Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “What happened to the school?”


  Jiang Feng was filled with worry.

  “It’s like this……”


  Lu Ming briefly told him about the situation of the school.

  “Oh.”


  Jiang Feng felt somewhat embarrassed.

  He really did not expect the school to come to this stage!

  During this period, someone was after his life. He had to worry about his daughter and was also bothered by the situation of Lu Ming, this little brat. The school had long slipped his mind.

  He even made specially made a trip to the seaside earlier on!

  Although the bulls pushed him back halfway in the journey……

  “Take this. Let Xiaobai’s grandfather manage the school,”


  Jiang Feng passed the signet to Lu Ming.

  “Okay.”


  Lu Ming took it.

  “The school……”


  Jiang Feng was silent.

  Could Old Man Jiang really guard it?

  He had a general idea of what was going on. If those guys were really the ones who were hitting on the school, Old Man Jiang might not be able to defend the school alone!

  Unless……

  Jiang Feng said seriously, “Help me to convey this message – No matter what, he has to safeguard the school!”


  “Okay.”


  Lu Ming nodded slightly.

  Jiang Feng said, “It’s very special.”


  “Understood,” Lu Ming expressed his understanding.

  “There are many secrets that are associated with the school,” Jiang Feng emphasized.

  “I will convey the message.”


  Lu Ming was very serious.

  Jiang Feng was very upset.

  Wasn’t his hint obvious enough?

  He cast a deep gaze at Lu Ming and sighed. “Aren’t you curious about the school?”


  “Not curious at all.”


  Lu Ming nodded.

  Hehe.

  Although he was very curious why Jiang Feng would value an ordinary school that much, he definitely would not take on any strange burden at this point in time.

  Jiang Feng was silent.

  The tactic that the old man used on him the last time did not work on Lu Ming……

  Since he could not fool Lu Ming, he went straight to the point.

  “Help me keep the school running for three months.

  Delaying is fine, or whatever works. Just keep it running for three months.”


  Jiang Feng was very blunt in his speech.

  “No!”


  Lu Ming was even blunter rejecting him.

  He had a hunch that the school’s matter was an epic hoax.

  Jiang Feng was speechless.

  Damn!

  Why was it so hard to communicate with this guy?

  In the past, when the old guy hoodwinked him, he was moved to tears in two minutes. He then took the initiative to take on the responsibility although he regretted afterward……

  Why was Lu Ming so sly and petty?

  If not for the fact that he had to force himself into seclusion to recover now, would he need him?

  However……

  What did he have that could tempt Lu Ming the most?

  After pondering seriously for a moment, Jiang Feng wore an awful expression. The answer was actually Xiaobai?

  Crap!

  Was he, Jiang Feng, someone who had to use his daughter?

  Besides their……

  Jiang Feng suddenly narrowed his eyes.

  Age!

  Although Lu Ming was extremely talented, he only progressed later on. Hence, he was slightly older and still weaker compared to those people at The First Academy!

  If he could obtain some time for him……

  Jiang Feng seemed to be in thoughts.

  “You will need quite a while to advance from three-star to four-star. Regardless of how talented you are, it will take some time. After all, it is a bottleneck that you have to break through!

  I know of a place. There are some things that can allow one to break through to four-star.

  It will increase your efficiency by tenfold!

  When you attain three-star peak, I can bring you there. Although given your talent, four-star is not a problem. It’s still a good thing to attain it earlier, right?” Jiang Feng said in a low voice.

  He had already flashed his greatest trump card.

  Even for the typical geniuses, they would need about six months to overcome the bottleneck to reach four-star. Would Lu Ming want to shorten this timing?

  Four-star……

  Suddenly, Lu Ming was tempted.

  Energy, he could accumulate it gradually.

  Technique, he could study it slowly.

  The only issue was the breakthrough……

  He really did not have a solution for this so-called bottleneck.

  His talent was average. Otherwise, Little Lu Ming would not have improved that slowly. He could attain his current level due to the cumulative effect of all his energy and various resources! Therefore, when Lu Ming found out that energy could be tempered at the Lunar Shadow legacy, he did not hesitate to use all ways and means to temper his energy to the maximum!

  This because he was not sure of how long he would need to cultivate!

  It was just that……

  After that, there was still a huge hurdle — Four-star!

  He needed things like concretization, bottleneck, and talent!

  Jiang Feng thought that he was concerned about time. In fact, it was not just time. Lu Ming did not even possess any talent! He might not even have the endowments that were required to comprehend and break the bottleneck!

  Now, Jiang Feng had given him a passing lane.

  The school……

  Four-star……

  Lu Ming was deep in thoughts.

  At this moment……

  There was pin-drop silence in the room.

  After a long time……

  Lu Ming spoke, “I agree.”


  He could not refuse such a deal.

  Jiang Feng knew his elder sister and was Xiaobai’s father. He would certainly guarantee Lu Ming’s safety.

  In this era where many people were desperately fighting for a ten percent chance of getting a breakthrough, Old Jiang provided him with a tenfold chance and also absolute safety!

