"Just who on earth is this Su Chen? Where did he pop out from? It's been nearly a year, and we've never heard of anyone in our class being such a badass."
"Who knows? Maybe he registered ages ago, never showed up at the academy until now, and just recently walked through the gates."
"It's seriously insane. Reaching number one on the Dragon Ascension Rankings with a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation—nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the East Wasteland Academy. Our class, as pathetic as the lowest junior class is, has finally made a name for the academy."
The three girls were completely stunned. After all, within the East Wasteland Academy, the lowest junior class always sat at the absolute bottom of the totem pole, existing as a standing joke in the eyes of every student.
"Hey, you three, hold on. I've got something to ask you."
"What is it?"
Seeing students from other junior classes, the three girls felt an instinctive sense of inferiority. There was no helping it; no matter where you went, might made right.
"What's Su Chen's background?"
Shi Xiaoman shook her head and said helplessly, "We'd love to know who this Su Chen is ourselves. We've never laid eyes on him, nor have we even heard his name."
The questioner was extremely surprised.
Even the students of the lowest junior class didn't know the guy? This Su Chen really was a complete mystery.
Su Chen had claimed the top spot on the Dragon Ascension Rankings, sending a massive shockwave through the entire East Wasteland Academy.
Everyone was scrambling to find out just who Su Chen was.
A Foundation Establishment Realm student from the lowest junior class had actually managed to fight his way onto the Dragon Ascension Rankings during the tournament.
As all the students who had participated in the Dragon Ascension tournament returned to the academy, various pieces of information regarding Su Chen spread like wildfire.
Su Chen possessed a Sword Blood Wheel, was already in the Void Pill Realm, and fought like an absolute maniac, scavenging points everywhere he went. No matter who crossed his path, none could withstand him.
Void Pill Realm?
He was in the Void Pill Realm and yet had only been assigned to a junior class—and the lowest junior class at that?
For a full day, the East Wasteland Academy was consumed by rumors about Su Chen. Before the madman Su Chen had even set foot in his own class, his name was already ringing out across the academy.
In the northwest corner of the academy.
This was the most remote area of the entire campus, where rows of neat, independent bungalow-style houses served as the dormitories for the lowest junior class.
To call them dormitories was generous; they were essentially just basic single-story rooms, and compared to the dorms of the other classes, they were simply not in the same league.
Upon returning to the academy, Su Chen first went through the enrollment formalities and collected his prize for taking first place on the Dragon Ascension Rankings—a clean thirty thousand points. Added to the three thousand three hundred and thirty-three points he had accumulated during the tournament, he now held a total of thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three points.
"Are you Su Chen?"
Before Su Chen even had a chance to locate his assigned room among the rows of dormitories, he heard someone calling out to him.
Seeing five people walking toward him, Su Chen nodded and said, "I am Su Chen."
"Ha! It really is you. I'm Qiao Hong, and these four are Liu Yu, Wan Niyun, Huang Qi, and Fang Jue. We're all from Junior Class Twenty-Two, though the other four haven't arrived yet."
"Who says we haven't arrived?"
The crisp, oriole-like voice had barely faded when Xing Yingxue and three others walked up.
"Junior Brother Su, let me introduce everyone. This is Xing Yingxue, Fang Qing, Shi Xiaoman, and Ye Xuanguan. With you, our Junior Class Twenty-Two now has a total of ten members, making us by far the smallest class in the entire East Wasteland Academy."
The lowest junior class.
It was also referred to by the academy as the garbage class, because anyone dumped into this class was, without exception, considered trash among trash—cursed with poor talent and useless Blood Wheels. If they failed to pass the upcoming assessments, the academy would forcefully expel them.
"You must be Big Brother Su?"
Fang Qing walked up to Su Chen, extended her right hand, and said with a bright smile. She had delicate features, and her dimples made her look exceptionally cute when she smiled.
Su Chen also extended his hand, shook Fang Qing's, and said with a smile, "Hello, Senior Sister Fang."
"Don't call me senior sister! Even though you just entered the academy, you're ranked number one on the Dragon Ascension Rankings, and your name is on everyone's lips right now. If anyone heard you calling me senior sister, I'd die of embarrassment."
Su Chen shook his head and insisted, "I don't care what anyone else says. In Junior Class Twenty-Two, you are all my seniors."
