Chapter 146: His Purpose Is to Provoke You
Liu Song was in a good mood today.
He couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
His gaze swept over the students in the class one by one.
When his eyes landed on Lin Yi, he paused for a moment.
He gave Lin Yi a slight nod before speaking. "You’re all back. After three months of preparation, how is everyone feeling?"
"The Martial Arts Exam is tomorrow. Are you confident you’ll pass this year?"
After Liu Song finished speaking,
the class erupted with enthusiastic responses.
Whether they were confident or not, their replies were all in unison.
Liu Song smiled and nodded. "First, let me introduce a new student, Lishi, who has transferred from Beihai First High School in Beihai City!"
As soon as he said that, Liu Song looked back at Lishi.
"Why don’t you introduce yourself."
"Yes, Teacher Liu!"
Lishi nodded with a faint smile.
His gaze then shifted to the other students in the class.
"Hello everyone, my name is Lishi. I’ve transferred from Beihai First High School.
Some of you might be curious why I would transfer right before the Martial Arts Exam."
"It’s actually quite simple. Your school’s principal went to my house time and time again to beg me to come here!"
"I heard from your principal that the cultivation realms of your Martial Arts Exam candidates are generally not very high.
He said it’s been five years since a Martial Arts genius has appeared here?"
"That’s perfectly normal, of course. If Martial Arts geniuses appeared every year, they wouldn’t be called geniuses, would they?"
"So, having me come to your school for the Martial Arts Exam is basically just to make the school look good. You can understand it that way, right?"
After Lishi finished his nonchalant introduction, a trace of disdain in his eyes,
the students in the classroom instantly erupted.
A few students, led by Wei Nan, glared at him with fury.
Even their homeroom teacher, Liu Song, was displeased.
It was true that Lishi’s talent was widely acknowledged.
And the principal’s decision to invite him to the school at this time really was a case of trying to puff themselves up to save face.
To put it bluntly, he was here to be the public face for Third Middle School.
But some things are better left unsaid. Why did he have to say it in front of so many students?
Lishi’s arrogance, disdain, and contempt for every single one of his classmates
instantly caused the entire class’s opinion of him to plummet.
As for Liu Song, the smile was completely gone from his face.
His expression darkened as he said, "Lishi, you can sit here for now."
He pointed to a lone desk and chair in the very front row.
Obviously, this desk and chair had been added just for Lishi.
He smiled, nodded, and even politely thanked Liu Song before sitting down.
Liu Song then glanced at the rest of the class.
"Everyone, please quiet down. Today is just for returning to school, so there are no lessons for you!"
"I’m just going to talk about some important points and rules for tomorrow’s Martial Arts Exam..."
Liu Song stood at the podium.
Just like any other class, he seriously explained every detail related to the Martial Arts Exam.
From time to time, he would turn around and write a few key points on the blackboard.
Meanwhile, Wei Nan and the others were staring daggers at Lishi, who was sitting in the front row.
The atmosphere in the classroom became thick with tension.
Only Lin Yi let out a soft sigh.
’The things Lishi just said obviously had a purpose.’
’His talent allows him to increase his various stats through continuous sparring.’
’As long as he can keep winning, the increase will be amplified continuously.’
’That’s why he said all those things.’
’His goal is to make the entire class resent him.’
’And in turn, make them actively challenge him...’
’But Wei Nan and the others haven’t seen through it.’
’Their anger and emotions have already been instantly ignited.’
’At this point, I definitely can’t stop them.’
’Besides, I also want to see what Lishi is capable of.’
’Is his 2-star realm something he earned through solid cultivation, or did he just brute-force his way up with that [Winning Streak Amplification] talent of his?’
...
「Meanwhile.」
Operations Command, conference room.
The various squads of the Demon Hunting Bureau, along with the commanders of the Tiger Guard and Golden Robe Guard sent by the Martial Arts Alliance.
They were all seated here. Yi Nanshan, dressed in a military uniform, also had a grim expression.
Just this morning, they had received a piece of intelligence.
The stubborn remnants of Blood Drop, those who refuse to die, were causing trouble again.
