On the morning they returned to the academy, Qu Weichen got up early as usual, ran her laps outside the training grounds, and only planned to leave after eating the breakfast Constanze brought her.
Constanze gave her thirty daggers, all forged from fine steel, with the seal of the Inquisition Temple on the hilt.
But just as Qu Weichen finished thanking her and was about to set off, Constanze called out, “Wait.”
“What is it?” Qu Weichen paused, trying to recall if she’d forgotten something.
The list? But Constanze said she’d only give her the list once it was sorted, and now… it wasn’t ready yet? She poked No.
9, but No.
9 was just as confused.
“The Temple Master is going to the academy with you,” Constanze said calmly, but it made Qu Weichen doubt her own ears.
“What?! The Temple Master?” Qu Weichen’s eyes widened, feeling like she was still sleepwalking.
But her existential crisis didn’t last long, because the Temple Master arrived soon after.
She was still dressed in a loose white robe with gold trim, and underneath was a sharp, neat platinum uniform.
Her snow-white boots stepped on the ground, the only decoration being the gold emblem of crossed axe and halberd.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.
Let’s go.”
Constanze bowed but didn’t follow, just watched them leave.
[……] No.
9 was speechless, sizing up the Temple Master from head to toe, thinking that next time it updated, it would have to borrow a detection template from another system, even if it had to beg.
“Is there a reason you’re going to the academy, ma’am?” The two of them walked out of the Inquisition Temple’s grounds side by side.
The silence along the way made Qu Weichen uncomfortable, so she looked at the road ahead, hesitated, and finally asked.
“Aren’t you planning to challenge those people?” The Temple Master smiled.
“Naturally, I’m here to tell you which ones you can really go all out on.”
Qu Weichen was stunned.
She really hadn’t expected the Temple Master to do this.
She’d been wondering what to do if the people she wanted to challenge refused—after all, with duels, there’s not much you can do besides provoke them.
Now, with the Temple Master coming along… it was like having someone powerful backing her up.
Even if someone didn’t want to accept, with this big shot watching, who would dare refuse in public? At worst, getting beaten in the arena would just be embarrassing, not life-threatening.
“What’s wrong? You sure didn’t look like this when you were killing people.” The Temple Master’s tone was gentle.
She paused, then said seriously, “I think you have a lot of potential.”
“Thank you, ma’am, but, but the academy’s theory class starts at seven thirty.” Qu Weichen had planned to use her lunch break or afternoon free time for this, but now that the Temple Master was coming, how could she make her wait that long… Should she ask for leave? “That’s nothing.
Can’t you just read the book and learn it yourself?” The Temple Master clearly didn’t care about such things.
As they walked together, Qu Weichen gradually relaxed.
“Ma’am, the intelligence-reducing drug… or magic you used on General Pingyuan’s side, did you really lift it?” Qu Weichen was curious about this.
“……” Hearing Qu Weichen’s description, the Temple Master glanced at her, her expression unreadable, but she still replied, “Of course I lifted it.”
“It’s just that some people, when their intelligence comes back, so does their temper and arrogance.
They’re full of themselves.” She said this while staring intently into Qu Weichen’s eyes.
Qu Weichen nodded.
She could understand their reaction—after all, in the eyes of those high and mighty people, she was nothing.
But as she looked up, she met those light brown eyes, and for a moment, Qu Weichen felt dazed.
The next second, she heard a piercing “zzzz—” noise.
[Snap out of it!] Amid the nails-on-chalkboard screech, No.
9 was frantic, forcibly pulling Qu Weichen’s emotions back.
[Don’t worry, our system has mental protection!] Qu Weichen jolted, looking up at the gentle Temple Master, feeling a bit uneasy again.
The Temple Master’s expression didn’t change at all; the gentle smile on her lips only grew warmer.
“You’re really interesting.”
Qu Weichen heard the Temple Master sigh, like a child discovering a new toy, excited and happy.
“This is for you.
From now on, you’re my personal bodyguard.
If anyone at the academy gives you trouble, just hit them back.
If you can’t win, go find Constanze.” The Temple Master took out a transparent, rectangular token and handed it over.
It was clearly made of some kind of crystal.
“Input any energy, and it’ll display the Inquisition Temple’s emblem.”
Qu Weichen took the token with both hands, tried channeling her energy into it, and sure enough, a red glow appeared inside, and the crossed axe and halberd emblem showed up.
So this meant… she was recognized? Because she’d resisted some kind of trick from the Temple Master? “Ma’am, you…” Qu Weichen was curious about so many things, but knew she couldn’t just ask.
She lowered her head, put the token away in her storage compartment, and stayed quiet.
“If you’re curious about anything, just ask.” The Temple Master said, “Kids always get special privileges.”
Qu Weichen pressed her lips together, thought for a long time, and finally asked a question she thought was safe: “I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you, ma’am… How did you become the Temple Master?” “Oh, then you must know the previous Temple Master was madly in love with me, right?” The Temple Master seemed to recall something amusing.
She smiled, her eyes curving adorably, those light brown eyes sparkling.
