Chapter 89 - 88: Weapon Order

Chapter 89: Chapter 88: Weapon Order

"Did those few not show up?" A handsome student from the genius class stood on a rock jutting out of the Blood River, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. "Could it be that they look down on these Weapon Orders?"

Within the Blood River of this underground space, there were many similar rocks scattered about in various sizes, providing footholds for people to stand on.

A tall genius class student crossed his arms and chuckled. "The fewer people who come, the greater our chances of getting a Weapon Order. What, do you actually want more competitors?"

"Maybe he thinks he’s a match for those guys," another person chimed in.

Hearing this, the handsome young man’s face instantly darkened.

"Gu Zheng." At that moment, a genius class student standing not far from Gu Zheng turned his head, looking at him with a grin and a teasing tone. "I heard you have some conflict with that self-recommended student, Ji Zhixing. What’s his deal anyway?

"How could an ordinary class student climb to fifth place on the points leaderboard? And even suppress you underneath him?"

Hearing this, the others also looked toward Gu Zheng with keen interest, their eyes filled with schadenfreude.

Gu Zheng’s face remained calm as he said indifferently, "My affairs are none of your business."

"Heh."

Many people chuckled in response.

Gu Zheng secretly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, but his expression remained impassive.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the Blood River.

Ji Zhixing held Xiao Mingyue’s hand, standing motionless on the muddy riverbed.

Under their watchful gazes, a massive Blood Beast loomed just a short distance ahead. The creature was covered in dark red scale armor. Each scale was the size of a human palm, gleaming with a cold luster. Its four limbs were as thick as pillars, equipped with incredibly massive claws.

Most importantly, more than half of the beast’s body was submerged in the water, revealing only a row of sharp bone spikes along its spine. Its head was also submerged, but its bowl-sized eyes were wide open, staring unblinkingly at the two of them.

Seeing this Blood Beast, Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue both held their breath, their bodies freezing in place. They didn’t dare to move a muscle.

"Tier Three... It’s definitely a Tier Three..." Ji Zhixing thought, a chill welling up in his heart and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

The aura emanating from this Blood Beast was countless times stronger than the peak Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodile they had encountered yesterday. Although it couldn’t compare to the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale he had met at Shi Lake, it had undoubtedly reached Tier Three.

However, a moment later, the two noticed something unusual.

There was actually a figure standing on top of this colossal Blood Beast. It was a middle-aged man dressed entirely in white. He stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering, completely untainted by a single drop of bloody water. He stood quietly on the beast’s spine, as if what lay beneath his feet wasn’t a ferocious monster, but an ordinary rock.

Furthermore, whether it was an illusion or not, when they looked over, the middle-aged man turned his head and glanced in their direction. But after that single glance, he withdrew his gaze, acting as if he hadn’t seen anything at all.

"Alright. Everyone who was supposed to come is here. As for those who haven’t arrived or cannot make it, I won’t wait any longer," the middle-aged man in white suddenly spoke.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly reverberated throughout the entire underground space, ensuring everyone heard him perfectly.

"I have five Weapon Orders here. Whoever manages to obtain one can exchange it at the academy for any genetic weapon suitable for your use and matching your level."

Following his words, the expressions of the dozen or so people above immediately changed. They all readied themselves to strike at a moment’s notice.

"Weapon Orders?" Down below, Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing this.

Neither of them knew what these items were, nor were they aware of this event. Presumably, these tokens were specially prepared by the university for the genius class students.

Ji Zhixing looked at Xiao Mingyue. He was somewhat hesitant, unsure if he was allowed to compete for these items, or if he even should.

Xiao Mingyue seemed to read his mind and immediately nodded at him.

Since they were already here, they couldn’t just leave without doing anything, right? Besides, the people above were all genius class students who had fused with Morning Star-tier genes. The thought of snatching the so-called Weapon Orders right out of their hands alongside Ji Zhixing sounded incredibly amusing.