Everyone quickly realized that Su Chen spoke very little, had a remarkably easygoing personality, and possessed none of the arrogance or haughtiness they had imagined.
In an instant.
The group swarmed around him, talking over one another in a flurry of chatter. Within a short time, they all hit it off, and Su Chen felt quite satisfied with this so-called lowest junior class.
"Good day, Vice Dean."
Inside the enrollment hall.
Two instructors were busy sorting through student records when an elderly man walked in. He had a plump body supporting a watermelon-like belly, a bird's nest of hair that looked as though it hadn't been washed in ages, and he was gnawing on a chicken leg as he walked.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Qin Zhu approached the two instructors and said, "I heard that Junior Class Twenty-Two has produced some kind of lunatic who snatched over three thousand points during the Dragon Ascension tournament and even claimed the number one spot on the rankings. Let me see his file."
"Please take a look, Vice Dean."
Handing over the data card, the instructor revealed the detailed profile written upon it.
Su Chen, hailing from the Su family of Panyou City. Sword Blood Wheel. Foundation Establishment Realm prior to entering the academy, advanced to the Void Pill Realm after participating in the Dragon Ascension tournament, and claimed first place on the Dragon Ascension Rankings with absolute, overpowering momentum.
Frowning deeply, Qin Zhu said with evident dissatisfaction, "The past is the past, but now that he has broken through to the Void Pill Realm and secured the top spot on the Dragon Ascension Rankings, why is he still stuck in a junior class—and the lowest junior class at that?"
"Vice Dean, we already tried to arrange a transfer, but Su Chen was unwilling to enter the intermediate class and insisted on staying in the junior class."
What?
Qin Zhu looked somewhat surprised.
The two instructors' faces were plastered with a mixture of helplessness and utter confusion, as the situation completely defied common sense.
Under normal circumstances.
Anyone who entered the academy to cultivate did so with the sole intention of climbing higher. As the saying goes: water flows downward, but men strive to go upward.
Given the chance to enter an intermediate class, who on earth would want to languish in a junior class? After all, the cultivation resources available to the two tiers of classes were worlds apart.
Yet Su Chen was an exception.
"Why on earth does he want to stay in the junior class?"
"Vice Dean, he didn't say. Would you like us to force—"
Before the instructor could finish.
Qin Zhu waved a hand dismissively and said with a smile, "Leave it be. Since he wants to stay in the junior class, let him. But remember this: his privileges and treatment must be identical to those of the senior class students."
The senior class?
The two instructors were even more shocked, but they knew better than to ask further questions. After all, the Vice Dean's status within the academy far outranked theirs.
Qin Zhu was hailed by the East Wasteland Academy as its premier Vice Dean, standing at the Peak Condensing Spirit Realm.
***
Dormitory.
The dilapidated courtyard had been swept spotless by Shi Xiaoman and the others in a mere half-hour. All the weeds had been cleared away, and under the blazing glare of the sun, the place actually looked rather pleasant.
Su Chen loved this kind of environment—quiet and secluded, free from the disturbances of other people.
His rise to the top of the Dragon Ascension Rankings had been an unintended consequence. Who could have guessed that a little over three thousand points would be enough to claim the crown?
He had originally intended to participate in the Hundred Battles tournament—not necessarily to fight for the Hundred Battles rankings, but rather to test himself against Solid Core Realm students. Unfortunately, both the Dragon Ascension tournament and the Hundred Battles tournament only lasted for ten days.
"Junior Brother Su, the yard's all cleaned up. Let me tell you a bit about how things work around the academy."
"Alright."
Everyone gathered around a stone table. The rich, fragrant aroma of tea prompted Su Chen to pick up his cup and drain it in a single gulp.
Wan Niyun smiled and said, "Our East Wasteland Academy is one of the top powers in the entire East Wasteland. There are many places within the academy well-suited for our cultivation. You can also visit the Martial Pavilion, the Weapon Pavilion, and other places to exchange points for whatever you might need."
"Junior Brother Su, if you're looking for a place to cultivate, let me tell you: the first place you need to go is the Myriad Beast Tower. Legend has it that the Myriad Beast Tower was built over countless years by past deans, vice deans, and instructors who used the subdued essences and souls of countless demonic beasts as auxiliary forces, anchored by a top-tier spiritual vein. It's a true holy land for cultivation and offers tremendous benefits to students. The only catch is that the points required to enter the Myriad Beast Tower every time are simply astronomical."
