Chapter 25: You Beast!

"How long was I unconscious?" Liu Qingzhi asked, not letting the conversation linger.

"About four or five hours, I think?" Qin Zhe replied, pulling out his phone, its screen shattered. He sighed helplessly, "My phone was damaged when we were knocked off the flying sword, and since it’s always night in this secret realm, it’s impossible to tell the exact time."

"I see." Liu Qingzhi reached into her pocket, realized her own phone was missing, and asked, "What about the giant that ambushed us? Did you face it?"

"Yeah, I finished it off using a secret technique from the True Self Heart Scripture. It dropped a crystal." Qin Zhe nodded. He didn't mention that his "True Self" had obliterated the giant in a single stroke, choosing instead to make the process sound more complex.

Liu Qingzhi listened to his account quietly, then said softly, "The True Self Heart Scripture is indeed powerful, but you shouldn't use this method of burning your potential recklessly. It could damage your foundation, and furthermore, you might end up doing something foolish while under its influence."

As she spoke, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, and she reached down to brush off her skirt.

Seeing this, Qin Zhe’s gaze involuntarily followed her hand, and he nearly popped his eyes out of his sockets. There, on the hem of her skirt where she had just brushed, were several distinct, dark, smudged fingerprints!

*Damn it!* How had he not noticed those prints before?

Qin Zhe’s face turned bright red, and he felt utterly flustered. It was obvious from the position of the prints that the Department Head's skirt had been lifted. And who else could have done it but his "True Self"?

Searching his memory, Qin Zhe found the corresponding recollection. It had happened while his consciousness was submerged, lost in the techniques his True Self was using. Not only had his True Self lifted the hem, but it had also taken a peek!

How embarrassing! Incredibly embarrassing! At the time, Qin Zhe had been so focused on studying the techniques that when he surfaced, he hadn't paid much attention since it seemed the True Self hadn't caused any major trouble. He had thought his True Self had finally acted reliably, but it had actually taken advantage of the situation!

*What a beast!* An absolute beast!

The only thing Qin Zhe felt grateful for was that the Department Head was wearing safety shorts underneath. He hadn't seen anything, otherwise, the transgression would have been far worse. Regardless, what his True Self did was equivalent to his own actions; he couldn't deny it.

As Qin Zhe stood there, at a loss for what to do, Liu Qingzhi cleared her throat slightly and said, "Qin Zhe, your true strength should be at the fourth stage of the Martial Path, right? Why are you hiding your cultivation at the academy?"

"Huh?" Qin Zhe was stunned. He thought to himself that he was just a first-stage rookie; how had he suddenly become a fourth-stage martial artist?

"You don't need to hide it from me," Liu Qingzhi said, looking at him. "Back at the training grounds, I found it strange that I couldn't sense your aura. While a martial artist's aura isn't always obvious, with my level of cultivation, I should be able to detect it if I pay attention—unless, of course, you possess strength equal to mine."

She continued, "Furthermore, among the three paths—Immortal, Demonic, and Martial—the Martial Path is indeed the strongest in terms of pure physical durability. However, to withstand the assault of a second or even third-stage Demonic beast using only physical training alone... I doubt anyone at the same stage could achieve that."

Facing such logical deductions from Liu Qingzhi, Qin Zhe opened his mouth, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration. *My dear Department Head, you’ve really overthought this!* Didn't she realize the reason she couldn't sense his aura was simply because his martial foundation was too weak?

Just as he was about to speak, a thought occurred to him. It seemed... letting Liu Qingzhi believe he had the strength of a fourth-stage martial artist might save him a lot of trouble. If he just used the True Self Heart Scripture as an excuse for killing the giant, she might not suspect him, but if word spread to the academy, it might invite unwanted scrutiny. If he were a fourth-stage martial artist, killing a giant would be much more reasonable. Even if the Martial Path was considered weaker, a fourth-stage martial artist was undoubtedly a powerhouse!

Deciding to stop pretending, Qin Zhe put on a wry smile and said, "Department Head, I suppose nothing gets past you. I’ve hidden my strength simply because I don't want to stand out too much."

"Is that so?" Liu Qingzhi’s beautiful eyes fluttered. She seemed to be pondering something, then asked with a touch of playfulness, "Then why didn't you hide it back at the training grounds? You drew quite a lot of attention there."

"Cough!" Qin Zhe coughed violently, inwardly cursing his inability to spin a consistent lie. He laughed awkwardly and changed the subject. "Department Head, let's put that aside for now. You've been unconscious for so long; the Student Council must have already assembled and entered the Scorched Earth. I’ve been outside the whole time and haven't seen anyone nearby. They probably haven't reached this deep yet. Why don't you recover a bit, and then we can head out to rendezvous with them?"

"That sounds reasonable," Liu Qingzhi nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips as she decided not to press the issue. She instructed, "You go outside and keep watch for me. Don't go too far. The giants are not weak, and there's more than one of them. It would be troublesome if you were surrounded."

...

With the Department Head's permission, Qin Zhe didn't linger in the cave, fearing he might say something to ruin his cover. Liu Qingzhi was clever; if she didn't trust him so implicitly, she might have guessed the truth, so he had to watch his words and behavior.

Standing guard at the cave entrance, Qin Zhe began to ponder how to properly play the role of a fourth-stage martial artist. With his current abilities, his combat performance needed to match that level. Even with his "Counter-Shock" talent, it would be difficult. He couldn't just unleash his True Self every time there was a disagreement, could he?

About half an hour later, Liu Qingzhi emerged from the cave. After a short period of meditation, her complexion was much better, no longer so pale. The Immortal and Demonic paths benefited from the mutual reinforcement of spiritual and demonic energy; their recovery speed was indeed far superior to a martial artist's qi.

When Qin Zhe saw her, he immediately went to meet her, picking up the Heart of Magma he had left at the entrance. "Department Head, look, this is the crystal the giant dropped."

"Yes, this crystal truly contains an unimaginably dense amount of fire-attribute spiritual energy. It can be considered a rare treasure." Liu Qingzhi inspected the crystal, then looked at him, hesitating to speak.

The extreme heat radiating from the crystal made her, a practitioner of ice-attribute arts, feel incredibly uncomfortable. Yet, Qin Zhe was so oblivious that he had presented it to her like a prize. Faintly, she could even smell the scent of roasted meat... She knew he had thick skin, but didn't he find it hot to hold?

Shaking her head helplessly, Liu Qingzhi raised a slender finger and tapped it, releasing a stream of spiritual energy. "I'll help you seal the heat. This is your spoils of war; keep it well."

Qin Zhe watched as she released the energy, feeling nothing but envy. Since he had begun his journey in the Immortal-Martial path, he could finally sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him. The energy from Liu Qingzhi's single tap far exceeded the total sum of all the spiritual energy in his own body. How could he not be envious?

Watching the energy form a strange seal around the Heart of Magma, easily suppressing the intense heat, Qin Zhe felt a pang of bitterness. When would he be able to have such powerful spiritual energy himself?