Chapter Two: Tying Up the Ice Hound

Combat techniques and martial techniques are two entirely different concepts. Combat techniques can greatly unleash spiritual energy, forming devastating ultimate moves. Even the most elementary combat technique requires a level-four spiritual energy standard to practice. A level-four combat technique is already considered quite advanced, usually requiring at least level-six battle energy to master. Moreover, Frostbite, with its ice attribute, stands at the pinnacle among level-four combat techniques. That Elijia managed to master such a powerful technique beyond her level proves that this girl’s intelligence is as remarkable as her appearance and figure.

“Luo Chen, get out of the way!”

Elijia’s shout was like music to Luo Chen’s ears—he had been wanting to do just that. Without hesitation, he darted aside at his fastest speed, just as Elijia’s longsword, wreathed in a milky-white mist, swept forward, enveloping both wind wolves.

The ground immediately froze, forming a thin, crystalline layer of frost. The two wind wolves at the forefront suffered most; the tens of degrees below zero chill pierced their bodies. Even with their demonic aura as protection, their blood nearly froze, fur bristling, shivering convulsively from the cold, their once agile movements slowed to a crawl—so slow they might as well have been turtles.

The wind wolves had become drenched and miserable—no, frozen solid. At that point, they were no longer to be feared.

To Luo Chen, striking down these frozen “dogs” was a thoroughly satisfying affair. He charged forward “bravely,” brandishing his longsword, and with a swing, lopped off the head of one, letting it hang from his blade as he gloated, “Hahaha! See how arrogant you are now? Daring to act up in front of me comes with serious consequences!” Any passerby unaware of the situation would surely take him for a real braggart.

Leaving the aftermath to Luo Chen, Elijia closed her eyes to steady her breathing, for casting Frostbite had consumed a considerable amount of her spiritual energy.

Luo Chen knelt down and used his sword to slit open the wind wolf’s belly, reaching inside to grope around. Soon enough, his hand found something hard—a diamond-shaped crystal, which he pulled out.

Luo Chen’s eyes shone with astonishment. A crystal core! It really was a crystal core!

Some magical beasts may have a condensed crystal of spiritual energy within them—this is the crystal core. It is an extremely useful item: a high-density energy source, valuable for both daily life and combat.

Crystal cores only exist within beasts of level four and above; the wind wolf’s core was the lowest grade, but even so, it would fetch about three gold coins on the market.

To Luo Chen, who was dirt poor, this was a small fortune. He checked the other wind wolf’s corpse, but found nothing this time. Crystal cores are like pearls: whether you find one or not depends on luck.

Finding even one was an unexpected delight.

Looking at the core, Luo Chen swallowed hard, but with the expression of a child being sent into a wolf’s den, he handed it to Elijia. “Elijia, you’re the one who defeated the beast—here, this crystal core is yours!”

Elijia couldn’t help but laugh at his pained expression—if you can’t bear to part with it, then don’t force yourself. “We took it down together, Luo Chen. You keep it.”

“No, no, no,” Luo Chen protested, waving his hands. “Honestly, I barely contributed to the fight. By the standard rules of cooperation, it’s rightfully yours!”

Elijia found this a little odd. She didn’t care about the crystal core, but Luo Chen was different. He was infamous at Weston Academy for his poverty and avarice—even the fish in the academy’s back pond had almost all been caught and sold by him. Yet now, he was willing to hand over a core worth several gold coins. Something wasn’t right.

“I know what you’re thinking, Elijia. Yes, I love money,” Luo Chen declared without a hint of shame, “but I only take what I deserve. If you give me this crystal core, that’s charity, and I’m sorry—I can’t accept that.”

“Oh, is that so?” Elijia smiled and accepted the core. “Then I won’t be polite.” A subtle fondness for him rose in her heart—he was a boy with dignity, after all.

In truth, many at the academy looked down on Luo Chen for his greed, but Elijia never held any prejudice against him. She knew that Luo Chen was a special admissions student—unable to afford the tuition, but with just enough constitution to be admitted as an exception.

Every academy has a few special admissions, but the slots are extremely limited—usually only one per year.

In the academy’s first public test for new students, both Elijia and Luo Chen stood out—she at the top, he at the very bottom. That was no surprise; special admissions were always poor children. While others had tutors to lay a strong foundation from the age of ten, the special admissions were still struggling for basic survival—education was a luxury for them. Thus, ninety-nine percent of special admissions ranked last in the initial tests.

Yet by the third year, Luo Chen was already an average student. No matter how gifted, without extraordinary effort, there’s no way someone with such a weak foundation could make so much progress in three years. That was another reason many at the academy resented Luo Chen—being surpassed by a special admission was a blow to their pride; in truth, they were simply jealous.

But Elijia was not prone to envy, so she bore Luo Chen no ill will. She blinked and said, “Luo Chen, the rule of hunting in partnership is distribution according to contribution. Even if the core can’t be split, I can sell it at the market and give you your share of the proceeds.”

Before Luo Chen could reply, Elijia’s expression turned stern. “No refusing—it’s what you deserve. If you give up your share, that would be charity, and I don’t like charity from others!”

Of course, Luo Chen understood that Elijia was looking after his pride while still finding a way to help him. Grateful, he thought: what a considerate girl—anyone who could win her heart would be blessed indeed. Not that he dared to hope for such a thing.

Luo Chen’s mind was filled with the joy of the profit to be gained from selling the core. Suddenly, he remembered something and said, “Elijia, this core should fetch three gold and twelve silver coins. Hmm, the market is up a bit right now, so three gold and fifteen silver shouldn’t be a problem. Whatever you do, don’t sell it for less than three gold and ten silver, or you’ll take a loss—don’t forget that!”

Watching Luo Chen fuss and fret, Elijia was both amused and exasperated. With her status, could she really be found haggling over a few silver coins in the marketplace? The rumors were true—this Luo Chen really was a hopeless miser.

Luo Chen sighed. “Honestly, Elijia, before working on this internship task with you, I always thought you were a difficult person to approach.”

Elijia’s interest was piqued. “Oh? And what do the boys say about me?”

Luo Chen thought for a moment. “I can’t say it’s everyone, but to me, you’re like an iceberg—so distant and cold, every time I see you I wish I’d worn a few more layers.”

Elijia was torn between laughter and exasperation. “Luo Chen, am I really that bad?”

He nodded seriously. “Yes, you are. And you’re always so stern—I’ve always wondered if you’re owed a great deal of money by people who haven’t paid you back.”

This time, Elijia nearly fainted. Luo Chen’s assessment was enough to make her cough blood.

[The road to the rankings is also the beginning of a battle—either you defeat others, or you get defeated. There’s no turning back. Even a thief wouldn’t dare claim they could knock everyone off the leaderboard ahead of them. Some, like Chen Dong, wear iron underwear—their defenses are impenetrable, impossible to defeat! But my motto is: “Beating one is worth it, beating two is profit!” Brothers, to help this thief earn more, please cast your recommendation votes my way—I urgently need the encouragement!]