"How many points are we talking about?"
Shi Xiaoman smiled bitterly and said, "100 points for a single day of cultivation. Plus, once you're inside the Myriad Beast Tower, you have to fight for your own spot."
One hundred points might not mean much to students from other junior classes, or even those in the intermediate classes, but for the students of the lowest junior class, it was an immense fortune.
"There are many ways to earn points within the academy: hunting demonic beasts and harvesting their beast cores to trade with the academy, or gambling with others. However, the academy has a strict rule: intermediate class students are forbidden from forcibly extorting points from junior class students. Anyone caught doing so is immediately expelled."
After listening to this.
Su Chen could easily tell that Shi Xiaoman and the others desperately wanted to cultivate inside the Myriad Beast Tower, but due to their empty purses, they could only dream about it without any hope of actually going.
"I have some points on hand. If you're willing, we can all head over to the Myriad Beast Tower to cultivate right now. But before that, I want to take a look at everyone's Blood Wheels."
Aside from Xing Yingxue.
The remaining eight students each released their respective Blood Wheels. In Su Chen's eyes, the grades of their Blood Wheels were indeed abysmal—every single one of them was a trash Blood Wheel.
No wonder these eight ended up in the lowest junior class.
"Junior Sister Xing, what about your Blood Wheel?"
Shi Xiaoman chuckled and said, "Let me share some good news with you all! Sister Xing has already awakened a mutated Blood Wheel—the Heaven-Covering Sparrow! This is a top-tier East Wasteland Blood Wheel. I bet there are hardly a few people in the entire academy who could suppress her Blood Wheel."
Hearing the words "mutated Blood Wheel: Heaven-Covering Sparrow," everyone except Su Chen underwent a drastic change in expression. Everyone knew all too well what a mutated Blood Wheel represented—especially when it was the awakening of one of the East Wasteland's absolute top-tier Blood Wheels, the Heaven-Covering Sparrow.
They all immediately began offering their congratulations to Xing Yingxue.
After all, with only ten members in the entire lowest junior class, witnessing one of their own classmates awaken a mutated Blood Wheel was undoubtedly a cause for celebration.
"It was all thanks to Junior Brother Su's help. Otherwise, there's no way I could have reawakened a mutated Blood Wheel."
Hearing this.
Everyone immediately guessed that, without a doubt, Junior Brother Su must have helped Senior Sister Xing awaken her mutated Blood Wheel during the Dragon Ascension tournament.
"The academy doesn't know yet about Sister Xing awakening a mutated Blood Wheel. Once they find out, they're definitely going to make her leave our class."
"I'm not leaving."
Su Chen chimed in, "Senior Brother Huang, your Blood Wheel seems a bit unusual too. Let me help you test it out."
Hearing this, Huang Qi's heart gave a sudden thump. He knew all too well what Su Chen was implying.
What he had awakened was a stone Blood Wheel—and the most unremarkable kind at that. It could be considered trash among trash Blood Wheels.
"Junior Brother Su, do you mean... my Blood Wheel might also be a mutated Blood Wheel?"
Seeing Su Chen nod, Huang Qi was overjoyed to the point of disbelief. No matter how useless a Blood Wheel originally seemed, as long as it was a mutated Blood Wheel, there was a very high probability it was a top-tier one.
"What should I do?"
"Come with me."
Watching the two of them enter the room.
Aside from Xing Yingxue, the rest of the group looked on with undisguised envy. That was a mutated Blood Wheel—a top-tier Blood Wheel! Once someone awakened a mutated Blood Wheel, it meant their martial arts path would stretch far into the future.
Who would have thought that the lowly junior class, boasting a mere ten members, would produce two mutated Blood Wheels and the number one ranked fighter on the Dragon Ascension Rankings?
"Junior Brother Su is truly unfathomable. Someone like him is bound to be valued by the academy's upper echelon. I suppose Junior Brother Su will be leaving our class soon."
"Probably not. Logically speaking, since Junior Brother Su is now ranked number one on the Dragon Ascension Rankings, the academy definitely wouldn't let him stay in the junior class. But the fact that he's staying behind means he's unwilling to leave of his own accord."
"That's very likely."
Half an hour later.
The door slowly creaked open, and the two figures walked out from inside.