As for the university... That teacher had definitely spotted them just now. Since he hadn’t said anything, it meant he tacitly approved of their participation in the scramble.

Seeing Xiao Mingyue’s expression, Ji Zhixing instantly understood her thoughts.

"I’m exactly in need of a weapon. The Tide Listening Rod was borrowed from the university by Teacher Sun, and I’ll have to return it sooner or later. Furthermore, it’s only a Tier One piece of equipment; it’s already becoming somewhat unsuitable for me," he thought silently. "If I can get a Weapon Order, it would undoubtedly save me a massive sum of money. Plus, the quality of a genetic weapon exchanged from the academy will definitely be better than anything I could buy outside."

With this in mind, his gaze couldn’t help but grow resolute.

He looked up at the genius class students above. He knew that doing this would definitely offend them. But he had already offended Gu Zheng. Herding one sheep was no different from herding a flock. When you had too many lice, you stopped itching; when you had too much debt, you stopped worrying.

Thinking like this, he waited quietly, ready to see what the Weapon Orders looked like and how the teacher would have them fight for it.

"Alright, since you are all prepared, let us begin," the teacher on the Blood Beast’s back said. He flipped his right hand, and five tokens materialized out of thin air in his palm.

The tokens were entirely silver-white, the size of a palm, and engraved with complex patterns. With a casual toss, the five Weapon Orders transformed into five streaks of silver light, flying toward a cave on the cliff face alongside the Blood River behind him.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The five tokens accurately dropped into the cave and vanished from sight.

Once he finished, the gigantic Blood Beast beneath him turned around and swam to the front of the cave. Its massive body lay horizontally across the entrance, blocking the way like a solid wall. The white-clad teacher flew gracefully onto a distant rock, standing with his hands behind his back and wearing an expression that said he was ready to watch a good show.

Meanwhile, outside at Yu City University.

Over twenty teachers stood together, watching a projection in front of them. The projection displayed the exact scene from that underground space.

"Is that the Ji Zhixing you recommended to me, Teacher Yang?" An elderly man with a slightly dark complexion looked at the projection. His gaze landed on the two figures at the bottom of the Blood River, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "From the looks of it, he wants to compete for these Weapon Orders too. He certainly has a lot of nerve."

The speaker was none other than Liang Jin, who had stated yesterday that he wouldn’t mind taking on another disciple.

He had fused with a Tier Five gene and held extremely deep seniority at Yu City University. Seeing an ordinary class student like Ji Zhixing show no fear when facing the genius class, and even looking ready to fight them for the Weapon Orders, a flash of appreciation crossed his eyes. If nothing else, his sheer courage was truly impressive.

"That girl is the one recommended by *him*, right?" another teacher asked with a frown, looking at Xiao Mingyue standing next to Ji Zhixing. "Does anyone know her background?"

"No idea." A person nearby shook his head. "When she arrived, she didn’t even disclose what gene she had fused with. But since she was recommended by *that* person, we’d best just not provoke her."

"True." The teacher nodded, asking no further questions.

Inside the secret realm’s underground space.

Right after the white-clad teacher threw the five Weapon Orders into the cave, the dozen or so students in the area immediately took action.

"Charge!"

It was unknown who shouted, but over a dozen figures dashed out simultaneously, all charging fiercely toward the Red-Scaled Blood Beast blocking the cave entrance.

ROAR!

The Red-Scaled Blood Beast let out an earth-shattering roar. The rolling soundwaves caused the entire underground space to tremble. The surface of the Blood River vibrated, creating layers of ripples, and the splashing water smacked against the shore’s rocks with loud SMACKS.

A speed-type genius class student was the first to rush close. He thrust out the longsword in his hand, its blade flashing like a rainbow as it aimed straight for the Red-Scaled Blood Beast’s eyes.

CLANG!

