Chapter 74: Supreme Spirit Martial Academy

Lingwu University, Kyoto.

On a patch of lawn, Li Xiang was briefing Xiang Nan and the others about important matters to keep in mind during the Lingxu Expedition.

“All expeditions into the Lingxu are on a voluntary basis. Before entering, everyone must sign a waiver. Once inside, your life or death is your own responsibility.”

“What? That harsh? But it sounds pretty exciting,” Su Yao said with a bright laugh, her head bobbing with excitement.

“Every year, there’s a certain mortality rate in the Lingxu expeditions. The school does its best to minimize it, but it can’t be eliminated. If you want to cultivate true warriors, you can’t raise them like flowers in a greenhouse. The path of a martial artist must be forged by their own hands.”

“The team rankings in the Lingxu expedition are determined solely by the number of spirit pearls each squad acquires. That means inside the Lingxu, there may be fighting and plundering between squads?” Xu Jiya, always the cautious one, asked.

“That’s right, but there’s no need to worry too much. Everyone carries a rescue flare. If you’re in a life-threatening situation, fire the flare and the school will rescue you immediately. But it also means your entire squad is out.” Li Xiang explained patiently.

“So, as long as one person fires the rescue flare, the whole squad is eliminated?”

“Exactly. Between life and glory, you can only choose one.”

Xiang Nan listened in silence, while Xu Jiya grew increasingly uneasy.

Among the four of them, she was the weakest. If danger struck and she couldn’t handle it, firing the rescue flare would mean eliminating the whole team. The thought troubled her deeply.

Xiang Nan looked up at the sky and asked calmly, “Based on your understanding of the student body, where does our squad stand in terms of strength?”

Li Xiang bit her lip and thought for a moment. “We’re a little below average.”

Upon hearing this, the other three all turned to look at her.

“How is that possible? You’re a third-tier, we’re both second-tier, and don’t you know what kind of power Nan has? He’s off the charts! And you say we’re below average?” Su Yao was the first to protest.

Xiang Nan remained calm. “Tell us your reasoning.”

Li Xiang glanced at Xu Jiya, who immediately blushed.

“Is it because of me? I’m only at first-tier, one-star. I’m dragging the team down.” Lacking confidence, Xu Jiya spoke much more softly than usual.

Li Xiang sighed. “That’s part of it. There’s a wide gap in our abilities. But team battles are about coordination and knowing each other’s roles. As long as we work well together, we shouldn’t worry too much about that.”

She paused, then continued, “Aside from me, we’re all novices here. None of you have experience with the Lingxu, and that’s a disadvantage.”

Xiang Nan waved off her concerns. “Those are minor details. Get to the point.”

Li Xiang nodded. “From what I know, this year’s Lingxu Expedition will allow outside reinforcements.”

“Outside reinforcements?” the three of them asked in unison.

“Yes, just like soccer. Participants aren’t limited to martial artists from universities. There will be many from the general public as well. There are hidden experts among them, and most importantly, no one knows exactly who these outsiders are.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“If I’m right, the school will announce the rule first thing tomorrow. Some students who caught wind of it early have already started recruiting outside help.”

As she spoke, Li Xiang’s expression grew grim. She had thought that by teaming up with Xiang Nan, she would at least make it into the top three, if not win the championship. Who could have predicted that with Xu Jiya, a first-tier, one-star, on the team, and the opening up to outside reinforcements, there was no telling how they’d rank.

Yet Xiang Nan seemed utterly unconcerned, his demeanor calm and indifferent.

“If things are as you say, this year’s Lingxu Expedition will be even more interesting,” he said with a faint smile.

Li Xiang could only worry silently as she watched his nonchalance.

“Nan, I’m not trying to belittle us or boost their morale. But even without considering the outside help, just look at Supreme Lingwu Academy next door—those students are all ruthless and aggressive. I even heard that some of them are disciples of the Fiery Cloud Demon Lord…”

She hadn’t finished speaking when a large shadow fell over them.

The group looked up to see several burly young men, all dressed flamboyantly, with bizarre hairstyles and a menacing aura.

Behind them trailed a familiar figure. Even from the back, Xiang Nan recognized him as Lu Yu, the young master of the Lu family.

“So you’re the upstart Xiang Nan everyone’s talking about?” The leader, his hair dyed blue and cut into a crew cut, sported a nose ring and looked at Xiang Nan with disdain.

“That’s me. What do you want?” Xiang Nan stood up. At nearly six feet tall, he was still half a head shorter than his opponent.

Li Xiang and the others also quickly got to their feet.

Li Xiang leaned in and whispered to Xiang Nan, “That’s He Dalong from Supreme Lingwu Academy. They call him the Ox Demon King. I heard he’s inherited the strength of a primordial demon bull—at least third-tier, five-star.”

Su Yao, unable to hold back, burst into laughter. “You know, with that rainbow look, you really do resemble a monster from Journey to the West. The nose ring’s just a bit small; if you got a bigger one, you’d look even more like a bull.”

“You little brat—looking for trouble!” He Dalong’s muscles bulged as he reached out to grab Su Yao.

Xu Jiya, standing beside Su Yao, reacted instantly. With a quick motion, she triggered a mechanism, firing several silver needles at He Dalong’s arm.

Clang, clang, clang…

Though the needles struck flesh, they rang out as if hitting steel. All the needles dropped harmlessly to the ground.

Xu Jiya was stunned. This man’s body was as tough as iron.

At such close range, her needles should have pierced even armor, yet they were useless. He Dalong’s arm continued its arc toward Su Yao.

Su Yao, however, remained calm. With a flick of her finger, sharp, hard spines instantly sprouted along her arm, like a hedgehog’s defenses.

He Dalong’s hand closed around her arm before he could pull back. He expected the spines to slice into his flesh, but when he squeezed hard, the sharp spikes simply bent out of shape.

Even so, the spines managed to blunt some of his force, leaving Su Yao’s arm unharmed.

But He Dalong, maintaining his grip, yanked Su Yao hard. She lost her balance and nearly fell.

At the critical moment, Xiang Nan intervened, catching Su Yao and steadying her.

With a swift, practiced movement, he pivoted, lifting Su Yao off the ground and breaking He Dalong’s hold.

But He Dalong wasn’t about to give up. He lunged forward, hands outstretched for Xiang Nan and Su Yao.

Li Xiang had no choice but to unleash her third-tier power. With a quick gesture, she summoned a golden shield of light, blocking He Dalong’s attack.

No matter how hard He Dalong struck, he couldn’t break through the radiant barrier.