  Why wouldn’t he give it a try?

  This was a chance encounter.

  A great opportunity!

  “Okay.”


  Jiang Feng heaved a sigh of relief.

  “I will leave the school to you for the time being.

  Wait for me to come back.”


  Jiang Feng’s figure floated and suddenly disappeared, seemingly afraid that Lu Ming would go back on his words.

  Lu Ming did not know whether to laugh or cry.

  Weren’t these just matters related to the school?

  This was really……

  Since he had agreed, he would definitely do his best.

  However, just as he was prepared to leave, an idea flashed across Lu Ming’s mind. He glanced around before running to the study room quietly. He then opened the safe inside.

  Dee—


  Certification failed.

  Hehe.

  True enough, it had been changed.

  Fearful that he would go looking for that strange maple leaf, despite being severely injured, Old Jiang this guy was adamant in changing the certification before he started stitching his body?

  He was so unreasonable!

  Jiang Feng was really too stingy!

  Was there a need to change it?

  Was he the kind who would rummage other people’s safe behind their backs?

  What a joke!

  Lu Ming turned to leave……

  After leaving Jiang Feng’s house, Lu Ming rushed to the school immediately.

  In the principal’s office.

  “Teacher An.”


  Lu Ming smiled. “We need your help for the time being.”


  “It’s alright.”


  An Mufeng smiled. “The principal has informed me.”


  He had delegated some of the school affairs to Old Man Jiang and other vice-principals. Lu Ming just had to be in charge of stamping the signet.

  After flipping the documents, Lu Ming could not understand most of them.

  Occasionally, he came across a few proposals that he could understand and they all looked very tragic.

  For example—


  The refurbishment of the school field.

  The field had not been repaired for years and cracks suddenly appeared a few days ago. They could only delay the repairs due to insufficient funds. What would the investigation team think of this……

  How the hell could they pass the test?!

  Also, wage gaps and approvals on activities……

  Tsk tsk.

  How exactly did the school survive?

  “Actually, it wasn’t so bad in the past.”


  Teacher An scratched his head. “There were a few geniuses in the school last time. They graduated at four-star and the higher-ups thus granted us more resources. Afterward, such geniuses didn’t appear in the school again and the higher-ups gradually lost their interest. Hence, we don’t have any more resources.”


  The so-called geniuses in the school referred to those with a poor family background and had not come into contact with cultivation. After entering the vocational technical college, they made tremendous progress.

  They were merely taking in treasures that had been mistaken for thrash.

  It was still fine in the past but talent testing had become more advanced in the recent two years and the accuracy rate was increasing.

  Regardless of how poor the family was, as long as the child did well in the talent testing, it was highly possible that his tuition fees would be waived and scholarship applications submitted……

  The vocational technical college would not come into the picture anymore!

  Therefore……

  Gradually, schools like theirs increasingly resembled training institutions.

  However, due to the nature of the school, it could not be given as much autonomy as training institutions. The latter could dictate their own tuition fees and various other fees. Hence, the school gradually waned.

  “A huge number of vocational schools had already closed this year.”


  Teacher An exclaimed regretfully, “I don’t know how much longer our school can persist.”


  Lu Ming glanced at him but did not say a word. Based on his estimation on the timing, it could at most sustain for another month before shutting down.

  But then again……

  “The higher-ups value geniuses that much?”


  Lu Ming was curious.

  “Of course.”


  An Mufeng nodded. “Be it the cultivating trainee quota or the school training, the higher-ups encourage and hope that more geniuses will appear.”


  Genius……

  Lu Ming pondered deeply.

  In the eyes of ordinary people, wasn’t he also a genius?

  Additionally, there were people like Zhang Xiaopang, Xia Yu and Chang Liang. He heard that they were quite talented and rather powerful now. Were these people not considered talents?

  “It has to be four-star no matter what.”


  An Mufeng scratched his head.

  After all, many of the pseudo geniuses were stuck at a three-star peak.

  Hence, the higher-ups would only look at four-star and above.

  Four-star graduates!

  These were great geniuses that represented the student population!

  Additionally, from a certain perspective, the number of four-star graduates in a school represented the school’s ability to nurture and train students. Hence, this indicator was very important!

  Lu Ming was speechless.

  He was someone who had killed a row of four-stars with one strike in seconds!

  It was a pity……

  No one cared about this.

  The breakthrough to four-star represented a new beginning. If he could not break through, he might possibly remain at three-star peak forever. This was the general opinion.

  Furthermore, given the situation of the school at the crossroad, it was pointless to have one or two four-stars.

  The dice was already cast.

  What else could he change?

  The investigation team had already gone back. What else could they do?

  “Why did Jiang Feng look for me then?”


  Lu Ming felt confused.

  He initially thought that Jiang Feng really wanted him to be the acting principal and manage the affairs of the school.

  Looking at the situation……

  Lu Ming analyzed the situation at hand and suddenly understood a little.

  Crap!

  This guy’s real motive was actually Lu Yan!

  Yes.

  In essence, Jiang Feng wanted Lu Yan to intervene!

