novelraw Chapter 43 – Soaring through the sky
Chapter 43 – Soaring through the sky
At the foot of the mountain, all eyes were on Su Mu. Whether they hated him or cared for him, their gazes never strayed from him.
In contrast, Wei Zhuo, another genius from the fifth division, didn't even receive a fraction of the attention. No one knew where he was, nor did they care to find out.
"He may be lucky, but he's fallen so far behind, he won't even get a single Purple Orchid!"
"Unless he can fly!"
The instructors from the first four divisions sneered and jeered. The older students also looked down on Su Mu, while Guan Yifei and the other two women showed frustration in their eyes. Su Mu was indeed far behind.
"It's all because of those scoundrels!" Guan Yifei turned her head and glared at the instructors from the first four divisions, grinding her teeth in hatred. Suddenly, she realized that their true intention in making things difficult for Su Mu might not have been to cause him harm, but to make him fall behind and prevent him from affecting the rest of the students from the first four divisions!
"A bunch of shameless creatures!"
But hating them now was useless. She turned to look at Su Mu and murmured, "Su Mu, you must fight back."
To access the premium content, go to [ ℙawℝead.com ].
Unconsciously, she had shifted her greatest hopes from Wei Zhuo to Su Mu.
The instructors from the first four divisions felt Guan Yifei's gaze, looked back with a cold smile, and thought to themselves that no matter how strong Su Mu was, with such a delay, it was impossible for him to surpass them!
Atop the mountain, Su Mu stared at the 800-meter cliff with a solemn expression. Not only did he have to race ahead of the thirty-odd people, but he also had to ensure he didn't fall off, a task of no small difficulty.
Raising his right hand, the tiny sword within his Sword Vein spun wildly, as Sword Intent surged forth!
"Pfft!"
He pressed his hand against the rock wall, fingers gripping with force as if squeezing tofu, and plunged his fingers straight into the rock!
A smile played at the corner of Su Mu's mouth. Sword Intent was indeed a wonderful thing.
Looking up at the Purple Orchids above, a sharp light flashed in his eyes. He exerted force with his right hand, and his body shot upwards!
"Pfft!"
As his speed began to slow, Su Mu's left hand grabbed the rock wall, and with another effort, he soared higher!
Watching Su Mu ascend the cliff like a mighty eagle, soon overtaking the thirty-odd people, everyone at the base of the mountain held their breath!
"Not even a sword could penetrate, yet his fingers did so with such ease?"
"His fingers are sharper than a sword!"
"Hisss, is Sword Intent that terrifying?"
Some people couldn't help but look at their own fingers, finding it unimaginable to insert them into the rock wall as if it were made of steel.
"This new student is terrifying!" The older students watched Su Mu with horror, swallowing hard. That single move had frightened them considerably, for they knew well the hardness of the rock wall from their own experience as new students. Su Mu was an abnormality!
"Again with the Sword Intent!" Guan Yifei and the others trembled in their hearts, witnessing the incredible feats of Sword Intent displayed by Su Mu.
The thirty-odd new students, already halfway up the cliff, were panting heavily. They could only climb by grasping the protruding stones on the rock wall, an exhausting process, and they were already quite fatigued.
But they dared not rest for long, as no one wanted to be overtaken. They caught their breath for a few moments before continuing upward.
"Whoosh!"
The person at the very bottom felt a gust of wind whistle past his ear, causing his form to wobble. He quickly grasped a stone to steady himself.
"Where did that wind come from? I almost fell off." He said with a lingering fear, looking up only to freeze in shock.
"Holy shit!"
He saw Su Mu soaring through the sky like an eagle!
He blinked rapidly, fearing he was seeing an illusion. But when he looked again, Su Mu had already ascended another ten meters!
"How, how did he do that!" His teeth chattered in disbelief.
"Wow!"
"Where did that wind come from!"
"Holy shit, Su Mu!"
"Damn, is he taking off?!"
The thirty-odd people above, watching Su Mu surpass them, were all dumbstruck, even forgetting to climb.
"Pfft!"
After passing them, Su Mu's left hand plunged into the rock wall, and with a sweep of his right hand, he had five Purple Orchids in his grasp!
Three for himself, two to sell for a good sum, and this was just the beginning!
"Whoosh!"
Tucking the Purple Orchids at his waist, he shifted sideways, and with another sweep of his right hand, he had three more!
"Eight now!"
The thirty-odd people below turned red with envy. They had struggled to climb and had only managed to pick one or two, some not even one, while Su Mu had already plucked eight. This was intolerable.
If they didn't act now, all would be Su Mu's!
However, they all wisely chose to avoid Su Mu, picking from the other side of the cliff. They knew they didn't have the ability to compete with Su Mu.
"Three Purple Orchids, mine!" One person's eyes lit up at the sight of three clustered Purple Orchids. This was a fortune if he could get them!
"Whoosh!"
Just as he was about to touch the Purple Orchids, a shadow flashed before his eyes, and the next second, they vanished!
"Where are the flowers!?" Startled, he looked up to see Su Mu holding the Purple Orchids, making a suave exit.
"Damn it, give me back my Purple Orchids!" He roared, wanting to chase after Su Mu, but a glance down the cliff sent a shiver through him, and he clung tightly to the rock wall, not daring to make a move.
"Ah, my Purple Orchids!" Another roar sounded as a student from the third division followed in his footsteps, his nearly acquired Purple Orchids snatched away by Su Mu.
The man couldn't help but smirk at the other's misfortune, but his smile quickly faded. Su Mu was now their common enemy!
"That bastard has already picked thirty-six Purple Orchids!"
"Damn it, he's stolen at least ten from us!"
The thirty-odd people watched Su Mu move effortlessly along the cliff face, driven mad with envy. They could only watch with jealousy and hatred, knowing that on this cliff, if they dared harbor any ill intentions towards Su Mu, a fall would mean certain death!
"Every single one counts!"
They had no choice but to race against time with Su Mu. No matter how formidable he was, he was just one person. If they could just hurry, they might still be able to pick some Purple Orchids!
A quarter of an hour later.
The crowd at the base of the mountain stared at Su Mu, dumbfounded, as he leaped down from the cliff, holding a large bunch of Purple Orchids, their mouths dry with amazement.
"Ninety-three!"
The number was uttered with trembling lips, nearly reaching a hundred!
"Since the establishment of the Martial House, Su Mu must be the first to nearly break a hundred, right?" A tutor mused, and the others swallowed hard in agreement. The tutor was right; Su Mu was indeed the one who had picked the most Purple Orchids since the Martial House was founded.
"Who can compete with such a freak?"
To comprehend Sword Qi by the age of twenty-five was to be a top genius; to grasp Sword Light was one in ten thousand.
To understand Sword Intent before twenty-five was to be a monstrous talent!
Not to mention someone like Su Mu, who at only seventeen or eighteen had comprehended Sword Intent. Until now, in the history of the Martial House, Su Mu was the only Sword Intent genius they had ever recruited!
"Ah!"
The new students still clinging to the cliff went nearly insane watching Su Mu below. Their final desperate efforts had resulted in only about ten people managing to pick a single Purple Orchid. In total, there were only about one hundred and forty Purple Orchids on the entire cliff, most of which had been claimed by Su Mu.
Only about twenty of them had managed to pick any Purple Orchids, none getting more than three, and eight had not even touched a single one!
And remember, this was the result of their early start. Otherwise, they might not have even had the chance to get a close look at the Purple Orchids!
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas