Tears

“Crack!!”

“Oh! She’s eating it.”

“This girl’s got guts. I like it.”

“She’s got backbone!”

The crowd gasped in surprise.

Even Zhang Heng was taken aback—then he exhaled in relief.

After all, Su Xuan was a rare young talent, and as someone who cherished ability, he naturally hoped Su Xuan could endure this trial.

It wasn’t out of pity for his looks.

“This is the devil’s boot camp meal. Anyone who can finish the first serving is no ordinary person. I remember in our year, out of more than five thousand people, barely thirty cleaned their plates. That’s less than one percent.”

The burly men stared in shock at Su Xuan, who was now shoveling huge mouthfuls into his mouth.

Their expressions were full of disbelief.

“This woman will achieve great things in the future. Ou Chen, I’d say it’s still not too late for you to apologize.”

They teased Ou Chen, the one who had earlier spoken crudely.

Ou Chen’s face flushed black and red.

Clearly, he’d been rattled.

He hurriedly said, “I… I didn’t mean it, really. I just said it without thinking. Is it really that big a deal…”

His voice grew quieter and quieter.

Su Xuan forced down the writhing insects in his mouth, the taste of soil and rotting meat twisting together.

He swallowed with difficulty, then immediately buried his head back into the tray.

He gave himself no time to think—just end the battle quickly.

The men’s comments carried across the room again.

Su Xuan understood: dignity was earned.

As long as your strength was undeniable, no one would dare to make snide remarks about your appearance.

Strength surged from somewhere deep within him.

He grabbed fistfuls of worms and crammed them into his mouth, like a glutton afraid someone might steal his food.

The crunching sound of teeth meeting flesh was proof of how hard he was chewing.

He was so frenzied that a manic gleam appeared on his face, sending cold sweat trickling down the backs of the onlookers.

Zhang Heng found himself staring—at that face where angel and demon coexisted, as if kissed by the Creator Himself.

He wasn’t the only one frozen; the other brawny men were transfixed as well.

Ou Chen swallowed hard.

He knew that in the army, women bore grudges the longest.

They might smile on the surface, but stab you in the back later—and you’d never see it coming.

A woman this crazy was even more terrifying.

Beautiful, ruthless—what a dangerous combination.

A shiver ran down Ou Chen’s spine.

Even with his own merits, if this person grew stronger, just one act of revenge from her could ruin him.

“You’d better start figuring out how to apologize!”

“Yeah… this woman’s terrifying!”

His companions all urged him.

A beautiful woman wasn’t scary.

A beautiful woman with a cruel streak? Terrifying.

“Poisonous beauty…”

“Deadly seductress…”

These words popped into the men’s minds as they sighed at Ou Chen.

Someone this ruthless to herself would be even more ruthless to others.

“Gag—”

“Glug!”

He almost threw up.

Without pausing to think, he kept eating for more than ten minutes, until all five plates of worms were gone.

His heightened senses even imagined the half-chewed insects still crawling around in his stomach.

“Wipe your mouth.”

Zhang Heng pulled out a tissue and handed it to Su Xuan.

“Thanks… ugh—mmph…”

It was unbearable.

Su Xuan felt like he was going to vomit his stomach out.

Luckily, Zhang Heng suddenly reached out and pressed a point on his throat, stopping the reflex.

Otherwise, all that effort would have been wasted.

When Zhang Heng released him, Su Xuan was panting heavily.

“Ha… ha…”

From those exquisite eyes slid a single pearl-like tear—not from grievance, but from the reflexive reaction to gagging.

Her flushed cheeks and lashes glistening faintly sent a rush of heat through Zhang Heng.

“Drink some water. Rinse your mouth and throat.”

He set a glass of purified water in front of Su Xuan.

“Mm… glug—glug, pfft…”

He spat out the remnants, drank a few more gulps, and finally felt more comfortable.

“Thanks.”

“This is a room booked just for you. Don’t wander around at noon—take a shower and rest. You’ll need your energy; there’s still a lot of training this afternoon.”

Zhang Heng handed over a keycard from the Warrior’s Tavern.

“This place is run by veterans. It’s safer than your own home. For the next half month—maybe even a month—you can rest here at noon.”

“Got it.”

Su Xuan nodded.

He was sure he could reach his initial form within half a month.

“Then I’m off. Rest well.”

With that, Zhang Heng strode away.

Only now did Su Xuan realize—he hadn’t eaten at all.

Which meant… he’d gone to have something good instead.

‘Damn it… I know you were looking out for me, but I’m not happy about it. The least you could do is suffer with me over a meal!’

Su Xuan grumbled inwardly.

Eating bugs alone… not cool.

He turned toward the stairs, only to have a broad figure block his path—it was Ou Chen, who had mocked him earlier.

“Girl… I was just joking before. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I know you need to focus on training, so here’s an apology gift. Please, don’t hold it against me, hahaha…”

The man spoke awkwardly, eyes averted, opening his big hand to reveal two energy stones.

“…I… am… a… man!”

Su Xuan bit out each word, then pocketed the stones and headed upstairs.

“A… man?!!”

Ou Chen was left dumbstruck.

Su Xuan sashayed up the stairs, opened the door to his room—it wasn’t big, just standard inn size, with a bathroom and a double bed.

He stripped off his sweat-soaked clothes, not foolish enough to collapse on the bed like that.

On the bed lay a fresh black T-shirt—clearly prepared by Zhang Heng.

Sticky and uncomfortable, he couldn’t possibly sleep without showering.

Su Xuan headed straight to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the cold water wash away his exhaustion and heat.

“Mmm—”

In the mirror stood a barefaced beauty—smiling eyes, dazzling features, red lips and white teeth, radiant and captivating.

“Why do I look prettier again… My abs!!!”

Gone.

The six-pack he once had had vanished, replaced by seductive lines along his abdomen and a slender waist he could encircle with one hand.

Su Xuan stared blankly at his own alluring figure—one countless women dreamed of, now on a man’s body.

“So this is the price of power?… I have to reach the Chaos Lands as soon as possible!”

He murmured to himself.

The black energy stone had become his final hope.

His gaze moved upward—and a strange, ominous premonition shot straight to his mind.

Though nothing was visible yet, his control over his body told him that before long, there would be… significant terrain up there.

“Uuuuh…”

The beauty wept.

Others wouldn’t know why, and if they did, they’d think these were tears of joy.

After all, it was the dream of countless women—and the fantasy of countless men.

He dressed in a daze, lay down in a daze, and drifted into sleep.

The tears at the corner of his eyes seemed to weep for the ‘tragic’ fate of this girl.