Li Chen had finished all his battles for the day and walked out of the Battle Hall, while Su Zhe was still watching Jianping fight.
A figure in red stood at the entrance, idly kicking the scattered leaves on the ground. She seemed to have been waiting for a long time. As though sensing that someone had come out, she smiled and said, "Finished?"
"Yeah." Li Chen nodded.
Inside a tiny milk tea shop, quite a few students were drinking milk tea. They seemed to have spotted two people who could never have appeared there, and were so shocked they could barely hold their drinks.
Li Chen and Ji Shao paid no attention to the others' gazes. They found a spot at random and sat down.
Ji Shao smiled and said, "Order whatever you want. My treat today."
Li Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He ordered a drink at random, then looked at Ji Shao. He was puzzled as to why she had suddenly sought him out.
After Ji Shao ordered her milk tea, she seemed to guess what Li Chen was thinking. She parted her lips and said, "I naturally called you here today because I need something. It concerns the upcoming Academy Tournament spots."
Li Chen shook his head. "I'm not interested in the Academy Tournament. If Instructor Yu hadn't put me on the Ranking Board because of my strength, I might even be lying in bed like a salted fish right now."
Ji Shao seemed to have anticipated this. She smiled and said, "Of course I know you're not interested in the Academy Tournament. Otherwise, you should have made the academy's top ten long ago. I know quite a bit about your strength."
Her expression suddenly darkened, and she said gravely, "I can even clearly sense that your current strength should surpass that guy Su Xian's."
"Su Xian?" Li Chen naturally knew who he was: the person currently ranked first in the Special Class and the academy. But Li Chen had never crossed paths with him and didn't even know him personally.
"That's right." Ji Shao picked up the milk tea that had just been served and said softly, "I came this time to recruit you for my team. I need your strength to deal with Su Xian. Of course, you'll be paid for all this: 20,000 Study Points."
Li Chen fell silent...
Twenty thousand Study Points was indeed a very good offer, but he didn't particularly want to make an enemy of Su Xian. After all, who would go looking for a powerful enemy for no reason?
But Ji Shao seemed to see Li Chen's hesitation and immediately raised her offer. "Thirty thousand."
That was a figure countless students would struggle to reach even if they went without food or drink at Canglan. It also showed just how powerful Ji Shao's backing was.
After all, they were all students who had enrolled less than two months ago, yet they were already discussing matters involving tens of thousands of Study Points.
"Forget it. Just tell me, do you want me on your team only because of Su Xian?" Li Chen asked, frowning.
Seeing Li Chen relent, Ji Shao immediately replied, "No. We've learned through quite a few channels that the Canglan Tournament is about to begin, and the tournament naturally concerns qualification for the Academy Tournament."
"One event is a team battle, and Su Xian's teammates are already far stronger than mine. Naturally, I can only seek outside help: you!"
Li Chen was taken aback. He knew that the prerequisite for qualifying for the Academy Tournament was to reach the top ten on the individual Ranking Board, and being in the top ten meant being eligible to enter.
But the Ranking Board had a major flaw. Since all ten had made the top ten, they naturally couldn't be expected to follow someone ranked a few places above or below them as their team leader.
As a result, they might not even be able to put together a team with any chemistry for the Academy Tournament a year later.
Ji Shao spoke slowly. "It seems you've guessed it. This tournament held by Canglan is meant to let those of us in the top ten create our own sequence teams. Of course, some don't want to participate, like Jianping, who's with you."
"If I could, I'd even poach your entire current team. You have so much potential that I even feel threatened."
As she spoke, Li Chen seemed to feel an invisible aura erupting from her delicate body, though she kept it firmly suppressed.
"But of course, if you're unwilling, I won't force you. After all, I only came to see where you stood, since I don't know whether you'll participate in the Canglan Tournament." Ji Shao appeared indifferent, but Li Chen could see a glimmer of anticipation in her eyes.
But Li Chen said nothing. He couldn't make up his mind either. Thirty thousand Study Points was indeed a lot, but he wasn't so poor that he had to become someone's hired muscle.
After a moment of silence...
Li Chen said, "Take back your offer. You should find someone else."
Seeing this, Ji Shao said nothing more. A hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes, but she wasn't surprised. She waved a hand. "Forget it. But if you change your mind, you can still come find me. You're welcome anytime."
After all, she understood that Study Points alone really weren't enough. She wouldn't be foolish enough to agree to make a powerful enemy for herself for a few Study Points either.
Perhaps she could use this method to buy off ordinary students, but their strength didn't meet the standard.
"The Canglan Tournament?" Watching her walk away, Li Chen also stood up. No one knew what he was thinking.
At the entrance to the Battle Hall.
Su Zhe was supporting Jianping, looking shocked. "Brother Ping, are you all right?"
Jianping's face was somewhat pale, and there was even a patch of bright red on his chest, though the wound had already been healed.
Li Chen had also walked over by then. He frowned. "What happened? A challenger shouldn't have been able to hurt you this badly, right?"
He knew how strong Jianping was.
"I don't know. That guy's ability was a little frightening today. It even gave me the feeling that something was off. The challengers these past few days have all been like that, getting stronger every day," Jianping said, pressing his lips together.
Li Chen knitted his brows. Could it simply be that the students' strength had now begun to increase dramatically?
That possibility couldn't be ruled out. Some abilities were very weak at first, then grew stronger and stronger. Perhaps this was the period when abilities began to surge. Some had already shown signs of rising, and their owners couldn't wait to compete for a place in the top ten.
"Let's head back and rest first," Li Chen said slowly.
Inside a technology building at Canglan Academy, several men silently watched the battle playing on a projection in a darkened room lit by its flickering image.
Suddenly, a powerfully built man laughed. "Shi Nie, the person you sent lost again. Remember to transfer 2,000 Study Points to my Student Badge tonight."
The man called Shi Nie looked grim. He snorted coldly. "What a useless piece of trash."
He casually switched off the projection. No one knew what he was thinking.
At that moment, a man beside him who had been silent spoke up. "Boss Shi, are we still not making a move? The Canglan Tournament is about to begin. We won't have much time then."
Shi Nie was silent for a moment before he said, "No rush. They won't hold those top-ten spots for long. Has the date for the Canglan Tournament been set?"