Chapter 6: Truly a Prodigy

Chapter 6: A Monster Among Men

"Relax, I know what I'm doing."

Qin Zhe nodded, not taking it too seriously.

If he had not been suddenly thrust into this world, he would already have been nearing thirty. How could he not know that this so-called chain of contempt was a vicious circle?

Seeing that Gu Ming was still uneasy and seemed about to say more, Qin Zhe felt a faint stir in his heart.

Although he knew the Gu Ming before him was not the short boy he had once known, he was still one of the few people he could truly confide in.

Without thinking too much about it, Qin Zhe told him about the department head inviting him to team up.

"The department head wants to team up with you? Seriously?"

Gu Ming stared, his eyes wide, muttering as if he had seen a ghost.

"Has that iceberg finally come to her senses and decided to find herself a partner? No way! Even if she did, she still wouldn't possibly go for you..."

"..."

Qin Zhe was left speechless. What did he mean, not possibly go for you?

What was that supposed to mean?

Was he really that unappealing?

Even if he was not that attractive, there was no need to say it right to his face, was there?

Besides, it was only a team-up. How had this guy jumped straight to that conclusion?

Shaking his head inwardly, Qin Zhe explained, "Don't misunderstand. The department head approached me because she wants to capture a spirit beast in the secret realm, and she needs a martial practitioner to help with the catch."

"You know nothing."

Gu Ming spat to one side and said, "With the department head's family background, what spirit beast could she possibly not get? Besides, with her being a fourth-stage immortal practitioner, why would she need a weakling like you to help capture one?"

Fourth stage?

Qin Zhe was startled. He had never imagined the department head's strength would be so terrifying.

Fourth stage was the level of a university lecturer!

For a student to possess such strength could only be described as monstrous genius!

After all, even someone like Zhou Wentong, reputed to be among the top fifty in the demonic arts division, was only at the peak of second stage and had merely one foot barely stepping into third stage.

Of course, that did not make Zhou Wentong weak.

In fact, in any school, being able to step into third stage before the age of twenty already counted as a true genius.

There were no shortcuts on the path of cultivation, only steady, unwavering effort.

While Qin Zhe was marveling inwardly, Gu Ming seemed to think of something and suddenly asked, without any introduction, "Old Qin, do you think our department head is beautiful?"

"What are you getting at?"

Qin Zhe frowned, somewhat irritated by the man's constant theatrics.

Was the department head beautiful?

What a foolish question.

From head to toe, she was so ethereal she could hardly be anything but beautiful.

"What do you mean, what am I getting at? Don't you think teaming up with the department head for the assessment is your chance?"

Gu Ming wore an expression of frustration at Qin Zhe's lack of ambition and spoke with grave sincerity.

"You have to understand, not only is the department head beautiful, she's powerful too, and she's one of the few truly influential people in the student council! If you seize the chance and win her over, who in the academy would still dare to cross you?"

"..."

Qin Zhe was left speechless and no longer felt like dealing with this guy.

A moment ago he had been wondering why the department head wanted to team up with him; in the blink of an eye, this fellow was trying to persuade him to pursue her. What was he even supposed to say?

Was the department head someone you could just casually flirt with?

Qin Zhe's experience from his previous life told him...

A beauty like the department head remaining single absolutely had a reason, and that reason was probably not because her standards were too high.

Rolling his eyes, he climbed into the upper bunk and said, "Enough. Let's not talk about that. Whether the department head truly needs my help catching a spirit beast or not, I've already agreed. It's too late to back out now. Besides, with her taking me to the assessment, all I need to do is lie there and cling to her coattails. Thinking any further is useless."

With that, Qin Zhe sprawled out as if he had given up on treatment and said, "I'm not going to afternoon class. I'm a little tired, so I'm going to sleep for a while. If it's convenient, help me ask for leave."

...

Before long, the next day arrived.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Qin Zhe simply had Gu Ming help him take another day off.

He had browsed the academy forum the previous night, and the entire forum was almost entirely discussing his defeat of Zhou Wentong. When one was at the center of such a storm, it was better to keep a low profile.

Staying alone in the dormitory, Qin Zhe did not waste time. He used the computer to cram the information he urgently needed.

It had to be said, the internet was a wonderful thing.

After spending more than half a day searching, Qin Zhe more or less grasped the situation regarding the midterm trial and the secret realm.

The so-called midterm trial was, much like the midterm exam in his previous life, simply the academy's regular way of assessing student strength.

As for the secret realm, that was something far more mysterious.

According to records found online, secret realms were alternate spaces that appeared at random after spiritual energy revived. They contained limitless cultivation resources, as well as unpredictable dangers.

Their appearance was highly uncertain. Most vanished again not long after appearing, but a small number remained permanently and came under human control.

The Moon of the Cold Secret Realm that would be opened for this midterm assessment was one of the three secret realms controlled by Harbor City University.

It was worth mentioning that the Moon of the Cold Secret Realm had appeared at the very beginning of the spiritual energy revival.

The entire realm had already been thoroughly explored, and because its danger level was relatively low, the academy used it as the site for examinations.

After learning all this, Qin Zhe could not help but marvel at the academy's immense wealth.

Across the entire world, there were only a handful of schools that could use a secret realm as an examination ground, not to mention one academy controlling three secret realms.

Compared with the abundant cultivation resources within secret realms, the resources remaining in the ordinary world had already been almost entirely exhausted. To control a secret realm was, in effect, to possess a say on the world stage.

That was why secret realms that could be controlled were usually held by national-level powers, with very few left to drift outside their grasp.

Harbor City University holding three secret realms was enough, by itself, to make it the foremost academy within the Dragonland Nation!

As Qin Zhe's understanding of this world deepened, he could not help worrying about his status panel once again.

The world outside the academy was marvelous, but if he wanted to go out and have a look, his current abilities were probably not enough.

His rebounding talent was indeed formidable, but it required being hit.

His 100 points of physical constitution made him tough as iron and difficult to gauge even to himself, but in the end, it still came down to taking blows.

Looking at the realm entry still displaying "none," Qin Zhe sighed inwardly.

He did not know whether he had simply entered this world the wrong way. Forget inheriting the original host's memories; this body had not inherited even the slightest foundation in martial arts, and clearly had not inherited any cultivation either.

At first Qin Zhe had thought the original host was merely a slacker, but through the academy registry he learned with certainty that the original host was a peak second-stage martial practitioner, someone whose strength could be called formidable.

From a certain angle, the original host even possessed the strength to clash head-on with Zhou Wentong.

If not for the innate disadvantage martial practitioners faced against immortal and demonic cultivators, he might even have been able to crush Zhou Wentong with raw strength alone.

Qin Zhe was sitting before the computer, feeling sorry for himself, when the phone on the desk suddenly rang.

Picking it up for a look, Qin Zhe was surprised to find that the caller was the department head. He did not think much of it and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Department Head?"

"It's me. Come to the Student Affairs Office."

The department head's cool voice came through.

"Zhou Wentong's father is here. There is something that needs to be discussed with you face-to-face."