The outer ring of the blood hunting ground was shrouded in a pale red barrier. Upon entering, a dense, crimson jungle stretched out as far as the eye could see. The roars of Rank 1 and 2 blood beasts echoed from deep within the woods.
Lorevil’s blood thread perception told her that there were groups of students hunting nearby. As she passed by, she cast a few glances their way. Many were unawakened Rank 3 students. Their ordinary steel blades left only shallow scars on the hides of the blood beasts. It took several Vampires working together to slay a single Rank 2 beast, making their efficiency extremely low.
It seemed there was a clear divide in quality among these students.
Lorevil had not come here to watch them hunt. She sought out a secluded corner of the jungle, avoiding the sight of the hunting parties.
‘Even though I’ve awakened the Blood Thread talent, I still need to master some general secret techniques.’
‘Like Blood Blade, for example.’
‘I’m not after points right now; I just want to see the combat effectiveness of these techniques.’
Lorevil’s burgundy eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze locked onto a Rank 1 blood beast not far away. It was a Blood-toothed Rabbit. Its body was entirely scarlet, and its teeth were as sharp as knives as it nibbled on the grass. A faint Rank 1 blood aura lingered around it.
Lorevil did not use a weapon. A slender blood thread crept out quietly, winding toward the rabbit’s hind leg like a gossamer strand.
A sneak attack.
Unexpectedly, the Blood-toothed Rabbit was highly alert. It lunged to bite at the blood thread with its sharp teeth. Lorevil manipulated the thread, dodging flexibly before looping it tightly around the creature’s neck. She gave it a sudden, sharp tug.
*Snap.*
The rabbit’s neck was broken. it fell to the ground, twitching a few times before its breath left it. A wisp of pale red, violent blood energy drifted from its body, surging toward Lorevil.
‘This must be the violent blood energy Isolde mentioned.’
According to the academy’s scriptures, this energy needed to be neutralized by a blood vein stone before it could be absorbed. Otherwise, the violent energy would throw one’s bloodline into chaos.
Lorevil did not take out a blood vein stone. Instead, she circulated her blood threads, wrapping them around the wisp of violent blood energy.
‘If I can really absorb it through blood threads, I’ll save a fortune.’
‘Blood vein stone consumption is quite an expense, after all.’
A single rice-sized blood vein stone cost 200 blood crystal coins, and that was only enough to absorb one wisp of violent blood energy. It was far too extravagant. Fortunately, Holy Blood Academy provided subsidies for the students’ cultivation, so it wasn’t quite that ridiculous.
The blood threads hummed and vibrated, but the violent blood energy was not absorbed as expected. Instead, the threads snapped.
‘Did I fail?’
Lorevil’s brow furrowed. The toughness of her blood threads was well-established.
‘No, there’s a change.’
Lorevil’s gaze landed on the blood energy. She saw the originally boiling, violent energy gradually calming down.
‘Let’s try again.’
Once the cooldown ended, Lorevil released her blood threads again, covering the energy like a fine mesh sieve. She repeated this several times until the violent factors in the energy were filtered out. The originally murky, pale red aura slowly became clear within the threads. Finally, it transformed into a tiny wisp of pure red blood energy, which Lorevil inhaled into her body.
A warm current traveled through her blood vessels. Though the amount was small, it was several times more refined than the blood energy found in the cafeteria’s nutritional meals.
‘Still quite delicious.’
Lorevil smiled with satisfaction. She didn’t linger, venturing deeper into the jungle as her blood threads lashed out repeatedly. She coiled, cut, and pierced, coordinating her threads with the newly practiced Blood Blade.
*Squelch! Squelch!*
Wisps of blood energy condensed into crimson blades as thin as a cicada’s wing, accurately slashing the vital points of the blood beasts. Lorevil was gradually figuring out the patterns.
Although Rank 1 and 2 blood beasts were violent, they lacked intelligence. With just a little provocation, they easily lost their tempers. Under the combination of Lorevil’s blood threads and Blood Blade, they stood no chance.
