Chapter 191: The Struggle for the Jiuzhou Quota (Thanks to [Kuai Ai Xian Nv Bai)

Emerging from the bedroom, sunlight shone upon Lin Chao, and he felt languid.

Although the Sun in the sky was fake, this kind of sunlight still made one feel warm.

Walking out of the bedroom and moving through the Academy, many new faces kept appearing.

The young men and women had callow faces, their gazes expectant and excited.

This made Lin Chao feel as if he had returned to five years ago, the moment he first entered the Dark Light Academy.

"Feng Yan, you've come out of seclusion?" Ahead, Qian Miaomiao was in a black tight-fitting suit, her figure appearing curvaceous.

In the span of five years, Qian Miaomiao had grown from a fourteen-year-old little girl into a graceful young woman.

"Mm." Lin Chao glanced at Qian Miaomiao, his gaze carrying a trace of surprise.

If he remembered correctly, Qian Miaomiao's talent had not yet reached Super Grade.

As it turned out, his perception told him that Qian Miaomiao had already reached the Third Tier.

One must know, among the students in Lin Chao's batch who entered the Dark Light Academy, many with Super Grade talent were still stuck at the Second Tier.

It seemed Qian Miaomiao also had her own opportunities.

"With the recently released bill, if Clones start a business, they can receive government subsidies, and elderly Clones also enjoy basic government security subsidies..." Qian Miaomiao's face carried a trace of joy.

Because of the Clones, Qian Miaomiao felt some closeness to Lin Chao, and the relationship between the two had become familiar.

"That's quite good." Lin Chao sighed with emotion.

Over these past few years, the social status of Clones had slowly improved.

However, the conflict between civilian Clones and Ordinary people had also gradually grown.

After chatting casually with Qian Miaomiao for a few sentences, Lin Chao walked straight toward the Ancient Law Academy.

Qian Miaomiao watched Lin Chao's back and withdrew her gaze.

At this moment, a girl with a rather well-behaved appearance walked over: "Miaomiao, Feng Yan has always been single; if you are interested, why haven't you made a move yet?"

A smile appeared on Qian Miaomiao's face: "Isn't it good to be confidants?

Besides..."

Thinking of something, Qian Miaomiao looked at Feng Yan's back.

"He and I are simply not people of the same world."

She could naturally see that Feng Yan had his own philosophy and was neither cold nor hot toward her.

And she, too, had her own things to do.

Her feelings for Feng Yan were merely the fondness between friends.

"He has Super Grade talent, Miaomiao, don't belittle yourself." The well-behaved girl thought Qian Miaomiao was feeling inferior.

"You're overthinking it." Qian Miaomiao had a smile on her face, "Alright, I won't talk to you anymore, I'm preparing to go down to the Demon Cave with Senior Sister Zhu Yan."

"Sigh, Miaomiao, I really envy you for knowing a genius like Senior Sister Zhu Yan." The well-behaved girl's face carried an envious expression.

Ancient Law Academy, Dean's office.

Gong Ting sat upright, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and looked at Lin Chao; a look of surprise appeared on her face: "How is it that you were willing to come find me?"

In these few years, the number of times she had seen Lin Chao could be counted on one hand.

"Dean, our Academy has exchange student quotas for Jiuzhou, and I want to obtain one of these quotas." Lin Chao stated his purpose directly.

Gong Ting was slightly stunned, took off her glasses with her hand, and stared at Lin Chao: "You... are at the Third Tier?"

"Yes, Three Stages of Ancient Method." As Lin Chao spoke, a jade-green radiance appeared in his hand.

Seeing this radiance, a trace of disappointment flashed in Gong Ting's eyes: "You... sigh."

She could not speak, her eyes filled with an expression of regret.

One must know, once one steps into the Three Stages of Ancient Method, there is no possibility of switching to the New Method.

A few years ago, and even every time they met, Gong Ting had hinted that he must never step into the Third Tier.

The Dean of the Martial Academy and the Dean of the Art Academy had also kept asking Gong Ting to persuade Feng Yan.

Because she knew that once one stepped into the Three Stages of Ancient Method, even someone as peerless as Wang Qiankun would end up at the Fifth Tier in this life.

