"Something like this?" Chu Yuan took out a Blood Pill and a Spirit Nourishing Pill.
"Exactly, that's the kind... Could you give me one of each? I need to report back to my superiors."
"Hand them over?"
"Of course not." Qi Da shook his head. "I told the Martial Suppression Bureau that I used a treasure, but the Blood Sacrifice Array's nature hasn't changed. It still relied on refining through blood sacrifice...
So I need some physical evidence to back up the story.
I can't just claim that everything's been refined and expect them to believe me."
Chu Yuan had no objections. Though the two pills were important to him, they weren't particularly precious.
Besides, he had tried, and the system couldn't strengthen the Blood Pill or Spirit Nourishing Pill any further.
That was only natural. The Blood Pill and Spirit Nourishing Pill were already Immortal Path items he had made using Immortal Path methods...
After setting the two pills on the table, Chu Yuan picked up the long sword again.
He studied it for a moment, then set it back down.
Qi Da's expression turned a little peculiar. "What? Don't like it?"
"Of course I do..." Chu Yuan shook his head. "I just feel like this sword has special meaning to you, Principal."
That was only one reason. The other was that he planned to take the sword and have it transformed!
If Qi Da later found that the sword he'd given Chu Yuan had disappeared and been replaced by another one... it would be hard to explain.
If Chu Yuan bought one himself, there'd be no such problem. Besides the people at the Precious Jade Pavilion, who would know what the sword he bought looked like?
Qi Da's gaze shifted as he tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
Only after a moment did he say, "Go back for now. I'll find some money for you."
"It's okay..." Chu Yuan seemed about to ask something, but in the end, he didn't.
Qi Da smiled. "Wondering why I'm so broke?"
Chu Yuan nodded honestly. "A little..."
By selling pills to Yang Yi, he'd made nearly ten million in just a few days.
The principal was a more powerful Warrior. He could easily make a fortune by selling some martial resources... so how could he not even have ten million?
That sounded like a lot, but it was only enough to buy one martial weapon.
A Supernatural Realm Warrior in government service couldn't afford a weapon? Give me a break!
Qi Da's expression stayed calm. "Why do you think I'm the principal at First High School?"
Chu Yuan tentatively offered an answer. "Uh... because you have connections?"
"..."
"Am I wrong?" Seeing Qi Da's constipated expression, Chu Yuan knew he'd guessed wrong.
"Do you think being a principal is a cushy job for me?" Qi Da quickly understood the root of the problem: no matter how many secrets Chu Yuan had, his perspective was still too narrow!
So narrow that he thought a Supernatural Realm Warrior needed connections to become a school principal...
"Did you know that on the Outer-Heaven Battlefield, if you're lucky,
you can earn in a single day what a rear-area clerical worker like me makes in years, even decades?
I only left the front lines because I was injured back then."
"So... you've spent all the resources you gained over the years on healing?"
Qi Da nodded. "That's right. Otherwise, why do you think I'd want to stay cooped up in a place like this?"
Only then did Chu Yuan realize that, although Qi Da looked to be in his forties or fifties, Warriors had vigorous vitality and long lifespans.
Their forties and fifties were the prime of their lives!
He'd encountered several Supernatural Realm Warriors, and had even killed a few with the help of an array.
But that didn't mean Supernatural Realm Warriors were a dime a dozen...
In all of Chenyang City, with its population of over a million, how many Supernatural Realm Warriors were there?
Great Qin had thirty-six prefectures and only a few hundred cities in total.
Going by Chenyang City's numbers, it was hard to say whether there were even ten thousand Supernatural Realm Warriors in all of Great Qin... Naturally, every one of them was an outstanding talent!
He was only barely at the Foundation Establishment stage, and might not even be able to beat an Air-Traversing Realm Warrior. How had he dared look down on Supernatural Realm Warriors?
Chu Yuan realized something might be wrong with his state of mind, so he quickly circulated his cultivation technique to calm himself.
Qi Da was also a little exasperated. He'd never expected to find himself worrying about ordinary money...
"Forget it, forget it. Let's drop it. Anyway, just come tomorrow.
"Also, be ready for the Secret Realm trial at any time.
"Your teacher doesn't like to drag things out. Since he said he'd made the arrangements, we'll hear back in a day at the earliest, three days at the latest.
"You're strong, but you can't let your guard down."
"Is the Secret Realm dangerous?"
"There's some danger, but it shouldn't be too great.
"The main problem is the other competitors!
"A cultivation technique your teacher recommends is bound to be a huge draw..."
Chu Yuan was confused. He thought there shouldn't be any "hidden masters" left in Chenyang City.
Qi Da knew how strong he was. Who could possibly compete with him?
"Don't tell me you think the Martial Suppression Bureau's Secret Realm trial is only for Chenyang City?"
"Isn't it?"
Qi Da scoffed. "...Chenyang City isn't that important, and the Martial Suppression Bureau can't blatantly play favorites.
"It's fine to encourage the new class of students to show their potential. Think of it as an early screening for the Jianmu Project.
"But holding a Secret Realm trial only for Chenyang City... they might as well just give you the cultivation technique outright. At least that would cause less of a stir..."
"Then what do you mean, Principal...?"
"Conservatively speaking, the trial will be open to graduating students from all across Yunan Prefecture, or even... all of Great Qin!"
As he passed the teaching building, Chu Yuan glanced up at his classroom.
A familiar, balding middle-aged man happened to appear in the corridor.
It was Huang Bo...
He looked at Chu Yuan with a complicated expression.
Before he'd passed out, he'd clearly seen Chu Yuan defect and join the organization Yan Xuan belonged to.
But after he'd woken up, the principal had told him that hadn't happened. It had all been an act...
Chu Yuan hadn't given it much thought. He waved to Huang Bo in greeting, then left.
At his current level, the Energy Gathering Array in his classroom could barely help him anymore.
He was better off staying home and steadily consuming Blood Pills... He still had plenty.
He'd barely walked out of the school gates when a horn sounded behind him.
Chu Yuan watched Jiang Fei pull up beside him and roll down the window. He opened the door and got into the passenger seat. "What are you doing here?"
Jiang Fei pointed at his abdomen and smiled. "Medical leave."
"If you're injured, why aren't you lying in a hospital bed?"
"Tch, the bureau's a complete mess right now... I couldn't stand sitting around."
"The cleanup shouldn't have anything to do with you guys, right?"
"That's not why." Jiang Fei shook his head, unsure whether he should air the Martial Suppression Bureau's dirty laundry.
But after thinking it over, he figured it wouldn't stay hidden for long anyway...
"Do you know that before the Blood Sacrifice Array was complete, our captain had a plan to preserve the last embers of humanity?"
Before you continue