Chapter 90: Internal Strife and Hidden Struggles

As Xu Wenhua finished speaking, the two senior Academy officials surrounding him began to act; they flew through the void like arrows released from a bow, landing in different positions in the blink of an eye.

Including Xu Wenhua, the three of them occupied three positions.

"New students who wish to join the Alchemist Academy, please come to me," said Ning Wei, Dean of the Alchemist Academy.

"Those who wish to join the Artifact Maker Academy..." said Fang Yu, Dean of the Artifact Maker Academy.

As they spoke, the two Deans exhaled and projected their voices, which sounded like thunder, while simultaneously radiating a suffocating Pressure.

Following closely behind the two, Xu Wenhua finally shouted: "New students who wish to join the Battle Academy, please stand where you are and wait!"

Xu Wenhua also radiated an astonishing Pressure, his rich Mental Power appearing almost tangible, with a faint milky-white luster appearing above his head—a sign that his Mental Power was on the verge of materializing.

Although both were Sixth-tier Beastmasters, there were still differences in strength based on their Demon Pets and beast-taming techniques; compared to Xu Wenhua, the Mental Power of the other two Deans was undoubtedly a notch inferior.

The next moment, all the students present began to make their choices; some stood firmly in place, some resolutely chose other academies, and more were still hesitant.

However, most of the outstanding students on the high platform did not leave.

Among the three major academies, the Battle Academy was the best, with the most opportunities and resources allocated; if one wanted to become a Stronger, the Battle Academy was undoubtedly the best choice.

"The three of you, I'm going to the Alchemist Academy!" After hesitating for a while, Li Jingyi finally made up her mind; she had a clear understanding of herself and knew that her personality was not suited for the Battle Academy.

Moreover, most of the outstanding students were crowding into the Battle Academy, so the competition was naturally extremely fierce, and it might not necessarily be better than the other academies.

"Good luck!" Li Zhangsheng and the other two were not very surprised by Li Jingyi's choice; Li Jingyi was too quiet, making her more suitable for other academies.

Furthermore, very few outstanding new students chose the Alchemist Academy, so Li Jingyi would have more opportunities, and even had the hope of becoming the chief student of the Alchemist Academy.

Except for Li Jingyi, the three of them never moved; they were all confident and believed they could make a name for themselves in the Battle Academy.

Soon, the situation became clear; among the three major academies, the Battle Academy had the most choices, accounting for more than half; next was the Artifact Maker Academy, with about three hundred new students—compared to alchemy, artifact making was easier to pick up.

The Alchemist Academy was in a rather awkward position, with barely three digits of new students, and even fewer outstanding ones; the Alchemist Dean could only puff out his beard and stare, though he had been prepared, thinking about it was one thing, but seeing it was another—people always have extravagant hopes, don't they?

"Time's up!" Xu Wenhua shouted, and after a pause, he continued: "A total of 623 new students have chosen the Battle Academy. Unfortunately, our Battle Academy only has four hundred spots, so we must eliminate 223 people. According to custom, in the next half hour, you all have one chance to challenge or be challenged, until only four hundred people remain!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the new students were in an instant uproar, each searching for a target to strike.

Better the friend than me!

In order to win a spot, they did not mind eliminating the weak.

On the high platform, several Second-tier Students unleashed their auras without restraint; the new students originally around them hurriedly retreated, fearing they would be challenged.

For a time, three empty zones appeared on the high platform.

This year, Yuanling Academy admitted three Second-tier Students; their assessment scores were all excellent, and all were ranked in the top ten.

Not far away, before Li Zhangsheng could ask, Li Runfeng said in a low voice: "I've inquired about them. The one with the Thunder God Mouth is named Zhang Yi, the youngest son of the Pengcheng Zhang Clan leader; the short one is Xu Xiangzhi, the eldest grandson of Vice Principal Xu; as for that beautiful girl holding the White Fox, her name is Zhao Shuyi, and I heard she comes from the Noble Family Zhao! These three have deep backgrounds; if there's no need, it's best not to provoke them!"

