80: Chapter 80

80

This was just great—lifting a stone only to drop it on one's own foot. With the outcome obvious to everyone, Shen Tianming had snatched the winning side first, leaving Sun Wanyu with no choice but to bet on Jiang Haojie.

But how could Jiang Haojie possibly win?

Sun Wanyu shook his head gently.

He had expected Shen Tianming to choose this way, yet he wasn't frustrated.

Deep down, he also wanted to see just how far this young man named Jiang Haojie could go.

If Jiang Haojie really won... no matter what, he had to recruit this person into Beichen Academy.

***

Heavy impact sounds exploded one after another on the arena stage, like war drums beating against people's hearts.

Zheng Chenxuan stood in the distance, airflow surging between his fingers as sharp wind blades formed one by one, shooting toward Jiang Haojie like arrows from a bowstring.

Jiang Haojie wove and dodged through the dense wind blades, his figure elusive, yet he was unable to close the distance with his opponent, forced to rely on footwork to maneuver around.

"The winner is already decided... Jiang Haojie can barely dodge, but he can't get close to Zheng Chenxuan at all."

"Why persist? It's more dignified to surrender early."

"Exactly, it's a waste of time."

Comments in the livestream rolled like a tide.

Seeing that Jiang Haojie was only capable of dodging, the audience gradually lost patience, and the sounds of urging were incessant.

Jiang Haojie looked up at Zheng Chenxuan, who was still attacking continuously, and shook his head slightly.

This shake of the head made many people think he was about to give up—

However, in the next instant, everyone's gaze suddenly froze.

Jiang Haojie flipped his palm, and a clear blue longsword appeared silently in his hand.

To avoid having his identity recognized, he did not use his signature crimson flame sword, instead taking out an E-rank longsword at random.

Even so, this scene was enough to stir up a huge commotion.

"Wait... is that storage equipment?!"

"Jiang Haojie actually has storage equipment... what exactly is his background?"

"I misjudged him; it turns out he was hiding so much!"

Exclamations and discussions exploded in the venue.

Only Su Qingxue, standing to the side, looked calm—she had known Jiang Haojie possessed such a thing since the day after they met.

Xu Qing clenched her fists tightly, the veins on the back of her hands bulging.

This trash, to have such a treasure and not offer it to her... no matter what, she had to get her hands on it.

storage equipment was something even the Bai Yang family might not possess; such a precious item rightfully belonged to her.

Wang Changxiao squinted and chuckled, his tone intriguing: "It seems everyone underestimated Jiang Haojie."

Several people around him nodded silently upon hearing this.

Though they also owned storage devices, they knew well how rare they were—even the most basic models required a Fifth-Order cultivation to use and were valued at over a hundred million crystal coinss, often being unavailable regardless of price.

Even with a reservation, one often had to wait for years.

No one expected Jiang Haojie to actually hold one.

Jiang Haojie ignored the shock around him.

As the wind blades struck again, he flicked his wrist, raising the longsword to slice through the airflow while using the momentum to dash forward.

Zheng Chenxuan immediately stepped back, consistently maintaining distance from Jiang Haojie as wind blades condensed and shot out once more.

But this time, the offensive could no longer pose a threat to Jiang Haojie—

Zheng Chenxuan didn't notice that within Jiang Haojie's seemingly casual sword moves, the exquisite patterns of the Huashan Sword Technique had already been integrated.

The wind blades crisscrossed, yet they could no longer touch even the corner of his clothes.

Seeing that his offensive could not suppress Jiang Haojie, Zheng Chenxuan's expression did not falter, and his moves suddenly changed.

The wind blades no longer appeared, replaced by a sharp, rapid whistling sound that pierced the air on the arena like sharp needles.

Jiang Haojie's brow twitched slightly.

Though he couldn't see its form, he identified the source of this attack—it was sound waves generated by the agitation of the wind, like sitting alone indoors on a spring night and suddenly hearing the howling gale outside, the sound waves penetrating the walls to press against the eardrums.

He was an expert in this field himself and knew the ferocity of sonic attacks.

However, Zheng Chenxuan's mastery was still shallow; this wave of sound had very little impact on him.

Jiang Haojie's figure suddenly lunged forward.

Braving the layers of sound waves, the internal energy in his body suddenly erupted, and his speed accelerated to the limit in an instant, passing over the stage like a faint shadow.

Before Zheng Chenxuan could react, a touch of icy cold was already pressed against the side of his neck.

