Sparring meant stopping short of injury, not fighting to the death.
Besides, Chen Cang knew that the Strong Ranking veterans Su Qian had recruited were, at most, six-star fighters. That left him even less interested.
Rather than play games with them, he would much rather enter the Inner Academy early and get some sleep.
His unexpected choice left Elder Su Qian silent. Only after a long while did he speak again.
"There are Strong Ranking veterans on the other route. If you defeat them, you can take their places on the Strong Ranking and receive a substantial amount of Fire Energy every month. It would be enough that you'd never have to worry about Fire Energy for cultivation again."
"I'm an Alchemist."
Su Qian froze again and turned to Hu Gan. The information Hu Gan had sent to the Inner Academy had contained nothing about that.
Actually, Hu Gan could hardly be blamed. He had only heard from Yan Xin that Chen Cang had practiced alchemy for a few months, and almost nobody in the Outer Academy had ever seen him refine pills. A misunderstanding was perfectly normal.
"Wouldn't fighting Strong Ranking veterans be a chance to test your strength?" Su Qian still refused to give up.
"I agree, but I like choosing my own opponents."
A place on the Strong Ranking did come with plenty of benefits, but there would be ample opportunities once he entered the Inner Academy. There was no need to waste time here with the bottom of the barrel.
"All right, we'll do it your way."
Su Qian sighed softly and gave up trying to persuade him.
It wasn't that he insisted on forcing Chen Cang to follow the script. It simply left a sour taste in his mouth to think that all the effort