Ch. 80 - Scholars Are More Cunning Than Warriors

Nanhua High School.

Zhang Tiancheng hesitated. "Chen Xiao, perhaps we should just call it off. With Ling Qingxue here, even if we beat the others, we'll still end up with a crushing defeat."

Not bringing Ling Qingxue to Nanhua High School was arguably his biggest mistake this year; he didn't even dare respond to Shen Congwu's mockery.

In his view, this competition proposed by Dean Chen Xiao was largely meaningless.

Chen Xiao smiled faintly. "Do you think winning or losing is that important?"

"If we lose the competition, wouldn't Nanhua Middle School lose face? You're just offering yourself up to be humiliated."

"Losing face isn't important. What's important is making these students see the gap between us."

Zhang Tiancheng's face showed a hint of confusion. "You want Ling Qingxue to put pressure on our students, to increase their sense of urgency, to make them strive harder?"

"That's right. People like to compare. Staying in school all the time slowly kills their drive. Beasts are a good example to learn from in this respect—they kill for survival. If they don't kill, they die!"

Zhang Tiancheng looked at Chen Xiao in astonishment, his hair standing on end.

He agreed with the first half of the statement, but the second half... was far too bloody.

If he hadn't worked with Chen Xiao for many years and trusted him completely, he might have thought the other was a bloodthirsty person.

Zhang Tiancheng sighed. "Alright, then you lead the team this time. Remember to protect these students. They're our school's only hope this year."

"Don't worry, Principal, don't you trust me?"

At the gate of Nanhua Middle School, Chen Xiao led the school's top ten students onto the Superstar Train.

Nanhua City and Lingtian City were nearly a thousand miles apart, and this Superstar Train could reach its destination in two hours, a truly incredible speed.

This speed surpassed that of some high-level bird-like magical beasts.

On the train, Chen Xiao handed a potion to Yang Lie, the top student of Nanhua Middle School, his face cold.

"Defeat everyone, and take this potion during your battle with Ling Qingxue. If you can defeat her as well, your training resources will double."

Yang Lie swallowed, his eyes showing interest.

"Teacher Chen, this potion has no side effects, right? The martial arts exam is only two months away. If there are side effects, I'm doomed."

Chen Xiao smiled faintly. "Of course not. The principal bought it at a high price. It will only hurt a little, but otherwise you won't feel anything."

Hearing this, Yang Lie finally relaxed and put away the potion.

"Teacher Chen, Ling Qingxue has already been admitted to Beiming Martial Arts University ahead of schedule. What's the point of defeating her? Wouldn't defeating Qin Hongyan and his group be enough to crush Lingtian Middle School's arrogance?"

Chen Xiao glanced at him, frowning with impatience.

"You don't need to worry about that. What you need to do is defeat Ling Qingxue!"

......

Lingtian Middle School, Spirit Gathering Room.

Today was her fifteenth day at Lingtian Middle School. Her Physical Cultivation level had already completely stabilized at the Second Rank late-stage, and her Spiritual Master level had also broken through to the Second Rank mid-stage today!

With the support from Wu Liang, and the cultivation resources and environment provided by Lingtian Middle School...

With two and a half months left, she was confident she could become a Second Rank peak martial artist!

The door to the Spirit Gathering Room was flung open by a small beast, and Wu Liang swaggered in.

This time, he had devoured two entire low-level secret places!

His attack, defense, and speed attributes had surged again.

His three skills—'Gluttonous Stomach', 'Damage Reduction', and 'Greed'—had all reached level 15. With half a month left, he was certain he could break through to the Third Level mid-stage and defeat the Thunder Flood Dragon in one fell swoop!

"Cultivation is indeed quite difficult. The assistance provided by low-level magical beasts is decreasing. Once I've harvested all the low-level secret places, I'll go to the mid-level secret places to kill Fourth Level magical beasts!"

Ling Qingxue nodded. "Right now, you're unmatched within the Third Level, and at full power, you can even fight a Fourth Level early-stage magical beast. But there's no need for that. Consuming all the remaining resources from the low-level secret places is enough."

While the magical beasts in the low-level secret places were weaker, there were still quite a few, and some spiritual herbs were also available—perfect for Wu Liang to take advantage of.

Once he broke through to the Third Level mid-stage, even ordinary Fourth Level early-stage beasts won't be able to defeat him. Thus, he could enter mid-level secret places to kill them.

After all, opening the mid-level secret places consumed more energy, and Lingtian Middle School couldn't allow Wu Liang to enter at will.

"Are you that afraid of losing? You're fighting so hard to defeat the Thunder Flood Dragon," Ling Qingxue asked curiously.

Wu Liang snorted lightly, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"Since hatching, I haven't lost to anyone in my level group! Besides, we have a bet, so I have to win. The man of the house has to be in charge!"

If he didn't get first place in the martial arts exam, his position as "head of the household" would be shaken.

The "wife" in the family would definitely bring this up later, so to eliminate any future trouble, he was determined to get the first place!

Not only would he get it, but he would also crush all his opponents.

However... right now, this Xuan Tianwen was enough to give him a hard time. He decided that winning was all that mattered; crushing them was optional...

Ling Qingxue rolled her eyes helplessly. She was almost speechless at Wu Liang's "obsession."

Seriously, Wu Liang currently was only two months old, his "tools" weren't even fully developed yet, and he already wanted a wife?

Just wash up and hit the sack...

"Let's go. Nanhua Middle School is coming to cause trouble today. Principal Shen wants us to handle it."

Wu Liang curled his lip. "Those little brats are asking for a beating. They'll behave after I beat them up today!"

Lingtian Middle School Martial Arts Arena.

Chen Xiao had already led the students from Nanhua Middle School into Lingtian Middle School.

Their arrival immediately attracted the attention of all the Lingtian students.

The undisguised coldness in their gazes instantly chilled the atmosphere that Ling Qingxue had created through cultivation.

Lin Yutang quickly appeared, a polite smile on his face. "Teacher Chen, it's an honor to have you here. I'm sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

Receiving a dean of students like Chen Xiao didn't require Shen Congwu's intervention.

Chen Xiao cupped his hands and smiled. "Teacher Lin, you're too kind. Lingtian Middle School has recently been trending online with the emergence of a prodigy, and the students are also striving for excellence. My school, Nanhua, has come specifically for exchange and learning, and I hope you won't hesitate to offer your guidance."

His words were polite, but he emphasized the word "guidance" slightly.

Lin Yutang's eyes flickered imperceptibly, but his expression remained gentle. 

"Teacher Chen, you flatter me. It's just mutual learning. My students also want to witness Nanhua's strength."

These were all old tricks used by schools like theirs.

A few words of flattery before a fight, if you win, you say the other is undeserving of their reputation; if you lose, you say the other is truly deserving—either way, you don't lose face.

Chen Xiao and Lin Yutang were seasoned veterans; even though they had dealt with each other many times, they still went through the motions.

Scholars, after all, are more cunning than warriors.

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