The sword's edge was silent, the killing intent solid.

"Surrender, or die?"

The crowd below the stage was stunned.

Many eyes failed to even capture the movement just now—how did Jiang Haojie's sword reach his opponent's throat in the blink of an eye?

Not to mention the observers, even Zheng Chenxuan himself fell into a brief daze.

He stared blankly at the person before him, as if he hadn't yet broken free from the rhythm of the sonic pulses.

"Old Shen..."

Sun Wanyu turned his head, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice a bit dry.

He truly hadn't expected this kind of ending.

Shen Tianming suddenly snapped back to his senses and slammed his palm on the table: "You Sun fellow, you set me up!"

"I really didn't know it would turn out like this..."

Sun Wanyu gave a bitter smile.

"Fine, I'll remember this."

Without waiting for him to say more, Shen Tianming threw back the weapon Sun Wanyu had just returned, then took out an A-rank piece of equipment glowing with a dark light from his storage device and placed it heavily in front of Sun Wanyu.

After doing this, he sat back in his original seat with a dark expression, no longer looking at Sun Wanyu.

This bastard was definitely doing it on purpose—in just a few days, he had already swindled four weapons out of him.

Thinking of this, Shen Tianming felt a tightness in his chest.

A-rank equipment was so precious; even he didn't have much in stock, yet he had lost four in a row.

Surrounding gazes were cast his way, most carrying a hint of sympathy.

On the arena stage.

The chill from the sword edge at his neck was clear and bone-piercing.

A trace of bitterness appeared at the corner of Zheng Chenxuan's mouth.

The defeat was settled; no matter how unwilling he was, he could only swallow it.

He closed his eyes and said in a low voice: "I surrender."

Jiang Haojie sheathed his sword and turned to the referee.

Just as the referee was about to announce the result, a voice rang out from the spectator seats—

Xu Qing stood up once more.

"Wait."

She said loudly, "Jiang Haojie is suspected of cheating.

If he hadn't bribed his opponent, how could he, with his power, defeat a Fourth-Order Awakened like Zheng Chenxuan?"

The referee was at a loss for words and couldn't help but look toward Ma Chenyu and the other judges.

Ma Chenyu looked up at Xu Qing: "Where is the evidence?"

"I have no physical evidence for now,"

Xu Qing held her head high, "but I am certain that this must be the case."

Everyone shook their heads; what exactly was this woman thinking? To speak so recklessly without any proof was truly baffling.

A rare ability like the Three-Clawed Ice Dragon falling into her hands was like a pearl being covered in dust.

Ma Chenyu spoke calmly: "Student, without evidence, it's better to be careful with your words.

Unless—you can provide real proof."

He paused slightly and added indifferently: "Besides, don't forget that you yourself were once defeated by Jiang Haojie."

Hearing this, Xu Qing's brow suddenly furrowed tight.

"What on earth is she thinking? Making wild accusations with nothing but her mouth; is her brain filled with mud?"

"Setting aside whether Jiang Haojie could really bribe his opponent, the match order is randomly arranged. How could he know in advance who he would face next?"

"Sigh, I used to think this person was alright, but now it seems I really misjudged her back then."

The bullet chat in the livestream swept across the screen like a tide, one line overlapping another.

The referee didn't spare Xu Qing another look and directly announced loudly:

"In this match, Longcheng University's Jiang Haojie wins!"

***

"That's great!"

As the referee's voice fell, the Longcheng University side immediately erupted in jubilation.

This victory meant that Jiang Haojie had already entered the top ten of this year's league.

The top ten—that was a height ordinary students could hardly hope to reach.

"From now on, Jiang Haojie is my big brother! Following Brother Hao guarantees a bright future!"

"Well said, Brother Hao is mighty!"

"Let's see if the Five Great Academies and those prestigious schools still dare to look down on us ordinary institutions. So what if it's an ordinary university? A random student from here can still leave them in the dust!"

"That's right, who will dare look down on us from now on!"

In the principal's office, Zou Wenlin sat back heavily in his chair, a thin layer of sweat still on his forehead.

During that battle just now, his nerves were so tight he could barely breathe; fortunately, Jiang Haojie did not disappoint.

At the same time, a surge of relief rose in his heart—the admissions teacher had actually managed to recruit a genius like Jiang Haojie into Longcheng University.

Thinking of this, Zou Wenlin immediately grabbed the phone and called the Dean of Students.