Lorevil passed by the previous area again. Several blood beasts lay dead on the messy ground, apparently slain by the coordinated efforts of those students.
A Rank 2 Red-tailed Wolf was currently feasting. Lorevil’s arrival disturbed its meal. The wolf let out a furious roar and lunged.
Lorevil stepped aside to dodge. Her Blood Blade slashed across its belly while her blood threads simultaneously wrapped around its limbs, binding it firmly.
*Awoo!*
The Red-tailed Wolf let out a mournful howl and collapsed. A wisp of violent blood energy, thicker than that of the Blood-toothed Rabbit, drifted out. It was once again purified and absorbed by the blood threads.
‘It really works.’ Lorevil’s eyes lit up.
She seemed to understand why this place was used as an exclusive cultivation ground for Holy Blood Academy.
‘Executing general secret techniques consumes bloodline energy, but the violent blood energy neutralized by the blood vein stones replenishes the students.’
‘Tsk, tsk.’
‘Truly ingenious.’ Lorevil found it more incredible the more she thought about it.
the blood hunting ground was not a natural formation. It was a man-made enclosure where blood beasts were gathered and raised. No wonder it cost blood crystal coins just to enter; the funds were used to maintain the perimeter of the grounds.
—
As the sun set in the west, Lorevil pulled out her scoring token. “I’m done; this is enough.”
There was little point in continuing the hunt.
The scoring token displayed: [Number of Blood Beasts Slain: 32].
This meant she had successfully killed thirty-two Rank 1 and 2 blood beasts, over half more than she had anticipated.
Lorevil hung the token on her waist with satisfaction. Throughout the afternoon, she had not only mastered the Blood Blade technique but had also developed her blood threads further.
Blood Net!
She could now control several blood threads simultaneously to hunt down beasts. Her internal bloodline energy was saturated. While it hadn’t increased significantly in volume, it had become more refined, laying a solid foundation for her future push into mid-Rank 3.
However, performing secret techniques required a great deal of mental and physical energy. This was unrelated to bloodline energy; even if one did the same thing for too long, they would eventually feel exhausted.
“Whew, I’m exhausted.”
The silver-haired girl’s delicate face showed extreme fatigue. She walked to an ancient tree, her snow-white calves bending as her black-booted foot braced against the trunk. She leaned against the crimson tree to catch her breath. The fluctuations of blood energy around her were much more stable than when she had first entered the hunting ground.
At that moment, the chirping voices of several young girls rose in wonder not far from her. “Who is that? Her solo farming efficiency is way too high.”
“My teammates and I worked together for ages just to kill one Rank 2 Red-tailed Wolf, but she finished one off in just a few minutes.”
“Look at her scoring token.”
“I think that’s Lorevil. You know, the Lorevil who never used to practice. How did she suddenly become so strong?”
The discussions reached Lorevil’s ears, but she didn’t care. The effect of the blood threads purifying blood energy was significant, and the hunting ground was an excellent experimental site. She could use this opportunity to farm points and raise her ranking, just like during the previous training camp. This would allow her to exchange for the academy’s rare cultivation resources and further polish her strength.
But she was too tired right now and didn’t want to move. Attracting the attention of other students was a nuisance.
‘Forget it. I’ll wait until next time. I’ve just reached early-Rank 3; there’s no rush.’
Pushing off the tree trunk, Lorevil’s body sprang up. It was time to go home. Thinking of Noxia, the corners of Lorevil’s mouth curled up slightly, and her mood improved.
Several girls in the hunting party covered their mouths, casting stunned looks at Lorevil as if they were witnessing something beautiful.
“Is that really Lorevil?” the girl who spoke first asked her companion.
“I don’t know,” her friend replied, shaking her head.
But they both knew in their hearts that since Lorevil had reached Rank 3, she was no longer on the same level as them. The faster one broke through, the greater the advantage. They might reach Rank 3 one day, but by then, the Lorevil standing before them would likely be at an even higher stage.