CHAPTER 30: HOT POTATO

Only after a long while was Li Changkong able to pick his jaw back up from the floor, but there was still a hint of incredulity in his eyes as he turned to examine Fang Che.

This guy's almost guaranteed to reach the top of the Cloud Weapon Archive someday!

He was left even more astonished after examining Fang Che's cultivation base.

"Didn't you just make a breakthrough to the fifth rank during the tournament?"

"Yes."

"So why is it that you're already at the pinnacle of the fifth rank?"

Fang Che really wanted to tell Li Changkong that it was thanks to all of the natural treasures that his master had secured for him, but instead, he replied, "I don't know..."

Li Changkong didn't know what to say, so he remained silent as he handed Fang Che his student badge, which displayed his name and 110 merit points.

From this moment forth, he could cover his own expenses in the academy.

"I can tell that you've taken pills in the past, so you're strictly prohibited from consuming any more pills or natural treasures for cultivation base enhancement purposes before you become a Great Grandmaster."

"Yes, Instructor."

"I'll find a way to erase those signs and return your body to an immaculate condition. Do not be overly ambitious while you're still forging a foundation! It's a good thing that you didn't have too many pills. Otherwise, the cumulative pill poison could've permanently hampered your potential!"

Fang Che was naturally aware of the downsides, but he had no choice prior to this.

He had originally planned to resolve this problem after enrolling in White Cloud Warrior Academy, and having Li Changkong's assistance in the matter was certainly going to be very helpful.

Li Changkong was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did you forcibly seize the Su Clan's estate?"

"I forcibly seized the Su Clan's estate?" Fang Che scoffed. "You must've taken quite a few bribes from students over the years, right, Instructor Li?"

Li Changkong was furious. He had never done anything of the sort, but he knew why Fang Che had said this to provoke him.

"You watch your mouth!" he grumbled.

"Brother Su is still alive," Fang Che said with a smile.

"Get out of here!"

Fang Che was happy to oblige.

He could sense that Li Changkong's attitude toward him had undergone a drastic shift.

After all one hundred students had been examined, the four instructors reconvened.

"I have five high A's, six mid A's, eleven low A's, and three high B's."

"I've got six high A's, six mid A's, nine low A's, and four high B's."

"I have eight high A's, one with an innate ice spiritbody, five mid A's, ten low A's, and one High B."

The three instructors turned to Li Changkong, and one of them said, "This batch of students has far superior aptitude compared with our previous one."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"How about you, Boss?"

"I've got five high A's, seven mid A's, ten low A's, and a high B."

Li Changkong was looking a little distracted.

The three instructors exchanged a few glances with one another.

"That's only twenty-three, isn't it? Why are there two missing?"

"One of the two is Mo Ganyun. He possesses legendary aptitude. His meridians are naturally thick and resilient, as are his tendons, and given his physical attributes, he'll be able to easily master any weapon that he takes up. Once he begins to tap into his full potential, he'll be a one-man army."

Li Changkong should've been ecstatic about this, but he was still looking quite distracted, as if his mind were elsewhere entirely.

"Holy shit!"

The other three instructors were all overjoyed.

They had been teaching for many years, yet the three of them combined had only encountered five students with legendary aptitude. However, Mo Ganyun possessed superior potential to all of them as he had the backing of the entire Mo Clan, which ensured that he would never be lacking in premium cultivation resources.

Ever since he was conceived in his mother's womb, the Mo Clan had been establishing a foundation for him, giving him the absolute best in all regards.

His spirit sense, physical body, meridians, bones, tendons, and even his bodily coordination had been constantly honed from birth, and this stage of foundation establishment would only conclude once he became a Grandmaster.

These were the benefits that a powerful clan was able to provide.

It was all extremely unfair. There was simply no way a child from an average household could enjoy anywhere near the same level of resources that Mo Ganyun had access to.

