Chapter 33 – Ruthless s.h.i.+ Feng
G.o.d’s Domain a.s.sociation, first-floor lobby:
After Wu Lingling’s group left, Lin Kuiyi, who had stood silently behind Moon Rain throughout the entire conversation, looked at Moon Rain in confusion and asked, “Big Sis Rain, Did Captain Tiger really hand the Gold Order to that girl himself? I remember hearing that the Honorary Elder has constantly been asking for it, even going as far as to promise him an opportunity to reach Tier 5.”
“Mhm, he did,” Moon Rain said, nodding as she looked at the direction Wu Lingling left in.
“That… Did he give it to that girl for free?” Lin Kuiyi couldn’t help but be a little stunned.
With the current state of G.o.d’s Domain, many shops in the real world had even started accepting G.o.d’s Domain’s virtual currency as payment. Some shops even preferred accepting G.o.d’s Domain’s currency over real money. So, one could easily imagine how valuable the opportunity to get promoted to Tier 5 was.
However, according to the quick investigation he conducted before, there was no way Wu Lingling was worthy of a Gold Order. While Wu Lingling’s ident.i.ty as Wu Xiaoxiao’s little sister and her extraordinary talent made her an individual worthwhile for Soulfire to befriend, that was about as much as she was worth. After all, geniuses of her caliber were aplenty in G.o.d’s Domain.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that geniuses like Wu Lingling appeared and disappeared every day.
For a genius originating from Jin Hai University’s G.o.d’s Domain Academy, even giving Wu Lingling a Bronze Order would be somewhat extravagant, let alone the precious Gold Order.
In Soulfire, players capable of acquiring a Bronze Order were typically Refinement Realm experts at the very least. Moreover, these players had already made significant progress in the Refinement Realm. They were far stronger than players who had only recently reached the Refinement Realm.
Only Wu Xiaoxiao could barely qualify for a Bronze Order in the entire G.o.d’s Domain Academy. So, how could Wu Lingling, who was much weaker than her elder sister, possibly qualify for a Gold Order?
“The girl naturally doesn’t have that qualification,” Moon Rain said, shaking her head. Then, her lips curled up slightly as she continued, “But the person behind her does.”
“The person behind her?” Lin Kuiyi was confused. “Could she be the heiress of a major corporation? But that’s not possible. Such people would typically train in secret under the superpowers their corporations have invested in. There’s no way they would reveal themselves in public. Besides, Wu Xiaoxiao and Wu Lingling’s family background is no secret. Their parents are merely the upper management of a small company. There’s no way they have any kind of significant background.”
“You can stop guessing,” Moon Rain said as she looked at Lin Kuiyi. “That person should be her instructor.”
“Instructor?!” Lin Kuiyi grew even more shocked after hearing this. “How can that be?!”
Lin Kuiyi knew perfectly well what kind of state Jin Hai University’s G.o.d’s Domain Academy was in. Before the higher-ups had relocated Moon Rain to oversee operations in Jin Hai City, he was responsible for poaching talents here. Naturally, the G.o.d’s Domain Academy was one of the places he had to visit to do his job.
However, it was precisely because of this understanding of the G.o.d’s Domain Academy that he couldn’t believe Moon Rain’s words. Even if the G.o.d’s Domain Academy had recently received investment from major corporations and the support of experts from first-rate Guilds, there was still no way the Academy could hire an existence worthy of Soulfire giving them a Gold Order for free.
If such a bigshot existed in the Academy, he would’ve long since reported this person to the higher-ups already.
“Didn’t you say that Wu Zhenyang has been trying to invite me to become the Academy’s head combat instructor?” Moon Rain asked, not bothering to explain herself any further. “Send him a reply saying that I agree.”
“Are you really going, Big Sis Rain?” Hearing Moon Rain’s words, Lin Kuiyi happily said, “That’s wonderful! You have no idea how many times Dean Wu has pestered me over this! Moreover, he has even offered us a lucrative price. I was worried that you wouldn’t want to go, so I’ve been thinking of how to reject him.”
