88: Chapter 88 Su Wan's Inflated Ambition

"Navigator Academy?"

Lu Cheng had truly never heard of this name before.

For top-tier martial arts universities like Qingyuan Martial Arts University, Demon Martial, and Jingwu, which vied for the top spot every year, the school teachers would constantly give pep talks, hang posters on the walls, and read lists over the broadcast. It was always the same few names, and his ears were practically calloused from hearing them.

But this "Navigator Academy"...

Let alone understanding it, he hadn't even heard the name.

The conference room was brightly lit, and the golden patterns on the tabletop shimmered faintly under the light.

Patriarch Xia Renyi leaned back in his chair, watching the clearly bewildered expression on Lu Cheng's face. He smiled and nodded, saying:

"This academy is the strongest martial arts university, standing above even Qingyuan Martial Arts University, Demon Martial, and Jingwu."

An academy that surpassed the top three?

That was quite a bold claim.

Patriarch Xia Renyi continued:

"The academy only recruits twenty-four students each year. Only those who participate in the selection and successfully pass are qualified to enter and become the new generation of Navigators."

Lu Cheng frowned slightly, looked up, and asked directly:

"Only twenty-four a year? Then how many people participate in the selection?"

Patriarch Xia Renyi looked at him, the smile on his face deepening a little.

"Around a thousand, and every single one of them is a genius among geniuses."

After these words, the conference room was silent for two seconds.

A thousand monsters picked from all over the country, yet only twenty-four remained in the end.

A glint of excitement flashed in the depths of Lu Cheng's eyes!

Rong City was, after all, too small—so small that the people he had been in contact with lately were starting to fail to provide him with any sense of novelty.

He did indeed want to see just how much substance those so-called top-tier geniuses from the outside world really had.

Lu Cheng shook his head, the corners of his mouth tugging slightly, and reached out to pick up the invitation letter, giving it a light shake in his hand.

"I hope those geniuses can be a bit stronger than the members of the Black Seed."

Patriarch Xia Renyi and Xia Yunchi exchanged a glance.

That matter... was probably not so easy to say.

However, the two of them didn't burst his bubble; they had to leave some illusions for this kid.

After all, those lunatics in the Black Seed, crazy as they were, had all crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Those who managed to reach a position of authority within the organization were no less capable in combat than those geniuses...

Patriarch Xia Renyi smiled and nodded.

"Ambition is a good thing. Su Wan, what about you? What do you think? With your S-Rank Talent, you could enter one of the top three universities even without going to Navigator Academy."

"Many thanks for the kindness, Patriarch. Since the opportunity is already before me, there is no reason not to go."

Beside him, Su Wan also reached out and took the letter.

She naturally knew about this academy.

Navigator Academy, established on the border, was the most dangerous academy in the entire Dragon Kingdom!

At the same time, it was also the place that the alien races feared the most and dared not approach easily!

Because the academy itself was a massive war fortress.

Beyond the academy lay the war zone.

And the students trained within the academy were all lunatics... and they were the true next generation of Navigators for humanity.

Everyone who could successfully graduate from there possessed at least the potential of a War Emperor!

Of course, that was provided they could successfully graduate from there...

Many prodigies who were glorious and limitless in the cities, once thrown onto the border battlefield, might not even be able to last through the first round.

And the difficulty of graduating from Navigator Academy was even more terrifying than the entrance selection...

After looking at the letter for a moment, Lu Cheng suddenly thought of a very practical question and looked up to ask:

"By the way, when does this selection start?"

"If we don't get selected and we miss the martial arts examination, wouldn't that mean we wouldn't even be able to get into a martial arts university?"

As soon as this question was asked, Xia Yunchi laughed on the spot; this kid's train of thought was certainly fast.

"Next Monday, all students will depart together. There will be dedicated instructors responsible for the subsequent arrangements."

Xia Yunchi said:

"As for the martial arts examination, you don't need to worry. Students who can enter the selection, even if they fail in the end, will still be snatched up by other martial arts universities."

Hearing this, Lu Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's fine then."

However, upon further reflection, he felt that the principal would lose out a bit. After all, the principal had always treated him well, providing the resources he needed and fighting for the spots he deserved. If he turned around and participated in another selection, potentially even skipping the martial arts exam, it would ultimately be a bit unfair to him.

Patriarch Xia Renyi looked at the two of them, gently pushed the documents on the table to the side, and continued:

"The selection for Navigator Academy doesn't just look at talent; it also looks at practical combat, temperament, adaptability, and survival skills in extreme environments."

"I have high hopes for you two."

Su Wan nodded quietly; the selection criteria for that place were inherently different from ordinary martial arts universities.

Many geniuses who were powerful and influential in the cities might not be stronger than anyone else when truly thrown to the border.

Lu Cheng suddenly remembered something else.

"By the way, where is the selection location?"

Patriarch Xia Renyi glanced at him and said indifferently:

"You'll know when you get there."

"Knowing too much now won't do you any good."

Lu Cheng's mouth twitched. Fine.

That was just how the big shots talked; if they could say half, they would never say it all.

However, he was too lazy to ask again.

In any case, they were leaving next Monday, so he would know sooner or later.

At this moment, Xia Yunchi seemed to have remembered something else and continued:

"In addition, this beast outbreak has had a huge impact. To soothe public sentiment, the city will hold an awards ceremony tomorrow."

"You two little ones have made a great contribution this time."

"Go to the hospital for a full check-up in a moment. Don't leave any hidden injuries so you can appear before the people of the whole city in the best condition tomorrow."

Lu Cheng and Su Wan responded simultaneously:

"Okay."

