Chapter 119
Chapter 119
“So you were only passing by…”
Qin Lan nodded thoughtfully. “I thought you came to attend the film discussion group…”
Han Chan’s expression changed sharply.
“What?!”
“They’re still holding film discussion groups? When?”
“Why wasn’t I notified? I’m a VIP too…”
Qin Lan’s face darkened. “You came to buy discs after all!”
“They even have VIP memberships!”
His true purpose exposed, Han Chan could only laugh awkwardly and change the subject.
“Haha… Let’s set these trivial matters aside…”
His expression turned serious.
“You received the news that Xue Chuan is trapped inside an instance, didn’t you?”
“I heard the recording too, so I came especially to give you something. Without its help, you won’t be able to bring him out.”
“I don’t know exactly what’s happening either, but since he said so, it should be correct.”
Han Chan produced a strangely shaped stone carving and handed it to Qin Lan.
This was the second time Qin Lan had heard Han Chan mention “him.”
The mysterious figure’s name had never been spoken. Previously, he had directed Han Chan into the Final Destination instance to help Qin Lan escape and obtain his unique hidden class.
Now he had delivered an item to help Qin Lan rescue Xue Chuan.
It was as though nothing escaped his gaze.
Qin Lan took the carving and examined it closely.
It depicted a bizarre creature. Its head resembled a fish with swollen eyes, its body belonged to a canine, and three pairs of wings grew from its back.
Merely looking at it made Qin Lan struggle to breathe, as though tremendous pressure radiated from the stone.
He did not recognize the creature, yet instinct told him it was incomparably dangerous.
Even a stone image that merely recorded its appearance and imitated a fraction of its presence was enough to make anyone’s heart pound.
“Keep it safe. Don’t take it out casually. Wait until you need it,” Han Chan warned.
“Otherwise, it will attract enormous trouble.”
Qin Lan solemnly placed the carving in his storage bracelet. Then something occurred to him.
“Wait.”
“Han, you’re ridiculously powerful yourself. Even Luan Zimo can’t see through you. Why don’t you rescue him?”
“No matter how I look at it, your chances would be higher.”
Han Chan only smiled.
“I can’t. You have to go.”
“If I went, I would die there. My death belongs at another node, not now.”
Qin Lan froze.
Han Chan spoke of death as casually as though discussing which restaurant on the corner served better food.
There was no anxiety or fear. Only understated, gentle calm.
He seemed to have accepted his death long ago.
Since Han Chan could see the death scenes of others, perhaps he could see his own as well.
He knew when and how he would die, yet could not change it. No matter what he did, fate would continue along its predetermined track.
Watching death draw closer like that was akin to being bound to a stake and watching the flames consume you.
Qin Lan could scarcely imagine the feeling.
He fell silent.
Han Chan said nothing either, simply standing there.
The silence did not last.
Han Chan scratched his head. “Uh… Aren’t you leaving? Don’t you have other things to do?”
“I feel too embarrassed to enter the shop while you’re standing here…”
His eyes wandered repeatedly toward the curtain behind Qin Lan.
Excellent.
Two sentences from Han Chan completely shattered the heavy mood.
“Han…” Qin Lan waved weakly. “Take care of your health.”
“In youth, you know not the value of your… essence. In age, you gaze upon emptiness and weep.”
Although he knew Han Chan had come specifically to deliver the item…
Some of the man’s words and actions still left Qin Lan unable to cope.
Was everyone from Shanhai Pavilion this bizarre?
Qin Lan had planned to visit Shanhai Pavilion while he was in the Central Region. Now he worried that its strange atmosphere might contaminate him.
After parting from Han Chan, Qin Lan received a message from Clear Spring Academy.
As one of the leading Lower Nine Academies, Clear Spring Academy strictly controlled applications from visitors. An ordinary person following each procedure properly would need at least a week.
They also had to make an appointment in advance and might spend a long time waiting in line.
Was Qin Lan an ordinary person?
Clearly not.
His current record was dazzling.
A B-rank Talent. A veteran 3-Star Anomaly Hunter. A participant in the defense of a Safe Zone who had killed dozens of 3-Star anomalies. Most importantly, he was extremely young.
Oh, and the United Government had awarded him an “Outstanding Citizen” certificate for helping solve a case–though the district chief’s expression had looked unpleasant at the time.
Qin Lan’s visitor application therefore received a green light at every stage and passed almost without obstruction.
[Mr. Qin, Clear Spring Academy welcomes your visit at any time.]
[The Nine Academies Tournament will begin soon. If desired, we can provide a complimentary spectator seat.]
Qin Lan paused at the official message.
The Nine Academies Tournament?
The name alone revealed the nature of the competition.
“Like the four-school joint examination in Safe Zone 088, it probably affects each academy’s ranking and perhaps its resource allocation…”
Qin Lan thought for a moment. “The Elite Program Su Xiaoyue joined was probably created for this tournament.”
He was correct.
Every Nine Academies Tournament was supervised by senior United Government officials, and each academy contributed several prizes for the victors.
Outstanding participants also had a chance to enter the Prodigy Program.
Every institution had its own Elite Program, selecting exceptionally gifted students for focused training.
The Prodigy Program, however, was jointly organized by all nine academies.
Its purpose was to cultivate talents capable of competing with the finest students from the Middle Five Halls and even the Top Three Institutes.
They yearned to break the fixed order of Top Three, Middle Five, and Lower Nine.
The previous Prodigy Program had come within a single step of success.
That year, a genius emerged and received the hopes of every teacher across the nine academies.
He crushed opponent after opponent, trampling many top students from the Top Three Institutes and sweeping through the younger generation.
Everyone believed the Top Three would lose.
Just as the Nine Academies’ teachers and students reached peak excitement, Tianming Academy quietly released a monster.
Luan Zimo.
Six months after enrolling, she reached a Tier 4 Curse Core.
After one year, she controlled more than five special 4-Star cursed artifacts.
The highly anticipated “genius” became Luan Zimo’s backdrop.
No. Her stepping stone.
She crushed his confidence, overwhelmed him in every respect, and beat him senseless.
To Luan Zimo, it had not even counted as a fight. She had merely entertained herself.
Every spectator fell silent.
The “genius” suffered a complete collapse of conviction and was never heard from again. Luan Zimo stepped on his head and took her place above the entire younger generation.
Mm…
Then, during the same year Luan Zimo’s fame reached its peak, a divine oddity named Han Chan emerged from Shanhai Pavilion–an institution that collected “magical creatures” everywhere and never participated in academy disputes.
But that was a digression.
Whether for the academy’s reputation or their personal futures, a Prodigy Program slot was enough to drive any student from the Lower Nine Academies mad.
Everyone was quietly accumulating strength for the tournament.
“So Su Xiaoyue will definitely appear at the Nine Academies Tournament…”
Qin Lan smiled knowingly.
“A complimentary spectator seat? That does sound appealing.”