“Of course I am going. But I have a condition for becoming their Academy’s head combat instructor.”
“A condition?”
Lin Kuiyi was a little surprised. He found it hard to believe that Jin Hai City’s G.o.d’s Domain Academy could have anything that could tempt Moon Rain, a vice-captain in Soulfire.
…
Early morning the next day, G.o.d’s Domain Academy, Teaching Block No.3:
As the first official day of cla.s.ses at the G.o.d’s Domain Academy, Teaching Block No.3 was currently packed with students. Among them, the freshmen had their eyes filled with antic.i.p.ation.
After all, today would be the first day they set foot into G.o.d’s Domain’s professional circle.
In the current G.o.d’s Domain where experts were aplenty, learning from an instructor’s systematic education was much better than learning through online videos. Moreover, for the sake of their own reputation and Academy Points, every one of the G.o.d’s Domain Academy’s instructors would be sharing their signature moves and knowledge that weren’t typically available online.
“I heard that there’s going to be two senior instructors holding a cla.s.s today. I wonder which senior instructor I should go to?”
“I heard that Instructor Qi is quite amazing and that some of his students even managed to get into World Domination. We should probably attend his cla.s.s.”
“Okay. We’ll go to his cla.s.s today.”
The freshmen enthusiastically discussed which instructor’s cla.s.s they should attend after entering the teaching block, creating quite a lot of noise in the crowded teaching block.
“Sure enough, this year’s freshmen are the same.”
“Do they think they can simply attend a senior instructor’s cla.s.s just because they want to? I wonder how many freshmen will actually get a spot later on?”
“Definitely not more than two! I remember that only one freshman managed to get into a senior instructor’s cla.s.s last year. That Gu Tong is Instructor Qi’s student, so he should get in for free. As for the remaining spot, it should probably go to Wu Lingling, the top student among this year’s freshmen. I heard that Instructor Qi is trying to recruit her as his student and that he has even offered her an extremely lucrative price. If she attends his cla.s.s, she will definitely get in for free.”
When the senior students overheard the freshmen’s discussions, they couldn’t help but snicker. Some of them even broke out into laughter.
There were only four senior instructors in the G.o.d’s Domain Academy. Although these senior instructors had fixed the prices for their cla.s.ses at only 50 points per person, there were limited spots in their cla.s.ses. Even the biggest cla.s.sroom could fit only 200 people. So, students would need to compete with each other should they wish to attend a senior instructor’s cla.s.s.
The G.o.d’s Domain Academy required students and instructors to use Academy Points to exchange for all resources. This included attending cla.s.ses held by instructors. Apart from the apprentices who could attend their respective instructors’ cla.s.ses for free, other students would have to bid for the remaining spots.
Meanwhile, it had only been a few days since first-year freshmen had started attending school. They were bound to have little points acc.u.mulated under their name. It would be a fool’s dream if they thought they could outbid the senior students.
While the senior students were having their discussions, they quickly arrived at Teaching Block No.3’s largest cla.s.sroom. Meanwhile, this cla.s.sroom belonged to none other than Instructor Qi, one of the Academy’s four senior instructors.
At this time, the hallway that could fit six people walking side-by-side was packed with at least 500 people.
However, out of the many students standing in line, a cool and lonely young man became the center of everyone’s attention.
“Look! Gu Tong is here, just as expected.”
“Geniuses truly are made differently. I can tell he is extraordinary just by looking at him. I also heard that under Instructor Qi’s tutelage yesterday, he had already reached the middle stage of the Trial Tower’s fifth floor just an hour ago. Moreover, he has very nearly broken through to the late stage.”
“He’s already at the fifth floor’s middle stage on his first day of cla.s.s? This year’s freshmen really are scary.”
Although Gu Tong was only a freshman, as the younger cousin brother of Shadow’s current Guild Leader, it was no exaggeration to say that his fame had already spread throughout the entire Academy.