With that said, the main matters were basically settled.

The two stood up, ready to leave the conference room.

As soon as the door opened, a familiar figure stood outside.

It was Xia Xi.

She was still stained with quite a bit of blood, her hair was a bit messy, and her arm was wrapped in a makeshift bandage, clearly having just come off the battlefield not long ago.

However, this girl was full of energy. As soon as she saw Lu Cheng, her eyes immediately lit up.

"Let's go, I'll take you for a check-up."

Lu Cheng looked her up and down, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"You don't look like you're unscathed."

Xia Xi looked down at herself and stuck out her tongue.

"At least I look better than you two."

Lu Cheng had actually already recovered once before entering the conference room; at the very least, the hole in his chest was already patched up.

Using the Dragon Scale Holy Armor combined with the Eternal Flame Demon Bloodline to recover a small fry in the Body Refining Realm was truly overkill.

If it were anyone else, they would have been lying in the ICU long ago.

The three of them walked out together.

The corridor was filled with the faint smell of disinfectant, and soldiers and medical personnel hurried past from time to time. The whole building remained busy without a moment of rest.

After arriving at the hospital, the examination process was even more meticulous than imagined.

Blood draws, scans, Source Power fluctuation tests, assessments of bone and organ status—even a rapid screening of their mental state was performed.

By the time everything was finished, quite a bit of time had passed.

The results were actually quite good.

Although the injuries were extremely severe, the recovery was shockingly absurd, and there were even two extremely powerful special forces maintaining a certain balance within their bodies.

After the doctor prescribed them some supplements and nutrient solutions, he let them leave.

After the check-up, Xia Xi sent Su Wan home first.

Afterward, she drove Lu Cheng toward his house.

When the car stopped downstairs, the street was already much quieter. In the distance, the lights of patrol cars could occasionally be seen sweeping across the night.

Lu Cheng was just about to get out of the car, but Xia Xi suddenly called out to him.

"Wait a second."

Lu Cheng turned his head back.

"What?"

In the next second, Xia Xi lunged over and hugged him.

Lu Cheng froze for a moment.

The young girl carried a faint scent of medicine and blood, and a trace of warmth still lingered.

Xia Xi hugged him and whispered a sentence:

"Replenishing Lu Cheng's energy..."

Lu Cheng's mouth twitched.

"What kind of strange setting is this?"

Xia Xi didn't answer; she just hugged him for a few seconds before letting go.

Her earlobes were a little red, but her eyes were shining brightly.

"I'm leaving now, see you tomorrow!"

After saying that, she immediately shrank back into the car, closed the door, and started the engine—her actions were smooth and continuous.

The car soon drove far away.

Lu Cheng stood in place and raised his hand to touch his nose.

"This guy..."

He shook his head, turned to go upstairs, and took out his key to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, the living room lights were still on.

Chu Mu was sitting on the sofa.

She wasn't wearing the sharp, professional clothes she wore to work today, just very ordinary loungewear. There was half a cup of unfinished water by her hand; she had clearly been waiting here for a long time.

Lu Cheng's footsteps paused slightly.

"Mom..."

Chu Mu looked up at him, her gaze falling first on his face, then on the wounds and bloodstains on his body that hadn't been completely cleaned up yet.

She opened her mouth as if she had a lot of things she wanted to ask.

But in the end, she just said softly:

"My boss gave me the day off today..."

She paused for two seconds, looking at Lu Cheng, her voice becoming a little softer.

"It's good that you're back..."

Lu Cheng stood at the doorway, and the string that had been pulled taut in his heart suddenly loosened.

He responded in a low voice.

"I'm back."

...

On the other side.

At Su Wan's house, the atmosphere was much the same.

When Tang Weilin saw her return, her eyes turned red instantly. She pulled her over to look her over again and again, asking non-stop if she was hurt.

Su Wan was not good at expressing herself in the first place.

Especially when faced with such overly direct concern, she was more likely to get stuck.

She stood at the door, silent for a long time, before saying in a low voice:

"I'm fine..."

Tang Weilin nodded repeatedly, saying over and over again:

"It's good that you're fine, it's good that you're fine..."

The mother and daughter talked for a long time. It wasn't until nearly midnight that Su Wan returned to her room.

She gently closed the door, and the room immediately fell silent.

Su Wan stood in place, slowly exhaled, and then opened her system panel.

In the next second, a pale blue light screen appeared in front of her.

Her gaze fell on the talent column first.

The column that originally displayed "S-Rank Talent" had now changed to...

[SSS-Rank Talent: Holy Soul · Ice]

One of the sixteen elements of heaven and earth, Ice-attribute Holy Soul.

With the help of the Ice Nightmare's energy, her talent had finally awakened completely and achieved a qualitative change in the true sense.

In addition to this, she had also activated the Abyssal Ice Nightmare Bloodline.

It was just that at her current realm, it was ultimately still too low—only in the Body Refining Realm—and the bloodline ability was currently only activated by one percent.

But even at one percent, it was already terrifying enough.

When her realm improved later, this power would truly display its intended form.

Su Wan stared at the panel for a long time, her fingers tightening bit by bit.

With her current strength... Lu Cheng was no longer her opponent.

Even if Lu Cheng had also activated the Flame Demon Bloodline, his degree of development could never be higher than hers.

Furthermore, her talent had now advanced to SSS-Rank.

If she were to face that Meridian Opening Realm opponent again now... it wouldn't even take a minute to determine the winner.

Su Wan was now unprecedentedly expanded!

Next month?

No.

To be precise, there were only two weeks left.

By then, it would be the time to trade for the Divine Phoenix Essence Blood!