https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-160-Can-He-Claim-the-Captain-s-Position-/13022021/
Chapter 161: Martial Academy Student
Chapter 161: Martial Academy Student
Outside the martial arts academy.
"These are the disciples of Canglang Martial Academy. What are they up to?" Someone spotted Wang Jin leading a group of disciples out of the academy's main entrance, one after the other, and couldn't help but look puzzled.
"They must be going for the Inspection Office's assessment!" Someone nearby explained.
"I'm so envious of them! If they pass the assessment, they'll become officials!" Someone else expressed their admiration.
". . ."
For a moment, whispers filled the air.
"Jiang Shidi, do you have confidence for later?" Li Qing moved closer and asked in a soft voice as she approached Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning's heart trembled as he caught a faint whiff of a woman's fragrance.
Sensing the instinctive reaction of his body, Jiang Ning couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Sure enough, martial artists in their prime, with robust Qi and blood, found it hard to restrain themselves.
Jiang Ning quietly moved away, creating some distance from Li Qing.
The scent of her lifted foot from the other day still made him feel dizzy.
Then he spoke softly to Li Qing, "Of course, I have confidence!"
"Jiang Shidi, you're so arrogant!" Zhao Hu mocked from the side, "Even I wouldn't dare say I'm certain to pass the assessment, and here you are, a mere two or three months of training, making such bold claims."
Seeing Zhao Hu's intense gaze, Jiang Ning felt helpless.
Without guessing, it was clear that Zhao Hu was staring at him because Li Qing had just shown a hint of intimacy towards Jiang Ning.
In the academy, Zhao Hu's admiration for Li Qing was almost an open secret.
Not to mention Zhao Hu; many disciples secretly admired Li Qing.
Li Qing was tall and had a good figure.
Even in the entire Luo Water County, she could be considered a beauty.
Moreover, her family background was affluent, and she hadn't endured the hardships of life.
Even with martial arts training, her skin remained supple and fair.
At her youthful age, it was only natural for the disciples to secretly admire Li Qing.
"A beauty is a source of trouble; this saying is indeed true."
Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Then he glanced at Zhao Hu.
"Jiang Ning, what's the meaning behind that look?" Zhao Hu instantly became furious when he saw Jiang Ning's gaze in front of Li Qing.
"Are you looking for trouble?" Jiang Ning furrowed his brows and looked at Zhao Hu.
The piercing gaze made Zhao Hu's heart tremble.
In Jiang Ning's hands, countless lives had already been extinguished.
So, when his aura inadvertently erupted, it was filled with a palpable killing intent.
"Huh?"
Zhou Xing sensed this aura and slightly turned his head towards Jiang Ning.
The next moment,
A contemplative look flashed in his eyes.
"This Jiang Ning seems more than meets the eye! I thought he was just a sheltered flower, only knowing how to practice martial arts without any real combat experience."
"Now it seems that the killing intent emanating from Jiang Ning indicates he has taken many lives."
"He's only been practicing martial arts for a little over three months, and he's already cultivated a hint of killing intent."
"Impressive! Extremely impressive!!"
At the same time,
Wang Jin noticed the commotion behind him and turned to look at Jiang Ning and Zhao Hu.
"What's going on with you two?"
"Nothing!" Jiang Ning shook his head.
Zhao Hu saw Wang Jin's gaze and slowly shook his head, "Nothing!"
As Wang Jin turned away, Zhao Hu silently withdrew his gaze, muttering to himself.
"What just happened?"
"How did this kid make me feel afraid?"
"Could this kid be a threat to me?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Zhao Hu shook his head slowly as he thought.
On the other side,
At the Yun Lai Inn.
"Greetings, Third Elder!" Seeing the gray-robed middle-aged man, several disciples from Medicine King Valley quickly bowed, and their anxious hearts finally calmed down.
"What's going on?" The gray-robed middle-aged man looked at the disciples before him and asked.
