Chapter 89

## Chapter 89. Gongsonsu Applicant!

The person in charge of the afternoon examination was Guo Tie Wu, the deputy head of the Blue Dragon Academy.

"Applicants who have received the match tickets, please move to the waiting area behind the designated match stages!"

"Parents and acquaintances, please proceed to the spectator seats!"

"Opponents will be randomly selected by drawing lots! Don't ask me, I don't know either!"

"Silence! Silence! Please, silence!"

A massive crowd surged into the Blue Dragon Academy. After a long time of trying to control the situation, Guo Tie Wu was completely exhausted and slumped into a chair.

"Where the hell is the student supervisor when we need him!"

Fuming, Guo Tie Wu slammed his fist on the armrest of the chair.

Controlling the crowd was originally the job of the student supervisor.

However, that supervisor had come to him earlier and left after saying just a few words.

- Deputy Head, I have some business to attend to, so I'll be out for a bit. Could you handle the crowd control for me?

- ...What?

The student supervisor speaking informally to the deputy head!

Moreover, assigning him a task as if he were a subordinate!

'Where in the five great academies does such insubordination happen?'

Right here, at the Blue Dragon Academy.

Guo Tie Wu, who held a high position in the academy, was inferior to Mai Jielian in terms of seniority, martial arts, and influence in the martial world.

Therefore, he couldn't argue and had been working non-stop without a break.

Guo Tie Wu clenched his teeth and muttered to himself.

"Just wait. One day, I'll drive that nasty old man out of the academy..."

"Is that about me?"

"Ah!"

Guo Tie Wu jumped up when Lao Junshang suddenly spoke from behind him.

"Head, you scared me half to death!"

"You've worked hard. I came to offer some help."

"Help? ... Senior Brother Changtian Sword King is here too."

"It's been a while. Do you need any help from this old man?"

If it were just Lao Junshang, Guo Tie Wu might have dared to ask for help, but he wasn't bold enough to ask for assistance from Nangong Jixue, a member of the Ten Exalted.

'Old? More like the youngest-looking of all...'

"Is there something on my face?"

Guo Tie Wu looked at Nangong Jixue's wrinkle-free face with envy for a moment before quickly bowing his head.

"...No. I can handle this, so please enjoy the spectacle, both of you."

"Hehe. Then work hard."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Lao Junshang and Nangong Jixue, who had returned to the VIP seats, looked around the Blue Dragon Academy with their hands behind their backs.

Ten match stages had been set up for the examination.

The surrounding spectator seats were already packed.

The fear and excitement of the applicants, and the enthusiastic cheers of their families and friends, seemed to resonate far and wide.

Lao Junshang smiled and said,

"Don't you feel like you're back to your youth during this period? The days when you were a young martial artist with soft downy hair."

"I don't know. I can't really tell."

Nangong Jixue's response made Lao Junshang click his tongue and look at his friend's youthful face.

"You still have soft downy hair. You lost your emotions when you underwent the transformation. The virtue of the elderly is to reminisce about old memories as they grow older day by day."

"So you don't want to undergo the transformation?"

"Please, just tell me the secret."

The two old men laughed and exchanged silly jokes.

Nangong Jixue looked around the crowded Blue Dragon Academy and said,

"There are more people than I expected. Is this normal?"

"No, this year is particularly busy."

The Blue Dragon Academy had shown the worst performance in the last ten years of the Heavenly Martial Competition.

As a result, the number of spectators at the entrance examination had been steadily decreasing.

However, for some reason, this year saw a significant increase in visitors compared to last year.

Lao Junshang could guess a few reasons.

"The biggest reason is you."

Nangong Jixue, the Heavenly Sword King.

Many martial artists and even ordinary people came to see the face of the Ten Exalted, the strongest in the martial world.

Indeed, a lot of attention was being directed at the two of them.

"What's the second reason?"

"Because we are the top candidates for the Heavenly Martial Competition."

Lao Junshang joked and recalled a face.

- This year's Heavenly Martial Competition. I will take responsibility for making the Blue Dragon Academy the champion.

