Chapter 1162: Why Are There So Many Problematic Students

At first, when the residents of Muxue City learned that a peerless master had aided them in dispersing the beast tide—saving the city from ruin without a single casualty—their hearts swelled with unbridled joy.

Later, certain quick-witted cultivators began to cast their scheming gazes upon the carcasses of those fallen demonic beasts.

The lowest among those creatures belonged to the Foundation Establishment stage; selling any of them would yield a bountiful harvest of spirit stones.

Yet, a starkly pragmatic dilemma soon loomed before them: though the master had vanquished the beasts, the residual sword qi lingered on.

Moreover, although the reason behind the Third Elder's profound courtesy toward him remained a mystery, it was by no means a misfortune. Just as the elder had noted, while the Blood Wolf Gang would ultimately reap the benefits, the arrangement held nothing but absolute advantage for Liu Tian. Furthermore, with some time still remaining before the appointed duel, he possessed a precious respite.

The resilient serpent skin could do nothing to thwart Zheng Ji's ravenous appetite; with scarcely any resistance, he wrenched his neck back violently, tearing away a massive strip of hide to reveal the steaming, blood-streaked, pale flesh beneath, the mingling scents of raw gore and roasting meat driving his hunger to an absolute frenzy.

At the precise instant Zhong Li's figure hurtled forward, Ye Feng did not retreat to widen the gap; instead, he took a stride forward as well, transforming into a streak of vibrant light that rushed toward Zhong Li with an equally breathtaking velocity.

He had consumed far too many heavenly treasures and earthly rarities to augment his form—countless ability cores, potential fruits, and the like—such that even swallowing medicinal pills yielded no significant growth in his power; though Duan Qiu stood at merely level sixty, his true might had already ascended to the Heaven rank.

"And what of now, do you think? What is the current nature of the relationship between the Song family and Zheng Ji?" Elder Song murmured, lifting the teapot to pour the brew.

The moment she stepped past the manor gates, many townspeople passing along the street caught sight of Qian Qingxi peering into the distance from the threshold, to say nothing of the gaudily dressed Feng Chenyi standing by her side.

The third time it was Ying Si; had he not devised those Two-Yin-Yang Twin Blades, she would never have been cast into such a state of agonizing ambivalence, causing her to slip up in her speech and ignite a misunderstanding among her sisters.

"Heh, you lot have certainly spun a fine web of calculations," Liu Qing sneered, his eyes flashing with shifting light as he weighed his own hidden designs.

"May... may I touch your face?" Linghua murmured softly, a sudden blush blooming upon her cheeks as she addressed Zheng Ji with an air of timid uncertainty, quickly adding for fear of his refusal, "I cannot see, so I wish to trace your features with my hands to know your likeness, so that I might remember you for eternity."

Perhaps some would consider that those ten seconds would pass regardless of whether the potion was consumed, but masters of the craft knew well that instantaneous recovery potions had to be used with the utmost discretion; that singular moment could very well purchase a second lease on life.

Yet, what truly astonished Zhaohong Atlas was not this particular feat, but rather the opponent's sheer responsiveness—to think that he himself had been rendered unable to evade!

In an instant, the aura manifested like a terrifying, majestic force, erupting in a frantic, devastating assault. At that very moment, it surged forward relentlessly, crashing against the vanguard like an unstoppable, rising tide.

"This elder brother is ready to thwack you lot black and blue again whenever you please!" Luo Tian drawled, his hands clasped behind his back, projecting the detached, aloof aura of a legendary grandmaster.

Yet, just as their fingers hovered a mere few centimeters away from the Spirit Serpentine Grass, the herb vanished into thin air, replaced instead by a crimson net.

"There is no need; continue to act precisely as I have instructed, ensuring only their safety. Leave the rest to Xu Yang to handle himself. I am rather curious to see just how far this grandson of mine can go; he has dug such a massive pit, though it remains to be seen if he can actually ensnare that old blind bear!" the old master said with a chuckled warmth.

If this matter ultimately required official intervention, Chen Ling's solitary beacon of trust was Liu Chen, owing to the man's unyielding integrity and principles; yet if even he had tragically chosen to wallow in the mire and conspire in collusion with that wretched lot, then Chen Ling's grievances against heaven and earth would be in vain, reduced to nothing more than a curse upon his own wretched fate.

The crowd pressed forward with the exact same inquiry, demanding to know what urgent matter had prompted the Headmaster to summon him so abruptly. Meanwhile, both Su Wanqin and Hua Ling had finally shaken off the lingering stupor of wine.