To maintain balance, Noxia had no choice but to grit her teeth and reluctantly wrap her arms around Lorevil’s arm.
Her whole body practically pressed against it, like a koala clinging to a tree, her feet firmly planted on Lorevil’s body.
“This… is that acceptable?”
Noxia’s pretty face flushed so red it could drip blood, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum.
In that moment, the girl’s shyness gave Lorevil an inexplicable flutter of excitement.
Her blood seemed to boil, a tingling, thrilling sensation.
Lorevil took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the strange emotions inside her.
She could clearly feel the weight of those jade-like feet, the girl’s body pressed against her, and the faint fragrance of her fiancée.
Even mixing with the lingering sweetness of the pastries they had just eaten.
All of it assaulted Lorevil’s will through her nostrils.
Lorevil thought to herself: ‘What kind of punishment is this?’
It was pure torture for her will.
If this was punishment, let it come even more fiercely!
“Ahem… ahem…”
Seeing Noxia’s shy and earnest expression, Lorevil couldn’t bear to make things difficult for her.
But her fingers moved involuntarily.
Noxia’s legs grew weak, her body trembling slightly, her cheeks red as she chided:
“Didn’t you say it was punishment? Why are you moving around…”
Lorevil watched Noxia persevering, her breathing quickening.
Thanks to her training, Noxia had decent stamina and could keep stepping on Lorevil.
But Lorevil couldn’t hold out.
After a long while.
“Lorevil, is the punishment still going?”
Noxia’s eyes glazed over, her breathing ragged.
“Of course it is. Noxia, you’re amazing. Hold on a little longer…”
Lorevil encouraged her gently.
Noxia finally couldn’t bear it any longer, collapsing limply into Lorevil’s arms.
Holy Blood Academy, theory classroom.
Lorevil sat by the window, looking a bit dispirited, as if she hadn’t slept well last night.
“Student Lorevil, it’s not good to daydream in class.”
Teacher Jerwen swept the classroom like a lion and quickly locked onto his target, his tone stern.
“Sorry, teacher.”
Lorevil sat up straight and replied earnestly.
As the burly Teacher Jerwen passed by Lorevil, he lowered his voice slightly:
“Overindulgence depletes your primal blood energy, which will have a big impact on your subsequent advancement. You need to practice moderation.”
“The foundation of a vampire lies in bloodline refinement.”
Lorevil’s mouth twitched in embarrassment.
She really had been overdoing it lately.
That night’s entanglement with Mahina had drained quite a bit of blood energy.
Even after resting until now, Lorevil still felt a slight stagnation when circulating her blood energy.
On top of that, Noxia’s “punishment” had only worsened her already weakened body.
Lorevil’s mind flashed back to Noxia, and her face reddened slightly.
‘Looks like Noxia’s punishment is quite severe after all.’
“Teacher… I understand.”
Feeling Teacher Jerwen’s stern gaze, Lorevil could only reply quietly.
Jerwen didn’t tease her further; instead, he walked to the podium and tapped the blackboard.
“Since we’re talking about bloodline and advancement, I’m sure most students are curious about the academy’s secret.”
“The Holy Blood Tower.”
“Holy Blood Tower?”
Many students perked up, murmuring among themselves.
Lorevil was no exception, looking at Jerwen curiously.
Previously, when passing the academy’s central area, she had seen nine rune-covered spires but didn’t know their purpose.
She had wanted to ask Catherine, but Catherine seemed preoccupied lately, so she never got the chance.
She hadn’t expected Teacher Jerwen to bring it up today.
“The reason Holy Blood Academy holds its position as the premier academy in Holy Blood City isn’t its faculty or resources, but the Holy Blood Tower.”
Teacher Jerwen spoke slowly, his voice serious and grave.
“As you all know, the major families have their own secret realms. The Holy Blood Tower is this academy’s unique cultivation sanctuary.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Many vampires present had come from secret realms and naturally knew their value.
The reason secret realms had quotas was because resources were scarce and needed to be controlled to maintain balance.
Otherwise, the secret realm would dry up, leading to the family’s decline and eventual destruction.
“The Blood Hunting Grounds you’ve encountered so far are only basic grounds for third-tier vampires to accumulate blood energy.”
