Chapter 164 - 152: The Wager

Back then, the Lin Hua Noble Academy military training group had even sent people to look for Tao Qian and his party, but they were never found.

The military training group waited in the Blood Earth Forest for several days, but Tao Qian’s party never appeared. Unable to find or contact them, the group had no choice but to return first.

However, the families of the three missing students were from extraordinary backgrounds and naturally wouldn’t let the matter rest. They came to the school to cause a scene on several occasions.

Under pressure, Deng Donghua had no choice but to dispatch a dozen or so teachers skilled in tracking and tunneling to search the Blood Earth Forest. Ultimately, they discovered the remains of the four missing people in a Burrow Spider nest beneath the Thousand Heroes Tomb.

It was impossible for all four of them to have simultaneously stumbled into a Burrow Spider nest. Foul play was clearly involved.

To provide the students’ families with answers, the teachers at Lin Hua Noble Academy began gathering any and all clues to find the killer. They found signs of a struggle at the very bottom of the Thousand Heroes Tomb, along with a newly dug hole as thick as an arm.

Furthermore, they found multiple signs of battle and traces of poison deeper underground.

Most importantly, over three thousand meters underground, they discovered the carcass of a Gravity Demon that had died recently. Its valuable extracts had been harvested, and the body was riddled with various toxins.

From this, it wasn’t a huge leap to suspect that the party responsible for the deaths of Tao Qian and the others was the same one that had been Hunting the Gravity Demon.

Of course, this was merely speculation. There was no evidence, and the Thousand Heroes Tomb wasn’t a restricted area—anyone could go there.

Lin Hua Noble Academy conducted a full investigation but failed to find anything substantial. They presented a pile of ambiguous theories to placate the parents of the three deceased students and paid them a sum of compensation.

But the parents of the three students weren’t so easily appeased. They continued to press the issue, giving Deng Donghua a massive headache.

"Have you found anything?" Deng Donghua asked Mr. Ji.

He knew Mr. Ji was particularly invested in this case because the Butterfly Stage teacher responsible for protecting Tao Qian’s group was his younger cousin.

Mr. Ji said, "Last night, Wen Jia from the master class was in a match at an off-campus training hall. He saw a student named Su Ze, from the Dongli Kingdom’s delegation of evolutionists, use a skill that looked like ’Gravity Dust Sand.’"

Mr. Deng frowned. "The Gravity Dust Sand skill is indeed rare, but what does that prove?"

Mr. Ji lowered his voice. "I’ve made some inquiries. That Su Ze is a freshman at Dongli University this year. He also participated in their recent freshman military training, and the timing of their training happened to overlap with ours."

"Think about it. When the incident with Tao Qian’s group occurred, this Su Ze was right there in the Blood Earth Forest, and he just so happens to have learned the ’Gravity Dust Sand’ skill. How could that be a coincidence? That skill is hardly common."

Deng Donghua retorted, "Without evidence, what’s the point of pure speculation? You can’t even be sure if what he used was actually the ’Gravity Dust Sand’ skill."

Mr. Ji gave an awkward laugh. "That Wen Jia kid lacks the experience to be certain. Tomorrow, I’ll have a student challenge Su Ze. We’ll find out the truth once they fight."

Deng Donghua shook his head. "Even if you can link him to the dead Gravity Demon underground, we have no proof that the person Hunting the Gravity Demon is the same one who killed Tao Qian and the others."

"We don’t need proof. We just need to leak this information privately to Tao Qian’s family and the others. It’ll divert their attention and get them to stop harassing us."

Deng Donghua seemed lost in thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright. You go arrange it. I have other matters to attend to."

...

「The next day.」

Su Ze accompanied Liou Wenxin to Lin Hua Noble Academy, where he met the legendary Saint-level supreme, Chief Evolutionist Lin Chengye.

He was an old man with a youthful complexion despite his white hair. Though he wore a kind smile, he possessed a natural and imposing authority.

Su Ze tuned out after the first few words of Lin Chengye’s speech, his mind wandering off into the clouds.

Fortunately, the old man didn’t deliver a long-winded, multi-hour lecture. He finished his speech in just over ten minutes and exited the stage to a wave of applause.

Su Ze left the lecture hall with Liou Wenxin, Zhou Wenshan, and the others, planning to head straight from Lin Hua Noble Academy to the airport for their flight.

Several of Lin Hua Noble Academy’s leaders escorted them out, along with the delegations from the other five kingdoms.

But unexpectedly, just as they were approaching the school gate, someone who looked like a student blocked Su Ze’s path.

"You’re Su Ze? I’m Yuan Jin, from the master class here at Lin Hua Noble Academy. I hear you’re strong. Fight me!"

Su Ze frowned at the scrawny student before him and shook his head. "I refuse."

Yuan Jin was taken aback. "Why?"

"Why should I fight you?" Su Ze found the whole thing absurd.

"I’m challenging you. Don’t you dare accept?"

"What a clumsy taunt."

Unfazed, Su Ze walked around Yuan Jin and continued on his way.

’The other night, I fought in the training hall because I was itching for a fight and wanted to show off a little. It’s not like I have to accept a challenge from every Tom, Dick, and Harry.’

’There’s nothing to gain by winning, so what’s the point?’

’Besides, I’m in a hurry to get back to school for my physical exam.’

Seeing Su Ze reject his challenge, Yuan Jin was at a loss. He couldn’t just attack him by force, so he shot a helpless look at Mr. Ji, the one who had put him up to this.

