Chapter Seventy-Four: The Enchanting Physique of the Celestial Fox

Riiiip—
The sound of tearing fabric was almost insignificant amid the chaos of the classroom, yet it was jarringly sharp, causing everyone to freeze at once. All eyes stared, stunned, at the exposed, pale white arm.
Pfft...
No one knew who was the first, but suddenly a nose spurted blood. Like a string of firecrackers ignited, others followed, blood trickling from their noses—such a wild scene, these sheltered youths simply couldn’t withstand it.
Riiiip—
Another section of clothing was torn away. More noses bled, but no one bothered to wipe it. Everyone stood dumbfounded, watching as the figure was pinned helplessly to the desk, her resistance fading. Even those who had intended to rush forward to play the hero found themselves inexplicably frozen, unable to move or speak.
“Wang Luo, what do you think you’re doing?”
Teacher Geda’s cold, menacing voice echoed from behind, sending a shiver through the crowd. They snapped out of their stupor.
“Wang Luo, such insolence in my class has already violated the Taboo of the Fallen Academy. I have the right to deal with you as I see fit!”
Glancing briefly at a spot in the air outside, a barely perceptible, cold smile curled Geda’s lips. A water-blue barrier instantly shimmered into existence, enveloping Wang Luo and Qier within.
“What’s happening?”
“Wang Luo’s really got guts, huh?”
“The Taboo of the Fallen Academy?”
“Isn’t that a capital offense?”
...
“A capital offense?”
Hearing the whispers around him, Kairo’s expression changed at once. He shot a glance toward the water-blue barrier floating away outside with Teacher Geda, gritted his teeth, and dashed after them.
“Kairo, wait for me!”
“And me!”
Seeing Kairo rush out, Pryle and Abigail snapped back to their senses and chased after him, leaving a roomful of students staring at each other in confusion.

–––––––

In the courtyard, a sweet-faced girl reclined lazily on a chair, reading a book while nibbling fruit from a skewer. She cast impatient glances now and then at the white-robed youth pacing nervously nearby.
Snap—
“Chelsea, can you stop already? You’re making me dizzy. So what if you’ve fallen for a kid?”
Finally unable to stand it any longer, the girl stuffed the rest of the fruit into her mouth and slapped her book onto the table with a thud, forcing the white-robed youth down into a chair.
“Anviel, you just don’t understand—”
“How do I not understand? So the person you like is a little brat—and a boy at that? What’s the big deal? I heard from Grandpa that that Qilu fellow likes boys too. It’s fine!”
Anviel picked up another fruit skewer from the table, eating as she patted Chelsea consolingly on the shoulder. Seeing Chelsea remain silent, Anviel pressed on. Her blue-haired confidant had been troubling her for days over this matter, and she resolved to settle it today.
“Every time I ask what’s so special about this little brat, you dodge the question. Why don’t we go see for ourselves? Besides, we’ll be teaching them combat soon, anyway!”
“Well—”
“No more ‘well’—it’s settled. Let’s go! I want to see what kind of brat could captivate our Chelsea to this degree. You’ve lost weight over him!”
Seeing the hint of temptation in Chelsea’s eyes, Anviel immediately hauled him up, half-pushing, half-dragging him out the door.
“So, what’s this brat’s talent? What level is he now?”
“A warrior at the peak of level six.”
“What? A peak-level-six warrior? Chelsea, are you kidding me? How could anyone so young reach level six—”
Anviel’s face was filled with disbelief at Chelsea’s reply, but she stopped short, a black-haired child’s image flashing through her mind.
“Is the kid you’re talking about black-haired? And has three powerful pets?”
“Yes, he has black hair, but no pets. Do you know him?”
Caught off guard by Anviel’s sudden question, Chelsea was momentarily stunned.
“No idea. I met a talented boy about ten years old on my last trip home, at least level six, but it’s so far from here... probably not the same kid. Hey, Chelsea, why are you running so fast?”
Before Anviel could finish, Chelsea’s feet summoned a deep blue rapier that instantly whisked him away. Anviel could only shout helplessly after him before summoning a fiery red sword under her own feet and dashing after Chelsea.

–––––––

“Ah... mm... uhn...”
Hearing the muffled moans coming from the blue water sphere behind him, Geda’s face glowed with excitement. He glanced at the small group chasing after him, licked his dry lips, and conjured a wave beneath his feet, propelling himself forward and leaving the overreaching children far behind.
“Heh, the Celestial Fox Enchantment body really is extraordinary. What a pity—the first time, wasted on this boy. But once I drain him dry, I’ll make sure he experiences all my methods. Damn these Fallen Academy rules, making me go through so much trouble to pull this off...”
Riding the wave with a leisurely stride, Geda wore a beaming smile. After three years of searching, he had finally found the right candidate—and succeeded. How could he not be pleased?
Whoosh—
A streak of blue light shot toward him. Geda’s face darkened, and with a cold snort, he waved his hand, summoning three blue water serpents to intercept the incoming light.
“Hmph, Chelsea, you’ve got some nerve, daring to strike at a teacher!”
Seeing Chelsea arrive on the heels of the blue light, Geda’s expression grew even colder, his frustration clear.
Screeech—
A red flash sped in, clashing with the blue sword beset by water serpents. Sparks flew as they tangled, producing a strange, grating screech.
“Teacher Geda, your skills haven’t faded with age—your mastery of the Water Serpent spell is ever more refined!”
With a flicker of red, Anviel appeared at Chelsea’s side. She shot Chelsea an exasperated glance, sheathed her sword, and grinned at Geda.
“Hmph!”
Geda snorted coldly, dismissing the three water serpents with a wave. The blue sword, sentient, immediately flew back to its master and then vanished as a streak of blue light into Chelsea’s body.
“Teacher Geda, there are no shortcuts in cultivation. After decades as a mentor, surely you understand this? No matter how powerful the Celestial Fox Enchantment body is, it only increases the chance of breaking through. Teacher Geda, you—”
“Silence! My business is none of yours, whelp. If not for your Watercrest family, you’d already have paid dearly for such insolence! Now get lost!”
Directly struck at his sore spot, Geda’s face grew frosty. Impatiently, he summoned another wave beneath his feet and prepared to leave.