169: Chapter 169 Honorary Principal

Principal Han Chengde's voice suddenly rose by an octave.

The sound of a teacup shattering was clearly audible.

"That was the main Ore vein at a depth of 1,400 meters! I've been hiding it for over a decade! I couldn't even bear to touch it myself!"

Principal Han Chengde enunciated every word, gritting his teeth.

"Fang Yuanxing—!"

He whipped his head around to look at the guest seat. It was empty.

The teacup was still steaming, but the person had already slipped away.

Veins bulged on Principal Han Chengde's forehead.

"This brat, how dare he!! That was my life's savings accumulated over sixty years!!!"

At the school gate, Fang Yuanxing wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trotting alongside Su Ming.

"You're too ruthless..."

"I intended for you to dig a few kilograms, just enough for use, but you went and dug up his ancestral grave instead?"

Su Ming rolled his eyes at him.

"You told me there was a strength test."

Fang Yuanxing coughed dryly, his gaze drifting elsewhere.

"Fine, fine," Fang Yuanxing conceded, waving his hand. "Anyway, Old Han is broad-minded. I'll just treat him to a drink later and it'll be over... probably."

Su Ming ignored him.

He patted the Dark Silver Ore. The Materials were secured, so next up...

"Where to?"

Fang Yuanxing looked over.

Su Ming didn't stop walking.

"Lingke Group."

The two walked one after the other toward the Lingke Group branch.

The Thunder Guardian followed behind, its pressure restrained.

The six-meter-tall rock giant carried the half-person-tall Dark Silver Ore.

Every step left a footprint, cracking the pavement stones.

If the city construction crew saw this, they'd probably want to beat someone up.

On the main road, passersby turned their heads.

Some stopped, others pressed themselves against the walls, their eyes darting between Su Ming and the two behemoths.

Their mouths were agape, but they didn't dare to make a sound.

Su Ming turned a blind eye, hands in his pockets, pace composed.

The Thunder Guardian accompanied him.

After all, he couldn't carry such a large piece of Ore himself; that would be embarrassing.

Fang Yuanxing trotted alongside him, his mouth never stopping.

"Those people at Lingke, let me warn you in advance."

He held up a finger.

"First, they don't care who you are. Your status as City Lord or your background in the Wilderness Suppression Bureau is nothing but a fart to those tech maniacs."

He held up a second finger.

"Second, if the quality of the Materials doesn't meet their standards, they won't even look at you, and their attitude will be so bad you'll want to kill them."

A third finger.

"Third... you absolutely must not draw your gun."

Su Ming glanced at him.

"I'm serious!"

"Once you start a fight, there's no turning back. Those people hold grudges—the kind that last a lifetime."

Fang Yuanxing's face wore a rare expression of seriousness. "If you draw your gun, this whole thing is ruined, and no one else in the entire Longjiang region will be able to help you repair your gun."

Su Ming didn't speak.

"It's normal to suffer a little loss," Fang Yuanxing urged earnestly. "If they give you a hard time, endure it. If you get rejected, try a different approach. There are only so many high-end blacksmiths in all of Longjiang, and they're all at Lingke Group. If you offend them, there's nowhere else to go."

Su Ming didn't stop walking.

"Are you even listening?"

"I'm listening."

Fang Yuanxing continued to nag, "You need to adjust your mindset. You're going there to ask them to fix something, not to fight. Don't make things awkward."

The corners of Su Ming's mouth twitched.

"Am I that short-tempered?"

Fang Yuanxing looked at him, then looked at the two six-meter-tall rock giants behind him.

"...Don't you have any self-awareness?"

Su Ming didn't speak.

Fang Yuanxing breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then you..."

"No promises."

Fang Yuanxing almost tripped.

The two turned the corner.

Ahead, a building with a dark gray alloy curtain wall stood in the afternoon sun.

The building had an irregular geometric shape with cold, hard lines.

Several slender blue light bands flowed slowly across its surface, and several uniquely shaped aircraft were parked on the roof platform.

It was the Lingke Group Longjiang Prefecture branch.

Fang Yuanxing stopped.

"We're here."

He took a deep breath as if he were going to the battlefield. "Remember, stay calm. It's normal to suffer a little loss, just don't force things."

Su Ming didn't reply and walked straight toward the main entrance.

The two Thunder Guardians followed behind, holding the Ore in their hands like two moving mountains.

...

Longjiang Martial Arts University.

Principal's office.

Instructor Chen stood to the side, hands hanging down, saying nothing.

