After a round of horrific screams, Qin Hen lay on the ground like a puddle of mud.
His limbs and more than a dozen ribs had all been broken by Xu Nian. It was doubtful he could get out of bed within two to three months.
Everyone around was utterly stunned. They had seen torture, but never torture this brutal.
Of course, what made their scalps tingle the most was Xu Nian's final kick, which had hit Qin Hen in a lethal spot.
They estimated that even if he recovered, that part might no longer function.
At that moment, everyone's gaze toward Xu Nian turned to one of awe.
A ruthless person!
Not just ruthless to himself but even more ruthless to others!
By this point, no one doubted whether Xu Nian had mistreated the maid anymore. Qin Hen's previous cruel actions had proven everything, and moreover, the victor was king, and the vanquished, the villain. This accusation was something Qin Hen would never wash away.
After settling the score with Qin Hen, Xu Nian didn't greet anyone and quickly returned to his courtyard.
This battle, although he had taken a risky move and won against Qin Hen, had also caused some damage to his meridians due to the concentration of energy before the fight, so he had to recuperate promptly, otherwise leaving behind a permanent issue would not be worth it.
In the following days, Xu Nian stayed inside, healing his injuries.
Fortunately, his meridian injuries were not severe and completely recovered in merely three days. Furthermore, he turned a misfortune into a blessing and made a breakthrough to the Seven-star Warrior Realm.
Two days after stabilizing his realm, he finally stepped out of his courtyard.
Upon stepping out, Chen Wudi greeted him, exclaiming excitedly, "Xu Nian, Xu Nian, you're famous!"
"What do you mean?" Xu Nian was momentarily puzzled.
Chen Wudi hurriedly explained, "A few days ago, didn't you defeat Qin Hen? This news has now spread throughout Qinglin Academy. A Six-star Warrior defeating a First-star Warrior of the Star Realm, this is unprecedented!"
"Oh," said Xu Nian expressionlessly.
He had anticipated this outcome, so it was nothing unexpected.
But what Chen Wudi said next thoroughly dampened Xu Nian's spirits.
"You don't know, your reputation is now on par with that of the Dragon God. The Body Institute has been quite arrogant because they had the Dragon God, and now that our Spirit Academy has you, we can finally hold our heads high. The basic-level students here are all hoping you can step up and challenge the Dragon God, to give our Spirit Academy a boost and properly teach the Dragon God a lesson," said Chen Wudi enthusiastically.
Xu Nian was silent for a moment, challenge the Dragon God?
But wouldn't that mean challenging himself?
Fighting himself, that was something only a fool would do.
"Not interested!" Xu Nian directly rejected the idea.
He had already heard about the mix-up caused by his identity as the Dragon God.
At that time, he had decided to let the name of the Dragon God fade into obscurity for a while, otherwise, it might lead to discoveries of clues, which could turn out very bad.
"Alright then, I'll reject this on your behalf to those students. However, there's another matter that you must take seriously," Chen Wudi spoke again.
"What's that?" Xu Nian asked, intrigued.
Chen Wudi chuckled mysteriously before finally speaking, "During the days of your seclusion, Murong Xue came looking for you, not just once but three times."
"What did she want with me?" Xu Nian immediately stunned, he remembered not having said a word to Murong Xue that day.
Logically, there should've been no connection between Murong Xue and him, so why would she suddenly seek him out?
"Could she have recognized me?" Xu Nian suddenly considered the possibility, and his mind instantly tensed up.
If Murong Xue had indeed recognized him, he really didn't know what he would do.
"I would like to invite you to join our war team and carry out missions with us." However, just then, a clear and spirited voice rose from not too far away.
A shapely and graceful figure then made her way over from a distance.
Xu Nian turned towards the comer and was startled—the person was Murong Xue.
But Murong Xue's words also breathed a sigh of relief into his heart.
So, Murong Xue's purpose in finding him was to invite him into a war team, not because she had discovered his identity.
As for the so-called war team, that was a special method that Qinglin Academy used to train students.
Any student going out to carry out a mission had to do so in the form of a war team; first and foremost for the safety of the students, as well as to cultivate a capacity for cooperation amongst them.
The members of the war teams typically ranged from three to five people, and they were generally individuals who were quite strong and trusted each other.
Now that Murong Xue was actively inviting him to join the war team, it was not only a recognition of his strength but also of the trust in his character.
"Why choose me?" Xu Nian didn't immediately agree but instead asked back.
Chen Wudi gave Xu Nian a kick from behind, clearly thinking him a fool as Murong Xue was personally inviting him to join a war team, and he was still playing coy.
Yet Xu Nian ignored Chen Wudi and kept his gaze firmly on Murong Xue, genuinely curious about why she would pick him.
"Your talent goes without saying, Emperor Level talent, huge potential for the future. Although your strength is somewhat lacking, it is still decent. However, what really led me to seek you out was that relentlessness and resourcefulness you possess. We have to carry out a very dangerous mission next, and you are the most suitable candidate. I wonder if you dare to join our war team?" Murong Xue spoke with a smile, very pleased with Xu Nian's performance.
If Xu Nian had just agreed without asking anything, she would've truly considered whether to actually bring him into the war team. Therefore, the more cautious Xu Nian's behavior, the more satisfied she became.
"What mission?" Xu Nian pressed on.
"A Xuan Level Low Grade mission, in Demon Beast Forest. The specifics are to remain confidential for now, but I can guarantee that should the mission be completed successfully, the final reward will definitely satisfy you," Murong Xue spoke with a smile that was both breathtakingly beautiful and full of valiance.
Much like the levels for Cultivation Techniques and Combat Skills, mission difficulties were classified as Yellow Level, Xuan Level, Earth Level, Heavenly Level, each with its own subdivision of Low Grade, Mid Level, and High Grade.
A Xuan Level Low Grade mission was already considered very difficult for Mid-level Students, which was evident from the fact that the location of the mission was none other than the Demon Beast Forest.
The Demon Beast Forest was one of the three deadly places in Tianhen Empire, teeming with Demon Beasts. One careless move could result in death by the jaws of a powerful Demon Beast.
"Fine, I agree to join the war team. When do we depart?" Xu Nian agreed without hesitation.
He had already planned to train in the Demon Beast Forest after a while, and this was the perfect opportunity.
"Three days from now at dawn, we'll gather at the Academy courtyard entrance," Murong Xue, hearing Xu Nian's agreement, her mouth curled into a beautiful smile, and with those words, she turned and left.
"Three days, huh? That should be enough time." Xu Nian watched Murong Xue's retreating figure, murmuring to himself, before heading towards the Scripture Pavilion.
Chen Wudi, on the other hand, stood still, filled with frustration. He had wanted to ask if he could also join, but from beginning to end, Murong Xue hadn't given him so much as a glance.
It's just maddening comparing oneself to others!