Chapter 296: A Tale of Blood and Tears Among Fellow Townsmen! The Holy Son Resolves to Take Up the Banner of City C!

Inside a secluded pavilion.

The stone table was cold, and the surroundings were enveloped in lush greenery.

It was isolated from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows.

But it could not dispel the haze and fatigue clouding the faces of Zhao Tiezhu and the other two.

Jiang Yun looked at his three fellow townsmen before him.

Although they had competed against each other during the City C Great Exam in the past,

they had all been high-spirited.

Now, after only a short time,

all three had grown somewhat thinner.

The sharpness in their eyes had faded,

replaced by a sense of world-weariness and forbearance honed by life's hardships. Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian even bore bruises that had not yet fully faded.

“Tell me about it.”

Jiang Yun sat down, his voice calm,

yet it carried an unquestionable concern.

“When did you arrive at the academy? During this time... what exactly happened? How did you end up like this?”

Zhao Tiezhu opened his mouth.

The muscles on his honest face twitched.

Finally, it turned into a heavy sigh.

His hands unconsciously gripped the fabric at his knees.

Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian also lowered their heads.

The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive for a moment.

“Jiang Yun...”

Zhao Tiezhu's voice was a bit dry,

carrying an unspeakable sense of grievance.

“We... set out not long after the City C competition ended. We were delayed a bit on the way and arrived at the academy in about twenty days.”

He looked up,

looking at Jiang Yun with a complex gaze.

“When we first arrived, although we knew there were many Geniuses in the provincial capital and the competition was fierce, we were determined. We thought that even if we couldn't compare to those children of noble Families, we should at least work hard to Cultivate and not lose face for City C. But who would have known...”

He paused,

a look of bitterness mixed with anger appearing on his face.

“From the moment we registered for enrollment and were assigned to the most remote Servants Quarters with the thinnest Spiritual Qi, the trouble began.”

“Servants Quarters?”

Jiang Yun frowned slightly.

At Sky Dome Academy, student housing was allocated based on talent and potential. Although he hadn't looked into it in detail, he knew that the Servants Quarters were usually reserved for students with low talent, those who had made mistakes, or those with no background at all. The conditions were the most arduous.

“Yes.”

Lin Kuo took over the conversation,

his voice filled with resentment.

“At first, we didn't know why. Later we realized it was simply because we were from City C. In the eyes of many local students in the provincial capital, this identity makes us seem inferior, like objects that can be bullied at will.”

Xiao Yutian clenched his fists.

His knuckles turned white, and his voice was suppressed.

“Soon, people came knocking. There were members of the Lin Family's branch lines, those from small families attached to the Feng Family, and some provincial capital students who simply disliked us and wanted to feel superior. They blocked us, stole the meager supplies we had just received, and forced us to run errands for them. If we showed even the slightest disobedience, they would punch and kick us...”

Zhao Tiezhu gritted his teeth.

“We thought about fighting back! We really did! We were once considered Prodigies too; we aren't spineless! Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian also Cultivated desperately, thinking of increasing their strength to fight back! But...”

He slammed his fist heavily onto the stone table,

making a dull thud.

His eyes were filled with a sense of helplessness.

“The gap in strength was too large! Those people either had better innate talent and more resources, reaching Silver Rank long ago, or they were supported by their Families, possessing powerful tamed beasts and skilled techniques. Even when we gave our all, we could only cause a little trouble when they weren't paying attention, which only resulted in even harsher retaliation.”

“The most fatal part is...”

Lin Kuo's voice carried a hint of despair.

“...they have a stranglehold on our lifeblood! contribution points!”

“In the academy, if you want to exchange for Cultivation resources, enter good Cultivation rooms, or learn profound skills... you need contribution points. And the main way to obtain contribution points is by taking on academy missions.”

Xiao Yutian added,

his tone dejected.

“At first, we could still take some bottom-tier F-rank missions that no one else wanted, like cleaning abandoned beast pens, clearing river silt, or weeding remote herb fields... Although the contribution points were pitifully low, only 10 or 15 points, at least there was some hope.”

Zhao Tiezhu chuckled bitterly.