"Elder, we don't know either! Elder Liu left at noon three days ago, and he didn't return that night. Even Elder Wang Jiu and Elder Wu Sheng, who accompanied him, haven't been heard from since," one disciple stepped forward and replied.
Then, the disciple continued, "So, we went out that night to search for Elder Liu and the others. After searching all night, we found nothing, and that's when we realized something was wrong. That's why we contacted the sect."
"Has Elder Liu Qingsong shown up yet?" The gray-robed middle-aged man asked.
"No, Elder," the disciple replied.
Hearing this, the gray-robed middle-aged man furrowed his brows.
"It seems Elder Liu Qingsong is in grave danger!"
"Elder, do you mean... Elder Liu has been harmed?" At this moment, a female disciple spoke cautiously.
The middle-aged man in gray robes glanced at her and said, "It's most likely him!"
His voice had just fallen.
He took out a white jade token from his body.
Upon seeing this token, the disciples' expressions froze in surprise.
"A life token!" One disciple whispered, filled with astonishment in his tone, "The Third Elder actually brought Elder Liu's life token with him!"
The man in gray robes held the token and infused it with a surge of Qi and Blood energy.
The next moment, he spoke, "Follow me!"
"Yes, Third Elder!" The disciples hurriedly followed.
After a while, they arrived at the banks of the Luo River.
The man in gray robes looked at the raging river before him and then at the life token of Liu Qingsong in his hand.
He infused another surge of Qi and Blood energy into the token, activating its power.
"Into the water!" He commanded.
Then, he leaped towards the water's surface.
Splash—
As the sound of him entering the water echoed, he plunged into the river.
"Seven-Seven, Sister Apprentice, and Xu, Junior Brother, you two wait here. We're going down!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
They both responded in unison.
The next moment,
Splash—
Splash—
With the sound of splashes, several people dove into the lake, disappearing from the surface in an instant.
In the lake, they quickly followed the descending path of the man in gray robes.
After a few dozen breaths,
"You guys go up first!" The man in gray robes ordered.
Even in the water, with his robust physique, he effortlessly produced a deep and resonant voice.
At this moment, their faces were already flushed from holding their breath, and their oxygen supply was nearly depleted.
Hearing the man in gray robes' words, they immediately felt relieved and hurriedly swam towards the lake's surface.
After a short while,
The man in gray robes stood on the soft riverbed, his feet sinking into the accumulated sand and gravel.
Using the life token in his hand as a guide, he quickly located three corpses.
By this time, after soaking in the water for several days, the three corpses were unrecognizable, their flesh and blood mostly devoured by fish and shrimp, leaving only some pale rotten flesh floating on their white bones.
"It's undoubtedly Elder Liu!" Seeing the clothes draped over the skeletons, the man in gray robes instantly confirmed it.
He then approached Liu Qingsong's side, bent down, and untied the stone tied to Liu Qingsong's bones.
After a moment, he also untied the stones from the other two corpses.
Then, holding the three corpses, he floated upwards.
On the lake's surface,
Whoosh—
As the sound of water splashing rose, the man in gray robes emerged from the water.
"Third Elder!"
"Third Elder!"
Before him stood Yu Yuan, the esteemed Master of the Divine Might Pavilion.
In Luo Shui County, Yu Yuan was a formidable figure, renowned for being on par with Wang Jin, both holding the esteemed Seventh Rank in the Martial Dao.
Jiang Ning had met Yu Yuan at the master-apprentice banquet earlier, which explained why he immediately recognized the man's identity.
"Master Yu!" Wang Jin chimed in, offering a greeting.
Wang Jin then took his seat, followed by Jiang Ning and the others, who sat on the benches behind him.
"Master Wang, do your disciples harbor ambitions to contest for the Captain's position?" Yu Yuan inquired, turning to Wang Jin.
"Ah, you're implying that one of your own disciples is determined to claim the Captain's spot, aren't you?" Wang Jin retorted.
