Zhang Chen listened to the words of Chai Chuanxin and Zhang Gaoqiu, unaware of the Gambling Fox’s abilities, had unknowingly fallen into the verbal trap set by the Gambling Fox. At this moment, a thought arose in his mind: "Zhang Gaoqiu is finished!"
Zhang Gaoqiu is doomed—the Gambling Fox said so! Even Jesus couldn’t save him!
The Gambling Fox turned to look at Zhang Chen, a trace of uncertainty and suspicion flashing in his eyes: "Could it be that this boy has seen through my means? He managed to perfectly avoid my verbal trap?"
"I must get closer to this boy; he’s practically a human treasure!" Chai Chuanxin’s eyes were fixed on Zhang Chen. Although Zhang Chen’s Power of Reincarnation obscured his Qi Mechanism, under Chai Chuanxin’s Gambling Power, a radiant divine light flowed around Zhang Chen, enveloping the ten directions of the world, resplendent with unprecedented brilliance. Even compared to the Twelfth Tier gods, it was much stronger.
Every ray of divine light represented a Divine Technique or artifact, making Chai Chuanxin’s heart race, a trace of horror flashing in his eyes.
He’s encountered powerful individuals before, and seen treasures, but the divine light on Zhang Chen was simply too exaggerated.
"Those few rays must be Twelfth Tier artifacts, right? Any Twelfth Tier Mystery is incredibly precious, yet any ordinary strong person wouldn’t have seen them. But this boy actually has several? Could he be the illegitimate child of Heaven?" The Gambling Fox’s eyes were full of greed and shock.
Of course, the divine light he saw wasn’t actually leaking from Zhang Chen’s body; rather, under the Law of Gambling, Zhang Chen’s body transformed into countless chips that could be used for wagering, and the Gambling Fox only judged what kind of methods Zhang Chen harbored based on those chips.
"I must befriend this boy! No one can stop me! Even the Celestial King wouldn’t help!" The Gambling Fox was inwardly shocked: "This boy plays the fool to deceive others; absolutely the leg among legs. Befriending him can only benefit me. And if I can conveniently snag a Twelfth Tier Mystery, all the better."
The commotion temporarily subsided, and the Gambling Fox turned to Zhang Chen, his voice full of warmth: "What should I call you, brother?"
Zhang Chen glanced at Chai Chuanxin: "You’ve forgotten? We met before. You’ve got quite the forgetful nature for someone influential."
The Gambling Fox, of course, hadn’t seen Zhang Chen before; he’d only been ambushed by Zhang Chen several times behind his back. But Zhang Chen and Chai Chuanxin were acquaintances; they both had apprenticed, one under Han Suzhen and the other under Chen Sanliang.
Tushan Qing was stunned upon hearing this; his face quickly changed after scanning the original memory, inwardly cursed: "Damned Chai Chuanxin, daring to ruin my great plan and delay my acknowledgment as a godfather!"
Knowing the connections between Zhang Chen, Chen Sanliang, and Chai Chuanxin, Tushan Qing rolled his eyes, showing a helpless expression: "By reckoning, we’re brothers. My initial betrayal of the Master was out of helplessness. Alas, everything has already happened, and it wasn’t my intention."
Tushan Qing was inwardly grumbling at this moment: "Damned, the karma of this body is quite heavy, huh? I’m actually taking the fall for it. But this body has karma connections with the boy in front of me; they’re quite close. Having studied under the same roof, this is my chance."
"You tell me, when the Master of the Academy made a move, asking me to betray the Master, could I resist? Had I the courage to say no, I’d risk being shut off by the Academy, breaking off my path in the Confucian Dao." The Gambling Fox sighed lightly, his voice full of resignation.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen turned to look at the Gambling Fox, thoughts flickering: "Why is this guy explaining himself to me? And he’s deliberately sticking up for me to close the distance? Could he be targeting me? Did he figure something out?"
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen’s attitude shifted. He decided to play along with this fox for now, to see what tricks the fox might want to play.
Seeing Zhang Chen’s unwavering gaze fixed on him silent, Chai Chuanxin braced himself: "In the Martial World, one is often helpless; I too can only sigh at many things."
At this point, Tushan Qing said: "To be honest, I’ve secretly sent a message to the Master, apologizing, and he’s forgiven me, directing me to act as an undercover in the human world."
Considering Chen Sanliang is in the Demon Race, isn’t it easy for him to secure Chen Sanliang’s attitude?
Moreover, Chen Sanliang was already managing the entire Demon Race, so naturally he knew his identity long ago.
Fearing that Zhang Chen wouldn’t believe him, Tushan Qing took a sealed letter from his sleeve: "This secret letter was written by the Master, instructing me to thoroughly investigate Jinling and also look into Chongzheng Academy in preparation for his discourse."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was inwardly shocked: "Chen Sanliang is targeting Chongzheng Academy? He’s clearly not fighting unprepared battles, having already sent undercover agents to various academies. It seems his sweeping victories in the Human Race’s academies weren’t due to absolute overpowering and luck, but rather thorough preparation."
Zhang Chen took Tushan Qing’s letter, opened it, and indeed saw Chen Sanliang’s handwriting, which bore his aura, unable to be faked.
