Chapter 292 The Holy Scholar is My Buddy!

The middle-aged deacon heard Jiang Yun inquiring about ways to obtain a large number of contribution points.

He looked up and sized him up.

A faint, almost imperceptible flicker of realization passed through his eyes.

But it was immediately masked by a layer of business-like indifference, even carrying a subtle sense of detachment one might have toward an overambitious freshman.

"Obtaining a large number of contribution points?"

The deacon's voice was flat.

It even carried a hint of formulaic advice.

"Student, looking at you, you must be a freshman who just entered the academy, right? I understand your eagerness to obtain resources and improve your strength, but accumulating contribution points requires being down-to-earth and progressing step-by-step. The missions on the bulletin board, ranging from Rank F to Rank S, are the primary paths designed by the academy for students at various stages. I suggest you start with Rank F and Rank E missions within your capabilities, gradually getting familiar and accumulating experience and contribution points."

He paused.

Seemingly out of duty.

He added a relatively unconventional path.

"Of course, if you have enough confidence in your strength, it's not entirely without other ways to quickly obtain contribution points. For example, you can challenge the Myriad Beast Trial Tower established by the academy."

"Myriad Beast Trial Tower?"

Jiang Yun's eyes flickered slightly.

This was a new term.

"Correct."

The deacon nodded.

His tone remained flat.

As if stating Common knowledge.

"The Myriad Beast Trial Tower is located at the core of the academy's trial area. Inside the tower, special Formations simulate various Vicious Beasts, Yao Beasts, and even special environments, with a total of 100 floors. For every floor successfully cleared, you can receive a reward of 50 contribution points. This is a basic benefit and strength test provided by the academy to all students, especially freshmen. However..."

He glanced at Jiang Yun.

The faint hint of admonition in his tone became more apparent.

"The difficulty of the Trial Tower increases floor by floor; it is by no means easy. The first floor corresponds to Bronze Rank combat power, but by the tenth floor, Silver Rank strength is required to cope. Beyond the twentieth floor, Gold Rank combat power is needed, and the types, abilities, and coordination of the Vicious Beasts become increasingly troublesome. Most freshmen are lucky to clear the first ten floors. If you want to rely on this to quickly obtain a large number of contribution points, heh, student, I advise you to solidify your Foundation first."

Obviously.

In the eyes of this deacon, who was accustomed to all sorts of geniuses and arrogant freshmen, Jiang Yun's behavior of inquiring about ways to get large amounts of contribution points was somewhat unrealistic.

He did not know that Jiang Yun was a Heavenly Saint Student and assumed he was just some Silver or Bronze Rank freshman, so his tone was not warm, even carrying a subtle reminder or warning.

After Jiang Yun heard this.

His expression remained unchanged.

He only nodded slightly.

"Thank you for informing me, Deacon."

50 points per floor?

Clearing all one hundred floors would be 5,000 points!

This was indeed much more efficient than taking on individual missions.

Especially for him.

As for the difficulty... he was just looking for a place to test the current limit combat power of Little Fire and Little Skylark, so this Trial Tower came at the perfect time.

He was about to turn and leave.

To head toward the Myriad Beast Trial Tower.

To first pocket this freshman benefit.

Right at that moment.

"Get lost! Did you hear me?! You hicks, get the hell out of the Mission Hall! Is this a place where people like you can come?"

A sharp shout full of arrogance and disdain.

Resounded in the hall like a broken gong.

Instantly drowning out the noise in some areas.

Attracting many gazes.

Jiang Yun's brows furrowed slightly.

He looked toward the source of the sound.

In an area of the hall near the entrance.

A crowd had formed a circle.

In the center of the circle.

A youth about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in luxurious brocade robes with an arrogant expression, had his nose in the air, his finger almost touching the tips of the noses of the people opposite him.

He was surrounded by three or four followers who were also dressed flamboyantly and had domineering attitudes; each had a strong aura, around the Silver Rank.

The three people surrounded by them, their faces flushed and eyes filled with humiliation and anger, were actually... When Jiang Yun's gaze fell on the face of the most burly and honest-looking youth in the middle, whose face was now distorted with rage, his expression suddenly froze!

Zhao Tiezhu!

And Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian beside him!

It really was them!

A hint of surprise and realization flashed in Jiang Yun's eyes.

It was immediately replaced by a touch of icy coldness.

It seemed Zhao Tiezhu and the others had indeed arrived at Sky Dome Academy.

He just didn't expect.

That they would reunite under such circumstances.

And at a moment when they were being bullied.

Seeing that Zhao Tiezhu and the other two were glaring at him but not moving, the brocade-clad youth's disdain deepened. He sneered, his voice rising with blatant superiority.

