42: Proton (IV)

"75th place, Chi Yun."

On the high platform, the Hall Master's cold voice rang out.

"What? Chi Yun? That trash hostage?"

"75th place? How could he have scored so high! It must be pure dumb luck, he must have stumbled upon the corpse of some great Yao Beast!"

"Exactly! A hostage wanting to advance to the Academy Hall? It's pure delusion! It's a good thing he didn't make it into the top 64, otherwise, the heavens would truly be blind!"

In the crowd, Chen Feng's face turned pale and then green.

At the other end of the plaza, a handsome youth in luxurious clothing stared fixedly at the list on the high platform, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Chi Yun..."

He spat these two words out through his teeth, his eyes filled with venomous resentment.

Yun Qian.

A direct descendant of the Yun Family, a top-tier Earth Spirit Realm Family.

This was already his third year failing to advance.

Just because the Yao Beast core of that Shadow Moon Wolf King had been taken, he had fallen short at the final hurdle.

His eldest brother was a Prodigy of the Academy, holding the official title of "Fu Zi." His second brother was a prominent figure in the Inner Academy Hall.

Yet he had been trapped in the academy for three years, inferior even to some collateral branches of his Family.

This was simply a great humiliation.

Chi Yun paid no heed to anything around him.

A year passed quietly.

Chi Yun had completely faded into the background within the academy, deliberately controlling his rankings in subsequent academy exams.

No one knew that in that dilapidated room, his cultivation had long since broken through the shackles of the Spirit Nurturing Realm.

Ninth level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm.

Only one step away from the Spirit Transformation Realm.

He could break through at any time.

But he did not.

A hostage who had only been enrolled for two years, breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm?

Too conspicuous.

Chi Yun knew very well that with his current strength, even without breaking through, he was more than capable of handling this year's advancement assessment.

It was time to enter the Academy Hall.

The new year's advancement assessment arrived as scheduled.

This time, the hunting ground was changed to a dangerous place called the "Meteor Swamp."

As soon as he entered the Meteor Swamp, he felt several malicious gazes.

Chi Yun gave a cold smile; these gazes naturally stemmed from past grudges.

"I hope you don't seek your own deaths."

"Chi Yun!"

Seeing Chi Yun, Chen Feng was stunned at first, then began to grin viciously.

"I've finally found you! You were lucky last year, but this year, let's see where you can run!"

However, before his voice had even faded.

A black shadow had already arrived before him.

Too fast.

Chen Feng's pupils contracted violently; he only had time to raise his arms to block.

"Snap!"

Chi Yun delivered a hand blade, cleanly and decisively severing his windpipe.

Chen Feng clutched his throat, his face filled with disbelief, and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The few lackeys were scared into a state of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, turning and running.

But their speed was as slow as a snail in front of Chi Yun.

Several flashes of cold light swept by.

Everyone collapsed in pools of blood.

Chi Yun was expressionless; he set a fire that burned all the corpses to ashes, leaving not even a trace behind.

Yun Qian was spiritedly hunting a half-step Spirit Transformation Realm Yao Beast.

His cultivation had greatly advanced this year, and he had already reached the half-step Spirit Transformation Realm.

Advancing to the Inner Academy Hall was a sure thing.

Once he hunted this half-step Spirit Transformation Yao Beast, his advancement would be set in stone.

"With business done, it's time to settle some grudges."

Killing intent rose in Yun Qian's heart.

"Hahaha, Chi Yun!"

"You have made this Young Master look hard for you!"

To his dying breath, Yun Qian never understood why Chi Yun's strength was terrifying to such an extent...

The assessment ended.

On the high platform, the Hall Master began to announce the rankings.

"60th place, Chi Yun."

This ranking allowed Chi Yun to successfully obtain the qualification to enter the Outer Academy Hall.

The deaths of Yun Qian, Chen Feng, and the others were like a pebble thrown into the ocean, causing no ripples.

In the advancement assessment, it was perfectly normal for a few people to die.

The Yun Family residence.

"Qian'er is dead?"

"How is that possible! He was already at the half-step Spirit Transformation Realm; how could he have perished in a simple advancement assessment?"

"Investigate it for me!"

Three months passed.

Chi Yun's cultivation had also "logically" broken through to the first level of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

In the Outer Academy Hall, students at the Spirit Transformation Realm were as numerous as ox hair.

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old in the Spirit Transformation Realm would be a supreme Genius in the kingdoms of his previous lives.

But here, they were everywhere.