She said softly, “He said he was crazy about me, willing to give me his heart and soul, everything he had.
So I took everything he had.
That’s all.”
Qu Weichen looked at the Temple Master and suddenly realized that “giving your heart and soul” might be literal.
……
After the Uvino attack, the academy students were already gossiping about it.
Tu Weierxi and the other elves were especially worried.
If Qu Weichen hadn’t been rescued by the Temple Master—and if it wasn’t inappropriate for them to visit—they would have gone to the Inquisition Temple to check on her long ago.
When the holiday ended at the start of the month, Tu Weierxi and the others arrived at the classroom early, wanting to see how Qu Weichen was doing and maybe use a few healing spells on her.
But while they were anxiously waiting, the place suddenly got noisy—the Temple Master of the Inquisition Temple had actually come to the academy!
“Temple Master, this isn’t proper procedure.” All the academy instructors came over, and the dean, a middle-aged man, hurried over too.
“I’m just here to take a look.
What’s improper about that?” The Temple Master smiled brightly, not putting on any airs.
But it was exactly this attitude that made the teachers too scared to speak up.
The dean frowned, about to say something else, when the Temple Master spoke.
“I heard that He Muman lost to Qu Weichen in a duel, but didn’t pay the fifty thousand yuanlang she owed?” The Temple Master’s voice was always gentle.
She looked at the dean.
“I also heard that after Qu Weichen knocked down He Muman, the referee didn’t declare the match over, and waited until He Muman used an Explosive Flame spell and almost got beaten by Qu Weichen before stopping it?”
“Oh, I wonder who that referee was favoring.
I’d really like to meet them today~”
Qu Weichen stood behind the Temple Master, stunned by what she said, a strange sour feeling welling up inside.
She hadn’t explained these things clearly to Constanze, only mentioned them briefly.
How did the Temple Master know all this?
The dean swallowed his words, looking at the young, beautiful Temple Master, not daring to underestimate her.
“The students still have class…”
“It’s just theory class.” The Temple Master waved her hand.
“Call He Muman over.
Since everyone’s here, let’s all go to the arena.”
“Xiborno, He Zhizhong, and the nephew of the Red Cardinal from the Church of Light are all enrolled here, right? Call them over too.” The Temple Master didn’t hide anything.
“Relatives of General Pingyuan, the Red Cardinal, and Count Hisenno—any kids related to those three, as long as they’re enrolled and below second-rank warrior, call them all over.” After she finished, she turned and patted Qu Weichen on the shoulder, telling her not to hold back and to go all out.
Qu Weichen: “……” Her sense of gratitude faded a lot.
For a moment, Qu Weichen wondered if she was just a tool.
No.
9: [Is there even a question?] “Where’s the recording stone? The light screen? Set everything up.”
The dean shook his head helplessly, looked at the instructors, and let them follow the woman’s orders.
Qu Weichen followed the Temple Master to the arena.
Soon, everyone who’d been called was present.
Qu Weichen glanced around and realized that besides He Muman, she’d seen the other two boys before! Weren’t they two of the five challengers?
Qu Weichen waited a bit, and the arena was set up.
There were no students watching, but plenty of teachers were present.
Qu Weichen even spotted Teacher Xu.
Old Demon Xu saw her looking and raised his eyebrows, giving her a thumbs up.
While Qu Weichen was looking around, the Temple Master approached her, leaned down slightly, and said, “Just leave them breathing.
Even if you break ten bones, they can be healed.”
Qu Weichen’s ears turned red.
The Temple Master patted her on the shoulder, signaling her to go perform.
Qu Weichen stepped onto the arena, looked at the students, and someone, face red and neck stiff, demanded, “How dare you do this?” Others threatened to tell someone or other, but none of them dared look at the Temple Master.
Even He Muman just stood there, face pale, not uttering a single curse.
“You all challenged me before.
Now I can’t challenge you?” Qu Weichen stepped onto the stage, looked around, took a deep breath, relaxed, stretched, and looked at He Muman.
“He Muman, you came after me twice.
Now… I’m challenging you.”
“If you lose again this time, can we settle the fifty thousand yuanlang?” Qu Weichen stood on the stage, smiling.
He Muman looked at Qu Weichen’s smiling face, and for a moment, it overlapped with the Temple Master’s gentle smile.
She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and still stepped onto the stage.
“It’s just fifty thousand yuanlang.
I’ll give you a hundred thousand if you want.” She glared at Qu Weichen, teeth clenched.
Then she looked at the Temple Master below the stage.
Those light brown eyes were watching her, and that soul-chilling feeling crept up on her.
He Muman looked away.
“So what if you’re bullying me because I haven’t awakened as a warrior? Once I do, I’ll get my revenge for today!”
Qu Weichen saw He Muman’s aggrieved expression and heard her talk of revenge, and for a moment didn’t know how to respond.
Uh, the last two times you kept pushing me—one time to show off, one time for a duel—how come now that I’m the one taking the initiative… He Muman acts like she’s been horribly wronged?
