Chapter 468 - Loss
Life went on as usual. Shen Yanxiao, who had returned to a quiet life, committed herself in her lessons. The first day she reported to the Archers Division, Xie Ling had dragged her out of the classroom and gave her a dressing-down. She had been vigorously criticized due to her repeated absence from her classes.
Eventually, Xie Ling let her off when she sincerely apologized to him.
The Herbalist Division was like heaven to Shen Yanxiao ever since Shangguan Xiao and Pu Lisi had left. However, she was in a depressed mood because she had lost her good friend, Tang Nazhi, too.
It became quite clear to Shen Yanxiao that her life could never return to its previous peaceful nature.
After Shen Jiayi was admitted to the Magus Division, she had been well-behaved. However, she would also resort to extreme measures when she wanted to please someone.
Qi Xia did not show any resistance toward Shen Jiayi, and he always had a smile for her. Shen Jiayi’s confidence swelled whenever Qi Xia smiled at her. Unfortunately for her, she did not know that her expressions would invite a beating.
Whenever Shen Yanxiao got together with Qi Xia and the others, they would sometimes run into Shen Jiayi. At those times, Shen Jiayi would always glare at Shen Yanxiao discreetly, as she hoped that she could take the latter’s place.
Shen Yanxiao had already mastered the skill of ignoring any and all the glares thrown at her. Shen Jiayi’s jealousy and the hidden bitterness in her eyes could not even breach Shen Yanxiao’s defense against the stares.
She was only a vile character with no real ability to fight!
Two months zipped by, and it was only two months away from the inter-academy tournament in the Longxuan Empire. It was at that point that Shen Yanxiao had sunk into a deep depression.
She had acquired the Flame Grass and the Moling Plant. The only thing that she needed for the potion was the Skeleton Flower.
She had received a large number of demonic cores, but that amount had not been enough to satisfy a certain someone’s appetite. She would have to find another way to locate the Skeleton Flower if she wanted to undo another layer of the seal before the tournament.
Otherwise, she would have to show up at the competition as someone with intermediate-level skills. If that were to happen, she would only be inviting abuse.
Shen Yanxiao had never gained a clear sense of Qi Xia and her other friends’ real abilities. Yet, she was sure that they had to be, at least, at an advanced level. They were the top students of their respective divisions and were the representatives of the most elite forces at Saint Laurent Academy. She wondered if participants of the other academies could be as incredible as her friends.
If she wanted to make sure that she could secure a piece of territory at the Forsaken Land, she must try her best to collect information about the Skeleton Flower.
The Cave Wolves Mercenary Group had helped her to look for it, but that had yielded minimal effect.
It was the weekend, and as an inglorious master, Shen Yanxiao had remembered about the Vermilion Bird that she had left behind in Black City. It was a rare occasion where she had thought about the mythical beast, so she changed into Huo Xiao’s attire and left for Black City.
The Black City was as lively and as noisy as per usual. The crowded streets were bustling with people, and the sound of noisy hawkers rang through her ears.
Shen Yanxiao made her way through the crowds with agility, and she would pick up information about happenings in the Black City with her ears from here and there.
However, she stopped because of something a random passer-by had said.
“The Cave Wolves Mercenary Group has suffered a tremendous loss. I wonder where they had picked up that assignment that had caused such a huge casualty. They didn’t even suffer that many losses during their last mission to Mount Kuluo. Why was their sacrifice so big for this strange assignment?”
Shen Yanxiao frowned as she turned to the man who was talking to his friends.
“I think that the assignment had cost the Cave Wolves Mercenary Group greatly. I suppose they would lose their ranking as the top mercenary group in Black City.”