Chapter 501 - Subclass Evolution & New UNIQUE Skill (Part 1/2)
Shangguan Bing Xue had been a proud person from a very young age. She didn't quite understand the reason but she always felt that bothering too much with others would be beneath her character.
However, it was with the passing of time that the pride of Shangguan Bing Xue began to get hurt after she understood that she and her mother had been pushed aside by the man named Xuanyuan Wentian. It was not only her pride that was touched but the anger that she had always been holding inside her precisely due to the fact that she believed it was beneath her to feel it began to rise up because of this man who had caused so much suffering to the one she loved the most.
When Chen He met Shangguan Bing Xue about 20 years ago, she was already a very pretty and proud child who does not lower her head even in front of adults so naturally, she had many problems at school as teachers often complained. Fortunately, Shangguan Bing Xue was an extremely bright girl who even at the age of 7 could solve high school equations without any difficulty so all the teachers had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.
A woman as bright, outstanding, proud, and beautiful as her was what Chen He had always been looking for in his life. He believed that only such a woman could be by his side. However, Shangguan Bing Xue was the only woman who managed to shake his arrogance from the ground up when she not only rejected him when they were teenagers but never showed any emotion for him in life other than friendly appreciation.
As time went by, Chen He became more mature and his natural arrogance receded so much that it was practically nowhere to be seen despite being as outstanding as he was and despite having such a powerful backing. He continued improving himself believing that as the years went by his long-time crush would notice him; but then, the apocalypse broke out.
Chen He had seen with his own eyes how step by step that proud and arrogant woman who practically never smiled began to change. She began to smile more, she even became more joking, her mood was higher than usual; and all this had been thanks to a man with whom she had never had any interaction in the past due to the colossal difference in status and for whom she felt disgust during the first days of this new evolutive era.
But despite all this, despite the fact that the reason she was beginning to change was another man and it was not him who made her smile like that, Chen He felt really happy in the midst of his little inner bitterness. After all, Shangguan Bing Xue was starting to show more human emotions and no longer felt like a block of frozen ice, which meant that she was also starting to enjoy her life more.
However, what had just happened had been the straw that broke the camel's back. The young archer seemed to realize something as he looked at Shangguan Bing Xue on one knee and looking at Bai Zemin with seriousness.... And that was that even if Shangguan Bing Xue was not in love with Bai Zemin, Chen He was sure now that if they were both the only two men in existence and she had to choose one of the two, unfortunately, the comeback he expected from her would never come.
Chen He sighed and as he looked at the crimson sunset with the same sadness that his love had looked a few seconds ago, he for the first time in his life thought of an idea that in the past would never have even crossed his mind.
...
"Bing Xue, you..." Bai Zemin looked at her with wide eyes.
To him, Shangguan Bing Xue was a dignified and proud woman just like a white lotus growing silently on the highest peak in the world to show its beauty only to the one able to reach the top. Therefore, seeing her on one knee in submission was really a great shock to Bai Zemin.
While the battlefield was deathly silent, Shangguan Bing Xue slowly stood up and looked Bai Zemin in the eyes as she said in a clear voice, "Do you trust me?"
"... Of course, I do." Bai Zemin nodded still confused.
If he didn't trust her then it was impossible for him to delegate such an important position to her and entrust her with tasks that he would only feel safe doing by himself.
"You trust me." Shangguan Bing Xue nodded without much emotion. Then, she asked, "To what extent do you trust me?"
Bai Zemin this time did not answer right away and seeing Shangguan Bing Xue's serious look he realized that what she was looking for was not pretty words but an answer from him that came from deep in his heart.
He lowered his head to think but didn't have to consider it too much. The answer had been there for a while now, only that maybe Bai Zemin hadn't realized it.
"To be honest, even I am surprised by this." Bai Zemin looked her in the eyes and said in a voice that only she and those nearby could hear, "Bing Xue, you don't know this but I received a passive skill that literally makes me colder and more indifferent to others, and this is especially true for the opposite gender. I find it extremely difficult to trust people and to date, only one person has managed to break that barrier due to different factors.... Now, I can confidently say that you are the second one."
The effect of the Stone Heart skill had no way to be countered and even if it could be no one could really hurt Bai Zemin as this was a passive skill that affected his emotions for others and not his overall combat strength. Therefore, he wasn't afraid to expose it at all and even less so in front of the few people who were listening to him right now.
