23: Chapter 23 Head of Teaching Affairs

"11 points of Blood Qi? How could it be so low?" Ma Zonghao was greatly surprised.

"According to what I've heard, he apparently suffered some kind of accident in the past that left him with a lingering illness, and his health has been poor ever since," Chen Shizhi explained.

"I see." Ma Zonghao was skeptical.

He found it truly hard to reconcile: the person who scored over 600 in the Ten Thousand Races Language exam—only a few points behind him—was actually a martial arts good-for-nothing?

However, Ma Zonghao didn't dare to believe it completely. Rumors were flying everywhere, so he would have to wait until he actually saw Su Lin to be sure.

What he was even more curious about now was whether Su Lin was truly the candidate who had handed in their paper early.

If so, that would be terrifying.

To finish a thick stack of Ten Thousand Races Language exam papers in just half an hour, and still score 600 points—only a few points less than him.

You have to understand that even Ma Zonghao had used up the entire exam time, checking his work twice to ensure everything was flawless.

If that candidate who handed in early really was Su Lin, then he could only marvel at how heaven-defying Su Lin's talent was—it would already be far superior to his own...

"I must be overthinking," he thought.

"How could it be him? It's just that both individuals left such a deep impression that I linked them together... It's impossible for them to be the same person..."

Ma Zonghao told himself, yet he still glanced toward the Class Seven gathering area from time to time.

"If Su Lin arrives, tell me immediately."

"Understood, Brother Zonghao!"

Zhang Tuyuan stood on a hillside, watching the group of students gathering below.

"Why haven't they all arrived yet? These brats really need a beating. Didn't I tell them to arrive early?"

"Not enough practice! Once this secret realm ends, training will be doubled! Let me see who's missing. Has Su Lin arrived yet? Damn it! The brat really hasn't shown up!"

Zhang Tuyuan lit a cigarette, his expression one of extreme impatience.

"The secret realm hasn't even begun yet, why is Teacher Zhang in such a bad mood?" A familiar voice came from behind. Zhang Tuyuan didn't even turn his head, pretending he hadn't heard.

"Teacher Zhang, I'm the one leading the three classes this time. Please, let's work well together." A middle-aged man with glasses walked up to Zhang Tuyuan's side.

"What's the matter? Ignoring me? I'm leading three classes all by myself and I'm not complaining, so why is your face so dark?" The Dean, Teacher Tan Nan, adjusted its glasses and smiled.

"Why wouldn't I be unhappy? You don't know? I get annoyed the moment I see you," Zhang Tuyuan said, his tone unfriendly.

Teacher Tan Nan snorted.

"What did I do wrong this time? I simply received a student report stating that you damaged the martial arts field, and then I reported it to the school, which resulted in a small deduction from your salary. Is there something wrong with performing my duties?" Teacher Tan Nan looked at Zhang Tuyuan, clearly wanting to have a debate.

"Isn't the martial arts field specifically for martial arts practice? What do you mean by 'damaged the field'? Do you think we're playing house in the martial arts field?"

"You four-eyes! Every few days you file reports with the school and deduct my salary—if you've got guts, let's have a fight!" Zhang Tuyuan said angrily.

Teacher Tan Nan snorted coldly.

"Watch your tone. I am the Dean—do you want even more of your salary deducted?"

"You're just a brute with strong limbs and a simple mind. With your attitude, you'll never be a Dean in your entire life."

The atmosphere between the two grew increasingly tense. Just then, Teacher Tan Nan's phone rang. Teacher Tan Nan glanced at the phone and then spoke.

"The Principal sent me a message saying that we must properly stimulate the students' potential during this secret realm trip. We need to develop more prospects who can get into key martial arts universities."

Teacher Tan Nan said, its tone shifting. "I heard your class produced a dark horse? Someone who broke the record on the human-shaped wooden dummy?"

Teacher Tan Nan finally stated the purpose of its visit. It wasn't here to argue with Zhang Tuyuan, but to fish for information.

"So even you know about it? And what if I do? That's a student from my class," Zhang Tuyuan snorted.

"Is that student named Su Lin?"

"What is his Blood Qi level now?" Teacher Tan Nan continued to ask.

"No comment."

Teacher Tan Nan was somewhat annoyed; Zhang Tuyuan was being far too uncooperative, refusing to share even such a simple piece of information.

"Do you know that this Su Lin ranked second in the grade for the cultural exams the day before yesterday?"

"If his martial arts strength is equally impressive, he could soon become a rival for Ma Zonghao."

"You're quite lucky. Although Su Lin is still far behind Ma Zonghao, he can at least be considered a top-tier student," Teacher Tan Nan said, smiling as it looked toward their class's gathering area.

"I'm not as petty as you. Even though you won't tell me what Su Lin's current Blood Qi is, I can tell you about the Blood Qi of Ma Zonghao from my class."

"He just had a breakthrough a few days ago, and his Blood Qi is now at 150 points—first in the third grade!" Teacher Tan Nan said proudly.

"He is a seedling I've spent three years cultivating; even the Principal speaks highly of Ma Zonghao."

"Furthermore, he ranked first in both his cultural exams and the Ten Thousand Races Language! He is truly a talent among talents."

"This batch of peiyuan liquid is practically prepared specifically for Ma Zonghao." Teacher Tan Nan adjusted its glasses, a glimmer in its eyes, filled with anticipation.

"You know that it's been a long time since this school produced a genius capable of getting into a top martial arts university, and the Principal is very anxious."

"It's not just the Principal; even the Mayor is anxious and has been putting pressure on our school."

"We are, after all, one of the best high schools in Jianghuo City."

"Although our school sends quite a few students to key martial arts universities every year, Jianghuo City hasn't produced a student who has made it into a top-tier martial arts university in ten years."

"The last time was ten years ago, with Qin Feng, who got into Shanhai University."