Watching Principal Ashton, who was wrapped up like a mummy, Ethan felt his heart thumping in apprehension.
A puff of white air burst from the Principal Ashton's nostrils, like an enraged bull.
But he still restrained his temper, "Give it to me!"
After signing his name, Principal Ashton suddenly inquired, "Did you leave the city yesterday?"
Startled, Ethan honestly replied, "Yes, I wanted to test the power of my gene."
"Do you know that Julian Vance and Selene Croft from Class 1 died outside?" Principal Ashton's face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to rain.
A chill ran down Ethan's spine. Had he been discovered?
Impossible, he thought, I'd taken care of everything so cleanly.
He feigned ignorance, saying, "Huh? I didn't know."
Principal Ashton exhaled, "It's fortunate you didn't know. Are you aware of the dangers of leaving Sterling City?"
"People of all levels and all genes are killed or go missing outside the city walls every day! Don't think that just because you're of S-grade that you can be complacent! You must always be on your guard! Never take such risks again!
If you have to venture into the wilderness, always pair up with someone. You are of an S-grade gene. If you die, it would be a tremendous loss for not only the Dominion Lands but all of mankind. Do you understand?" Principal Ashton sternly advised.
After listening, Ethan felt a sigh of relief.
So the Principal Ashton was just warning him.
"I understand." Ethan replied with equal seriousness.
Seeing this, Principal Ashton's expression softened a bit, continuing, "Mutated beasts are more complex than you think; there are leaders among them whose intelligence is no less than humans. Don't think that you can rely on support from within the city just because you're close to the walls. If one of those beast leaders sets sights on you, nobody can save you! Last night, a beast king infiltrated the city intending to kill you!"
Upon hearing this, a lightbulb went off in Ethan's mind, and he immediately thought of the faint noises he had heard last night in his daze.
"Principal, was it Sister Valeria who stopped that beast king?" Ethan asked in surprise.
"Correct," the Principal Ashton nodded his head, "To be more precise, she killed the beast king."
"Killed?" Ethan exclaimed in shock. He knew Valeria Thorne was powerful, but he hadn't expected her to be this badass. A beast king was murdered just like that; it was absurd!
Seeing the bewildered expression on Ethan's face, the Principal Ashton laughed and said, "Don't stand there like a fool, just work hard. One day, you'll be as badass as Valeria Thorne."
Driven by his curiosity, Ethan asked, "Principal, what's Sister Valeria's current strength?"
As he fumbled opening the drawer, the Principal Ashton responded, "She's at the pinnacle of a War King, one step away from Alaric."
"What the f***? That powerful?" Ethan was once again shocked.
"Such a big shot personally delivered my acceptance letter?" Ethan found this unbelievable.
The Principal Ashton explained, "You're just lucky, kid. Valeria Thorne had just destroyed a subterranean lair near Sterling City. She probably decided to take a break on her way back to the city and happened to enroll you while she was at it."
As he spoke, the Principal Ashton pulled a gold paper from his drawer.
"Here, this is an S-class initial-stage martial arts technique—Ferocious Bull Fist—that I got my hands on recently. Take this and practice well," the Principal Ashton said, pushing the gold paper to Ethan.
"S-class martial arts technique?"
Ethan carefully took the gold paper, which only had the words "Ferocious Bull Fist" printed on it, with no other text found.
He couldn't help frowning, thinking to himself that this was too simple, wasn't it?
"Go back and use the communicator given by the Apex Academy to scan it, and the contents inside will be crystal clear," the Principal Ashton patiently explained.
"Remember, the higher the level of martial technique, the more powerful it is, and the heavier the load on your body. The Ferocious Bull Fist has three levels; don't train too fiercely. It would already be quite good if you're able to master the first level in your freshman year."
Seeing that Ethan could hardly wait to pull out his communicator to start reading the contents, the Principal Ashton couldn't help reminding him.
By this time, Ethan had already read all the content of the Ferocious Bull Fist without missing a word through the communicator.
Suddenly, he seemed to grasp something and could hardly wait to try a few moves.
However, Ethan forcefully suppressed his impulse and sincerely thanked the Principal Ashton, "I'm deeply grateful to you, Principal!"
An S-class martial art in the market is a rare item worth millions, the kind that is priceless.
The Principal Ashton generously giving an S-class martial technique saved Ethan a small fortune!
The Principal Ashton waved his hand, "Hurry up and pack your belongings and prepare to set off, so that you won't miss the special train tonight."
Ethan thanked everyone again before leaving the office.
After leaving the school, he went straight to the hospital to visit Leo.
His best friend, Leo, was currently lying disheveled on a hospital bed, with a nurse giving him an expressionless treatment.
"Hiss—Sister, can you be a bit more gentle? The flesh on my buttocks is too tender!"
Leo yelped with a grimace.
The nurse, who was about the same age as Leo, instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot upon hearing this, and her hand applying the medication also increased in pressure.
Leo instantly howled in agony.
However, as soon as he saw Ethan enter, this fellow instantly changed his demeanor, acting as if all was calm like a breeze and light clouds, as though the one who had just been wailing as if a pig was getting slaughtered wasn't him.
Ethan rolled his eyes, thinking what a good actor this dude is.
He told Leo that he was leaving Sterling City tonight.
After aimlessly chatting for a while, and tinkering with the communicator from Apex Academy, Ethan prepared to leave. "Hey hey hey, Ethan!" Leo suddenly shouted as if he had just remembered something, "Call me before you get to the train station, I'll drive my dad's Lamborghini to drop you off!"
Upon hearing this, Ethan just shook his head, responding in annoyance, "Save it, wait until your buttocks can sit in a car before speaking about it."
When he got home, Ethan, not in a rush to pack, started practicing the Ferocious Bull Fist technique given by the Principal Ashton.
Bang, Bang, Bang!
Fists swinging, the sound echoed through the heaven.
After throwing a few dozen punches, suddenly, there was quietness.
"Moo!"
A bellow of a bull made the air squeeze out of shape.