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Chapter 252: Intermediate Training Ground

While Guan Tianyu had been duelling Yun Ruoyan at the plaza, Zong Yang had been trying his best to get the crowd behind Yun Ruoyan to disperse, lest they be hurt by Guan Tianyu’s wide-ranged attacks.

One of Guan Tianyu’s icy knives had landed on Zong Yang’s back. It had melted almost immediately upon entering his flesh, not leaving a significant wound or much pain. Because Zong Yang thought it simply a superficial injury, he didn’t pay much attention to it.

However, after three hours, he found that the wounded region was unusually cold to the touch, and a chill had entered his body through the wound, causing his entire body to turn ice-cold. All of a sudden, Zong Yang was bedridden.

Guan Ruliu carefully described what had happened. Of the thirty students, only twenty-nine were left. Li Mo immediately sent someone to report the affair to the elders. Soon, the first, second, and fifth elders rushed to the scene; the other elders either pretended not to have received the news or to be deep in cultivation.

The three elders quietly discussed the affair among themselves, and Li Mo stood by the side waiting for their deliberation.

“Since we’re missing one student, let’s pick one among our three colleges,” the first elder suggested.

The fifth elder lowered his head, saying nothing and regretting his choice to show up. In the future, I really have to be more like the other three elders!

“Zong Yang’s from the southern college. Now that he can’t make it, the southern college naturally has to send another member,” the second elder stated.

“Second Elder,” Li Mo replied coolly. “Zong Yang might be from the southern college, but his injury was caused by the northern college’s Guan Tianyu. Shouldn’t the northern college take responsibility for this?”

“I know of this,” the second elder replied. “Two of my students were hurt as well, and one’s even bedridden! And yet the culprits, Zhuo Yifeng and Yun Ruoyan, are standing right there as if nothing had happened. Since it was a duel, it’s surely not surprising for those who are weaker to get injured. What sort of responsibility need I take?”

The second elder was well-known for shielding his students and being unreasonable, and even Li Mo wouldn’t be able to talk any sense into him. Just as it seemed that the southern college would be forced to supply one more student, however, someone walked into the plaza and headed straight for the stage: Guan Tianyu!

He had originally been under house arrest within the northern college, but had overheard a northern college student mention that Zong Yang had been hurt, and that a new student would have to be selected for the expedition.

And how could Guan Tianyu miss such an opportunity? He immediately dashed out of his cottage and rushed toward the plaza.

“Elders, please wait!” Guan Tianyu shouted, panting.

All eyes were on him.

“Tianyu, what are you doing here?!” The second elder looked at him in shock.

As though he hadn’t heard the second elder’s words, however, Guan Tianyu began, “Elders, I was the one who injured Zong Yang. I should be the one to replace him!”

“You brat, leave now!” the second elder howled in agitation.

Guan Tianyu ignored him once more as he knelt down. “Elders, I don’t believe that I lose out to my peers in terms of talent and cultivation, and I should have been among the chosen in the first place.” Guan Tianyu held his back straight and tried to ignore his grandfather’s furious stare.

“You’re making a fool of yourself!” the second elder shouted, his face turning purple. He stood up and looked as though he would pull Guan Tianyu away. “Leave with me, now!”

“Please wait, Second Elder.” Li Mo strode forth, standing between them. “Zong Yang might not have an exceptionally advanced cultivation, but he’s at least a sixth-rank blademaster. That Guan Tianyu was able to leave him bedridden is clear proof that he isn’t weak.”

Li Mo’s lips curled up as he turned to the second elder. “And if he so desires the training, why don’t you give him a chance, Second Elder?”

Guan Tianyu was a little surprised to see Li Mo arguing for him, but he didn’t think much of it. “Right, Grandfather, isn’t Master Mo right? If you don’t let me go, I’ll kneel here until I die!”

Guan Tianyu was the only grandson that the second elder had, and he naturally wasn’t willing to send him into a den of wolves. He glared furiously at Li Mo, his eyes so brimming with hate that it seemed flames would shoot out of them.

“Guan Tianyu,” the first elder finally began. “The alternate dimension’s filled with danger. Aren’t you scared?”

“Hah!” Guan Tianyu only laughed. “I’ve already gone on explorations into other dimensions with students from the three specialized institutions. What sort of trouble haven’t I already seen?” Guan Tianyu responded arrogantly. “The more dangerous the dimension, the more valuable its opportunities! I believe I have the talent to avoid danger and seize those opportunities!”

“Good, you’re ambitious indeed!” The fifth elder smiled. “You’re truly a descendant of the second elder himself, and it looks like we don’t have a better candidate!”