Fang Jue asked impatiently, "Well? How did it go?"
Su Chen smiled and said, "Just as I thought. Senior Brother Huang has awakened the mutated Petrochemical Blood Wheel."
Petrochemical?
It was still a stone Blood Wheel?
Huang Qi seemed to understand what everyone was thinking. He chuckled, directly summoned his Blood Wheel, and a phantom image of a pale-yellow stone materialized above his head.
"Petrochemical!"
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, a wine glass sitting on the stone table in front of Huang Qi instantly turned to stone, transforming into a solid stone cup.
Everyone drew a sharp breath. A Blood Wheel like this was simply too domineering.
Huang Qi dropped to one knee and prepared to bow to Su Chen in deep gratitude, but Su Chen quickly stepped forward and hoisted him back up.
Huang Qi, however, insisted on maintaining his single-knee stance and said, "Ever since I left my family and managed to enter this academy by a stroke of luck, I knew that in a few months I'd end up being kicked out for having terrible talent. If I hadn't met you..."
The others let out deep sighs. Everything Huang Qi said was the cruel reality. The students of the lowest junior class would face assessments in two or three months, and failing to pass meant being forcibly driven out of the academy.
The law of the jungle—this was the brutal reality.
No one cared about your hard work or your past struggles; only talent and strength were absolute.
"And now, I, Huang Qi, have actually awakened the Petrochemical Blood Wheel, possessing one of the top mutated Blood Wheels in the East Wasteland. Everything I have is a gift from you. You are practically my second parent."
"I, Huang Qi, hereby swear an oath: from this moment onward, Su Chen is my master. I will follow my master through this lifetime and the next with absolute loyalty, never harboring a single unfaithful thought. If I break this oath, may I be struck by heavenly retribution and suffer a wretched death!"
Before the words had even faded.
Before Su Chen even had a chance to stop him, Huang Qi forcefully squeezed out a drop of his own essence blood and swore the oath right there on the spot. The blood vanished into a peculiar, condensed sphere—it was the most ruthless blood oath. Once formed, it was utterly impossible to violate.
Everyone watched in shock as Huang Qi went so far as to swear a blood oath, though upon reflection, they understood. After all, Su Chen had practically given Huang Qi a second lease on life.
A trash Blood Wheel and a top-tier mutated Blood Wheel were two entirely different concepts. One could say that with this reawakening of his mutated Blood Wheel, Huang Qi was stepping onto a completely different path in life.
No matter where he went, no one would ever mock Huang Qi as trash again. No matter which faction he wished to join, he would receive focused cultivation. The person who once possessed a trash Blood Wheel was gone for good.
Looking at Huang Qi kneeling on the ground after swearing the blood oath, Su Chen let out a heavy internal sigh. It was already too late to stop him.
Helping Huang Qi back to his feet, Su Chen said with a helpless expression, "Why go this far? You don't know the situation I'm in. Following me will only put your life in constant danger."
There were hidden depths to his words, and anyone could hear them clearly, including Huang Qi.
"Rest assured, Master—"
"Hold on. Remember, no matter what, don't ever call me Master. Since you're willing to follow me, just call me Young Master from now on."
"Yes."
Having sworn the blood oath to follow Su Chen, Huang Qi was driven more by overwhelming gratitude than cold logic. It was Su Chen who had granted him a second life and allowed him to reawaken a mutated Blood Wheel. Little did Huang Qi know that this single decision today would lead him to become a supreme powerhouse capable of shaking the entire continent in the days to come.
Of the nine members, aside from Xing Yingxue and Huang Qi who had awakened mutated Blood Wheels, the rest still possessed trash Blood Wheels.
Su Chen could see the deep envy in the eyes of the remaining seven. After all, nobody wanted to be saddled with a trash Blood Wheel.
A trash Blood Wheel meant being looked down upon wherever you went, forever trapped at the very bottom.
"I only want to tell all of you one thing: in this world, there is no such thing as a useless Blood Wheel, only lazy people. As long as you refuse to give up, I, Su Chen, will find a way to help you."
"Thank you."
"Thank you, Junior Brother Su."
Though their lips expressed gratitude, their hearts remained skeptical. A trash Blood Wheel was a trash Blood Wheel; without a reawakened mutated Blood Wheel, one's life was essentially finished.
"Let's go. We're heading to the Myriad Beast Tower to cultivate—my treat."