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Translator: Silavin
[To think this Epic Grade Item actually appeared here of all places?] Lu Fan saw Gu Han nearby and quickly asked her if she knew who the person wearing the robe and holding the staff in the crowd below was.
Gu Han looked for a moment and replied. “Oh, that’s the new principal of Dragon Capital University. Well… we call the principal ‘new’, but the principal has actually been in that position for two years. I heard that the principal is an extremely powerful Player, possibly already having a Fourth Profession or above.”
“That’s the principal?” Lu Fan was slightly taken aback, but after thinking about it, he felt that it made sense.
Dragon Capital University was ranked among the top 10 Universities in Dragon Country. Anyone who could become the principal here must be an expert Player. Since the principal was an expert Player, it was not that surprising for the principal to own an Epic Grade Item.
[The principal’s Combat Power must be something that stands out, even in Dragon Capital.]
However, Lu Fan still sensed something strange from Gu Han’s words. He frowned and asked. “You ‘heard’? Don’t teachers in the University know how strong the principal is?”
Gu Han smiled and honestly admitted. “We really don’t know.”
“You’ve only been at the University for a few months, so you might not understand some things. Our principal is very strange. Two years ago, when the old principal stepped down, this one took over. Even when this person took over as principal, there is no difference from how this person dressed at the time. No one knows about the current principal’s identity. We do not know how old the principal is or whether the principal is a he or a she.”
“Usually, the principal doesn’t attend any activities hosted by the University. Almost everything is handled by Vice Principal Zhao. So, we teachers don’t know much about this principal. Perhaps no one knows except Vice Principal Zhao? But I have to say, this new principal is exceptionally capable. Under this principal’s leadership, Dragon Capital University has won first place in the two year long University Competition, which is how we earned the entry ticket for the National Trial.”
“Oh…” Lu Fan nodded, looking at the principal below with great curiosity.
[Dragon Capital University truly is a place with Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers. A principal who had been in office for two years yet rarely appears. A person so low-key that even the University teachers didn’t know much about. How strange. I wonder what secrets does the principal have, and why, after becoming the principal, still decides to not disclose their identity?]
At this time, the University teachers had already taken their seats in the reception hall. Everything seemed ready. They were just waiting for the Special Envoy to arrive.
After the principal was seated, they remained as still as a statue, not moving at all.
Some other University leaders, seated in the back rows, occasionally whispered to each other.
After waiting for about half an hour, a teacher quickly walked in, probably to notify that the Special Envoy had arrived.
At this point, the principal finally moved, slowly standing up and leading the University leaders to go and greet the visitor.
Meanwhile, outside the reception hall, a middle-aged man in full armour, though rather obese, was walking in surrounded by several teachers. He met with the principal and others at the entrance of the reception hall.
The principal did not personally go forward to greet him. Instead, Zhao Shengming walked up with a smile on his face and shook hands with this middle-aged man. Clearly, the Special Envoy was today’s main character, sent from the upper echelons to test Lu Fan.
Lu Fan observed Ruan Changfeng for a moment and found that although he had a big belly and looked corrupt, his every move was clearly in a state of alertness. He was ready to engage in battle at any time.
This was not intentional, but rather an almost instinctive combat awareness that had been developed through many trials and tribulations.
[This man is definitely not as simple as he seems. He must have experienced many life-and-death battles and crawled out of piles of corpses. Though, I guess this makes sense. To become a big shot in Dragon Capital, even if he is from the Moderate Faction, he must be able to hold his own. His Combat Power is definitely not something to be underestimated.]
Since Lu Fan was on the second floor, he could not hear what the people downstairs were saying. He could only see that under Zhao Shengming’s enthusiastic reception, Ruan Changfeng followed the University leaders to their seats and then began to discuss something.
It was quite apparent that they were talking about this year’s National Trial.
From Zhao Shengming’s increasingly unpleasant expression, Lu Fan could sense that the conversation between the two sides was not going well.
However, this was something Lu Fan had already anticipated.
The two sides talked for a full half an hour. Finally, Zhao Shengming beckoned to an accompanying teacher. He said a few words, and then this teacher ran upstairs to the lounge where Lu Fan was waiting to say. “Lu Fan, Vice Principal Zhao says you need to go downstairs to meet the Special Envoy and accept the assessment.”
“Alright.” What was meant to come would come eventually. Lu Fan was not nervous and was about to follow this teacher downstairs.
Gu Han was thoughtful enough to ask a question to the teacher for Lu Fan. “How’s the situation downstairs? Is this Special Envoy difficult to deal with?”
The teacher who came to call Lu Fan looked troubled. He nodded and said. “The other party seems to have come prepared. He already knows that Dragon Capital University has chosen a freshman who has just enrolled as our First Seed to send over. He is already claiming that an assessment is unnecessary, that Dragon Country can’t bet on the National Trial, which only happens once every three years, on a freshman who just underwent his Profession Change.”
“The Special Envoy is claiming that he does not want to be bothered to assess our University’s First Seed. Rather, he wants to see the Second, Third, and Fourth Seed. However, the principal directly refused, saying Dragon Capital University does not have a Second Seed much less a Third Seed. They have already chosen Lu Fan as their final candidate for the National Trial.”