The Outer Academy Hall had hundreds of students, with a four-academic-year duration, and only twenty spots were available each year to advance to the Inner Academy Hall; the competition was incomparably fierce.

Apart from the guaranteed monthly resources, everything needed for Cultivation had to be exchanged using academic credits.

And the only way to obtain academic credits was to go to the Task Hall and accept tasks.

Of course, the Academy Hall would forcibly assign a task every three months; if it wasn't completed, one would be expelled from the Academy Hall.

This day, Chi Yun stood before the light screen in the Task Hall, waiting for his mandatory task for this quarter.

"Hunt the Early Stage Spirit Transformation Realm Blazing Lion, reward fifty academic credits."

Just as he accepted it, a voice came from the side.

Chi Yun turned his head and saw a youth looking at him with a half-smile.

"This must be Junior Brother Chi."

"Yun Fan, captain of the Blazing Lion hunting team."

The youth patted Chi Yun on the shoulder and said.

"See you in the hall in a week, good luck Junior Brother."

After speaking, he turned and left.

Chi Yun watched his back, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Relying on the intuition from his previous lives, he felt a subtle killing intent from this person.

He inquired about him from a student nearby.

The student lowered his voice and said: "Yun Fan? A collateral member of the Yun Family, a student of the Outer Academy Hall for two years, with fourth-level Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation."

In his heart, Chi Yun understood instantly.

The Yun Family.

"It seems they have suspected me."

"But it cannot be avoided; tasks assigned by the Academy Hall cannot be refused."

"However, my status is special; I am a hostage of the Diyuan Dynasty, so surely the Yun Family would not dare to make a move openly."

A week later, in the early morning.

Chi Yun arrived at the task assembly point as agreed.

Yun Fan's team had been waiting for a long time; counting Chi Yun, there were four people in total.

"Junior Brother Chi, you have finally arrived. I thought you wouldn't come."

Yun Fan said with a half-smile.

"This is a task issued by the Academy Hall; this Junior Brother does not wish to be expelled right after enrolling."

Chi Yun smiled indifferently and said calmly.

Afterward, the four of them set off.

"Junior Brother Chi, ahead is the Nissang Swamp, the only way to the Blazing Lion's territory."

"I heard you just broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, so I will leave the opportunity to scout the path to you. It will just happen to help you consolidate your cultivation."

Yun Fan said quietly.

On the surface, it was for Chi Yun's own good, but in reality, he wanted him to bear the first wave of attacks from the swamp Yao Beasts.

Chi Yun knew this clearly. His five senses were sharp, and every step he took was steady. He intentionally avoided areas with strong auras, which surprised Yun Fan and the others.

"Strange, there are many powerful Yao Beasts under this Nissang Swamp, yet he hasn't disturbed a single one. This kid really has good luck."

Just as they arrived at the Blazing Lion's territory, another member "accidentally" stepped on and crushed a stone.

The Blazing Lion was disturbed, letting out a roar, its blood-red pupils immediately locking onto Chi Yun, who was at the very front.

"Junior Brother Chi, this Yao Beast has been awakened, and its blood energy is surging. You hold it off for a while; our killing moves will arrive soon!"

Zhou Kai, Yun Fan, and Lin Chong immediately scattered to the surroundings, watching Chi Yun with cold eyes.

"Hehe."

Chi Yun gave a cold snort, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. He silently shot a Talisman toward Yun Fan's feet.

"Damn! Where did that Talisman come from!"

He cursed angrily.

"Senior Brother Yun, I am truly sorry. I just learned this Talisman, so it's a bit unrefined."

Chi Yun said quietly.

The Blazing Lion gave up on continuing to attack Chi Yun and turned to pounce on the injured Yun Fan. Yun Fan had been "ambushed," his Qi and blood were in chaos, and for a moment, he simply could not withstand the Blazing Lion's onslaught, his injuries gradually worsening.

"Junior Brother Chi! Hurry up and save me!"

Chi Yun stood in place, playing with the situation, and said: "I am only a Junior Brother who has just entered the Spirit Transformation Realm; my Realm has not yet stabilized, so I cannot be of much help."

Yun Fan endured the pain and used a secret treasure to trap the Blazing Lion. With a livid face, he cooperated with Zhou Kai and the others who had come forward to kill the Blazing Lion, then rushed forward to extract the Yao Beast core.

Returning to the Task Hall, Yun Fan reluctantly shared ten academic credits with Chi Yun.

He forced a smile and invited Chi Yun to team up next time. Chi Yun calmly accepted the academic credits.