A World Worth Protecting

With the conclusion of the match, Ethereal Dao College’s tournament had passed its half way mark. What was to follow were the additional matches held between those who had won three matches for the few remaining slots.

Seventy-four contenders had won all five matches that they competed in!

Of those seventy-four, many were senior students while first and second year students made up the minority. After all, no matter how outstanding they were, they were still lacking compared to the senior students who had honed their skills for many years. Therefore, the number of new students who had won all five matches only made up about ten percent of the group.

In this tournament, however, no matter how extraordinary seventy-two of those people were, they were but mere accompaniments simply because of the groundbreaking match that had happened between Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng!

The match between Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng had shaken the entire Dao College, throwing many students into amazement and astounding them. There had not been many paying attention to it at first, but as tales spread and the match was being vividly described, those who had been unable to watch the match managed to gain a relatively complete picture of it from the descriptions of the masses.

Even though their match had only progressed past its midpoint and was not considered completed to a certain extent, the combat abilities that they had both demonstrated in this match astounded everyone. Even other contenders like Zhuo Yifan, who had won all five matches, felt chills down their spine, their emotions turbulent, as any kind of competition always incited agitation. Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng were far too superior!

The methods and responses that both Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng adopted in this match were summarized by countless students on the Spirit Intranet. Discussion was bountiful, and the entire Spirit Intranet was hot with activity. As a result, there were not many spectators watching the additional follow-up matches.

“Zhao Yameng’s method of forming arrays within three breaths was actually through the manipulation of Spirit Qi. Her natural spirit body isn’t for nothing! When she’s in the True Breath realm, her sensitivity for Spirit Qi will greatly surpass her peers’!”

“Wang Baole is impressive, too. He actually depended on refining Spirit Kernels to absorb the Spirit Qi from all directions so that the array formation would implode from within in order to create a path out for himself! He really lives up to his name as the Dharmic Armament faculty’s only Head Prefect!”

“Also, Zhao Yameng’s ability to react swiftly to Wang Baole’s retaliation is a valuable skill that is rarely seen!”

In the innumerable discussions, there were two points… two key points that made everyone shake with excitement. The first was the emergence of the blue glow in Zhao Yameng’s eyes at the final moments of the match, and the second was the dexterity with which Wang Baole manipulated the dozens of flying swords.

These two aspects were also the areas that made everyone immensely amazed!

“Zhao Yameng’s burst at the end must be a secret technique that carries immense power!”

“What was it that Wang Baole used that allowed him to manipulate the flying swords so nimbly? This… this is not something we can achieve in the Ancient Martial realm!”

Countless discussions emerged unendingly. With the ending of the additional matches, Ethereal Dao College’s tournament finally came to an end. The list of the top one thousand contenders had been tabulated and would be announced three days later.

In reality, there was little significance regardless of whether the names on the list were announced. Long before the list was formed, there were already people who had summarized the accumulated points on the Spirit Intranet. Everyone knew deep in their hearts who would make it to the top 1,000.

Of everyone, the most despondent would be those who were ranked just after the 1,000th position and those who had been eliminated in the additional matches. However, there was nothing that they could do. Sometimes, the seemingly small distance of a single step could feel like the distance between heaven and earth.

With the conclusion of the matches, the atmosphere in the Dao College significantly livened up. It was as if everyone could finally take a breather and relax. Wang Baole also took the time to recuperate in his own cave abode in order to replenish the energy that he had spent battling Zhao Yameng.

However, he did not head outside. Rather, even after his rest, the scene of Zhao Yameng’s burst in the final moments of the match replayed itself in his mind recurrently.

With a blue glow in her eyes, she seemed to have lost control. It is also definite that the mystic technique has already far exceeded what she can withstand, explaining why she fell unconscious after that. Wang Baole was still shaken even after analyzing the scenario. If the Chancellor had not stepped forward to put a halt on matters, Wang Baole was unable to imagine what would eventually have happened.

In that state, Zhao Yameng is too powerful. It’s as if… she became one with the Spirit Qi! Wang Baole became solemn and took a seat on the veranda before closing his eyes. The events of the match between him and Zhao Yameng were continuously replayed in his mind as he thought about how his performance could have been better.

Wang Baole liked to reflect. This was something that he had learned from the high officials’ autobiographies. Whether it was in the way he treated others or the way he trained his skills, reflection had always been an important component.

…

At the center of the Chancellor’s peak was a great hall made of jade carvings. This great hall was not as grand as the Chancellor’s hall, but it was still extremely majestic.

That great hall was where the Vice-Chancellor worked and lived.

Even if his authority in the College Discipline Department had been stripped and transferred to others due to the incident involving Wang Baole in the Pond Cloud Rainforest, he was still the Vice-Chancellor and possessed a level of authority.

