Chapter 21: The End-of-Month Examination

Usually, Luo Chen would rise at dawn to practice his breathing exercises without fail, but for some reason, he slept so deeply this time that he didn't wake until Shi Feng's wolf-like howl echoed through the room.

Groggy, Luo Chen opened the door and cursed, "What the hell are you howling about so early in the morning? Are you out of your mind?"

Shi Feng gave him an odd look. "Early? For you, maybe, but for most people, it's hardly early anymore." In fact, ever since they’d started sharing a room at Weston Academy three years ago, this was the first time Luo Chen had woken up later than Shi Feng.

It was only then that Luo Chen noticed the bright sunlight already streaming into the living room through the window. He shuddered. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven o’clock!"

After seven, the optimal time for a psionic warrior's breathing practice had already passed—it was indeed late. Shi Feng looked at Luo Chen with a mixture of sympathy and schadenfreude. "You must have been so traumatized by dreaming of that dinosaur-lady Alice that you slept right through the morning! Poor guy, and today’s the end-of-month assessment. You haven’t even finished your breathing exercises yet, have you?"

Because of the assessment, even Shi Feng, notorious for loving his sleep, had gotten up early for his own training. No one had expected Luo Chen to oversleep.

Seven o'clock!? Luo Chen didn't even pause to think. He dashed back into his room and began his breathing exercises. Though the golden hour had passed, with the help of his mutated Aura Technique, he managed to saturate his spirit energy in about fifty minutes—just in time, with ten minutes left before they had to gather.

Shi Feng, loyal as ever, had waited for him in the living room. Seeing Luo Chen emerge, he assumed Luo Chen’s training had been incomplete and called out, "No point rushing now! I told you not to go out on a date with your little sweetheart last night. There’s a time and place for everything!"

"Alright, it’s my fault," Luo Chen admitted. "Good thing you howled and woke me up, or I’d really be in trouble!" He shot Shi Feng a look. "But what’s with you? Up so early for once?"

Shi Feng grinned mischievously. "Because I calculated that today my luck with the ladies is at its peak—best day of the whole year! I was so excited I couldn’t sleep, just waiting for morning to come. Who knows, maybe today I’ll have a three-way, maybe even more, haha..." His face was lit up with a lecherous smile, lost in fantasies of romantic exploits.

Luo Chen snorted. "Yeah, right! Keep dreaming. Careful your bragging doesn’t blow up in your face. You’ll probably end up with two ugly chicks instead!"

"Bah! When have my predictions ever been wrong? Just look at my forehead—it’s shining today, glowing with a hint of pink. That’s a sure sign of good fortune with women!"

Luo Chen eyed Shi Feng’s face, which did look especially rosy. He frowned. "You’re all dolled up. Did you put on makeup or something? Damn, you’re such a sissy!"

"Get lost! This is the flush of luck, something you’d never understand. I can’t be bothered to explain. Let’s get moving—just thinking of all those beauties waiting for me, I can hardly wait!"

With the gathering time fast approaching, Luo Chen didn’t argue. He splashed some water on his face and the two of them hurried out the door.

——————————

After the class had assembled, homeroom teacher Jason led all of Class Six to the training grounds.

Many students were already there; the end-of-month assessment was a public, academy-wide test of overall ability, held together for every class.

As usual, Class Five, Luo Chen’s neighboring class in the third year, had already arrived. Among them, one girl stood out—a long-legged beauty with blue hair tied in a lively ponytail and striking sapphire eyes. Her stunning face and breathtaking figure made her the center of attention wherever she went.

Wherever Alice appeared, she dazzled so brightly she nearly blinded every boy in the school.

Alice was a student in Class Five. She had already returned to her usual cold demeanor; the brief smile she’d shown during the internship exercise had been as fleeting as a flower in bloom—not many had ever witnessed such beauty from her.

Compared to the rest of the academy, Class Five’s students harbored an even deeper resentment toward Luo Chen, especially the boys. Their beloved class beauty had nearly died during the internship because of Luo Chen, so naturally, they despised him.

As affection breeds affection, so does resentment breed resentment. Because of the scandal surrounding Luo Chen, as soon as Class Six appeared, a chorus of boos erupted from Class Five. The jeers were especially fierce, and all of Class Six hung their heads in shame, cursing Luo Chen for bringing disgrace upon them.

Alice said nothing. She was a forgiving person. Given the circumstances, with Luo Chen’s abilities, staying behind would have only meant certain death. Still, if someone abandoned you on the battlefield, it was hard to ever be friends again. Now she treated Luo Chen as a stranger, as if their brief connection during the internship had never happened.

In Class Six, only one person held his head high—the very source of the scandal, Luo Chen himself.

Since the internship, this was the first time Luo Chen had seen Alice again. He didn’t try to explain himself, nor did he intend to. Even his close friend Shi Feng had only tolerated him, not truly believed him—so why would Alice? After enduring weeks of cold stares, Luo Chen now faced it all with newfound calm. He didn’t apologize to Alice, nor did he think it necessary; in his heart, he knew he was blameless. He’d never done anything to harm Alice—he’d nearly lost his own life to save her.

If even that wasn’t enough, what more could he do?

So Luo Chen glanced at Alice, said nothing, and simply walked past her. To his surprise, Alice was a little taken aback. In the instant their eyes met, she saw in him a steadfast, clear conscience.

But the sight of Luo Chen’s untroubled face enraged the students of Class Five even more.

"That scoundrel! Who does he think he is, strutting around without even an apology to Alice?"

"He must have the thickest skin on the whole continent—no shame at all!"

"People like him are a curse on the world. Better off dead!"

"Why hasn’t he been expelled? The academy’s being way too lenient!"

The endless stream of mockery made Class Six blush in shame, wishing they could sink into the ground. In contrast, Class Four’s students stood tall with pride—after all, it was their own Kevin who had saved Alice from the monster during the internship.

Kevin himself was a little puzzled. He knew just how powerful that high-level beast had been, and the fact that Luo Chen had survived and made it back to the academy was a real surprise. Fortunately, Kevin’s good reputation shielded him; everyone took his side, and no one believed Luo Chen. At least Luo Chen hadn’t tried to defend himself.

[This is the third chapter today. At last, after so much effort, I finally got my first book recommendation—Personal Bookhouse’s pick. No more going naked up the charts! Tears of joy—but I still need everyone’s continued support with those recommendation votes~~~]