Principal Han Chengde sat behind the desk, his face so dark it looked like ink was dripping from it.

On the light screen projection in front of him, the internal footage of the Star Abyss Ruins was playing back.

A 1,500-meter-deep Ore vein.

His life's savings that he had hidden for over a decade.

"How did he discover it?" Principal Han Chengde's voice was heavy.

In the sixty years since Longjiang Martial Arts University was founded, no student, professor, or even he himself had ever been able to detect that depth.

The 1,500-meter rock layer blocked most methods of perception.

How did he know there was something down there?

It was utterly baffling.

Principal Han Chengde swiped his finger across the light screen. The footage fast-forwarded and froze.

Two grayish-brown rock giants appeared inside the ruins, six meters tall, with lightning arcs dancing at their joints, and the ground cracked with every step they took.

Principal Han Chengde narrowed his eyes.

"This aura..."

He zoomed in on the image with his finger, carefully sensing the residual energy fluctuation data in the footage.

Level 5!

The aura intensity of these two summoned creatures had already reached the level of Fifth Realm Qi Transformation!

Principal Han Chengde sat up straight.

The strength of summoned creatures was always a reflection of the caster's own strength. Being able to summon Level 5 combat units meant the summoner's own strength... was at least Peak Level 5. Perhaps even higher!

The playback continued.

In the footage, the young man stood before the mine, holding a spear in his left hand, the tip pointing down.

A point of purple light condensed.

He slashed down.

Then... an arc of light.

The 1,400-meter rock layer split silently.

The cut was as smooth as a mirror.

Principal Han Chengde's pupils contracted violently.

He stood up from his chair, hands pressed against the desk, staring fixedly at the light screen.

The energy intensity of this strike... far exceeded Level 5!

"Eighteen years old, two Level 5 summoned creatures, and his own strength is unfathomable... Does such a Genius really exist? ..." Principal Han Chengde's voice was tight.

"The Ore can be lost, but this child must not be buried!"

That spear strike didn't just split the mine; it shattered his upper limit of understanding for the word 'Genius'.

Principal Han Chengde turned to look at Instructor Chen.

"You were there at the time, what did you feel?"

Instructor Chen swallowed.

What did he feel? It was extremely intense. He especially wanted to run away.

"Reporting to the Principal," Instructor Chen said, weighing his words. "I am at the Late Stage of the Fourth Realm. The moment the opponent released his Protective Aura, my legs went weak, and my body instinctively refused any act of resistance."

He paused.

"That kind of pressure is not something that can be produced by someone of the same rank."

Principal Han Chengde was silent for a few seconds.

He tapped his fingers on the desk twice.

"What if... we recruited him into Longjiang Martial Arts University? How would that be?"

Instructor Chen shuddered.

Recruit him into Longjiang Martial Arts University?

I can't teach him; I'm afraid he'll kill me with one punch!

"This..."

He swallowed. Weighing his words, he said, "Principal, that young man..."

"His aura is too strong. I could barely stand steadily in front of him. With this strength, being a student... wouldn't be very appropriate, would it?"

Principal Han Chengde waved his hand.

"A student? Your perspective is too small."

Instructor Chen was stunned.

Not a student?

He had subconsciously adopted the perspective of an instructor, and because of that person's age, it was difficult to change his logical thinking.

If not a student...

"A professor, or a guest lecturer..."

Principal Han Chengde said halfway, then rejected it. "No, a professor title won't be enough to keep someone like him."

This young man could not be recruited using conventional means.

He rested his chin on his hand, pacing back and forth in the office.

He stopped and looked up.

"Honorary Principal, how about that?"

It was like a question, and yet it was like he was talking to himself.

Instructor Chen's brain crashed.

He almost bit his tongue off.

Honorary—Principal?!

Are you playing for such high stakes?!

The position of Honorary Principal was not a mere empty title.

It didn't involve managing administrative affairs or participating in teaching, but it granted priority access to all of Longjiang Martial Arts University's resources, including the extraction rights to the Star Abyss Ruins.

It was the face that Longjiang Martial Arts University presented to the outside world, a calling card representing the top combat power of the entire academy. Every past Honorary Principal had been a prominent big shot in the Longjiang region.

An eighteen-year-old boy?

Honorary Principal?

Unheard of!

But on second thought...

Two Level 5 summoned creatures, a single spear strike splitting 1,400 meters of rock.

Without considering age, without considering seniority, just looking at his strength alone, he seemed to be qualified, even if his status was a bit lacking...