171: What other documents are needed?

The next day, 3:00 PM.

The much-anticipated Nurturing Academy Friendship Exchange Competition began.

Around the large challenge stage in the T-Zone, several temporary buildings stood as waiting halls, serving as rest areas for the contestants from the Imperial Capital Yulong Academy, Lingbei Academy, and several other academies.

Students who had already competed were arranged in the seats closest to the challenge stage, providing a first-person view of the most exciting matches. Further out were thousands of students, a dense, dark mass like a swarm of ants.

The crowd was boisterous and lively, but amidst the excitement, there were also many angry curses and shouts. Listening closely, one would realize they were all cursing the same person.

Inside the Lingnan Academy waiting hall, Xie Ning stood on the balcony, watching Yan Chengze on the stage. Yan Chengze was speaking with spittle flying everywhere, his face full of excitement and flattery. Hearing him praise the other academies to the skies—especially his performance in praising the Imperial Capital Yulong Academy, which was almost out of this solar system—Xie Ning couldn't help but wonder: "What benefit does he get from doing this?"

Yan Ruyu was right beside him. Hearing this, she replied, "It's nothing more than someone in the Imperial Capital arranging a good position for him. That's how lapdogs are."

Xie Ning suddenly understood.

No wonder he dared to blatantly trample on the academy; it turned out he was planning to jump ship.

Finally, Yan Chengze's long and tedious speech reached its end. He shouted, "Now, please welcome the representative of our Imperial Capital Yulong Academy to the stage to speak!"

As he finished speaking, a woman in red with wavy hair and a mean-looking face flew out from the waiting hall directly opposite. As soon as she appeared, her Gold Peak Aura spread out, bringing its own presence.

She flew onto the stage, gradually restraining her Aura. She took the microphone that Yan Chengze handed over with a bow, cleared her throat, and said:

"Hello everyone, I am Duan Biqin, an instructor at the Imperial Capital Yulong Cultivation Academy. I am very pleased to come to Lingnan Academy to participate in this Autumn Nurturing Friendship Exchange Competition. Here, on behalf of the Imperial Capital Yulong Cultivation Academy, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the instructors and students of all the academies present and Lingnan Academy. Today..."

Xie Ning listened seriously for a while, then couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Master, is this the pursuer of the guy whose little thing you snipped off? No wonder she's called a pursuer. With such long, tedious, and empty words, she'd be lucky to catch anyone."

"Don't be fooled by this appearance. She's a foxy woman, very cunning," Yan Ruyu reminded him with a frown, automatically ignoring the first half of Xie Ning's sentence.

Xie Ning nodded.

Joking aside, someone even Yan Ruyu found troublesome was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

"In this Friendship Exchange Competition, we must still uphold the spirit of 'friendship first, competition second.' We must not..."

Ten minutes later, Xie Ning was already nodding off.

At that moment, a crisp but unpleasant voice came from the next room.

"Damn it, does she know how to talk? It's like an old woman's foot-binding cloth!"

"It's extinguished all my passion for the competition! Is there no one left at the Yulong Academy?"

"If you want to hypnotize me to take my first place, just say so! No need to be this ruthless..."

"Really..."

Xie Ning looked at Yan Ruyu.

"A madwoman from the Ruan Family, ignore her," Yan Ruyu replied.

"Madwoman?" Xie Ning was stunned.

At this time, in the room next to Xie Ning and Yan Ruyu, Instructor Ruan Qiong was accompanying a short-haired Tomboy wearing denim overalls and a white T-shirt, listening to the voice coming from the microphone.

The Girl dressed as a Tomboy listened and, unable to take it anymore, slammed her hand down, smashing the table into several pieces. She cursed, "Damn it! This person really can't talk. I'm about to fall asleep."

"You Girl, take it easy. You're an instructor now, yet your actions are still so violent. How will you find a boyfriend in the future?" Ruan Qiong advised.

The Girl said, "Tch~ A boyfriend can't be eaten, and they're not as obedient as a Demon Tamers Beast. Why bother finding one?"

