140: It's just military merit, isn't it?

"Haha..."

"Xia Jing, who told you to make yourself look so young..."

The old man sitting opposite stroked his beard and laughed.

Xia Jing was about to speak again but was stopped by the old Headmaster in the main seat: "Alright, you're both over a hundred years old, don't let the Juniors laugh at you."

Then, the old Headmaster said to Lin Chuan: "You must be Lin Chuan. I am Leng Hong, the Headmaster of Yu Ming Academy. This is the Commander-in-Chief of the Yu Ming Army, you can also call him Venerable Xia; and this is Feng Zun, who manages the entrances to most Secret Realms in Xuanwu City."

Lin Chuan understood. One managed the combat forces of the Yu Ming Army, and the other controlled the entrances to Secret Realms. It seemed like a system of checks and balances.

Lin Chuan naturally greeted each of them, wondering why they sought him out.

"Kid, I heard you refused to serve after graduation?"

Xia Jing suddenly said in a cold voice.

"Yes."

Lin Chuan admitted directly.

"Do you know what that means? It means I can treat you as a deserter and execute you on the spot!"

Xia Jing threatened, his Killing Intent like a blade.

However, Lin Chuan was not easily intimidated. If they really wanted to kill him, they wouldn't have waited until now.

"Regarding this, I already stated before coming to Yu Ming Academy that I would not kill less than ten times the number of same-rank targets. If that's still not enough, then just let me drop out, since school hasn't even started yet."

Lin Chuan replied calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Good, you said it. A Gold-rank Beast Tamer's annual quota is 1000 military merit. This is equivalent to 100 Commander Rank or 1000 Elite Rank Nether Beasts. If it's ten times that, then it's 10,000 military merit. Let's start counting from this year."

"Grandpa!" Xia Yuan quickly interjected, saying: "Lin Chuan just recently advanced to Gold Rank, and what I agreed with him was for after graduation. He's only just enrolled now..."

"Shut up, you have no say here."

"..."

Xia Yuan didn't continue, but the word 'unfair' was practically etched on his face.

"military merit, you say?"

As he spoke, Lin Chuan took out his nameplate. "Recently, my roommate and I teamed up to kill some Nether Beasts. I don't know how much military merit I have yet."

"You've already killed Nether Beasts..."

Xia Jing thought to himself, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Out loud, he said: "Then let this old man check your achievements from the past half-month. Don't tell me you only killed two or three kittens, haha..."

After speaking, he casually took out an instrument and placed it against the nameplate.

"military merit: One hundred thirty-two thousand three hundred seventy-five points."

Listening to the voice broadcast, the other four people in the room couldn't help but rub their ears.

Xia Jing even checked the instrument from inside out, confirming that the number on the screen matched what he heard.

"Damn, no way."

The other four cursed simultaneously.

Lin Chuan, however, was not surprised. The second time they went to the Nether Realm, Xia Siye absolutely refused to share Lin Chuan's military merit, directly putting his nameplate into his ring, allowing Lin Chuan to enjoy the military merit alone.

Lin Chuan's military merit soared by over ten thousand almost every day. In fact, some Nether Beasts killed each other or were ganged up on by Nether Spirits, but because the distance was too far, their military merit wasn't calculated, which was a waste.

"Xia Yuan, bring out your nameplate."

Xia Jing, not believing it, urged Xia Yuan to try it.

"This..."

Xia Yuan was a bit hesitant.

"Damn it, what are you dawdling for? Do you want a beating?"

Xia Jing grew anxious, pulling out his grandfather's authority.

Xia Yuan: "..."

To think I, a dignified half-step King Rank, a seven-foot tall man... Then, he could only hand over his nameplate.

"military merit: Fifty-nine thousand six hundred ninety-seven points."

"Damn, why is it so little?"

Xia Yuan: ???

Are you even speaking like a Human Race?

