Chapter 47

For Sun Yan, the old librarian Mr. Huang at the academy library was truly a kind and amiable old man. Every time he and Mu Tong borrowed such books, Mr. Huang would turn a blind eye and let them take the books away.

This was a truly respectable old man who truly understood the needs of young people! Sun Yan and Mu Tong had praised him more than once.

Following behind Wang Sen, the group walked to the library entrance. Wang Sen stepped forward first, knocked on the heavy wooden door, and said respectfully, "Old Mr. Huang, we have arrived."

Old Mr. Huang!

Sun Yan's eyes widened; he never expected Wang Sen to use such a respectful title for the old man.

Noticing Sun Yan's confusion, Feng Lingsnow whispered, "Grandpa Huang participated in the Third Sino River War. It is said that even Mr. Zhang Zhengri, the former principal, would call him 'Old Mr. Huang.'"

Sun Yan found it hard to believe. Participating in the Third Sino River War, and even the former seventh principal, Zhang Zhengri, would call him Old Mr. Huang?

The time span of the Second, Third, and Fourth Sino River Wars exceeded 800 years. How old was the old man? How strong was he?

Creak... The library door opened silently, and the group walked in. Sun Yan saw the old man again.

During the summer vacation, the library was quiet. The old man, as usual, sat behind the round desk, his eyes half-closed as if he were sleeping. His face was full of wrinkles, like dry tree bark, and his fingers were bony, his hands bent like chicken claws, looking like an old man on the verge of death.

"Old Mr. Huang, you still look as vigorous as ever," Wang Sen said with a smile.

Sun Yan's lips twitched. Could this old, frail appearance be called vigorous? However, he noticed something; the old man had not changed at all since their first meeting three years ago.

Then, Wang Sen introduced, "Old Mr. Huang, this is the first winner of the [Zhengri Elimination], and also one of the best students of our Nan Ying Academy, with excellent character and academic performance, helpful and humble..."

Listening to Wang Sen's endless praise, even with Sun Yan's thick skin, he wished he could dig a hole and hide in it. He and the old man were old acquaintances, so well-acquainted, did he need such a "grand" introduction? It was truly embarrassing.

The old man opened his eyes and nodded slightly, "Oh, it's Xiao Yan. I know him well. Xiao Yan is a good student; he used to come here often to read books."

Feng Lingsnow's beautiful eyes glanced over. This guy often came to the library to read books? What kind of books did he read?

Sun Yan forced himself to step forward and said with a dry laugh, "Old Mr. Huang, hello."

"Still call me Old Mr. Huang; it sounds more comfortable. Alright, follow me."

The old man stood up and led the group deeper into the library, saying as he walked, "I didn't expect anyone to apply for the [Zhengri Elimination]. However, Xiao Yan, don't have too much hope for the reward. Zhang Zhengri was a mischievous guy; he might not have left anything good."

Hearing this, Wang Sen and the others couldn't help but exchange bitter smiles. Carter patted Sun Yan's shoulder and said, "Sun Yan, Old Mr. Huang is right; don't have too much hope for the final reward."

"Why?" Sun Yan was puzzled. The seventh principal, Zhang Zhengri, had grandly established the [Zhengri Elimination], and it was approved by the Dean of Difeng Academy, Lin Xinghe. If so, the final reward should be extraordinary.

Wang Sen shook his head repeatedly and said helplessly, "Because Mr. Zhang Zhengri was a student of Dean Lin Xinghe, and their personalities were very similar. Besides his pursuit in martial arts, Mr. Zhang Zhengri's greatest hobby in life was—pranking."

Feng Lingsnow whispered, "During the Third Sino River War, Mr. Zhang Zhengri single-handedly guarded Nan Ying Academy, performing a 15-day empty city strategy, making the JW Alliance's Panlong-class fleet dare not advance. Unfortunately, he was eventually exposed and died a heroic death. In a way, Mr. Zhang Zhengri actually pranked himself to death."

"According to legend, Mr. Zhang Zhengri once boasted, 'If one day I can prank the entire Odin Star Region, then I will have lived a life without regret,'" Rodney said with a sigh.

Carter couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "I've heard this story too. It's said that when Dean Lin Xinghe heard this, he sighed and said, 'That's my good student.'"

Sun Yan felt his scalp tingle. Pranking himself to death, there was such an extreme person in the world.

"Old Mr. Huang, do you have no idea what reward Mr. Zhang Zhengri left behind?" Sun Yan asked hopefully.

The old man looked at him with a half-smile, "I don't know exactly what the reward is. However, that kid Zhang Zhengri once said that he learned a second-grade combat technique, which took him a long time to master. He really wanted to pass it on and see if anyone could master it. Given Zhang Zhengri's style, I suspect the reward might be..."

