Chapter 581: The Butterfly King Who Likes to Pass the Buck (First Update, requesting everything)

The next morning, Yecheng Arena!

As always, today is the day of the annual gathering of the top 16 Academies.

Starting from November, except for the Four Great Academies, all other top 16 Academies underwent the strict screening of the regional Academy tournaments to earn their spots in the Academy Exchange Tournament.

Among all the major tournaments in Langya Kingdom, the most famous is naturally the National Tournament, followed by the Academy Exchange Tournament, with the National Youth Tournament trailing behind.

Because of this, even for just the oath-taking ceremony, the arena is packed with spectators, many of whom are students and Instructors who came specifically to cheer for their own Academies.

The Royal Academy, being close to the source, has the most people cheering for them; next is not the local Yecheng Academy, but Yuanling Academy, though it still lags far behind the Royal Academy.

Soon, the participating students of the top 16 Academies lined up in rows.

By old tradition, the Four Great Academies occupy the central area, with the Royal Academy and Yuanling Academy at the very center; this is their honor.

The captains of each Academy hold signs with their respective Academy names, standing at the very front of their teams; they are basically the strongest experts of their respective Academies.

Among them, the one representing Yuanling Academy is Li Changsheng; if there are no surprises, he will likely continue to stand here for the next two sessions.

"Eh, Changsheng, you've advanced to the Fifth Rank!"

Suddenly, an exclamation came from the side.

The voice came from his right; who else could it be but Dou Yuanhua?

Li Changsheng, who was just about to release his aura to show off, looked sharply at Dou Yuanhua. He was clearly still in a state of concealing his aura, and Dou Yuanhua hadn't noticed it when they last met, so how did he see through it this time?

Could it be that Dou Yuanhua had another encounter and obtained a treasure or Secret Technique that can see through auras? Or did someone tell him? Or perhaps... Dou Yuanhua has already advanced to the Sixth Rank or even become a Pseudo-King?

Li Changsheng felt puzzled and observed Dou Yuanhua carefully.

That's right, he still looks like a Fifth Rank!

No, given Dou Yuanhua's background and status, he must possess treasures and Secret Techniques to conceal his aura; perhaps he has already made a breakthrough, and at the very least, Li Changsheng cannot tell at all.

"Brother Dou has a keen eye; then I won't hide it anymore!"

Li Changsheng shrugged helplessly and fully released the aura belonging to a Fifth-tier Beastmaster.

There is no shortage of Sixth-Rank Experts in Yecheng Arena, so even if he wanted to hide it, he couldn't.

Since he cannot hide it, why bother? He will just push through everything.

One stone stirred up a thousand waves; as Li Changsheng released his aura, the experts and participating students present almost all turned their eyes toward him in unison.

Even though he deliberately delayed for half a year, the news of Li Changsheng advancing to the Fifth Rank was still shocking, after all, he is not yet 18 years old.

Needless to say, Li Changsheng easily broke the record for the youngest Fifth Rank in Langya Kingdom, previously held by the Butterfly King Luo Qingning, and pushed this record forward by a full year, leaving behind a record that makes successors feel almost desperate.

The higher-ups of Tiandu Academy and Huating Academy originally still had some thoughts about the second-place seat, but now that they saw Li Changsheng had advanced to the Fifth Rank, they all dismissed this idea.

Just kidding, Li Changsheng could kill the Fifth-rank Liu Xudong when he was at the Fourth Rank; now that Li Changsheng is at the Fifth Rank, what is there to fight for? Better leave it to the Royal Academy to get a headache over.

In the Royal Academy camp, unlike the last session, the one leading the team this time does not seem to be Vice Principal Sun Min, but a woman who looks elegant and noble.

The woman is about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, graceful and charming, with skin like congealed fat, extremely beautiful features, flowing eyes, and a smiling cherry mouth, looking indescribably charming and delightful.

There is only one person in the entire Royal Academy who can make Sun Min follow her lead, and that is the Butterfly King Luo Qingning.

On the surface, Luo Qingning looks only twenty-five or twenty-six, but her actual age is enough to be Li Changsheng's grandmother; it is just that as an Emperor Rank, coupled with her techniques for maintaining youth, only an old woman would look so young.

This time, the reason Luo Qingning is leading the team personally is mainly because Yuanling Academy has shown a trend of threatening the Royal Academy's ruling position.

Emperors have their pride too; no, Emperors care far more about their reputation than ordinary people.

If the Royal Academy, which has ruled as the number one Academy in Langya Kingdom for nearly three hundred years, were to be defeated during her tenure as Principal, she would truly have no face to face the past masters of the Royal Academy.

Thus, Luo Qingning decided to take charge personally.

Looking at Li Changsheng on the field, who had the air of "a jade-like gentleman, peerless in the world," Luo Qingning sighed softly and threw a Jade Box to Sun Min, saying: "There are two Seven-Colored Profound Dome Pearls here; give them to Dou Yuanhua in a while. Whether he can advance to the Sixth Rank or even a Pseudo-King depends on his own luck."

Luo Qingning is also helpless; Li Changsheng could kill the Fifth-rank Liu Xudong at the Fourth Rank, and now that he is at the Fifth Rank, neither Dou Yuanhua nor Dou Yuansheng are likely his opponents. Even if the Royal Academy has an overall advantage, the possibility of defeat is still not small.

For the sake of safety, Luo Qingning had to pay out of her own pocket, hoping that the Royal Academy could survive this crisis.