Hearing this, Ruan Qiong covered her forehead and remained silent.

"By the way, why has the competition roster changed? I see the finale of the third match has been replaced by a little kid."

Hearing the Girl's words, Ruan Qiong tapped her on the head. "What little kid? He's only a few years younger than you. His cultivation ability is no worse than mine. We couldn't even invite him before, but finally, there's a chance this time."

"Is it that exaggerated?" The Girl curled her lips.

"Whether it is or not, you'll know once you see. Get ready; it'll be your turn soon."

Hearing Ruan Qiong's words, the Girl stood up reluctantly, put on her instructor ID, and rubbed her hands together, waiting for the moment the start was announced on stage.

On the stage, Duan Biqin's speech continued. Suddenly, she changed the subject and looked toward their building.

"Speaking of which, Lingnan Academy still has an old acquaintance of mine, Instructor Yan Ruyu. I really miss her; we haven't seen each other in years. If it wasn't for the tra— she cultivated back then..."

At this point, a "boom" sounded as an explosion rang out, attracting everyone's attention.

From the room next to the Tomboy, a figure shot out. Treading on flames, he crossed the distance of dozens of meters and landed steadily on the stage.

It was Xie Ning.

With Xie Ning's appearance, the entire venue suddenly fell silent.

The crowd below was stunned, Duan Biqin on stage looked bewildered, and even the Tomboy who was rubbing her hands to go on stage was dazed. After a long while, she said, "Holy crap! He stole my spot!"

After a few seconds, the crowd reacted and began to whisper.

"Who is this? He looks so young, is he really an instructor?"

"The academy doesn't have an instructor like this, right? If he's on the wrong set, that would be embarrassing..."

At this moment, a student slapped his forehead and shouted, "I remember now, that's Xie Ning."

"Are you talking about the Great God Xie Ning who can provide a free cultivation in exchange for an earth cracking beast inner core?"

"Who else could it be? His cultivation has never failed. It seems he can even handle tasks that Instructor Ruan Qiong can't. In the competition the day before yesterday, Mo Yu, who clearly won but was judged to have lost, is his disciple." The student nodded, looking excited.

"Holy crap! This is the rhythm of seeking revenge for his disciple. He's definitely an ally! Go Xie Ning! You must vent this anger for your little disciple!"

"But isn't he a student?"

"Who cares? As long as he can win, we'll all just call him 'Teacher'."

For a moment, more and more people below shouted "Teacher Xie Ning," and the cheers echoed throughout the entire challenge area.

On the stage, the flames on Xie Ning's body gradually went out. He looked at Duan Biqin, who hadn't reacted on the podium, and shouted, "Is this a competition or a sutra chanting?! If you're here to chant, go home! If you're here to compete, get up here right now!"

These words triggered a burst of applause from the crowd, and everyone burst into laughter.

Duan Biqin also learned of Xie Ning's identity from Yan Chengze. Her already mean-looking face narrowed its eyes until they were almost invisible.

"I didn't expect Yan Ruyu's student to be such a person. It's truly disappointing."

After Duan Biqin finished, Yan Chengze took the microphone and scolded Xie Ning, "Student Xie Ning, get down immediately! By fooling around like this, you're not only embarrassing Instructor Yan Ruyu but the entire Lingnan Academy!"

These words were an attempt to shift the blame and make more people ridicule Yan Ruyu.

Hearing this, Xie Ning said coldly, "When it comes to embarrassment, who can compare to you? Yan Chengze, stop your nonsense. Since it's a competition, let's see the truth through our skills. Let's see how much strength the person you, a lapdog, are brown-nosing actually has!"

After speaking, Xie Ning took out his credentials:

"Teacher's Certificate, right here."

"Cultivation Qualification Certificate, right here."

"Competing Instructor Certification, also right here."

Xie Ning's sharp gaze fixed on Yan Chengze. "I'm asking you, what other certificates do you need?"