novelraw Chapter 164: I Hope You Are Right
Chapter 164: I Hope You Are Right
Wang Mingyuan walked over and sat down opposite Ye Hongyu, his brow slightly furrowed. "Teacher, Qin Bai... he's not someone who gives up easily."
Ye Hongyu nodded slightly. "I know."
"Then what do you plan to..."
Wang Mingyuan hesitated, leaving his sentence unfinished.
"Mingyuan."
Ye Hongyu looked up and met his gaze directly. "Do you think Su Zhan is trustworthy?"
Wang Mingyuan remained silent for a moment. "His talent is undeniable, and he's not excessively cold-blooded. He even saves his teammates at critical moments—that's enough for me."
"That's not what I'm asking."
Ye Hongyu shook her head. "I'm asking, if one day he stands at a crossroads, which path do you think he would choose?"
The office fell silent for several seconds."I believe in him."
Wang Mingyuan finally answered honestly. "But the final decision in this matter rests with you, with whether you believe in him or not."
Ye Hongyu chuckled lightly. "Smooth talker."
Then she immediately turned serious again. "You've seen it yourself—we've given him so many honors, both online and in reality, making him the subject of countless praises and admirations. And the result? He actually dislikes these things. Honors and a sense of responsibility can't restrain him, so what should we use to control him?"
"If one day he truly stands at the pinnacle of this world, which side will he be on?"
"Or rather, if even honors and responsibility can't make him feel a sense of belonging to humanity, who could possibly restrain him when he reaches the world's summit?"
Wang Mingyuan pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "Teacher, I believe the key issue isn't about what to use to restrain him, but how to make him actively choose our side."
"Su Zhan doesn't care about empty fame, doesn't value honors, and doesn't even have much desire for power. But he has one very clear trait—pragmatism."
Ye Hongyu glanced sideways. "Go on."
"The cultivation resources we give him, he accepts them all. The special training courses we arrange, he never misses. Even those awards he superficially scorns have actually paved the way for him invisibly."
Wang Mingyuan posed a question to himself. "What does this show? He understands better than anyone what truly holds value."
A light sparked in Ye Hongyu's eyes.
"Honors and responsibility might not move him, but benefits can."
Wang Mingyuan continued. "Not petty gains, but substantial benefits that allow him to continuously grow stronger."
"As long as the resources, opportunities, and growth space we humans can provide are always better than what the Aberrants offer..."
Ye Hongyu interrupted him. "What if one day the Aberrants offer a higher price?"
"Then we must ensure that day never comes."
Wang Mingyuan grew more confident as he spoke. "Make him understand that by standing with humanity, he can go further. This isn't a simple transaction, but a kind of... mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship."
Ye Hongyu smiled. "You're quite optimistic."
"Not optimism, but realism."
Wang Mingyuan shook his head. "Think about it—what can the Aberrants give him? A life of hiding? Endless pursuit? What we can give him is the top-tier cultivation system, the most comprehensive resource support, the broadest growth platform."
Ye Hongyu remained silent for a while. "And if one day he grows to no longer need these?"
"Then give him something more important."
Wang Mingyuan's voice lowered. "For example... a home."
Ye Hongyu frowned. "A home?"
"Vermilion Bird Academy can become his home. We can become his family."
Wang Mingyuan's tone turned melancholy. "That child is actually very lonely, haven't you noticed? He never actively gets close to people, but he never refuses others' kindness either."
Ye Hongyu said thoughtfully, "I hope you're right."
"Taking a step back."
Wang Mingyuan added finally. "Even if honors and responsibility can't restrain him, the dual bonds of benefit and emotion are enough to make him choose rationally. After all... in this world, no one can truly remain detached and unaffected."
"Hmm... That's all we can do for now. Right now we're just paving the way for him."
Ye Hongyu rubbed her temples. "Like with Qin Bai—I was planning to let him die here earlier."
"What!?"
Wang Mingyuan was shocked. "Teacher? Take action here!?"
"Correct."
Ye Hongyu continued. "I can't stand anyone being more arrogant than me. Qin Bai really overstepped today, acting like he was the dean."
"Hahaha..."
Wang Mingyuan laughed and patted Ye Hongyu's back. "Teacher, oh teacher, your personality hasn't changed a bit compared to ten years ago!"
Ye Hongyu smiled faintly. "The reason would be: attempted assassination of the Vermilion Bird Academy dean failed, countered and killed by the dean."
"Teacher, that reason is too flimsy, don't you think?"
Wang Mingyuan adjusted his glasses. "How would someone at the peak of the Abyss Realm dare to attack someone at the peak of the Ocean Realm? No one would believe that excuse."
"So I thought about it and decided not to take action after all, and it wasn't because you came."
Ye Hongyu said calmly. "Killing him would only make the higher-ups more suspicious of my unusual behavior. A slight investigation would lead them to Su Zhan."
"Indeed."
Wang Mingyuan nodded in agreement.
"But I still need to make things clear to you in advance."
Ye Hongyu looked directly into Wang Mingyuan's eyes. "If in the future I discover that Su Zhan has lost control, or shows significant risk of losing control, I will take action before he fully grows up."
Wang Mingyuan's expression stiffened, and he finally nodded heavily. "I understand."
...
In the cafeteria.
Su Zhan remained unaware that his identity was already known to two people.
Even less did he realize that the reason Qin Bai hadn't taken action against him was because of Ye Hongyu's intervention.
One month after another, another month after that—it had already been three months, team leader!
After catching up with his teammates.
He learned that during these two months, they had been cultivating like crazy, just like him.
Hmm...
This is internal competition.
To put it in terms Su Zhan heard last time—if people more talented than you are working harder than you, what right do you have not to work hard?
But Su Zhan preferred to say—if people more talented than you are working harder than you, then what's the use of me working hard?
After their discussion, he also learned about his teammates' current realms.
Xu Hao: Dew Realm 7th stage peak.
Liu Ziming: Dew Realm 8th stage intermediate.
Feng Jue: Dew Realm 8th stage peak.
Xie Xi: Dew Realm 9th stage initial.
Even Xie Xi, with her strong talent and diligence, was now lagging by a small realm.
The one with the lowest cultivation was Xu Hao.
This was closely related to his financial shortage.
If Liu Ziming and Xie Xi hadn't waived their credit points from that team mission earlier, his realm would probably be even lower.
Liu Ziming's realm, in particular, was directly related to his wealth. If not for his money, his realm would probably be similar to Xu Hao's.
Su Zhan was planning to take on a few more missions to level up his Aberrant form.
A message popped up simultaneously on all freshmen's phones...