Damn, a second-grade combat technique! Sun Yan cursed in his heart. After all this hard work, is the reward just a second-grade combat technique?

A second-grade combat technique, no matter how good, is at most on par with the [Second Segment Crushing Fist]. The damn Zhang Zhengri, dead for over 200 years, still wants to prank people. He could have left a powerful cultivation method!

Sun Yan had a vague premonition that he was probably pranked, by a man who had been dead for hundreds of years.

Unconsciously, the group arrived at the deepest part of the library. Old Mr. Huang stepped forward, extended his bony hand, and pressed it against the wall. The wall silently opened, revealing a deep passage.

"Xiao Yan, go in. You have 4 hours to find the reward. If you can't find it, it's just bad luck."

Damn, there's even a time limit? This old guy Zhang Zhengri is too mean, playing such a trick.

Sun Yan walked in with a face full of resentment, and the wall behind him closed immediately. The passage went straight down, the stairs emitting a faint light, dimly outlining the surroundings, exuding an indescribable mystery.

A moment later, Sun Yan reached the end of the passage and came to a room door.

The room was not large, about 100 square meters, square and empty, with no furnishings.

Standing at the door, Sun Yan stared blankly at the room. The floor and walls were covered in dust, the thick layer of dust about 10 centimeters deep, clearly indicating that no one had been there for a long time. The empty room, he wondered what it was used for in the past.

Looking around, Sun Yan's face turned black. Such a room was completely bare; where could he find the reward? Could it be written on the walls?

Hmm, very likely. I'll have to play the role of a free cleaner.

Taking off his jacket to use as a cloth, Sun Yan began to wipe the walls. After wiping off a thick layer of dust and seeing the material of the wall, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn, the walls are made of cobalt alloy, how much is that worth!"

Cobalt alloy is a necessary material for making interstellar carriers, extremely hard and expensive, yet it was used for the walls of this room.

Sun Yan wiped the walls with a grudge. Soon, he was covered in dust, his entire body gray and dirty.

The left wall was wiped clean, smooth as a mirror, but there was nothing!

The right wall was wiped clean, still nothing!

Sun Yan's face was expressionless as he began to wipe another wall. When he reached the top, his expression first brightened, then his face turned even darker, and he couldn't help but curse, "Damn, Zhang Zhengri, you old bastard!"

At the top of this wall, a line of crooked words was carved: "Classmate, are you enjoying the dust? No need to wipe anymore, the reward is on the opposite wall."

The words were clearly carved with fingers, which was unimaginable for a normal person, showing that Zhang Zhengri's martial arts cultivation was profound. If it were any other time, Sun Yan would have been filled with admiration, but now, he just wanted to drag Zhang Zhengri out of his coffin and beat him for three days and three nights.

No one pranks like this!

Angry as he was, Sun Yan had no choice but to obediently wipe the opposite wall. He gritted his teeth, "Zhang Zhengri, you old bastard, if you dare prank me again, I'll curse you 1,000 times a day, 1,000 times, 1,000 times."

Using his jacket, Sun Yan began to wipe the last wall. As the thick layer of dust peeled off, a wall full of words was revealed. The words were extremely ugly but deeply etched into the wall.

"Earth gives birth to a dragon, which takes a thousand years to transform."

"The earth dragon soars to the nine heavens, mountains collapse, the earth splits, live fire burns cities, and water floods the fields..."

Images flashed in Sun Yan's mind: a vast land, a giant dragon breaking through the earth, riding the clouds and mist, its body coiling around the sky, as if even the sky could not bear the dragon's flight.

The dragon soared in the sky, swallowing clouds and spitting mist, causing disasters on the ground. The earth cracked, lava spewed, burning cities, dams broke, and floods submerged the fields, causing widespread suffering.

People began to pray to the gods, hoping to subdue the dragon. Finally, a celestial being descended from the sky, walking on air as if on solid ground, with the glow of the four seasons flowing with each step.

The celestial being flew above the dragon, stepping on its head, and the dragon submitted, retreating into the earth, never to emerge again.

The wall recorded this story. The words, though ugly, were deeply etched, each word exuding an invisible pressure.

At the end of the wall, a sentence was carved: "How to seal the dragon? Use the four seasons as a guide, harmonize the five elements, and it is called—the Dragon Sealing Stake."

Sun Yan read from beginning to end, then from end to beginning. His face darkened, almost black with ink, and he screamed in a fit of rage, "Damn, is this a combat technique or cultivation method? This is just a mythological story, damn you, Zhang Zhengri!"

Even after death, he still pranked. What more could Sun Yan say about such an extreme bastard?

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**End of Chapter**