The Four-School League Returns

Su Yuehe watched Shan Heng run off, then lowered her head and opened the electronic roster. The pale white glow illuminated the side of her face as her fingers tapped several times on the virtual keyboard.

“The system shows that he only submitted the basic information. There’s nothing unusual about him.”

Long Ao leaned back in his chair and yawned indifferently. “Who cares? If he dares come snooping around again, I’ll kick him straight off the mountain.”

An Changqing smiled and shook his head, reaching out to press down on Long Ao’s shoulder. “We’d better investigate thoroughly. This is an academy, after all.”

Su Yuehe walked to the side and made a phone call. When she returned, her expression was much more solemn.

“I asked the teacher in charge of the admissions records. Shan Heng’s letter of recommendation came from an archaeological school in the east.”

An Changqing lifted his cup and took a sip. “How did someone from an archaeological school end up at an esper academy?”

Long Ao kicked a pebble at his feet, his face full of disdain. “The entire eastern region is surrounded by the sea. What could they possibly dig up?”

Chen Guan stroked Baobao’s head, deep in thought. “Maybe they dug up something they shouldn’t have.”

He remembered the black coffin in the Northern Frontier, which was almost identical to the one he carried. If Shan Heng was an archaeologist who specialized in excavating ancient relics, then his obsession with coffins made perfect sense.

After all, if one had already been stolen from him, losing a second one wouldn’t exactly be surprising.

As expected, this useless system…

…

The orientation work was tedious and boring. It wasn’t until the sun began to set that Chen Guan finished organizing the registration forms and stretched lazily.

“Time to clock out.”

Long Ao rolled his stiff neck and let out a long sigh of relief. “It’s finally over. Let’s go to the cafeteria and have a feast.”

Chen Guan slung his coffin onto his back again. “You guys go ahead. I’m taking Baobao back to the dorm.”

Long Ao curled his lip. “All you ever think about is that leopard.”

He complained, but Chen Guan still took Baobao and left.

…

After several days of chaos, the academy’s teaching schedule finally returned to normal.

It was worth mentioning that the student named Shan Heng had indeed joined the Tianshu Class. Chen Guan and the others also finally began the new semester in earnest, becoming second-year students.

In another two years, he would have to start his internship.

Chen Guan sighed inwardly. As for what he would do after graduation, he honestly had no idea.

He had never considered himself an ambitious person.

For now, all he could do was take things one step at a time.

…

In the classroom for theoretical studies, the afternoon sunlight made everyone drowsy.

Chen Guan propped up his chin with one hand, his eyelids growing heavier by the second. At the podium, Sima Ming’s magnetic, old-fashioned voice was more effective than any lullaby.

“All right. That concludes our discussion on the impact of high-level supernatural abilities on entropy increase in the physical world.”

Sima Ming closed his lesson plan and swept his gaze across the students, most of whom were slumped over their desks. He cleared his throat.

“Now, I have an announcement to make.”

The words struck the classroom like a needle. Several heads that had been resting on desks instantly shot up.

Even Chen Guan managed to open one eye and look toward his homeroom teacher.

“One month from now, the annual Intercollegiate Tournament will officially begin.”

Sima Ming’s voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly banished everyone’s sleepiness.

“This year’s host is Zero Academy in the United States. In addition to our Huaqing Academy, Beishi Academy and Japan’s Kamitani Academy will also be participating.”

The classroom fell silent for a moment before erupting into a restrained buzz of discussion.

“The Intercollegiate Tournament? We crushed them last time and took the grand slam.”

“We can’t afford to underestimate them. I heard that a company called Kowloon Technologies in the United States developed a genetic drug! Their students are all doping now—nothing natural about them.”

“Exactly. And the onmyoji from Kamitani Academy are hard to deal with too. I heard their top student has improved by leaps and bounds.”

Long Ao, who had been lazily leaning against the back of his chair, suddenly sat upright. His eyes blazed with excitement.

Another chance to beat the foreigners into the ground!

“I know everyone has questions.”

Sima Ming raised a hand and pressed it down, signaling for the students to quiet down.

“The rules for this year’s tournament are different from previous years. The academy will select its top students to form representative teams. There will be one four-person team from each of the first-, second-, and third-year classes, but they won’t compete according to year level. Instead, the teams will be mixed through a random draw.”

“Most importantly, the academy whose team wins the championship will receive forty percent of the exploration rights to the Void Secret Realm for the following year! This has already been notarized by the council, so no one can go back on the agreement. The championship team will also have unrestricted access throughout the year and may explore freely according to its own abilities.”

The classroom exploded.

“The Void Secret Realm! Isn’t that a strategic resource site?”

“Forty percent of the exploration rights? My god, they’re really putting everything on the line this time!”

Even An Changqing, who was usually composed, instantly became solemn.

Only Chen Guan, the Extraterrestrial Demon, was left completely bewildered.

What the heck were they talking about?

An Changqing explained seriously, “That place is beyond simply being valuable. The Void Secret Realm is essentially a monster-spawning ground for Void beasts. The materials it produces are vital for crafting high-level equipment. Every single one is a strategic resource that money can’t buy on the outside.”

Chen Guan finally understood.

So that was where Baobao’s advancement materials—the cores of Void beasts—came from.

Baobao, I’m going to fight for your food.

…

When the class bell rang, the four of them walked along the tree-lined path back to the dormitories.

There was no question that the second-year team would consist of the four of them.

Normally, there might have been other students eager to compete for a spot, but the stakes were simply too high this time. No one dared to challenge them.

An Changqing had already obtained Huaqing Academy’s roster for the tournament. Qin Wu, now a fourth-year senior, would serve as the overall team captain, while Chen Beixuan would be the supervising instructor. Having the physical education teacher lead the team was an old tradition at Huaqing.

The name Shan Heng appeared on the first-year roster.

As for the third-year team, the names Li Yuqing and Huo Qixing stood out prominently. When Long Ao saw their names, a trace of sadness suddenly crossed his face.

When they had first fought side by side, Second Young Master Liu had still been alive. Now, they were separated by life and death.

Whenever there were foreign enemies, war left countless people displaced. Yet after peace had finally arrived, infighting filled every corner. Even the academy was no longer a sanctuary.

Why did someone always have to die…?

“We have a problem.”

An Changqing’s solemn voice interrupted Long Ao’s thoughts.

“Zero Academy has released new information as well. They’ve developed the second generation of genetic drugs. Apparently, the drug can temporarily allow someone to leap across two entire levels and unleash destructive power as high as the eighth level.”

Long Ao scoffed and threw a powerful punch through the air.

“What’s so impressive about taking drugs? A real man relies on fists and fists alone.”

He looked down on all crooked paths.

“If eighth-level destructive power comes crashing down on you, you won’t care whether they got it from drugs or were naturally gifted.”

Su Yuehe sighed along with him and added another piece of intelligence.

“Kamitani Academy has trouble on its side as well. Do you remember Kamishiro Chizuru? He’s contracted with a century-old great demon.”