Chapter 520: Chapter 520: Treating Grandmother
However, his expression soon became serious once more.
"There’s another thing you must remember, and this matter is even more important."
Lana listened carefully.
"These competitions may appear fair on the surface, but once things spiral out of control, many factions secretly resort to dirty methods."
A cold glint flickered across his eyes.
"Assassinations, sabotage, poisoning, mental attacks... none of those things are uncommon."
Axel’s expression instantly darkened.
However, Principal Troy immediately continued.
"But you don’t need to worry too much. I’ve already spoken with the Mystic Cultivation Association. They will provide additional protection for you during your stay there."
Lana was genuinely stunned upon hearing that.
Then Principal Troy suddenly leaned back against his chair before speaking in a calm voice again.
"If you manage to enter the top twenty rankings, I will personally reward you with ten billion dollars."
The moment those words fell, Lana’s eyes immediately sparkled brightly.
Ten billion. Even Axel nearly choked upon hearing that amount.
But Principal Troy still wasn’t finished.
"If you enter the top ten..."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I will personally provide all the cultivation resources required for you to reach the Spirit Monarch Realm free of charge."
Lana’s eyes widened instantly.
However, Principal Troy calmly delivered one final sentence.
"And if you enter the top three..."
A faint smile finally appeared on his old face.
"You will officially become a board member of Shadowridge University."
The moment Lana heard those words, her heart violently shook.
A board member.
That position held enormous authority inside the university.
If she truly obtained that status, then recommending students into the university would become incredibly easy for her. She could even influence teacher quotas and major administrative decisions throughout the academy.
For the very first time since entering the office, genuine excitement finally appeared within Lana’s eyes.
"Mr. Principal," she spoke suddenly, her tone becoming noticeably different, "what if I get the first rank instead?"
The moment those words fell, Principal Troy blinked before bursting into amused laughter.
The old man leaned back against his chair while the faint scent of tea drifted through the quiet office.
"If you can truly obtain first place," he replied while chuckling softly, "then I will give you every single benefit I just mentioned."
Honestly, Troy spoke those words entirely out of amusement.
In his eyes, obtaining the first rank was nearly impossible.
After all, to stand at the absolute top of an international competition, Lana would most likely need to reach the Spirit Monarch Rank itself. At her current stage, such a thing was practically unimaginable.
Because of this, he felt extremely confident while making that promise.
However, Lana merely narrowed her eyes before chuckling softly.
"Then it’s a deal."
She lightly waved her phone in front of him.
"I already recorded your promise. If you dare go back on your word later, I’ll publicly broadcast this recording everywhere."
For a moment, Principal Troy stared blankly before laughing even harder.
"Sure, sure," he replied helplessly. "If you truly accomplish it, I definitely won’t regret those rewards."
Soon afterward, Lana finally left the office.
Throughout the entire discussion, Axel had remained silent because even he had to admit that Principal Troy had offered Lana an extraordinary opportunity.
However, the moment Axel thought about Lana stepping onto an international stage filled with terrifying geniuses, his expression gradually turned grim.
The smile on his face disappeared completely.
After remaining silent for a while, he suddenly spoke.
"I’ll personally train you from now on."
Lana blinked in surprise before looking toward him curiously.
"Uncle Axel, have you ever participated in this competition before?"
Axel slowly nodded.
"During our generation, simply reaching the Celestial Core Rank was already enough to become famous," he replied calmly. "But during your generation, the competition has clearly become far more brutal."
Lana nodded lightly. "Even I feel the same way."
Seeing her agreeing so seriously, Axel suddenly snorted before flicking her forehead lightly.
"You truly dared to boast so confidently in front of Principal Troy just now, yet now you’re suddenly acting pitiful."
Lana instantly covered her forehead before glaring at him unhappily. "That hurt."
Axel only laughed faintly.
After returning to her classroom later that afternoon, Lana immediately noticed Layla sitting quietly by the window.
Lana smiled softly before walking toward her. "I’m ready."
The moment Layla heard those words, her gloomy expression instantly softened.
That very night, instead of returning to Lucian’s mansion, Lana followed Layla toward her downtown apartment.
The apartment building itself was old and somewhat worn down.
However, what truly surprised Lana was the security surrounding the place.
There were hidden defensive formations near the entrances, several monitoring devices, and even traces of spiritual barriers carefully placed around the building.
It was far too excessive for an ordinary apartment.
’Something feels strange here,’ Lana thought silently.
Once inside, Lana finally saw Layla’s grandmother lying weakly on a bed near the corner of the room.
The elderly woman’s breathing sounded extremely faint, and her pale skin made her appear frighteningly fragile.
For the very first time, Lana truly realized that even mystical cultivators could live in such poverty.
Normally, any cultivator should at least possess a decent standard of living.
Yet the conditions here were honestly heartbreaking.
Noticing Lana’s gaze, Layla suddenly chuckled awkwardly.
"Please don’t mind our condition."
Lana immediately waved her hand dismissively.
"It’s nothing," she replied softly. "I’ve seen places much worse than this."
Hearing those words, Layla could not help but laugh lightly.
Soon, Lana sat beside the bed and gently placed her hand over Layla’s grandmother.
Warm healing energy immediately began flowing out from her palm like a gentle stream of light.
After all, Mr. Crow had already conducted a preliminary analysis before this. According to him, as long as Lana continued these healing sessions for at least ten days, Layla’s grandmother would recover completely.
However, after the first healing session ended, Lana immediately felt dizziness assaulting her mind.
Her vision blurred slightly. Layla quickly stood up in panic before bringing her a glass of water.