If she remembered correctly, the Wang Qiankun of back then was overflowing with talent, yet it still took him ten years to step into the Three Stages of Ancient Method.

And Feng Yan had stepped into the Three Stages of Ancient Method in five years.

This kind of talent was absolutely terrifying!

If he had switched to the New Method, perhaps the current Feng Yan would only be one step away from the Fourth Tier.

The stronger Feng Yan's talent was, the more Gong Ting regretted it.

In her view, this student, Feng Yan, was already... ruined.

Even so, her attitude toward Feng Yan did not change in the slightest.

"Wanting to obtain the quota to go to Jiuzhou is not that simple.

First, your contribution must be high enough; second, your potential must be great. Only then is it worth the Academy's investment." Gong Ting sighed leisurely.

Now that Feng Yan had cultivated the Ancient Method to the Third Tier, in this situation, it was very obvious that his potential was exhausted.

The Academy might not necessarily give him this quota.

After all, going to the Otherworld of Jiuzhou held immense benefits for these new students.

Especially for Transcendental who had just broken through to the Third or Fourth Tier, going to Jiuzhou to see different worlds, perceive different systems, and use them to verify their own path held many benefits for future cultivation.

"Human effort can achieve anything." Lin Chao did not mind, "May I ask Dean, how does one obtain the quota to go to Jiuzhou?"

The reason Lin Chao chose to come out of seclusion at this time was because he had already investigated clearly that there were only three quotas to go to Jiuzhou, which would be finalized in one month.

Now was the time to determine the pre-selected candidates.

"Each academy under the Dark Light Academy can recommend one student to participate, and in the end, only three people can go to Jiuzhou."

"In the Ancient Law Academy, only one person has reached the Third Tier, and you are the only one who meets the criteria for this quota. I can recommend you to Jiuzhou, but I cannot guarantee whether the Academy will ultimately select you." Gong Ting did not hold much hope for Feng Yan going to Jiuzhou.

"Many thanks, Dean." Lin Chao felt grateful in his heart.

Gong Ting spoke with him for a long time before Lin Chao finally understood the rules for competing to go to Jiuzhou.

First, one needs to obtain the support of one of the school's twelve investors.

Second, complete a trial jointly proposed by the Academy and the investor, or solve a difficult problem for the investor.

Finally, the twelve deans of the Academy vote to select the three most qualified individuals.

Lin Chao's gaze was calm, and he already had some calculations in his heart.

After bidding farewell to Gong Ting, Lin Chao chose to return to his room.

Just as he stepped out of the main gate of the Ancient Law Academy, a burly figure blocked his path.

"Feng Yan, have you really reached the Third Tier?" The person who came was the Dean of the Martial Academy, and at this moment, his face bore a deep sense of regret.

"Yes." Lin Chao nodded.

"Sigh." The Martial Academy Dean placed his hand on Lin Chao's shoulder, looking exceptionally pained. "This is the path you chose; I cannot say anything, I can only hope you... walk out a different path."

Having said this, the Martial Academy Dean sighed and left.

Lin Chao remained calm; he went to the cafeteria to finish his meal and returned to his bedroom.

By this time, news regarding Feng Yan breaking through to the Three Stages of Ancient Method was spreading wildly throughout the Dark Light Academy.

After all, breaking through to the Third Tier so quickly, and the Third Tier of the Ancient Method at that, showed that Feng Yan's talent belonged to the top tier among these recent batches of new students.

Such a heaven-gifted talent had embarked on the path of the Ancient Method, which had no future, which was truly regrettable.

In a restaurant, Pangzi wore a smug smile on his face: "That guy Feng Yan, he entered the Academy with me back then, relying on his high talent to constantly put on airs. In the end, I don't know what went wrong in his head, but he chose the Ancient Method.

Perhaps this is the pride of a genius?

It's a pity, he will be stuck at the Third Tier or Fourth Tier for the rest of his life, haha."

Pangzi was one of the fourteen people who entered the Academy with Lin Chao back then.

At that time, when those dozen or so people were gathering, Pangzi expressed his dissatisfaction with Feng Yan and was scolded by Qian Miaomiao.

