Qiu Xiaoyao

"Half a year ago?"

"Doesn't that mean Song Ningzhen broke through to Seventh-Rank before he even graduated his first year?"

"Isn't this guy ridiculously talented!"

A wave of gasps rose from the bus.

No one had expected the top-ranked prodigy on the Dragon Tiger Ranking to be this formidable.

He was already a Seventh-Rank cultivator half a year ago; no one dared to imagine how strong Song Ningzhen was now.

Even for a third-year student, Song Ningzhen wouldn't be considered weak.

However, compared to Song Ningzhen's strength, Lu Chuan was more curious about how many benefits Song Ningzhen could gain from the Dragon Tiger Ranking each month.

Before long, Lu Chuan found what he was looking for.

First place on the Dragon Tiger Ranking: monthly reward of 1,000 Academic Credits, one chance to cultivate in a secret realm, and one Sixth-Rank potion (selectable)!

Top ten on the Dragon Tiger Ranking: monthly reward of 500 Academic Credits, one chance to cultivate in a secret realm!

Eleventh to thirtieth on the Dragon Tiger Ranking: monthly reward of 100 Academic Credits!

Thirty-first to fiftieth on the Dragon Tiger Ranking: monthly reward of 50 Academic Credits!

Fifty-first to seventieth on the Dragon Tiger Ranking: monthly reward of 30 Academic Credits!

Seventy-first to hundredth on the Dragon Tiger Ranking: monthly reward of 10 Academic Credits!

Looking at the dense list of Academic Credit rewards, Lu Chuan's eyes widened, wishing he could challenge the experts on the Dragon Tiger Ranking and enter it immediately.

Even the lowest reward tier offered 10 Academic Credits per month. It didn't seem like much, but accumulated over a year, it would be 120 Academic Credits, which was quite a significant amount.

Furthermore, compared to the rewards for being on the ranking, the implicit rewards of the Dragon Tiger Ranking were even more substantial!

Firstly, various factions would offer commendations based on the performance of their students on the Dragon Tiger Ranking.

Taking Song Ningzhen as an example.

From the moment he became first on the Dragon Tiger Ranking, the Dragon Guard Department rewarded him with 5,000 Academic Credits upfront.

Additionally, for every month Song Ningzhen remained in first place on the Dragon Tiger Ranking, the Dragon Guard Department would grant an extra 1,000 Academic Credits.

If he were to advance to his third year while holding the first rank on the Dragon Tiger Ranking, the Dragon Guard Department would provide a special reward.

However, the Azure Dragon Academy Encyclopedia did not detail what this special reward entailed.

Besides the faction rewards, every time a student wished to challenge someone on the Dragon Tiger Ranking, they had to pay the challenged person 10 Academic Credits.

Additionally, they had to put up 50 Academic Credits as a wager.

If they won, the Academic Credits would be returned; if they lost, those 50 Academic Credits would go to the person they challenged.

For the geniuses at the lower end of the Dragon Tiger Ranking, these wagers were more lucrative than the ranking rewards themselves.

After witnessing the benefits of being on the ranking, Lu Chuan's ambition was ignited.

"I'll set a small goal: get on the ranking first!"

"Wei Quan, I'm sorry, but prepare to face my challenge."

Wei Quan, ranked hundredth on the Dragon Tiger Ranking, was a peak Fifth-Rank cultivator who had previously defeated a Sixth-Rank expert.

"Even the last person on the list is this strong; getting on the ranking probably won't be easy..."

Lu Chuan took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't defeat Wei Quan now, but with the Simplification System, surpassing Wei Quan was only a matter of time.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, everyone had arrived at the teaching area.

The tall buildings they had seen earlier disappeared, replaced by ancient halls and pavilions with a distinct charm.

"We're here, get off the bus."

"I'll take you to the freshman orientation spot first. Someone from your faction will come to pick you up later."

Chu Feng called out and got off first, with the others quickly following.

Under Chu Feng's lead, they turned left and right, arriving at an open-air plaza.

Quite a few people had already gathered there; by a rough count, there were at least five hundred.

Clearly, these people, like Lu Chuan, were special admissions to Azure Dragon Academy.

"I didn't expect there to be so many special admissions," Lu Chuan whispered.

"For some reason, there have been many geniuses in recent years, so the number of special admissions has also increased," Chu Feng explained from the side.

When Chu Feng arrived at the plaza, several teachers who knew him stepped forward and engaged in conversation with him.

"Chu Feng, I heard your faction recruited a few geniuses? Bring them out, let me have a look," a teacher who was on good terms with Chu Feng joked.

"Have a look?"

Chu Feng glanced at the person, "Do you think they're donkeys, that you can just bring them out when you say so?"

"What if some students we worked so hard to recruit for the Combat Department get snatched up by you guys?"

Chu Feng rejected the teacher with a joking tone.

Upon hearing this, the teacher's eyes narrowed.

Not even letting him take a look, it seemed the Combat Department had indeed found some promising talents.

Tsk tsk tsk, he wondered if those promising talents could really grow. This Combat Department was getting worse by the day.

"Just keep them hidden then. I'll find out eventually anyway."

After a casual laugh, everyone started chatting, and no one brought up the previous matter.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, a large group of people suddenly walked into the plaza.

The person leading them wasn't old, but he exuded an incredibly terrifying aura. Even Chu Feng showed a look of apprehension upon seeing him.

The leader scanned the crowd and then said calmly, "New students from the Dragon Guard Department, follow me. If anyone else is interested in the Dragon Guard Department, you can also come with me to the Dragon Guard Academy."

"Our Dragon Guard Academy offers generous benefits and has a strong faculty. Everyone is welcome to join."

After speaking, the Dragon Guard Academy, regardless of what others thought or said, led its people back to the Dragon Guard Academy.

As for the people from other factions, there was no defection on the spot.

After all, special recruits were not like ordinary examinees. Each specially recruited student would more or less receive promises from their respective factions. How could they poach someone with just a few words?

Even the Combat Department at its peak couldn't do it, let alone the current Dragon Guard Department.

After these people left, many more people swarmed in.

This group of people arrived at the plaza but didn't rush to take their students away. Instead, under the leadership of the person in front, they came to Chu Feng.

"Chu Feng, I heard you encountered the Heavenly Principle Cult during your mission?"

"How was it? Did anything unexpected happen?" the leader asked with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Teacher Qiu Xiaoyao. I'm alright; nothing happened," Chu Feng replied calmly.

"Oh?"

Qiu Xiaoyao's face showed a hint of regret. "That's a shame."

These words completely confused Lu Chuan.

At first, listening to Qiu Xiaoyao's words, Lu Chuan thought he and Chu Feng were good friends.

But as he listened, Lu Chuan realized that this person didn't seem to get along with Chu Feng.

Thinking of this, Lu Chuan quietly went to Chen Mo's side and asked in a low voice, "Chen Mo, do you know him?"

"Of course, I do."

Chen Mo looked at Qiu Xiaoyao with admiration. "Teacher Qiu Xiaoyao, a leading figure of the younger generation in the Conquest Faction, a peak Ninth Rank expert!"

"Three years ago, Teacher Qiu Xiaoyao led six teachers from the Conquest Faction, totaling seven people, and annihilated an entire race on the Starry Sky Battlefield!"

"That battle completely established the prestige of the Conquest Faction, and Teacher Qiu Xiaoyao's name also became famous throughout the Starry Sky Battlefield."

"Even now, the name 'God of Slaughter' Qiu Xiaoyao can still make countless myriad races tremble in fear."

"It was precisely because of Teacher Qiu Xiaoyao that I chose to join the Conquest Faction."