"Regretting it now, huh? Hehe..." Cheng Peng snickered from the side.

Lu Yuan looked at him. "Regret what?"

"Still playing innocent with me? Regretting that Ling Yue is now with Cai Qidong from Class Five, I suppose. Ling Yue liked you first, you know... But honestly, it's not too late for you to regret it. I've heard Ling Yue still has feelings for you. That Cai Qidong fellow is just a backup for her. Despite being together for over a month, they haven't even held hands, let alone kissed..."

"Boring."

Lu Yuan shook his head and said calmly, "I don't waste my time on such matters. I have too many things to do."

"Alright. Haven't seen you for two months, and your skill at acting cool has really improved." Cheng Peng gave Lu Yuan a thumbs-up.

They chatted for a short while. Soon, the homeroom teacher came in.

The noisy classroom quickly quieted down, and students who had been wandering around returned to their seats.

As usual, the teacher began with a speech, reviewing the last semester and then looking ahead to the new one.

Lu Yuan hadn't heard a single word, his mind preoccupied with the upcoming confrontation with the Crow God Sect.

An ordinary Divine Servant can use a flock of crows for temporary flight. An entity stronger than a Strong Divine Servant would surely be even more adept at this.

Ground-to-air... The choice of battlefield will be crucial.

Lu Yuan casually picked up a pen and started sketching on a blank page of his textbook.

I lack the necessary weapons and special methods; I probably can't shoot him down from the sky. So...

The pupils behind Lu Yuan's black-framed glasses seemed to flicker for a moment as he drew a heavy line on the paper.

I'll just have to prevent him from flying at all!

Lu Yuan's mind raced, a constant stream of inspiration flowing through him. His pen never stopped.

The chubby boy who had become Lu Yuan's new deskmate sneaked a curious glance.

To his surprise, the talk of No. 4 Middle School, both a good student and the campus beau, was sketching an incredibly detailed map in his physics textbook!

He didn't know, and he didn't dare to ask. He could only sigh inwardly: The world of good students... we underachievers truly don't get it...

The only concern now is the true strength of that Crow God Sect expert named Calophis.

I killed one of his Strong Divine Servants... Hmm, perhaps those few ordinary Divine Servants from before were also his subordinates. He'll come for revenge personally. This proves he's strong, but his strength is limited. He's likely one or two levels higher than a Strong Divine Servant, definitely no more than three.

A strange light began to flicker in Lu Yuan's eyes, and a restless energy seemed to stir in his muscles.

This was exactly the kind of opponent he craved—one who could bring him to the brink of death but couldn't crush him instantly. Such an opponent was a rare find... truly wonderful.

Worst-case scenario, even if I truly can't beat him... I still have a last resort.

Lu Yuan's pen moved lightly, sketching a lifelike white bear in the textbook. After a moment's thought, he added a small pair of wings to the bear's back.

"You draw really well," the chubby boy sitting next to Lu Yuan, who had been idly watching him draw for a long time, finally mustered the courage to speak to him.

Lu Yuan glanced at the chubby boy, smiled, and said, "You're exaggerating."

The smile dazzled the chubby boy. A voice in his heart lamented: He's so handsome! Why can someone so good-looking also be such a good student?

Just as he was feeling flattered and planning to further befriend Lu Yuan, the previously quiet classroom suddenly erupted into commotion.

"Look! Outside!" a bold boy shouted, standing up and pointing outside the classroom, disregarding the homeroom teacher at the podium.

Many people followed his gaze.

They saw crows everywhere: on the camphor tree outside the classroom, on the rooftops of the adjacent school buildings, on the lawn in between, and in many other spots. All black, large and small, they seemed to be holding some bizarre, silent gathering.

Janitors and teachers were already below, vigorously trying to shoo them away with brooms. But the crows that were chased into the sky merely flapped their wings and settled right back down.

Unnoticeably, the number of crows in the school kept increasing.

People in the nearby school buildings were alerted. Many ran out of their classrooms or peered out from their windows.

This dense yet surprisingly quiet scene sent an inexplicable, eerie chill through those who watched.

A boy muttered, "Could it be an earthquake? I read that large-scale abnormal animal behavior often occurs before earthquakes."

"Why do I feel like someone's about to die? Crows eat dead flesh!"

"Shut up! Are you saying all of us here at No. 4 Middle School are going to die?"

"Stop talking, stop talking, I'm scared..."

The classroom was buzzing, but the homeroom teacher couldn't control the scene and walked out hurriedly with a frown.

Many people took out their phones to record the scene; some even started calling TV stations and newspapers.

Only Lu Yuan remained calm.

"Are you... rushing me?" Lu Yuan stood by the window, seemingly gazing silently into the eyes of the countless crows before him.

A strange atmosphere flowed between him and the flock.

The sky seemed to gradually darken.

"I understand," Lu Yuan said. He took off the glasses from the bridge of his nose and gently placed them on the desk.

"Lu... Lu Yuan, you're a good student. Why do you think so many crows have come to our school?" The chubby boy had been peering out the window for a long time. Stared at by the countless crows, he was covered in goosebumps. He stammered as he turned to speak to Lu Yuan.

But when he turned, he was shocked to find... his 'radiant' deskmate had, at some unknown point, already vanished.

...

"Driver, to the east side of the city, Hundred Years' Garden Community." Lu Yuan exited the school gate, hailed a taxi, and got in.

"Young man, isn't today the first day of school? Why are you out so early?" the taxi driver asked curiously, striking up a conversation.

"Yeah, just going home to get something," Lu Yuan gave a perfunctory reply. He then took out his phone to quickly deal with the messages he had just received and also texted his homeroom teacher to request a leave of absence.

As he was doing so, an unknown local number called.

He answered.

A familiar, cold female voice came from the other end of the line. "Lu Yuan, did you receive the package I sent you? Remember to read it carefully; it's very important for your upcoming New Blood Exam..."

"That's enough." Before Gao Qing could finish, Lu Yuan impatiently interrupted her. "I'm busy right now. Can't talk."

He hung up the phone.

Lu Yuan sat quietly in the back seat. Turning to look out the window, he could still see crows chasing and following the taxi.

Then he heard... the taxi driver muttering under his breath.

"Such bad luck!"

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