"Ding! You have taken in 15,380 new Tang household servants. Your Popularity Index has reached the required threshold."
The system responded.
Unfortunately, this reward involved absorbing the Popularity of Shen Wu and the others, so none of them would receive any benefits this time.
Instead, a group of He Tian's subordinates reaped the rewards. Tang Wen brought more than a dozen selected experts into the First Rank at the same time.
Among them were also seven or eight of Transcendent Grade, while Tang Wen's cultivation advanced into "Qi Nourishing, great perfection."
With everything settled, Tang Wen returned to White Crane Island.
The next morning, colorful flags fluttered over the square outside Ridge-Sea Academy's gates.
The five-thousand-strong army assembled by the academy stood in neat ranks in the square, clad in armor.
Their ranks included teachers, students, academy instructors, and experts from the inner academy.
At nine that morning, Qiu Zhaohai arrived with a large force.
This force numbered a full ten thousand, led by Wei Yang. Before long, they joined up with Ridge-Sea Academy's troops. Fifteen or sixteen thousand men made for a rather intimidating sight.
"Everyone, some brat named Tang Wen on Su Mei Island actually dared to provoke our Ridge-Sea Academy, challenging us to a contest in killing the enemy.
"Since its founding, Ridge-Sea Academy has stood tall in Linghai for hundreds of years, training countless officials and talented individuals for the Imperial Court. How could we tolerate the arrogance of such brats?
"Today, we swear our oath and march to war. We will show that brat Tang Wen that Ridge-Sea Academy is a pillar of Linghai.
"We will never allow anyone to insult our mighty, sacred Ridge-Sea Academy.
"Everyone, are you confident?" Looking full of martial vigor, Gao Qiu raised his sword and thrust it