Chapter 96

"We're back!"

Outside the city of Zhiling, in an abandoned residence, the five of them had found a temporary home after leaving Tianzhao Academy. Although the environment was simple, it was peaceful, allowing them to focus on their cultivation without disturbance. Su Tang had thus quickly and thoroughly unlocked his Zhanpo state.

However, today, after the two of them returned from registering for the Dianpo Conference, they found three visitors in the dilapidated residence.

Yun Chong, the principal of Tianzhao Academy, was there, accompanied by two fourth-year students from Tianzhao Academy, both of whom were his disciples. One was Shi Ao, who, on the day Lu Ping and the others broke into Tianzhao Academy, immediately exposed them and sent out information about their cultivation levels. The Jiewei Team, similar to the Fengji Team at Zhaifeng Academy, was typically composed of the more outstanding students in the academy.

Shi Ao had already demonstrated excellent perception abilities and outstanding talent in the realm of Mingzhi on that day, even engaging in a remote dialogue with Wen Yan from the sound transmission room.

The other student, whom Lu Ping and Su Tang did not recognize, would likely have been known to them if they had stayed at Tianzhao Academy longer and interacted more with other students.

Xiu Zhiping, Yun Chong's top disciple and the captain of Tianzhao Academy's Jiewei Team, was often the most outstanding student in the academy, following the precedent set by many other academies.

Lu Ping and Su Tang stood at the door, slightly stunned, but then saw that the atmosphere in the yard was harmonious. The principal of Tianzhao Academy had clearly not come to cause trouble. However, after the two of them shouted and entered the yard, the atmosphere seemed to be slightly interrupted.

Yun Chong turned around, looked at the two who had just entered, and smiled, saying, "You look very spirited. It seems you'll be strong opponents."

Xiu Zhiping and Shi Ao were also looking at the two, their faces showing serious expressions. Their mentor could speak half-jokingly, but they could not be careless. The Dianpo Conference was not a place for jokes; they would all do their best to bring honor to the academy, their mentor, and themselves.

The four young men from Xiageng District had come specifically to participate in the Dianpo Conference. They had even used the forbidden technique "Zhanpo" to cultivate, striving for breakthroughs. Such people would certainly be obstacles for them at the Dianpo Conference. Yun Chong's words were said in jest, but they were also the truth.

"Did you register?" Chu Min asked in the yard. Since coming to this abandoned residence, Chu Min's alcohol addiction seemed to have lessened, and she had started to communicate more with the others, not just about cultivation.

"We registered, but we can't do it on their behalf. We still need to take them to register," Lu Ping said.

"It used to be possible!" Chu Min muttered.

"Your 'used to be' is a bit too long ago, isn't it?" Yun Chong smiled wryly.

"Just a few decades," Chu Min said nonchalantly.

"A few decades..." Yun Chong smiled wryly again. It was a precious time, but Chu Min had spent it in decadence, which was truly regrettable. However, Chu Min had emerged from her decadence and reinvigorated herself, seemingly indifferent to the wasted years. She had calmly digested those years.

"Should we go now?" Lu Ping and Su Tang asked Chu Min, unsure whether they should stay and join the conversation.

"Go ahead!" Chu Min waved them off.

So, Lu Ping carried Mo Lin, and Su Tang pushed Xi Fan, and they quickly left the yard.

"You should also go register," Yun Chong said to Xiu Zhiping and Shi Ao.

"Yes," the two students nodded. However, for Tianzhao Academy, all the students who needed to register would go together. The two of them still needed to meet up with the academy.

The young men left the yard, leaving only Yun Chong and Chu Min.

"Your spirit is also good," Yun Chong said suddenly.

"Always like this," Chu Min said, refusing to admit that there was any difference in her decadent state.

"What did you find in them?" Yun Chong asked.

"Determination, perseverance, courage... and mutual support," Chu Min said.

"Is that so..." Yun Chong knew Chu Min's past, so he could understand what truly moved her from her words.

Mutual support? He thought. But Chu Min emphasized it, repeating it firmly: "True mutual support."

Yun Chong did not pry further. It was good that Chu Min had reinvigorated herself; the process was not important.

"You have high expectations for them!" Yun Chong smiled.

"Not just me," Chu Min said.