"What? Can't understand human speech? Do you need this young master to say it again? Garbage like you, crawling out from some backwater corner, think you're worthy of coming to the Mission Hall to take missions? Go take a piss and look at your own reflection! Even Rank F missions like cleaning toilets or taking out trash aren't for trash like you to touch! You don't even deserve a single contribution point!"

He waved his hand as if shooing away flies.

"Hurry up and get as far away as possible! Don't stand here being an eyesore and polluting the eyes of this young master and the other students! If you keep lingering, believe it or not, I'll have someone throw you out like trash!"

These vicious and mean words.

Were like sharp knives.

Stabbing hard into the hearts of Zhao Tiezhu and the others.

They came from City C.

In their hometown, they were also high-profile geniuses.

When had they ever suffered such blatant humiliation and trampling?

Anger, humiliation, and a sense of powerlessness intertwined.

Making them tremble all over.

Their fists clenched until they creaked.

The surrounding crowd erupted into a buzz of discussion, with varying looks in their eyes.

"It's Lin Yao from the Lin Family. His cousin is Lin Feng, who is in the top twenty of the earth ranking. Relying on that connection, he bullies people quite often."

"Bulling students from out of town again... Sigh, these few look like they're from some small city below, with no background or backing. Pitiful."

"Who told them to have a poor background? In the provincial capital, in the academy, having no background is the original sin."

"But then again, I seem to have heard that our newly promoted Heavenly Saint Student, Jiang Yun, also seems to be from City C? Is he from the same hometown as these guys?"

"Pfft! What are you thinking? Are you joking? What kind of person is the Sacred Student? A sixteen years old Gold Rank, with an SSS-Rank Talent, a peerless monster who killed the tenth on the earth ranking across four ranks! Could he be from the same hometown as these ordinary Bronze Rank students? Even if they all came from City C, it would definitely be a case of one being in the heavens and the others on the ground!"

"Exactly! I think the Sacred Student in City C was probably a scion of some hidden great Family or received some Heaven-Defying Legacy. He's simply not from the same world as these people of ordinary birth!"

"Right, right, right! It must be so! Otherwise, how could he have such terrifying feys and talent? These people probably aren't even worthy of carrying the Sacred Student's shoes, how could they possibly know him?"

"Lin Yao kicked a steel plate this time... oh no, he stepped on a soft persimmon. These guys are in for it."

These discussions.

Intentionally or unintentionally drifted into the ears of Zhao Tiezhu and the other two.

Especially those words that completely severed them from Jiang Yun and belittled them as worthless, like the cruelest comparison, crushed their last bit of dignity.

Jiang Yun, their fellow townsman whom they once had to look up to, was now a True Dragon soaring through the Nine Heavens, while they had fallen to the level of ants to be bullied at will... This huge gap.

Was more painful and suffocating than mere bullying.

Zhao Tiezhu's face turned from red to white, then from white to green, his chest heaving violently.

He suddenly looked up.

Staring intently at Lin Yao.

Bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes.

A surge of courage mixed with frustration, unwillingness, and a final bit of stubbornness rushed to his head.

He took a deep breath.

Using all his strength.

His voice was hoarse but carried a kind of desperate toughness.

"You... don't go too far! We are also officially admitted students of Sky Dome Academy, why can't we come to the Mission Hall? I'm telling you, you'd better be polite to us! Sky Dome Academy's Sacred Student, Jiang Yun, is my, Zhao Tiezhu's, good buddy! If you dare to touch us today and he finds out, you'll definitely have hell to pay!"

These words.

Were less of a threat.

And more like grabbing the last straw in a desperate situation.

Carrying the tragic solemnity of a final gamble and a faint hope that even he didn't quite dare to believe in.

As expected.

As soon as he finished speaking.

There was first a strange silence.

Then.

"Hahahaha!"

Lin Yao acted as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, clutching his stomach and laughing so hard he doubled over, with tears nearly coming out.

The followers beside him also burst into loud laughter.

Their expressions were exaggerated.

"Oh my! This is killing me! It's really killing me!"

Lin Yao finally managed to stop laughing.

He pointed at Zhao Tiezhu.

His face was full of mockery and an expression like he was looking at an idiot.

"Zhao Tiezhu, oh Zhao Tiezhu, I see you're not just a hick, your brain must have been crushed by a door! Sacred Student Jiang Yun? Your good buddy? Aren't you afraid of biting your tongue with such big talk!"

His face suddenly darkened.

His tone became incredibly sharp.