Wang Jin's perceptiveness drew a hearty laugh from Yu Yuan: "Master Wang, you're indeed formidable! Your insight is unparalleled, as always."
Wang Jin shook his head, "No need for subtlety, Master Yu. If you wish to boast about your disciple, simply do so. Tell me, has your disciple, Du Yang, already attained the Eighth Rank?"
Yu Yuan's laughter echoed once more: "It seems nothing escapes Master Wang's notice!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Jin turned to ask, "Zhou Xing, do you have aspirations to compete for the Captain's position?"
Zhou Xing's subtle nod was met with Wang Jin's and Yu Yuan's immediate understanding.
As an Eighth Rank martial artist, it was only natural for Zhou Xing to harbor such ambitions.
Wang Jin's face lit up with a warm smile: "Brother Yu, my disciple isn't too shabby, is he?"
"Not at all!" Yu Yuan's gaze fell upon Zhou Xing, his voice filled with admiration: "The Qilin Seed of the Zhou family is truly exceptional. This young man may very well surpass us in the future!"
Wang Jin nodded in agreement: "Naturally, he will."
Meanwhile
Jiang Ning's gaze swept across the entire training ground before settling on a distant viewing platform. The platform was abuzz with people, all adorned in extravagant attire, their luxurious fabrics a testament to their wealth.
Among the crowd, Jiang Ning spotted two familiar faces: Lin Jiaye, the niece of Lin Qingyi, and Liu Sansheng, the younger brother of Liu Wanwan.
"Those must be the students from the Martial Academy," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Li Qing, following Jiang Ning's line of sight, leaned in closer to him.
"Are you envious, Brother Jiang? They get to sit in the shaded viewing platform, while we're stuck in this sweltering wooden shed."
"A bit," Jiang Ning admitted.
As Li Qing pointed out, the simple wooden shed, though a humble structure, became unbearably stifling under the sun's rays. The close quarters, combined with the sweat of the gathered crowd, made the air almost unbearable.
In stark contrast, the viewing platform offered excellent airflow, ample space, and a comfortable atmosphere, far surpassing the shed's accommodations.
Li Qing's eyes, too, betrayed a hint of envy as she gazed in the direction of the Martial Academy students.
"Don't just say you're envious, Brother Jiang; I am too!"
"The viewing platform is incredibly comfortable!"
"However, we're not qualified to be there. Those students hail from the prestigious Martial Academy in Dongling City, their social standing far eclipsing ours, humble folk from a small town."
Jiang Ning countered, "Sister Li, don't sell yourself short. Your family background is nothing to scoff at."
Li Qing shook her head, "While it may not be lacking, it pales in comparison to theirs."
Elsewhere
Zhao Hu, witnessing Li Qing's intentional proximity to Jiang Ning, clenched his fist in silent frustration.
"Detestable pretty boy!" he seethed inwardly.
On the Viewing Platform
Lin Jiaye, seated in the viewing platform, caught sight of Jiang Ning amidst the crowd in the wooden shed. Jiang Ning's tall stature and striking features made him easily noticeable.
With an air of superiority, Lin Jiaye slightly raised her chin, a hint of pride dancing on her face, as if to say:
"Behold! This is the difference!"
Jiang Ning, upon noticing Lin Jiaye's gesture, simply shook his head.
"Childish."
His gaze then shifted to Liu Sansheng, who was surrounded by a group of people, clearly the center of attention.
"It seems Liu Sansheng was right; he indeed has a high chance of becoming the future patriarch of the Liu family, given his elevated status."
Jiang Ning's attention finally settled on the central, elevated platform, where the Grand Marshal's Chair remained unoccupied.
He knew that seat belonged to the Master of the Inspection Office of Luo Shui County, a figure wielding immense power, akin to a heavenly authority, with the power to dictate life and death.
(End of Chapter)
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