"I say, Qin Yue—that Yan Xiao seemed to genuinely like you. Are you really not going to reconsider?" Seeing her best friend lost in thought, An Lusi showed a mischievous smile.
Qin Yue rolled her eyes at her words. "There's nothing to consider!"
The gap between her and Yan Xiao was too great! Just take now, for example. She had already become a formal Martial Artist, but Yan Xiao had taken a leave of absence to laze around at home. Not to mention the financial problems.
The gap between them was growing wider and wider! Qin Yue's biggest dream was to join the Great Xia's strongest organization, the Realm Guard Division, after graduating from university! If she successfully entered the Realm Guard Division... the gap between them would be infinitely magnified. They would become complete strangers! The difference between an ordinary person and a Realm Guard Division member was like that between clouds and mud. With such a huge disparity, she and Yan Xiao were like people from two different worlds. There would be no outcome whatsoever!
An Lusi heard her best friend's words and nodded in agreement. The Realm Guard Division was where the elites of Great Xia resided. It possessed the most top-tier experts and cultivation resources within the entire Great Xia territory. Given Yan Xiao's talent and background, even if he achieved something in the future, at best he would be a core member of the most ordinary institutions or organizations. But compared to the Realm Guard Division, such a core member couldn't even compare to the most ordinary Realm Guard Division member. This was the gap between Yan Xiao and Qin Yue!
"Let's change the topic! Qin Yue, what level has your strength reached now?" An Lusi looked at Qin Yue with excitement.
When this question was brought up, a smile appeared on Qin Yue's face. "I'm about to break through to Body Refining Peak Stage!"
As soon as she said this, An Lusi's astonished voice immediately rang out. "Wow, Body Refining Peak Stage! Qin Yue, you're amazing! At this speed, you'll definitely become a Qi Awakening Martial Artist before the college entrance exam!" An Lusi looked at Qin Yue with admiration.
Looking across the entire Chengdu No. 1 High School, not a single student possessed such strength at this time. In other words... her best friend, Qin Yue, was currently the top student in the third year of Chengdu No. 1 High School! How incredible was that! At least in An Lusi's eyes, this was already an existence she admired.
Moreover—if Qin Yue could break through to a Qi Awakening Martial Artist, then becoming the city's top scorer in this year's college entrance exam would be a sure thing.
Seeing her best friend's reaction, Qin Yue didn't show much of a response. But the slight upward curve of her lips revealed her good mood at the moment.
Just then...
Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep!
Police sirens suddenly blared throughout the entire commercial street. At the same time, there were bursts of panicked screams.
Hearing the sudden commotion, Qin Yue and An Lusi immediately turned their heads to look out at the street.
On the street, pedestrians were screaming in terror and scattering in all directions, as if they had encountered something terrifying.
"That is!!!" Suddenly, Qin Yue's eyes widened as she looked at what appeared on the street outside.
She saw a monster about the size of an ordinary household cat, with sharp claws, a back covered in yellow fur, and a body shaped like an upright leopard. It was currently chasing those fleeing pedestrians! Its speed was very fast. In the blink of an eye, it rushed across the street, tearing several pedestrians to shreds! Its pair of blood-red eyes emitted a cold, bloodthirsty light. In its ferocious maw, sharp teeth gleamed with a cold glint. It opened its gaping maw and bit off half of a pedestrian's head in one go. Liquid mixed with red and white matter sprayed out. Blood flowed freely, staining the street!
Seeing such a ferocious beast, An Lusi inside the coffee shop was instantly scared pale. Qin Yue, beside her, recognized it. That monster was a type of demon beast called a Clawed Beast Golden Rat, with strength at the Qi Awakening Middle Stage.
Information about the Clawed Beast Golden Rat flashed through her mind, turning her face ashen. For such a bustling city, a Clawed Beast Golden Rat with Qi Awakening Middle Stage strength was definitely a disaster.
