Chapter 31: Mission Hall
Zhu Rong had planned to use the last two days he had to cultivate as much as possible.
He would do his work at the forge in the morning and train from the afternoon until the next day.
Now that he had started raising his cultivation, even the rest time he needed to dedicate to letting his body recover had decreased, so he could afford not to sleep for a day or two.
Especially because cultivating was also a way to rest the body.
He had already formed his first elemental core in his dantian, and now he just had to nurture it and successfully reach the first stage of the Mortal Realm.
But there was one problem with this plan, and it was none other than the lack of credits.
To book his training room, he had already emptied out the few credits he had, and now he had nothing left.
He realized that either he found a training room outside the academy, or he accepted some commission at the mission hall.
He spent the rest of the morning at the forge and finally, when afternoon came, he headed to the mission hall.
"It’s been a while since I last set foot here," he muttered as he entered the building.
It was located in the central area of the academy, in a spot accessible to all students, whether freshmen or seniors.
It was a two story building, with a refined look and an ancient charm.
He had to admit, the architecture of this building wasn’t bad at all, especially compared to some he had seen in the imperial capital.
It was clear that it had withstood the passage of time quite well.
As he took a few seconds to admire the building’s architecture, he felt a light tap from behind and turned to see who it was:
"Kid, stop wasting time and move. Don’t you see you’re in my way?" said a tall guy with tied back blue hair, a sharp face, and wearing a third year disciple’s robe.
Zhu Rong looked around and saw that there was plenty of space, he wasn’t actually blocking anyone.
They were in the atrium of the building, which had a diameter of several dozen meters.
He couldn’t understand how he could possibly be in anyone’s way.
It was obvious the other guy was targeting him.
Unfortunately for him, Zhu Rong wasn’t someone who would just get bullied like that, especially not by the person standing in front of him.
"Young man, are you blind or what? Can’t you see there’s plenty of space to walk all around?
Maybe you’ve spent too many sleepless nights and now your eyesight’s failing you?
Tch, that’s no good, at your age, if you don’t give your body the rest it needs, you’ll end up weak, and even your dragon won’t be able to do its job properly," he said in a calm tone, like some
righteous elder giving a lecture to a troublesome disciple.
The Blue haired guy: "..."
The People nearby: "..."
The people nearby had a weird expression as they watched a kid call someone older than him "young man."
Even the blue haired guy, who was treating Zhu Rong as someone who wasnt worth his time, found himself speechless for a moment.
’Damn it... what the hell do you mean by my dragon won’t be able to do its job?’
A brief silence fell over the area, broken only by a laugh from nearby.
"Hahaha, Li Duoji, he’s right,
if you don’t get enough rest, how are you gonna satisfy a woman?
Are you planning on staying single for life?" said a black haired guy wearing a third year disciple’s robe as he walked over to them.
Zhu Rong looked at him and immediately recognized him.
Yao Jianbo, a member of the Yao family.
Unlike him, Yao Jianbo was from a branch family, and from what Zhu Rong remembered, his talent was good enough that his family supported him even if he wasn’t part of the main family.
He couldn’t recall what happened to him after he left, not that he cared.
After all, the two barely knew each other and had never really interacted, just a few encounters because of different circumstances.
That being said, unlike Yao Jianbo, he had several encounters with Li Duoji.
How could he not?
After all, this was the person who made his last year a living hell, and the very same one who sent assassins after him once he was kicked out of his family.
He was the one who decided to go after him because of his engagement with Liang Yuexin.
Zhu Rong had big plans to settle old scores with this guy and wasn’t about to miss any chance to give him a hard time every time he saw him.
Even in this life, he had already suffered some dirty tricks because him, though he didn’t know it yet.
Only later would he find out that the person who had made his already difficult life at the academy even worse... was him.
He planned to pay him back with his own medicine, little by little, until he had nothing and no one left.
He’d make him wish he’d never been born.
Li Duoji, who already had a dark expression, grew even angrier after hearing what the newcomer said.
He turned his attention to him and spoke in a cold voice:
"Yao Jianbo, this has nothing to do with you. I suggest you stay in your place," he said, indirectly making it clear they weren’t on the same level.
"Oh? And what if I don’t?"
But Yao Jianbo didn’t seem to take the warning to heart and openly provoked him with a challenging expression.
The tense and gloomy atmosphere created by Zhu Rong quickly got heavier, as the two stared each other down, motionless, like two beasts about to tear into each other.
The people nearby, feeling the invisible pressure hanging in the air, backed away, and soon, a wide open space formed at the center of the atrium where three figures stood.
Two third year disciples and one second year disciple, who at that moment, looked out of place.
Just as everyone thought the situation was about to explode, a voice echoed out, shattering the invisible tension hanging over the area:
"Who dares cause a commotion in the mission hall?!" a stern, elderly voice resounded, followed by another wave of overwhelming pressure that swept over the three standing at the center of the scene.