  Lu Ming could not do anything now but Lu Yan could.

  Given Lu Yan’s status, she could influence the decisions of some people and cause wrangling, disagreements, and delay in the measures to shutting down the school. They just had to tide over the three-month period.

  After figuring this out, Lu Ming’s mood turned sour.

  Damn it!

  This guy was so calculative to eye Lu Yan!

  Well……

  After all, in Jiang Feng’s eyes, besides demolishing things and getting into trouble, what else could he do? In the eyes of outsiders, Lu Yan was also the one who cleaned up the mess at the Lunar Shadow legacy.

  “I’ve been neglected.”


  Lu Ming squinted his eyes.

  Honestly, this matter would become very simple if Lu Yan was involved. A period of three months. Most likely, it would pass very quickly if they were to kick up a ruckus and drag the time.

  However……

  Was he really going to ask Lu Yan for this?

  It was not that it would not work. He could not bring himself to do that!

  Lu Ming was very clear about one point. If Lu Yan was powerful enough, he would have a better standing then!

  If he were to ask Lu Yan to come back because of this today and something else tomorrow, Lu Yan certainly would not mind. However, would she be able to cultivate properly?

  So what if one had great talent?

  Great innate talents were meant for cultivation and not hindrance.

  If he had not intervened due to the change in circumstances at the Lunar Shadow legacy, Lu Yan would have long self-destructed! If he were to give it some time for Lu Yan to break through to six-star, perhaps she would not need to self-destruct then?

  He could possibly be causing a delay in Lu Yan’s time for a breakthrough!

  Furthermore……

  Did he need Lu Yan for such a lousy matter?

  Hehe.

  Lu Ming sneered coldly.

  This was his own task!

  It was a trade that he had promised. Of course, he had to do it himself!

  Furthermore……

  He did not want Jiang Feng to look down on him!

  You’re Xiaobai’s father. I am Xiaobai’s master, okay!

  “The school…… Three months……”


  Lu Ming poured over the information in front of him. He suddenly paused and looked very serious. This set of documents was about the upcoming School Championship Competition.

  Well……

  It was a very important competition.

  This was an annual inter-school competition whereby every school would send a five-member team to compete in the rankings for the strongest combat school of the year!

  It was a very popular competition with a high participation rate!

  The School Championship Competition……

  Lu Ming pondered for a moment. “If we participate in this School Championship Competition and obtain good results, will we benefit from it?”


  “Yes.”


  An Mufeng was obviously surprised. “I heard that those who come in the top 100 in the rankings will receive commendation and reward.”


  Oh?

  Lu Ming was thrilled.

  If there were commendations and rewards, there was no need to close the school then?!

  After all, the basis of discontinuing the school was the inability to nurture good students. If these students could obtain a good ranking in the competition, would they still dare to shut down the school?

  They could not slap themselves in the face, right?!

  Hence……

  Lu Ming was suddenly very enthusiastic. “Did our school participate in the School Championship Competition before?”


  “We did so in the past but not in recent years,” An Mufeng said.

  “Why?”


  Lu Ming was puzzled.

  Even if they were to fail, they could establish their presence. The school would be able to attract students only if it could create awareness.

  “Because we didn’t pass the pre-selection,” An Mufeng told him the truth.

  Lu Ming was dumbstruck.

  Damn!

  You can’t even pass the pre-selection?!

  Wait a minute……

  Was the pre-selection criteria for the School Championship Competition more stringent?

  Well……

  After all, there were over ten thousand schools. They might have to be more stringent!

  Hence, he read the rules and discovered that the so-called pre-selection was in fact very simple. In essence, it was to engage in casual fights.

  Many schools knew that they did not have hopes of getting into the top hundred in the rankings…… Hence, they went through the pre-selection perfunctorily and could not care less. Therefore, this gave many other colleges the chance to pass the pre-selection.

  Basically, as long as you were serious and well-prepared, you would definitely pass the pre-selection!

  This applied to even vocational colleges!

  Looking at the statistics, Lu Ming noticed that many technical colleges could pass the pre-selection. This was such a simple pre-selection. Why did their college fail then?

  “This so-called pre-selection……”


  Lu Ming asked seriously, “Don’t they only disqualify those schools that aren’t serious?”


  “That’s right.”


  An Mufeng said earnestly, “Our school is one of them.”


  Lu Ming froze a little. “Did our college ever fight seriously for this before?”


  They could not even pass the pre-selection and were thrashed every time! Didn’t the college have any prowess? Did everyone in the school believe in Buddhism?

  You’re a cultivation college and not a Buddhist school!

  “We fought hard before.”


  An Mufeng recalled something. He then said, “We were very serious during the last pre-selection that we participated in. The vice-president personally made preparations and selected the participants. But in the end, we were defeated at a score of five vs. zero. Henceforth, we no longer participate.”


  “A—alright.”


  Lu Ming took a deep breath. What else could he say?

  The circumstances were already as such.

  He could not deny one fact — Even amongst the lower-ranking tertiary institutions, his school at the crossroads was still the kind that was ranked at the bottom!