Vice Principal Xu goes without saying; he is a top figure in Yuanling Academy and an even more powerful Sixth-tier Beastmaster.

The Noble Family Zhao goes without saying even more; there are grades among noble families, with Noble Families being superior to County Gentry, and County Gentry being superior to Local Powers. This is not just an advantage in influence; to become a Noble Family, one must have a Sixth-tier Beastmaster sitting in command.

As for the Pengcheng Zhang Clan, they are a County Gentry family of Peng City; although not as good as the Noble Family Zhao, this is the Zhang Clan's territory, and they enjoy the advantages of being the local power.

Simply put, the three have strong backgrounds, wealth, and power, so it's no wonder they became Second-tier Beastmasters before enrollment.

Family background is always a part that cannot be ignored; in a sense, it can even be classified as part of one's personal ability.

Can't afford to provoke them, can't afford to provoke them!

After releasing their auras, the three Second-tier Students did not act immediately; they stood in place, eyeing the other two with vigilant gazes.

As for the other new students, they were not currently in their eyes.

To deter other new students, many new students released their powerful Demon Pets.

Chirp~

Li Zhangsheng was no exception; with a flick of his Monster Pet Bag, accompanied by a loud cry, the Paradise Bird flapped its wings and flew low, circling above him.

Li Runfeng summoned the Glazed Snake, its tongue flicking slightly, making a hissing sound; Li Tianyu chose the Long-haired Lion, which lay majestically beside him, its eyes fixed as it let out a low roar.

Li Zhangsheng and the other two all possessed two Mid-Rank Beasts; as long as their Mental Power met the standard, they could advance to Second-Rank Beast Master.

To avoid capsizing in the gutter, they did not summon their strongest Demon Pets, yet they still gave off a feeling of being difficult to provoke, especially since they were gathered together; such a group of new students who looked like tough nuts to crack—hitting one was almost equivalent to offending the other two—no normal person would have the idea of provoking them.

Everyone was a new student at Yuanling Academy; thinking about the consequences of offending three outstanding new students at once was serious.

This is the benefit of grouping up; because school had just started, groups like Li Zhangsheng's were extremely rare.

While others were sizing them up, Li Zhangsheng and the other two were also sizing up others, especially the Demon Pets they had released.

"As expected of Yuanling Academy, many new students possess Mid-Rank Beasts!"

This time, many new students summoned their Demon Pets, mostly Mid-Rank Beasts, and the rest were Lower Demon Pets with powerful bloodlines.

As for the other new students who did not summon Demon Pets, most were relatively weak, but the possibility of them playing the pig to eat the tiger could not be ruled out.

Just as they were confronting each other, some outstanding new students began to take the initiative; their targets for challenge were almost all new students off the platform, and under the arrangement of the Instructors, they began to challenge their opponents.

Naturally, one must pick the soft persimmons; even if the outstanding new students on the high platform did not summon powerful Demon Pets, they had achieved excellent assessment scores, so they naturally had some tricks up their sleeves, and no one knew if they were feigning weakness.

After they initiated a challenge, the challenged had to accept, and under the supervision of the Instructors, they came to the open area to begin the duel between their Demon Pets.

The rules were simple: until one side conceded or all their Demon Pets lost the ability to fight. In order to become a student of the Battle Academy, almost no one chose to hold back, so the scene was naturally quite intense.

Under the command of the new students, countless Demon Pets shed blood and sacrificed; the nearby area seemed to have become a meat grinder, with blood dripping everywhere, the sounds of energy and flesh colliding were incessant, and severed limbs flew about.

Unexpectedly, there were even Demon Pet deaths during the process.

As long as there was no danger of the Life-Bound Demon Pet perishing, the supervising Instructors would not intervene; for the new students, this was their first lesson, and while the process might be cruel, this was the reality everyone had to face.

Thanks to Chunjie Nan, Zhai Jiafei, and Luo Kuangchen for the tips!

(End of chapter)