CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 89 OCEANIA BATTLEFIELD_1

"The Academy is looking for us? We reported when we left." Wang Zhan unconsciously looked at Song Dongming, who also had a confused look on his face.

"The Federation College Competition has been moved up, and you three are the key players this year. The Academy, of course, is panicking because they can’t find you at a crucial moment," Lv Qing said with a bitter smile.

Tian Shishi curiously asked, "Did you go deep into the wilderness? Dean Lv said he couldn’t get in touch with you."

Students’ personal terminals could be contacted within the outer areas of the wilderness. However, the signal became very poor in the more remote regions, often making contact impossible.

Moreover, when Wang Zhan and the others were in Flame Valley, they discovered their personal terminals were almost unusable. They could only rely on the built-in local network for communication within a limited range.

Otherwise, Huang Pufeng wouldn’t have received Du Ming’s message only after Wang Zhan and the others had entered Flame Valley. By then, they were already very close to Du Ming.

As if to confirm what Tian Shishi was saying, Wang Zhan’s personal terminal suddenly started ringing. It was a call request from Duan Kun.

After accepting the call, a light screen appeared, followed by the sight of Duan Kun’s face, dark enough to drip ink.

Before Wang Zhan could speak, Duan Kun said grimly, "No matter where you are now, return to the Academy immediately! The same goes for you two, Song Dongming and Huang Pufeng!"

Wang Zhan had never seen Duan Kun so angry before. After a moment of stunned silence, he instinctively tried to explain, "Old Duan, it’s late. The three of us are on the outskirts of the wilderness. We’ll be back first thing in the morning."

Duan Kun on the other end seemed to be speaking to someone else, not paying attention to Wang Zhan.

After about ten seconds, Duan Kun sneered, "No need. Someone is coming to pick you up. Just wait there obediently!"

With that, Duan Kun immediately hung up the call.

Wang Zhan, Huang Pufeng, and Song Dongming exchanged uneasy glances, a sense of apprehension stirring in their hearts.

"What did Old Duan mean when he said that someone is coming to pick us up?"

"I don’t want to guess," Song Dongming decisively shook his head.

Huang Pufeng said resignedly, "It seems this incident has indeed caused a major uproar. The Academy now knows that the three of us went deep into the wilderness."

"Haven’t we returned safely?" Wang Zhan sighed softly, thinking the Academy was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Regardless, the three of them had no choice but to wait quietly.

About half an hour later, footsteps suddenly echoed at the mouth of the cave, followed by Liu Zhenfeng walking in with a dark expression on his face.

"Uh, Vice President Liu, you..." Seeing Liu Zhenfeng appear, Wang Zhan and the other two were taken aback.

They had assumed at most a Martial General or someone of similar rank would come for them. They never imagined a Grandmaster would come in person.

Liu Zhenfeng directly grabbed Wang Zhan’s arm.

"Both of you hold on to him!"

Song Dongming and Huang Pufeng quickly complied.

Liu Zhenfeng then turned to Lv Qing and Tian Shishi and said, "You two be careful on your own. I will take them back first."

Without waiting for Lv Qing and Tian Shishi to respond, Liu Zhenfeng, holding onto Wang Zhan, soared into the air and flew off towards Chu State City.

In just half an hour, they had covered dozens of kilometers and finally returned to Chu State City.

After entering the city, Liu Zhenfeng seemed to have other matters to attend to and instructed, "You three head back to the Academy first. Stay put and don’t go wandering off. Come to my office tomorrow morning."

"Yes." Wang Zhan and the other two quickly nodded, bid Liu Zhenfeng goodbye, and returned to the Martial Arts Academy.

「The night passed uneventfully.」

Early the next morning, Wang Zhan and the other two appeared punctually in Liu Zhenfeng’s office.

Upon entering the office, they found not only Liu Zhenfeng and Lv Zhenglong but also a thin old man with a goatee.

"Senior Shi?" Wang Zhan was somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting Shi Jingtian to be here.

"Kid, we meet again." Shi Jingtian nodded with a smile and said, "Have you practiced the ancient boxing method I gave you? Any questions? The offer I made last time still stands. You can come to me anytime if you have any issues."

Wang Zhan nodded blankly, his heart filled with shock.

In the somewhat cramped office, a Grandmaster, a Grandmaster, and a Martial King were gathered.

Meanwhile, Lv Zhenglong said, "Principal Shi is here to discuss an alliance with our Martial Arts Academy for the college competition. We have agreed. Chang’an Martial Arts Academy is not an enemy this time, but a friend."

"An alliance?" Wang Zhan was taken aback.

Shi Jingtian, shaking his head, stood up and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I must leave first. Let these youngsters handle the specifics. If we elders take care of everything personally, it would actually stifle their opportunity to grow."

Shi Jingtian’s words clearly implied that Lv Zhenglong and Liu Zhenfeng should interfere less.

Upon hearing these words, both Lv Zhenglong and Liu Zhenfeng chuckled.

"Principal Shi, we understand the situation. You don’t need to worry about it."

"This matter concerns Chu State Martial Arts Academy. As the Principal of Chang’an Martial Arts Academy, it’s not your place to interfere."

"And moreover, our Martial Arts Academy has outranked your Chang’an Martial Arts Academy every year, so you don’t need to comment either."

