In the pitch-black alley, a youth stealthily made his way and, after ensuring there was no one around, his body flashed, and he had entered a house.
He fiddled around for a bit, and a room engulfed in darkness lit up with specks of light, which eventually formed a vague human figure.
The youth excitedly knelt down, "Master, did you summon me for something?"
"Do you know Zhou Bai?"
The youth said, "Isn’t he the top student in the comprehensive ranking of the 503 class?"
"He’s going to enter the special class soon. Your Primordial Spirit is at 999 already, right? Don’t breakthrough next; maintain the peak of the 0th realm. In this way, he will definitely try to challenge you in the assessment two months from now.
"And I want you to accidentally cripple him so that he has to drop out and leave the bounds of the Dao School. Do you understand?"
The youth revealed a sinister smile, "Don’t worry, Master, leave it to me." Then, filled with anticipation, he asked, "When can I leave this place and undergo the Heavenly Demon transformation ceremony?"
"Rest assured, once you’ve completed this task, someone will naturally come to pick you up and take you away."
...
Three days later.
’Taking me away, is that just part of the plan? Is the real target the storage of resources in the mysterious cavern?’
In the room, Zhou Bai lay on the bed, still recalling the past events of this incident. It wasn’t like in the movies where things resolved neatly in the end.
In this major event, there were still many things shrouded in mist, making Zhou Bai unable to see the whole truth.
And this time, the Dao School had suffered great losses, Du Bing died covering for Xia Li and the others.
Afterward, Zhou Bai also heard that Yun Shi, while protecting civilians, fought to the death with the Heavenly Demon and ultimately perished from exhaustion.
And there were countless other classmates... civilians... teachers...
And since there was Xing Jun, among the current teachers and students, who else could also be a lackey of the Heavenly Demon?
"Heavenly Demon... sigh, continue cultivating."
"I must become stronger."
Zhou Bai studied diligently until the next morning.
He was then called to the office, supposedly to receive the reward for being the top student of the session and to discuss some important arrangements with him.
Upon arriving in the office, he saw that Zuo Dao and Qian Wangsun were already waiting there.
Lv Chongyang, Sun Yuzhen, and even Zhao Shouyi were seated on one side.
Seeing Zhou Bai come in, Lv Chongyang nodded at him, and Zhao Shouyi spoke directly, "Zhou Bai is here too, so I will just say it. Starting next week, you three will enter the special class for study, in preparation for the exchange competition a year later."
The special class?
Hearing these words, Zhou Bai was slightly startled; he genuinely didn’t know what that was.
Lv Chongyang seemed to perceive his confusion and took the initiative to explain, "Given the difficult times, to better cultivate gifted students, we have selected some individuals from the entire school to form the special class. They will have exclusive resources and points to enhance their cultivation more swiftly."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Bai immediately understood and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The others, Zuo Dao and Qian Wangsun, naturally had no reason to refuse.
Zhao Shouyi continued, "Once you enter the special class, each of you will receive an additional two hundred points every month. If your cultivation progresses and you rank high in the special class, you will receive even more extra points."
Zhou Bai’s eyes gleamed; an extra two hundred points a month meant he could have four hundred points to spend on food and drink each month, finally no longer having to eat the rations for ordinary people every day.
Although the rations were also extraordinary items that could rapidly restore energy and health, eating them every day could make one feel nauseated.
Zhao Shouyi: "Also, the points you obtained in this examination will be distributed to you later. Oh, and you probably don’t know the total scores yet. Zhou Bai, you are first; Zuo Dao, you are second; Qian Wangsun, fifth."
Upon hearing this, Zuo Dao’s eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at Zhou Bai beside him, and with an air of dissatisfaction, he said, "Zhou Bai indeed surpassed me in practical combat, but he was the last in the theoretical exam. Even if he was a bit stronger than me in the second stage, it still doesn’t make sense that he’s definitely first, right?"
Beside them, Lv Chongyang said, "Zhou Bai’s Primordial Spirit value is already at 287, with a Dao harmonization of 5.1%."
The entire office fell silent for a moment, and Zuo Dao and Qian Wangsun both turned their heads abruptly to look at Zhou Bai, who felt a bit embarrassed by the attention.
Zhou Bai said modestly, "Actually, my Primordial Spirit value isn’t 287..."
Zuo Dao and Qian Wangsun let out a sigh of relief.