He felt unhappy inside, and because Feng Yan's reputation in the Dark Light Academy was great and he was envied by many, he had always harbored jealousy.

As time went on, being narrow-minded, he grew to resent Feng Yan.

Beside him, several of Pangzi's cronies also began to laugh.

Toward a genius, they felt jealousy and envy, but toward a fallen genius, they wanted to step on them.

"Hmph, a bunch of losers. Your own limits in this life are probably just the Third Tier, yet you have the nerve to mock others?"

Zhu Yan was dressed in a black dress, her eyes cold.

Pangzi and the others were stared at, their hearts instantly turning cold, and expressions of fear appeared on their faces; they dared not speak again.

Beside her, Qian Miaomiao looked at Pangzi with a face full of disdain.

Zhu Yan and Qian Miaomiao walked toward the second floor, when suddenly, Zhu Yan paused.

Her destiny was governed by Fire, and her perception was extraordinary; suddenly, she seemed to sense a chill in the air.

However, she scanned the area and discovered nothing unusual.

"What's wrong?" Qian Miaomiao asked, puzzled.

"Nothing." Zhu Yan replied, and the two went to a private room on the second floor.

At this moment, a voice came from Zhu Yan: "Of the five Dawn Bringers, two have already been gathered.

We need to find the other three as soon as possible.

In recent years, the frequency of the Demon Race invading the Qiyuan World has become higher and higher.

If we cannot gather the Heaven Severing Artifacts before the main force of the Demon Race arrives, the Qiyuan World will be in danger."

The one speaking was a remnant soul named Lan Xue inside Zhu Yan's body.

"Senior Lan, is there any news on the other three?" Qian Miaomiao could not help but ask.

Zhu Yan said softly: "Five years ago, we once sensed a Dawn Bringer in Ge'en City, but..."

"Ge'en City, could Feng Yan be one too?" A look of excitement appeared on Qian Miaomiao's face.

Lan Xue's aged voice carried a hint of a smile: "In a small Dark Light Academy, you two, the Fire and Water Dawn Bringers, have already gathered. The probability of a third one appearing is extremely low.

Feng Yan's talent is very high; if placed in the Jing Country, he would rank in the top twenty.

It is a pity, I have had close contact with him, and he is not a Dawn Bringer."

"So that's how it is." A sense of inexplicable disappointment arose in Qian Miaomiao's heart.

It would have been great if Feng Yan were also a Dawn Bringer.

Even if he practiced the Ancient Method and it was difficult for him to progress in this life, with a Heaven Severing Artifact, he might not be unable to unleash powerful combat strength.

In the end, she still felt regret for Feng Yan in her heart.

"Perhaps a Dawn Bringer was passing through Ge'en City at the time, or perhaps my perception was wrong," Lan Xue said.

"Master, do we have any leads on the next Dawn Bringer we need to find?" Zhu Yan inquired.

"Yes, recently I received a transmission from an old friend; she has discovered a Dawn Bringer.

However, that Dawn Bringer is somewhat special... or rather, it exceeded my expectations."

"What is so special about them?" Qian Miaomiao asked curiously. "Are they not from the Jing Country?"

Lan Xue was silent for a moment, then said: "He is... a Clone."

"What? A Clone!!" Qian Miaomiao was shocked for the first time. "How can it be a Clone?"

"I did not expect it either," Lan Xue sighed. "However, this does not affect our grand plan."

"Mm." Qian Miaomiao's eyes flickered, and a look of joy appeared on her face. "Being a Clone is quite good."

"My Lord." A pitch-black figure appeared before Lin Chao, a look of reverence on the figure's face.

"Hmm." Lin Chao responded, "How have things been lately?"

The figure before him was a Ghost that Lin Chao had contracted two years ago, named Ye Mei.

The name sounded wild and charming, yet he was a man.

This Ghost possessed Seventh Tier strength.

In terms of combat power, he was a significant distance behind Hong Yin.

However, his Stealth ability was extremely powerful; among the nine Seventh Tier Ghosts Lin Chao had contracted, he was ranked first.

That was why he was the one to infiltrate the Dark Light Academy to communicate with Lin Chao on behalf of the Ghosts outside.

