Chapter 39: The Bloodline of Holy Light

Squinting slightly as he sized up James, Wang Zhongguo felt he had a rough measure of the situation.

A hermit with the Holy Light bloodline—this aura was at least at the peak of the third tier. His combat power might rival a fourth-tier immortal cultivator, but he was not invincible.

Qin Zhe was already a fourth-tier martial artist, and his physical body was freakishly tough. He had been able to withstand a strike from a stone giant without a single scratch and even managed to counter-kill it. What was a peak third-tier hermit compared to that?

Thinking of this, Wang Zhongguo chuckled and spoke.

"Dean William, I didn't expect you to have such a card up your sleeve right at the end. It truly caught me by surprise! As for this wager..."

Before he could finish, William interrupted him.

"Dean Wang, you aren't going to call off the bet just because you see no chance of winning, are you? I personally wouldn't mind, but if word of this got out internationally, it might damage the reputation of Haicheng University!"

With a smug look, William added, "Besides, James's status is not easy to handle. He challenged this student named Qin Zhe on the stage, and the latter accepted. If the match were to be interfered with, the Royal Family might have some complaints. You know how we in the Eagle Kingdom are—this concerns the dignity of a nobleman."

After this speech, William remained cool and collected, having prepared his excuses in advance. The surrounding faculty of Haicheng University looked on with disdain, finding him despicable, yet they were helpless to act.

To this, Wang Zhongguo laughed heartily.

"Dean William, you've misunderstood. I have no intention of calling off the bet. I just think our stakes are too small and not exciting enough! We need to raise them!"

"Raise them?"

William paused, growing suspicious. It seemed this old fox, Wang Zhongguo, was up to something! They were in a situation where defeat was certain, yet he still wanted to increase the stakes?

Glancing at Qin Zhe on the martial stage, William sensed his aura.

Weak! Very weak! The aura seemed to be barely at the first tier. With James's strength, he could kill him in an instant. To avoid causing casualties, he might even have to hold back. So... why would Wang Zhongguo want to increase the stakes?

Before William could figure it out, Wang Zhongguo held up a finger.

"I will add an untapped, large-scale spiritual vein, along with permission for your students to enter our school's Cold Moon Secret Realm for a short time. William, this is what you came for, isn't it?"

"..."

William fell silent. He had indeed come for the Cold Moon Secret Realm; the original wager had just been incidental. The condition before him was truly tempting!

However, an untapped, large-scale spiritual vein was a massive price to pay. His Sanctuary Academy was not as wealthy as Haicheng University. They only possessed one unstable, small-scale secret realm, unlike the three that had appeared at the dawn of the spiritual energy resurgence which Haicheng controlled. If he lost this bet, he might be forced to resign in disgrace upon returning!

William wavered... but looking at James on the stage, his confidence returned. Strictly speaking, James was the strongest of the fifteen students he had brought. Even against a fourth-tier opponent, James could hold his own by burning some of his bloodline essence.

*Risk it!* William steeled himself and gritted out two words: "It's a bet!"

...

Meanwhile, on the martial stage, neither Qin Zhe nor James was in a hurry to strike.

"It's not too late to concede. I can tell you're very weak," James said confidently, as milky-white light coalesced in his hands, gradually forming a long spear. "With your abilities, I don't know how Miss Yao Jing took a liking to you. If you didn't deceive her, then her judgment of character must be poor. You have no chance of winning against me."

Qin Zhe stood opposite him without answering, looking up and down at James, who was armed to the teeth, his heart full of curiosity.

A hermit, and of the Holy Light lineage at that—this was a rare "species" indeed! Immortals, demons, and martial artists were known as the "Big Three" of the cultivation world. Because he had entered the path of martial immortality, Qin Zhe had previously studied the materials carefully. Aside from the Big Three, there were other cultivation systems in the world, though most were niche and relatively rare.

The hermit system was a unique, niche path found only in the Eagle Kingdom. Because it required specific bloodlines, the number of practitioners was extremely small, with the Holy Light lineage being the rarest of all. Rumor had it that only a few dozen people possessed this bloodline, all of whom were members of the Royal Family. Not only were they of high status, but they were also treated as treasures by the Eagle Kingdom's authorities and kept hidden within the country. Most people would likely never see one in their lifetime; Qin Zhe hadn't expected to encounter one today.

Seeing that Qin Zhe remained silent, observing him as if he were a rare protected animal, James snorted. "It seems... you're determined to see the end, aren't you?"

"Your Dragon Kingdom language is quite good. Who taught you?" Qin Zhe smiled, responding. Curiosity was one thing, but it was rude to ignore someone, right?

That was what Qin Zhe thought, but to James, this attitude was a pure provocation!

"You're courting death!" James roared. He suddenly raised his long spear, lunged, and hurled it with a swing of his arm.

As the spear flew, milky-white light blazed around James, who then followed the projectile in a pounce. The person and the spear moved with extreme speed, leaving a trail of afterimages on the stage, reaching Qin Zhe in an instant. This caused many in the stands to gasp. Crucially, Qin Zhe acted as if he were stunned, standing motionless!

The students of Haicheng University had seen a similar scene once before. But against a Holy Light hermit, was Qin Zhe being too arrogant? James was definitely not someone Zhou Wentong could compare to; in terms of raw strength, the latter would only be killed instantly!

The next moment, Qin Zhe finally moved, but the audience's hearts were in their throats. He retreated, but not fast enough!

With a "boom," the long spear struck Qin Zhe squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward. James caught the rebounding spear, pointed it toward the sky, and shouted: "Holy Light! Sanction the enemy before me!"

The words were cringeworthy, but the power displayed was truly formidable. A thick beam of light descended from the heavens, instantly submerging Qin Zhe, who hadn't yet recovered from the knockback. It slammed into the ground with a "bang," shaking the entire arena and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

"It's over. How weak," James said, brandishing his spear with confidence. He spun the weapon and looked up at Wang Zhongguo on the high platform, shouting, "Dean Wang, the final challenger you sent is truly weak. He didn't even qualify to warm me up. Do you need to send someone else up?"

Provocation! A blatant provocation! The students in the stands were filled with indignation, and many even felt the urge to challenge him themselves. Dean Wang Zhongguo was their idol; how could they allow someone else to insult him so casually?

"Hey, you didn't even look at me, so why are you saying it's over? Who gave you that much confidence?"

A slightly annoyed voice rang out, causing James to freeze, while the students in the stands erupted into cheers.

"Holy cow! He's okay?"

"Listening to Qin Zhe's steady voice, it doesn't seem like he's hurt! My god! This guy is too tough, right? How does he train?"