During the process, something very unusual happened. Cain, for some unknown reason, seemed particularly concerned about security today, sending out nearly all his personnel. The scope of the patrols was extensive, with superhumans covering almost every area: the artificial river, the small plaza, and even the residential zones.
"Hey, old man Cain, you seem a bit off today," Zhong Jing remarked, sitting in his chair with a puzzled expression. "I get that security is important, but isn't this a bit over the top? Are you expecting something?"
The eight academies had all sent their leaders, but Cain was the only one holding the title of principal. The others were vice-principals. The reason for this was twofold: Cain had established the rules for the assessment, and he was known to be a bit of an eccentric. Despite his immense power, he wasn't very involved in administrative matters, leaving most of the work to his vice-principals.
"Heh, better safe than sorry," Cain replied with a knowing smile. "Besides, today's situation is special. A few days ago, thanks to Liam, we managed to kill that group of God's followers and prevent a god-descending ritual. If that ritual had succeeded while we were away, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Zhong Jing nodded, acknowledging the logic. But he still felt it was a bit excessive. "But we're here now. Would they really dare to challenge us?"
"That's not certain..." Cain responded ominously.
As they spoke, several students began to enter the hall. The leaders immediately straightened up, ready to meet the approaching students.
The rules for choosing an academy were straightforward: students could freely choose which academy they wanted to join—a recognition of their talents. The academy leaders had also brought assistants to promote their institutions' facilities and benefits to attract students. For particularly talented students, the academies would offer additional perks to secure their commitment.
This year, Liam was clearly the most sought-after candidate. Just as expected, Liam walked into the hall.
As soon as the familiar, nonchalant figure appeared, Zhong Jing and the other leaders immediately sat up straight. After learning about Liam's actions the previous day, Zhong Jing regretted not staying to watch until the end. Yet, despite the loss of his bet to Sophia, he was more determined than ever to recruit Liam.
Liam, ignoring the other students and the assistants promoting their academies, walked straight to the leaders. Just as Zhong Jing was about to speak, Liam addressed Cain directly.
"Hello, Principal Cain. I want to join the Eastern Academy."
"Excellent. You're very welcome here," Cain responded, standing up as if he had expected this all along.
Zhong Jing: ???
Am I even needed here?
Seeing the handshake imminent, Zhong Jing quickly stood up and interrupted. "Wait a minute!"
Liam, startled by the shout, looked curiously at the middle-aged man before him, who seemed a bit eccentric.
"Kid, you might not know how this works," Zhong Jing began. "You did exceptionally well. Usually, each academy will offer you various benefits, and then you can choose. For example, our Western Academy—come to us, and you can name your conditions!"
Zhong Jing spoke quickly, as if afraid Liam would slip away.
"Oh, I see. Thank you, but I've already promised Sophia that I'd join the Eastern Academy," Liam replied, somewhat dismissively.
That's it? Just like that?!
Zhong Jing nearly bit his tongue in disbelief. "You're choosing just because of a woman?! Well, I guess she's not just any woman..."
Thinking fast, Zhong Jing stood up and walked over to Liam, placing an arm around his shoulders like an old friend. "You might not realize it, but our Western Academy has plenty of resources."
He leaned in closer and whispered, "And by the way, that old man Cain is pretty stingy. If you join the Eastern Academy without negotiating, he's bound to shortchange you."
Liam hadn't expected this approach. Just as he was about to reply, Cain also stood up and pulled Zhong Jing aside.
"Don't badmouth people behind their backs."
"I'll offer you plenty of benefits too. I'll give you 300 hours in the simulated training environment and 100 pure energy crystals. What do you think?" Cain offered.
Liam, who hadn't paid much attention to Cain's earlier explanation, asked, "What are those?"
Cain: "..."
"They're resources that help superhumans improve their abilities," Cain explained.
"That's it?! You think that's enough?" Zhong Jing jumped in again. "I'll double his offer, and you can ask for anything else you need."
Liam turned to Cain, clearly expecting a better offer.
Cain sighed, knowing he had no choice. "...Fine, I'll double it too. And if you ever need anything, you can come to me for help."
"Will you give me money?" Liam asked bluntly.
"What?" Cain looked puzzled.
"Money? Is there any monetary reward? And what about the reward for stopping the god-descending ritual? Where's that?"
Liam's directness left Cain momentarily speechless. After a brief pause, he said, "The reward for stopping the ritual will come from the Human Federation. As for money... how much do you want?"
"Three hundred thousand," Liam stated.
"Deal!" Cain agreed.
With that, the older man and the younger man shook hands.
Zhong Jing still had more to say but was left speechless. He shook his head, realizing he had lost this battle. It was clear Liam had already made up his mind to join the Eastern Academy.
As Liam shook Cain's rough hand, he activated his ability again. Although he had copied it before, he felt something was off about Cain's ability and wanted to try again, even if it meant wasting a day's opportunity.
Ding! Replication successful!
The sound echoed in his mind, just as a bloodied figure stumbled into the hall, screaming, "Principal Cain! We need to evacuate! We're under attack!"
[Automatic Translation Initiated]
[Auto-Translation Complete]
[Skill Upgraded: Demi-God Body Acquired!]
It worked!
Cain was indeed hiding something. His abilities were not limited to one. He was a superhuman with multiple powers!
