Li Baitian was the first one to spot Li Tianlan’s unusual behaviors.

Returning from his thoughts, he subconsciously turned back to look at Li Tianlan, and by this look, he found Li Tianlan wipe the blood on the corner of his mouth.

Li Baitian was startled and furrowed his thick eyebrows, asking in an undertone, “Tianlan, are you ok? Are you injured?”

He did not know Li Tianlan’s background, but he knew the background of most of the freshmen here.

The competitions for the quota to enter the Sky Academy was very fierce, so, it was really hard to earn one.

Even the people from the army, special warfare team, institution of agents, and Martial Arts sects would be strictly selected before gaining a quota.

In many competitions, people had to fight from the very first of beginning to the end, and the winner would take it all. There were some people who made it to the last, but, because they were injured badly during the competitions, they missed the time to enter the Sky Academy. Obviously, those people all had the worst luck.

Meanwhile, there were also some people who could barely rose to their feet and went to the Sky Academy on time, but, they were of bad luck as well, because they were heavily injured and could not earn a good place in their first maneuver, which would start on the first day after they arrived at the school.

Falling one step behind might cause one to fall every step behind.

If Li Tianlan was one of those injured people, his situation would be bad enough.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

Li Tianlan wiped the corner of his mouth hard and suppressed his negative emotions while smiling with his mouth closed.

His injury was not from the internal competitions but from the fight with Qin Ke on the day he arrived at the school. In the following time after the fight, he had been able to control the condition of his injury, but, just now, he was so enraged and sad about the words Gu Yunxia had just said that his wound seemed to get worse.

Li Tianlan’s thought changed quickly. He unconsciously looked up at the rostrum and his sight fell on Qin Ke.

To his surprise, Qin Ke was looking at him as well.

Their eyes met in the air.

Li Tianlan looked calm.

However, Qin Ke frowned slightly as she saw him, eyes cold.

Li Tianlan smiled at her and turned his gaze away while speaking, “Don’t worry about me. I will earn a good place in this maneuver. Good luck to you.”

“Let’s take this way.”

Li Baitian thought hard and said resolutely, “When the maneuver starts, I’ll go first, and Drunbility Cheng brings up the rear. Tianlan, you walk between us to save your strength. Let’s make it into top ten together!”

Every student of the Sky Academy valued their ranking of each maneuver very much.

The ranking would decide how many credits they would get and how they would be treated. It was something that everyone had to try their best to fight for.

The ranking in the first maneuver, especially, would decide their starting point in the Sky Academy, which, therefore, was very important. If they could make it into top ten, they would definitely draw the close attention of the executives of the academy.

“Top ten?”

Ning Qiancheng raised his eyebrows in amazement and stared at Li Baitian.

“What? Are you not confident about that? You’re known as Drunbility Cheng. How could you lose your heart in making it into top ten? Even if you just want to look cool, you should say that you can make it into top three.”

Li Baitian said in a provocative manner.

Sure enough, Ning Qiancheng took the bait. He widened his eyes and snorted, saying, “Of course, I’m confident. I can lead Tianlan into top ten even without you. I worry about you more in fact. Look at you, you are so weak that others can pull you down easily. So, I hope you won’t drag us down.”

On hearing the words, Li Tianlan suddenly recalled how Li Baitian introduced Ning Qiancheng to him when they first met. Back at that time, he ignored the words saying that Ning Qiancheng loved to boast. What had impressed him was that Ning Qiancheng was introduced as one of the top ten young experts of the state.

The top ten young experts might become the top ten experts of Zhongzhou State many years later. Therefore, as a young talent with power and a promising future, it would not be a problem for Ning Qiancheng to make it into top ten if he was not too unlucky.

“Don’t worry. I’d appreciate if you won’t be our burden. That’s settled. Let’s move together and make it into top ten.”

Li Baitian struck his chest with a confident grin. His hand landed on his bones, which were covered by his thin skin, making thumping sounds.

Neither Li Baitian nor Ning Qiancheng had the intention to leave the seriously injured Li Tianlan behind. Those two people might not like each other, but their words showed that they wanted to bring Li Tianlan with them to make it into top ten.

Li Tianlan was very moved by this.

No matter how wary he was, he could not ignore their kindness. They had just been together for one day, but, in a place full of fierce competitions, they really would like to carry him, a “burden”, with them. Their generosity made him hold them in high esteem.

“Thanks, both of you.”

Li Tianlan expressed his gratitude to the two people standing beside him.

Ning Qiancheng gave a snort of pride and headed up, looking aloof again.

Li Baitian waved his hands, laughing. “That’s what I should do. In the following several years, we’ll be together morning and night as roommates and closer to each other than to our brothers. In such a place, we’ll have to carry missions out together and trust each other with our lives. We must open our hearts to each other. Only those shortsighted people will fight against their roommates, so, you can tell that Drunbility Cheng is sensible. In the camp at the border, soldiers there have even a deeper relationship with their roommates than us. If you can’t trust your roommates, whom will you spend all your time staying and studying with, and who else can you trust?”

“Whatever, I have to thank you.”

