If I Can't Afford to Provoke the Old One, Can't I Provoke the Young One?!

The heavy metal hatch slowly opened.

The wind from the No. 3 Exotic Beast Isolation Zone carried a strong stench of blood and rotting flesh, filling the carriage. On the distant black walls, the barrels of heavy energy cannons gleamed with a cold metallic sheen.

Gu Ci, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his faded gray shirt, stepped off the Hovercar first. Chen Fan followed closely behind, his expression calm.

Lu Qing and Xiao Ran walked at the back.

As soon as the two got out of the car, they felt the oppressive atmosphere around them. The air here was filled with volatile energy particles, a trace left by years of deadly battles.

The two men looked serious, their muscles tensing unconsciously.

A group of people in black uniforms stood a few dozen meters in front of the tarmac.

Participants from Tiannan Middle School.

The teacher in charge, Director Wang, who had been all smiles, straightened his collar and strode forward to greet them.

As is customary in previous Exchange Tournament, the host country always tries to probe and exert pressure verbally when they meet, aiming to overwhelm the opponent with their momentum.

"To all the students of Jiangnan No. 1 High School, thank you for your long journey..."

Director Wang's words were cut short as he spoke.

His gaze passed over Lu Qing and Xiao Ran, landing on the man in the gray shirt who was leading the group.

The smile on Director Wang's face instantly froze.

His pupils contracted sharply, and his right foot, which had been stepping out, stopped abruptly in mid-air before he abruptly pulled it back. A layer of cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto his collar.

His originally straight back slumped unconsciously, and his attitude became extremely reserved, even revealing a hint of fear, within half a second.

He stood still, even slowing his breathing, afraid of making the slightest unnecessary noise.

Standing behind Director Wang, Zhou Ye did not notice anything unusual about the teacher in charge.

Zhou Ye walked out of the line with his hands in his pockets. He was tall and had a strong, Qi and Blood presence. As the top student in the third year of junior Tiannan City, his 124 calories of Qi and Blood gave him absolute confidence.

His gaze swept over Lu Qing and Xiao Ran, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

Finally, his gaze fell on nine-year-old Chen Fan.

Zhou Ye let out a sneer.

The sound was particularly jarring on the empty tarmac.

"Jiangnan No. 1 High School is deserted?" Zhou Ye raised his chin slightly, spouting nonsense, "They've even dragged in babies who haven't been weaned yet to make up the numbers. Are they planning to feed the Anomalous Beast?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

The surrounding air suddenly stopped moving.

Gu Ci stopped in his tracks.

Those once lifeless eyes slowly moved, their gaze passing over the bent-over Director Wang and landing lightly on Zhou Ye.

There were no unnecessary movements, just that one glance.

The tangible killing intent emanating from Gu Ci, honed by being immersed in Corpse Mountain and Sea of Blood, descended with a thunderous roar.

This murderous intent slammed directly into Zhou Ye's head.

The arrogance on Zhou Ye's face froze instantly.

His proud 124 calories of externally released Qi and Blood, which was originally circulating on the surface of his body, completely stopped at this moment and was forcibly forced back into his body.

The channels for Qi and Blood were forcibly blocked by an irresistible force.

Zhou Ye felt his body temperature drop sharply, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

A tremendous fear gripped his heart, causing it to skip a beat. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of his chest, making it incredibly difficult to breathe.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, but he felt no pain.

His legs trembled violently and uncontrollably, his knees buckled, and he almost collapsed onto the Alloy floor.

He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but no sound came out of his throat, only a dry hissing.

Director Wang was horrified when he saw this.

Cold sweat completely soaked through his back.

Disregarding all pride, he strode up to Zhou Ye, blocking Gu Ci's view, and repeatedly bowed ninety degrees to Gu Ci in apology.

"Mr. Gu! Mr. Gu, please calm down!" Director Wang's voice trembled as he spoke rapidly, "The student was ignorant and spoke without thinking. Please, sir, be magnanimous and don't hold it against him!"

Gu Ci slowly withdrew his gaze, his hands still tucked into his sleeves, and continued walking forward.

"If this were on the front lines... he would have died more than 100 times over!"

Gu Ci's hoarse voice rang out, accompanied by the dissipation of his killing intent.

The air on the tarmac resumed its flow.

Director Wang let out a long breath, feeling completely drained.

He grabbed Zhou Ye, who was still frozen in shock, and they fled the scene as if in a panic.

The other students from Tiannan Middle School also lowered their heads, barely daring to breathe, and quickly followed.

Lu Qing and Xiao Ran stood behind, dumbfounded.

They watched Gu Ci's retreating figure, a deep sense of awe welling up in their eyes.

A genius at the Qi-Blood Realm with 124 calories couldn't even withstand a single glance from the other party.

The two exchanged a glance, completely dispelling any remaining arrogance in their hearts. With such a formidable mentor leading the team, they had no further objections to Chen Fan as captain.

I walked for a long time.

Having escaped Gu Ci's killing intent, Zhou Ye took a deep breath.

His face was pale, and he gasped for breath in the blood-stained air. After the initial shock subsided, he was overcome with rage and deep resentment.

"Director Wang!" Zhou Ye gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, "Who exactly is that man in the gray clothes? What gives him the right to...?"

"Shut up!"

Director Wang interrupted sternly.

He wiped away his cold sweat, still shaken, and turned to give Zhou Ye a stern warning.

"In this area, you can mess with anyone, but absolutely do not provoke that man."

Director Wang lowered his voice, his tone full of apprehension.

"His name is Gu Ci. A madman who once fought his way across Interstellar Frontline, absolutely not to be messed with!"

Zhou Ye was stunned.

Carve through the Interstellar Frontline.

He was well aware of the value these words represented.

That means there are probably only a handful of these in the entire Jiangnan Region!

Director Wang frowned, as if he had remembered something, and murmured to himself.

"This madman stopped teaching ten years ago. I heard he made an exception recently and accepted that legendary genius from Jiangnan No. 1 High School who supposedly skipped grades. I never expected him to personally lead the team here this time..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ye was suddenly taken aback.

The scene from just now flashed through his mind.

In the group from Jiangnan No. 1 High School, besides that madman in the gray shirt, there were only Lu Qing, Xiao Ran, and... that nine-year-old child!

Zhou Ye suddenly turned his head.

His gaze pierced through the crowd, locking onto the nine-year-old child who was quietly following Gu Ci in the distance.

"Is this the guy...?"

Zhou Ye stared intently at Chen Fan, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists.

Still retaining his youthful spirit, a sense of defiance welled up in Zhou Ye's heart.

"If we can't afford to offend your teacher, then surely we can afford to offend you!"

Zhou Ye couldn't help but think to himself that being intimidated by Gu Ci's Zhou Ye glance left him feeling quite frustrated, and naturally, he needed an outlet for his frustration.

Chen Fan... naturally became Zhou Ye's outlet for venting!