All fifty thousand-plus points were from this year. Logically, a Monarch Rank only needed twenty thousand military merit per year. I've already exceeded that by two times, and I even spent half my time on school work... Xia Yuan couldn't voice these excuses.

There was nothing he could do. Lin Chuan had only been at school for less than a month, so how did he get over a hundred thousand?

"Ahem, Venerable Xia, this military merit should be enough, right?"

Lin Chuan said softly.

"Good kid, where did you get so much military merit? Did you find a King Rank hitman?"

Speaking of King Rank, everyone couldn't help but think of the towering giant beasts in the Secret Realm.

Was Lin Chuan's relationship with that entity so intimate?

"Xia Jing, don't guess wildly. No King Rank Yao Beast can casually and unknowingly pass through the blockade to enter the Secret Realm."

At this moment, Feng Zun on the side interjected as a reminder.

"That's true."

"All this military merit, I earned it by killing them one by one. If you don't believe me, Venerable Xia can ask Xia Siye for verification. I think he wouldn't lie in front of you."

Lin Chuan no longer wanted to dwell on this issue. If the other party had called him here for such a trivial matter, he might as well go back and lie down. Thinking about how to 'fish' was the real priority; his family was practically starving.

"Not bad, you have the demeanor of this old man in my youth. Do you have anything you want to exchange for with this military merit? Today, this old man will make an exception and give you the highest authority. Or, if you want to exchange for a military position, it's enough for you to be a major general."

Xia Jing detected the displeasure in Lin Chuan's tone and instantly changed his attitude, saying with a smile.

Everything just now was merely a test.

General? Lin Chuan wasn't interested. Exchanging items with the highest authority, Lin Chuan expressed great interest.

This was a one-time opportunity, and Lin Chuan didn't want to miss it.

"Venerable Xia, do you happen to have any king-rank soul pearls, and how much military merit are they worth?"

Lin Chuan asked as if nothing was amiss.

"king-rank soul pearl?"

Everyone was shocked again.

King Rank resources, spoken so lightly from the mouth of a Gold Rank, felt very out of place.

"I do have a few king-rank soul pearls..."

King Rank, a few... Venerable Xia is amazing!

"Can I exchange for them?" Lin Chuan quickly asked, no longer bothering to act. "

This kid, trying to play mind games with us old folks who are hundreds of years old combined, he's still a bit too green, haha..."

Having lived for over a hundred years, who couldn't tell that Lin Chuan genuinely wanted to exchange for a king-rank soul pearl? They just quietly watched his performance.

"A king-rank soul pearl is two hundred thousand military merit per piece. You don't have enough..." Xia Jing said indifferently.

Lin Chuan: ...Really? That expensive?

Then, he heard Xia Jing say: "However, if you answer one question for me, I can make an exception and let you exchange for it."

What question is worth seventy thousand military merit?

"Please ask, Venerable Xia."

"I want to ask, what is your relationship with that Demon King in the Secret Realm?"

"He is my elder brother, and he bears no enmity towards the Human Race."

Lin Chuan looked at Xia Jing and said decisively.

"Good, then this old man can rest assured. You, young man, truly have profound good fortune to be able to call a Great Demon King your brother. However, as the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and crisis coexists. I hope you remain grounded and do not act rashly."

As he spoke, Xia Jing took out a soul orb and gave it to Lin Chuan, casually clearing all of Lin Chuan's military merit.

Lin Chuan was about to take the king-rank soul pearl when he felt a bone-chilling coldness penetrate his Soul, rushing straight to his head, as if he was about to be Possessed.

Then, that coldness was easily dissolved by the golden tree.

Lin Chuan regained his senses and realized he had only lightly touched the king-rank soul pearl; most of the pearl was still in Xia Jing's hand.

"It can actually resist the erosion of a king-rank soul pearl!"

A strange light flashed in Xia Jing's eyes. Originally, he had planned to intervene, but he didn't expect Lin Chuan wouldn't need it at all.

"Thank you, Venerable Xia."

Lin Chuan then fully took the soul orb.