Nora

On the third-floor balcony. Yu Xian reclined on a beach chair, wearing sunglasses and basking in the sun. After carefully weighing the pros and cons, he picked up the phone beside him and dialed his homeroom teacher. A moment later, he said, "Teacher Chen, it's me, Yu Xian." Earlier, he had applied for a leave of absence under the pretense of needing to manage his family's factory. He had originally prepared to drop out of school altogether. But after discovering just how powerful his Light Eater talent was, he realized that being a student served as an excellent cover. What kind of vampire would be roaming around in broad daylight? Even if vampires grew suspicious of him in the future, the briefest investigation would immediately clear him of suspicion. After explaining things to his homeroom teacher, Yu Xian confirmed that he would return to school. Come next Monday, he would once again be an upstanding student, blossoming in the spring breeze and bathing in the warm sunshine. *Thump!* Just as Yu Xian put down his phone, he felt his heart give a sudden beat. He immediately pressed a hand against his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief. Hadn't the shopkeeper said it would beat once a year, or once every six months with an abundant supply of food? He had only been sunbathing for half a day... *Hiss!* Yu Xian drew in a sharp breath. Light Eater seemed far more formidable than he had imagined. Because of the abundant sunlight, his efficiency in devouring light vastly surpassed an ordinary vampire's blood-drinking. In theory, his nourishment was exponentially greater. He didn't need half a year, nor even a full day; half a day was enough to trigger a heartbeat! Assuming his heart beat once or twice a day, he could acquire a minor talent in five to ten days, and he was guaranteed a major talent within a hundred days. Even if the progenitor of the Blood Clan had lived for hundreds of years, Yu Xian estimated that within ten years at most, he would inevitably become stronger than that very progenitor. All he needed to do now was survive, stay safe, and quietly build up his strength. ... ... Monday. Early in the morning, Yu Xian walked toward Silver City No. 3 High School in his school uniform, backpack slung over his shoulder, bathed in the morning sunlight. "Salted Fish! It really is you! Didn't you take a leave of absence?" Halfway there, a slightly chubby youth hurried over, asking with excitement. It was Zhang Shou, his regular cafeteria buddy at school. Yu Xian smiled. "The problem was resolved, so I came back early." Once he reached school, he would still need to submit a formal application to resume classes. But since he had already coordinated with his homeroom teacher, it was basically just a matter of filling out a form. The two chatted idly as they strolled to the school gate. "Want some steamed buns? My treat," Zhang Shou asked, swallowing hard as the aroma of xiaolongbao wafted from a nearby breakfast stall. Yu Xian shook his head. "I already ate. Go ahead and get some for yourself." In truth, after turning into a vampire, he only had two kinds of food: blood and light. The former was standard nourishment for vampires, while the latter came from his innate talent. Of course, he could technically eat other food, but it tasted like chewing wax and wouldn't digest at all. Vampires were supernatural creatures by nature. Setting aside their unique innate talents, they inherently possessed numerous special traits, such as night vision, enhanced sense of smell, and rapid regeneration. Furthermore, their physical capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary humans. Unarmed, a vampire could effortlessly dismantle over a dozen well-trained special forces soldiers. Since Yu Xian had only been transformed for three short days, his body was still gradually strengthening. For now, he could only take on one or two special forces operatives; any more, and he would likely take a beating. Just as most vampires were delicate and strikingly handsome, Yu Xian's features would gradually become more refined, and his frame would grow slender and lean. This was another reason why wild vampires found it so difficult to stay hidden. Their physical traits were too pronounced, compounded by the fact that they could only move at night and had to drink blood to survive. A slight investigation would inevitably unearth plenty of clues. If Yu Xian didn't attend school, the Blood Clan would certainly track him down once his physical traits became overly distinct. Choosing to go to school changed the situation entirely. After all, the Blood Clan wasn't the only race known for handsome looks and slender builds. Humans who had transformed into Elves through the Forbidden Fruit shared those exact same traits. Yu Xian didn't have pointed ears, yet he could walk in broad daylight. To his thinking, the Blood Clan would at most suspect him of being a half-human, half-elf hybrid; they would never suspect him of being one of their own. The two entered the school. Class Three of the twelfth grade was located on the fifth floor of the teaching building. By the time they climbed to the fifth floor, Zhang Shou was slightly out of breath. Seeing Yu Xian looking completely calm and relaxed, he said suspiciously, "Salted Fish, have you been secretly working out behind my back?" "Look over there." Yu Xian didn't feel like explaining, so he pointed across the street to change the subject. Diagonally across from Silver City No. 3 High School stood the Superpower Academy. Though across the street, the two schools were separated by a wide road, yet one could still clearly observe the scene from the fifth-floor vantage point. The security at the Superpower Academy seemed to have been reinforced, with men in suits patrolling along the perimeter walls. "You mean those bodyguards? I heard that little Blood Clan princess was attacked recently," Zhang Shou said casually, carrying the indifference of someone uninvolved. Between ordinary humans and the supernaturals born with extraordinary powers, an insurmountable chasm had always existed. Though Silver City No. 3 High School and the Superpower Academy were only separated by a single street, students from the two institutions shared virtually no interaction. *The little Blood Clan princess?* Looking toward the Superpower Academy, Yu Xian felt a slight stir in his heart. Could the blood he had injected have been drawn from her? In reality, because the two schools were so close, strange tidbits of information would inevitably trickle into their classrooms, even if normal students rarely paid attention to the academy. At the very least, Yu Xian had no idea who was spreading these rumors. Thanks to that gossip, however, he knew that once a creature became supernatural, their reproductive capability plummeted. Ever since the progenitor of the Blood Clan, most members were converted from humans through the Embrace; those born through reproduction were exceedingly rare. There were only six Blood Clan students at the Superpower Academy, and the one of highest status was their little princess, Nora Rex. Rumor had it that because she was a hybrid born of a second-generation vampire and a human, she had sparked immense controversy within the Blood Clan. Some believed they should honor the Rule of First Blood, while others argued her bloodline was impure and that she ought to be purged by the Purifiers. In the end, her father had overcome all opposition to protect her, sending her far from the Blood Clan's core territories to study in Silver City. Because her father held an exceptionally high status within the clan, she was dubbed the little Blood Clan princess in Silver City. "By the way, Old Zhang, what's her innate talent?" Yu Xian asked as they walked. Zhang Shou thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Forgot. I think I heard some gossiping girl mention it was really unusual." "The little Blood Clan princess's talent? I know that—it's Daywalker!" a girl walking ahead turned around to chime in. "That's why she caused such a fuss in the Blood Clan. After all, she's the only one of their kind who can walk in the sunlight." Zhang Shou gave her a thumbs-up and quipped, "Chen Ling, when it comes to gossip, you're hands down number one in our class!" *Daywalker!* Hearing that, Yu Xian felt a jolt in his chest, growing increasingly certain that the blood he had injected had come from Nora. If that were the case, his cover as a normal student might not be as airtight as he thought. What if the Blood Clan suspected that a wild vampire created from Nora's blood would also be immune to sunlight?