"What boldness from Chen Sanliang, actually eyeing Chongzheng Academy. Chongzheng Academy is second only to the Academy in the world; Chen Sanliang’s ambition and daring are growing ever larger." Zhang Chen’s gaze swept over the handwriting in the letter, confirming it was Chen Sanliang instructing Tushan Qing to investigate Chongzheng Academy’s details.
Tushan Qing was looking at Zhang Chen’s face at this moment, observing his reaction. This secret letter was supposed to be confidential, not meant for Zhang Chen’s eyes, but seeing the unfathomable chips swirling around Zhang Chen, he couldn’t resist the Great Creation at play.
Besides, the relationship between Zhang Chen and Chen Sanliang was known throughout the Demon Race among those with some status, so getting close to Zhang Chen through Chen Sanliang was one of the most effective ways to lower Zhang Chen’s guard.
Zhang Chen put away the letter and returned it to Tushan Qing: "So there’s more to the story! Since the Master forgave you, I naturally won’t pursue it further."
Upon hearing this, Tushan Qing was overjoyed, eagerly agreeing: "Exactly, exactly. In this unfamiliar place, we ought to look out for each other and forge an alliance."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded, seemingly destined to be linked to the fox while also intending to see what exactly Tushan Qing planned to do, so he responded: "We two should indeed look out for each other in times to come."
At this moment, everyone in the room exchanged glances, their eyes continuously moving between Zhang Chen and the Shen Family’s camp with a look of interest.
Before long, a middle-aged Master walked in, holding a register, and everyone rose to greet him: "Greetings, Master."
The Master nodded: "Take your seats!"
Everyone sat down, and then the teacher flipped open a booklet and said, "I am the teacher of Class A: Song Yi. Let’s start with roll call so we can all get to know each other."
As Master Song Yi looked at the roster in his hand and began to call names, Shen Ling glanced sideways at Zhang Chen, her eyes filled with coldness, displaying a look of ’just wait to lose face; the Shen Family will never save you.’
Facing Shen Ling’s mocking gaze, Zhang Chen sat there unperturbed, not moving an inch, as if her every move mattered nothing to him.
"Chai Chuanxin."
"Disciple is present." Chai Chuanxin quickly stood up.
Master Song Yi glanced at him, nodded to signal him to sit down, and continued to call the next name:
"Zhang Xiaohua."
At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua also stood up respectfully: "The student is here."
In these times, those who can study literature and become a teacher at Chongzheng Academy are definitely not ordinary citizens; they are nobles by birth. Moreover, in these times, it is important to respect teachers and honor the Confucian Dao. Although Zhang Xiaohua is a prince, he dares not be discourteous to the teacher, lest it damages his reputation if word gets out.
For Prince Pingbian’s Mansion to dominate the world, it needs to recruit talented individuals and gather famous figures from all over. He dares not be arrogant, lest it ruins great things.
"Is the young prince getting used to living in Jinling?" Instead of continuing the roll call, the teacher asked.
Zhang Xiaohua nodded: "I have lived in the Northern Land for many years, so the weather in Jinling is somewhat stuffy and quite uncomfortable."
Hearing Zhang Xiaohua’s words, the teacher added: "I will send some ice blocks to the Crown Prince later to help with the heat."
Zhang Chen glanced at Song Yi. This guy’s favoritism was too obvious, as his plans to curry favor with Prince Pingbian practically smacked Zhang Chen in the face.
Then Song Yi continued the roll call:
"Zhang Gaoqiu!"
Zhang Gaoqiu stood up and replied, "Disciple is present."
"I heard you’re from the Zhang Family in Kyoto?" Song Yi inquired warmly.
Zhang Gaoqiu nodded: "I am the seventh ranking, second legitimate son of the Zhang Family in Kyoto."
The teacher’s expression became even more enthusiastic and warm, and he exchanged many words with Zhang Gaoqiu before continuing the roll call.
"Jiang Nan!"
"The student is here."
"Shen Ling!"
"The student is here!"
...
As the teacher continued the roll call, it soon came to Zhang Chen:
"Zhang Chen."
Hearing this, Shen Ling’s pupils constricted, her eyes filled with disbelief. How could this dirt farmer join the Academy? And she had excluded him herself—how did he get into the Academy?
Zhang Gaoqiu also looked at Zhang Chen with a face of uncertain surprise, Jiang Nan’s eyes flickered slightly, and Shen Qiu was equally incredulous.
"The student is here," Zhang Chen answered.
The teacher was just about to speak when Shen Ling stood up: "Teacher, is there a mistake? How could Zhang Chen join the Academy? He has absolutely no qualifications to join the Academy. Is there perhaps some misunderstanding?"
Shen Ling was somewhat panicked. She had personally ensured that Zhang Chen couldn’t enter the Academy, and now Zhang Chen had done so, wasn’t this a slap in her face?
Upon hearing Shen Ling’s words, the teacher shook his head: "Miss Shen need not worry; this matter was personally approved by the Headmaster, and there are absolutely no errors."
How could he navigate life in the Academy without investigating the background of all the students before the roll call?