“But later, we couldn't even get those missions. Just like what you saw today, those guys directly blocked the Mission Hall and told us plainly that we weren't allowed to take any missions. Whoever dared to would have their legs broken. Most of the Deacons in the Mission Hall... turned a blind eye and didn't care at all. We tried to take them secretly, but after being caught...”

He touched the bruise on the corner of his mouth that had not yet fully faded.

He didn't continue.

Jiang Yun listened quietly.

His expression gradually darkened.

He previously only knew that the forces in the provincial capital were deeply intertwined and that competition within the academy was fierce. He hadn't expected that for City C students with no Foundation, the environment would be so harsh—almost systematically suppressed and marginalized, cutting off all paths for advancement.

Even more so, he hadn't expected the few of them to be living such a miserable life in the academy.

“In previous years, there must have been Prodigies from City C who were admitted to Sky Dome Academy, right?”

Jiang Yun pondered.

“Did they just let this happen? Did they not try to unite and form their own faction to resist? Or does the academy's upper management simply not care at all?”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tiezhu...

exchanged looks with the other two.

They all shook their heads helplessly.

“Jiang Yun, you're thinking too simply.”

Zhao Tiezhu sighed.

“The seniors from previous years had it even worse than us. When they first arrived, they might have been as defiant as we were, wanting to resist and band together. But what was the result?”

“Without resources or backing, relying solely on a surge of passion and weak talent, how can one fight against Families that have operated in the provincial capital for generations and whose influence in the academy is long-established? There was a senior from City C in the previous class with good talent, said to have reached the high stage of Silver Rank. He wanted to step up and organize a Hometown Association, but he was frequently challenged and severely injured. Eventually, he lost heart, applied for withdrawal, and joined a second-rate force.”

Lin Kuo whispered:

“The academy management... might not be completely unaware, but this has become an unspoken rule. Provincial capital forces need to maintain their advantage and influence in the academy. Suppressing outsiders, especially those of us from small places with no background, is the simplest and most effective way. As long as no one is killed and no real bottom line is crossed, the academy usually won't look too closely. After all, from the academy's perspective, survival of the fittest is also a way to Cultivate the strong? At least, that's what those provincial capital forces say.”

Xiao Yutian added.

“Over time, very few seniors from City C could persevere. Even those who barely managed to stay mostly swallowed their pride, working the hardest and most tiring jobs for a tiny bit of resources, hoping to graduate and leave as soon as possible. Expecting them to protect the juniors who came after? It's too difficult. They can't even protect themselves.”

Zhao Tiezhu concluded,

his voice carrying deep exhaustion and a hint of imperceptible numbness.

“So, for us freshmen from City C, this Sky Dome Academy... despite its grand reputation and abundant resources, is more like a magnificent cage. We came in and saw the vast world, but we can't touch any opportunities. We can only struggle at the bottom, our dignity trampled repeatedly, our will worn away... Many people might collapse before they even reach graduation.”

A brief silence fell over the pavilion.

Only the rustling of the wind through the leaves could be heard,

along with the slightly heavy breathing of Zhao Tiezhu and the other two.

Jiang Yun's fingers lightly tapped the edge of the stone table.

His eyes were deep.

He completely understood the predicament of Zhao Tiezhu and the others.

This was not a simple personal conflict.

It was a systematic oppression based on regional origin and the forces behind them.

City C students at Sky Dome Academy were like rootless duckweed, facing a dense network of exclusion already woven by the major forces of the provincial capital.

Relying solely on individual bravery...

might provide temporary self-preservation,

but it could not change the fate of the entire group.

“We must have our own force, our own voice, and our own territory.”

A thought became increasingly clear in Jiang Yun's mind.

He already had a plan to establish himself in the academy and acquire resources. Now, this plan combined with the plight of his fellow townsmen, becoming more concrete and urgent.

At this moment,

Zhao Tiezhu seemed to want to break the heavy atmosphere.

He scratched his head

and squeezed out a smile,

looking at Jiang Yun.

His eyes were full of curiosity and disbelief.

“Let's not talk about these depressing matters for now. Jiang Yun, you... what exactly is going on with you? It's only been a short while since we last met, how did you... how did you reach Gold Rank? And that SSS-Rank Talent? My god, when I heard the rumors down there, I almost thought they were talking about another person named Jiang Yun! Also, what exactly is your relationship with the provincial capital's Su Family? How did you suddenly become their matrilocal son-in-law...?”