The Blood Drop remnants had all fled to Wushan, preparing to conduct a ritual there to bring forth the Demon King.
Furthermore, in the past few days, a large number of demonic beasts
had also gathered at Wushan.
It was as if they were there to act as guardians for the Demon King’s emergence.
Yi Nanshan’s expression was grim. "I’m sure you all understand the gravity of this situation!"
"The Blood Drop remnants and a large number of demonic beasts have all gathered at Wushan!"
"Their goal is to bring forth the Demon King!"
"Once that Demon King emerges, it will bring a cataclysmic disaster to the Old District!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present nodded with grave expressions.
Chu Zhengxiong then spoke up, "Elder, there’s something I’m curious about. Why would those Blood Drop rats choose today, of all days, to bring forth the Demon King?"
"The Martial Arts Exam is tomorrow. Don’t tell me they want to sabotage it? What good would that do them?"
In fact, he wasn’t the only one curious about this.
Many others in the room felt the same way.
"Captain Chu, allow me to answer that question on behalf of the commander!"
A man in a combat uniform sitting across the long table said with a smile.
This man’s name was Guo Wu, the commander of the Tiger Guard.
"Tomorrow is the day of the Martial Arts Exam for high schools across the cities of the Old District!"
"It’s also the day when the exam candidates from all the cities are most concentrated!"
"They are young, full of vitality, and their vital blood is at its purest!"
"Especially since they are all gathered in large numbers. If the Blood Lord uses this as a catalyst to carry out his plan to awaken the Demon King..."
After Guo Wu finished speaking,
the expressions of Chu Zhengxiong and the others all changed.
They exchanged shocked glances and said, "Elder, General Guo, if that’s the case, are you saying those Blood Drop rats plan to use the exam candidates as a catalyst and absorb their vital blood on the same day?"
At this, Guo Wu nodded.
"That’s what the current intelligence suggests. Moreover, the Blood Lord has been planning this day for a very long time!"
"He’s utterly inhumane. He couldn’t care less how many people die!"
"Using any means necessary to achieve his goals—isn’t that always Blood Drop’s style?"
For a moment, everyone in the conference room wore a heavy expression.
If what Guo Wu said was true,
and Blood Drop’s real targets were the Martial Arts Exam candidates,
then all eighteen cities in the Old District were part of the plan.
With their limited manpower, it would be impossible to set up defenses in every city.
"Those rats... they’re too damn insidious!"
"To actually target those kids? Elder, let’s not wait for them! Let’s just go straight to Wushan today, wipe out those remnants, and stop their plan before it can even start. Wouldn’t that solve everything?"
Chu Zhengxiong’s face was a mask of fury.
The others nodded in agreement.
Only Han Bin, sitting with a deep frown, said, "If it were really that simple, the Elder wouldn’t have gathered us here for a meeting to waste time!"
"Besides, the fact that we received intelligence about the altar on Wushan... given how meticulous the Blood Lord is, he must have leaked the information intentionally. His aim is to lure us to Wushan!"
"Right? Elder, General Guo?"
After Han Bin finished his analysis,
Yi Nanshan nodded. "Correct. This is indeed their plan to lure the tiger from the mountain. Guo Wu, Jin Kai, and I have been studying this for the past two days."
"Ever since the last time the demonic beasts invaded the city, this has all been part of a grand chess game!"
"And a long-premeditated one at that. Don’t you all find it strange?
After that incident, why did all the demonic beasts vanish, as if they had evaporated?"
Once these words were spoken, Chu Zhengxiong and the others nodded.
"Yeah, where did all those demonic beasts run off to?"
"Where else? They got scared! They don’t dare enter the city anymore!" someone scoffed.
Yi Nanshan smiled and shook his head. "They aren’t scared, nor are they afraid to enter the city!"
"Rather..."
Before he could finish his sentence,
Yi Nanshan’s expression suddenly turned cold. He raised a hand and slapped it toward the conference room door.
BOOM—
With a loud crash, the door was blown to smithereens.
A blood-curdling scream came from outside the door.
Chu Zhengxiong, Han Bin, and Guo Wu reacted in a flash, using their Body Techniques to appear outside in the blink of an eye.