C4 You Are a Kitchen Knife!

"Is this... a kitchen knife?" he asked in astonishment, eyeing the old, three-striped knife in his hand.

"No!" the voice responded firmly, correcting him, "To be precise, I am a cleaver with self-awareness!"

"A cleaver... that's still a kitchen knife, right?" Su Wei chuckled.

The cleaver fell silent.

Seeing this, Su Wei pressed on, "So, Mr. Blade, if you're essentially a manifestation of my subconscious, how come you possess self-awareness?"

"You'll understand eventually," the cleaver replied coolly, then urged, "What you need to do now is step forward and bring me to the Shadowfell!"

Su Wei had more questions, but noticing the look of disappointment on Liu Zheng's face on the stage, he made a decisive move to stand up.

He might not grasp why his Horcrux, the kitchen knife, had its own consciousness, but he could sense a fateful connection between them, trusting that it wouldn't harm him.

"Ha! The bottom-feeder wants to try his luck?" Soong Sanjin sneered as he saw Su Wei step forward first, then declared, "I'm in too!"

He considered himself the top genius of Class 2's senior year. Despite his trepidation about the Shadowfell, he couldn't bear to lose face.

"I'm going too!" The third to stand was Lee Silin, Su Wei's steadfast friend.

True friends stick together through thick and thin.

"I'm also in!"

"Count me in!"

"Add me to the list!"

With three already signed up, more followed suit.

Students who had been wavering, along with a few hoping to curry favor with Soong Sanjin, mustered their courage and stood up.

Seeing this, Liu Zheng on the stage finally allowed a smile to cross his face.

"Good! Twelve of you, a quarter of your class, that's quite impressive!"

Liu Zheng nodded with satisfaction and added, "As a reward for your courage, I hereby announce that the person who eliminates the most Spectres in the Shadowfell will receive a second-level Shadow Orb!"

"But remember, this reward is up for grabs among all classes! Another piece of news for you: the highest level of Spectres in the new Shadowfell we're about to enter is only first level, and most are unformed. So, under the watchful eyes of us Soul Masters, your safety is not a concern."

The crowd erupted with excitement upon hearing Liu Zheng's announcement.

"Damn! We've been duped!"

"Had I known it was just Spectres and first-level Shadow Orbs, I would've gone!"

"Man, I'm kicking myself now."

"A second-level Shadow Orb? That's worth tens of thousands!"

"With a skill, it could fetch hundreds of thousands!"

"Hehe, good thing I signed up!"

Those who had hesitated to register were filled with regret, while the ones who had were buzzing with anticipation.

"Alright! If you didn't sign up, head on back! The rest of you, follow me!" Liu Zheng gave a quick look to the small group of students and headed for the exit.

...

Several buses, filled with over a hundred seniors from Moontown High, pulled up at the entrance to the newly discovered Shadowfell.

Shadowfell had no boundaries, being a natural formation.

To prevent the general public from wandering in by mistake, the Order Department had established a perimeter of isolation zones around discovered Shadowfells, leaving only a single monitored entrance.

"Wow! Is that Liu Shiya? She's here too!" Lee Silin stepped off the bus, his eyes lighting up at the sight.

Su Wei followed his gaze and spotted a slender, elegant, and beautiful girl alighting from another bus.

"Liu Shiya... the belle of the school!" He scratched his head, quickly placing her identity, but he wasn't particularly interested.

Right now, all his attention was on his 'talking' cleaver, the Horcrux.

The nearby students, overhearing Lee Silin, started murmuring among themselves.

"I heard Liu Shiya awakened a six-pattern Horcrux! Just a notch below Soong."

"Just one pattern short. With both her parents being renowned Soul Masters and providing her with six advanced skill Shadow Orbs, could she really be lacking?"

"Wow, my Shiya was already stunning, and now she's the complete package with brains and beauty! I'm even more smitten!"

"Back off! Who gave you the right to call her 'Yaya'? She's mine!"

The students bantered and disembarked from the bus.

Moments later, the group of over a hundred students gathered at the Shadowfell entrance.

The Soul Master overseeing Moontown High's awakening ritual addressed the crowd as usual before presenting the second-level Shadow Orb previously mentioned by Liu Zheng. "This is the prize for the trial of faith," he announced. "Whoever collects the most evil soul fragments will take it home!"

While a fully formed Spectre would drop a Shadow Orb, an unformed one would only leave behind an evil soul fragment, which was still quite valuable.

"I'm claiming that prize!" declared Soong Sanjin, who, having awakened a seven-patterned Horcrux, was already the center of attention at the assembly point. His declaration was met with a mix of envy and jealousy from the other students.

Yet, not everyone was ready to concede. Liu Shiya, equally the focus of many eyes, confidently stepped forward, surrounded by her classmates, and challenged him, "Soong Sanjin, if you want this reward, you'll have to get past me first!"

Soong Sanjin, surprised and flattered that the school's beauty was speaking to him, quickly responded with an eager smile, "If Shiya wants this soul bead, I'd be more than happy to step aside!"

His attempt at flattery, however, backfired spectacularly. With a slight smile, Liu Shiya retorted, "No need for such gestures. Let's let our abilities decide the outcome! This way, you won't have any excuses when you lose, claiming you let me win on purpose."

Soong Sanjin, finding himself at a loss for words, was left feeling foolish. His followers, seeing his discomfiture, quickly began to offer their support and strategies.

"Don't lose heart, Soong! You've got us!" one said.

"Exactly! We're not even aiming for the Shadow Orb. We'll team up and give you all the evil soul fragments we collect. She won't stand a chance against us," another added.

"Yeah, that's the plan!" they all agreed, boosting Soong Sanjin's morale.

...

At the chief's command, the students of Moontown High swarmed into the Shadowfell. Knowing the dangers were minimal and that seasoned Soul Masters were covertly watching over them, they ventured forth with newfound boldness.

Lee Silin was just considering bringing Su Wei into his fold when, out of the blue, he saw Su Wei dart into the Shadowfell like a whirlwind, leaving him utterly bewildered.

"Damn! Why the hell is he sprinting like that with the school's crappiest three-trace Horcrux?"