"Wang Haixuan, you've still got the nerve to come over here? Believe me, your Grandpa Jiang will break your fifth limb!" Jiang Yuanjie roared furiously.
His aura was on par with Ling Fei's. He, too, had reached the Blood Qi Ninth Stage!
Ji Jia and Yang Shanshan both stepped forward. They stood behind the others without saying a word, but the hostility in their beautiful eyes was unmistakable.
Their auras soared skyward. They, too, had reached the Blood Qi Ninth Stage!
The eyes of countless students on the training grounds were drawn to them.
After the mock exam, many students had broken through. Most had reached the Blood Qi Fifth or Sixth Rank, while some, thanks to the abundant resources their elders had given them, had even made it to the Blood Qi Seventh Rank or Eighth Stage.
But students at the Blood Qi Ninth Stage were exceedingly rare. There were barely any in the entire East Campus.
Now that Ling Fei and the others had clashed with Wang Haixuan, they immediately drew the attention of most of the students. It was the first time they had ever sensed the aura of someone at the Blood Qi Ninth Stage.
Especially since Ji Jia and Yang Shanshan were involved.
The two girls were school beauties, charming and alluring, with countless admirers. Both had reached the Blood Qi Ninth Stage, and anything involving them was bound to draw a crowd of students.
By comparison, fewer and fewer people paid attention to Song Yalan. She was at the Blood Qi Eighth Stage and quite strong, but she was nowhere near a match for these students at the Blood Qi Ninth Stage.
Lately, rumors had even spread on the school's official website that Song Yalan had abandoned Mu Qing and thrown herself at Wang Haixuan for the sake of power and money. All sorts of negative stories had spread across the campus, and now most students believed Song Yalan had a terrible character—that she was a sinister white lotus.
"What are you doing here?" A loud shout rang out as the teacher of Ling Fei's group strode over.
His expression darkened as he rebuked them in a low voice. "The Federation's College Entrance Exam officials are right nearby! Carrying on like this will only ruin Western High School's reputation!"
His tone was still harsh, but his words were mainly aimed at Wang Haixuan. After all, he was Ling Fei and the others' teacher, and their collective breakthroughs to the Blood Qi Ninth Stage had greatly raised his standing at West Lake High School. Naturally, he wasn't about to take their side against them.
"Teacher Qin, don't stop me! I'm going to beat him to death!" Ling Fei's eyes were bloodshot, and the aura around him grew more and more terrifying. Golden light shimmered between his fingers.
The main reason they had managed to reach the Blood Qi Ninth Stage was those dozen or so Vermilion Fruits. After splitting them among themselves, they had all made enormous breakthroughs.
Mu Qing had been meant to receive a share, too, but he had disappeared.
Teacher Qin's eyes flickered. He immediately put a hand on Ling Fei's shoulder, and a surge of powerful Mental Power burst out, suppressing the Origin Force circulating inside Ling Fei.
After all, Wang Haixuan was a member of the Wang Family. If Ling Fei and the others beat him up, the Wang Family would hold Teacher Qin responsible, too.
With Teacher Qin mediating, everyone returned to their places, though anger still showed on Ling Fei and the others' faces.
Wang Haixuan sneered a few times, then turned and left with Song Yalan.
He knew that even though the other side had plenty of people at the Blood Qi Ninth Stage, they wouldn't dare make a move now. The Wang Family had connections and members at West Lake High School, too!
"Not bad, Teacher Qin. I didn't know your class had so many students at the Blood Qi Ninth Stage!" A middle-aged man walked over just then.
He wore a dark blue uniform, with a sharp sword embroidered on the chest—the symbol of a Federation official.
A Federation teacher came over and told Teacher Qin that Class 3-A had finished the first stage of the College Entrance Exam, and it was now Class 3-B's turn.
Ling Fei and the others' expressions changed at once.
It was their class's turn, but Mu Qing still hadn't returned. There wasn't enough time. If the Federation examiner failed to record Mu Qing's preliminary score, he would be marked absent for the remaining two stages.
Ling Fei and the others were anxious, but there was nothing they could do. Even Jiang Yuanjie, with all his connections, couldn't find out how Mu Qing had disappeared.
They had once tried to go back to Lake Heart Island and investigate, but the school's teachers had refused to let them. The Mummified Corpse Incident had happened again!
In fact, not long after Mu Qing disappeared, several more West Lake High School students had turned into mummified corpses. The whole thing was inexplicable: they would suddenly collapse while walking, and all the blood inside their bodies would then be completely evaporated.
The students at West Lake High School all knew about the Mummified Corpse Incident. And with Wang Haixuan secretly fanning the flames, they all believed Mu Qing was behind it.
Even the school's senior staff believed Mu Qing was the culprit behind the Mummified Corpse Incident.
Mu Qing had already been a suspect, and during the mock exam he had suddenly vanished. None of the teachers could track him down. Then, a few days later, the Mummified Corpse Incident had struck again. The timing was so suspicious that the school's senior staff couldn't help but suspect him.