"A few days ago, Hong Yin slayed several more Demon Kings," Ye Mei said, a trace of envy on his face.

Hong Yin's realm was on par with his, but her combat power far exceeded his.

He knew this was related to Hong Yin having contracted with My Lord very early on.

Back then, when My Lord made a breakthrough, the strength of the Ghosts contracted earlier, like Hong Yin, surged, and their potential increased significantly as well.

Over these five years, Hong Yin's growth in strength had also been rapid.

Of course, Hong Yin's original strength had already been very high.

Ye Mei and the group of Ghosts from Seabird were all looking forward to Lin Chao returning to the Feng Family, so that the Feng Family's cultivation method could break through to the Sixth Tier, or even the Seventh Tier.

Then, their strength and potential would also skyrocket.

"Hmm." Lin Chao sipped his tea and continued to listen.

"Recently, Yuan Kong has contacted another batch of Ghosts; among them is one with strength comparable to the Seventh Tier. If My Lord has time, you can find a moment to go out and contract it."

"Very well, I will go out in five days." Lin Chao nodded.

Over these past five years, the group of Ghosts including Hong Yin and Yuan Kong had not slowed their pace of expansion.

The strength of Seabird was, on the surface, still just an Ordinary Supernatural force in Xinghai City.

But in reality, this Supernatural force had long been infiltrated and replaced by the Ghosts Lin Chao had contracted, and it contained power sufficient to overturn Xinghai City.

"My Lord, on the road just now, a Pangzi was disrespectful to you in his speech. Ye Mei felt displeased and, unable to hold back for a moment, applied some minor methods. I ask that My Lord not blame Ye Mei for acting on his own initiative." Ye Mei said quietly, stealing a glance at Lin Chao.

"It is nothing. You have your own discretion in how you do things; I am very at ease." Lin Chao's gaze was calm, "Alright, go back first."

"As you command."

Three days later.

Su Lingxue wore a pale blue long dress, simple yet elegant, as she entered the main hall.

At this moment, quite a few people had already arrived in the main hall.

When they saw Su Lingxue, many of them showed a look of admiration on their faces.

"Miss Su, which of the candidates for the twelve Academies are you choosing to support this time?" a young man asked, probing.

"It has not been decided yet." Su Lingxue's voice was crisp, like a clear breeze.

After a simple greeting, she sat down and began to carefully read through the documents.

On her calm face, there was a sense of worry deep within her eyes.

The current Su Group was going from bad to worse.

Su Lingxue pinned her hopes for saving the Su Group on this selection for the Jiuzhou quota.

Once the person they supported successfully obtained the quota to go to Jiuzhou.

Then, the Su Group could use this connection to conduct a one-time cross-boundary trade with Jiuzhou.

The profits from cross-boundary trade were immense, and this was also the most effective way to resolve the Su Group's current difficult situation.

However, this kind of support and investment was a two-way street.

The popular candidates had long since been eyed by other major financial groups.

Those major financial groups were powerful and could provide the greatest help to the candidates they supported.

The Su Group could not compare at all.

Moreover, the Su Group's predicament went far beyond just this.

Recently, a powerful young master from Jingcheng had arrived, and the Su Group was tasked with hosting him.

The Su Group had once offended this powerful young master's celebrity lover, and this young master was now staying at the Su Group, deliberately making things difficult for them.

Although the Su Group was said to be an investor in the Dark Light Academy, in reality, it was the Su Group and other financial groups clinging to the Dark Light Academy.

These financial groups were merely the cash cows for the Dark Light Academy.

That young master might be wary of the Dark Light Academy, but he kept making small moves.

These days, that young master had set his sights on that Ghost in Xinghai City that carried stones to fill the sea, constantly urging the Su Group to make contact with that Ghost and capture it.

With the Su Group's current internal problems, how would those geniuses from the Dark Light Academy be willing to cooperate with the Su Group?

Su Lingxue flipped through the documents and finally stopped on one page: "Feng Yan..."

She looked at the photo on the document, her eyes complex.

Of the twelve candidates, the three most popular ones did not even need to be chosen.

The other few secondary popular ones seemed to have already been contacted in advance and decided upon in secret.

Only three people remained undecided.

Among these three was Feng Yan.

