The stench of the Ferocious Beast's stains was overwhelming and difficult to remove. Li Qingshan could only apply shower gel repeatedly.

Outside the shower stall, the noise gradually increased as other students returned to the lounge to change clothes.

After a while, the voices faded away.

"Brother Shan, I'm waiting for you outside," Zhao Hongzhou's voice came from outside.

Li Qingshan responded, sniffed around to ensure there was no smell, then turned to pick up the machete leaning against the door and rinsed it under the showerhead.

The stains quickly disappeared under the water flow, and the 1.2-meter-long blade regained its metallic luster.

Li Qingshan ran his hand over the blade, revealing a satisfied smile.

Earlier, Wan Keshan had used it to shatter an alloy cage with one strike, yet there wasn't a single scratch on it now.

"What a fine blade!"

Perhaps due to the material, after a thorough rinse, there was no lingering odor on the blade.

Li Qingshan quickly changed clothes and walked out of the lounge.

Zhao Hongzhou was standing at the door, holding a scabbard in his arms. Upon seeing him, he tossed it over.

"Brother Shan, the teacher asked me to bring this to you."

"Alright, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch."

With the long knife sheathed, the two headed to the cafeteria.

It was lunchtime, and the entire student body of the school was gathered in the cafeteria, creating a lively atmosphere.

After getting their meals, Li Qingshan and Zhao Hongzhou found an empty table in a corner and sat down.

"Li Qingshan? Li Qingshan is in the cafeteria too."

Fifty meters away, over twenty students from Class 7 occupied several tables, with Jia Jiang among them.

Upon hearing someone notice Li Qingshan, all eyes, except Jia Jiang's, turned towards him.

"Why are Li Qingshan and Zhao Hongzhou sitting in the corner?"

"Yeah, why aren't they sitting with the Martial Arts Class?"

Someone voiced their confusion, glancing towards the other side of the cafeteria, where a dozen tables were occupied.

Besides students like Jia Jiang from their own school, most of the martial arts students from other schools sat there.

Notably, at a small table in the center of a group, a boy and a girl sat facing each other, like stars surrounding the moon.

"They must be the elites of this year's Martial Arts Class, right?"

A few students who had previously given up on applying showed envy, whispering deliberately near Jia Jiang's ear.

However, Jia Jiang ignored them and continued eating.

The others, unable to press further, turned their gaze back to the corner.

"Why does Li Qingshan even bother? Forcing his way into the Martial Arts Class!"

"Everywhere has its circles, and it seems he hasn't even made it into the Martial Arts Class circle."

"Heh, you don't understand. He's aiming to soar high, and our little Class 7 can't contain him."

"We're all classmates; don't say that. After all, Li Qingshan won't last long in the Martial Arts Class and will eventually return."

"Heh, when he slinks back from the Martial Arts Class, he'll realize the truth in harsh advice and bitter medicine."

Sneers and mocking remarks filled the air.

Bang!

An empty plate slammed heavily onto the table, interrupting the "gathering."

Everyone paused, looking at Jia Jiang.

"I'm done eating."

Jia Jiang wiped his mouth, his gaze falling on the classmates who kept speaking.

They were the ones who had given up on applying to the Martial Arts Class at the last moment.

After two years as classmates, Jia Jiang was naturally familiar with them.

But now, they seemed particularly unfamiliar.

He couldn't understand,

There was no conflict of interest, and Li Qingshan was merely following his own path. How could these bystanders harbor such malice?

Jia Jiang turned to look at the "circle" of the Martial Arts Class and said:

"The two sitting in the middle, the girl is Yu Lei, and the boy is Hong Qian, both at Body Refinement 1st Stage."

Yu Lei's punching power was slightly lacking, but there was no need to explain that to these people.

"Body Refinement 1st Stage? Just entered the Martial Arts Class and already at Body Refinement 1st Stage?" The surrounding people widened their eyes.

However, Jia Jiang hadn't finished speaking.

"Li Qingshan is also at Body Refinement 1st Stage, and his grades are even higher than theirs. He's the top student of this year's martial arts students."

This statement caused a huge stir.

The first reaction of the Class 7 students was disbelief.

"What? Impossible!"

"Li Qingshan, a public student, how could he?"

"Absolutely impossible, Jia Jiang, you must be joking!"

Joking?

Jia Jiang shook his head, picked up his empty plate, and turned to leave.

At least one thing they said before was true.

Everywhere has its "circles."

Now, he no longer wanted to stay in Class 7's "circle."

Watching Jia Jiang's departing figure, someone hesitantly spoke.

"Jia Jiang... must be joking, right?"

"Nonsense, do you really believe it?" The speaker looked disdainful, pointing to the corner.

"If it were true, would he and Zhao Hongzhou be sitting in the corner?"

"Exactly, exactly!"

The surrounding people nodded in agreement, looking towards the "circle" of the Martial Arts Class.

"Those Martial Arts Class students aren't blind; they wouldn't ignore the top student of the class, would they?"

Just as the words fell,

They suddenly noticed that all the Martial Arts Class students who were eating had stopped and were looking in one direction.

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Huh?

The crowd turned their heads in confusion, following the gaze.

In the corner, Li Qingshan was holding a bowl, drinking soup.

The Martial Arts Class students were all looking at Li Qingshan? How could that be?

The thought flashed by, and the Class 7 students, in disbelief, quickly turned their heads.

But they found that the Martial Arts Class students who had been glancing over were now all startled, lowering their heads and speeding up their eating.

Were they... afraid?

The Class 7 students widened their eyes, full of confusion.

At this moment,

The boy and girl at the center of the Martial Arts Class "circle," Yu Lei and Hong Qian, as Jia Jiang had mentioned, stood up with their trays and walked towards the corner where Li Qingshan was.

"What Jia Jiang said is true."

Class 7 fell into silence.

Everyone looked at each other, eventually getting up and leaving the cafeteria in a hurry.

In the corner, Yu Lei and Hong Qian had already reached Li Qingshan and Zhao Hongzhou.

"Do you mind if we sit here?"

"Please do."

Li Qingshan smiled, putting down his soup bowl, gesturing for them to sit.

Buzz buzz buzz!

The four paused, looking at their wrists.

The communicators vibrated incessantly, their frames flashing red.

Not just them,

The entire cafeteria fell silent instantly, everyone simultaneously looking down at their wrist communicators.

"Inspection Bureau Announcement!"

Li Qingshan and the others exchanged glances, not too surprised, quickly opening the message.

"Last night, an Evil God Cultist appeared in Luoying City and completed a sacrifice on the outskirts, resulting in the deaths of two citizens."

"The Inspection Bureau has identified the victims based on genetic analysis and is now releasing their photos. If you have any information, please contact the Inspection Bureau."

"The perpetrator is still at large, and we urge all citizens to be cautious."

After a few brief lines, two photos popped up.

The two faces they had seen just last night appeared on the screen.

"Blondie?"

Li Qingshan's pupils contracted, his fingers swiping to reread the announcement.

"Only two victims!"

Confirming the number of victims, Li Qingshan's eyes flickered.

"There were clearly three people together, but only two 'Blondies' were killed?"

"Hiss!"

A flash of purple-red wavy hair crossed his mind, and Li Qingshan drew a sharp breath.

Fortunately, he had held his ground last night.