Sun Min caught the Jade Box and was speechless; these are two Seven-Colored Profound Dome Pearls. If given to a long-time Fifth-rank Instructor, it could very likely cultivate a Sixth-Rank high-level expert for the Royal Academy, and with enough luck, even become a Pseudo-King in one go.

Giving them to Dou Yuanhua is ultimately a bit of a waste, after all, after this session, Dou Yuanhua will be graduating.

Luo Qingning moved her lips and began to transmit her voice to Sun Min: "Vice Principal Sun, I plan to go into seclusion for a period of time after the New Year. I have decided to resign from the position of Principal at that time, and you will serve as the Principal of the Royal Academy!"

Luo Qingning knows very well that by the next Academy Exchange Tournament, unless she is willing to pay a huge price, it will be difficult to suppress Li Changsheng, who is likely to advance even further.

Under these circumstances, she chose to retire while at the peak of her success.

Simply put, she is not prepared to carry such a black pot and chose to throw this pot to someone else.

"Ah!"

Sun Min exclaimed, her heart a mix of sorrow and joy.

On one hand, she felt genuinely happy to become the Principal of the Royal Academy; after all, this represents power and resources, which means a greater chance of becoming an Emperor Rank.

On the other hand, she felt sorrowful; how could she not see the situation that Luo Qingning could see? Li Changsheng of Yuanling Academy is truly too monstrous. The Royal Academy might still be able to suppress him this year, but by next year, they will no longer be able to.

If the Royal Academy loses its seat as the number one Academy, it will inevitably face a situation where resources shrink significantly. By then, even if she becomes the Principal, the resources she obtains will probably be about the same as the current Vice Principal.

In addition, she would also become a sinner of the Royal Academy.

This was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, leaving Sun Min feeling chilled to the bone.

After weighing the pros and cons, Sun Min felt very uncomfortable, but she dared not refuse to her face. Based on her understanding of Luo Qingning, if she refused to her face, she was afraid she would be made to wear tight shoes.

Thus, Sun Min hesitated, feeling quite like a baby who is bitter inside but cannot speak of it.

"I won't let you suffer a loss either; this is a Barrier Breaking Pill. As long as you agree, it is yours!"

While speaking, Luo Qingning handed a Jade Bottle to Sun Min with a pained heart.

Even for Luo Qingning, the Barrier Breaking Pill is still quite important, but she is a person who cares about her reputation. In order to make Sun Min willingly carry this black pot, she could only give substantial benefits.

Luo Qingning is also helpless; the Royal Academy has a full six Sixth-Rank Experts, but there is only one Pseudo-King, Sun Min.

It can be said that Sun Min is the most suitable successor.

Looking at the Jade Bottle in her hand, Sun Min was tempted again.

The Barrier Breaking Pill is an Alchemical Pill that can assist Demon Pets in breaking through to the Demon King level. Although it falls into the category of high-level pills, its refining difficulty is comparable to top-level pills, and it is known as a pseudo-top-level pill.

Although it could only increase the breakthrough probability by less than twenty percent, it was still rare and precious, especially for a Pseudo-King like Sun Min.

On one side was her reputation, and on the other were the tangible benefits; plus, she did not dare to offend Luo Qingning, so Sun Min had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

"After this Exchange Tournament is over, I will go and make contact with Li Zhangsheng; perhaps I might even poach him."

Sun Min could not help but think to herself; this was the only method she could think of. Since she could not defeat the other party, she would find a way to make the other party join her.

Dong, dong, dong~

At this moment, a Vigorous bell toll rang out, and the restless minds of everyone present instantly became calm, while the previously exceptionally noisy arena fell silent.

Such an effect was comparable to the Clear Heart and Stabilizing Spirit Bell, but unlike the Clear Heart and Stabilizing Spirit Bell, its range of influence was too vast; Li Zhangsheng suspected that this was a World Wonder.

It was also at this time that the Emperor of the Langya Kingdom, Dou Zhangsheng, wearing a five-clawed golden dragon robe, slowly walked onto the high platform.

"Hello everyone..."

Dou Zhangsheng began a passionate speech, and with the assistance of his exceptionally powerful Mental Power, everyone present felt as if Dou Zhangsheng were whispering right into their ears.

Compared to last year, Dou Zhangsheng's aura was even more Vigorous, seeming even more intense than that of Zuo Qiulin, who possessed four Demon Beasts.

If there were no surprises, Dou Zhangsheng likely possessed five Demon Beasts, and with the abundant resources of the Imperial Family, he could become a King at any time.

"I must stop Dou Yuanbin from inheriting the throne."

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall; since he had formed a feud with Dou Yuanbin, Li Zhangsheng naturally had to think of every possible way to sabotage Dou Yuanbin's plans to succeed to the throne.

On the high platform, Dou Zhangsheng gave a stereotypical review of the history of the Academy Exchange Tournament and the academies that had performed outstandingly in the previous session, with Yuanling Academy naturally being one of the highlights.

Dou Zhangsheng did not have much nonsense to say, and he soon announced that the Academy Exchange Tournament had officially begun.

Up until this very moment, the remaining academies, excluding the Four Great Academies, each sent representatives forward to draw lots to determine their group assignments.

The Four Great Academies automatically became seeded candidates, and according to their respective rankings, they were divided into groups; Yuanling Academy belonged to the second group.

In the Group Stage, there were a total of four groups, each group consisting of four academies; each academy needed to take turns battling the other three academies once, and the academy with the highest final points would automatically advance to the final four.

Today's goal: three, pigs, proof!

(End of this chapter)