50: Chapter 50

50

Bringing him to the Principal's office? Was he planning to persuade him to drop out, or just transfer him to another class?

While he was pondering, a voice came from inside the door, "Come in."

.

Qi Yue pushed the door open and entered, with Jiang Haojie following closely behind.

"Principal, Jiang Haojie is here."

"Jiang Haojie?"

Zou Wenlin, behind the desk, was stunned for a moment before suddenly standing up from his chair and walking quickly toward the young man.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Qi Yue's eyes.

He was just a student; why was the Principal so excited? Could this Jiang Haojie... really have some special background?

Feeling a bit uncomfortable under that burning gaze, Jiang Haojie took a half-step back, his tone calm but questioning: "I am Jiang Haojie.

Principal, did you need something from me?"

"Ah, sorry, I lost my composure."

Zou Wenlin snapped back to his senses, an awkward smile appearing on his face as he turned to Qi Yue. "Xiao Qi, you head back to the office first.

I want to talk to Jiang Haojie privately."

Qi Yue gave an affirmative response and turned to leave the room.

Zou Wenlin helped Jiang Haojie sit down on the sofa, his actions so attentive that it made Jiang Haojie a bit uneasy. "Principal, if you have something to say, please just say it."

Jiang Haojie smiled bitterly. "Being this polite actually makes me unsure of what to do."

Zou Wenlin sat opposite him, pondered for a moment, and finally spoke: "I heard that you signed up for the school's selection."

His gaze fell on Jiang Haojie's face. "I want to know, what exactly are your thoughts on this?"

"No special thoughts."

Jiang Haojie answered bluntly, "I just want to test myself against those students from the academies and elite schools."

"I know a bit about your situation."

Zou Wenlin sighed softly.

The circumstances of this top scorer from Longcheng's college entrance exam were indeed lamentable.

But reality was just that—no one was willing to pour resources into an Ancient Martial Artist who would find it difficult to make a breakthrough.

"But you must understand, this selection is no joke.

Besides, you know the foundation of Longcheng University..."

Zou Wenlin paused, observing Jiang Haojie's expression. "I'm not trying to persuade you to give up, I just hope you think it through clearly."

"The Five Great Academies and the ten elite schools are specifically designed to cultivate Awakened, and they have abundant cultivation resources.

We are just an ordinary academy; we can't provide you with any assistance.

Competing under such conditions, you will be at a great disadvantage."

Jiang Haojie remained silent.

He knew all of this, of course, and had never expected the school to provide anything.

Otherwise, why would he have been frequenting that dangerous area lately?

"There's one more thing,"

Zou Wenlin continued, "Those top-tier institutions started their semester three days after your assignments were finalized.

In other words, their students have already begun systematic training, and I'm afraid they have likely all reached the First-Order by now.

The gap between you is constantly widening."

"I'm not saying this to discourage you.

This selection isn't just a freshman competition; the opponents you'll face might include sophomores, juniors, or even seniors.

That's why I'm telling you to be cautious."

Jiang Haojie understood the Principal's underlying meaning—the man didn't think highly of his chances and didn't want to see him fail miserably.

"I've already decided."

Jiang Haojie's tone was calm. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have signed up."

Normally, he would have no interest in such competitions.

But things were different now; the tasks issued by the system had to be completed.

Aside from his parents, there were few things he cared about, but the system was the exception.

Seeing his determined attitude, Zou Wenlin stopped trying to persuade him.

After a moment of silence, he stood up, walked to his desk, took out an old book with yellowed pages and worn corners from a drawer, and placed it gently in front of Jiang Haojie.

Jiang Haojie was slightly startled: "This is?"

"Three hundred years ago, my ancestors also walked the path of ancient martial arts.

This manual is the Huashan Sword Technique that he obtained through great hardship. Although it isn't top-tier martial arts, it is perfect for you to build a foundation right now."

Although Zou Wenlin felt some reluctance, he knew that keeping this manual in his hands was of little use; it was better to give it to Jiang Haojie.

At the very least, it could give this young man one more thing to rely on on the road ahead.

Jiang Haojie had indeed not expected the Principal to gift him a sword manual.

