C8 Shen Tianyue

"What?! Su Muyan's fiancé?!"

Mo Fanchen, startled by the boy's revelation, bolted upright from the ground.

However, the Jade Snow Heart Pill had only eased his pain temporarily and did nothing to mend the muscles and bones he had strained from overexertion.

Grimacing in pain, Mo Fanchen had no choice but to lie back down, but the intense discomfort couldn't quell the storm of shock within him.

Once he had regained his composure, Mo Fanchen eyed Shen Tianyue skeptically. "You claim to be Su Muyan's fiancé, but I've never heard of you. Can you prove it?"

"Evidence?" Shen Tianyue chuckled and shrugged with a hint of resignation. "If we were of age, we'd have already picked up our marriage certificate from the Civil Affairs Bureau."

Mo Fanchen shook his head, still unconvinced. "I've known Su Muyan for three years and she's never mentioned a fiancé."

Suddenly, Mo Fanchen recognized something familiar about Shen Tianyue. He struggled to focus his swollen eyes and took a closer look at Shen Tianyue, then burst into laughter.

"Haha! Now I remember! Aren't you the student from the year below us, the one who fancies himself the class heartthrob? I clearly recall you confessing to Su Muyan with fireworks that night! And to think, you're a warrior too!"

Unruffled by Mo Fanchen's taunts, Shen Tianyue replied, "Hey! Is that how you treat someone who just helped you? And for the record, I didn't give myself that title; it was the girls in my grade who voted for me."

"Helped me?" Mo Fanchen scoffed. "It seemed to me you quite enjoyed watching me get thrashed by Zhang Xiaolong and his crew!"

"Of course! Anyone who pursues Su Muyan is an enemy of mine! And the enemy of my enemy is a friend! By stepping in, I got to see you take a beating and still endear myself to Su Muyan. It's a win-win, isn't it?"

Shen Tianyue was still smiling, but this time there was a smug sense of triumph in her grin.

"You claim to be Su Muyan's fiancé, yet you're plotting so meticulously," Mo Fanchen remarked.

With a self-satisfied spread of her hands, Shen Tianyue's smugness intensified as she explained, "You just don't get it! This is an affair between our noble families. The Su family is on the decline, their business nearly devoured by those two profligate sons. Their downfall is inevitable!"

"Our Shen family, on the other hand, is thriving with talent, and our business is booming. It's only a matter of time before we absorb the Su family. Then, the only way for the Su family to preserve their legacy will be through marriage to us! And as the most outstanding member of the Shen family, Su Muyan will naturally become mine."

Hearing Shen Tianyue's words sent a shiver down Mo Fanchen's spine.

He had never imagined that the power struggles he saw on TV would manifest before his very eyes. Su Muyan, like the daughters of other declining families, was being sacrificed to sustain her family's legacy.

Mo Fanchen felt a surge of indignation for Su Muyan's fate and contempt for his own helplessness.

In the warrior world, where strife was endless, power was the ultimate language. If only he were powerful enough, he could surely shield Su Muyan from the whims of fate!

Strength was the root of it all!

Never before had Mo Fanchen craved power so intensely. Rising slowly from the ground, he clenched his fists and fixed his gaze on Shen Tianyue, whose pride had yet to fade. He declared deliberately, "Su Muyan belongs to me, Mo Fanchen, and she always will! Any pretender who dares to covet her will face my wrath!"

Shen Tianyue was momentarily taken aback by Mo Fanchen's fierce confidence.

However, he quickly regained his composure and scoffed, "Nonsense! We shall see what the future holds!"

Mo Fanchen's relentless jeering and provocations failed to ruffle Shen Tianyue's feathers. He simply didn't consider Mo Fanchen, a man without any background and with limited talent, worthy of his attention.

In contrast, the Shen family was a major powerhouse in Zouver, boasting abundant resources, skills, connections, and wealth. When compared to Mo Fanchen, a solitary warrior without any significant backing, the disparity was stark—like comparing the heavens to the earth.

