novelraw Chapter 189: Quite sensible
Chapter 189: Quite sensible
Oh, right, now I remember.
Su Zhan could only lament that his memory was getting worse and worse.
Last time, Wang Mingyuan had pleaded on behalf of him and his teammates.
That was why Dean Ye ultimately didn't approve Qin Bai's investigation request.
It must have been because of this incident that the two of them were now at odds.
Su Zhan looked at the two men.
On the surface, they were amiable and polite, but in reality, they were sharply opposed to each other.
And it was all because of him.
"Su Zhan."
Wang Mingyuan looked at Su Zhan, pushing his glasses up: "This doesn't concern you, you can go first. Commander Qin and I have some catching up to do.""Alright."
Su Zhan nodded.
Qin Bai simply narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two, smiling: "Forget it, I just came by to say hello. The greeting's been given, so I should be going now. See you later."
With that.
He turned and left the room.
Not forgetting to close the door behind him.
Quite considerate, isn't he.
Su Zhan's gaze shifted from the doorway back to Teacher Wang Mingyuan: "Teacher, Commander Qin Bai... he seems particularly focused on me. After this assessment, will he possibly..."
He didn't explicitly state the rest, but the meaning was quite clear.
Would Qin Bai, due to his suspicions and their past conflict, use his authority as Hunting Team Commander to take some unfavorable action against him?
"Su Zhan, don't overthink it."
Wang Mingyuan crossed his hands on the desk: "You are an SSS-grade Life Soul Awakened. The academy will pay special attention to you regarding such matters; we certainly won't show him favoritism.
Moreover... you must trust the standards by which Vermilion Bird Academy selects its teachers.
Commander Qin's methods might sometimes be impatient.
But when he realizes his judgment might have been mistaken, he will not, and would disdain to, persist in his error, nor would he resort to underhanded tactics."
Su Zhan nodded on the surface: "I understand, thank you, Teacher."
Internally, however...
Qin Bai wouldn't persist in his error, but what if the other party actually wasn't mistaken in the first place?
Sigh...
"Go on." Wang Mingyuan smiled gently.
Su Zhan bowed again, then turned and left the office.
After the door closed.
The gentleness on Wang Mingyuan's face slowly faded, his gaze becoming profound as he looked out the window.
...
Well, practically all the freshmen from Su Zhan's year have now left to complete this year's final assessment.
Su Zhan was among the earliest batch to return.
Having easily completed his assessment task.
The others certainly didn't have it so easy.
The assessment task was truly not simple.
It required killing three Aberrants of the same realm as oneself within 30 days, and they had to be of the same minor stage as well.
Just like Su Zhan.
Being at Dew Realm Tenth Tier meant he had to kill three Low-risk Tenth Tier Aberrants.
And it had to be done independently.
The difficulty was undoubtedly significant.
During this period, Su Zhan cultivated alone at the academy.
Breaking through from Dew Realm to Stream Realm was extremely difficult.
In Daxia, 75% of Awakened individuals remain permanently stuck at the Dew Realm, though most of these people possess D or E-grade talents, or even lower grade talents.
For others, being stuck at this stage for a full year is normal.
But for Su Zhan with his SSS-grade Life Soul...
Can geniuses really be compared to ordinary people?
But it still requires some time...
Su Zhan was confident he could break through within a month.
It would be as simple as his usual minor stage breakthroughs, maybe adding on another ten days or so at most.
The vast Vermilion Bird Academy seemed to have suddenly become much emptier, with most freshmen having left the campus to complete that notoriously harsh final assessment.
Su Zhan moved alone between the training grounds and his dormitory, fully devoted to his cultivation, assailing the barrier between Dew Realm and Stream Realm.
This chasm that stymies the vast majority of Awakened individuals.
For him.
It was merely a matter of requiring a bit more time and effort.
Wang Mingyuan also had considerably more free time.
He would often come to check on Su Zhan's cultivation progress.
Occasionally, he would bring some snacks and tea, keeping him company for a chat.
One afternoon.
Wang Mingyuan arrived at the training ground rest area where Su Zhan often stayed, carrying a box of exquisite tea.
Watching Su Zhan finish a round of cultivation, his aura having solidified a bit more, he nodded with satisfaction and pushed over a freshly brewed cup of tea.
"The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation. Take a break, try this."
Wang Mingyuan smiled as he sat down, blowing on the tea in his cup.
Su Zhan accepted the teacup.
"Guess which of your teammates."
Wang Mingyuan pushed his glasses up: "Xie Xi, Feng Jue, Xu Hao, Liu Ziming, which of those four will be the first to complete their task and return? Once one returns, we'll guess the next one."
"Xie Xi."
Su Zhan answered almost without hesitation: "She's the strongest, handles things most decisively and efficiently, and her family background might also provide some informational support. She has the highest likelihood of returning first."
Hearing this, Wang Mingyuan smiled noncommittally: "Xie Xi is indeed a promising talent, strong in action, never dilly-dallying. Alright, then we'll wait and see."
A few days later, the result took Su Zhan by surprise.
The first one to return to the academy, travel-worn and weary to submit their task, was not the dashing and heroic Xie Xi, but the usually taciturn, less noticeable Feng Jue.
Feng Jue still had that same aloof, stern demeanor.
Carrying an aura of lingering killing intent and a few shallow wounds.
He handed his task proof to Wang Mingyuan.
Simply gave a brief nod, not saying a single extra word.
Wang Mingyuan smiled and looked at Su Zhan beside him: "It seems our classmate Feng Jue has given us a little surprise. The path of the sword cultivator is indeed decisive in slaughter and astonishingly efficient."
Su Zhan's expression remained unchanged: "Next, I guess it will be Xie Xi."
Wang Mingyuan watched Feng Jue's departing back, thoughtfully stroking his chin: "Feng Jue returning so quickly actually makes me more curious about the other few. As for the next one... well, I'll guess differently from you then. I'll guess it's that kid Xu Hao."
"Xu Hao?"
Su Zhan was somewhat surprised.
Xu Hao's talent was relatively average within the team, and his personality wasn't particularly outstanding either.
He simply assumed the other was guessing randomly.
Another few days passed, and the answer was revealed once more.
The second one to return to the academy was indeed Xie Xi.
Wang Mingyuan smiled at Su Zhan: "You won this round. Next, only Xu Hao and Liu Ziming remain. Who do you think will return first?"
This time, Su Zhan pondered for a moment.
Although Liu Ziming liked to show off, his strength was indeed somewhat greater than Xu Hao's.
"Liu Ziming."
Su Zhan said.
Wang Mingyuan picked up his teacup, blowing on the steam: "Oh? Then I'll have to guess Xu Hao. I always feel that kid might bring us a somewhat different surprise."
As it turned out.
Experience trumps youth.
A few days later.
Xu Hao returned to the academy, covered in dust and looking somewhat disheveled.
But he had successfully completed his task.
Su Zhan had once again lost to Wang Mingyuan's judgment.
Wang Mingyuan patted Xu Hao's shoulder approvingly, offered a few words of encouragement, and told him to go back and rest properly.
Su Zhan looked at Teacher Wang Mingyuan's gentle smile, which held a trace of cunning.
He suddenly felt.
That this teacher perhaps understood his few teammates far better than he did himself.