stonecrandall Chapter 97 Conspiracy
Chapter 97 Conspiracy
Chapter 98 Conspiracy
The man in black robes on the right remained silent for a moment, the shadow beneath his hood seeming even more profound: "One of my trusted deacons, along with the materials he was carrying," mysteriously disappeared at the edge of the Black Corner Region. He was no weakling; who else but Canaan Academy could have done that?
His tone grew colder, "I originally intended to use those Ash Beasts to cause some trouble and teach them a lesson."
snort!"
"So, in the end, you're the one who got taught a lesson, aren't you?" The voice of the black-robed man on the left carried an extremely obvious hint of mockery: "That sudden soul backlash—what was the reason for it? Does the 'Ash' technology have such a significant hidden danger?"
"—Unknown for now. Perhaps it's some Canaanite heritage we haven't yet understood, or perhaps it's the inherent instability of the 'ashes' themselves—"
The man in black robes on the right suddenly raised his head, and the two crimson lights under his hood suddenly intensified. "But I will never let this go! Heh, the number one academy on the continent—it doesn't live up to its name!"
His icy gaze swept over the men in black seated around the long table: "A crucial step in 'Project Ashes' requires a large amount of material. At that time, we will need your strong support and some manpower."
"Yes! We will obey your orders, sir!" The men in black sitting at the long table responded in unison, their voices filled with suppressed fear, their bodies trembling incessantly in the shadows.
"We really need to—"
"You're scared because Su Qian is just a low-level Dou Zong?"
Just as Huo Yuhao and Hu Qian were walking towards the warehouse where magical beast materials were stored after leaving the council hall, he suddenly stopped and shivered without warning.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Huo? Were you scared by Old Wu at the meeting just now?" Hu Qian teased.
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly, a hint of wariness flashing deep in his icy blue eyes. He said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Perhaps—someone is plotting a conspiracy against me?"
"Haha, you little rascal! Who in the academy can mess with you?" Hu Qian laughed and shook his head, taking out his key to open the heavy iron door of the storeroom.
"But there is definitely a chill, like being targeted by a serpentine magical beast," Huo Yuhao said in a low voice. "Or perhaps, it's targeting the academy?"
"Oh? Is that so?" Hu Qian pushed up his glasses, looking thoughtful.
Pushing open the door, a stench of blood, earth, and a faint fishy smell assaulted the senses. Inside, piled high with materials such as claws, bones, and carapaces of magical beasts, were the remains of the monsters. The magical cores seized during the beast tide were also stored here.
"Why not use a storage ring to store it?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"You're such a spendthrift! How many storage rings will you need? Are you going to use high-grade storage rings?" Hu Qian laughed and scolded, "What exactly are you planning to do with all these magic cores and materials?"
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept over the dazzling array of "materials" in the warehouse, his eyes gleaming with the fervent light often seen in researchers: "Let's do some experiments, verify some ideas—you'll find out soon enough!"
"Don't come up with another new school rule." Hu Qian slapped his forehead.
A few more days passed, and the date for the freshmen to be assigned to classes was approaching. Huo Yuhao's "Canaan Academy Observation Tour" came to its final stop: the area for sponsored students, which was clearly separated from the main campus.
The atmosphere here is completely different. There is none of the youthful energy or leisurely ease of the students on the main campus; instead, there is a heavy, almost stagnant pressure in the air.
On the training field, a group of teenagers dressed in uniform but clearly exuding an air of wealth were undergoing what could be described as brutal training under the cold gaze of their instructors.
From Huo Yuhao's perspective, he saw some slightly chubby teenagers with pale faces, their bodies soaked in sweat, and their legs feeling as heavy as lead, yet they were still running desperately under the screech of their instructors' whips and their merciless scolding.
Each fall was accompanied by the sound of flesh scraping against the rough ground, but he had to get up immediately, or the whip would fall mercilessly.
In a nearby class, the students were gritting their teeth, their hands, bloodied and mangled, pounding against the hard iron stakes. Each impact sent shivers through their bodies, tears welling in their eyes, but they dared not stop.
The instructor was a middle-aged man with a stern face and sharp, hawk-like eyes, pacing back and forth at the edge of the training area. His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced each trainee's ears like an icicle: "Useless! You can't even handle this little bit of hardship? Think about all the money your families have poured into you! Are you here to be pampered young masters and misses? Get up!"
continue!"
Huo Yuhao's mental energy quietly enveloped them. He could clearly sense the groans of these students' exhausted bodies, their fighting spirit nearly depleted, and their spirits on the verge of collapse.
In Huo Yuhao's mental vision, he judged that these students were nearing their limits. However, whenever a student was about to give up, another instructor waiting nearby would immediately rush over, pull the student down to rest, and use healing combat techniques to restore their condition. But once the student recovered, they would be immediately forced back up to continue training.
Beep beep—!
The whistle signaling the end of training was like heavenly music. The trainees collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, gasping for breath, too weak to even move a finger.
What's most surprising is that despite the terrifyingly rigorous training, which even Zhou Yi found difficult, not a single trainee complained of being tired and stopped, or relied on their family background to disobey orders.
Huo Yuhao walked up to the mentor standing at the sidelines and calmly asked, "Mentor, why are you so strict with them?"
The mentor turned his head, his gaze lingering for a moment on Huo Yuhao's elder badge: "Elder?"
He didn't care, a cold smile playing on his lips. "No, this is called taking responsibility. Their families paid a fortune to send them here, not for them to gild their resumes and enjoy a life of luxury! Whether they're donkeys or horses, they'll all have to work the millstone here!"
"Not enough talent? Then fill the gap with sweat and pain! No matter what, they must make me successful! Otherwise, wouldn't all their family's gold coins be wasted?"
His gaze swept over the slumped figures, his tone tinged with contempt and helplessness: "As you can see, many of these people are lazy at heart. With their family backgrounds, even if they lack talent, it's impossible for them not to break through to the eighth level of Dou Qi before the age of eighteen."
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept over the group of "young masters and ladies" slumped on the ground. He raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with doubt: "They're all quite well-behaved. No one's disobeyed or caused trouble?"
The instructor scoffed, "Ha! Looking for trouble? We are Canaan Academy, the number one academy on the continent. What right do they have to cause us trouble?"
"In the first few days of each academic year, there are indeed some disobedient students, or those who are unaware of reality and want to act like pampered princes in the academy. But they will soon realize that the academy will not indulge them."
He pointed at the group of students: "Don't want to train? The instructors will show them what it means to be powerless; want to drop out? They won't go anywhere if they don't become successful!"
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