sockets, its body twisting violently as if it was about to tear itself apart to create a clone."
He had wanted to wake Jian Yu before leaving, but in the blink of an eye, the Soul Ghost Body vanished.
Duan Feiye scrutinized Shen Gu.
’His face is youthful and inexperienced, his expression anxious. He doesn’t seem to be lying.’
’An S-Class Soul Ghost Body does indeed have the ability to create clones.’
’Tearing and twisting... that sounds more like it was being attacked, trying to escape and failing.’
Duan Feiye lowered his head and activated his Star Brain.
"It didn’t disappear. It was devoured by a beast’s body."
The Star Brain’s screen lit up. It was normal for the surveillance cameras not to see the Soul Ghost Body, but the strange thing was, even the ’thing’ that devoured it was invisible.
Duan Feiye’s brow furrowed.
’Besides the Soul Ghost Body, there’s also the aura of an Alien Beast here, at least S-Class.’
’Ruling out Teacher Hu...’
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the title on Shen Gu’s brooch.
’To ensure a Soul Ghost Body’s sneak attack doesn’t go unnoticed, a few Awakeners are placed in every class.’
’But an Executive Director chosen by Xi Yu, appearing in a special recruitment class of all places...’
’Is it because of Jian Yu?’
Duan Feiye looked at Shen Gu standing protectively in front of Jian Yu, his gaze steady and deep.
"You can see an S-Class Soul Ghost Body."
Shen Gu froze for a second. "Chief Duan, I’m an Awakener too, so why shouldn’t I be able to see it? Uh, an S-Class one?"
’Wait, S-Class!?’
’I’m a Super B-level Awakener, why could I see an S-Class Soul Ghost Body?’
’With such a Level gap, as long as it doesn’t attack or get injured, a Soul Ghost Body should be able to remain invisible to lower-Level Awakeners.’
Shen Gu said blankly, "I’m Super B-level. The odds of a secondary evolution shouldn’t fall on me, right? Maybe the Soul Ghost Body was injured and became visible?"
He opened his palm, where an ant crawled on his hand.
He carefully inspected his Soul Beast.
Duan Feiye’s eyelids lowered, his thick lashes concealing the emotion in his eyes.
’An injured Soul Ghost Body would only hide. It wouldn’t appear so readily.’
Teacher Hu guessed, "Could it be that a student in the class attacked it with their spiritual power?"
He glanced at the students crowded around the door and windows, watching the show, and gave an embarrassed smile. "It seems we don’t have anyone that powerful in our class."
Duan Feiye’s expression was calm, making him impossible to read.
His features were classically handsome and strong, his features well-defined, yet they carried a hint of solemnity.
Jian Yu didn’t want him to think something was off about her just because she was being too quiet.
She leaned over to look at Shen Gu’s Soul Beast. "It’s gotten a lot bigger."
"Mhm," Shen Gu nodded. "Chairman Xi has been teaching me a lot recently. He said he’ll find resources for me so I can break through my Level restriction and learn how to create Soul Beast clones."
’Once the ant has clones, as long as the main body is safe, it can court death as much as it wants. It wouldn’t even be a problem to scratch someone of a higher level to death.’
Duan Feiye withdrew his gaze, looking perplexed.
His voice was calm and unhurried. "Your soul beast level is A."
"No, I..." Shen Gu’s voice faltered.
Realization dawned on him. "My Awakening Level is indeed A, but something happened when I was little, and my Level dropped by half a grade."
A glint appeared in Duan Feiye’s eyes, and his tone was certain. "You are A now. I suggest you get re-tested."
Shen Gu was surprised. "I will. Thank you, Chief."
’I wonder if Shen Gu’s change has anything to do with me.’
’I remember Shen Gu smelled my Hidden Beast Aura before.’
’And according to Pei Yin and Shi Zhao, my Hidden Beast Aura has healing properties.’
Duan Feiye was silent for a few seconds, then began to log the incident.
[S-Class Soul Ghost Body, suspected injury. Status: Eliminated. Location: Incubation Class 1, Cultivation Classroom. Handler: Unknown. Possession Target: Suspected to be Shen Gu.]
Sent.
Shen Gu scratched his head. "Aren’t Soul Ghost Bodies appearing in our academy a little too frequently?"
Teacher Hu sighed. "There are a few Planet Academies on the tournament roster that are far from the Imperial City. They arrived two days early and might have accidentally brought one in."
Jian Yu asked meekly, "Weren’t they inspected when they entered?"
"We had people inspect them," Teacher Hu explained. "They’re evolving too quickly. They can even imitate human speech now."
Jian Yu didn’t say anything else. She pressed her lips together and looked down at her skirt.
Duan Feiye found himself unconsciously staring at her tightly pressed, pink lips. "I will personally oversee the subsequent inspections."