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Exchange student?
Spending three and a half months as an exchange student before the national martial arts exam—what's the difference between that and taking food from someone's mouth?
A thankless task that would only upset the other students.
"Principal, are you sure?" Ling Qingxue asked, puzzled.
Liu Qingshan nodded with a smile. "Absolutely. Director Lin and Principal Shen are right here. You'll understand when we get there."
In the conference room, Lin Zhennan and Shen Congwu were already seated. Seeing Ling Qingxue enter, their eyes lit up.
She was very beautiful, but that was secondary; her appearance alone wasn't enough to evoke much emotion in them.
The real reason was that Ling Qingxue had become stronger again, and by a significant margin.
Shen Congwu and Lin Zhennan were both high-level martial artists, and their Spiritual Master ranks weren't low either; they could easily tell that Ling Qingxue had awakened her Spiritual Master's Heavenly Eye.
A mere Second Rank early-stage cultivator, to awaken her Heavenly Eye so quickly—this indicated an exceptional Spiritual Master talent.
And in such a short time, Wu Liang had broken through from the Second Level early-stage to almost reaching the late stage.
It had only been half a month since his battle with Zhang Quan's beast!
"Ling Qingxue, it's a pleasure to meet you." Shen Congwu and Lin Zhennan smiled.
"It's also a pleasure to meet you, Director Lin and Principal Shen."
Liu Qingshan gestured for everyone to sit down. "Come, sit down, let's talk."
The group slowly sat down, but their gazes were fixed on Ling Qingxue and Wu Liang, making Wu Liang somewhat uncomfortable.
"They wouldn't be after my body, would they? Little Xuexue, you have to protect me!"
"...You're overthinking it."
Ling Qingxue looked up at Shen Congwu, her expression somewhat unreadable.
"Principal Shen, I just heard that you intend to let me study at Lingtian Middle School?"
Shen Congwu nodded slightly. "That's right. It was my suggestion. I will also provide you with the highest-level training conditions at Lingtian Middle School. You won't need to transfer to our school. You'll be an exchange student."
These conditions were practically free for Ling Qingxue, like a pie falling from the sky.
"Can I know why?" Ling Qingxue asked.
Shen Congwu smiled broadly, then turned his gaze to Wu Liang.
"Miss Ling, your contracted magical beast possesses the Taotie bloodline, right?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Qingxue wasn't too surprised.
Guessing that Wu Liang possessed the Taotie bloodline wasn't difficult. After all, the fact that he could fight beyond his level, had such rapid growth, and mastered the power of devouring made it very likely that he possessed the Taotie bloodline.
Shen Congwu continued his explanation. "I watched the recording of your match with Zhang Quan about half a month ago. Your magical beast utterly dominated the Second Level late-stage Battle Sky Ape. The concentration of Taotie bloodline within him is definitely not low, so I came up with this idea."
Taotie was a ferocious beast, violent and extremely bloodthirsty. Almost any beast possessing the Taotie bloodline was like this.
Because of this, from ancient times to the present, whenever a magical beast with the Taotie bloodline was born, it was killed to prevent it from harming the world. Over time, the Taotie bloodline became extinct.
Now that the Taotie bloodline had reappeared and even been contracted, its potential was unimaginable.
In Shen Congwu's eyes, Ling Qingxue was an unpredictable factor, which was why he was taking a gamble.
"Yes, my contracted beast possesses the bloodline of the Taotie, but because I personally hatched him, he won't rebel against me, his master. Also, he is not as violent as a true Taotie. He just… has a large appetite," Ling Qingxue explained.
Hearing this, Lin Zhennan immediately stood up, his eyes wide with shock.
"A bloodline of a great ferocious beast that doesn't rebel against its master?! How is that possible?!!"
If it were a divine beast bloodline, Lin Zhennan might believe it. After all, some divine beasts were gentle and relatively close to humans; with proper upbringing, they could generally be guaranteed not to rebel.
But this was a great ferocious beast!
They were called great ferocious beasts because they committed countless evils, were untamable, and took pleasure in wreaking havoc on humanity and in slaughter.
For such a great ferocious beast to condescend to become a human's contracted beast—what difference was there between this and a noble emperor addressing a commoner as a brother?
Shen Congwu also gave a wry smile.
"At first, I didn't believe it either, but I watched the video at least a hundred times, comparing it with ancient texts, and finally confirmed that this magical beast possesses the Taotie bloodline.
Not only that, while watching the video, I discovered that this beast possesses the Taotie bloodline's innate skill, the Taotie Mark, which can directly absorb its opponent's energy. This means that the concentration of the Taotie bloodline in him is not low. It has an extremely high potential!"
Wu Liang nodded in agreement.
"Do you need to tell me that? I am the real God-Slaying Taotie!"
Ling Qingxue reached out and pressed his head back down. "Quiet down, we're talking business."
Wu Liang, slightly annoyed, nestled on her shoulder and fell asleep, too lazy to care about their conversation anymore.
Lin Zhennan took a few deep breaths before sitting back down.
He originally just came to see what potential this genius, Ling Qingxue, had in store, but he hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise; the trip was truly worthwhile.
Shen Congwu's gaze never left Wu Liang, his eyes filled with an almost perverse admiration.
"Our Nanchuan Province hasn't produced a top-tier prodigy for many years. Now, with Miss Ling's immense potential, it's out of the question to let it go to waste. That's why I proposed the exchange student program.
Of course, I, Shen Congwu, am not truly selfless. I also hope to benefit from Miss Ling's influence in the future, and I also want to use her example to motivate our students.
So, Miss Ling, would you be willing to study at my Lingtian Middle School for three months? Before the national martial arts exam, I can personally escort you back to Linjiang Middle School."
Shen Congwu's proposal left Ling Qingxue with no reason to refuse.
After a long pause, Ling Qingxue's gaze hardened.
"I agree, but I have two requests."
Shen Congwu's face lit up with surprise. "Please speak, Miss Ling. Anything I can do is fine."
"Firstly, I still have unfinished business in Linjiang City, so I can only go to Lingtian Middle School in half a month. Secondly, my magical beast needs to fight and devour other magical beasts to grow quickly, so I need to enter all the secret places of Lingtian Middle School!"
This request was far too easy for Shen Congwu; he naturally wouldn't refuse.
"No problem. The secret places are easy to handle. Lingtian Middle School's last three months are a crucial period for preparation, and secret places open almost every day. You can freely choose which one to enter. Also, if you need my help with your unfinished business, I can lend a hand."
Ling Qingxue showed gratitude.
"Thank you, Principal Shen. My business can be completed in half a month. I will report to Lingtian Middle School myself then. There's no need for you to make another trip."
Hearing this, Lin Zhennan immediately disagreed.
"That won't do. Although your abilities are quite high, you are still a high school student. It's too dangerous for you to come and register alone. Luckily, I'm not busy for the next month. I'll be on a business trip in Linjiang City, and I'll personally escort you there. During this time, I can also see how Principal Liu has nurtured such a prodigy!"
Shen Congwu glanced at Lin Zhennan with disdain.
You, a provincial Education Bureau director, aren't busy three months before the national exam?
And you're going on a business trip in this remote mountain village for half a month?
Can you make it any more obvious?