The middle-aged man was Ji Xiangfeng, one of West Lake High School's vice principals—and also Ji Jia's father.
His face was expressionless as he shook his head. "There's nothing to worry about. People don't die in this mock exam."
"I didn't expect someone like Liu Tianyu to show up in this mock exam."
A teacher stared at the light screen before him and exclaimed in admiration. The screen showed footage of Liu Tianyu.
"That's right. Liu Tianyu united all the students in the North Campus and seized most of the points from the other three campuses. Countless people have been eliminated. You could say first place in this mock exam is his for the taking," a teacher said.
Even several of the vice principals nodded, agreeing that there was no doubt Liu Tianyu would take first place.
He was even ranked first among the students receiving special attention!
"I don't think Liu Tianyu is all that impressive. There's someone else at West Lake High School who's far better than him!" A chubby middle-aged man suddenly chuckled, sneering at Liu Tianyu.
He was Tai Lie, the vice principal in charge of the South Campus. His strength was terrifying.
"That's true. I heard the principal called Duan Ce, the Student Council president, in for some private instruction. Otherwise, Liu Tianyu wouldn't be able to claim first place in this mock exam," Lei Kai said with a nod.
"I really admire that chubby kid. That frightening perceptiveness of his will be a huge help, even in the College Entrance Exam!" Tai Lie said, focusing his attention on Jiang Yuanjie.
He greatly admired Jiang Yuanjie's perceptiveness and believed it surpassed Liu Tianyu's by far.
"Lei Kai, from what I can see, your East Campus is still the strongest. Mu Qing and his group are all impressive, and they're all from your campus," Tai Lie said.
"Heh heh, let's keep a low profile. It's mainly because I'm such a good teacher." Lei Kai roared with laughter, hardly acting modest.
Lin Yuan curled his lip from the side. "How could that big oaf possibly be a good teacher?"
Lei Kai flew into a rage at his words and shouted that he wanted to fight Lin Yuan.
Ji Xiangfeng, standing nearby, didn't say a word. His gaze remained fixed on the screen showing Ji Jia, following the footage as if he were keeping a close eye on every move she made.
Meanwhile, Ji Jia and the others on Lake Heart Island were growing more and more astonished.
They saw that Mu Qing had already swallowed his fifth Touyuan Grass. Surging energy seemed ready to gush out through every pore in his body.
Yet Mu Qing's aura kept growing stronger, without the slightest sign that he was about to break through.
"This is just like when Mu Qing was at Blood Qi Fourth Rank!" Ling Fei suddenly said.
His brows furrowed. He remembered that when Mu Qing had been at Blood Qi Fourth Rank, no matter how much he tempered his body or how many precious herbs he took, he couldn't break through. But his physical strength had undeniably continued to increase.
In truth, Mu Qing was growing anxious too. He had already exited the Heaven and Earth Fusion State because his Mental Power was exhausted, and a sharp pain throbbed in his head.
But Mu Qing couldn't stop. He gritted his teeth and furiously circulated the Blood Refining Technique.
The energy from the five Touyuan Grasses coursed wildly through his body. As he refined it, his strength was indeed increasing, but there was still no sign of a breakthrough.
"What's going on? Am I going to be stuck like before, unable to break through no matter what?" Mu Qing was extremely anxious.
He knew that even his mysterious father had no idea why he couldn't break through. It had even been his father who brought him the Blood Spirit Potion that awakened his Blood Spirit.
"What's going on?" Mu Qing racked his brains, but couldn't figure it out.
Suddenly, a strange power emerged from Mu Qing's dantian.
The power felt both familiar and unfamiliar. After thinking hard for a while, Mu Qing's body jolted.
He realized that this power, like the Purple Lightning Bamboo, gave off the unique aura of a Blood Spirit.
But it was a power entirely different from that of the Purple Lightning Bamboo.
"Blood Spirit! The Blood Spirit power that was already in my bloodline! Could it be that the Blood Spirit I couldn't awaken before is finally about to awaken?"
Mu Qing's face lit up with excitement. If he awakened a Blood Spirit, he would have Dual Blood Spirits!
The power of Dual Blood Spirits would surely make him far stronger than others at the same level!
Strictly speaking, Mu Qing's Purple Lightning Bamboo didn't count as a true Blood Spirit. It had the same functions as one and let him cultivate normally, but it existed in his mind and had been created by the Blood Spirit Potion, rather than awakened.
Mu Qing could clearly feel a power inside his dantian slowly waking up.
He tried to awaken it himself. The power felt very familiar to him, but he noticed a problem: the energy from the Touyuan Grasses inside his body was almost depleted.
Mu Qing was shocked. He channeled all the energy from the Touyuan Grasses into his dantian, trying to awaken his first Blood Spirit.
But even after the power in his dantian absorbed all the energy from the five Touyuan Grasses, he still couldn't awaken it.
After a long while, Mu Qing slowly opened his eyes, his face filled with both delight and helplessness.