"Principal, you were looking for me?"

Zou Wenlin's laughter was resonant: "Which teacher went to Qingchuan High School for recruitment this year? Reward them, they must be heavily rewarded!"

"Ah?... Understood!"

The Dean of Students was briefly stunned, then realized what was happening.

He knew the principal was so delighted precisely because Jiang Haojie had broken into the top ten.

After hanging up the phone, Zou Wenlin fell into deep thought again.

Originally, he had considered giving Jiang Haojie one or two million as a reward, but seeing that Jiang Haojie even had something as rare as storage equipment—which even he himself didn't possess—the originally planned reward now seemed too meager to present.

Sigh.

Zou Wenlin sighed softly to himself and began to deliberate on what kind of reward would be appropriate for Jiang Haojie.

...

When the final match of the day concluded, it was already five in the afternoon.

Due to the adjustment in the number of participants, the matches did not last until seven in the evening today.

With the end of the final battle, the finals also came to a successful close.

Tomorrow, the battle for the top five would begin, competing for the top five rankings.

As they walked out of the gymnasium, the night had already quietly crept onto the street corners.

Jiang Haojie had intended to head straight back to his residence, but Su Qingxue gently pulled his sleeve, her eyes shimmering with faint light: "Walk with me, it's only for these two days."

He looked at her and ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse.

The two had a simple meal at a small shop by the street and then watched a late-night movie.

When they returned to the apartment building, the clock had already passed ten.

The elevator doors opened, and a familiar figure stood under the hallway light—Xu Qing was leaning against their door with her arms crossed.

Jiang Haojie's brow furrowed slightly, and he intended to brush past her as if she weren't there.

But Xu Qing took a step forward to block the door, her voice carrying an air of entitlement: "Jiang Haojie, give me your storage equipment."

These words almost made Jiang Haojie laugh.

Before he could speak, Su Qingxue had already taken half a step forward, her voice clear and cool: "Xu Qing, you and Jiang Haojie ended things long ago.

In what capacity are you asking for things now?"

"This is an old debt between him and me; it's not an outsider's place to interfere."

Xu Qing's gaze swept over Su Qingxue's face, a flicker of dark, envious fire passing through her eyes.

Why was someone always born more radiant than her? One day, she would make all that eyesore brilliance fade away completely.

Su Qingxue chuckled and naturally took Jiang Haojie's arm: "Coincidentally, he is my man now.

His business is my business."

Xu Qing stopped looking at her and only stared at Jiang Haojie: "Three years isn't a short time, is it? That storage equipment can be compensation for me; it's not too much."

"Compensation?"

Jiang Haojie finally spoke, his tone laced with icy shards, "Are you even worthy of mentioning those words?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Xu Qing raised her chin, "The equipment is just a waste in your hands.

Give it to me, so it can be put to its best use."

She suddenly softened her voice, her eyes fluttering, "I know you've never let go of me... how about this, you give it to me, and I can stay tonight."

"Xu Qing."

Jiang Haojie said word by word, "Get lost.

Don't use those thoughts of yours to dirty my ears."

Su Qingxue shook her head gently from the side.

She had seen all kinds of people, but she had never seen such oblivious shamelessness.

Xu Qing wanted to say more, but Jiang Haojie suddenly raised his voice: "Get out!"

The roar exploded in the silent hallway, and the doors on both sides began to crack open.

Jiang Haojie said no more, pushed aside the person blocking him, took out his key to open the door, and pulled Su Qingxue inside.

"Jiang Haojie—!"

Xu Qing's scream was cut off by the heavy door panel.

She kicked the door twice and turned to snap at the neighbors who were peeking out: "What are you looking at!"

Then she rushed back to her own room, the sound of the door slamming making the hallway hum.

Faint whispers came from outside the door: "Did Su Qingxue just go into Jiang Haojie's room?"

"Could they have already..."

The lights weren't on inside the room; only the streetlights outside cast a hazy glow through the window.

Jiang Haojie sat in the sofa with a dark expression, and Su Qingxue sat gently by his side, her fingertip brushing over his furrowed brow: "Don't be angry for her, it's not worth it."

Jiang Haojie held her hand, his voice filled with self-mockery: "In the past... just how blind was I?"

Su Qingxue nodded solemnly and buried her face in Jiang Haojie's chest. "Don't think about it anymore,"

she said softly, "it's all over."

After a moment of silence, she straightened up. "Go wash up."