Chapter 42: Sudden Emergency

Chapter 42 Sudden Incident

Just as Qin Zhe started playing a mobile game on his phone, his eyes lit up at the words.

He was in no rush for the one hundred top-tier spirit stones promised by Wang Chongguo.

After all, the man was a dignified academy president who would hardly default on his debt; he would receive his reward sooner or later.

He simply hadn't expected Yao Jing to meddle and directly bring the reward to him!

Stepping forward to take the crystal card, Qin Zhe carefully chose to store it close to his body. He uttered a "thank you" and walked straight back to his original seat without casting another glance, continuing with his game.

Seeing this, Yao Jing's mouth parted slightly, and she felt a surge of annoyance.

Honestly, with a peerless beauty like her lying defenseless and stretched out right on the sofa, the guy didn't even spare her a glance, which was truly a blow to her ego.

Silently cursing him as a "blockhead," Yao Jing huffed and rolled over, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"I'm a bit tired after tossing and turning all day. I'm going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up later when you leave."

"..."

Qin Zhe was speechless. Raising his head and seeing that she indeed seemed ready to take a nap, he got up, grabbed a blanket, and handed it over.

"Cover yourself. Don't catch a cold."

"I am, at the very least, a fourth-tier demonic cultivator. How could I possibly catch a cold?"

Yao Jing spoke with disdain. Despite her words, she didn't hesitate to take the blanket and drape it over herself.

Qin Zhe said nothing more, calmly retreating to his seat while secretly muttering to himself.

If it weren't for the fact that you seemed a bit upset, did you really think I'd be this much of a gentleman?

A fourth-tier demonic cultivator certainly wouldn't catch a cold from a chill, but since when does a fourth-tier demonic cultivator suddenly get tired out like this?

To Qin Zhe's surprise, not long after, Yao Jing actually fell asleep right in front of him.

Just how much trust did this woman have in him to let down her guard like this?

Or was it... that she truly believed he wouldn't make a move on her?

Puzzled, Qin Zhe put down his phone, walked over, and readjusted the blanket she had kicked off to prevent any accidental exposure.

...

Time ticked away second by second, and night soon fell.

Outside in the martial arts arena, the noise was still deafening as the individual matches continued in full swing.

Having spent a long time playing games hidden away in the lounge, Qin Zhe was growing a bit weary and felt the urge to return to his dorm and lie down for a while.

After all, with Yao Jing sleeping soundly across from him, every time he occasionally glanced her way, he inexplicably found himself wanting to sleep too.

Just as Qin Zhe stood up and prepared to wake Yao Jing, a deafening explosion rang out without warning from the outside.

Were the individual matches really that intense?

Qin Zhe raised his head, thoroughly bewildered.

At that moment, Yao Jing, who had been sleeping on the sofa, also opened her eyes, woken by the loud noise.

"What's going on? What just happened?"

"Not sure. Could something have gone wrong with the individual tournament?"

Qin Zhe replied instinctively, only to hear a thunderous roar from outside.

"William! What is the meaning of this?"

It was the voice of Wang Chongguo!

The two people in the lounge stood up simultaneously, realizing that something might have gone wrong outside.

"Let's go take a look."

With that, Yao Jing strode out of the lounge.

Qin Zhe didn't delay either, quietly following behind her.

Before long, the two arrived at the martial arts arena one after the other.

The arena was dead silent at the moment, with no visible signs of any confrontation, but the expressions of everyone present were grim, and many were gazing up at the sky.

Qin Zhe and Yao Jing exchanged glances and instinctively looked up as well.

There, a familiar spatial rift came into view above the academy square.

"The Cold Moon Secret Realm has been opened?"

Yao Jing said in shock and doubt.

Upon seeing the rift, Qin Zhe furrowed his brow as well.

The Cold Moon Secret Realm had been personally sealed by Wang Chongguo; there was no way it would open on its own. Hearing him roar in anger at William just now, could William be behind this?

"President Wang, what is the meaning of this sudden outburst? Haven't I been sitting here keeping you company all this time? What happened?"

