The girl selling goods at the market had never seen money before.

Compared to the unknown outcome with the second-tier mage Gu Qingyun and the strong warrior, taking down the two mages first is a safer approach.

Now, there is only one mage and one warrior left in Tier 1, which greatly reduces the pressure of dealing with ranged magic.

After easily dodging the striker's hand, Bai Jinxuan activated her rapid evasion and retreated, quickly resuming the projection of her clone.

Upon seeing this, the orange-haired girl immediately assumed a defensive stance.

They succeeded in fooling him.

Bai Jinxuan's target was certainly not a martial artist with basic physical abilities; her real targets were Gu Qingyun and the last 1st-tier mage.

"Watch out! She can control those throwing knives! Take control of her!"

The Tier 2 guard took the lead and grabbed Gan Jiang, who was spinning in mid-air. Upon hearing this, another Tier 1 warrior quickly used his martial arts to reach out and grab Mo Xie.

In that instant, Bai Jinxuan unleashed her speed, delivering a knee strike to the orange-haired girl's abdomen before she could defend herself. The powerful impact sent her flying off the ground.

Immediately following was an elbow strike aimed at the temple.

This attack completely disoriented her, causing her to lose her defensive stance and expose her most fatal weakness.

Unfortunately, Bai Jinxuan was too close to her. Whether she pulled her arm back to stab or created distance to slash, the other party might react in time and block.

Bai Jinxuan never gambles on situations that can reliably cause her harm.

Steady control and decisive strikes are her primary combat principles.

In close combat, speed is always the fastest. She seized the opportunity to control her opponent's right arm, then spun in the air, using centrifugal force to slam him to the ground.

But the real killing move was at the end. Without moving her left hand the whole time, she threw a dagger at the girl's entire body, using the force to retreat.

The whole process took less than 5 seconds.

Another one killed...

"Ugh..."

The painful groans startled Bai Jinxuan slightly.

She turned her head and looked at the struggling figure on the ground.

Gan Jiang's position was slightly off; he didn't pierce the heart.

Did they dodge it? They're really... tenacious...

Silver-white blades danced around her, her slightly slender figure appearing and disappearing in front of the huge electronic screen.

It's time to end this.

Gu Qingyun gritted her teeth, her expression tense.

There are only 4 and a half combat-capable members left, and if the remaining half is not treated quickly, it will soon die from shock due to excessive bleeding.

What kind of being has she captured...?

In the distance, lights shone brightly, and joyous celebrations could be heard from time to time.

However, here, the crisp sound of black boots striking the ground shattered the cheers of revelry.

That was the sound of death approaching.

Fear takes root in everyone's heart.

Noticing something amiss with her fellow members, Gu Qingyun desperately forced a sound out of her mouth.

"Stay alert! If you don't want to die, get moving! You, go and stop the bleeding! We still have a chance!"

With that, she gripped the necklace in her hand, and powerful ice magic circles appeared from all directions.

As long as her movements can be restricted...

"Shh-"

Suddenly, the silver light vanished, and the human figure disappeared like mist.

Where are you? Where did you go?!

Gu Qingyun was sweating profusely, her eyes frantically searching for the other person around her.

Soon, she saw the terrified expressions on the faces of the commune members.

Why are you all looking at me with such scared expressions...?

Impossible, impossible... How could she have appeared behind me so quietly in such a short time...?

I'm the future pillar of the Gu family, I can't die here... Oh right, I still have some life-saving items...

She quickly reached into her body for the protective wristband her father had given her. This thing could deploy a magic shield that wouldn't break for an hour for anyone below level 5.

However, the instant she pulled out her wrist, a flash of light appeared.

It's all over.

Bai Jinxuan stepped over the corpse, her two knives still dripping blood, her expression unchanged, like a demon crawling up from hell, pressing forward step by step.

The fighting spirit of the Super Power Item Research and Development Club was completely crushed at this moment.

Some people tried to escape, and even in their last moments before death, they were still urging their legs to move.

Some begged for mercy, but the response they received was a silent flash of blades.

"Crash..."

The evening breeze rustled the branches; although it was late autumn, the trees here were still lush and verdant.

The only person still standing is Bai.

Jinxuan.

She was right. Gu Qingyun was the core of the gang. With her death, the entire gang was like a pile of loose sand, at the mercy of others.

In the distance, the cultural performance was reaching its climax.

Because it was very quiet around us, we could hear the sounds from that side much more clearly now.

The enthusiastic cheers and the energetic voice of the pure-looking host.

"Next up is our recently joined No. 2 High School family's prodigy, Murong Yao! Let's give her a warm round of applause!"

