Chapter 3: Lucian Sabey

Evan Norman himself was filled with astonishment. No one understood the change better than he did. His strength had fallen to just over a thousand pounds, which meant that completing a single cycle of the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture had increased his strength by nearly a thousand pounds. It was astonishing. Terrifying, even. According to Colin Umpleby, the place where one cultivated also had a tremendous impact on efficiency. The amount of Heaven and Earth Energy varied from place to place. What if he found a location rich in energy and cultivated the Nine Cycles Heaven-Plundering Scripture there? How far would his strength rise? Evan suppressed his excitement and calmly walked back. The male students greeted him with looks of shock and sheer misery, while the girls gazed at him with starry eyes. The yearly exam continued, though everyone kept whispering about Evan's results in amazement. The exam ended in less than the time it took an incense stick to burn. Most of the students had performed well this time. Only one had failed to meet the required thirty-percent increase. After returning home, he would have to pack his belongings and leave the academy. "Those who passed must not become arrogant or careless. You must all continue striving in the coming year," the instructor in charge of the records announced before leaving with the other two teachers. The students immediately began whispering among themselves and prepared to leave as well. "Wait!" Several girls stepped forward and blocked Bowen Bennitt's path. How dare he bully their Evan Norman? "What do you want?" Bowen asked darkly. The fact that Evan had not been expelled from the academy had left him extremely displeased. "You lost your bet to Evan. Are you planning to go back on it?" the girls demanded one after another. Evan had wanted to settle things with Bowen himself, but since the girls had volunteered to do it for him, he simply stood aside and enjoyed the spectacle. He had grown accustomed to receiving special treatment from women long ago. Refusing them would only make them angry. Accepting it in silence was the easiest option. As the girls' fighting spirit began to soar, the boys watched with hearts twisted in envy and frustration. Was Evan really just a little better-looking? That pretty boy had become a cripple, yet he was still so dazzling. It was completely unfair. Bowen had no intention of fighting women. He tried to slip away, especially since these were no ordinary girls. They were female martial artists, and none of them could be underestimated. But he truly should never have provoked Evan Norman. "Beat him up!" one of the girls shouted. The others instantly erupted. They surged forward and swallowed Bowen in a blink. Anyone who could enter Stellar Gale Academy either had power, wealth, and influence, or possessed extraordinary talent. The students of the Human Academy were poor children who had earned admission through talent. They were nothing like the students of the Heaven Academy and the Earth Academy, who were either descendants of powerful families or children of the wealthy. Even so, talent alone could not save Bowen from a mob of equally talented, enraged tigresses. Not one of the boys stepped forward. For one thing, it had nothing to do with them. For another, there was no glory in winning a fight against women, while losing would be humiliating. Most importantly, what good would one or two men do? Could they really defeat this group of girls? They all stared at Evan with gritted teeth. Was he really just a little better-looking? Yet after a few more glances, their shoulders slumped and they could only sigh. The man truly was handsome, far beyond what ordinary people considered attractive. Before long, Bowen was sprawled on the ground like a beaten dog, his head swollen until it looked like a pig's. "A bet's a bet! Pay up!" the girls insisted. They forced Bowen onto his knees and refused to let him off until he fulfilled the wager. Some of them even looked excited. They had not gotten nearly enough of a beating in earlier. Bowen shuddered. These women had been vicious. He had no desire to go through it again. If they hit him another time, they might genuinely beat him to death. With no other choice, he muttered, "Lucian Sabey is a bastard." "Louder!" "We can't hear you!" The girls shouted over him, growing more enthusiastic by the second. "Lucian Sabey is a bastard!" Bowen raised his voice. "Louder!" "Lucian Sabey is a bastard!" Bowen yelled. Tears streamed down his face as the words left his mouth. The humiliation was unbearable. He had been bullied this badly by a group of women! Only then did the girls seem satisfied. They released him, each one instantly returning to the manner of a refined young lady. They turned toward Evan and smiled sweetly, as though the savage tigresses from moments ago had been entirely different people. Bowen seized the opportunity to escape. He had shielded his head with his arms and curled his body inward while being beaten, protecting his vital areas. His entire body still ached horribly, but at least he could move. "Evan Norman, just wait!" he shouted after running a considerable distance. He dared to turn around only long enough to yell before hurrying away again. He had not gone far when he stopped and turned back. A boy of fifteen or sixteen stood beside him. He wore embroidered robes and expensive clothes that marked him as someone from a wealthy family. The boy was handsome as well, but beside Evan, the difference was still enormous. "It's Lucian Sabey!" The students of the Human Academy immediately grew tense. They had every reason to be nervous. Lucian was a student of the Heaven Academy, and anyone who could enter the Heaven Academy came from one of the powerful families of Sunrise City. These were people whom Human Academy students could never afford to offend. Even the girls who had fought like savage tigresses moments ago showed fear. They could bully Bowen as much as they wanted, but Lucian was the Seventh Young Master Sabey. Who would dare act recklessly in front of him? Lucian stared at Evan with unconcealed disgust. Not only had he been born into a powerful family, but his talent in the Martial Way was also exceptional. He was handsome and graceful as well. By all rights, he should have been the academy's brightest star. Then Evan had appeared. They were the same age, yet Evan was stronger and more handsome. Even the girls from the Heaven Academy had become infatuated with him. The previous year, Evan had defeated Lucian and won the qualification to represent the academy in the Imperial Capital Martial Arts Tournament. All of this had made Lucian hate Evan to the bone. He had been waiting for this day. As soon as Evan was expelled, he would send people to kill him. A murder would technically be a serious matter, but Evan would no longer be an academy student. If some insignificant nobody died, who would spend the effort to investigate? The matter would surely be buried. Yet Lucian had just received word that Evan had somehow passed the exam. He could not believe it, so he had come personally to see for himself. Instead, he had run into Bowen and learned about the bet as well. "Evan Norman, you have quite a lot of nerve!" Lucian said coldly, his presence pressing down on everyone around him. The girls of the Human Academy all wanted to defend their Evan Norman, but under the pressure of Lucian's presence, they could not even raise their heads. "Nothing special," Evan replied indifferently. Since Lucian had already developed murderous intentions toward him, why should Evan bother showing him any courtesy? "You're nothing but a cripple, a useless cripple. Where did you get the nerve?" Lucian strode toward him. Each heavy step made the ground tremble faintly. The boys watched with gleeful anticipation, while the girls grew extremely anxious. Lucian Sabey was no ordinary student. During the yearly exam held two days earlier, his strength had reached two thousand eight hundred pounds. He was already on the verge of becoming an Intermediate Martial Apprentice. The difference in strength was simply too great.