Chapter 069: Temptation (Seventh Update)

Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei both turned their gazes to Xin Lang. At first, their faces lit up with joy, but soon after, both frowned.

Of all the candidates, Xin Lang was the one Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei favored most. Each hoped to recruit him for their own academy. They had vied with each other for quite some time, but neither could prevail, so in the end, they had agreed to let Xin Lang make the choice himself.

Their happiness stemmed from the fact that if Xin Lang chose their side, they would be able to recruit all three outstanding students at once. But if Xin Lang chose the other, it would mean losing every one of them to the rival academy.

Thus, after hearing Qian Baidu and Fatty Gu’s remarks, Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei were first thrilled, then immediately troubled.

Li Xuanming was the first to recover. He tried to entice Xin Lang, saying, “Xin Lang, our Martial Arts Academy has a long and illustrious history, a vast collection of supreme-level techniques and martial skills, and even a legendary Saint-level treasure!”

“Xin Lang, don’t listen to his nonsense,” Wang Junwei interjected. “Indeed, they have a Saint-level martial skill, but it's incomplete and utterly unusable! And without the Saint-level ‘Qi Mastery’ technique, that martial skill is nothing but an ornament. You should come to our War Academy. With your talent, you’ll surely rise to the highest ranks and achieve boundless success!”

Xin Lang looked at Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei and asked at his own unhurried pace, “Do you waive tuition fees?”

“Uh…”

Both the Martial Arts Academy and the War Academy were places others would give anything to enter, and never had the notion of free tuition even been raised.

“Do you waive accommodation fees?” Xin Lang continued.

“This…” Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei found themselves at a loss for words.

“Do you waive meal fees?” Xin Lang pressed on.

“….” Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei were utterly speechless! Even the greatest of academies required funds to operate. Besides, there were plenty of students like Xin Lang and his companions in their academies—if everything were free, the academies would collapse in no time!

“If you don’t waive tuition, room, or board, I’d rather stay at Xuyang Academy,” Xin Lang declared.

“Xin Lang, opportunities like this don’t come often!” Li Xuanming urged.

“Xin Lang, while our War Academy can’t offer free tuition, we do have generous scholarships! If you can win a scholarship, tuition and living costs will be of no concern!” Wang Junwei added.

“Xin Lang, our Martial Arts Academy has even more scholarships than theirs! You should come to us!” Li Xuanming once more tried to win him over.

“Li Xuanming, you’re lying! There’s no way your academy has more scholarships than ours. Xin Lang, don’t be fooled—you belong at the War Academy!” Wang Junwei said anxiously.

“Wang Junwei, you’re the liar! Xin Lang, don’t listen to him—our Martial Arts Academy is your true home!” Li Xuanming shot back.

“Xin Lang, if you go to the Martial Arts Academy, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life! Our War Academy is the wise choice for your future!” Wang Junwei insisted.

Li Xuanming snorted, “Your War Academy sends its students to the front lines as cannon fodder—many of them don’t even know how they died!”

“Hmph, your Martial Arts Academy is no better—”

Wang Junwei was about to retort when Xin Lang suddenly spoke up, “Gentlemen, please stop arguing! At least hear me out before you continue.”

“What is it? Speak!” Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei replied in unison.

“To tell you the truth, my body has a defect—my meridians were blocked from birth. I don’t want to be expelled right after enrolling at your academies. If you can guarantee that I won’t be kicked out in the future, then I might reconsider,” Xin Lang said with a faint smile.

“Congenital meridian blockage?” Li Xuanming exclaimed in shock. That meant ‘qi’ could never circulate within his body, meaning he could never reach the Master’s realm. Li Xuanming fell silent.

“How is that possible? Everyone in Jiuyang City calls you a cultivation genius!” Wang Junwei pressed on, unwilling to give up.

Xin Lang chuckled, “That’s only because I was rejected by all the other academies. It was only after coming to Xuyang Academy and training with all my might that I achieved what I have today. In truth, I’m no genius—just someone who worked himself to the bone.”

Wang Junwei had nothing more to say after hearing this.

Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei’s reactions were exactly as Xin Lang had expected. Xin Lang smiled and said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the principal’s office.

Seeing Xin Lang depart, Qian Baidu and Fatty Gu also rose to their feet, ready to leave.

Li Xuanming stopped Qian Baidu, “Qian Baidu, won’t you reconsider?”

Qian Baidu replied firmly, “Thank you for your kind offer, but wherever Xin Lang goes, I go.”

With that, he followed Xin Lang out of the office.

Wang Junwei turned to Fatty Gu, “Gu, your family has been merchants for generations—don’t you want to become an official?”

Fatty Gu replied with a question of his own, “Do you have beautiful girls at your academy?”

“Uh…” Wang Junwei was caught off guard, unsure how to reply.

“Forget it! I’ll just stick with my boss!” Fatty Gu said, then left the office as well.

Li Xuanming and Wang Junwei were both left in a daze. “Principal Meng, this…”

Meng Linglong hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, either. Anyone else would have jumped at the chance, but Xin Lang and his companions seemed utterly indifferent, rejecting such an offer without a second thought!

Meng Linglong was anxious. If Xin Lang and his two friends joined the Martial Arts and War Academies, Xuyang Academy would have a real chance at becoming the number one academy in Jiuyang City. But now, Xin Lang had ruined that opportunity.

Meng Linglong said, “Don’t worry, gentlemen. I’ll go speak with them again—they’re bound to change their minds!”

Li Xuanming asked, “Principal Meng, was what Xin Lang said true? Was he really born with blocked meridians and rejected by all the academies in Jiuyang City?”

“It’s true, but…” Meng Linglong paused, then continued, “With his original body, even reaching the third rank of Martial Disciple would have been a struggle. Yet, somehow, he managed to reach the third rank of Martial Artist in just a few months! If you view him through the lens of common sense, you’ll be making a grave mistake.”

Li Xuanming recalled the air of confidence and heroic bearing on Xin Lang’s face, and lapsed into deep thought.

Xin Lang walked out of the principal’s office, with Qian Baidu and Fatty Gu close behind.

“Why are you two following me? Most people would do anything to get into the Martial Arts or War Academy. If you miss this chance, you’ll never get another!” Xin Lang said.

Fatty Gu laughed, “I told you, I’ll follow our leader for life!”

Qian Baidu said seriously, “I believe in you, Xin Lang. Following you is far better than going to some Martial Arts Academy!”

Xin Lang was determined to pursue the highest realm of martial arts, so of course the Martial Arts Academy was tempting. He hadn’t agreed right away because he wanted to negotiate for greater benefits before enrollment. Now that Fatty Gu and Qian Baidu had chosen to follow him, Xin Lang was confident that either the Martial Arts Academy or the War Academy would eventually give in.

“We’ll go to an advanced academy,” Xin Lang said, “but only after we’ve chosen the best possible path.”