Chapter 298: Conflict

Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Conflict

The others looked at Mu Hong with awe and respect.

Seventh Realm Martial Artists were already the pillars of Xia Country, while Eighth Realm Martial Artists were considered part of its upper echelon.

They were a truly rare existence, with only one emerging from millions of Martial Artists.

Even if they had an Awakened Special Ability, their chances of breaking through to the Ninth Realm in the future weren’t very high.

The Eighth Realm might very well be their future limit. Only SS-level geniuses could say with any certainty that they could break through to the Ninth Realm.

As Mu Hong looked at his disciple, Lin Qi, he couldn’t help but marvel.

’It’s only been a few months, and my disciple has already given me another huge surprise.’

’Not only did he become the national champion for new students, but he even entered the competition for the Tenth Institute.’

’Facing the top-level geniuses of the Tenth Institute, he actually managed to swim against the current.’

’Not only was the SS-level genius Huo Wanyang completely overshadowed by him, but he also continuously surpassed the other geniuses of the Tenth Institute.’

’And now, in this Disaster Beast Hunting Competition, he’s even fought his way into the top three.’

’None of this has ever happened before. My disciple’s Talent is becoming more and more astonishing.’

’If I hadn’t broken through to the Eighth Realm myself, I’d be too embarrassed to even call myself Lin Qi’s teacher.’

The two of them sat down and began to chat.

"I just returned after my breakthrough and was about to head back to the academy when I heard you were in the Otherworld, so I came over to see you."

Mu Hong explained with a smile, patting Lin Qi on the shoulder.

Dean Liu chuckled from the side. "Lin Qi, your teacher is quite an inspirational figure himself."

"He started as just an Unawakened S-class genius, yet he continually surpassed his rivals and broke through even faster than many Awakened geniuses."

"And now, he’s even broken through to the Eighth Realm sooner than his Awakened peers."

"You have to understand, for a genius who hasn’t Awakened before the Seventh Realm, breaking through to the Eighth Realm is incredibly difficult."

Lin Qi nodded upon hearing this. ’Of course Mu Hong is exceptional; he’s my teacher, after all.’

As everyone was chatting idly, the villa door opened again.

WHOOSH!

A slight breeze swept in as two burly figures entered, one after the other.

The one in front was Xiang Long, radiating a wild aura. He shot a glance at Lin Qi.

But when Mu Hong saw the bald, brawny man behind Xiang Long, his expression changed abruptly.

The bald man looked over the crowd, then nodded to Yi Wei and let out a booming laugh.

"So, everyone’s here!"

Then he spotted Mu Hong, and his brow furrowed. He was especially startled when he sensed the formidable aura coming from the other man.

On the surface, however, he continued to laugh heartily.

"Old Mu, you’re here too!"

"Congratulations on breaking through to the Eighth Realm!"

Mu Hong replied emotionlessly, "Cheng Lei, congratulations to you as well on reaching the Eighth Realm."

An invisible tension filled the air. Everyone could sense the animosity between the two men.

Wan Ming, who knew the inside story, broke into a smile, looking forward to the drama.

Lin Qi frowned as well. He had heard from Dean Liu about the feud between his teacher, Mu Hong, and the bald man, Cheng Lei.

’He was supposed to be the one to go to the Tenth Institute and mentor Xiang Long, but Cheng Lei snatched the opportunity away. To put it bluntly, he obstructed his path to getting stronger.’

’That kind of grudge isn’t easily resolved.’

’If I hadn’t risen through the ranks and earned Teacher Mu Hong a huge amount of Teaching Points, his breakthrough to the Eighth Realm might have been delayed even further.’

’But the man is clearly powerful in his own right, since he also managed to break through to the Eighth Realm.’

At that moment, Teacher Yi Wei, acting as the moderator, stood up and said with a smile:

"Please, have a seat. Now that everyone has arrived, let’s begin the meeting!"

The bald man sat down next to Xiang Long with a smile, but inwardly, he was far from happy.

All the joy he’d felt from breaking through to the Eighth Realm had vanished.

Lin Qi quietly asked Mu Hong, who was next to him:

"Teacher, you and this Cheng Lei don’t get along?"

