The Battle of Hidden Dragons requires participation from students in both the primary and intermediate classes. In reality, the primary class merely serves as a foil for the intermediate class; after all, given the vast gap between the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Void Pill Realm, for a primary class student to place on the leaderboard—to put it in three words: impossible!
Yet there are exceptions to every rule. A monstrously talented student ranked first in the primary class might defeat Void Pill Realm opponents above their level and thus contend for the Hidden Dragon Board.
The Academy's intention is quite straightforward: to give the primary class students plenty of practical tempering.
There are twenty-erm two primary classes in total. Su Chen has been assigned to Class 22. Counting all the students across the primary classes together, there are roughly four to five thousand people.
Behind the valley lies a stretch of forest. All the top-tier fierce beasts have been driven away; the ones that remain are no longer things the students cannot handle.
The forest is divided into two sections, with the Battle of Hidden Dragons and the Hundred Battles Contention taking place simultaneously.
Regardless of which class a student belongs to, everyone has the freedom of choice. The Academy does not compel students to join the contention.
The instructor is merely asking whether he wishes to participate, leaving the final decision entirely up to Su Chen.
The contention will last for ten days in total, and today is already the third day. Moreover, the contention is not just about fighting for rankings; students on the leaderboard earn points, and participants also receive reward points.
Points are of paramount importance to the students. Whether one wishes to enter a specific cultivation ground or exchange for items, points are required.
To put it simply:
No matter how many gold coins you have, they are completely useless within the Academy. Only points matter.
Without points, you can hardly move an inch.
"Instructor, I wish to participate in the Battle of Hidden Dragons. How do I get there?"
"The Battle of Hidden Dragons has already begun. I will have one of the Academy's flying fierce beasts take you."
"Many thanks, Instructor."
The Golden Kui Eagle is one of the flying fierce beasts of East Desolation Academy.
In just half an hour, Su Chen arrives at the entrance of the forest. Dozens of instructors are standing guard here, ready to rush inside at a moment's notice should any trouble arise.
"Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm. Not bad. You may go in."
After inspecting his identity jade token, Su Chen meets with no obstruction and steps directly into the forest.
"Old Wang, he's at the Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm. Why was he assigned to Class 22?"
Instructor Wang shakes his head with a helpless smile. "I don't know. I find it baffling myself. By all rights, a Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator should be able to enter the top five classes. But this was an explicit order from the Dean himself."
Hearing that the Dean gave a personal order, all the instructors look surprised, because under normal circumstances, the Dean never interferes with Academy class assignments.
"Looks like he got in through the back door again."
"Yeah, the Dean detests students who use back doors. No matter how high their talent, they are always assigned to the lower-tier classes unless they advance purely through their own potential and talent."
"Alright, let's keep our eyes on the contention."
Dense forest.
Towering trees block out the sun, and the gloomy clouds create a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
East Desolation Forest is a forbidden zone of East Desolation Academy. Aside from students, no outsiders of any kind are permitted to step foot inside, not even half a step.
According to the instructors, all the top-tier fierce beasts in this forest have been driven away, and the remaining beasts are well within the students' ability to handle. Still, accidents are inevitable.
The identity jade token in everyone's hand possesses a special power. As long as one's soul merges with this power, they will receive assistance from the instructors and be safely evacuated from the forest.
Whether it is sheer bad luck or not, no sooner has he stepped into the forest—not even half an hour has passed—than he is targeted by a fierce beast.
A Foundation Establishment Realm beast poses no challenge to Su Chen whatsoever.
With a flick of his hand, he obliterates and devours it.
"Looks like I've been marked."
In the Battle of Hidden Dragons, every student's identity jade token holds a special point value, used exclusively for the Hidden Dragon Board.
Contending for these special points—the more points one has, the higher the ranking.
Here, there are no classmates; there is only the fight for points.
Even the primary class students refuse to give up. Even if they can only make it onto the Hidden Dragon Board for a single minute, it will earn them generous point rewards.
Being targeted by someone is only natural.
Clapping his hands, Su Chen looks out ahead and says, "Since you've locked onto me, why hide your head and tail? Come out."
"Impressive. To think you could actually discover my trail. Not bad."
A young man steps out from behind a large tree. Standing only one meter six tall, with a chubby face and a pair of small eyes, he smiles and says, "You look very unfamiliar. Which class are you from?"
"Class 22."
"Oh? So you're the trash from Class 22."
Trash?
Seeing the trace of surprise flash across the other's face, Yan Kai seems to understand something and smiles. "It looks like you've just entered the Academy and haven't even reported yet. How utterly tragic. Do you even know what Class 22 signifies in East Desolation Academy?"