In the blink of an eye, several more innocent pedestrians had fallen under the Clawed Beast Golden Rat's claws. The broken, even torn-in-half bodies kept stimulating people's nerves! Many customers inside the store could no longer bear it and began to vomit on the spot, their faces pale. Soon, a nauseating smell permeated the store, making everyone's stomachs churn.
The coffee shop owner, seeing the situation outside, was also in a panic. His own strength was only Body Refining. If that exotic beast broke into the store, none of them could stop it!
"Quickly call the Realm Guard Division for help! Hurry!!!" The coffee shop owner shouted loudly.
At this point, they could only place their hopes on the Realm Guard Division. But the Realm Guard Division's rescue would take time. That Clawed Beast Golden Rat outside wouldn't stop and wait for the Realm Guard Division's rescue to arrive.
Sure enough, in just a few minutes, the number of pedestrians killed by the Clawed Beast Golden Rat reached double digits and was still increasing!
Seeing the exotic beast turn around and start walking towards them, everyone inside the coffee shop panicked! Were they going to die here? Qin Yue and An Lusi were even more terrified, their faces pale. As students, when had they ever seen such a scene?
Just at this moment, a young man wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt appeared. He walked against the flow of the fleeing crowd. He appeared alone in front of the Clawed Beast Golden Rat!
At this time, the customers, staff, and others inside the coffee shop looked at the figure who appeared in front of the Clawed Beast Golden Rat, seemingly ready to fight it. A question arose in their minds... Who is this person? He doesn't look like a Realm Guard!
Qin Yue, inside the coffee shop, looked at that back and felt a strange sensation well up in her heart. This back... why did it feel so familiar to her?
At this moment, An Lusi beside her also whispered, "Qin Yue, don't you think this back looks a little familiar?"
Qin Yue turned her head to look at An Lusi at her words. "Lusi, you feel it too?" Her tone was very surprised. She hadn't expected that her best friend An Lusi felt the same way—that the back looked a little familiar. But for a moment, she couldn't remember where she had seen it.
On the street outside, Yan Xiao looked at the ferocious beast before him. He couldn't help but mutter to himself...
"This is... a Mid Stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beast? Isn't this a mouse???"
Yan Xiao looked at the mouse.
And when the Clawed Beast Golden Rat saw the human who suddenly appeared, it didn't show any fear. Instead, it let out an excited roar. It seemed that in its eyes, Yan Xiao, like other humans, was a weakling that could be torn in half. It dropped the corpse in its claw and lunged directly at Yan Xiao.
The mouse looked at Yan Xiao.
"Ding! Mid Stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beast — Clawed Beast Golden Rat — confirmed hostile! Host, current cultivation is insufficient for direct engagement! Recommend immediate evacuation! Evacuate! Evacuate—"
"System."
"Yes, Host!"
"This Foundation Establishment Stage Demon Beast you are warning me about." Yan Xiao tilted his head. "Is this it? This mouse?"
A brief pause.
"...Confirmed. The creature before the host is indeed the Mid Stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beast — Clawed Beast Golden Rat. Host, this is an extremely dangerous—"
"Got it."
Yan Xiao looked down at his right hand.
He looked at the rod.
He looked at the mouse.
The Golden Rat's blood-red eyes locked onto him. It lowered its body. Its claws scraped against the pavement. It was measuring him.
"Host, please evacuate imme—"
Yan Xiao threw the iron rod with the precision and training his years on the Night Flower Continent had given him. It struck the Golden Rat directly between the eyes. The crack of iron on skull rang out across the empty street. The Golden Rat spun—one full rotation, two clawed feet leaving the ground, its entire body corkscrewing sideways from the impact. It landed in a crouch, shaking its head, its coordination temporarily gone.
Yan Xiao was already moving. His left hand formed the entry seal of the Scarlet Flame World Destroyer.
The knowledge the manual had burned into his mind days ago surfaced instantly. The circulation route. The spiral. The exact pressure point in the dantian where Scarlet Flame Qi compressed before release.
He had one layer of Qi Refining. Barely enough to light a candle by cultivation standards.
He pushed all of it forward at once.