Mr. Ji stepped forward and offered an apologetic smile to Zhou Wenshan and the others. "My apologies," he explained. "Yuan Jin here is a talented student from our master class. He’s a natural battle enthusiast, and he gets an itch to fight whenever he sees a worthy opponent. Please forgive his rudeness."

Zhou Wenshan smiled. "No harm done."

As the gazes of the surrounding crowd focused on them, Mr. Ji seized the opportunity. "If you’re not in a hurry, perhaps student Su Ze wouldn’t mind a brief spar with Yuan Jin? It would be a fine way to promote friendly exchange between the talented students of our two academies."

Zhou Wenshan’s expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he found the situation strange. ’It’s one thing for students to squabble amongst themselves, but why is a director like him getting involved?’

’Could it be that Dongli University has offended Lin Hua Noble Academy somehow? Are they trying to use this opportunity to embarrass us?’

’But picking a fight with a kid like Su Ze... aren’t they just asking to be humiliated?’ With that thought, Zhou Wenshan’s gaze shifted to Su Ze, seeking his opinion.

Su Ze also sensed that something was off. ’But if I refuse again,’ he thought, ’it’ll make us look weak, and it would be a major loss of face.’

He smiled. "A spar is fine, of course, but it’s always more interesting when there’s a little something at stake."

Yuan Jin fell silent. He had only challenged Su Ze on Mr. Ji’s orders; this wasn’t his decision to make.

Mr. Ji was taken aback for a second. Lin Hua Noble Academy was wealthy and powerful, so they certainly didn’t mind putting up a prize. However, this wasn’t exactly official business, and getting it reimbursed from the academy’s accounts would be a hassle. But if he had to pay out of his own pocket, he was reluctant to offer too much.

After all, the prize would have to be handed over regardless of whether Yuan Jin or Su Ze won.

Seeing Mr. Ji’s silence, Zhou Wenshan chuckled. "Su Ze is just being young and impudent. Mr. Ji, please don’t take it to heart."

Mr. Ji gave a dry laugh. "Student Su Ze does have a point. How about this? I’ll personally pay out of my own pocket and offer ten Tomorrow Flower Petals as a small prize. What do you say?"

Ten Tomorrow Flower Petals were indeed quite valuable, but only to an ordinary Cocoon Stage evolver.

To Su Ze, however, it was nothing special.

He quickly interjected, "Mr. Ji, how could we let you pay out of your own pocket! I’ve heard your esteemed academy has a tier-four Spiritual Plant, the Wen Si Tree. Why don’t we use a few fruits from the Wen Si Tree as the prize instead?"

Mr. Ji looked at Su Ze’s "I’m-only-thinking-of-you" expression and desperately wanted to curse him out loud.

’This kid is so damn greedy and shameless!’

The fruit of the Wen Si Tree was called the Wen Si Fruit. The tree only bore fruit once every three years, and in very small quantities.

The Wen Si Fruit had the miraculous effect of greatly strengthening an evolver’s Spiritual Power, making it a natural evolutionary aid far more valuable than Tomorrow Flower Petals.

The Wen Si Tree had been planted when Lin Hua Noble Academy was first established, making it a treasured heirloom passed down for hundreds of years. They had poured countless resources into cultivating it over the centuries.

The Wen Si Fruits were treasures that countless people would kill to get their hands on. Lin Hua Noble Academy typically only awarded them to its most exceptional students or to faculty who had made outstanding contributions to the academy.

And now Su Ze was casually asking for Wen Si Fruits as a prize—and "a few" of them at that. His audacity was off the charts.

This was a decision far above Mr. Ji’s pay grade.

Su Ze had only learned about the Wen Si Tree and its fruit from Liou Wenxin. He hadn’t been actively coveting them, but now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally had to take a shot.

The members of the other kingdoms’ delegations had also stopped to watch the spectacle, putting Mr. Ji in an awkward position where he couldn’t easily back down.

Zhou Wenshan offered a timely assist. "Dongli University may not be as wealthy as Lin Hua Noble Academy, and we don’t have treasures like the Wen Si Tree. However, we can’t let your esteemed academy take a loss. If Mr. Ji is truly willing to wager a Wen Si Fruit, then Dongli University will match it with a seed of the Rootless Dodder."

Rootless Dodder was a tier-four Spiritual Plant that evolved from common dodder. Its seed was also an extremely precious natural substance, possessing the miraculous ability to enhance an evolver’s sense of smell.

While not quite as precious as a Wen Si Fruit, it wasn’t far behind.

Zhou Wenshan’s words put Mr. Ji squarely on the spot. If he refused now, he would truly bring shame upon Lin Hua Noble Academy.

Especially with delegations from all six kingdoms watching.

But it was a matter he had no authority to decide.

Just as Mr. Ji was caught in a dilemma, Deng Donghua, the dean of Lin Hua Noble Academy, appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

He laughed heartily. "Since Mr. Zhou is so inclined, Lin Hua Noble Academy will, of course, oblige. It’s only a single Wen Si Fruit, after all."

He completely ignored Su Ze’s mention of "a few" and directly retrieved a greenish, pinecone-shaped fruit from his storage artifact.

Zhou Wenshan nodded with a smile. "Mr. Deng is a straightforward man."

With that, he also produced a soybean-sized, pitch-black sphere—presumably the seed of the Rootless Dodder.

Deng Donghua nodded. "Then let’s arrange a proper venue and let the two youngsters have their spar."

"No need to go to all that trouble. Right here is fine." Su Ze glanced around. "This spot is plenty open."