Lv Chongyang and Zhao Shouyi looked over in surprise.
Zhou Bai said, "I thought about it this morning and decided it would be better to round things up, so I got to 290."
What do you mean "it would be better to round things up, so I got to 290"? Is this like giving change?
Upon hearing this, Qian Wangsun felt as though someone had stabbed him in the chest. Zuo Dao also took a deep breath, turned his head away, and muttered, "I’m fine now."
Zhao Shouyi stroked his chin and grinned at Zhou Bai, "I know you’ve skipped class for two months. It’s quite normal for a genius to be a bit different. And since you’ve scored first place in the assessment this time, I can excuse you.
You can choose to attend the special training class courses, but if I find out your grades are slipping, you’ll have to obediently attend class. Got it?"
Zhou Bai quickly nodded his head, this was approval for his truancy; he felt his back straighten up even more.
Zhao Shouyi then turned to Qian Wangsun, "The business with the rebirth of your severed limbs will be handled in the next few days, don’t worry."
Upon hearing this, Qian Wangsun trembled with excitement. Zhou Bai, who was next to him, also looked at him in surprise, patted Qian Wangsun on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Congratulations."
Zhao Shouyi looked at Zuo Dao and, after a moment of contemplation, said, "Zuo Dao, I know you’re determined. But in the path of cultivation, some are fast, some slow, some strong, some weak, all of which is quite normal.
No one can stand at the peak forever. Joining the special training class, you, as the youngest, will inevitably be the weakest, and I hope you can adjust your mindset and cultivate diligently."
Zuo Dao replied sullenly, "I understand."
Afterwards, Zhao Shouyi gave the three some more advice, then had them go collect their points before he left.
With a sigh, Lv Chongyang commented, "Ah, it’s so early for them to join the special training class, it’s hard to say if it’s good or bad for them."
The best resources are limited, and that’s why the special training class was created.
The special training class is where Dao School selects its most outstanding students and provides them with the best resources to cultivate together, hoping that they will become the mainstay against the Heavenly Demons in the future.
But there has never been a case where freshmen joined just two months after the start of school.
After all, two months into school, they have limited achievements and are far behind students from previous years.
Joining now, they are likely to face setbacks, and if their confidence erodes and their spirit becomes unstable, doubting themselves, that would be problematic.
There have even been several young geniuses in history who became mediocre due to devastating defeats.
So, Lv Chongyang was a bit worried about letting the three join the special training class after only two months of cultivation.
"They’re not children, they don’t need a babysitter," Zhao Shouyi shook his head. "The situation is getting worse. The pressure from the Heavenly Demons is mounting, and how can it be borne by the frontline soldiers alone?
Heaven, the people, the government, the police, even we will be under pressure, and we must accelerate the training of students.
Read 𝓁atest chapters at fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Only.
Moreover, if Zhou Bai and the others can’t even handle this pressure, their future achievements won’t be very high."
After speaking about the three students, a serious look rose in Zhao Shouyi’s eyes, "It’s unheard of for the Heavenly Demons to accept human submission. Before, they would kill on sight.
But now that Xing Jun has successfully defected to the Heavenly Demons, how many people in Donghua City hold sympathies with them?"
Lv Chongyang asked, "Has the investigation begun from the top?"
"Yes, it’s being conducted secretly. This matter absolutely cannot be done with a big fuss, and the fact that humans have defected to the Heavenly Demons is top secret. If it spreads, it would lead to chaos and the danger of clan extinction and city destruction," Zhao Shouyi replied.
Lv Chongyang nodded, understanding that if the investigation were carried out openly, they might catch many traitors, but if the news of people defecting to the Heavenly Demons spread widely, how many more might choose to follow suit?
Not everyone is willing to fight to the death for justice. Previously, the Heavenly Demons killed indiscriminately and never accepted surrender, which united humanity. But now, if the betrayal becomes known, it’s doubtful whether humans could remain united in their over-a-century-long fight against the Heavenly Demons.
Yet, how long can such a secret be kept?
"A storm is brewing, and the wind is sweeping through the tower."
------
Thank you to ’Yu Tarou’ for the generous donation, and to ’saidh’ for the generous support, I am deeply grateful for everyone’s support.
In this crucial period for the new book, whether I’ll end up eating crap or food in the coming days is yet to be seen, please forgive me as I once again humbly ask for your recommendation tickets, collections, book lists, and word-of-mouth.