Back in his day, he had been quite a rebellious bastard too, but he had never had the guts to march up and slap the four principals' table, much less curse out a Blessed One at the second tier and threaten to knock his head crooked.
Badass!
Overcome with emotion, Chen Ze waved a hand. "All right, everything's been explained. We have other things to attend to, so please return to the Present World."
He turned to the examinees and smiled. "I look forward to seeing how you do. Goodbye."
Once he turned away, the smile vanished from Chen Ze's face. His entire presence changed abruptly, a dense killing intent sinking into the shadow beneath his feet as the hem of his uniform swept out in a cold, austere arc.
"Let's go. We have other missions."
The people waiting against the wall silently followed him, their steps perfectly synchronized. From a distance, they almost looked like a single entity.
Like bats slipping into the night, they exuded a dangerous air of mystery.
Su Wuwei raised an eyebrow. "Had to look cool on his way out, huh?"
Zhao Zhe stood. "All right, we should leave too. As the principal of Hua'an University, I'm a very busy man. You know, Hua'an University cares deeply about its students. Mine must have missed me terribly while I was away."
The other three principals snorted.
Ding Ruixue rolled her eyes. "Stop advertising your school and trying to recruit them, subtly or otherwise. These students surely have schools they already want to attend. You won't lure them away."
"Exactly." Lei Yue slipped noiselessly behind Chu Lie and patted his shoulder. "Take Chu Lie here. His ability is [Thunder Annihilation], and he's a lightning user like me. He'll definitely choose Shanhai University, right?"
Faced with Principal Lei Yue's gleaming grin, Chu Lie's heart tightened. "Shanhai University is certainly a very good choice, but... ahem..."
Lei Yue slapped him hard on the back, cutting him off, and laughed. "Then I'll be waiting for you at Shanhai University, Chu Lie!"
Ding Ruixue's expression darkened. "Poaching students already? You really are a piece of work, Lei Yue."
Zhao Zhe's eyes darted about before landing on Lou Guanshan. With a smile more dazzling than a sunflower, he walked toward him.
Lan Huaiyu briefly closed her eyes, then spoke. "Let's return first. The examinees will decide for themselves which school to apply to."
Zhao Zhe stopped and smoothly pivoted. "Hahaha, quite right. Hua'an University absolutely respects our students' decisions. We're practically synonymous with freedom."
Ding Ruixue looked straight at Ye Buyu and the others, a perfectly measured warmth appearing on her usually icy face. "Don't listen to Lei Yue or Zhao Zhe. You should choose your school based on your ability.
"For example, Beichen University's combat techniques are among the very best. It would be an excellent fit for students like Wan Lan and Su Wuwei. Choosing what suits you is extremely important for an Awakened.
"Of course, even students already admitted to Four Symbols Academy through special recruitment have the right to choose again. Mu Bingge and Ye Buyu can also reconsider where they want to go..."
Lan Huaiyu stared steadily at Ding Ruixue as she poached her students right to her face. Her smile grew deeper and more dangerous.
Zhao Zhe and Lei Yue quietly turned away, pretending they had seen nothing.
Ding Ruixue was even more ruthless than they were.
Ye Buyu and the others gaped, realizing for the first time that even principals could be shameless and unscrupulous.
The incident involving the Wind-Thunder Cantor had drawn to a close. The Social Security Bureau was still investigating why the two lords had joined forces, while the Void Order's actions had put every faction on alert.
No one noticed that, at the moment Yan You died, the vanishing blood-red paper scraps had quietly carried a piece of intelligence back to the Void Order.
The War-Torn Zone.
In a corner of the Level Five Region, gentle, lilting humming drifted across every leaf tip of a towering tree that reached into the clouds.
A slender, pale hand parted the emerald leaves. Pink-painted nails emerged from between the leaf tips to catch the blood-red paper scraps that abruptly appeared, unfolding them into several lines of bloody writing.
An unhurried gaze swept over the words, followed by a sigh whose meaning was impossible to discern.
"So you failed, Yan You. Still, the information is worth something."
The black-robed figure rose, pale bare feet planted on a vibrant brown branch. The hem of the robe snapped in the wind as the eyes hidden beneath it looked into the distance.
"A mandatory cost for crossing tiers, applicable to both Calamities and humans. Sounds rather promising. Worth a trip."
The soft humming faded into the wind, and the figure standing at the treetop vanished with it.
Within Great Xia, all the examinees were informed of the truth. Along with their relief came anger.
They had all heard, to varying degrees, that the Social Security Bureau had no decency, but they had never expected it to be this shameless. They flooded the awakened network with furious complaints.
"Too far! This is going too far! How could they do this?"
"Exactly! Using us as bait is one thing, but they barely got anything out of it!"
"They didn't catch the Wind-Thunder Cantor, and the Void Cultist kicked the bucket too. What a lousy deal."
"Tsk, they used us to fish and came back empty-handed? That's just not acceptable!"
Ye Buyu browsed the comments on the awakened network, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her forehead.
"Ahaha... so the issue isn't being used as bait, but that they didn't catch any fish?"
What could she say? She wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"So this is what they mean when they say the conservatives think the radicals are too conservative. Just thinking about having to face these people in the Points Competition makes me feel like I haven't got a chance."
Ye Buyu flopped backward and sighed at the ceiling.
"Little Whale, aside from that damned suggestion about becoming a Blessed One, is there really no other way?"
Little Whale answered seriously, "As far as skills go, your bullets are enough, and you haven't even learned Thousand Tides Tracing the Moon yet. Honestly, at the second tier, you're worse than a stray... ahem."
Ye Buyu's blood pressure soared with anger. "I admit I suck! You don't have to keep reminding me!"
Little Whale laughed. "Learning more skills now would be a waste if you can't use them. You'd be better off relying on outside help.
"You're already using a gun, after all. Why not try physical attacks? Aren't guns and ammunition what you humans call truth?"
Ye Buyu abruptly sat up. "Right! I just need to get some powerful bullets."
She acted immediately, grabbing her clothes and rushing downstairs to the Equipment Room. An hour later, Ye Buyu sat slumped inside it, her head hanging.
"This is ridiculous. There aren't any bullets that fit the Flower Edict. Ability users have always just compressed their energy and fired it. Am I going to have to carry two guns from now on?
"The Flower Edict and a regular gun? First I elbow the enemy with the Flower Edict, then draw the regular gun and fire another shot? By the time I finish switching guns, the grass on my grave will be several meters tall."
Ye Buyu crouched on the floor, muttering to herself, until a foot entered her field of view.
She looked up to find a young man staring at her with an excited smile. He raised a hand and adjusted his glasses.
"Excuse me, do you have any questions about equipment?"
Ye Buyu: ...
This guy doesn't seem normal.
"You do, don't you? I've seen you wandering around here for ages. You must have some special requirements for your equipment, right?"
Before you continue