373: Chapter 373 Pretending~

"Little Junior Brother, you're too much of a freak! I finally managed to cultivate to Third Grade Perfection, and I feel like I still have a long way to go to reach the limit. It'll probably take at least another half month..."

She originally thought her progress was already very fast, definitely making her a genius among her peers.

But compared to her Little Junior Brother... this guy was simply a monster!

He went to an otherworldly realm for an assembly and came back having rushed straight to the Third Grade Limit!

This put immense pressure on her as his Senior Sister!

Qin Yan smiled and didn't respond.

He knew that his Little Senior Sister's talent was actually extremely high, especially her extraordinary comprehension in the Dao of Alchemy, and she never slackened in her martial arts cultivation; it was just that his own opportunities were indeed quite special.

"Xiao Yan, it seems this trip to the Hidden Dragon Assembly was quite fruitful for you. Your foundation has become increasingly solid."

Xiao Huo said.

Hearing this, Qin Yan immediately realized that Teacher Xiao Huo clearly didn't know yet that he had ultimately taken first place at the Hidden Dragon Assembly.

With a shift in thought, Qin Yan suddenly felt that after going through life-and-death battles and finally taking first place—and even being 'warmly sent off' by three Venerables on the way back, escaping death by a hair's breadth—he had experienced both the 'glory' and the 'fright' to the fullest.

But back at school, besides himself, was there no one to share this 'shock' and 'envy' with?

This feeling was like walking in fine silks at night; it felt like something was missing.

No, he had to show off a bit here...

Ah, no, he had to report this 'not bad' achievement to his teacher and Senior Sister!

So, Qin Yan put on an 'indifferent' expression, lowered his head slightly, and acted as if he were casually adjusting his cuffs:

"Uh, Teacher, you flatter me. On this trip out, it was just... my luck was relatively good. I narrowly survived the dangers I encountered, and then... well, my performance at the assembly was just a little bit better than expected.

During the final tally, I accidentally took first place."

The moment the words fell.

"..."

The entire Alchemy Room seemed to have its mute button pressed.

Only the constant low-frequency hum of distant instruments remained, along with the breathing of three people... no, the breathing of two people suddenly becoming a bit heavier.

Hidden Dragon Assembly... first place?

What Qin Yan just said was... Hidden Dragon Assembly... first place?!

Xiao Huo felt like something might be wrong with his ears, or perhaps his spirit was in a daze from the high-intensity alchemy recently?

His third disciple, Ye Hongxiao, had also participated in the Hidden Dragon Assembly back then and achieved quite good results.

Therefore, his understanding of the Hidden Dragon Assembly was far deeper than that of the average person.

That wasn't just a trial ground for young geniuses; it was an Asura field where myriad races competed in a bloodbath!

True King Descendants ran rampant, spirit weapons and secret treasures frequently appeared, and racial hunting and counter-hunting were constantly playing out...

The tragic intensity of the competition and the complexity of the situation were by no means comparable to an internal school competition.

In his original expectations, Qin Yan coming back alive with a significant increase in strength, and perhaps bringing back some valuable gains or insights, would have already been a perfect result beyond expectations.

But now, what did he hear?

First place? The first place that suppressed the geniuses of myriad races, including those True King Descendants?!

The impact of this news was not at all less than someone telling him that he, Xiao Huo, could become the principal of Modu University in the future!

"Xiao... Xiao Yan? What did you just say? Hidden Dragon Assembly... first place? Are you sure you're not joking with me? Or... is it something like 'team first' or 'regional first'?"

Xiao Huo asked uncertainly.

Beside him, Lu Youyou also finally recovered from her shock. She covered her mouth with her small hand, looking at Qin Yan, then at her teacher.

Then her gaze fell back on Qin Yan, full of scrutiny and shock.

She felt that her Little Junior Brother didn't seem to be joking, but this news... was too inconceivable!

Looking at his teacher's 'you must be kidding me' expression, Qin Yan felt satisfied.

He said with a certain tone:

"Teacher, I'm not joking. It was the final tally of the assembly, the overall first place ranking for the geniuses of all participating races in the entire Eternal Song Star Realm.

Dean Su Zhiming can testify. On our way back, because of this ranking, we were even intercepted and attacked by an alliance of several races; they even dispatched experts at the Venerable level!

If it hadn't been for our school's Principal Jiang... oh, that Vice-Principal Jiang with the wine gourd hanging at her waist appearing in time, and later another mysterious expert taking action, we probably wouldn't have really made it back."

"Principal Jiang... wine gourd..." Xiao Huo murmured these two keywords, and the suspicion in his eyes quickly faded.

Vice-Principal Jiang Mingyue was away from the school all year round. For Qin Yan to be able to describe her so accurately, he had clearly seen her, and might have even been saved by her.

Moreover, he didn't think Qin Yan would joke with him about this.

Now, Xiao Huo completely believed it!

His little disciple, who had only been under him for a year, had actually suppressed all the heroes and reached the top of the list in that incredibly cruel Hidden Dragon Assembly that gathered the elites of myriad races!

Suddenly, an unspeakable emotion, a mix of immense surprise and pride, instantly surged into Xiao Huo's heart.

"A sneak attack by Venerables?! Little Junior Brother, are you okay?"

Lu Youyou's focus immediately shifted to Qin Yan's safety, her small face full of tension.

"I'm fine, Senior Sister."

Qin Yan gave her a reassuring look. "A mysterious expert stepped in just in time and suppressed those three Venerables in an instant, and then those three Venerables were taken away."

"In... in an instant suppressed three Venerables? And took them away?"

Lu Youyou gasped. "This... what level of expert would it take to do that?"

In her limited understanding, a Ninth-Grade Venerable was already a myth-like existence standing at the peak of martial arts!

Three Venerables joining forces would be enough to cause a catastrophe!

Yet they were suppressed in an instant and taken away silently?

This had completely exceeded the scope of her imagination.

Xiao Huo was, after all, an experienced Grandmaster. After his shock, he quickly calmed down, pondered for a moment, and gave a relatively reasonable guess:

"To be able to suppress three Venerables with such ease... the one who acted is likely an existence at the True King level!"

True King!

Qin Yan nodded inwardly; Teacher Xiao Huo's judgment matched his own.

In his heart, he had a clearer positioning of Envoy An Miao's strength.

Even a True King had failed to directly see through the demonic energy within his body.

This undoubtedly gave him a sense of reassurance.

"Xiao Yan," Xiao Huo suppressed his initial excitement and looked at Qin Yan. "Come, tell your teacher and your Senior Sister all about what you experienced on this trip to the Eternal Song Star Realm.

How did you make it to the end step by step?"

Lu Youyou also immediately brought over two stools, sitting on one and leaving one for Qin Yan.

Her big eyes were full of curiosity; she had long since thrown that bit of 'small resentment' at being surpassed by her Junior Brother and the shock brought by the Venerables to the back of her mind.

(I really can't write anymore~)