William's unhurried voice drifted over from the high platform, his tone dripping with complacency.

Qin Zhe looked in the direction of the voice and saw Academy President Wang Chongguo hovering in mid-air with a gloomy expression, his aura surging and locked onto William.

Crap!

Was this about to turn into a physical fight?

Qin Zhe was startled. Sweeping his gaze across the martial arts arena, he relaxed slightly.

At this moment, only William from the delegation of exchange students remained in the arena; the others were nowhere to be found. It seemed clear that the unprovoked opening of the secret realm was indeed their doing.

However, even if they could confirm that William's people had opened the secret realm, Wang Chongguo likely wouldn't resort to violence immediately.

Qin Zhe did not know William's cultivation level, but as a president-level figure, his strength couldn't possibly be weak.

If Wang Chongguo were to fight him right here and now, the numerous students in the arena would likely suffer the consequences.

The clash of president-level figures, even if it didn't shatter the heavens and earth, would produce shockwaves far beyond what students—whose cultivation levels were generally below the third tier—could withstand.

Sure enough, faced with William's unperturbed attitude, Wang Chongguo, though enraged, still maintained his restraint.

"Someone come, the hour is late. Escort President William to his hotel to rest. Treat him well, and make sure he doesn't think we people of the Dragon Country lack hospitality."

Having dropped these words, Wang Chongguo rose into the air and flew toward the square.

Simultaneously, three academy instructors on the high platform stepped forward to meet William.

"President William, allow us to escort you to the hotel."

The leader wore a smile, though his words did little to conceal his surging aura.

The other two instructors silently summoned their flying swords, standing on guard to his left and right.

It was obvious that at the slightest sign of unusual movement from William, the three would swarm him in the next instant.

Faced with this tense standoff, William remained utterly calm.

"Then I must trouble you all with the escort."

William smiled, turned to step down from the high platform, and hypocritically instructed the three instructors.

"Once we reach the hotel, could I trouble you all to notify the others? Our delegation members seem to have wandered off somewhere. They previously mentioned going to visit Prince James regarding his injuries and haven't returned since. I do hope nothing has happened to them."

As William left under the watchful eyes of the three instructors, a considerable commotion broke out in the arena, with people whispering among themselves.

"That old bastard William is truly shameless! The Cold Moon Secret Realm suddenly opened, and only his people are missing—do we even need to guess who did it? He actually has the face to deny it!"

"Damn those Eagle Country bastards! Pulling tricks during the exchange tournament was one thing, but to actually set their sights on the Cold Moon Secret Realm!"

As a few people spoke up, the voices in the arena grew louder and more numerous.

Gradually, certain discussions began to veer in a direction the academy authorities would rather avoid.

"Hey, what do you guys think... why did those Eagle Country bastards open the Cold Moon Secret Realm? Could it be related to the suspension of the last assessment?"

"That's entirely possible. Although it's unclear what kind of anomaly occurred in the Cold Moon Secret Realm, I heard the president placed a seal on it afterward. The matter must be serious!"

Seeing the topic start to spiral out of control, the student union members and academy instructors present all wore helpless expressions.

They knew a thing or two about the anomalies that had occurred within the secret realm.

It wasn't a taboo subject per se; since the academy handled its confidentiality work well, only a handful of people truly knew the full details.

However, once the topic went off the rails, coupled with the forcible opening of the secret realm, it would inevitably breed ominous rumors that had to be stopped.

Yet, with nearly all the students of the school gathered in the arena—over two thousand people in total—stopping it was practically impossible!

At this very moment, even Li Zongheng, who was holding down the fort at the scene, felt a sense of helplessness.

As student union president, Li Zongheng certainly held authority, but he could not single-handedly halt the current situation.

Just as everyone felt utterly powerless, a cold and clear voice echoed from above the martial arts arena.

"The academy's secret realm has been forcibly opened by trespassers, and the situation is critical. All personnel present are to evacuate the arena immediately. Maintain order and avoid any panic to prevent accidents."