Hearing Zhao Tiezhu's words,

Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian also immediately looked up,

looking at Jiang Yun with burning eyes.

This was also the greatest question and shock in their hearts.

Jiang Yun looked at the rekindled spark in their eyes and smiled, knowing they needed some encouraging news.

“My relationship with the Su Family is actually a coincidence,”

Jiang Yun explained in a relaxed tone.

“The Su Family in our City C is actually a branch that split off from the provincial capital's Su Family a long time ago. Due to some Opportunity, I have an engagement with Su Qingxue, the direct daughter of this generation of the Su Family. Coming to the provincial capital this time, I used this connection to participate in the academy's entrance test along with the Su Family's children.”

He didn't go into detail about Grand Tutor Dongxuan and the Fox Immortal; those matters were too complex and inconvenient to reveal for now.

“As for the SSS-Rank Talent and Gold Rank strength...”

Jiang Yun paused,

a look of appropriate confusion and relief appearing on his face.

“Perhaps during the first Awakening test in City C, it was due to the limit of the Testing Stone that an error occurred, and it wasn't accurately detected? Later, in the provincial capital, the true situation was revealed using a more Advanced Testing Stone. As for the specifics, I'm a bit surprised myself. The rapid increase in strength might also be related to this talent, making Cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.”

This explanation of his was half-true and half-false.

He attributed the hard-to-explain parts to testing errors and natural talent, which preserved a sense of mystery without appearing too shocking.

Zhao Tiezhu and the others were stunned. Although they felt the explanation was a bit too coincidental and lucky, Jiang Yun's strength and talent were right before them, so they had no choice but to believe it.

They could only marvel at Jiang Yun's Heaven-Defying Luck.

At the same time, a strong sense of envy and a faint glimmer of hope welled up in their hearts.

Jiang Yun has risen!

These fellow townsmen,

could they also benefit from his success?

Jiang Yun saw through their thoughts.

He changed the subject,

his expression becoming serious and solemn.

“Iron Pillar, Brother Lin, Brother Xiao. Hearing what you've said, I roughly understand the predicament you and all the City C students have faced in the academy.”

“Ultimately, it's because we have no Foundation and no support here. We are like a tray of loose sand, which is why we are picked off one by one and manipulated at will.”

His gaze swept over the three of them

as he spoke slowly.

“Do you know that in Sky Dome Academy, the major forces of the provincial capital and even some powerful regional groups organize their children into student mutual aid organizations recognized by the academy—essentially small factions. They band together for warmth, share resources and information, and stand united against outsiders to compete for interests in various academy competitions and resource allocations.”

“For example, the Su Family has their faction, Tingxue Pavilion. I'm afraid other provincial capital forces also have their own factions in the academy. It's precisely because such organizations exist that their children can run rampant and wantonly suppress students like you who have no background.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tiezhu and the others...

were lost in thought.

Then, expressions of realization and even greater bitterness appeared on their faces.

So that was it.

No wonder they felt they weren't just facing one or two people...

but an invisible, massive net.

“Therefore,”

Jiang Yun's voice suddenly rose,

carrying an unquestionable determination and sharpness.

“If we want to truly establish ourselves in Sky Dome Academy, no longer be bullied, and be able to obtain resources fairly and Cultivate in peace...”

He paused,

and said clearly, word by word.

“...we must also establish a force that belongs to City C, a force that belongs to all of us outsiders who are like rootless duckweed!”

“A force that can protect all our fellow townsmen from City C, and even students from other small places who are being marginalized!”

“A force that can make our voices heard by the academy and ensure our interests are protected!”

“I, Jiang Yun, since I have this ability, have met you, and know these things...”

His gaze was like an unsheathed sword,

flashing with a firm light.

“Then, I will carry this banner!”

“I will establish the first student organization belonging to City C in this Sky Dome Academy!”

As his voice fell,

the pavilion fell into total silence.

Zhao Tiezhu, Lin Kuo, and Xiao Yutian were completely stunned, staring blankly at the determined Jiang Yun before them, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

Establish a force for City C?

Jiang Yun carrying the banner?

An indescribable surge of warmth...

instantly washed away the grievances, numbness, and despair that had accumulated in their hearts for so long.

The spark of hope burned in their eyes for the first time, so hot and real!