Su Lingxue's thoughts were complex: "Miaomiao said that Feng Yan's talent is extremely strong..."

She already knew about the legends regarding Feng Yan.

That was a genius, the top genius of the Dark Light Academy over the past few decades.

It is a pity that having practiced the Ancient Method, there is almost no future.

It can be said that Feng Yan, who practices the Ancient Method, has the lowest potential and almost no possibility of going to Jiuzhou.

"I should still choose Feng Yan." Su Lingxue thought for a moment and made a decision in her heart.

The probability of the other two being chosen is also extremely, extremely low.

And a genius like Feng Yan is certainly not a fool.

With such high talent, someone who is almost ninety-nine percent likely to become a high-level member of the Dark Light Academy in the future has actually chosen the Ancient Method, which has no future; there must be his own reasons for this.

Moreover, her good sister Qian Miaomiao has mentioned Feng Yan to her several times.

This time, after thinking it over, she gritted her teeth and chose Feng Yan.

She could only gamble, taking a risky move, or perhaps it was driven by a hint of emotional factors.

What if it could bring about even the slightest turning point?

Su Lingxue sat there, and with the decision made in her heart, she calmed down instead.

At this moment, Guo Yan, who was beside her, cast her gaze upon Su Lingxue: "Sister Su, among the twelve candidates this time, nine have actually been decided in secret.

Our Guo Clan has settled on Fei Zhanbin; which of the remaining ones has Sister Su taken a fancy to?"

As Guo Yan spoke, there was a sense of showing off in her expression.

Fei Zhanbin is not among the three most popular candidates, but his talent is also very high; he has only been in the Dark Light Academy for nine years and is just one step away from the Fourth Tier.

Aside from those three, he is the most likely to obtain a spot to go to Jiuzhou.

Su Lingxue naturally saw through Guo Yan's showing off, and she just replied politely: "The Guo Clan is indeed impressive."

Guo Yan wore a smile on her face: "The current Su Group is not in a good situation; although the probability of the remaining three going to Jiuzhou is extremely low, they probably wouldn't dare to choose to cooperate with the Su Group.

I think that Feng Yan is quite a good match for the Su Group; why doesn't Sister Su just choose Feng Yan and give the Dark Light Academy some face?"

Su Lingxue gave Guo Yan a cold look: "Who I choose has nothing to do with you.

By the way, Feng Yan is a candidate from the Ancient Law Academy and represents Dean Gong Ting; for people like us with a little bit of money, it is better not to gossip about these big figures behind their backs, otherwise, one day you won't even know how you died."

Guo Yan's heart skipped a beat; she was indeed intimidated by Su Lingxue: "What is Sister Su saying? How would I dare to talk about students of the Dark Light Academy?"

The conversation ended in a hurry.

Fifteen minutes passed, and people from the Dark Light Academy entered the hall one after another.

Not long after, all twelve people had arrived.

The representatives of these financial groups stood up one after another to communicate and cooperate with the candidates from the various academies.

Su Lingxue saw Feng Yan sitting to the side at a glance, as cold and lonely as night snow.

She walked over: "Mr. Feng Yan, I am Su Lingxue of the Su Group. May I ask if we can cooperate with Mr. Feng Yan this time?

This is the information about our Su Group; please take a look, Mr. Feng Yan.

It contains the background of our Su Group, as well as the resources we can provide you, and so on."

As Su Lingxue spoke, she was actually still a bit uneasy inside.

After all, a figure like Feng Yan is truly sigh-inducing and baffling.

Whatever choice he makes is possible.

Lin Chao flipped through the information casually.

In fact, he already had a plan in his heart for securing the spot to go to Jiuzhou this time, and it was a sure thing.

Choosing to cooperate with anyone would work.

However, this woman is quite honest; she directly mentioned some of the problems existing in the Su Group without hiding them.

Lin Chao did not care about these things.

He looked at Su Lingxue with a calm gaze: "Happy to cooperate."

Thanks to 【Kuai Ai Xian Nv Bai Meng Yan】 for the 4,000 reward! Thanks to 【Lun Hui Yi Shi 147 Zai Lai Yi Ci】 for the tip!!!

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(End of this chapter)