Zou Wenlin sighed: "I know your mind is set, and persuasion is useless.

The support Longcheng University can give you is limited; consider this sword technique a small token of my goodwill.

As for how much you can comprehend, that will depend on your own luck."

"Thank you, Principal."

Jiang Haojie immediately stood up and solemnly accepted the thin booklet with both hands.

Even if this sword technique wasn't strictly necessary for him, he couldn't refuse this gesture of kindness.

"Go back now. The day the school starts its training isn't far off; take the time to practice more."

Zou Wenlin waved his hand. "There's no need to come to school for a while. I'll explain things to Teacher Qi for you."

Jiang Haojie thanked him again and quietly left the room.

"System, practice this Huashan Sword Technique."

He muttered in his heart.

Although the sword technique itself might not bring a qualitative leap, thinking of the crimson flame sword in his hand, Jiang Haojie decided to master it.

In the future, when he swung his sword, he wouldn't be as completely lacking in form as before.

[Detected F-rank martial art 'Huashan Sword Technique'... Martial art level increasing... Congratulations to the host for obtaining the God-rank martial art 'Huashan Sword Technique'.]

[Congratulations to the host for mastering the God-rank martial art—Huashan Sword Technique (Elementary).]

The notification in his mind made Jiang Haojie pause for a moment.

He hadn't expected the system to be able to upgrade the grade of a martial art.

This meant that no matter what level of martial art he obtained in the future, it could be transformed into a higher-level existence through the system.

At this thought, Jiang Haojie felt a surge of lightheartedness.

Although the Principal had permitted him not to come to school, he didn't leave immediately.

He had originally come today to experience campus life, so there was no need to rush off.

For the next three days, he still came to school every day.

Until the morning of the fourth day, a phone call from Liu Jinglong broke his rhythm—the official rewards for the secret realm exploration had been issued, but he had to sign for them in person.

And the person presenting the rewards this time was actually the Mayor of Longcheng himself.

So early on the fourth day, Jiang Haojie rushed to the Bounty Guild.

Accompanied by Liu Jinglong, the two entered the City Hall and went straight up to the fifth floor.

In addition to the Mayor's office, this floor also housed a spacious conference hall.

Because of his significant contribution to the secret realm exploration, the authorities had decided to hold a press conference to publicly commend Jiang Haojie's actions.

At the same time, relevant publicity on the internet had also quietly begun.

Everyone's eyes were firmly fixed on the stage.

"Now, please welcome Mr. X to the stage."

The host's voice fell.

At Liu Jinglong's signal, Jiang Haojie slowly walked forward.

The Mayor came to his side, his voice broadcasting through the microphone to the entire hall: "This secret realm exploration was exceptionally dangerous.

Mr. X disregarded his own safety and went deep inside, bringing back vital intelligence for the country.

Here, on behalf of the authorities and on behalf of Longcheng, I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to Mr. X.

At the same time, I grant him this—the invitation letter to the Holy Academy."

A secretary wearing white gloves stepped forward, and on the wooden tray in his hands lay a roll of warm-colored, old parchment.

The Mayor held the parchment in both hands and solemnly handed it to Jiang Haojie.

This scene instantly ignited the internet.

"An invitation letter to the Holy Academy! This reward is too massive; if I had known, I should have signed up too."

"Easy to say, but is this kind of opportunity something everyone can get? Unless you have luck like X's."

"That said, X's strength is only at the Earth Spirit Stone level. The threshold for the Holy Academy... isn't giving him this invitation a bit of a waste?"

"What a pity, truly a pity. If only it were given to me."

All sorts of comments scrolled across the screen, a mix of envy and bitterness.

Smash!

An exquisite porcelain cup smashed against the wall, shards flying everywhere.

...

"Mr. X, the Black Dragon Society you asked us to investigate earlier... we have some leads."

"This organization rose fifty years ago and was once severely suppressed by the authorities."

"We thought they had long since faded away, but unexpectedly, not only have they survived to this day, but their influence seems to be even more deeply entrenched than before."

Jiang Haojie raised an eyebrow slightly: "Tell me in detail?"

Three days ago, he had used Liu Jinglong's network to probe the background of the Black Dragon Society.