But Liam didn't have time to explore the new ability he had just obtained. His attention was immediately drawn to the heavily injured person who stumbled into the hall.
Cain quickly released Liam's hand and dashed to the dying man's side, lifting him off the ground. A golden light emanated from Cain's hands, healing the man's wounds and pulling him back from death's grasp.
The sudden turn of events shocked everyone in the room. All activity halted as everyone focused on the bloodied figure on the floor. The students, unaware of what was happening, looked on in horror, while the leaders, including Sophia, who had just entered, quickly gathered around.
"Quickly... organize an evacuation for the students... they're coming," the wounded man gasped.
"The God's followers? They dare attack now? They must have a death wish!" Dong Wushuang's body was enveloped in a purple light, his killing intent surging. The terrifying destructive power of the Sky-Bearing Warlord was on full display.
"Are there any god embryos this time? How many god embryos did they bring? What's their number?" Cain's eyes were cold, but he suppressed his killing intent, asking calmly.
"There are many—so many that we couldn't count them all. Some of our brothers on the eastern side are already dead, and some haven't returned. Principal, you need to evacuate the new students. We also need strong reinforcements!" Despite Cain's healing, the man coughed up blood as he spoke.
"How could this be? Such a large-scale attack! Where did they come from? There wasn't any warning in the past few days!" Zhong Jing shot up from his seat, his eyes filled with concern as he glanced at the confused students in the hall.
Liam, observing the situation, furrowed his brow. He suddenly recalled the envelope he had handed over days ago. The contents of that envelope seemed to detail many of their plans.
Could this be the reason Cain had increased security today? Because he had read the contents of that envelope? But this situation seemed beyond what was expected.
"Are God's followers attacking? Is it that serious? I thought they were pretty weak," Liam asked Sophia, who was standing nearby with a murderous aura.
Sophia sighed and explained, "It's different. What you encountered before were sacrificial followers. Their sole purpose is to perform god-descending rituals, and they often sacrifice themselves. Their combat ability isn't very strong. But the ones coming today are likely chosen followers, each with considerable power. We don't know the scale yet or how many god embryos they have."
Liam closed his eyes briefly amidst the chaotic atmosphere, clearing his mind to focus. He activated his ability, the Voice of All Things, extending its range to cover the entire ten-mile radius around the stadium.
Over the past few days, despite not officially becoming a superhuman student, Liam had been through numerous battles. These battles had honed his abilities, allowing him to seamlessly integrate them without formal training. Otherwise, his ability wouldn't have covered such a large area and brought back so much information.
Listening intently, he sensed the surroundings, searching specifically for any signs of the god's followers or embryos. It didn't take long before he gathered a considerable amount of information.
The plants, trees, and everything around him conveyed the information: there were many of them, and they were dangerous! Their numbers even exceeded the combined count of the students and leaders present!
Humans and god embryos mingled together, scattered throughout the ten-mile radius around Black Horse Stadium. There were many sacrificial followers among them, but there were also more powerful beings exerting strong pressure on the surrounding area.
The more Liam listened, the deeper his frown grew. This was far worse than he had anticipated!
"To hell with who they are, I'm going to deal with them. You all stay here," Dong Wushuang shouted, turning to leave with a clear intention—to kill.
"Wait!" Liam's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"This situation isn't normal. I sensed at least eight god embryos! And the number of followers... there are hundreds of them, maybe more."
"What!?" Dong Wushuang exclaimed in shock. "Are you sure? When did god embryos become so common?"
"Not necessarily embryos. There might also be god projections. But even a projection would be a disaster," Cain said through gritted teeth, his face pale.
"Eight god embryos... we need to move quickly," Zhong Jing said urgently, unable to sit still after hearing the number of embryos. He had seen Liam's abilities during the assessment and trusted his incredible tracking skills. If anyone could accurately sense the situation, it was Liam.
"Let's split into two groups! Some of us will take the students and evacuate, while the rest of us deal with the embryos!" Zhong Jing suggested urgently.
"No, no..." Cain shook his head, his expression pained. "Liam gave me an envelope a while ago. It hinted at something, but I didn't expect this... And the leader of their group is Ying Qingchen."
"An old enemy... his chosen ability is marking symbols. All of us have been marked before, and we'll definitely be targeted by them and the gods. Normally, this would be fine, and we could draw attention away from the students. But this time... none of us can stay to protect them. We need to get as far away from the students as possible!"
Cain knelt on the ground, his tone heavy with despair.
"What do we do then? Even if we hold off the gods and Ying Qingchen, what if the remaining followers find the students? They'll all be slaughtered!" Zhong Jing was almost frantic, his voice trembling with fear.
The thought of losing these young, untested talents was unbearable. The early death of such prodigies was one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in the world.
"The students can't evacuate; they'll have to hide in the basement. We need to leave immediately, every one of us, to deal with the god embryos!" Cain said, his voice firm. "But we'll need an exception to hold off any followers who might come after them. Someone new, who hasn't had much contact with the enemies, but not completely inexperienced—someone powerful, at least in the fourth stage."
"He'll need strong crowd control abilities to restrict enemy movements. He must be battle-hardened with nerves of steel, able to face overwhelming odds..." Cain's voice trailed off as he listed the impossible criteria, his bloodshot eyes slowly lifting to meet Liam's.
"If... and I'm only saying if..."
"If it's just you alone, could you hold off the numerous followers?"
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