While Mo Ganyun's cultivation base wasn't particularly impressive, he was intentionally being held back in order to ensure the construction of the most solid foundation possible. Only then would that foundation be able to adequately support his immense potential.

Not all prodigies were born equal.

Some children progressed very quickly in the early stages of their cultivation, much faster than even the children from major clans, but it was often the case that the progress for those children would come to a screeching halt at some point.

They had exhausted all of their latent potential, and there was nothing more for them to tap into.

Meanwhile, the prodigies from major clans would continue to progress in a slow and steady manner, easily surpassing their peers to reach far greater heights.

There were countless children from ordinary upbringings who excelled during their time at the academy, but after graduation, they often found themselves being surpassed and left far behind by their wealthier peers.

A prospect like Mo Ganyun, who possessed aptitude and financial backing in equal measure, was extremely rare, and that entailed immense potential.

"He could get into the Cloud Weapon Archive someday!" Bao Feiyu exclaimed, and the other instructors nodded eagerly in agreement.

As long as Mo Ganyun didn't suffer a premature demise, a spot in the top one hundred on the Cloud Weapon Archive was all but beckoning to him.

However, the three instructors noticed that Li Changkong was still staring off into space in an absentminded manner, seemingly not excited by this prospect at all.

"There's still one more, right?" Bing Shangxue asked.

Only then did the other two instructors recall that there was, indeed, still one more student unaccounted for.

"The final student is Fang Che," Li Changkong revealed.

"Yes, he's the champion of the new student tournament. What was his aptitude?" Bing Shangxue asked.

"I don't know," Li Changkong replied flatly.

"What do you mean?"

"His aptitude went beyond the twelve levels of the Dragon Fish Pagoda, and by a lot, at that!"

Three sets of jaws fell to the floor at once, and the three instructors could feel their own heart rates climbing rapidly in the wake of this revelation.

They were already overcome with excitement at the prospect that was Mo Ganyun as it presented them with an opportunity to go down in the history books.

Once Mo Ganyun fulfilled his full potential, they would share in his glory as his instructors at the academy.

However, they were now being told that there was even more incredible prospect on their hands!

"Let me put it this way: our handling of these two students will decide whether we go down in the history books as saints or as the scum of the earth! In any case, our names are bound to go down in history one way or another."

Wry smiles appeared on the faces of the three instructors upon hearing this.

It was certainly a lot of pressure to bear.

"No wonder the academy specifically assigned the four of us to this class..."

The four of them were the most capable and accomplished instructors in the entire academy, and they were usually split up to take on different classes, so they were wondering why they had all been assigned to the same class on this occasion. The answer turned out to be both a blessing and a curse.

"I'm sure all of you are aware of Fang Che's past actions," Li Changkong said in a meaningful manner.

The three instructors nodded collectively in response.

"The way that he wiped out the Su Clan and seized their estate while simultaneously manufacturing that glowing reputation for himself... All of that is very reminiscent of the way that the Church of the Self-Righteous likes to do things. In fact, I can't help but wonder if there are already ties between the two.

“There's no evidence linking Fang Che to the disappearance of the Su Clan's entire main branch, but I strongly suspect involvement from him. According to our sources, Fang Che went out on his own for three days during the same period of time in which those members of the Su Clan disappeared.

“He came back with a deer carcass, and a few days later, it was revealed that over a hundred members of the Su Clan had disappeared overnight. According to our investigation, the missing members of the Su Clan and Fang Che departed from their respective manors on the same night within several hours of one another."

"We've certainly been dealt a difficult hand," Bing Shangxue mused as a concerned look appeared on her face. "If Fang Che's on our side, we'll be able to fully dedicate ourselves to elevating him to his full potential, but if he isn't, then we could potentially be nurturing a future enemy that could pose a potent threat to the entire continent! If he realizes his full potential, there's a very good chance he could become a second Duan Xiyang!"

Her look of concern was mirrored on the faces of her three colleagues.

"What do you think, Boss?" Duan Zhongliu asked.