The middle-aged man's fearless expression when mentioning the Black Dragon Society had always bothered him.

Even if he didn't know the full picture, he vaguely felt that this organization was extraordinary.

"The suspect you handed over was released on bail today."

Liu Jinglong's voice came from the receiver. "It was through this lead that we tracked down the traces of the Black Dragon Society."

Jiang Haojie's brow furrowed.

Being able to be released on bail so smoothly showed how far the Black Dragon Society's influence had penetrated.

"I suspect their tentacles have already reached into the official system. Mr. X, please be absolutely cautious."

Liu Jinglong's tone was heavy. "In addition, regarding the Bai family... please avoid conflict for the time being.

Existing clues suggest that the Bai family is likely under the umbrella of the Black Dragon Society."

These inferences were not made out of thin air.

To dig up intelligence, he had sent out several groups of people, but they had repeatedly encountered various invisible obstacles.

Precisely because of the heavy resistance, the information they could obtain instead confirmed how deep the water was.

This was also why he was advising Jiang Haojie to avoid their edge for now.

Jiang Haojie pondered for a moment and asked: "Is there any more specific information about the Black Dragon Society?"

He wasn't afraid, but facing an opponent hidden in the shadows, a bit more understanding meant a bit more room to maneuver.

Liu Jinglong flipped through some yellowed old files but only shook his head. "There are some records from the past, but the Black Dragon Society of today is no longer what it was back then.

As for their current movements, I haven't been able to find out any valuable news."

"Understood.

President Liu, I'll keep this favor in mind."

Jiang Haojie hung up the call and sat alone on the edge of a flower bed on campus, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the stone surface.

That middle-aged man who had been released on bail was like a thorn in his side.

The other party would definitely not let it go, and how was he to disperse the shadow of the Black Dragon Society?

A sudden ringtone shattered the silence.

An unknown number was flashing on the screen.

Jiang Haojie stared at it for a moment, pressed answer, but remained silent, waiting for the other end to speak first.

After a brief silence, a raspy voice came through the receiver, sounding like sandpaper rubbing against wood: "X, have time for a chat?"

"Who is this?"

Jiang Haojie's voice showed no emotion.

"Aren't you looking for someone to investigate us? If you want to know something, why not just come and ask?"

The voice laughed low. "Zuixin Tower, now.

Give us some face?"

"And if I don't go?"

The other party seemed to have expected this question, his tone as relaxed as if he were talking about the weather: "Then we'll just have to invite the people around you for a seat—Huang Xingshan, Jiang Shangquan, or Liu Jinglong.

Don't doubt it, the Black Dragon Society can do it."

A cold light flashed in Jiang Haojie's eyes. "I hate being threatened."

The phone was hung up after a chuckle, leaving only the dial tone echoing hollowly in his ear.

Jiang Haojie put away his phone, his face darkening.

He got up and walked quickly out of the campus, dialing his home number as he went.

Hearing his parents' safe and sound voices, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

Then he contacted Huang Xingshan, briefly instructing him to lay low for a while and not show his face.

"Sir, what on earth happened?"

Huang Xingshan's voice was full of unease.

"I'll explain later, just do as I say."

Jiang Haojie interrupted his questioning, hung up, and immediately called Liu Jinglong, quickly explaining the situation.

"It's a trap, you can't go!"

Liu Jinglong said urgently.

"I know."

Jiang Haojie looked at the distant street corner, his steps never stopping, "But I can't afford to gamble."

He turned into a deserted narrow alley, quickly changed into a set of dark casual clothes, and the Wolf Spider Mask was gently placed over his face.

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Find a few trustworthy people, preferably with Fifth-Order strength, and secretly surround the vicinity of Zuixin Tower."

Jiang Haojie lowered his voice, his gaze scanning the mouth of the alley. "If things don't look right on my end, act immediately."

He couldn't step into a dragon's den or tiger's lair without any preparation.

This phone call was the first chess piece he laid down.

Liu Jinglong spoke with a troubled expression: "Fifth-Order... that is indeed a bit tricky.

In the entire Longcheng, there are only three or four registered Fifth-Order Awakened.

The most I can mobilize are two Fourth-Order ones."

This was not an excuse.