Morning mist had not yet dissipated over Holy Blood Academy.
Wearing her dark school uniform, Lorevil hurried through the hallway. To soothe Mahina, she had missed the opening time for the cultivation rooms, so she could only turn back toward the teaching buildings.
Many students who had arrived early were surprised to see Lorevil. They had just returned from the cultivation rooms and usually paid her no mind. To them, Lorevil was still the image of a proud and conceited noble lady. Fads came and went quickly; in the past, she never bothered to attend classes, let alone put effort into practical combat. Even if she changed, their prejudiced impressions remained.
Lorevil didn’t care at all.
She walked to a seat in the back row by the window, sat down, spread out her textbook, and began taking notes on Vampire Secret Arts. She meticulously filled in the knowledge gaps left by the original owner of this body.
The morning curriculum lasted from 8:00 AM to noon. Master Jerwen’s theory classes were boring but practical, while Master Catherine’s practical combat classes were crucial for increasing her strength. She couldn’t afford to miss either of them.
As for lunchtime, she usually went home, where Noxia would have prepared a warm meal in advance. Today was an exception, as she was headed to the Holy Blood Academy canteen.
The noon bell rang.
Lorevil packed her things and followed the crowd out of the teaching building.
‘What are those buildings? I’ll have to ask Master Catherine when I have time, but eating is more important right now.’
Passing by the cluster of jagged spires in the center of the academy, the silver-haired girl stopped for a moment. Her stomach growled, prompting her to keep moving. These spires had an ancient design, their surfaces covered in dense runes. Since her first day at Holy Blood Academy, she had been curious about them.
Holy Blood Academy housed thousands of Vampire students. Combined with the faculty and staff, the total population was nearly 10,000. Because of this, the academy canteen was massive.
“Lorevil, over here!” Fini waved excitedly.
She was wearing a fluffy, pale yellow dress today, with a matching silk ribbon tied at her collar, making her face look even more charming. She wore white ankle socks and round-toed leather shoes, making her look even more spirited. She was a total foodie, so she always arrived early to snag a spot with a good view that was close to the serving counter.
Lorevil smiled and walked over to sit down. Looking at the lively scene around her, she suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, as if she were back in a high school cafeteria. However, the dishes here weren’t greasy meals of two meats and one vegetable with free soup. Instead, it was an exquisite Vampire Nutrition Set.
The blood rice was crystal clear, accompanied by the academy’s special blood marrow milk. It provided nutrition without triggering a Vampire’s primal nature or causing brawls like blood wine often did. Blood marrow milk was also a staple in Lorevil’s own home.
If one had more money, they could also go to the Blood Hunting Ground to purchase raw flesh and blood, which was even more authentic. However, in Vampire etiquette, consuming raw meat directly was considered inelegant. Truly noble Vampires mostly looked down on the practice.
“Lorevil, we have free time this afternoon. Where are you going?” Fini asked curiously.
Much like a high school, Holy Blood Academy had free activity periods intended for residential students. Commuter students like Lorevil and Fini just happened to benefit from it.
“I’m going to check out the Blood Hunting Ground,” Lorevil said, her goal clear.
The Blood Hunting Ground was an exclusive cultivation site for Holy Blood Academy. The outer circle only contained Level 1 and Level 2 blood beasts, which didn’t possess blood cores. Only the Level 3 and Level 4 beasts in the inner circle had them, and they were far more powerful. Out of the nearly 1,000 Vampires in the academy, only a few hundred could reach Level 3. Those who hadn’t yet reached that level relied on the Blood Hunting Ground to fight for a chance at promotion.
Lorevil took a deep breath and sent a message to Noxia: [Free activity this afternoon. Going to practice at the Blood Hunting Ground, will be back late.]
Noxia: [Received.]
Lorevil understood that she couldn’t rely solely on the Thorns, which hadn’t fully developed yet. To strike iron, one had to be strong themselves.
“Tsk, tsk. I really envy you for having such a great fiancée.” Seeing this, Fini had an expression like she had just been force-fed a face full of PDA.
Fini was a long-time friend of Lorevil, so she naturally knew that Lorevil’s fiancée had a good personality. She had tried to talk Lorevil out of it several times back when Lorevil was pursuing Catherine. Later, whatever her friend did, Fini simply supported her.
“In the past, you’d hide the moment someone mentioned cultivation and stood me up. Why are you running to the Blood Hunting Ground of your own accord today?” Fini pouted her lips in slight dissatisfaction.
“The Blood Thread Control I awakened needs to be polished through actual combat. I also want to try the universal secret art, Blood Blade.” Lorevil’s small, fair hand, which looked like white jade, picked up a piece of blood-lily cake and took a bite.
What she didn’t say was that she also wanted to use the results of her cultivation to show Noxia how much she had changed.
Fini curled her lip and shoveled a mouthful of blood rice. “Fine. I’m going to go grind for points today anyway, so I’ll walk with you.”
