Chapter 282 A Lesson for Her A loud bang resounded! On the stage, the furious Phantom Flame Beast had blasted away one of the three young men with a breath of fire. The flames burned the young man’s chest. He was on the ground, barely breathing. It just so happened that some Phantom Bees were flying by and were attracted by the smell of blood. They dove toward the young man and cut him with some Wind Blades. With a cracking sound, the young man was decapitated. His body was also sliced open. The young man had died! The other two young men turned deathly pale at the sight of their friend’s demise. They turned around and hurried to escape. The Phantom Flame Beast was about to chase after the two when it received a mental message. The blood-red color in its eyes faded away quickly. The Phantom Flame Beast turned around and looked at the girl with its eyes that had a restored clarity. Tears came to the Phantom Flame Beast’s eyes as the girl stood back up. “Meow!” The Phantom Flame Beast shrank down and threw itself into the girl’s arms. Su Lingyue hugged the Phantom Flame Beast tightly. She could sense how excited the Phantom Flame Beast was, as well as its fear and anxiety, which stirred her emotions. This was how strong the bond with her pet was. The Phantom Flame Beast was her reliable companion in a battle. She held the Phantom Flame Beast in her arms, and kissed it on its fur even though it had been tainted with blood and dirt. She heard the buzzing noise again and looked back up. The two young men that ran for their lives had disappeared into the crowd. She then saw the beheaded dead body which frightened her. Even though he had died by the strikes of the Phantom Bees, she had been the cause of all this event. In a way, she was a murderer. She had undergone training in the barren area and she had witnessed blood and deaths. Yet, to see a person dying because of her filled her with complicated feelings. He had it coming, she comforted herself. She looked away and saw the timer on the screen outside the shield. She had little time left and could no longer afford to let her mind wander. Immediately, she told the Phantom Flame Beast to go after the Phantom Bees. Meow! The Phantom Flame Beast first rubbed its head against her and then flapped its short wings, plunging toward the flying Phantom Bees. Su Lingyue watched as the Phantom Flame Beast hunted Phantom Bees down. All of a sudden, she felt chills on her back. Only till then did she realize that her clothes had been torn apart at the back during that attack. That surprise attack still scared her. She darted a look at the audience. If he hadn’t lent her the water barrier, it would have been her who would have fallen to the ground and died... For the first time, she knew how cheap a person’s life could be. Those young men were trying to take her life away! The time ended and the shield opened up. The Adorkable Grass paramedics went onto the stage and carried off the participants whose injuries could be cured. The working staff moved to verify those who had gotten the passes. Beyond question, Su Lingyue had passed. She followed Su Ping’s advice and merely picked up one pass. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 Since her clothes were in rags, the working staff queried if she needed medical attention but she shook her head and declined with a smile. After she had her information registered, together with the other participants that had passed the test, she went back to the spectator’s seats. “Miss Su, you deserve to enjoy your soaring reputation!” Fei Yanbo welcomed her back with some complimentary words. Yes, he was buttering someone up, and that someone naturally was Su Ping. Since he had taken the lead, the other students hurried to say some praises to Su Lingyue as well. The one student that once defeated Su Lingyue in the academy exchange match felt a bit embarrassed. Back then, he had bested the girl with ease and now, he had to praise her. He couldn’t have sounded sincere... Admittedly, Su Lingyue’s Phantom Flame Beast was stunning. He acknowledged that the Phantom Flame Beast was no weaker than his pet. Therefore, he adopted a humble attitude and made a compliment to Su Lingyue together with the others. Luo Fengtian cast one glance but said nothing, staying calm as usual. The girl with the pony-tail sized Su Lingyue up and down with enormous interest. She could tell that Su Lingyue was about two ranks lower than she was and the Phantom Flame Beast had displayed the strength of a pet closer to the seventh-rank when it flew into a rage. She had to admit that Su Lingyue was powerful, since she was able to control a pet like this when she was at the fourth rank. Su Lingyue thanked everyone with a smile. She turned to Su Ping, only to see there was no smile on his face. Rather, he seemed to be displeased. Having spent so many years with him, she could instantly tell she was the cause of his unhappiness. She remembered the sneak attack. Biting her lips, she slowly sat down next to him. “Thank you for the water barrier...” Su Ping replied coldly, “Why didn’t you kill them all?” “What?” Su Lingyue didn’t know this was what bothered Su Ping. Fei Yanbo and all his students stopped smiling at once. They could tell that Su Ping was flaring up. They all knew the cause and as such, could no longer continue their efforts to