"What kind of person is the Sacred Student? Heaven-Defying combat power of Gold Rank Four, and a peerless SSS-Rank Talent! Even my cousin Lin Feng has to be polite when he sees him! What are you? A Bronze Rank waste! How dare you talk big here and try to claim a connection with the Sacred Student? Are you worthy?"

He completely lost his patience.

A ruthless look flashed in his eyes.

He waved his hand to the followers behind him.

"Forget it, wasting words on this brainless trash is simply a waste of this young master's time! You guys, what are you standing there for? Throw these three ungrateful hicks out of the Mission Hall right now! Then keep an eye on the entrance for me. From today on, I don't want to see them in the Mission Hall—no, in any place where contribution points can be earned! If they dare take a single mission, break one of their legs! I want to see how they survive in the academy!"

"Yes, Young Master Yao!"

Several Silver Rank followers responded with sinister grins.

Rubbing their hands together.

They closed in on the desperate and angry trio of Zhao Tiezhu and the others.

Their powerful auras locked onto the three.

Making them feel as if they were being pressed down by giant boulders.

Even breathing was difficult, let alone resisting.

The last light of hope in Zhao Tiezhu's eyes was completely extinguished, leaving only bottomless humiliation and powerlessness.

Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian's faces were also ashen.

The surrounding crowd either shook their heads and sighed.

Or watched coldly, or gloated over their misfortune.

No one spoke up, and no one stepped forward.

This was the reality of the academy: the weak are bullied unless you have a strong enough backer or... strong enough power.

At the very moment when the followers' hands were about to grab Zhao Tiezhu's collar.

Buzz!!!

A terrifying pressure, heavy as a mountain and vast as the sea, carrying a magnificent Dragon's might and an awe-inspiring will, descended out of thin air without warning!

This pressure was incredibly precise.

Like an invisible giant hand.

It slammed down onto Lin Yao and his three Silver Rank followers who were about to strike!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Four muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously!

Lin Yao, who had just been insufferably arrogant, along with his three followers with strong auras, didn't even have time to groan before it felt as if they were hit head-on by a battering ram. Their knees buckled, and they knelt down heavily and humiliatingly on the polished jade floor! The impact of their knees hitting the ground made a tooth-aching sound.

The color instantly drained from the four people's faces.

Replaced by boundless terror and extreme shock!

They felt as if a ten-thousand-foot mountain was pressing on their backs. Not only were their bones creaking, but the spiritual power within their bodies was completely suppressed; they couldn't even move a finger!

There was also a fear originating from the depths of their Souls.

Making their minds tremble violently, almost collapsing on the spot!

This sudden turn of events caused the entire area near the entrance of the Mission Hall to instantly fall into a deathly silence!

All the onlookers.

Including Zhao Tiezhu and the other two.

Were all dumbfounded.

Their brains went blank.

Looking at this dramatic scene in disbelief.

Who?

Who was the one who acted?

To actually be able to make Lin Yao and his three Silver Rank followers kneel instantly without any resistance?

This pressure... is just too terrifying, isn't it?

Could it be that an Elder couldn't stand it and took action?

Lin Yao was the first to recover from the extreme terror. The massive sense of humiliation and the fear of an unknown power intertwined, driving him almost insane.

He tried hard to look up.

But he couldn't even turn his neck.

He could only stare fixedly at the ground in front of him.

Using all his strength, his voice distorted by fear and anger, he shrieked in a high-pitched roar.

"Which... which death-seeking bastard is it?! How dare you act against this young master?!"

"Do you know who I am? I am a direct descendant of the Lin Family. Do you know who my cousin is?! That's Lin Feng, who is in the top twenty of the earth ranking!"

"You rat hiding your head and showing your tail! Get the hell out here! this young master wants you dead without a place for burial!"

His roar echoed in the silent hall.

Full of blustering madness.

It immediately attracted everyone's attention.

And right at that moment.

A calm, indifferent, yet heavy footstep, sounding as if it carried a thousand catties of weight, rang out clearly in everyone's ears, approaching from afar.

Tread... tread... tread... The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, yet each step seemed to land on the rhythm of everyone's heartbeat.

Everyone's gaze.

Involuntarily followed the sound.

The crowd was seen parting as if by an invisible hand.

A figure.

Slowly walked out from behind the crowd.

His expression was calm.

His gaze indifferently swept over Lin Yao, who was kneeling on the ground, struggling and roaring.

Finally.

It landed on Zhao Tiezhu, who was standing there in a daze, not yet having recovered from the shock.

The corner of Jiang Yun's mouth.

Curled into an extremely faint arc that would make those familiar with him feel a sense of dread.

He spoke, his voice not loud.

Yet it clearly spread to every corner of this area.

"Your cousin is Lin Feng, tenth on the earth ranking?"

"Is he very impressive?"