"Eh?"

Bai Jinxuan's pupils contracted as she looked into the distance.

A familiar figure appeared on the huge electronic screen.

She was dressed in an elegant gown, her demeanor graceful, like a goddess descending to earth; her appearance caused a huge sensation.

The applause was thunderous.

Volume 1: Chapter 77: The Girl Who Screamed Desperately (Bonus Chapter)

"Murong Yao, it's almost your turn to go on stage. Are you ready?"

Backstage, the staff found Murong Yao and greeted her.

Upon hearing this, Murong Yao, who was already dressed in her gown, waved and smiled.

"Ready."

"You've been looking forward to this performance for a long time, haven't you? You were really dedicated during rehearsals."

The lighting technician chuckled.

The staff members nearby also showed "I understand" expressions, and the atmosphere became peaceful.

It wasn't until one of the older women said, "Alright, don't put too much pressure on the players, get back to work," that they resumed their busy work.

Murong Yao also showed a sad expression.

"Dudu..."

Suddenly, her phone rang.

The black-haired girl quickly tapped the screen, and what she saw was a greeting from her parents.

"Yaoyao, where have you been? You're acting all mysterious, what are you doing...?"

"I heard this location costs a fortune, why are you getting involved in all this frivolous stuff..."

Upon seeing their message, a hint of warmth appeared in the girl's azure eyes.

You'll find out soon enough.

After typing those words, she subconsciously exited the chat window.

There is no new information besides the parents.

Xiaoxuan hasn't replied yet. Has something happened to her? I should have stopped her...

Murong Yao sighed.

Bai Jinxuan is always like this. She is clearly very smart, but she is always a doer. Whether it can be done or not, she will do it first and then talk about it later.

If it weren't for her father's decision, she might still be out there making her way in the world.

Aside from her, it's truly unimaginable who else would venture into a place like the black market.

The same goes for lost handbags; before anyone can even get a word in edgewise, the person has already vanished.

"What an idiot..."

Murong Yao whispered a curse at Bai Jinxuan on the screen.

Fortunately, the stage at No. 2 Middle School was big enough that even if Bai Jinxuan got lost in the school, she could still see the grand screen projection.

If I raise my voice a little louder, even if she can't find the venue of the party, she'll still be able to hear me.

She suppressed her nervousness and slowly moved towards the stage.

"Murong Yao, you look so beautiful today!"

The female classmate who was helping out behind the scenes saw her and smiled with admiration, "The dress is so gorgeous, and you are so beautiful... To be honest, I want to marry you."

"Thank you. I appreciate the compliment."

Murong Yao smiled politely.

At this moment, a staff member came over and said, "The next performers, please get ready."

"oh, I understand now."

She took a deep breath and looked at the stage.

The youthful and beautiful host spoke in a loud and clear voice.

"Next up is our recently joined No. 2 High School family's prodigy, Murong Yao! Let's give her a warm round of applause!"

"Splash splash splash splash—!!!"

Murong Yao took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the curtain.

The moment her toes touched the ground, magical ripples spread across the stage, and a wave-like energy field expanded outwards, completely covering the previous scene.

The three thousand magic crystals on the dome suddenly went out, and a deep, abyss-like blue spread from the edge of the stage, bringing a refreshing, slightly damp air to the entire venue.

The audience could perceive with their five senses that the girl on the stage was truly walking on the sea.

The sound of pine needles falling into lake water, as gentle as a needle tip, touched the hearts of the audience.

"Hello everyone, my name is Murong Yao. Today I'm going to sing a song for you, a song about deep-sea mermaids—'Spring Fish'."

Her gaze swept subtly across the VIP section; the seats next to her parents were still empty.

This strengthened her resolve, and she activated her magic, transforming the entire stage, including the screen, into a real ocean under the cover of a huge magic circle.

Her lower body transformed into a fish tail, and she sat on the reef, gazing at the bright moon, one hand on her chest and the other raised high.

Upon seeing this, the teachers from No. 1 Middle School who hadn't participated in grading the papers but had come to observe all widened their eyes: "This level of illusion magic... even a 5th-level mage couldn't use it. I remember she was only a first-year high school student, right?"

"Yes, you can see her in the joint entrance exam. And by the way, she is a first-level mage. The fact that she can use this illusion spell must be a result of the collaboration between the people on stage and behind the scenes, not something she did alone."

"That's still amazing..."

The crisp sound of water droplets became the prelude, the sea surface shimmered, and the mermaid princess slowly opened her mouth.

"A weary heart, trembling eyes—in this world, have I been alone, coldly indifferent to the ever-fading spring year after year?"