Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Peerless Maiden

While Luo Chen was marveling, his emotions wavered slightly. However, having practiced reverse thinking for a long time, he had excellent control over his emotions, so the fluctuation was almost imperceptible. Yet at that very moment, the dark figure suddenly turned its face toward Luo Chen’s hiding place, eyes piercing straight in his direction. “Who’s there?!”

Damn, I’ve been discovered!

But, I have nothing to feel guilty about—why should I skulk around?

With this thought, Luo Chen crawled out of the bushes and approached. When he caught a clear glimpse of the shadow’s face, both of them froze for a moment.

The reason Luo Chen was stunned was that the shadow was a girl—a girl of breathtaking beauty. Never had Luo Chen seen anyone so lovely: almond-shaped phoenix eyes, a delicate oval face, and lustrous violet hair that was dazzling to behold. Even her irises glimmered a faint, crystalline purple, as pure as water. Her slightly upturned cherry lips were fresh and enticing, possessing an indescribable charm. She was even more beautiful than Elijie and Joanna, yet her beauty was of a different kind—a striking, peerless elegance that would dazzle anyone at first sight, making them lose themselves for a moment. Luo Chen was not the type to become dazed at the sight of a beautiful woman, but even he was momentarily stunned.

The girl shot Luo Chen a glance, her eyes brimming with pride. For some reason, Luo Chen felt himself diminish in her presence, unable to lift his head, as if he were a mere toad before a swan—deeply inferior.

What the hell, how could I have such thoughts!

After so long practicing reverse thinking, he should have excellent emotional control. Luo Chen quickly cast aside the inexplicable feeling of inferiority. Now able to face the girl with composure, he cleared his throat and said, “Excuse me, but may I ask what you’re doing here?”

The girl’s surprise came from recognizing Luo Chen. Wasn’t this the fool she’d run into last time in the Forest of Fear, the one who’d recklessly stabbed a monster in the rear? He’d actually survived that rampaging beast, and how had he ended up here? Besides, he’d been so weak before—now he was hunting a level-five beast, and had snuck so close in the bushes that she hadn’t even noticed him.

And this aura... the aura of a Celestial!

No, impossible—he absolutely could not be a Celestial. But how could he have an aura so similar to one? No wonder she hadn’t noticed him before.

Perplexed as she was, the girl quickly set aside her questions. “What am I doing? I should be asking you that! Sneaking around like that!”

“I’m a hunter. That Armored Dragon—I lured it here with beast-attracting powder, then lay in wait in the bushes to hunt it. That’s all.” Luo Chen paused, then added, “According to the rules of hunters, others shouldn’t interfere. So I hope, miss, that you’ll allow me the rights to this prey.”

The girl refused at once. “No way. I brought it down, so it’s mine. Who’s to say the beast didn’t just happen to pass by, instead of being attracted by your powder?”

Luo Chen was speechless; the girl was clearly being unreasonable. “Regardless, that’s the rule among hunters. Miss, surely you can’t just break the rules?”

She sneered. “First, I’m not a hunter, so I don’t have to follow any damn rules. Second, which law of the Alliance says this rule has any legal basis?”

“It’s just a customary agreement, but—”

“But what?” The girl cut him off before he could finish. “A rule without legal basis isn’t legitimate. This beast is mine. If you want one, go find another!”

With that, she strode to the Armored Dragon’s corpse, waved her slender hand, and a blade of wind energy—Wind Blade, a level-two grade-B wind technique—sliced through the beast, dissecting it with practiced, expert precision. Luo Chen was again amazed; this girl, about his own age, wielded such skill—truly a prodigy among prodigies.

A round, earth-yellow crystal core rolled out from the beast’s belly. The girl stooped to pick it up. “What luck. Some extra pocket money.”

Luo Chen nearly spat blood in frustration—his first hunt of a level-five beast, and it dropped a crystal core! If the girl hadn’t shown up, he’d have earned several more gold coins—enough to repair the broken wall. Now, it had been snatched away.

The girl, as if showing off, flipped the crystal core in her hand a couple of times in front of Luo Chen. “Well? Any objections?”

Knowing he was no match for her, Luo Chen could only grit his teeth in frustration. “No, miss. But may I ask—do you still want the beast’s carcass?”

She glanced at it. “What would I want that for? Fine, if you like, take it. Don’t say I’m heartless—snatching your core but leaving you the remains.”

Damn it, how could the carcass compare to the value of a crystal core? She’d taken the prize and was still pretending to be generous. Luo Chen was thoroughly exasperated.

“If you have no objections, then that’s that. Farewell, foo—” The girl suddenly stopped herself, not wanting Luo Chen to recognize her.

He watched, helpless, as the girl strode away. Luo Chen was deeply frustrated. A cooked duck had just flown away—his lucky streak was clearly over, and now he was heading into a slump. Luckily, the girl didn’t want the carcass. The dragon’s meat was too tough and tasteless for any restaurant, but the shell would fetch a couple of silver coins at an apothecary—not a total loss.

Wait, what was that last thing she said—“foo” what?

Luo Chen puzzled over it, but gave up, not wanting to dwell. He removed the shell from the carcass and tucked it into his jingling bag. His streak of luck truly seemed to have ended, dropping into a trough, and for the next few hours, he had no further gains.

As evening fell, Luo Chen returned to Miracle City, selling the snake-scale flesh and the Armored Dragon’s shell to two familiar establishments—a restaurant and an apothecary that paid well—before heading back to Blue Emperor Academy.

The following days passed uneventfully. Although he had broken through to level four and mastered a psychic combat technique, Luo Chen remained as low-key as ever. Besides the previous scandal, nothing about him attracted attention, so no one noticed his progress—except his roommate, Shi Feng. For the famed Stallion Brother had figured out that, since there was no earthquake that night, the wall’s collapse must have been man-made—and anyone who could topple a wall in an instant was no ordinary person.

At first, Luo Chen had thought Shi Feng was the one with a mysterious background. Now, it was Stallion Brother who felt his roommate was growing ever more enigmatic. He had a vague premonition that, before long, this unremarkable roommate of his would burst forth in dazzling brilliance.