"Damn it! Those guys from the Golden Sun class are pushing things too far!"
"But what they said is right; we don't have the strength to break into the top ten."
"Hu Nan, why are you boosting their ego and crushing our spirit?"
"I'm just telling the truth. Besides the class president, who else in our class is qualified to compete for a top ten Challenge King spot?"
"This... Even if we're unqualified, we still have to fight! We can't admit that we're trash, can we? I can't accept it!"
"Yes! I can't accept it either..."
Li Yuanhao left with the Golden Sun class students. Many of them sarcastically mocked as they departed, immediately causing a commotion.
Their relentless and blatant contempt made the students of the Silver Moon class extremely angry.
CRACK!
Ji Wuyue watched Li Yuanhao's retreating figure, her face full of frost. The ground beneath her feet cracked!
This was the first time the others had seen Ji Wuyue so angry. They all sighed, and the noisy voices gradually quieted down.
"Luo Feng, Bing Ruolan, you two come here."
Ji Wuyue called Bing Ruolan and Luo Feng to her side, her voice low as she said, "Since others have slapped us in the face, we cannot let them look down on us! Ruolan, you've already broken through to the Fifth Level of the Iron Bone Realm, and you have a good chance of entering the top ten in the Challenge King competition. However, I hope you can break into the top six this time! Shut Li Yuanhao's stinking mouth!"
Bing Ruolan's eyes also filled with anger. She nodded and said, "Instructor, Ruolan will definitely do her best!"
"Alright," Ji Wuyue acknowledged. She then looked back at Luo Feng, her gaze softened, and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Luo Feng, I didn't expect you to be hiding so much that you even dared to defy that old man Li Yuanhao! I was startled when I heard the news."
"Well, this..."
Luo Feng wanted to explain, but Ji Wuyue just laughed. "You did nothing wrong, so you needn't explain. For being able to make that old bastard Li Yuanhao so angry, you're the first one in our academy to do it!"
He's not going to punish me...
Luo Feng scratched his head.
Her gaze shifted, and Ji Wuyue's coldly beautiful face revealed a hint of worry. She continued, "But in this world, strength ultimately speaks. Your current strength isn't enough to confront Li Yuanhao, so it's best not to be so reckless again."
"Thank you, Instructor."
Luo Feng felt the care in Ji Wuyue's words, and a warmth swept across his heart.
Ji Wuyue was only the acting instructor of the Silver Moon class; both her power and strength were inferior to Li Yuanhao's. The fact that she would risk offending Li Yuanhao to stand up for him was both surprising and touching to Luo Feng.
"The same goes for all of you!"
Ji Wuyue looked at the other Silver Moon class students.
"If you want to earn others' respect, you must possess great strength! Otherwise, today's incident is a lesson! The weak can only be trampled underfoot, ground into dust, annihilated without a trace! You need to remember, this is a world where the strong prey on the weak. The weak are destined to be preyed upon by others!"
Ji Wuyue's voice was like thunder, ringing in everyone's ears. The Silver Moon class students all wore contemplative expressions.
Returning her gaze to Luo Feng beside her, Ji Wuyue said, "Luo Feng, I have a request."
"What is it?"
"Although your cultivation has improved rapidly recently, with your current strength at the late stage of the Rigid-Soft Realm, getting into the top ten in the Challenge King competition isn't easy. I hope that in tomorrow's match, you can help Bing Ruolan secure one of the top six places!"
"Instructor, I don't need…" Bing Ruolan, standing next to them, was taken aback and about to refuse but was stopped by a look from Ji Wuyue.
"The reward for the top ten in the Challenge King competition is a mid-grade Yellow Level martial art—nothing crucial—but the top six can get the Jade Bone Pill! The Jade Bone Pill is hugely beneficial to a martial artist in the Iron Bone Realm! Ruolan, you must get into the top six; only then will you have a chance to enter the Golden Palace in the future!"
"But…"
Bing Ruolan glanced at Luo Feng, her gaze hesitant. This was clearly unfair to him.
"It's fine. I'm not interested in making the top ten anyway," Luo Feng casually waved his hand and smiled.
His target was the top three. Helping Bing Ruolan into the top six was just a small effort.
Moreover, Li Yuanhao had said that no Silver Moon class student would make it into the top ten Challenge Kings. By helping Bing Ruolan into the top six, there would be two Silver Moon class students among the top six Challenge Kings!
He was eager to see how Li Yuanhao would eat his words!
"Good! Then I'm looking forward to tomorrow's competition. Luo Feng, if you really do help Ruolan get into the top six, I will personally give you a reward no less valuable than a mid-grade Yellow Level martial art!" Ji Wuyue, somewhat surprised by Luo Feng's quick response, laughed and replied.
"What if we make it into the top three?" Luo Feng looked at Ji Wuyue with interest.
"Top three?"
Ji Wuyue's slender eyebrows raised slightly, her red lips curved upwards, her delicate face sporting a smile that was both provocative and captivating. "If you manage to get into the top three, I can agree to any one request of yours! How does that sound?"
The Golden Sun class had nearly ten students at the Fifth Level of the Iron Bone Realm. Li Heshan, Li Tianyang, and Qin Luoxue were geniuses among them, their strength all surpassing the mid-stage of the Fifth Level Iron Bone Realm.
Ji Wuyue thought Bing Ruolan getting into the top six was already her limit; as for the top three, it was simply impossible!
"It's a deal!"
Luo Feng flashed a faint smile. Under the puzzled gazes of Bing Ruolan and Ji Wuyue, he strode away from the square.