"Didn’t you say you were leaving? Why aren’t you gone yet?"

They spoke one after another, blatantly disregarding Shi Jingtian’s status as a Martial King.

With every word they spoke, Shi Jingtian’s face grew increasingly grim.

"They always said you two were thick as thieves. Today, I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes," Shi Jingtian said ominously. "Let me be clear: an alliance is an alliance, but when it comes time to fight, Chang’an Martial Arts Academy won’t hold back."

"To hear you talk, one might think the Martial Arts Academy is afraid of you," Liu Zhenfeng laughed aloud.

Lv Zhenglong chimed in, "Or should we just forget about the alliance? You don’t seem convinced. How about we each fight our own battles?"

"You... Hmph!" Exasperated, Shi Jingtian knew that if he opened his mouth again, these two would have countless retorts. He harrumphed and walked straight out of the office.

Seeing this, Lv Zhenglong and Liu Zhenfeng exchanged a glance, a hint of satisfaction in their eyes.

Leaving a Martial King speechless to his face was no small feat.

Once Shi Jingtian had left, their gaze fell on Wang Zhan and the other two, who had been quietly observing the argument.

"Where did you three go this time?" Liu Zhenfeng asked, his tone calm, yet it held a sharp edge.

Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming might not have detected it, but Wang Zhan, whose mental energy had already awakened, keenly sensed that Liu Zhenfeng’s voice clearly contained a Grandmaster’s will.

In this atmosphere, the three of them didn’t dare to utter even half a word of a lie.

"Vice President Liu, this matter started because of me. I asked them to accompany me to rescue someone," Huang Pufeng truthfully recounted the events from beginning to end.

Upon hearing that Wang Zhan had single-handedly killed a soldier-level beast, Liu Zhenfeng and Lv Zhenglong didn’t say a word, but their frowns deepened.

Only when Huang Pufeng reached the part about them leaving Flame Valley did Lv Zhenglong suddenly interject, saying, "Wait a moment."

Lv Zhenglong looked at Wang Zhan and asked, "Wang Yidao?"

"Mm," Wang Zhan nodded slightly, feeling helpless. It was obvious Lv Zhenglong knew about his connection to Wang Yidao.

After all, both Wang Zhan himself and Wang Qi were natives of Chu State City. The Chu State Martial Arts Academy had thoroughly investigated their backgrounds when they enrolled.

Furthermore, the matter of Wang Yidao—or rather, Wang Yu—wasn’t much of a secret. The higher-ups had long been aware that Wang Zhan was Wang Yidao’s son.

"Where’s the big saber? Bring it out and let me take a look," Liu Zhenfeng said, focusing on another point.

Huang Pufeng instinctively looked at Wang Zhan. After Wang Zhan nodded, Huang Pufeng took the big saber out from his Storage Bangle.

The moment he saw the big saber, Liu Zhenfeng abruptly stood up and grasped it.

"So it really is this one!" Liu Zhenfeng sighed deeply.

"You’re familiar with this big saber too?" Wang Zhan couldn’t help but ask.

Liu Zhenfeng was carefully stroking the big saber and didn’t pay attention to Wang Zhan.

Lv Zhenglong then said, "This blade is named Liyun Blade. It’s an ancient weapon. This blade was in the hands of a Grandmaster for some years. That Grandmaster was famous for his blade skills and had quite a reputation! But there’s been no news of him in recent years."

"Ancient weapon? Vice President Lv, what level of weapon is an ancient weapon equivalent to?" Wang Zhan asked curiously.

"It’s not ranked." Lv Zhenglong shook his head. "Ancient weapons were forged by ancient martial artists. Their strength varies greatly. Some are inferior to soldier-level weapons, while others are vastly more powerful than general-level ones. Your Liyun Blade belongs to the latter."

"Correct," Liu Zhenfeng nodded in agreement. "The original owner of this Liyun Blade was also an exceptional individual. I had thought he might have gone to the outer battlefield, but I didn’t expect him to have fallen silently in Flame Valley. What a pity."

Wang Zhan keenly caught this unfamiliar term. Outer battlefield?

Liu Zhenfeng’s expression stiffened. He waved his hand dismissively, saying, "This doesn’t concern you. Don’t ask unnecessary questions. You’ll know when the time is right."

"Alright, let’s get back to your situation." Liu Zhenfeng handed the big saber to Wang Zhan and then said, "The participants for the upcoming Federation College Competition have been decided. Each Academy will send seven students to Oceania. The three of you are on the Martial Arts Academy’s list."

Hearing this, Song Dongming was the first to ask, "Oceania? Wasn’t that place submerged by the sea long ago?"

On this planet, most of the land had already turned into a vast ocean. The living environment for humans was already pitifully small.

"Being submerged by seawater is just the official story. In fact, Oceania has always existed, and it’s one of the front lines in the war between humans and beasts!" Lv Zhenglong said.

"Oceania is a battlefield?" Wang Zhan and the other two were shocked.

In the past, they had heard powerful individuals speak of battlefields, but this was the first time they learned of a battlefield’s specific location.

"It’s just one of the battlefields," Lv Zhenglong said. "But even so, you absolutely cannot be careless. Summoning you back early was also to explain many things to you."

"Let’s wait a bit. The other participating students are about to arrive," Liu Zhenfeng waved his hand.