Right now, in the attic behind the great hall overlooking the land afar, there was a middle-aged man in black standing silently behind him. That man was the teacher of the Dao College who was currently leading the College Discipline Department. At the same time, he was also the person who had publicly announced that Wang Baole had cheated a year ago. He hesitated but eventually still decided to speak, his voice low.

“Chancellor… do you really want to handle the matter this way?”

Looking at the sky faraway, without turning his head, the Vice-Chancellor replied calmly, “Are you afraid?”

“A little bit, yes.” The middle-aged man in black laughed bitterly. “Wang Baole is now the only Head Prefect of the Dharmic Armament faculty, and he amazed everyone with his moves in the match several days ago. Therefore, he can be considered a hot favorite in the Dao College right now, so why should we find trouble with him again?

“Even if we cancel his eligibility in the rankings, it will be little use. The very next day, the Chancellor will definitely be angered, not only punishing you, but also restoring his eligibility instantly.”

The middle-aged man in black was confused as he tried to persuade the Vice-Chancellor after mustering his courage.

“What’s more… Lin Tianhao’s student status has already been revoked…”

The middle-aged man in black did not complete his sentence. In reality, he would never have dared mention it previously. However, he genuinely did not want to provoke Wang Baole any further, and he had long ascertained that Wang Baole would definitely gain admission to the Upper Academy island. It was not worthwhile for him to form another enemy this way. However, he was also helpless as he had to obey the Vice-Chancellor. Therefore, he wanted to try to persuade the Vice-Chancellor to change his mind.

“Lin Tianhao?” Hearing the man in black’s words, the Vice-Chancellor laughed, a look of disdain that was not visible to others forming in his eyes. “Say no more. You only need to tell me whether you will do it or not.”

Turning his head, Gao Quan stared coldly at the middle-aged man in black. Immediately, the middle-aged man in black felt immense pressure, as beads of perspiration formed on his forehead.

After a brief moment, he gritted his teeth and replied, “Yes, sir!”

“Then do it. You have three days. Once the rankings are out, I want to see results.” Retracting his glare, Gao Quan spoke emotionlessly. The middle-aged man in black felt terrible, but he knew that he had no other choice as he nodded and quickly left to prepare for his tasks.

The look of disdain in Gao Quan’s eyes became more obvious when the middle-aged man in black had left.

Do you really think that I am so lowly to go to the extent of pleasing the son in order to suck up to the senator?

I am without a choice, since that Chancellor who thinks that everything is under his control wants to see me adding value to myself.

That old man… he thinks that I don’t know that it’s his tactic to keep subordinates close before killing them, Gao Quan thought as the look of disdain disappeared, replaced by a gloomy ferocity.

Wang Baole’s position will indeed be restored quickly, but if I don’t try to suppress it, if I don’t create enemies, if I don’t add value to myself… the old Chancellor will see the value of his fruit of labor diminishing. He will definitely be unhappy, and if he abandons me for cheap, won’t he lose out?

Gao Quan clenched his fists.

The more enemies I have and the more people I provoke, the more others will want to eliminate me. However, even before they can do anything, they will need the Chancellor’s approval. After all, on the Lower Academy Island, even though the Chancellor is not absolute, he is still extremely powerful.

As long as someone wants to come after me, they must negotiate with the Chancellor. The more enemies that I have and the more ruthless and thorough I am, the more people will hate me. This way, my value will increase, such that when he is negotiating with others, his gains will be greater. This is especially so as I can see that the Chancellor is of the view that Wang Baole will become the one negotiating with him in the future.

Following this logic, the greater my value, the fewer people will be able to afford to come after me. I will then have more time to plan for the future.

Just give me more time so that I can escape this place!

The ferocity in Gao Quan’s eyes intensified, and he became even more ruthless. He already felt threatened, worrying that he would be eliminated by the Chancellor even before he was posted elsewhere. That was why he wanted to bank on Wang Baole’s matter to increase his personal value. He knew the Chancellor like the back of his hand, understanding that his moves would definitely halt the thought of the Chancellor eliminating him in favor of reaping greater benefits.

As for Wang Baole, he was indeed no small fry. However, Wang Baole was nothing compared to his own past.

Even if he’s the only Head Prefect of the Dharmic Armament, even if he amazed everyone in his match, so what? I might only be in the early-stage of True Breath while he’s at the peak of the Ancient Martial realm, but there will definitely be differences in our skill. His failure at retaliating means that he can only bear with it for the time moment since he has not reached True Breath yet!

So what if I find trouble with him? Even if he really attains True Breath in the future and wants to seek vengeance, he will have to wait until he gains firm footing on the Upper Academy Island. By then, I will have long since left. As for what happens after that…

Gao Quan closed his eyes, his lips curling into a smirk.

He might have lost the right to take revenge then!