“Naturally,” Guan Tianyu responded, very pleased by the fifth elder’s sudden, effusive praise.

“In that case, I’ll fulfill your request.” Seeing how adamant Guan Tianyu was, and considering that there was no time to find another member, the first elder decided to grant him the position.

And, just like that, Guan Tianyu would enter the alternate dimension. With great agitation, he walked toward the other students gathered by the plaza and was soon surrounded by the other members from the northern college.

“Senior Brother Guan, nice job! Now we can fight together.” Rong Yueshan smiled.

“Of course! I’ll protect all of you!” Guan Tianyu laughed loudly, very pleased that he had gotten what he wanted at last. As he turned, however, he met Yun Ruoyan’s gaze. That gaze was cold and mocking, as if he had just done something very foolish.

Just a brief glance was so infuriating to Guan Tianyu that, were it not for the elders present on stage, he would have exploded and attacked Yun Ruoyan right then and there.

Back on the stage, the second elder was infuriated but made helpless by his grandson’s foolishness. In the end, his anger could only turn into exasperation. He slumped back down into his chair. “First Elder, Fifth Elder, are you so desperate to end my bloodline?”

“Second Elder, why not be more positive?” the fifth elder advised. “Although this other dimension might be extremely dangerous, it isn’t as though no one has survived. Anyone who has returned from that dimension, including me and you, are now part of the truly strong of the Chenyuan continent. Your grandson wouldn’t have stopped until he was part of this expedition, I assure you.”

The second elder looked at the fifth elder, but he didn’t speak.

“What’s more, Master Mo’s the one leading this expedition. If he’s willing to take care of your grandson, I’m sure he’ll have a far larger chance of surviving.”

The second elder looked toward Li Mo, but he couldn’t bear to lower his dignity enough to plead with him.

“I’ll do my best to protect each and every student,” Li Mo coolly replied, then turned to the first elder. “Now that everyone’s present, Elders, would you like to speak to the gathered students?”

The first elder waved a hand dismissively. “It’s already quite late, so prepare to start the training.”

Li Mo cupped his hands and bowed to each of the three elders, then motioned to Shui Yun, Mo Yun, and two other senior students beside him. The four senior students nodded and immediately prepared to set up a teleportation array.

“For this training, we’ll be entering an intermediate-grade training ground.” Guan Tianyu was the first to stride through the portal, followed quickly by Rong Yueshan, Yi Qianying, Pei Ziao, and the other northern college students. Yun Ruoyan waited until the other students had entered before proceeding through the portal with the other southern college students, and Li Mo followed behind her.

It seemed as though Li Mo had deliberately refrained from making eye contact with her as soon as they entered the plaza. Similarly, Yun Ruoyan refused to make eye contact with him.

Although the two of them entered the transportation array one after the other, they didn’t communicate at all. The moment she passed through the array, Yun Ruoyan was struck dumb by the sight in front of her. Before her were trees so tall they seemed to extend into the clouds, flowers larger than her body, and grasses and vines as thick as her arm.

The other students seemed as amazed as she was. “Is this what intermediate training grounds are like? Amazing!”

“What’s so special about this? There are all sorts of living organisms in intermediate training grounds—you’ll find more oddities yet!” Because Guan Tianyu had previously explored such grounds with students from the three institutions, he wasn’t surprised at all.

Yun Ruoyan’s attention was fully focused on a half-open flower. It was pure white, and it gave off a scent that Yun Ruoyan found surprisingly familiar. When she stepped forward and sniffed, she discovered that it was actually the smell of a peach blossom.

Unlike regular peach blossoms, this one even seemed to make her feel more carefree and relaxed—in fact, the scent was exactly the same as those peach blossoms from the Lin family grove!

Yun Ruoyan stepped closer to the flower, confused by the similarity, when it suddenly changed color. Its pure white appearance was quickly dyed a bloody red. Vines suddenly emerged from the center of the flower and began licking at Yun Ruoyan as though they were tongues.

“Yan’er, be careful!” Li Mo’s voice called out from her back.

Yun Ruoyan felt a large hand grab her waist, saving her from the attack of the unusual plant. Zhuo Yifeng immediately pulled out his bow and began slicing at the vines with his bowstring, immediately severing one.

The vine immediately retracted, turning back into a flower once more. Then, even the petals closed up, the stem contracted, and the entire flower was pulled back into the ground.

“Look!” Guan Ruliu pointed at the ground, where the vine that Zhuo Yifeng had sliced off was squirming toward the earth as though it were a snake...