However, shortly after the senior students started discussing Gu Tong, a series of noises came from nearby the corridor. Meanwhile, as the noise grew louder and closer, a small path could be seen opening up in the middle of the crowded hallway.
Subsequently, two figures appeared in this small path. Of them, one was a cute girl with a double ponytail wearing a blue sweats.h.i.+rt, while the other was a mature beauty with wheat-colored skin wearing a pair of denim shorts and a casual jacket.
“c.r.a.p! Why is Chen Ziyou here?!”
“Didn’t she receive Instructor Qi’s acknowledgment long ago? Is there still a need for her to attend cla.s.ses?”
Many senior students gasped when they saw the beauty wearing the denim shorts and casual jacket.
In the eyes of the Academy’s students, the Academy’s Four Heavenly Kings were individuals akin to legends. This was because these four people had long since surpa.s.sed the standard of students. While they might still hold the status of students on the surface, their positions in the Academy already rivaled that of senior instructors. They were existences that many students looked up to.
Meanwhile, along with Chen Ziyou’s appearance, even Gu Tong couldn’t help but break his aloof act and walk forward to greet her.
“Good morning, Senior Ziyou,” Gu Tong greeted as he arrived before Chen Ziyou. Then, he briefly looked toward the girl with the double ponytail before asking Chen Ziyou in a respectful tone, “Are you taking Wu Lingling to meet with the instructor?”
None of the senior students were surprised to see the previously haughty Gu Tong behave respectfully around Chen Ziyou.
It was because everyone, including Gu Tong himself, was fully aware that while he might be one of the top geniuses of the G.o.d’s Domain Academy, he was still significantly inferior compared to Chen Ziyou, who had already made a name for herself in G.o.d’s Domain’s professional circle. Gu Tong still had a long way to go before catching up to Chen Ziyou.
“I wish. Unfortunately, I failed to persuade her,” Chen Ziyou said, shrugging helplessly as she turned to look at the girl beside her. “I’m just here today to check out what kind of person Lingling’s Instructor s.h.i.+ is.”
“Big Sis Ziyou, please save your conversation for later. Instructor s.h.i.+’s cla.s.s will be starting soon. We’ll be late if we waste any more time,” Wu Lingling hurriedly said when she saw Chen Ziyou spending her sweet time talking to Gu Tong.
Meanwhile, seeing Wu Lingling’s anxious appearance, Chen Ziyou lazily said, “Okay, okay, we’ll go right away.”
Chen Ziyou honestly didn’t care about s.h.i.+ Feng’s cla.s.s. She had even thought of canceling her appointment with Wu Lingling today. After all, there were no longer any instructors in the Academy capable of teaching her.
However, after she brought up s.h.i.+ Feng’s close ties with Soulfire to her instructor, they decided to first learn more about s.h.i.+ Feng. Only after investigating the relations.h.i.+p between s.h.i.+ Feng and Soulfire could they develop the appropriate countermeasures. After all, Soulfire was relatively strong even among first-rate powers. If Soulfire became s.h.i.+ Feng’s backing, it would be a lot more difficult to poach Wu Lingling from him.
Afterward, Chen Ziyou quickly followed Wu Lingling upstairs, leaving a dazed Gu Tong behind.
“One of the Four Heavenly Kings is going to attend Instructor s.h.i.+’s cla.s.s?”
“Does that Instructor s.h.i.+ have some kind of amazing ability?”
Lieyun and Bingshou, the two people standing beside Gu Tong, couldn’t help but grow curious about s.h.i.+ Feng.
The Academy’s Four Heavenly Kings had long since surpa.s.sed most instructors in combat standards. However, even if the Academy’s senior instructors could no longer teach them, these senior instructors still had valuable connections that could smoothen the path the Four Heavenly Kings had to walk on.
Yet, now, Chen Ziyou had chosen to attend s.h.i.+ Feng’s cla.s.s instead of Instructor Qi’s cla.s.s. This was simply unbelievable.