flatter them. “Well...” Su Lingyue did not know what to say. She didn’t realize that this would upset Su Ping. She pondered about it. Did she not have the heart? She was angry when they sneaked up on her but she found it hard to kill them in a fit of rage. She had the feeling that she would have gone too far if she killed them... “You would have died without the water barrier.” For once, Su Ping was not grinning cheekily at her. With a solemn tone, he stared at her and continued, “Who would help you right the wrong if you died? It is wrong to hurt others on purpose and even more so if you allow people to hurt you! You got lucky and came out of it alive. But the same luck won’t bless you for a second time!” Su Lingyue blushed as he lectured her in public. Foaming at her mouth, she looked up at him, about to argue with him when she saw the coldness in his eyes. All of a sudden, she couldn’t utter the words she was about to stay. She stood there, in astonishment. For the first time ever, she found such a sharp look, from this dude who could never be serious! His eyes spoke to the fact that he had killed others and he had a bloodthirsty nature! He was even colder and more heartless than the senior explorers she had met in the barren area! How... She was confused. As far as she could remember, Su Ping did turn powerful but he stayed in the store most of the time. He would play around all day long and he never struck her as a powerful battle pet warrior. At the moment, she realized how wrong that impression was. He just never... acted serious in front of her. Su Ping threw her another cold look and turned away. The sharpness in the depth of his eyes died away at the same time. Calmly and yet coldly, he added, “Those who attacked you are most likely from families that are competing with us. Their target is not you alone, but me. If you had died in the initial match, the reputation of the store would have been destroyed, and they would strike while the iron is still hot. If I were as weak as they imagined, they would kill me, then they would go after mom and dad. All of us!” He sounded casual. His calmness took Su Lingyue by surprise. She had not seen things this thoroughly. She simply decided not to kill the young men because of a moment of mercy. As Su Ping spelled out this possibility, she realized her mercy was stupid! She would be practically harming Su Ping and her family! She bit her lips. She would never allow anyone to hurt her family. “I am sorry...” She lowered her head. She was not merely saying those words to Su Ping, but herself deep down. Su Ping once again gazed at her. The coldness vanished from his eyes. He knew he had to push her. Otherwise, she would have to suffer many setbacks and take a long time to grow if she were to climb out of the ivory tower and learned the truth about the world by herself. People were sinister but they were not alone. At the cultivation sites, even a beast knew how to wait in ambush and seek revenge. Su Ping had once taken a beating himself. He knew better than anyone that he had to be ruthless to ensure that no further trouble would ensue. “Come on. Let’s find out who gave them this order.” Su Ping stood up. He had not said all those words just to scare Su Lingyue and to make her grow up. He meant it. If this was a commercial competition, then make it a commercial competition. Just compete on pet training. He understood how peers would compete against each other. The competition in itself was not wrong. It was just a method to ensure their interests. However, since the opponent was not going to win by legitimate means, he was more than happy to see how far his opponent was willing to go! Su Lingyue stood up after hearing Su Ping’s words. She was in a completely different mindset by then. Fei Yanbo could not help but give another look at Su Ping. He had never realized that this young man was not only talented but also cruel. He had been born to be a hero. Fei Yanbo’s students did not dare to make a sound. Their battle against Su Ping at the gate of the Phoenix Peak Academy from before had left a deep impression on them. They could sense a killing intent in this young teacher that they could hardly see in anyone else. The guy was a freak. Those young participants were so unfortunate. How dare they attack Su Ping’s younger sister? Secretly, they felt sorry for the two young participants that made their way out of the stage. At the same time, those students became curious about the store and the competition. It seemed that a talent like Su Ping was too grand to be paired with a pet store in the same sentence. Wouldn’t people like him usually stay in closed-door cultivation? “Mr. Su, let me go with you.” Fei Yanbo stood up. He thought this would be a good chance for him to get closer to Su Ping. Since all of his students had finished their tests, there was nothing for him to see there. Su Ping didn’t refuse him. Su Ping walked in front of Su Lingyue and left. As Fei Yanbo began to step away, Luo Fengtian said in a hurry, “Sir, count me in.” The pony-tailed girl said right after, “Mr. Fei, I want to go as well.” “Sir, us, too.” Fei Yanbo frowned a bit. “When we get there, watch but do not say a word.” Luo Fengtian nodded. The other students were happy that they had been allowed to go. They were eager to find out what kind of people had upset Su Ping.