"Who else?" Yun Chong asked.

"Guo Youdao," Chu Min said.

"That fool?" Yun Chong laughed. Guo Youdao, in terms of age and cultivation experience, was his senior. However, now he was the principal of Tianzhao Academy, which ranked 39th on the continent's academy popularity list, a position not lower than Guo Youdao's. Anyone who casually set up an academy and claimed to surpass the top four was either a big fraud or a big fool.

Calling him a fool was relatively respectful, at least indicating a kind of naive fearlessness.

"Yes, a fool," Chu Min immediately agreed with Yun Chong's assessment, but her tone was full of emotion.

"But not just him," Chu Min said.

"Oh?"

"And Wen Gecheng," Chu Min said.

"Hmm?" Yun Chong was taken aback. He had misunderstood, thinking Chu Min meant "not just a fool," but Wen Gecheng was clearly not a fool. He was considered an unprecedented genius on the continent. With dual souls connected and a level 6 cultivation, even surpassing level 6, such people were extremely rare.

Yun Chong immediately realized that Chu Min's "not just him" referred to the "expectations" he had asked about earlier.

The expectations were not just from Chu Min, not just from Guo Youdao, but also from Wen Gecheng.

This was an offhand question from Yun Chong. The four young men had changed Chu Min and reinvigorated her. If he were to truly expect something, Yun Chong had also had a moment of expectation, but rationally, he thought that even if the four of them successfully used "Zhanpo" to complete their cultivation, the Dianpo Conference was only a few days away. Should he have high expectations for them, who were just beginning to grasp the basics? It seemed inappropriate.

These four might have a bright future, but Yun Chong did not think they could achieve much at this Dianpo Conference.

However, Chu Min did not think so. Yun Chong was indifferent; if they were his disciples, even if they were not outstanding, he would still have some expectations, even for a miracle.

But Wen Gecheng?

Whether expecting their performance at the Dianpo Conference or their future, the Wen Gecheng who possessed the ability to perceive the microscopic and had unparalleled insight was actually expecting these four?

Wen Gecheng, in the minds of cultivators, was synonymous with never making mistakes. His expectations were not just simple expectations; they were a high evaluation.

"When did Wen Gecheng come?" Yun Chong was also very interested in this question. Wen Gecheng was someone that even the three major empires and the four major academies vied to recruit. Yun Chong did not dare to hope for such a person, but meeting and talking to such a unique individual, and if he were lucky, having him give a few lectures at Tianzhao Academy, would be excellent.

"He hasn't come. He met them before, as mentioned in Guo Youdao's letter," Chu Min said.

The letter Xi Fan had given her, she had thrown away without reading. But this did not mean she did not know its contents. Her perception ability had read the unopened letter the moment Xi Fan took it out.

"What did he say?" Yun Chong asked. He already had some expectations and curiosity about these four from the mountains, but now he realized his expectations and curiosity were not enough.

"You should have already noticed some things," Chu Min said, "that Mo Lin."

"The one with the straw hat, whose cultivation is not yet complete?"

"Yes."

"He doesn't have a Liuzhi soul," Chu Min said.

"He doesn't have a Liuzhi soul." Yun Chong was taken aback. Not having a Liuzhi soul was completely different from not having cultivated. If it was purely the absence of...

"Is it the Tiancan bloodline?" Yun Chong was surprised. He was well-informed and had read about this bloodline.

Chu Min nodded.

"What about the one in the wheelchair?" Yun Chong asked. He sensed something extraordinary about this young man, but in terms of soul power...

"He should be surnamed Yan," Chu Min said.

"Hmm?" Yun Chong was taken aback. He had not deliberately remembered the names of these young men, but he knew that none of the names he had heard were surnamed Yan. This surname always evoked some associations among cultivators. Now, Chu Min was telling him that one of them was surnamed Yan. This was not an association but a reality.

"Yan Qiuci's Yan?" Yun Chong said.

"Yes," Chu Min said.

Yun Chong fell silent, not questioning. He could not see it, but Wen Gecheng, if it was that person, could identify the bloodline, which was his unique ability.

"What about the girl..." Yun Chong continued.

"Xuelizi," Chu Min said.

Yun Chong's expression changed. Xuelizi, a bloodline that defied the