Chapter 40: Beauty’s Kindness, Hardest to Decline — The Bronze Gate… Unexpected Change!

Su Nan turned to look at the girl still nestled in his arms.

Just as he was about to speak, Gu Lian let out a soft sigh and said:

“That was so close. I really thought we were going to the afterlife together.”

“I didn’t expect you were hiding so much strength, Su Nan.”

“Be honest—were you just pretending to be weak to make a fool of me?”

At that moment, the campus belle’s face was flushed, her eyes glistening with curiosity and mischief.

Her soft cherry lips—just moments ago—had kissed Su Nan’s.

Even now, the sensation lingered sweetly on his lips.

Seeing her expression, Su Nan hurriedly waved his hands and said,

“No! Really, I had a breakthrough just then!”

Gu Lian raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“A breakthrough… on the spot?”

Su Nan quickly nodded and promised,

“Absolutely! A hundred percent true!”

“Then… I’ll forgive you~”

Gu Lian dragged out her words coyly, her bright eyes scanning him from top to bottom before her pretty face lit up with a renewed smile.

‘This… this is the power of love!’

Then, she stepped forward and took Su Nan’s hand in hers…

“Let’s go. Let’s head back.”

At this point, Gu Lian was no longer the cold, aloof girl she had been.

In her place was someone playful and tender.

Still, the moment their palms touched, her face turned red again.

Su Nan tried to pull away, but the gentle sweat in her hand made him hesitate… and he ended up letting her hold on.

When they passed Liang San’s corpse, Su Nan lowered his head and sighed.

This man, once a genius with unmatched talent, had taken the wrong path—and now, this was the price he paid.

Had it not been for Su Nan’s sudden surge in power, Liang San could have easily wiped out every student who entered this trial ground.

Su Nan opened the camera system on his ID badge and snapped a photo of the deceased Liang San for records, then pulled Gu Lian by the hand and headed back into the forest.

Liang San’s lifeless eyes stared skyward.

The last thing he saw… was the full moon above.

***

The journey back was quiet.

Gu Lian didn’t say a word, but she walked in perfect rhythm with Su Nan.

She looked every bit like a girl deep in love.

Su Nan knew the misunderstanding between them was only growing deeper… but he genuinely didn’t know how to explain it.

What could he say?

‘To beat Liang San, I just needed you to confess so I could fool the system—and then, boom, you stole my first kiss!‘

If he really said that, he’d probably get a massive drop in favorability… and a slap across the face.

Wouldn’t that make it seem like he was just toying with her feelings?

That kind of misunderstanding would be even worse.

So in the end, Su Nan sighed and remained silent.

Luckily, Gu Lian didn’t bring up the kiss again either.

Both of them chose—unspokenly—to ignore the whirlwind of emotions from just moments ago.

In times like this, the line between reason and impulse often blurs.

Even in silence, Gu Lian enjoyed the feeling of her hand being held, her heart surging with joy.

Only when they spotted other students ahead did they quietly let go.

“Su Nan…”

Gu Lian’s gaze dropped, her voice soft and delicate.

“Later… I’ll come find you.”

“See you next time!”

With that, she turned and ran off like the wind.

Su Nan watched her go, a quiet emotion swirling in his heart.

“Oh my, already reluctant to part?”

A teasing voice suddenly came from behind, filled with jealousy.

Su Nan turned—sure enough, it was Tu Suya.

But she wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were fixed in the direction Gu Lian had run off.

“Well, aren’t you going to chase after her, Mr. Handsome?”

She looked back at Su Nan, her tone even more sour.

Su Nan forced a chuckle and quickly changed the subject:

“Where are the others?”

“Oh? So now you remember the others?”

Tu Suya leaned in, her foxy charm glowing on her face.

“Uhh…”

“Senior!”

Just then, a sweet voice rang out—Mu Qing and Luo Feixuan arrived.

Seeing them, Su Nan quickly waved and stepped away from Suya like a man fleeing danger.

Tu Suya watched him escape with a smirk, like a predator watching prey.

“Senior!”

Mu Qing and Luo Feixuan stopped in front of Su Nan, their eyes scanning him.

His clothes were a little torn, but his condition was good—clearly, he hadn’t been injured.

“So? Did you find Gu Lian?” Mu Qing asked gently.

“Yeah, I found her.”

Su Nan smiled faintly.

“But the ghost spirit didn’t wander off on its own—it was summoned.”

He then recounted everything that happened with Liang San.

The three girls were stunned.

“Someone so evil made it into our trial area?”

Tu Suya clung to Su Nan’s arm, face filled with worry:

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine.”

Su Nan glanced at this foxy deskmate and shook his head.

“He probably snuck in long ago… only chose now to strike.”

“But it’s all taken care of. What about you guys?”

He clearly didn’t want to dwell on Liang San and shifted focus.

“We’ve cleared out most of the nearby evil spirits,” Mu Qing answered.

“And the training is about to end.”

Luo Feixuan happily latched onto Su Nan’s other arm:

“Those classmates you rescued earlier? They’ve been sent to a safe area. All good!”

“That’s a relief.”

Su Nan nodded, and together with the three girls, headed to the gathering spot for Tianlan Academy students.

At the plaza ahead, students were gathered in small groups, chatting.

Most bore signs of battle, and some were slightly injured, but none were seriously hurt.

After all, Tianlan Academy’s students were elite. In teams, they could easily handle B-grade evil spirits.

“Training is over.”

A cool, commanding voice echoed in everyone’s ears—Director Xi Qinyu.

“You all did well.”

“Please enter the teleportation array in an orderly manner to exit the barrier.”

Her voice faded.

At the center of the plaza, a glowing array appeared.

But just as the students prepared to leave—

A shocking twist struck!!

In the sky above—the bronze gate changed again!

The full moon sky was suddenly covered in black clouds, all light vanishing in an instant.

Only a thick darkness loomed above.

A terrifying aura swept the land, and every student felt a jolt of fear.

In that moment, from the heavens descended a towering bronze gate.

Its doors creaked open slightly—a streak of green light shot out.