Chapter 19: Liu Hairen's Rock Bottom

“Who won?”

This question lingered in everyone’s minds. Even the principals in the conference room widened their eyes, scanning through the thick dust.

Only Shen Donglin remained seated calmly in his spot.

A gratified smile graced his face, as if he were pleased, and he murmured softly, “He won’t lose.”

Whether this “won’t lose” referred to Ai Ning or Jiang Yan was known only to him.

“Ai Ning has an A-Rank Talent and is at the Middle Stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm. He probably… won’t lose, right?”

“It’s hard to say. That young man performed exceptionally well too. It’s difficult to determine the winner.”

“By the way, Principal Liu, Ai Ning is your student. Based on your understanding of him, who do you think will win this battle?”

Someone tossed the question to Liu Hairen.

Liu Hairen smiled, his words impeccably cautious: “I respect the actual outcome.”

Though he said this, the smile on his face was impossible to hide.

Seeing his expression, the principal who asked the question knew the answer was almost certain and sighed, “Congratulations, Principal Liu.”

This time, Linjiang First High School had truly stolen the spotlight.

Amid the thick smoke, Jiang Yan looked down from above at Ai Ning, who was covered in wounds. Ai Ning was bleeding all over, with not a single patch of skin intact. He was clearly severely injured, completely contrary to the outside speculation.

“You have completed an outstanding showdown. [Battle Saint Armor] has slightly improved, your Realm has slightly advanced, and your Saber Technique comprehension has greatly increased.”

Battle—an eternal topic, one Jiang Yan pursued throughout his life.

The golden cape behind Jiang Yan fluttered in the wind, its sacred radiance gradually fading as the divine glow dissipated. Jiang Yan emerged from this battle unscathed.

Ai Ning had given him a surprise, but not much of one.

Ai Ning’s eyes had lost their focus, staring blankly at the tips of Jiang Yan’s shoes. A feeling named defeat surged in his heart. He opened his mouth slightly and asked unwillingly:

“Who… are you?”

“Jiang Yan.”

Boom—

The name exploded like thunder in Ai Ning’s mind. He didn’t want to believe it, but he had no choice but to accept it:

“You’re that Jiang Yan who was expelled from Linjiang First High School?!”

Jiang Yan spread his hands and smiled, “You guessed it.”

As the smoke cleared, Ai Ning’s defeated figure was fully exposed to everyone.

The other students watched in disbelief as the person who had effortlessly defeated them knelt at the feet of this blood-stained youth.

Ai Ning’s followers couldn’t believe that their once-invincible Boss had lost so miserably to this youth who had appeared out of nowhere.

In the conference room, the veteran principals who had thought the outcome was settled wiped their glasses again and again, but the shocking scene on the screen remained unchanged.

Liu Hairen slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the bright ceiling, his mouth agape. He couldn’t process Ai Ning’s defeat in such a short time.

Only Shen Donglin stood up from the head seat, completely disregarding the feelings of the surrounding principals, and exclaimed loudly:

“Excellent! This is the Prodigy I wanted to see!”

“Masterful Blade Momentum, a Talent comparable to S-Rank, a steady Heart-Nature. Investigate! Send someone to investigate! I want all the information on this young man!”

All the principals were shocked, unable to believe such an unsteady outburst had come from the esteemed Shen Donglin.

What surprised them even more was:

Blade Momentum? S-Rank Talent?

Could Shen Donglin be referring to that blood-stained youth?

“That’s right, Blade Momentum!”

“That child just unleashed the legendary Blade Momentum!”

A man exclaimed, all doubts instantly clearing away, bringing sudden enlightenment.

Why could a battered alloy saber easily shatter an expensive treasured sword?

How could the instantly recognizable Basic Cultivation Method compare with the high-level Martial Skill mastered by Ai Ning?

All of this could only be explained by that youth having grasped Blade Momentum.

“Genius! An absolute genius! Where is that child from? Our Huangshui Middle School hereby announces we will accept him into our school with the most favorable conditions!”

“Get lost, you old fool! How could a genius who has mastered Blade Momentum be wasted on you? Our Zeshui Middle School is the most suitable place for that child to study.”

“Our Mingshan Middle School objects!”

…

These old foxes had all caught the scent.

What did entering the Wilderness at this time indicate?

It indicated this child wasn’t attending school!

Plus what Liu Hairen said about dropping out…

Wait!

Many people realized—why would a genius who had mastered Blade Momentum drop out of Linshui Middle School?

Could there be hidden circumstances?

The principal of Huangshui Middle School, who had earlier been rebuked by Liu Hairen, took the lead in attacking, smiling as he looked at Liu Hairen:

“Principal Liu, could you explain to everyone why that child dropped out?”

Liu Hairen’s heart skipped a beat, knowing what was coming had finally arrived.

At this moment, he was filled with regret—why had he summoned Wang Zhong for a talk out of fear of taking responsibility? That day, his tone had been extremely harsh. If Wang Zhong learned about this and revealed even a hint of the truth…

Liu Hairen didn’t dare think about it.

Facing so many people’s questioning, Liu Hairen hemmed and hawed. Even for an old fox like him, he didn’t know how to fabricate a lie to muddle through this.

If handled well, this would count as a work error.

If handled poorly, it could become abuse of power for personal gain.

“Hmph, I will investigate this matter myself. All of you are acting indignant now, but have you forgotten how you condemned that child just moments ago?”

Shen Donglin angrily rebuked them, recounting how these people had kicked someone when they were down when Jiang Yan damaged the surveillance.

Now that they saw the child soaring, they all wanted to claim connections and cling to his coattails?

Utterly ridiculous!

With such opportunistic sycophants among them, how could humanity grow into a truly great race?

“And you!” Shen Donglin’s icy gaze swept mercilessly over Liu Hairen. “I will personally ask that child about this matter. If you truly did anything unjust to him, don’t blame me for not showing any mercy.”

Liu Hairen felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Shen Donglin’s statement had already pronounced Liu Hairen’s fate.

With him involved, once the outcome was settled, Liu Hairen would have absolutely no room for recovery.

Liu Hairen knew all too well Shen Donglin’s status—he was the renowned seventh-rank True Mystery Martial Artist, among the most powerful and influential figures in the province. Crushing a minor principal like him from Linjiang First High School would be as simple as squashing an ant.

Even if Shen Donglin killed Liu Hairen on the spot without following procedures, no one would dare utter a word of objection.

Fortunately, Shen Donglin was a rule-abiding, somewhat rigid person. Ignoring Liu Hairen’s wretched appearance, he flashed and directly disappeared from the conference room.

“Tsk tsk, some people are so noble, actually letting an S-Rank genius who has mastered Blade Momentum wander outside.”

“Hey, what do you mean by that? Principal Liu has a top-tier genius like Ai Ning under his wing. Maybe this year he’ll get into Divine Capital Martial University and soar to great heights.”

“You’re right, that would indeed make him look down on others, hahahaha…”

The more arrogant Liu Hairen had been at first, and the more he had looked down on the other principals because of Ai Ning, the more bitterly he was now mocked.

Only those who have experienced it can truly understand the feeling of falling from the clouds to the depths.

He remained silent, the sounds of ridicule echoing in his ears, his eyes vacant as he quietly awaited the final judgment.