“The Special Envoy was very dissatisfied after hearing this. But, the principal did not budge an inch. Although Vice Principal Zhao tried to mediate, the negotiations between the two sides are in a deadlock.”
Lu Fan knew that normally, even if Dragon Capital University had an entry ticket for the National Trial, for such an important occasion, they would have already prepared several talented Players. They would rank them as First Seed, Second Seed, and so on. The ranking was based on their current Combat Power and potential.
Previously, Zhao Shengming had also said that Dragon Capital University had already prepared several top Players from the University as candidates to compete for the final spot in the National Trial. It was just that Lu Fan had parachuted in and taken their position.
Technically, Lu Fan was considered the First Seed, and those Senior Students he had never met should be the Second and Third Seeds. If Ruan Changfeng insisted on excluding Lu Fan from the final selection, it would be reasonable to let the other candidates come and accept Ruan Changfeng’s assessment in his place.
If someone could satisfy Ruan Changfeng, the final candidate would basically be decided then.
However, the principal had declared there to be no other Seeds. This had directly blocked Ruan Changfeng’s attempt of choosing someone else. Thus, it would be strange for Ruan Changfeng’s expression to not turn ugly.
The teacher continued. “Maybe the Special Envoy doesn’t dare to confront our principal directly. After Vice Principal Zhao gave him a way out, the Special Envoy stated that since Dragon Capital University has no other Seeds, he’ll give Lu Fan a chance to accept the assessment. If he can pass, then he’ll approve Dragon Capital University’s application. But if he fails, then he’ll report it to his higher ups, and force the entry ticket to be given to the other prepared Universities.”
Gu Han quickly asked: “Did the principal and Vice Principal Zhao agree?”
The teacher nodded and said. “Yes, they both agreed to this, that’s why they sent me up to call Lu Fan down.”
Gu Han nodded and patted Lu Fan’s shoulder, encouraging. “Lu Fan, seems like the principal and Vice Principal Zhao really value you a lot. They are betting on you. You must do your best to keep your spot…”
“Don’t worry, Teacher Gu, I will definitely pass whatever is thrown at me.” Lu Fan smiled, then followed the teacher who came to call him downstairs.
As soon as he went downstairs, Lu Fan could feel that the atmosphere below was a bit awkward and tense. Only the principal, with that robe covering their entire appearance, sat upright in their seat like a statue, and remained unmoved.
Seeing Lu Fan arrive, Zhao Shengming actively stood up and walked to Lu Fan’s side. He spoke to Ruan Changfeng. “Special Envoy, this is the final candidate Dragon Capital University has chosen to send to the National Trial, Dragon Tamer Lu Fan.”
Ruan Changfeng had been drinking tea, but when he heard Lu Fan’s name, he immediately put down his teacup and turned his gaze towards Lu Fan. A gaze that was clearly hostile. After all, he clearly knew that he had been demoted by three ranks because of the young man in front of him.
As such, his insistence on denying Lu Fan as Dragon Country’s representative for the National Trial earlier was definitely mixed with his own personal feelings.
“You’re Lu Fan?” Ruan Changfeng sat upright in his chair in an imposing manner, his tone entirely one of a superior talking down to a subordinate.
Lu Fan was neither servile nor overbearing, nodding and stating. “That’s right.”
“South Province’s top student? One of the only two Dragon Tamers with Dragons in recorded history? Not bad prospects.” Ruan Changfeng gave a couple of lukewarm compliments, but Lu Fan did not hear any goodwill in his tone.
Immediately after, Ruan Changfeng changed the subject and asked. “I’ve seen your profile date. You just underwent your Profession Change this year, right? What level are you now?”
Lu Fan disclosed his Level, answering. “Level 32. I’ve just completed my Second Profession Change.”
“Level 32? You’ve Levelled Up really fast.” Ruan Changfeng was slightly taken aback by how fast Lu Fan had Levelled Up. However, his attitude remained unchanged.
“Do you know why I came to Dragon Capital University?”
Lu Fan replied. “To assess the candidate who is going to the National Trial Secret Realm.”
“Then, do you know what the historical average Level of the Players participating in the National Trial Secret Realm is?”
Lu Fan thought for a moment and casually answered.”Over 50, I suppose.”
“Hehe.” Ruan Changfeng sneered, “Seems like you’ve done some homework.”
“That’s right. Although there’s an age limit, and all participants in the National Trial Secret Realm are youths, their average Level is as high as over fifty. I’ve just received the latest news that this year’s participants in the National Trial Secret Realm are the strongest batch in the past twenty years. There are as many as eight Third Profession Players participating.”
After a pause, Ruan Changfeng slapped the table and said in a low voice. “You’re only a Level 32 Second Profession Player. Even if you have a Dragon, so what? Are you a match against those Third Profession Players? You should know what the National Trial represents. It is not just a simple competition. The country will bet many resources on you. If you lose, the country’s losses will be unimaginable!”
“I can understand your desire to participate in the National Trial and gain the Secret Realm Rewards. But if you participate in the National Trial out of selfish desires and lose, wasting the country’s resources, you’ll definitely be despised by the whole country in the future. So, answer me this: do you still want to participate in the National Trial!?”
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