“Alright, stop making guesses, you two,” Gu Tong said to his two companions. Then, he looked at Wu Lingling’s departing figure and coldly said, “I know full well how strong Senior Ziyou is. An instructor who only managed to reach Tier 3 at his peak is simply overestimating himself if he thinks he can teach Senior Ziyou. I’m sure Senior Ziyou knows this as well, so she’s probably here to put that s.h.i.+ Feng in his place in front of Wu Lingling.”
“That makes sense.”
Lieyun and Bingshou nodded in agreement.
“It’s a pity we still need to attend Instructor Qi’s cla.s.s. Otherwise, we could’ve gone to watch the show.”
One of the Academy’s Four Heavenly Kings was about to teach an instructor a lesson! Just the thought of it was already plenty exciting!
“Don’t get happy too soon,” Gu Tong said as he rolled his eyes at his two companions. “Once Wu Lingling becomes Instructor Qi’s students, we’ll have to face even fiercer compet.i.tion.”
Upon hearing Gu Tong’s words, Lieyun and Bingshou immediately got a headache.
While it was indeed exciting to learn that Chen Ziyou would be teaching Wu Lingling’s instructor a lesson, should Wu Lingling become Instructor Qi’s student, it would also spell bad news for them. If Wu Lingling transferred to Instructor Qi’s cla.s.s, it would also mean that their compet.i.tion would increase.
…
While Gu Tong and his two friends were chatting, Wu Lingling and Chen Ziyou had also arrived at Cla.s.sroom No.8, the cla.s.sroom in which s.h.i.+ Feng had chosen to hold his cla.s.s.
Cla.s.sroom No.8? Chen Ziyou was surprised when she saw the cla.s.sroom Wu Lingling was walking towards.
Cla.s.sroom No.8 was one of the smallest cla.s.srooms available in Teaching Block No.3. At most, the cla.s.sroom could fit 50 people. However, even junior instructors would typically hold their cla.s.ses in rooms that fit 100 people. After all, the more students an instructor taught, the more Academy Points they could earn.
Meanwhile, when Chen Ziyou snapped out of her daze, she finally noticed that over two dozen students were standing outside the cla.s.s.
“Are you guys not going in?” Wu Lingling curiously asked as she approached Qin Wuchen and the others.
“We wish we could…” Revealing a bitter smile, Qin Wuchen pointed at the electronic display by the cla.s.sroom’s entrance and said, “You’ll know once you look at it.”
Hearing Qin Wuchen’s words, Wu Lingling and Chen Ziyou couldn’t help but turn to look at the electronic display.
Currently, displayed on the screen was only one line of text.
Lecture costs 10,000 points per person. Apprentices get 40% off.
Wu Lingling’s eyes widened like golf b.a.l.l.s when she saw this text.
Previously, s.h.i.+ Feng had indeed told them that he would be charging points for lessons during enrollment day. Even if they were his apprentices, they would only receive a 40% discount. Originally, Wu Lingling thought that s.h.i.+ Feng was only joking. Never did she think that he was serious…
At this time, let alone Wu Lingling, even Chen Ziyou couldn’t help but be stunned by this situation.
For the sake of persuading more students to attend their cla.s.ses, the Academy’s instructors would try to lower the cost of their lectures as much as possible. If the Academy hadn’t set a standard for pricing lectures, these instructors would’ve probably offered their lectures free to everyone.
Today, however, Chen Ziyou had finally found the odd one out among these instructors!
Not only did s.h.i.+ Feng not reduce the cost of his lectures, but he was even asking for an astronomical price!
One lecture for the price of 10,000 points was simply unheard of in the Academy!
At this time, Chen Ziyou even started suspecting if s.h.i.+ Feng had long since known that she would come to investigate him, thus he decided to con her out of some points. Only, wasn’t s.h.i.+ Feng being a little bit too ruthless? Not only was he trying to con an outsider like herself, but he wasn’t even sparing his own apprentices…
Ruthless!
s.h.i.+ Feng was so ruthless that Chen Ziyou had no choice but to tip her hat off to him!