That day, Bai Shulong's declaration spread not only throughout the Blue Dragon Academy but also across the city and the entire martial world.

Of course, most people still found it absurd.

'But it has certainly had a positive impact.'

The fact that this year's applicants to the Blue Dragon Academy included many exceptionally talented children might be partly due to Bai Shulong's declaration.

Lao Junshang looked at Nangong Jixue.

"Just wait and see. The Blue Dragon Academy will make a big move at this year's Heavenly Martial Competition."

In the past, Nangong Jixue would have mocked him, but he didn't this time.

"It might actually happen."

"Hmm?"

Just then, Gongsonsu and his group entered the Blue Dragon Academy.

Nangong Jixue's gaze moved from Gongsonsu to Xian Yuanqiang and Wei Zhichuan.

Lao Junshang's gaze naturally followed the same direction.

"I heard that one person taught all three of them."

"Really? His name has reached even your ears?"

"I don't know much, so tell me."

"Bai Shulong, a new instructor this year. Ah, there he is."

Lao Junshang pointed in a direction.

Bai Shulong was patrolling the spectator seats with other temporary instructors, including Akyeonho.

Nangong Jixue stared at him for a while.

"Hmm. He doesn't seem particularly impressive. He does have a good face, though... Once..."

"Don't."

"...What?"

Turning to the side, he saw Lao Junshang with a stern expression, speaking in a low voice.

"Don't try to test him. He's a teacher in our academy."

"Ahem. What did I do?"

Nangong Jixue coughed, feeling a bit guilty because he had actually intended to approach Bai Shulong.

"I'm just curious about his level as a martial artist."

"Please, don't."

"Ugh. If you're asking me not to..."

Nangong Jixue nodded, and Lao Junshang's expression finally relaxed.

A smile returned to his face.

"Good thinking. If you tried to test him and ended up embarrassed, it would be quite a problem for you."

"...Is that a joke?"

"Hehehehe!"

Given Lao Junshang's habit of mixing jokes and serious talk, Nangong Jixue couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

'Now I'm even more curious.'

Nangong Jixue's gaze remained fixed on Bai Shulong for a while.

* * *

"...Your face is going to be punctured."

"Who is it this time? Seriously, this guy's popularity..."

Akyeonho looked around and asked, and Bai Shulong sighed.

"It's not a woman."

If it were a woman, he wouldn't be breaking out in cold sweat down his spine.

'Heavenly Sword King.'

There was a reason why he was always mentioned when discussing the strongest in the current martial world.

Even from a distance, just looking at him made Bai Shulong's skin tingle.

'I wish he would stop paying attention to me.'

The moment Bai Shulong realized Nangong Jixue was watching him, he became extremely cautious.

A high-level expert like one of the Ten Exalted was like a natural disaster.

If he offended or, conversely, piqued the interest of such a person, Bai Shulong's current skills wouldn't be enough to resist.

'If he notices that I've learned the Heaven-Defying Art...'

He didn't even want to imagine it.

Nangong Jixue, who had participated in the war against the Blood Sect fifty years ago, might know a lot about Blood Sect martial arts.

The conclusion was that he needed to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

"If it's not a woman... Could it be? Well, with a face like yours, gender doesn't matter."

"Really, this guy."

After nodding in agreement with himself, Akyeonho rubbed the back of his head, and Bai Shulong turned to look around.

Fortunately, as the examination officially began, Nangong Jixue's gaze quickly shifted away.

[Where are the assassins?]

[Still trying to locate them.]

Akyeonho rubbed the back of his head and replied telepathically.

When he asked the other comrades scattered around, they all gave similar answers.

The assassins had also started to be on guard, making them harder to find.

[But, Senior. Do you really think assassins would act in a place with so many martial artists?]

Akyeonho's hopeful question made Bai Shulong chuckle.

[With the young and fiery martial artists gathered for the matches and the packed spectator seats, where else would an 'accident' be more likely to happen?]

[Hmm...]

Bai Shulong patted Akyeonho's shoulder, which was starting to sag.

"Don't relax. They'll come out with all their might