The Su family, preoccupied with their own affairs, hardly had the spare time or resources to concern themselves with Mo Fanchen, a warrior of modest talent and without any solid foundation.

Whether it was access to cultivation resources, mastery of skills, or worldly wealth, the Shen family was overwhelmingly dominant over Mo Fanchen.

A mighty tiger, whose roar could shake the forest, would never be on the same level as a sewer rat!

With this self-assured thought, Shen Tianyue strode out of the woods.

Although Shen Tianyue remained silent, Mo Fanchen, who had been observing him, could still detect the overpowering scent of disdain emanating from him.

We'll see about that, Mo Fanchen silently vowed, then slowly stood up, dusting off his clothes. After cleaning the bloodstains in a nearby restroom, he too exited the forest.

"Huh? Mo! You went out with a beauty, and you come back looking like this?" The handsome young man was puzzled by Mo Fanchen's large sunglasses and mask.

Suppressing his pain, Mo Fanchen quipped, "Well, I didn't want my dashing looks to set off a frenzy among the other girls! I've already heartlessly turned down that one because, as you know, my heart belongs solely to Su Muyan."

"Old Mo, Old Mo! We've known each other for three years, a whole three years! And now, as graduation approaches, I've come to realize just how thick-skinned you are—it's multiplying by the day!"

"Enough of that. Have you decided on which school to attend?"

"Yes," Mo Fanchen replied with conviction, his heart brimming with hope for the Divine Martial Academy that Su Muyan had mentioned. In his hands, he tightly gripped the item Su Muyan had slipped him at the school gate.

Divine Martial Academy was where it all began for me!

School is about to start.

Finally, it's time to submit our preferences for matriculation.

While the other students weren't looking, Mo Fanchen stealthily opened the small package Su Muyan had given him. Inside, there was a note and a delicate little bottle.

Unfolding the note, he saw a message written in elegant handwriting: "Okdale Vocational Technical Institute, ten Blood Forging Pills, for the Blood Forging breakthrough."

The school's name brought a wry smile to Mo Fanchen's face. He hadn't expected the prestigious Divine Martial Academy, a cradle for warriors, to have such a casual-sounding affiliate!

Quickly, Mo Fanchen spotted Hipus Vocational Technical Institute's name tucked away in a corner of the matriculation form.

The variety of programs offered by Hipus Vocational Technical Institute was almost comical to Mo Fanchen. They ranged from beauty and hairstyling to culinary arts, sheet metal and paintwork, welding, and even excavator operation – a selection as diverse as the bombardment of commercials on Lanxiang TV!

Maybe it was all a ruse, a smokescreen for something else.

But what major should he choose?

Despite the plethora of options, Mo Fanchen couldn't find a major that truly appealed to him.

Generally speaking, Mo Fanchen's academic performance was impressive, consistently matching Su Muyan's test scores, and he was confident that he could gain admission to a top-notch school.

He had hoped to attend the same university as Su Muyan, or at least one in the same city, and had several preferred majors in mind – but that was before he set his sights on becoming a warrior!

Now, although he'd achieved his goal of being at the same school as Su Muyan, the down-to-earth nature of these majors left him hesitant.

After much deliberation, Mo Fanchen reluctantly chose the excavator program on his application form, considering it a well-paid profession in society.

With a sense of resignation, he submitted his application and cautiously stowed the bottle of Blood Forging Pills on his person.

The soothing effects of the Jade Snow Pill were wearing off, and the areas injured by Zhang Xiaolong and his group began to throb painfully once more.

Without bidding farewell to his friends, Mo Fanchen quietly rose from his seat and made his way to the restroom.

The icy tap water cascaded over him, soothing the pain significantly. Relieved, Mo Fanchen involuntarily let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Squeak!"

The worn restroom door creaked open, and in walked a man donning a King Jiji mask!