Chapter 145: Three-Academy Joint Exam, Prelude

Chapter 145 -77: Three-Academy Joint Exam, Prelude

“Let’s cooperate, everyone.”

“The three Daoist Schools are vying for eighteen spots. Our Chen Daoist School only has six, and that’s before you exclude top-tier prodigies like Qin Feng and Xie Hanyan. The number of spots truly available for the rest of us can be counted on one hand.”

“If we all fight on our own, it’s absolutely impossible for any of us to succeed.”

“Our only hope of securing even a single spot is to band together and act as one!”

The three-school joint examination, coupled with the sudden spike in difficulty, left the students of the Chen Daoist School feeling more than just anxious.

Some of the more shrewd students were already thinking of huddling together for warmth.

However, this kind of cooperation had a fatal flaw from the very start.

Lin Yan: “With our combined strength, we do have a chance to win a spot, but this single spot… who gets it?!”

His words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing everyone’s enthusiasm.

It was obvious no one wanted to do all the hard work just for someone else to reap the reward.

Just as the alliance was about to disintegrate, the one who had proposed it in the first place finally spoke up. “As for who ultimately gets the spot, that’ll come down to our own abilities. Our cooperation will last until one spot is secured.”

“…Fine.”

There were many such temporary cliques forming in the Chen Daoist School, all with the same idea: secure a spot first, then compete for it amongst themselves.

Dong Hao was also contacting people everywhere, trying to form a team of his own.

He had even considered asking Xie Hanyan to be their leader. With her reputation as a genius and her natural charisma, she could gather a large following and help them secure more spots.

Unfortunately, the moment the suggestion left his lips, Xie Hanyan flatly rejected it. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

With her sights set on first place, she was completely unwilling to be distracted.

“I’m sorry. The first-place winner of this three-school joint examination receives a Treasure Level artifact, which is extremely important to me. Therefore, I have to give this assessment my all. I don’t have the spare energy to help you.” Her voice was cold and clear, leaving no room for negotiation.

But Dong Hao didn’t give up. He tried to persuade her further. “This isn’t just about helping me. There’s strength in numbers. It would benefit you, too. With us supporting you, taking first place would be even easier…”

He had a point, but unfortunately, before he could finish, Xie Hanyan cut him off. “If everyone were truly of one mind, then yes, strength in numbers would be an advantage. But are you certain that after I go to all the trouble of recruiting them, they’d be willing to help me deal with Qin Feng, or Chen Qianjun from the Yin Daoist School? Or would they just cower behind me while I shield them from danger?”

“Uh…” Dong Hao fell silent at her question.

He knew better than anyone that getting people to do what you want was never easy. To secure Jiang Xuan’s full support, he had invested several hundred Spirit Stones in him, and even then, he couldn’t be absolutely certain of his loyalty.

This hastily-formed team would inevitably be full of people with their own agendas, making them even harder to control.

Some might even be hoping for Xie Hanyan to be eliminated. That way, they’d have one less powerful competitor, and their own chances of securing a spot would increase.

Under such circumstances, someone as overwhelmingly powerful as Xie Hanyan truly had no need to team up.

For her, it was far easier to rely on her own strength and forge her own path than to get distracted by internal politics and schemes.

…

Dong Hao didn’t give up after Xie Hanyan’s rejection. He wasn’t confident he could secure a spot on his own. Thus, despite all the inevitable backstabbing and scheming, forming a temporary team was his only option.

Now, he was simultaneously trying to win over acquaintances while also gathering Nan Zhi, Mu Yuan, Wu Chen, and Fu He.

Since Jiang Xuan was the ‘ace’ he had spent so much effort recruiting, he was naturally looking for him as well.

He soon spotted him. Even with the assessment just around the corner, Jiang Xuan was sitting alone in a remote corner of the training grounds, eyes closed as if Nourishing the Spirit. It was as if the surrounding commotion had nothing to do with him.

The sight left Dong Hao feeling rather exasperated.

‘He’s not worried in the slightest.’

But before his exasperation could show on his face, something happened that made his heart clench.

He saw the elegant figure of Su Linyin walking toward Jiang Xuan.

CLATTER…

The sight made Dong Hao scramble to his feet and rush toward Jiang Xuan with his men.

Before he even reached Jiang Xuan’s side, he started shouting:

“Brother Jiang! During the assessment, I’ll be counting on you to watch my back! Also, if I manage to become an Inner Sect Disciple, I will never forget this favor to you, Brother Jiang…” To stop Su Linyin from snatching his prize, Dong Hao started making more grand promises to Jiang Xuan.

As he spoke, he glared at Su Linyin, his eyes accusing her of fighting dirty.

To his surprise, Su Linyin didn’t react to his glare, nor did she try to persuade Jiang Xuan.

She simply stood quietly beside Jiang Xuan with her followers.

“Huh?”

This didn’t make Dong Hao happy. On the contrary, his heart sank.

‘This stance… Don’t tell me they’ve already made a deal?’

But even as a terrible premonition arose in his mind, Dong Hao was also puzzled by something.

He noticed something strange. Su Linyin, standing beside Jiang Xuan, didn’t look like she was the one in charge. Instead, she seemed somewhat… docile.

‘Docile? Why did that word even cross my mind? And what on earth did Su Linyin pay to get Jiang Xuan to agree to help her?’

Just as his mind was racing with a thousand thoughts, Jiang Xuan sensed Dong Hao’s approach.

Jiang Xuan hadn’t forgotten the help Dong Hao had given him when he first entered the Daoist School, so he had no intention of casting him aside.

He looked directly at Dong Hao and said, “Two or three days ago, Su Linyin’s mother came to me. The lady offered five thousand Spirit Stones for me to get Su Linyin through the assessment. So for this, she’s on our team.”