Before the other can speak, Yan Kai lets out a sneering laugh. "There are twenty-two primary classes in total. Among them, the twenty-second primary class is hailed by the Academy as the absolute worst primary class. There are only nine students in that class, making a grand total of ten including you."
So that's how it is.
Su Chen can read the deep contempt in the student's eyes before him.
It seems the class he has been assigned to is certainly no good. But it matters little to him; his purpose in coming to East Desolation Academy in the first place is to buy himself time and use the Academy as a deterrent against the Su Clan.
"Hand over the points in your jade token, and I won't harm a single hair on your head."
The Battle of Hidden Dragons explicitly prohibits any fatalities. No matter who it is, once they break this rule, the light punishment is expulsion from the Academy, and the severe punishment is direct execution.
However, striving for points inevitably leads to injuries, and under such circumstances, the Academy chooses to look the other way.
Without further ado, Su Chen's figure instantly vanishes from the spot.
"You—!"
Before the character "you" can fully leave his lips, Su Chen's figure materializes right in front of him. Looking at the young man standing mere inches away, Yan Kai shivers violently, his face frozen in utter shock.
"Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm!"
He himself is only at the Level 6 Foundation Establishment Realm, yet he never imagined that a piece of trash from Class 22 would possess the strength of the Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm.
The more he thinks about it, the less it makes sense. According to the Academy's rules, a Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator is fully qualified to enter the top five classes. Why on earth would he end up in the dead-last primary class?
Before Yan Kai can react, Su Chen kicks him hard, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground.
He doesn't even need to release his Blood Wheel; with a gap of two minor realms, Su Chen is more than capable of defeating his opponent in seconds.
"Points."
Yan Kai's complexion turns extremely ugly. He retrieves his identity jade token from his bosom. The moment the two jade tokens touch, a point is instantly transferred into Su Chen's identity jade token.
Watching the retreating figure disappear, Yan Kai mutters to himself, "He must have used the back door to enter Class 22 despite being at the Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm."
With two points now in his identity jade token, Su Chen decides to take the initiative and go on the attack. The instructors have made it abundantly clear: points represent everything within the Academy.
Whether he wants to enter a certain cultivation ground or exchange for items, points are indispensable. Gold coins are entirely useless here.
If he wants to climb the Hidden Dragon Board and earn points, his only option is to actively hunt for them.
A student's jade token holds one special point. As for how many points he needs to secure a spot on the Hidden Dragon Board, he has no idea yet.
***
Ye Fei, Chu Yang, and Bai Li have formed a small team, searching for their own prey. All three of them are at the Level 2 Void Pill Realm and hail from Intermediate Class 18.
Much like the primary classes, the intermediate classes are divided into twenty-two tiers. The higher the number, the higher the class rank, granting access to greater cultivation resources.
During the Battle of Hidden Dragons, some students temporarily form teams, which greatly increases their chances of contending for points.
"Senior Brother Ye, Senior Brother Chu, three days of the Battle of Hidden Dragons have already passed, and we haven't even obtained a single point. If this continues, making it onto the Hidden Dragon Board will probably be a bit impossible."
None of the students want to give up; everyone aspires to reach the Hidden Dragon Board. It is not merely a symbol of status, but also comes with countless substantive rewards, of which points are the most direct.
Ye Fei lets out a deep sigh of helplessness. "The Battle of Hidden Dragons is simply too fierce. Just holding onto the points we already have can be considered quite an achievement. The other students are all out hunting for primary class points, while the three of us are acting like a bunch of fools."
"Forget it. We used to be primary class students ourselves and had our points snatched away by people from the intermediate classes. I trust you haven't forgotten how helpless and frustrated we felt back then, have you?"
Bai Li nods and says, "Senior Brother Chu is right. Even if I have to give up on the Hidden Dragon Board, I will never strike at primary class students."
Just at that moment, seeing the young man appear before them, all three look startled.
"The three of you, I am Su Chen, from the primary class. I happen to be quite interested in the points inside your jade tokens. If the three of you don't mind, why not gift those points to me?"
What?
The three of them are somewhat dumbfounded. If students from the intermediate classes had come to rob them of their points, it would be somewhat understandable. But this opponent merely hails from the primary class—he must be in the Foundation Establishment Realm—and yet he dares to covet the points in their hands?
Are you kidding me?
It is utterly laughable. In nearly every Battle of Hidden Dragons, primary class students never attempt to snatch points from intermediate classes. After all, the gap between the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Void Pill Realm is right there. Of course, there are those monstrous exceptions who, while still in the primary class and at the Foundation Establishment Realm, can suppress Void Pill Realm opponents across realms.