Teacher Jerwen’s gaze swept the room, his voice firm.
Lorevil’s heart stirred at this, recalling the training efficiency of the Blood Hunting Grounds.
Could the cultivation efficiency inside the Holy Blood Tower be even higher?
“Teacher, what exactly does the Holy Blood Tower do?”
Lorevil couldn’t help asking further.
“Inside, it connects to the Blood Domain.”
Jerwen smiled mysteriously.
“Once you enter, you can absorb blood energy several times purer than what you get from the Blood Hunting Grounds.”
“You can even compete against other outstanding students in the Blood Domain, honing your combat skills.”
“As for deeper secrets, once you’re qualified to enter, you’ll naturally understand.”
The vampire students were shocked.
They hadn’t expected those blood-red rune towers to be entrances to the Blood Domain.
Moreover, all the vampires in the classroom had been to the outer edge of the Blood Hunting Grounds and knew that hunting blood beasts granted狂暴 blood energy.
But only a handful had been able to enter the inner reaches.
Now Teacher Jerwen was saying the Holy Blood Tower could absorb blood energy several times purer than the Blood Hunting Grounds.
Seeing the students’ astonishment, Jerwen shifted the topic and looked at the thoughtful Lorevil.
“Lorevil has been improving quickly recently. Going from late second-tier to early third-tier in less than a month or two is rare in the academy’s history.”
This remark made the students gasp again.
Everyone knew Lorevil was a recognized problem student—poor grades, frequent truancy.
Yet in just a month or two, she had broken through to early third-tier.
And there were still many students present who hadn’t reached third-tier and would have to repeat a year.
Thus, a wave of envious and jealous glances fell on Lorevil.
Only a very few classmates genuinely congratulated her.
For instance, Fini, sitting beside her.
“Congratulations, Lorevil. You’re amazing.”
Fini offered her heartfelt congratulations.
“Thanks, Fini. Keep it up.”
Lorevil smiled back.
‘Why did Teacher Jerwen bring me up now?’
Lorevil could imagine how jealous her classmates must look.
“This isn’t just luck.”
Teacher Jerwen suddenly said.
“The period when vampire blood energy is most active is before awakening third-tier.”
“During this time, your bloodlines are like kindling ready to ignite; with a little guidance, they can burst forth rapidly!”
“What about after third-tier?”
A student raised their hand to ask.
“Good question.”
Jerwen nodded approvingly and drew a triangle on the blackboard.
“After third-tier, bloodlines gradually stabilize, and advancement speed slows down significantly.”
“Just like this triangle.”
“So many vampires spend their entire lives stuck at the peak of third-tier, unable to break through to fourth-tier.”
Lorevil nodded; that was true.
“Fifth-tier depends on insight, sixth-tier on opportunity.”
“Remember: third-tier relies on talent, fourth-tier on accumulation.”
Teacher Jerwen put down the chalk and turned to face the students.
“As for seventh-tier and above, that’s too far off for you, so we won’t discuss it now.”
A student asked in confusion:
“Teacher, if blood crystals can replenish energy, why do people go to the Blood Hunting Grounds instead of using blood crystals to advance?”
Teacher Jerwen grew stricter, walking down from the podium and scolding:
“Blood crystals can only replenish energy; they cannot increase bloodline purity.”
“The狂暴 blood energy in the Blood Hunting Grounds, after being neutralized by blood pattern stones, not only replenishes energy but also washes away impurities in the bloodline.”
At this point, Teacher Jerwen waved his hand grandly and continued:
“More importantly, points earned in the Blood Hunting Grounds can be exchanged for rare resources like blood cores and weapons.”
“These are things you simply can’t buy with blood crystals alone.”
Lorevil suddenly understood.
No wonder those students worked so hard to enter the Blood Hunting Grounds and hunt blood beasts—it was for this reason.
Having finished his explanation, Teacher Jerwen didn’t ramble on, letting the students digest the information.
“If you have questions, ask me privately. Now, Lorevil, come with me.”
After finishing his lecture, Teacher Jerwen gestured and turned to leave the classroom.
Lorevil was a little puzzled but still went over.
Apart from the last training session, Jerwen rarely called her in for talks.