Li Tianlan said sincerely. If someone showed him respect, he would respect him even more. Since Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng was so kind to him, he wanted to treat them wholeheartedly as well. “Nevertheless, let me move ahead of you later. My wound isn’t serious and it won’t affect anything.”

In the following competitions, taking the front place meant facing more pressure. Once opened, Li Tianlan’s weapon would turn into a big spear over two meters long. With it, he could handle the pressure in a head-on-head battle better than the other two.

His choice also showed that he’d love to trust Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng and leave his back to them.

“Tianlan, which realm are you in?”

Ning Qiancheng exchanged a glance with Li Baitian and asked, “What about you?”

…

Li Tianlan answered with the question. He could not disguise his realm, however, his combat capability was far above his level. He wanted to take the front place, but, he could not tell Ning Qiancheng, one of the top ten young experts, that he had yet to enter the Four Realms of Martial Arts.

“I’m at the Peak of the Ice-condensing Realm and may reach the Fire-flaming Realm at any time.”

Ning Qiancheng answered slowly.

The corner of Li Tianlan’s eyes twitched subconsciously.

At the age of twenty-three, Ning Qiancheng was about to enter the Fire-flaming Realm. No wonder he could be recognized as one of the top ten young experts.

“My realm is near to Drunbility Cheng’s. I’m not much weaker than him.”

Li Baitian said with ease and confidence.

Ning Qiancheng was surprised for a while and took a deep glance at Li Baitian without saying anything.

“My realm is similar to yours. I’m not much weaker than you.”

Li Tianlan said humbly. His words were almost the same as Li Baitian’s, only a few words changed.

The corner of Ning Qiancheng’s mouth twitched. He was speechless. Both Li Baitian and Li Tianlan said that they were in the similar realm as him, but he was ranked as the fifth among the top ten young experts. He could not help wondering if the title of top ten experts became worthless now.

“Attention, everybody.”

A gentle voice from the rostrum interrupted all the noise among the students.

The headmaster of the Sky Academy, Zhuang Huayang, walked to Gu Yunxia’s front with an amiable expression.

The place suddenly became quiet, and the students all looked up at the headmaster respectfully.

Zhuang Huayang was one of the top ten experts of Zhongzhou State, which represented for the most powerful force of the country. Therefore, he was ranked much higher than Gu Yunxia, the director of teaching.

“Where does our headmaster rank among the top ten experts?”

Li Tianlan gave a tug at Li Baitian’s clothes and asked in a low voice.

“The seventh.”

Li Baitian replied quickly. “The list of the top ten experts will be updated every ten years. Ten years ago, our headmaster was ranked fifth. After so many years, he is getting older and weaker.”

Li Tianlan nodded at the words. With time going by and down in heath, no matter how powerful one used to be, he would be weaker and weaker in combat capability. This was the unchangeable law of nature.

A hero reaching the end and a beauty getting old, those were the most helpless things.

“All my students.”

Zhuang Huayang stood straight on the rostrum, glancing around before continuing, “Standing here, I heard your curses, insults, and even execrations to the traitor of our country. All of you will become the backbone of our country in the future. I understand your hate about the traitor, but I want to remind that your insults and execrations to the traitor can’t show your love to our country. No words can do that. You must show that through actual deeds. Without actions, your angry voice will only make you a cynic. Do you agree?”

The students became even quieter.

Gu Yunxia, standing behind Zhuang Huayang, changed his expression.

“I’ve been the headmaster of the Sky Academy for near 20 years. I came here after that case of treason happened. I’ve seen many students graduate here and glorify our academy and the Special Warfare System of our state. I”ve seen their blood shed and their bodies fall on the road to make our country stronger. They are the pride of the Sky Academy and Zhongzhou State.”

Zhuang Huayang’s voice was deep and gentle yet commanding beyond doubt. “Yes, I admit that the treason case is a blot on our reputation and even a humiliation that we have to suffer.

“However, humiliation can’t shadow our glory. The treason case has become the past, and what gone is gone, so, there is no use talking much about it now. We have a better and more beautiful future ahead of us. We should keep moving forward because we can’t change the past but can create a better future. “All of you will become the core force of the Special Warfare System, and many of you may not be known by others, but, our academy will remember every glory you bring to us.

“We are hidden in dark, but we work for the bright. I hope from the bottom of my heart that each of you can make the future of the Sky Academy brighter after you graduate.”

The audience burst into thunderous applause as the headmaster’s voice fell.

Gu Yunxia looked embarrassed and awful.

Though Headmaster Zhuang’s speech was not long, it refuted her fiery words to a great extent, and for her, it was a slap in the face.

Some students were in deep thoughts as they clapped their hands.

Taking it less seriously, Gu Yunxia’s and Headmaster Zhuang’s words represented for the different opinions between two people.

However, thinking deeper, their speech represented for the opinions between the two forces behind them.

In view of that, many people who knew the situation of the Special Warfare System all wore a meaningful smile on their faces.

Was there a great change to happen to the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State?

With Gu Yunxia as a pioneer and the long-past treason case as the beginning, what was the attempt of the person behind Gu Yunxia, the person who had been benefited the most from the case?