The principal of West Lake High School was furious and wanted to work with the Wang Family to issue a warrant for Mu Qing in Hangzhou City. But with the College Entrance Exam approaching, he ultimately decided to focus on the exam for the time being.
As some of the strongest students taking this year's College Entrance Exam, Ling Fei and the others were naturally treated like treasures by their teachers. At this critical moment, the school couldn't possibly let them go to Lake Heart Island.
"Sigh. I know you're close to Mu Qing. I don't believe he was behind the Mummified Corpse Incident either. The whole thing is far too bizarre; it isn't something a human could do." Teacher Qin shook his head and sighed.
Some teachers among the school's senior staff didn't believe Mu Qing was the culprit. They had their own theories and thought the one behind the Mummified Corpse Incident wasn't human.
But the Mummified Corpse Incident had now come fully to light and spread throughout Hangzhou City. Western High School had to give the public an explanation. Even if Mu Qing wasn't really the culprit, he would be made a scapegoat and executed in front of all the citizens of Hangzhou City!
This was Wang Haixuan's doing. His revenge was ruthless. He used the Wang Family's power to tie Mu Qing to the Mummified Corpse Incident, making everyone in Hangzhou City hate him.
Once the College Entrance Exam was over, the Wang Family and West Lake High School would issue a warrant for Mu Qing. If the missing Mu Qing showed up again, the people driven to panic by the Mummified Corpse Incident would surely catch and kill him!
"Just let things take their course," Teacher Qin said, then turned and walked away.
The others' eyes dimmed. They felt sorry for Mu Qing.
"La-di-da, la-di-da, I'm a happy little fatty..."
A bizarre song rang out from the communication device in Jiang Yuanjie's hand.
Jiang Yuanjie impatiently answered it, and a voice full of excitement came through.
"Boss, a Flying Warship! I saw a huge Flying Warship coming from Lake Heart Island! I got the first photos!"
It was a call from one of the News Department's paparazzi.
But Jiang Yuanjie was in a terrible mood. He cursed, "Damn it, what time do you think it is? Instead of looking for Mu Qing, you're looking for a Flying Warship? And it came from Lake Heart Island? Why don't you go fly up there yourself?"
Before the paparazzo could say anything, Jiang Yuanjie hung up on him, fuming.
Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind sweep past. He looked to the side and saw Ling Fei and the others staring at the distant sky in shock.
It wasn't just them. Every student on the East Campus training grounds had looked up, along with the teachers and the Federation officials. All of their faces were filled with astonishment!
"What's wrong?" Jiang Yuanjie asked in confusion, nudging Ling Fei with his elbow.
Ling Fei swallowed. "Jiang Pangzi, I think what that paparazzo just said was true!"
Jiang Yuanjie looked up. His eyes went wide, his mouth fell open, and his hefty body began to tremble.
In the distant sky, a magnificent Flying Warship swept toward them like a dark cloud. It was a hundred meters long, its hull engraved with dragon-shaped patterns and a golden dragon character.
"My God, what is that?" some students cried out.
During the mock exam, the students had all seen the school's enormous Transport Ship.
Although the Transport Ship was incredibly huge, it had no offensive capabilities. But the Flying Warship before them had sharp, angular contours, with cannon barrels and advanced weaponry clearly visible. Under the sunlight, they glinted with a chilling light.
This was the Flying Warship of every student's dreams!
Some of the girls screamed as if they had spotted a handsome guy.
Usually, Flying Warships were things they only saw in books and videos. It was rare to see one in person. A warship this enormous, with such terrifying combat power, could win over boys and girls alike. It had conquered the hearts of countless students!
Even the teachers at the school couldn't help but shudder. Some of them did own warships, but none could compare to the Flying Warship before them.
Gale-force winds swept across the grounds. The Flying Warship had reached the sky above the training ground, hanging overhead like a dark cloud and blocking out the sun.
"This is..."
Three powerful Federation officials in blue uniforms stood beside a large instrument on the training ground. One of them looked up at the Flying Warship, his expression changing abruptly as if he recognized it.
"Long Clan No. 1! That's the Long Clan No. 1 warship!" He finally recognized the Flying Warship and cried out.
"What?" The two Federation officials beside him were both shocked. They knew what the Long Clan Warships were.
The three officials in charge of the first stage of the College Entrance Exam were all eighth-rank Bloodline powerhouses, experts who had reached the Intermediate Martial Venerable level. Yet even they were shaken.
Unlike the school's teachers, they were Federation officials and were sent out every so often to hunt Fierce Beasts. They had more experience and greater strength than the school's teachers.
They knew that the owners of Long Clan Warships were all people of great status. The Long Clan Warships cost a fortune to build. Although the Long Clan No. 1 was only an initial-model warship, it was still beyond the reach of ordinary people.
At the very least, even the ninth-rank Bloodline powerhouses at the Federation Branch didn't own Long Clan Warships!
Students and teachers across the training ground stood up and looked toward the enormous black warship in the sky.
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