"I wasn't so sure before but after what happened in the Oblon World I can safely say that I trust you enough to put my safety in your hands." Bai Zemin nodded earnestly toward her.
Although at that moment the personality of Bai Zemin was being slightly affected by the remnant effect of the second activation of the passive skill God of War's Will, Bai Zemin was certain that a remnant effect could not appease the lingering effect of the passive skill Stone Heart. Therefore, the fact that he had completely closed his connection with the outside world despite being in such a dangerous battlefield could only mean that he fully trusted in Shangguan Bing Xue.
Shangguan Bing Xue just like everyone else was shocked by Bai Zemin's revelation. No, she was even more surprised that he possessed such a skill and quickly began to realize many things that did not make sense to her before.
How was it possible that a young man who came from a normal family like Bai Zemin and whose highest goal in life should be to perhaps get a good job actually didn't blink an eye when it came to killing and that even in the worst circumstances he kept a clear head? Unless he was a lunatic who had secretly always had some problems, such things did not make any sense in Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes.
However, if all of this was being provoked or driven by the effect of a passive skill, then it all made sense.
Furthermore, Shangguan Bing Xue could not deny that she felt a bit proud to know that she had accomplished the practically impossible and despite being curious as to who the other person was, she preferred not to ask about it and simply said with a faint smile:
"Since it is like that, then please rest and allow yourself to be healed..." She suddenly frowned and looked at his severed arm as she said in a low voice, "That arm of yours..."
"Oh, this?" Bai Zemin said seemingly unconcerned. "Don't worry. I think I can do something about it."
"..." She looked at him to see if she could see any glimmer of a lie in the gates of his soul but seeing his clear gaze she finally ended up nodding, "Okay. You do your own thing and I'll do what I think needs to be done."
Although Bai Zemin was curious about the words of Shangguan Bing Xue and did not understand what she meant, he was not going to ask anything about it as it would not look good at all after saying that he trusted her with his life.
Therefore, after telling Shangguan Bing Xue all right, he walked over to Kang Lan and urged her to evolve her Recovery skill, bringing her out of her daze.
The most powerful healing mage of the Transcendent faction, despite all the surprise she felt after learning that so many catastrophic and miraculous events had happened, immediately set to work on what Bai Zemin entrusted to her in the hope that she could help him recover his severed arm.
Slowly but surely, Soul Stone after Soul Stone began to be consumed.
On the other hand, Shangguan Bing Xue stood upright in front of everyone and watched the expressions of those in front of her with ice-cold eyes as she silently tightened the large ragged cloak covering her body.
Under everyone's watchful eyes and closed mouths, Shangguan Bing Xue slowly opened her soft pink lips and in a clear voice began to narrate what happened in the Oblon World.
She explained everything with enough clarity for even a 2-year-old to understand the danger beyond the space portal and gave enough detail that everyone present could draw clear pictures in their heads.
From the explosive increase in gravity that made it difficult to move and the training, they underwent in the beginning, to carefully detailing the first confrontation she and Bai Zemin experienced against the asuras on Oblon World when a new army of over one hundred thousand enemies among which there were over forty thousand First Order beings and twenty Second Order beings.
Just the description of the first battle had left everyone breathless and scared to death. The soldiers trembled and their hands filled with sweat as they clenched their weapons tightly and even the strongest soul evolver in the place could not help but feel some fear in her heart. After all, an army that possessed several thousand First Order beings and twenty Second Order beings were more than enough to flatten the entire Baiquan Camp in a minute, and ruling China would only be a matter of time.
But Shangguan Bing Xue was far from being done. She gave her 200% to explain how a Third Order existence fell from the sky just like a legendary god and whose power was enough to knock down a mountain with a single punch; however, even such a being was taken down by Bai Zemin.
Everyone was in shock and disbelief as Shangguan Bing Xue described how Bai Zemin delved alone into the dangerous unknown world despite being slightly injured after defeating and killing the Third Order enemy while she stayed behind to protect the portal and prevent other enemies from reaching Earth.
Shangguan Bing Xue described in clear detail how she killed over thirty Second Order beings and at least twenty thousand First Order beings who tried to reach Earth while Bai Zemin was away. However, she downplayed many of her own merits and even left out the fact that she fought to the death against a giant beast that was infinitely close to the Third Order in order to protect Bai Zemin. After all, Shangguan Bing Xue's goal was mostly to try to emphasize his feats and not hers.
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