Upon hearing the principal's somewhat trembling question, Lin Yichen nodded and said with an indifferent expression:
"Well, yes, Principal. Shiyue suddenly had an epiphany while walking, which really gave me a fright."
After confirming that Xu Shiyue was indeed experiencing an epiphany, Luo Wenhao hurriedly shouted to all the teachers behind him:
"Quick! Seal off the area! Don't let anyone get near Xu Shiyue, not even a fly!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Hearing the principal's command, all the teachers, regardless of their rank, immediately began evacuating the students who were watching the commotion. They put up warning lines and stared intently at their surroundings to prevent any ill-intentioned individuals from appearing.
After giving the orders, Luo Wenhao looked at Xu Shiyue with glowing eyes and muttered to himself:
"This is an epiphany! It looks like she's comprehending sword intent! That's something only reached at the Grandmaster Stage! Let's see who dares to say that the younger generation in Hushi is no good anymore! Hahaha!"
Watching the principal, who was excitedly lost in his own fantasies, Lin Yichen seemed to sense something. His figure slowly receded, and right before everyone's eyes, he vanished completely on the spot.
Meanwhile, a dozen miles away from Hushi No. 1 High School, two figures in black robes were rapidly approaching.
"I really didn't expect that such a genius would exist in this tiny Hushi No. 1 High School. A mere Martial Artist actually capable of comprehending intent," one of the black-robed men said as they hurried along.
The other black-robed man replied with a sneer:
"Humph! You should thank me this time. If I hadn't stopped you a few days ago from removing our informants around Hushi No. 1 High School, we'd have been completely in the dark! If the Cult Master had found out, he would have killed you to vent his anger. And if we couldn't escape after assassinating the target, you'd be the one covering our retreat!"
"Haha! Easy enough! But with two Grandmasters making a move, and only old man Luo as a Grandmaster inside Hushi No. 1 High School, isn't assassinating a student a piece of cake? Killing a proud genius of the Human race right in front of all those people and then retreating scot-free—that will be a resounding slap to the face of the entire Human race! Haha, just thinking about it gets me excited."
Just as the two black-robed men were imagining leaving behind no trace while basking in glory, they were terrified to find that they could no longer move. Then, a streak of light flashed past, and both of their heads simultaneously soared into the air.
"Tianyu Cult?"
After killing the two men and stepping closer to examine their white hair, white eyebrows, and the feather-like pattern beneath their eyes, Lin Yichen quickly recognized their identity, having frequently seen them on television.
The Tianyu Cult specialized in hunting down proud geniuses of various races. That's right—various races. Geniuses from no matter which faction had been targets of their assassinations. The crucial part was that they didn't carry out these hits in secret; they specifically chose to make their moves openly while their targets were basking in the envious gazes of the crowd. They were truly a faction reviled by everyone. If they weren't so adept at hiding without a trace, they would have long since been jointly eradicated by the powerhouses of all races.
Cold light flashed in Lin Yichen's eyes as he silently added the Tianyu Cult to his must-kill list. From now on, he would kill one every time he saw one.
After finishing off the two members of the Tianyu Cult, Lin Yichen continued to scan the surrounding hundred miles with his spiritual sense, only relaxing once he confirmed everything was safe.
As for the mole hidden inside Hushi No. 1 High School, Lin Yichen's spiritual sense quickly locked onto their position. Just as he was about to head back to quietly eliminate the traitor, he suddenly sensed movement behind him.
Before he had time to figure out how the other party had bypassed his spiritual sense, a hidden blade flew directly from Lin Yichen, hurtling toward the presence behind him.
Clang!
This was not the notification sound of the System, but the metallic ring of the hidden blade colliding with a sharp weapon.
At that moment, Lin Yichen turned his head and saw what his attacker looked like: an elderly man with white hair, though not of the Tianyu Cult, but simply an aged Human powerhouse. Upon sensing the man's realm, a trace of solemnity appeared in Lin Yichen's eyes for the very first time.
"A Martial Emperor... Who are you?"
Hearing this, the white-haired old man opposite him smiled kindly and said:
"Haha! Little friend, there's no need to be nervous. My name is Liu Wudao. As for my identity, I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Second Military Region. I came here looking for someone."
Upon learning that the visitor was a major figure from the Human military region, the hostility in Lin Yichen's eyes dissipated. As a Rank 7 Spiritual Psionicist, he could tell that the other party was not lying, though he still prudently maintained a distance and asked with some confusion:
"You found your way all the way here—could the person you're looking for be me?"
Liu Wudao smiled without answering Lin Yichen directly, instead asking in return:
"Yesterday, my subordinates reported that a dead high-level Demon was found in the Forest of Annihilation. If I guessed correctly, it must have been done by you, little friend?"
As he spoke, Liu Wudao kept his gaze fixed firmly on Lin Yichen. To be honest, when he first laid eyes on Lin Yichen, he could hardly believe his own eyes. In all his years, this was his first time seeing such a young Rank 7 Spiritual Psionicist—it was practically ghost-like. If the Martial Sages standing at the pinnacle of the Human race in the Dragon Nation were to find out about this fellow, wouldn't they treat him like a precious treasure and wait on him hand and foot?
Liu Wudao even felt that this young man had a chance to contend for the title of Martial Deity. In the realm of the Martial Deity, even if there were countless geniuses between heaven and earth, only one could successfully break through. Because there was only ever one Imperial Throne in the world; once someone broke through, no matter how talented the rest might be, they could only be reduced to supporting players for the rest of their lives, completely missing their chance at the throne. Unless the person currently on the Imperial Throne died—though no one had ever successfully killed an Emperor Realm powerhouse; past Emperor Realm powerhouses had all died of old age. And right now was a period when the Imperial Throne was vacant. Everyone was striving hard to break through that final shackle, which also resulted in almost no Martial Sages roaming the continent.
Yet the moment Liu Wudao laid eyes on Lin Yichen, he felt that this youth had a chance to ascend to the Emperor Realm. One could only imagine how high this evaluation was.
On the other side, upon hearing Liu Wudao's words, Lin Yichen figured that since he had already been exposed, there was no need to hide or cover it up. Thus, he nodded and said:
"It was me."
Hearing this, Liu Wudao tried hard to suppress the excitement in his heart. Being able to kill a Martial King Level Demon meant that this youth's cultivation had no moisture in it whatsoever. Therefore, feigning composure, he said:
"Seeing that you are so young yet possess such cultivation, little friend, would you be interested in taking up an official post in my army? Putting everything else aside, as long as you join, I can give you the position of an Army Commander. In time, succeeding my own position is not entirely out of the question."
The conditions offered by Liu Wudao could be described as extremely tempting. An Army Commander—that was a position below one person and above everyone else. Liu Wudao felt that Lin Yichen had no reason to refuse. After all, which young man wasn't full of vigor and ambition?
Lin Yichen, however, clearly wasn't buying it. He shook his head and said:
"I am honored by your invitation, but I don't have such plans at the moment. If I want to go in the future, I'll look for you then."
Seeing Lin Yichen refuse, Liu Wudao was slightly stunned, but he did not press the matter further. Pushing too hard would only breed resentment; he naturally understood this principle. With that, he took out a token and tossed it to Lin Yichen:
"Since you have no such plans, little friend, I won't say any more. This is my token. To see the token is to see me. Whenever you change your mind, little friend, you can use this token to find me directly in the Second Military Region."
……