“A new registrar with a hot temper just started at the Blood Hunting Ground. I heard she’s a lady from a great family named Isolde. Don’t get on her bad side.”
Lorevil raised an eyebrow. ‘Could it be that my more talented cousin, Loriditia, sent someone to cause trouble?’
Immediately after, she realized she was overthinking it.
“It’s fine. I’m only there to practice, not to cause trouble,” Lorevil said calmly.
She wouldn’t look for trouble, but she wasn’t afraid of it either. If someone truly blind tried to bully her, she would make sure they suffered the consequences. Then again, improving one’s bloodline energy was like rowing upstream; if you didn’t move forward, you would fall back. Although she was exceptionally talented, the original owner of this body had wasted years, so she needed to re-polish her skills.
Moreover, having died once, she had seen Noxia after her blackening. Only by becoming stronger could she protect herself. As for Mahina and the other women with blackening bars, Lorevil shuddered and shook her head, forcing herself not to think about it.
After their meal, the two headed together to the Blood Hunting Ground.
At the stone platform at the entrance, the points leaderboard was carved into the surface, with the top names highlighted in red light. Those were the outstanding students who had touched the threshold of Level 3. There were over 1,000 of them.
The space next to Lorevil’s name was blank. She had loathed cultivation in the past and had never set foot in the Blood Hunting Ground, so she naturally had no ranking.
A snow-haired girl sat at the registration desk. She wore a moon-white waisted dress covered by a short black cloak, with a circle of snow-white mink fur around the collar. It complemented her beautiful, fair skin, making her look like moonlight scattered over snow. Her narrow eyes slanted upward slightly, carrying a sense of aloofness that told people not to approach. Her gaze was somewhat sharp.
This was likely the Isolde that Fini had mentioned. It made Lorevil suspicious; wearing mink fur in this heat suggested she either had a medical condition or was out of her mind.
She had actually guessed correctly. Isolde was sensitive to the cold due to a congenital illness.
“Is this your first time? Pay 3,000 Blood Crystal Coins and sign the life-and-death waiver.”
Isolde looked up, scanned Lorevil, and took a sip of hot tea. Her long, pale hand tapped on the registration book. “The outer circle is open to anyone. The inner circle requires 500 points to unlock. The forbidden zone is off-limits.”
Lorevil signed the papers and paid the fee without a word.
“Killing Level 1 or Level 2 blood beasts earns 1 point each. For a Level 3 blood beast, it’s 10 points. Blood cores can also be exchanged for points.”
Isolde tossed a points token engraved with the number **[0]** to her. Her voice was like a trickling stream, ethereal and pleasant to the ear. “The blood aura left behind from killing blood beasts can cause Vampires to go berserk. Blood Vein Stones can be purchased with Blood Crystal Coins.”
After saying this, Isolde ignored her, placing her icy hands between her warm thighs to keep them warm. It was a small habit of hers.
Lorevil caught the points token. It felt warm to the touch, and she toyed with it as Fini stepped forward to pay her own fee. There were many other Vampires behind them, looking like they were all there to exchange points. Lorevil hadn’t expected the Blood Hunting Ground to be so lively and felt a bit excited.
If she had known, she would have come sooner. But it wasn’t too late. Previously, she had been busy dealing with the mess left by the original owner, catching up on schoolwork, and writing notes, leaving her no time for the Blood Hunting Ground.
“I’m heading out first then. See you later.”
Fini had her own things to do. Lorevil had reached Level 3 while Fini was still at Level 2, and the gap was growing. Thus, the money-grubbing foodie Fini planned to collect blood aura in the hunting ground to quickly increase her strength. Otherwise, her family wouldn’t give her any more Blood Crystal Coins, and she would be forced to live on scraps.
After seeing Fini off, Lorevil went to the other side and exchanged 200 Blood Crystal Coins for some Blood Vein Stones. They were only the size of rice grains. It was always good to be over-prepared. Then, Lorevil moved her long, snow-white legs, her black boots crunching as she entered the outer perimeter of the Blood Hunting Ground.
The Blood Vein Stone bracelet Catherine had tried to give her was a rare item because the stones were large and distinct—the best of the best.
“Lorevil, the rumored Miss Scumbag…”
“She really is interesting.”
Isolde watched Lorevil’s retreating back disappear, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
She was indeed a close friend of Loriditia. She was also a direct descendant of the Isolde family of Holy Blood City, and her family’s foundation was no less impressive than Lorevil’s. However, her family had always kept a low profile and acted with restraint, which was why the students of Holy Blood Academy didn’t know much about her. Otherwise, given her background, she wouldn’t be sitting here peacefully drinking tea; she would have been surrounded by social invitations and attention.
Coming to the Blood Hunting Ground to act as a registrar was partly for experience. On the other hand, she had been asked by Loriditia to see just what this “reformed” Lorevil was really like. Since she wanted to increase her strength, Lorevil would inevitably come to the Blood Hunting Ground.
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