BUTTERFLIES (Arc 2&3; The Undefeatable Class 192)

Chapter 97: We All Have Secrets

  "Impossible! The young princess of the Green Life Clan!"

  Xuan'er said it with astonishment at first before rising up and smiling. She outstretched her hand and said, "I'll reintroduce myself. I am the sixth princess of the North Glacier Clan." They shook hands subconsciously under locked gazes. Some gasps were heard around me. That told me that Xuan'er's clan was equally renowned.

  Wait what? Are they all royalty?

  Lingxi pushed through the crowd and came to face the duo. Her brows were furrowed. She shot a glance at Teacher Haggz and said, "Permit me, sir."

  What was she talking about? And why did I feel so foolish right now?

  Lingxi brought out her glacier sword from her storage ring, with a flick of her wrist.

  It materialised on her outspread hands. She touched Xuan'er with the tip of the glacier sword and the icy aura burning on the surface of the sword immediately disappeared. Her mouth fell ajar.

  "You really do have the royalty blood of that clan in you."

  "Humph!" said Xuan'er in pride. "I recognised that sword the moment I'd set my eyes on it. It was personally smithed by my grandfather. To keep my identity hidden, I never showed any of you my own sword."

  Immediately, a sword materialised in Xuan'er's right hand. It was shining with blue light, and exuded this feeling that it could chop through anything. Beside this sword, Lingxi's looked like a toy.

  Lingxi's astonishment couldn't be described. She suddenly began to stutter.

  "Is-is-is that, is that what I think it is?"

  "There's only one way to know," replied Xuan'er and raising her weapon into the sky. The next moment, Lingxi's own glacier sword began to vibrate.

  "Roar of the Nine Skies!" everyone exclaimed.

  My photographic memory rang in a split second, and I remembered immediately that Senior  Bai Xun in the Martial Arts Hall had praised his opponent, the ascetic Sun Xiao, for achieving minor accomplishments in his sword technique of Roar of the Nine Skies. My brain immediately sent the feedback.

  "And," continued Xuan'er, "that's minor accomplishment. The reaction on your blade proves it, right? This is the Superior Glacier Sword."

  This time, it was my jaw dropping. One must remember that Senior Sun Xiao was a senior, after all!

  "Consider our fight my showing pity," she said, brazenly, looking at Jessica. "My sword could have easy shredded off those vines."

  "Humph! You're too full of yourself! At least it's obvious you're no match for me without your weapon." Jessica walked away and sat cross-legged. It seemed like she wanted to breakdown her experience from the breakthrough into her mind.

  Xuan'er was tongue-tied.

  "I believe we all have secrets. Let's all reintroduced ourselves," Toby stepped forward.

  "After the class!" Teacher Haggz's voice suddenly boomed out from behind us. Getting our attention, he said much mildly, "That can wait till after the class."

  We nodded our heads.

  I looked around and noticed everyone looking at one another oddly. They all began to return to their initial positions on tree branches.

  Ruby had appeared at my side. She was observing me.

  "You're odd," she said.

  "I'm odd?" I asked, feeling befuddled.

  "Yes, you don't give off an aura of surprise whenever someone's ability or clan is announced."

  Laughing it off, I explained, "It's not that I don't want to be surprised, it's just that I've never even heard of all these strange clans, not to talk about knowing how popular they are, or strength they control. I grew up in the outside world. The realistic world. On Earth! Never heard about Arerat till two months ago."

  Ruby half lifted her nose as if saying, "Who're you trying to lie to?" Shaking her head, she said, "Nice one. Meditation realm and just learning about the Arerat two months ago. I never knew one could cultivate outside the Arerat."

  "I'm ser—" I began to interject, but she said, "Oh, save it, girl. Bring out Roy, please, so we could watch the next match."

  I felt angry with how I was shunned. I simply walked away from her before I'd smash her into paste, then flicked my Recluse Ring. Over my shoulder, I could feel Ruby staring at me, so I said, "And don't think of teleporting over, I'll break your neck on your next attempt."

  "Oh, whatever, I'll just sit with Jessica to protect her cultivation."

  I bet she was too slow, I'd already just arrived at the foot of the tree where Jessica currently sat. I lifted her gently and placed her frozen posture on Roy's back.

  "Mademoiselle," said Roy in his all too familiar voice. "I really do like whatever it is you're doing, but can you stop making me fall down."

  I chuckled.

  "At least I get you safe, in time." I hopped onto his back through the saddle. I'd already returned the school's house-like stuff that was strapped over Roy for one month.

  "Nope," he said as he flapped twice to a moderate level, midair.

  "What d'you mean 'nope'?"

  "It means I still get to land face-first in your Recluse Ring."

  "Oh... sorry." My eyes were wide and I tried to imagine how the bird's face would look smashing the ground. "Hope you didn't break any teeth."

  Roy turned his head side to look at me. "And you call yourself a 3-star beast tamer, huh?"