Yet no matter how good one's temper is, there comes a time when they are provoked. They have deliberately avoided the primary classes and tried their best not to bully the weak, only for this person to act so utterly arrogant.
***
Utterly furious.
Cold eyes stare fixedly at the young man before them. Who wouldn't be enraged at having their points targeted by a primary class student?
Chu Yang laughs.
"Your Excellency is being far too rampant. Do you truly believe you can take on three of us by yourself?"
Utterly arrogant!
Yet Chu Yang and Ye Fei know very well that a student from the primary class would never act so rashly without absolute confidence. After all, attempting to seize points from intermediate class students carries the risk of a disastrous backlash if anything goes wrong.
The notion of voluntarily handing over their points is entirely out of the question.
Points are the foundation of the Battle of Hidden Dragons. If they cannot even safeguard the points in their own hands, how can they ever dream of contending for others?
Beyond that, face is of the utmost importance. If the three of them were to have their points stolen by a primary class student and word got back to the Academy, they would undoubtedly become the laughingstock of the entire institution.
Su Chen smiles and says, "The three of you, I'd rather not resort to force. I hope you'll willingly hand over your points."
Bai Li is thoroughly incensed. "Enough of this arrogance! I want to see for myself how a single person of your caliber plans to defeat the three of us combined."
They cannot afford to lose this fight.
They simply cannot afford to lose!
All three simultaneously release their Blood Wheels, radiating powerful auras. Their expressions are grim.
They strike first.
Like a trio of hunting leopards, they rush directly toward their target. Their goal is to defeat this person, snatch the points from his hands, and teach him the consequences of such arrogance.
Before they even arrive, the terrifying pressure of their Blood Wheels sweeps outward in layered waves, resembling hunting falcons of the high heavens plunging upon a helpless rabbit below, shrouded in boundless, rolling fury.
They harbor not the slightest bit of carelessness or contempt. They can clearly sense the absolute confidence radiating from the young man's face.
Without absolute confidence, he would never dare to provoke them.
As their Blood Wheels condense, a sword phantom brimming with slaughter floats quietly within the wheel. Sword cries roar into the air, accompanied by an aggressive, crisscrossing sword qi.
Su Chen's figure suddenly vanishes from the spot, leaving behind nothing more than lingering afterimages. The fierce, overwhelming attacks of the trio strike empty air, though their reactions are swift.
Catching sight of the suddenly vanished figure, they immediately lock onto the direction where the afterimage flashed and launch themselves at Su Chen once more with ferocious impact.
*Such blinding speed!*
*End this swiftly!*
Shock ripples through their hearts. They never expected Su Chen to possess such astonishing speed, capable of leaving behind physical afterimages.
Like a phantom, Su Chen's figure materializes directly behind Bai Li.
"Junior Sister Bai, watch out!"
"It's already too late."
Su Chen's voice is bone-chillingly cold. Using his finger as a sword, a frigid blast of sword qi surges outward. He holds back from delivering a fatal blow; after all, this is East Desolation Academy, where the rules explicitly state that no deaths are permitted in the Battle of Hidden Dragons.
He has no intention of testing the Academy's bottom line.
The tip of the sword qi halts right at the back of Bai Li's head—a mere fingernail's distance away. Should Su Chen so desire, he could end Bai Li's life at any second.
"Please show mercy!"
"We are willing to hand over our points!"
They cannot simply stand by and watch Bai Li get hurt. Should an accident occur and something happen to her, no amount of points could ever make up for it.
Bai Li breaks out in a cold sweat. Slowly turning around, she stares at the sword qi hovering inches from her face, her heart gripped by extreme terror. As a dignified Level 2 Void Pill Realm cultivator—and fighting alongside two others—she failed to block even a single move from this person. It feels utterly surreal.
"Junior Brother Su's strength is truly beyond us. We are deeply impressed. I believe that once the Battle of Hidden Dragons concludes, a spot on the Hidden Dragon Board will undoubtedly belong to Junior Brother Su."
Ye Fei's words are entirely sincere, devoid of deliberate exaggeration. Through their brief exchange just moments ago, they could clearly feel that Su Chen's strength is formidable indeed.
Taking on three opponents at once and suppressing Bai Li in a single move—regardless of whether they want to believe it, the facts are right before their eyes. If they were to continue fighting, defeat would be inevitable.
Watching the three of them retrieve their identity jade tokens, Su Chen shows no false modesty. He presses his jade token against theirs, and three successive transfers later, three points have successfully entered his own token.