Mu Hong nodded and replied in a whisper:

"He’s probably feeling very bitter right now. He’s three years older than me and an Awakened genius, yet he broke through to the Eighth Realm at roughly the same time I did!"

Lin Qi understood. He could hear the undisguised glee in Mu Hong’s voice.

Although Mu Hong had whispered, everyone heard him. A strange expression appeared on their faces.

The bald man’s expression immediately darkened.

He could feel several pairs of eyes on him.

Teacher Yi Wei had no choice but to speak up again, drawing everyone’s attention.

"After two days of adapting to the triple-gravity environment, I trust you are all ready to begin practicing your Cultivation Techniques."

"Tomorrow, we will enter the Pyramid to observe the corpse of a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast as part of your Cultivation."

"This observational Cultivation is a long-term process. We will provide lodging and meals within the Pyramid so that you can all cultivate without distraction."

"We will now proceed with registration and payment."

Everyone nodded. Now came the most important part.

"As you all know, we have only discovered 24 species of Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts on Blue Star so far. These creatures are enormous, and preserving their bodies after they are hunted is a major challenge."

"Currently, only our Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy possesses the most complete collection of Calamity Beast specimens."

"Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy has corpses of all 24 species. Nether Sea and Shanyu, on the other hand, have incomplete collections, with only 19 and 16 specimens, respectively."

"For the species they lack, they have to come to our Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy to observe them, and it costs them even more money."

Yi Wei said proudly, and the students nodded in silent agreement.

’This is the difference a university’s foundation makes,’ the students thought. ’Without the corpse of a particular Ninth-Level Calamity Beast, you have no choice but to go to another university and spend even more money to observe it.’

Teacher Yi Wei projected a large green screen. Displayed on it was an enormous corpse and a pool of crimson blood.

"To successfully master an Intermediate Source Energy Technique, two items are indispensable."

"The blood of a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast, and the corpse for observation."

"The blood of a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast is priceless, a Supreme Treasure for Cultivation. Each person requires a minimum of three drops, which will cost 20 million Xia Country Coins. No discounts."

"Furthermore, maintaining the corpse of a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast requires immense manpower and financial resources. An observation session is limited to one month per person."

"The fee is 20 million Xia Country Coins, also non-negotiable. That brings the total to 40 million Xia Country Coins."

After speaking, she projected a massive QR code.

"You can all scan the code to make your payment. Please include your name and the name of the Evolution Technique you are cultivating in the notes."

Teacher Yi Wei announced.

Everyone was taken aback by the steep price.

But if it meant they could successfully master their technique, the cost was acceptable.

BEEP!

They took out their phones one by one and scanned the code to pay.

A moment later, the projection switched screens, and a subtle change came over Yi Wei’s expression.

Her gaze fell upon Lin Qi and Xiang Long.

"Pardon me, I have a last-minute announcement."

"We have an issue. We only have one corpse of the relevant Ninth-Level Calamity Beast, but two of the students here are cultivating the same technique, the *Platinum Evil Tiger Evolution Method*."

As soon as she said this, the students exchanged strange looks.

Lin Qi’s brow furrowed. ’Someone else chose the same Intermediate Source Energy Technique as me?’

He instinctively glanced at Xiang Long. ’He has the aura of a Vajra Tiger, too.’

’Coming from No. 13 Middle School... he’s the most likely one!’

"Who is it?" Shen Zhenzhen asked curiously.

"It’s Lin Qi and Xiang Long," Teacher Yi Wei announced.

Dean Liu looked at Lin Qi in surprise. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Everyone else’s eyes also turned toward Xiang Long and Lin Qi.

The bald Cheng Lei and Mu Hong locked eyes, and invisible sparks seemed to fly between them.

"I feel that since Xiang Long is an Awakened genius, it would be better for him to go in and observe first."

"His Talent is so good, it won’t take him much time anyway," the bald Cheng Lei suggested breezily.

Mu Hong sneered.

"An Awakened genius? If he’s so amazing, how did my disciple end up surpassing him in the Disaster Beast Hunting Competition?"

The moment he said that, the expressions on both Xiang Long and the bald Cheng Lei’s faces changed drastically.

...