He still hadn't awakened his Blood Spirit, and he hadn't broken through either. The energy from the five Touyuan Grasses wasn't enough to awaken it.
Still, Mu Qing was secretly pleased. If even that enormous amount of energy couldn't awaken his Blood Spirit, then the one in his dantian was clearly far more terrifying than an ordinary Blood Spirit.
"Could the Mad Shark Blood Spirit my dad mentioned really be that incredible? Why else would it need so much energy?" Mu Qing wondered.
He trusted his mysterious father's words. If his father said he would awaken the Mad Shark Blood Spirit, then he wouldn't have made it up.
He couldn't help looking forward to the so-called Mad Shark Blood Spirit.
"You didn't break through?" Ling Fei came over to ask. The others looked just as curious.
He'd taken five Touyuan Grasses and still hadn't broken through. Could something be wrong with Mu Qing's body?
The same thought crossed their minds.
Seeing their expressions, Mu Qing guessed what they were thinking. He rubbed the tip of his nose and smiled. "Don't worry. As long as I take some more precious herbs and build up enough energy, I'll be able to break through!"
"Next," Mu Qing continued, his eyes sharpening, "we can go look for Liu Tianyu!"
He had spent a long time trying to break through. It was nearly noon, about the time Liu Tianyu and the others would begin hunting at the Ape Nest.
Once Mu Qing realized how much energy he needed, the first thing he thought of was the Ape Nest.
Every beast pack had plenty of herbs worth a fortune. If Mu Qing could fish in troubled waters and get his hands on some precious herbs, he might be able to break through!
"If I awaken Dual Blood Spirits, I should be able to take on Liu Tianyu at Blood Qi Seventh Rank, right?" Mu Qing wondered.
He had never met anyone with Dual Blood Spirits, so he had no idea how powerful they were and could only guess.
"I just went out and scouted. Everyone from the North Campus has gathered together—several hundred people in all, and every one of them is at Blood Qi Fifth Rank. They're already heading for the Ape Nest!"
Jiang Yuanjie said solemnly.
He had already gathered information in advance, and the others had long since recovered. They were just waiting for Mu Qing to finish cultivating.
"Good! Let's be careful and fish in troubled waters while the North Campus fights the monkeys at the Ape Nest!" Mu Qing said excitedly.
Though he hadn't broken through, he was much stronger than before and full of confidence.
In a certain part of Lake Heart Island, a large troop of brown monkeys roared up at the sky in a mountain valley. They leaped from tree to tree, their fur standing on end like steel needles and glinting coldly.
Their claws were razor-sharp. When they dug them into tree trunks, they punched several holes right through.
Every monkey in the Ape Nest was powerful. Even the Gray Wolf Pack would come away empty-handed if they challenged them!
Deep in the valley was a large cave. Inside, an enormous black ape slept soundly. Beside it grew a plant glowing with a faint radiance. A dozen or so bright red fruits hung from it, crystal-clear with completely transparent skins. Their pits were visible within, gleaming like crystals.
The Ape Leader snored away, completely unaware that a group of unwelcome visitors was gathering outside the valley.
"Boss, everyone's here!"
Several hundred people had gathered. They were all students from the North Campus.
The North Campus had originally had more than three thousand students, but most were at Blood Qi Fourth Rank and had been eliminated almost immediately in the brutal conditions on Lake Heart Island. Those who remained had all advanced in cultivation and were powerful.
Every one of them possessed the strength of Blood Qi Fifth Rank. Gathered together, they surged like a flood, strong enough to overwhelm even someone at Blood Qi Sixth Rank.
Behind the several hundred students stood a row of enormous catapults. Their construction was crude, but no one dared underestimate their power.
Liu Tianyu had even tested the catapults himself. They could easily crush a Blood Qi Fifth Rank beast to death!
"Are all the catapults ready?" Liu Tianyu said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as the blood in his body boiled.
He could hardly wait. Once they killed the Ape Leader and got the Vermilion Fruits, he could break through to Blood Qi Eighth Rank. With the school's rewards on top of that, he might even reach Blood Qi Ninth Stage before the College Entrance Exam!
"They're ready!"
A short student answered. He looked rather shifty, but he was Liu Tianyu's trusted aide. He was at Blood Qi Sixth Rank and had also mastered an Advanced Martial Skill, making him no ordinary opponent.
"Fire!"
Liu Tianyu grinned and shouted.
Behind him, several hundred students sprang into action. They pushed the catapults to a spot not far from the valley, then hurled boulders more than ten meters wide straight into it, each one landing right on target.
The students of the entire North Campus had built these catapults, laboring for most of the day to make ten of them.
With the catapults, they could easily attack any beast pack and avoid many casualties.
All the North Campus students wore solemn expressions. They knew the Ape Nest was the strongest target they had faced.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Ten enormous rocks streaked down like meteors. The monkeys in the valley had been caught off guard and had no time to react.
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