A day passed quickly, and the morning's first rays of sun shot from the east.
In the courtyard, Luo Feng, who had trained all night, stopped and looked at the morning sun, his eyes introspective.
Li Yuanhao and his son see me as a thorn in their side. I must get into the inner court as soon as possible for protection. If I can get a high-grade Yellow Level martial art, I should be able to get into the inner court quickly!
Luo Feng understood very well that Li Yuanhao was narrow-minded. Having lost face today, he certainly wouldn't give up so easily.
The academy didn't place much importance on outer court students, especially those from the Silver Moon class. Li Yuanhao could find many ways to deal with him.
Only by becoming an inner court student and gaining the attention of the academy's high-ranking officials could Li Yuanhao be deterred.
Stepping out of the small courtyard, the bustling noise from the entire Purple Sun School immediately engulfed Luo Feng.
The Challenge King tournament was an important day for most of the students in the academy. Some elite students from the inner court and many of the higher-ups would be present to watch.
"Luo Feng."
A clear voice, like the song of an oriole, rang out next to him. Luo Feng turned his head, and his gaze brightened involuntarily.
Bing Ruolan stood nearby, holding her longsword with her hands behind her back. A faint smile graced her deep blue eyes, making her pleasing to look at. Her school uniform accentuated her well-rounded, slender jade legs, which surpassed those of all girls her age. She was elegant, endowed with an indescribably charming aura.
"Here, take this back. I've memorized its content. Thank you."
Seeing Luo Feng's gaze locked on her, Bing Ruolan's cheeks turned somewhat warm. With slender fingers, she took out a secret manual and handed it to Luo Feng.
Luo Feng took the secret manual.
This was the Floating Cloud Sword Technique he had gotten from Chen Xin. Since he didn't practice swordsmanship, he had lent the manual to Bing Ruolan to study for the night.
The two of them headed toward the academy square.
By the time they arrived, it was already crowded. Hundreds of students stood in the square, all outer court students qualified for the Challenge King tournament. The majority were from the Golden Sun class, with fewer than a hundred from the Silver Moon class. The two groups stood distinctly separated on opposite sides of the square.
The rest of the people were on the viewing platforms around the square, including many inner court students who were looking down from above.
At the highest viewing platform, the academy's elders were seated. In the middle, dressed in a Purple Sun robe, was the square-faced, middle-aged Dean of Purple Sun School, Zi Hongyuan.
"Excellent! This year's outer court students have improved a lot. Li Heshan has reached the late stage of the Iron Bone Realm—truly a natural-born genius! Last year, Duanmu Yu blocked his path, and he only secured the Second Challenge King position. It seems this time, the First Challenge King title will undoubtedly be his!"
Dean Zi Hongyuan's gaze swept across the square and stopped on a thick-browed youth, a smile of approval on his face.
"Li Heshan's strength is beyond doubt, but whether the First Challenge King title will be his is still hard to say," Li Yuanhao said with a composed smile.
"Oh?"
Zi Hongyuan's eyes revealed a touch of interest as he glanced at Li Yuanhao. "Who could pose a threat to Li Heshan?"
"It's my son, Li Tianyang," replied Li Yuanhao, his gaze, filled with confidence, falling upon Li Tianyang in the square. "Tianyang has now cultivated the 'Iron Mountain Wall' to the Great Achievement Realm, and he has also achieved Small Success with the Light Martial Art 'Tianlan Cloud Step.' With these two martial arts, he has the strength to contend for the First Challenge King title."
"'Iron Mountain Wall,' 'Tianlan Cloud Step'... Both of these are mid-grade Yellow Level martial arts. It's rare for someone to cultivate them to Small Success or higher. Li Yuanhao, you have a fine son," Zi Hongyuan praised with a smile.
Li Yuanhao responded with a suppressed smile, a sense of smug satisfaction apparent in his gaze.
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, Zi Hongyuan's eyes narrowed, focusing on a light blue, graceful figure in the square. He turned to the person next to him and said with a smile, "Ji Wuyue, Bing Ruolan from your class has actually broken through to the Fifth Level of the Iron Bone Realm! Not bad, not bad at all. It seems she could very well make it into the top ten in this year's Challenge King competition!"
Ji Wuyue stood up from her seat, glanced at Li Yuanhao nearby, and said with a faint smile, "Ruolan's target is the Jade Bone Pill, a reward for the top six."
"The top six! Haha, she has ambition! This year's Challenge King competition will definitely be exciting!" Zi Hongyuan said with anticipation.
Top six... Keep dreaming. She'll fail to even make it to the top ten, just like last year!
Li Yuanhao narrowed his eyes, looking scornfully at Ji Wuyue, convinced that Ji Wuyue was making empty boasts.
Ji Wuyue gave Li Yuanhao a cold glance and sat back down.
Hmph, keep pretending! We'll see how you eat your words when this is over!
Li Yuanhao sneered in his heart, his eyes filled with disdain.
Zi Hongyuan sat nearby, watching their expressions with a faint smile on his face.
The competition between the Golden Sun and the Silver Moon class was exactly what he wanted to see. This way, more potential students would come to light, enhancing the academy's strength.
"Dean, it's time," said an elder with white hair sitting nearby, turning his head back to inform Zi Hongyuan.
Zi Hongyuan nodded in agreement, stood up, and glanced casually across the square. An invisible pressure enveloped the entire academy square, silencing all voices instantly.
"Ascend the Challenge King's Golden Throne!"