Chapter 1177 390: Predicament of the Warring States Military Academy

With Su Yue and Bai Xiaolong's military merit, their service periods had long since ended. Theoretically, they no longer needed to complete mandatory missions from the Military Department. Even if Su Yue ran off to do business now, no one could control him.

But the Warring States Military Academy was different. The Martial Artists there were professional soldiers.

"Good day, General." Jin Guoqian walked up to Mu Jingliang. Standing ramrod straight, he delivered a crisp, standard military salute.

Mu Jingliang returned the salute with a solemn expression.

"Greetings, Principal." Next, Jin Guoqian saluted Principal Nanwu. The Principal was his elder, and since he had come to Nanwu to ask for a favor, he had to show respect.

"Good job, young man." Principal Nanwu quickly patted Jin Guoqian's shoulder.

Indeed. Young people were the future of the country. Jin Guoqian was definitely bound to become another formidable general in the future.

Late-stage Rank Five. Aside from Dongwu and Nanwu, the Warring States Military Academy now also had a candidate poised to reach Rank Six before graduation. This generation of young people was terrifying.

"Jin Guoqian, you actually dared to come back? Care to spar again when you have the time?" Meng Yang walked over with a fake smile, looking Jin Guoqian up and down. His former defeated opponent seemed quite formidable now.

"There's no need to spar. If you and Bai Xiaolong team up, I can't beat you.

"But in a one-on-one fight, you're no match for me."

Jin Guoqian wore a cold sneer, his tone dripping with provocation. He had once lost to Meng Yang and to Bai Xiaolong—it was the shame of the Warring States Military Academy. Jin Guoqian's descent into the Wet Realm had been heavily spurred by these two. Now that he had made a King's return, it was naturally impossible for him to be too humble.

"Although it's been a long time and we should exchange a few pleasantries first, that sentence still makes me want to beat you up." Meng Yang smiled wryly.

Were all young people nowadays this inflated with ego? Had they already forgotten the fear of being dominated by Meng Yang?

"Meng Yang, your face looks like a pig's head. You'd better let the swelling go down first.

"My main purpose in coming to Nanwu today is the Evil Spirit Broken Bridge. We have plenty of time ahead of us; we can settle our grievances slowly.

"Besides, I'll find a way to show you my true strength in a bit."

Jin Guoqian ignored Meng Yang and gave Bai Xiaolong nothing more than a flat, indifferent glance. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, he calmly walked toward the Evil Spirit Broken Bridge.

Although his competitive spirit was strong, Jin Guoqian kept his mission firmly in mind. In the face of a Military Department mission, all personal grievances were trivial matters of no consequence.

Not far away, Xueyang was speeding up the recovery of his injuries, which had already healed by eighty percent.

He thought, "Earth Martial Artists truly live up to the name of Outer Realm Demons. Another formidable character has appeared."

Although Xueyang had never fought Jin Guoqian, he could discern a few clues just from the look in Jin Guoqian's eyes. This young demon was highly formidable, possessing a willpower distinct from ordinary Martial Artists. Of course, that formidability was only relative to other members of the Yangxiang Race; it would be useless against him.

He thought, "Damn it, why is Meng Yang looking at me again?"

Xueyang had been squinting as he analyzed Jin Guoqian, but suddenly, he caught sight of Meng Yang's gloomy, sinister eyes. The guy was actually cracking his knuckles again. In Xueyang's eyes, Meng Yang's palms were like blazing volcanoes.

He thought, "He... he wouldn't come over and bully me again, would he?"

Xueyang hurriedly lowered his head, praying that Meng Yang wouldn't come over.

He thought, "Damn it. Ban Rongchen won't allow me to leave, otherwise I would have slipped away by now. Just what kind of servant am I stuck with? Who's the real servant here?"

Xueyang was so angry his lungs felt like they were going to explode. Suddenly, he jolted as a realization hit him.

He thought, "Wait, that's not right. My injuries are already healed, and Su Yue isn't coming to beat me up. Why should I be afraid of Meng Yang? He's just a defeated opponent. I am the Yingjie Saint Son—why should I fear Meng Yang?"

"Meng Yang, why do you keep staring at Xueyang? Have you fallen in love with him?" Bai Xiaolong followed Meng Yang's line of sight and eventually locked onto Xueyang.

Speaking of which, Xueyang's recovery ability was quite impressive; he truly lived up to his status as a Prince of Mandie Country. Just a moment ago, he had looked like a dead dog, but in such a short time, he was alive and kicking again.

"That animal ruined my flawless, handsome face! Otherwise, how could I have been mocked by Jin Guoqian? The chili peppers I arranged just now weren't enough to make a proper statement," Meng Yang said through gritted teeth. He despised the insulting term "pig's head."

"You can't beat Jin Guoqian anyway, so it's normal for him to mock you. Back then, you fought your way right into the Warring States Military Academy. You were so arrogant, and now you're just paying off that debt." Bai Xiaolong scoffed.

Back in the day, Dongwu Mengyang was a top-tier ruthless character who had turned the Warring States Military Academy completely upside down. But now that Jin Guoqian was back, Bai Xiaolong genuinely felt that something was different. Perhaps he and Meng Yang really couldn't beat this guy anymore.

"You can be a coward on your own, but don't drag me into it. I can still mercilessly crush Jin Guoqian right now," Meng Yang said, glaring at Bai Xiaolong. What nonsense. Why boost someone else's morale?

TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP!

Just as Jin Guoqian was about to step onto the broken bridge, the sound of synchronized, uniform footsteps rang out in the distance. Within seconds, it reached the inside of the plaza.

It was a troop of over thirty people. As they arrived, the students automatically parted to make way for them.

"Senior, we're here to cheer you on!"

They were all from the Warring States Military Academy. They had likely just returned from the Wet Ghost Tower not long ago, as the wounds on their bodies hadn't even been treated yet. Hearing that Jin Guoqian had come to Nanwu, they had rushed over without stopping to rest.

The Warring States Military Academy's educational system was entirely different from the other four major Martial Arts Academies. Their primary objective was combat. In terms of individual combat prowess, the Warring States Military Academy might not match the four major Martial Arts Academies—especially their top-tier Martial Artists, who had once been left completely in the dust by Bai Xiaolong and Meng Yang.