March Into Hell

Only after confirming Ye Qian had returned to his original seat did Li Qingming, gasping for breath, put away his pocket watch.

Ji Xiaoxiang also popped his head back out, holding back a mischievous smile as he whispered, "Haha, there was no poison needle…"

"…" Li Qingming felt like he had suffered a huge loss.

"And…" Ji Xiaoxiang passed on the message secretly, "Just now, Ye Qian was really crunching numbers, really thinking about coming up with two billion. Seriously… it's inconceivable wealth. My family couldn't even fit that much money!"

"I don't understand," Li Qingming said with a disgusted face, "why he would go through so much trouble for a troublesome woman."

"Maybe it's guilt," Ji Xiaoxiang clandestinely glanced at Ye Qian and sighed, "No no… it's more about… being unable to forgive himself… and I feel like he really hates money."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ah, is it hard to understand?"

"I'm not very good with emotional issues."

"Er… I can tell…"

"Also, how can you understand Zhang Qingyi's final expression when I thought you were just closing your eyes and hiding behind?"

"Who said that? I was really helping out earnestly!"

"Then—here's the chocolate, take it."

"Ah, nom… I always feel like this isn't the time to eat food you've given me… but by the time I realize it, I've already swallowed it…"

Amidst their banter, the countdown to the next class had begun.

Yet, that girl with the best grades suddenly thought of something else and turned around inappropriately to look at Li Qingming, "Leader, I have one final request—can you point out who broke the school rules during this lunch break?"

"Of course, but I can't be bothered to use my brain," Li Qingming said as he pulled out his pocket watch, "And stop addressing me like that. Just call me by my name; that's an order."

"Then, Li Qingming, I suggest you still point out who just broke the rules," the girl with glasses nodded earnestly, "If you get it right, it would be like giving us the final reassurance. We will then follow you unconditionally, with no last bits of doubt."

Li Qingming let out a sigh of relief and rubbed his forehead as he recalled, "…You, the first one to pledge loyalty, what were you doing in the corner with the water bottle while Cai Zhixin was talking earlier?"

"Ah." The most robust boy immediately shivered, "I… just couldn't hold it any longer… I peed into the water bottle… Did this… breach any rule?"

He looked around in panic, but no one was looking at him.

Such a thing, not breaching the rules, was simply impossible…

"Bro… Li bro…" the boy turned around, trembling, "Is there any hope for me…"

"There might have been just a moment ago," Li Qingming spread his arms helplessly, "but you broke the 'call by name' command. That's like betraying your vow. Condolences."

"Ring ring ring ring!!!" The sound of Sea Urchin Head ringing the bell came again.

Everyone immediately fell silent again, sitting up straight and still in their seats.

This time, Sea Urchin Head's footsteps sounded rather weary, walking as if gasping like an old man.

"Teacher... I can hardly stand it anymore…

"We should hurry…

"So…the bad student during the lunch break is…"

This time, no one closed their eyes; everyone watched as he targeted the most robust boy.

Thud—thump.

The boy collapsed, clutching his neck just as expected.

Strangely, seeing him fall made many others relax.

They no longer had any doubts.

Li Qingming had ascended to a divine status.

In this calm, akin to religious conversion, Sea Urchin Head began his lesson:

"So… now… please quietly chant the name of a good student in your heart…

"Just think it, and I will feel it…

"Hmm… Yes…

"Worthy of being my class president, the best student, unanimously elected!

"Here…"

Sea Urchin Head said, as he struggled to raise his head and, with much effort, finally took out a plastic toy shield and tossed it weakly toward Li Qingming like a frisbee.

Li Qingming raised his hand to accept the object, and as he did, the progress prompt popped up.

[Artifact: The Confiscated Toy Shield

[Category: Armor.

[Quality: ☆

[Durability: 3/3

[Description: A defense too fragile to withstand any serious attack. Though it boasts only half a star, it still falls under the category of an artifact, and it might fend off certain attacks, but don't even think about using it as a weapon.]

Although Li Qingming silently cursed the useless trinket, he still strapped it onto his left elbow.

Well, using the artifact to kill the mastermind was no longer viable anyway.

Of course, he never planned to do so in the first place.

The progress details made it clear that only by completing the Secret Realm's objectives could he accomplish the mission, and forcefully annihilating the mastermind would only lead to failure.

Besides, even without this mission, Li Qingming never considered eliminating the mastermind as a method to clear a rule-based Secret Realm; that would be the ultimate desecration of the artistry of Secret Realms.

As for this broken shield, perhaps it could block one of Sea Urchin Head's ink sprays—a small consolation.

In front of the lectern, Sea Urchin Head took another deep breath before continuing:

"Now, please silently think of the name of the bad student..."

"Hmm... Hmm... With one exception, everyone has voted for the same person.

"Cai Zhixin... you're so naughty...

"But you... have not violated the rules...

"So... as punishment, your teacher will have you...

"Stand for the whole period!"

"!!!" Cai Zhixin suddenly stood up, a look of surprise on his face as he stood up straight.

Seeing what the punishment was, most people also breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that they hadn't inadvertently harmed anyone else.

In front of the lectern, Sea Urchin Head took a long time to catch his breath before speaking again.

"I'm out of strength... I have no energy... I can't do anything else...

"I'm sorry... because of your teacher's incompetence...

"The teaching objective... cannot be realized...

"The next class... will be the last one, I suppose...

"What follows is the final break, please cherish your goodbyes..."

With that, he started dragging his heavy steps out of the classroom.

Seeing the mastermind utter words like "objectives cannot be realized," the girl with glasses couldn't hold back and hurriedly raised her hand: "Teacher! May I ask a question?"

"Hmm... Hmm..." Sea Urchin Head stiffly turned around, "You are a good student, please speak."

"What exactly is the teaching objective?" the girl with glasses nearly cried out, "We can guess some of the rules by toughing it out, but the objective? You haven't given us any clues... We can't even begin to guess!"

"......" Sea Urchin Head fell silent for a long while, then his mouth slowly puckered, "You... bad student!!"

Pfft—thud.

The girl with glasses slumped down on the desk, falling into a dormant state.

Sea Urchin Head, wiping the ink from his mouth, managed to curse out, "The teaching objective... How could a good student not know it!"

With that, he turned to look at everyone else: "Does anyone else not know?"

No one dared to speak.

"Huff... Huff..." Sea Urchin Head then left the classroom, huffing and puffing with smoke billowing out.

This time, as the classroom door shut.

Everyone had only one reaction.

They all turned, with the eyes of true believers, full of longing, looking towards Li Qingming.

Oh Lord.

You must know.