Terra maintained a cold demeanor, unfazed by the cheers that decorated the skies for her.

It wasn't any different, and somehow she felt she didn't deserve it.

She allowed herself to soak into her teacher Susan's hug, knowing her achievements would simply be used by this woman to gain more traction.

It was a world where only the fittest survived.

"You did well, Terra. Honestly, I have no advice for you. Your casting was beautiful, and you only need to work harder to achieve your goal." Susan smiled.

"Thank you, Miss. I appreciate your efforts," Terra said with a forced response.

It didn't come from her heart, but she was used to it.

Used to the praises.

Giving thanks for the praises.

Being the spotlight.

Going according to the wishes of her family and doing her best.

She was already numb.

Even her current relationship was a family wish, planned by those power-hungry demons at the top.

Power doesn't come with freedom at all.

You are more trapped.

Trapped within so many expectations.

Expectations that never give you the chance to spread your wings.

As she walked back to the crowd, she looked at her hands. Something was still off.

Then a whisper echoed beside her.

"Her control wasn't the best..."

It was said with the slightest of voices, but her ears had picked it up.

"Who?" she muttered and turned around.

Then she spotted him staring at her before he smiled and turned his eyes away.

"He must have thought I didn't hear him..." Terra said to herself and faced the ground.

Her friends had gathered around her, but their words had become a blur.

"My control...?"

She licked her lips and clenched her palm. Then she sighed.

To think the boy who didn't care about his cultivation, spending time in a cultivation room building muscles?

How would he know if she lacked control or not?

It wasn't believable, so she'd rather not think about it.

"But he's right..." Terra thought to herself, but then she shook her head.

It could have been a guess.

But it was a very lucky and accurate guess.

Even though it wasn't a guess. Even if it seemed like he could help her.

"Gate would kill him."

Terra gave up.

If that newbie was seen with her, he would be in trouble, especially when he couldn't even use a technique.

"Terra, are you listening?! We said you were stunning out there."

Someone slightly shook her, and she turned to them in mild surprise before understanding what was going on.

"Haha. I'm not that good, guys. I still have a long way to go," she said softly.

With those looks on their faces, she could see what they thought.

They would think she was pretending to be humble just to make them feel better.

They'd think she was feeling pitiful towards them, and yes, they hated her for it.

But right now, everyone needed her, and the best mask to wear was a friendly smile.

Another downside of having power.

Never knowing what people truly think about you.

But to Terra, she was right.

She was the last child of her father. Born from a woman at the outer sect of the family, but since Terra had gained an S-grade Cultivation Path, she was moved inside and trained.

Although she was the Ice Queen, she paled in comparison to her three elder brothers who carried pure bloodlines, and without that pureness, her control would continue to falter.

But then, these people would never understand.

Meanwhile, Reith made the statement based on the flow of Hana he had seen around Terra.

They looked chaotic, and although it seemed like she was cool on the outside, the Hana lines were truly something else.

However, he was still learning.

"I might be wrong." He said to himself when he thought deeper about it.

The flow of Hana around a person could tell him so much about that person.

But he would prefer just knowing the person from their own words.

Suddenly, Susan made a call, putting a short stop to the display.

"Before we continue, everyone, let's give a warm welcome to Reith Sorakaze as he just got back from the hospital!"

She paused, and following the enthusiasm of her voice, everyone gave a loud cheer.

Reith's eyes widened and he instantly wanted the ground to swallow him whole.

He had simply wanted to blend in, but this nosy teacher of his was giving him a massive headache.

"And another round of applause! Because he also put his life on the line to save an adventurer in the Alliance incident."

And that was when everyone paused and took a look at this student their teacher was speaking about.

They thought this dude had some spoilt path?

To say that every single person in the city had heard about the Alliance incident wasn't an understatement, but to think this student played a role?

"Miss Susan, we know you want to encourage him on his recovery, but to say he fought in that accident, isn't that too much? He shouldn't even be alive if he did."

One of the students snickered, and then others began to murmur also.

Every eye gazed at Reith as if wanting their doubting gaze to drill holes into his body.

Susan was furious but she held in her anger.

This was not the end she was expecting.

Reith had done a great job surviving that ordeal.

After hearing what happened to those top fighters, she knew she was not even a match for those villains.

Just as she wanted to speak up, Reith stepped forward.

"Unfortunately, you are right. I didn't fight in that incident, but I came out of it. Not because I was strong or I had an advantage.

I came out because true heroes were willing to sacrifice their lives for a weakling like me!"

Reith slammed a fist on his chest.

"I am alive not because I did anything. I am alive because someone died in my place. Someone stepped in to save me, and he died, so that's why I live."

He wasn't done.

"If you call me weak, it's fine, but I just couldn't sit back and let you say words you don't understand. It's not too much, it was just enough, and please respect that."

And with that, he moved back into the crowd, and the boy who had previously spoken was simply stunned.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Susan coughed.

"Next time, when I make such a call-out, respect me by responding and keep all differences within yourself. I deal intensely with rebels."

A light shone in her eyes, and the boy who caused the commotion slipped to the back of the class.

Next time, he would sure think twice before talking.

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