The tip of the sword struck the beast’s eyelid, sparking a shower of fiery sparks. The beast’s eyelid was as hard as steel; the longsword couldn’t pierce it even a fraction of an inch.

Feeling the pain, the Red-Scaled Blood Beast violently whipped its head around, using its massive skull like a giant hammer.

"So tough!" The student hurriedly dodged aside, landing steadily on a distant rock with a slight change in expression.

The others also launched their attacks one after another.

A burly student shook his arms, his muscles bulging as his hands transformed into two enormous bear paws. Carrying a whistling rush of wind, they viciously slammed into the Red-Scaled Blood Beast’s body.

BAM! BAM!

Following two muffled thuds, the beast’s body merely swayed, while the student was forced two steps back by the rebounding force.

A slender female student waved her hands, sending dozens of Wind Blades flying from her palms. They slashed against the beast’s scale armor, leaving behind shallow white marks, but completely failing to truly injure it.

Gu Zheng also made his move. He had fused with the Sword Feather Peacock gene. He drew his longsword from its sheath; the snow-white blade shimmered with a faint silver light.

He slashed forward. This strike seemed simple, yet it contained a fierce sword intent. The sword light shot out from the tip, splitting from one into two in mid-air, then two into four, four into eight... In the blink of an eye, it transformed into over a dozen streaks of sword light that slashed forward in an overwhelming wave.

These streaks of sword light not only enveloped the Red-Scaled Blood Beast but also swept toward a student attempting to bypass it.

"Gu Zheng, what’s the meaning of this?" The student charging at the very front changed his expression. He hastily swung his saber to block, shattering the several sword lights flying his way.

"No meaning," Gu Zheng said flatly. "It’s every man for himself."

"Hmph!" The person snorted coldly and ignored him, continuing his charge toward the Red-Scaled Blood Beast.

The others also displayed their various techniques. Someone pushed out with both hands, spraying a pillar of scorching fire from their palms. It blasted against the Red-Scaled Blood Beast, burning its scale armor until it let out SIZZLING sounds. Another person formed hand seals, causing the rocks on the ground to suddenly bulge upward, transforming into stone pillars that rammed into the beast’s underbelly from below.

The dozen or so genius class students each utilized their abilities. For a time, the underground space flashed with dazzling lights and echoed with constant rumbling.

Although the Red-Scaled Blood Beast was ferocious—being a Tier Three Blood Beast after all—it quickly found itself in a wretched state when faced with over a dozen geniuses who had fused with Tier Four genes.

ROAR!

It bellowed, its giant tail sweeping out horizontally to send a student who got too close flying through the air. Its massive claws slammed down, leaving deep gouges on another student’s shield.

However, the wounds on its body continued to multiply. Its scale armor cracked and shattered as fresh blood seeped out, dyeing the surrounding bloody water an even deeper shade of red.

"So strong..." Ji Zhixing thought, his pupils shrinking slightly as he watched the fierce battle unfold from the riverbed.

"These people have indeed fused with Tier Four Morning Star-level genes; every single one of them is leagues stronger than Zhou Han and Tie Shan.

"Especially Gu Zheng. That single sword strike transforming into over a dozen sword lights possesses terrifying power. He truly lives up to being ranked sixth on the points leaderboard.

"If I faced him head-on, I’m afraid it would be very difficult for me to withstand that move.

"However..." His eyes flashed. "They are all busy dealing with that Red-Scaled Blood Beast right now; no one is paying attention to the water below.

"This is my chance."

With that thought in mind, he didn’t hesitate. He gave Xiao Mingyue a quick nod, and with a light movement of his body, he swam forward.

Seeing Ji Zhixing advance, Xiao Mingyue did not follow. She knew her own situation. Right now, she wasn’t skilled in close combat; following him would only drag him down. Therefore, after Ji Zhixing moved forward, she shifted her body and silently swam off into the distance, preparing to secure an escape route for him in advance.