Cupping his fists in a salute to the trio, Su Chen asks, "Three Senior Brothers, allow me to ask: where in the East Desolation Forest might one find spiritual herbs capable of healing the soul?"
Unable to purchase pills for the time being, Su Chen has noticed that the purple fox's injuries are growing increasingly severe, and its soul could dissipate at any moment. Since he has chosen to take the creature in, he must find a way to stabilize its condition.
"Is Junior Brother Su's soul injured?"
Su Chen makes no attempt to hide the truth. "I took in a fierce beast whose soul suffered heavy trauma. It is in urgent need of spiritual herbs or medicinal pills for treatment."
Even if he were to enter the Academy and exchange for pills, it would still require points, and he fears the purple fox might not hold out that long.
This place is under the jurisdiction of East Desolation Academy. In such a boundless, endless forest, Su Chen refuses to believe there are no spiritual herbs capable of healing the soul.
After a moment of thought, Chu Yang retrieves a medicinal pill from his spatial ring and says, "This pill isn't of a very high grade, but take it for now."
"I also have a Purple Soul Pill here. Its grade is quite high."
Without standing on ceremony, Su Chen accepts both pills and produces his identity jade token. Before the three of them can react, the points he took are transferred right back into their respective tokens.
"Junior Brother Su, what is the meaning of this? We gave you those pills, but we didn't mean to take our points back."
Su Chen shakes his head. "I wish to make friends with the three of you."
The three of them are genuinely decent people. Back in Panyou City, Su Chen endured heavy blows, with even his cousin and eldest uncle stepping heavily on him.
Yet even after he robbed them of their points, these three were still willing to offer him medicinal pills. Furthermore, he could see in their eyes that they weren't trying to trade pills for points.
Chu Yang nods with a smile. "In that case, we won't stand on ceremony. Let me introduce us properly: all three of us are from Intermediate Class 18. I am Chu Yang, and these are Ye Fei and Bai Li."
"As for spiritual herbs, I do know of a place. However, fierce beasts guard the location, and you are very likely to run into powerful senior students."
"Where is it?" Su Chen asks eagerly without missing a beat.
Ye Fei looks at the young man before him and ultimately shares the location. As for whether Su Chen chooses to go or not, that will be entirely up to him.
"Many thanks, three Senior Brothers. I have matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."
"Take care."
Watching the figure turn and depart, Ye Fei sighs in appreciation. "His talent and potential are both formidable. To be able to defeat the three of us combined across realms—I believe that once Junior Brother Su enters the Academy proper, it won't be long before he shines brilliantly."
"This person is truly worth befriending."
"Looks like the three of us are destined to miss out on the Hidden Dragon Board this time. Let's just treat it as a tempering experience and strive to break through soon so we can advance to higher-level classes."
"Agreed."
***
The pitch-black night sky is dotted with countless stars, enveloping the entire East Desolation Forest.
A solitary crescent moon hangs in the void, radiating a sense of desolation.
Under the nocturnal shroud of the gloomy forest, the roars of fierce beasts echo from time to time. Nighttime here is far more dangerous than the day.
Before a crackling campfire, Su Chen strokes the fur of the purple fox as he watches over it in silence. Having swallowed the two medicinal pills, the purple fox's aura has visibly stabilized quite a bit.
Yet its injuries are still far from fully recovered, and they could flare up at any moment.
He must head to the location Ye Fei mentioned, find a suitable spiritual herb, and have the purple fox ingest it.
"Nine people."
Thinking back to what Chu Yang and the others said during the day about the worst primary class, Su Chen cannot help a helpless sigh.
Of the twenty-two primary classes, only his Class 22 is hailed as the worst primary class, boasting a grand total of ten students including himself.
Gently placing the purple fox inside his tunic, Su Chen crosses his legs and begins to circulate the *Ancestral Phoenix Nirvana Scripture* and the *Primal Demonic Scripture*, calming his mind and anchoring his primordial essence.
Demonic and divine energies begin to converge within his body. Following the cultivation circulation path of the *Primal Demonic Scripture*, Su Chen's hands continuously form seals.
A vast and mighty surge of demonic and divine energy rapidly coalesces before Su Chen into a seal of peerless dominance.
A terrifying, chilling pressure of gods and demons shrouds his form. Suddenly opening his eyes, he strikes out fiercely toward the void before him.
The air vibrates, and tyrannical ripples radiate outward, carrying with them a chilling aura of death that sends a shudder through anyone who senses it.
The Demonic-Divine Death Seal?