Chapter 978: Time to Kill Those Who Don't Know Their Place
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 978: Time to Kill Those Who Don't Know Their Place
"Sigh... People from the Jack-of-all-trades Club. One of those two is the Vice President, right?" Ying Shiqian asked, looking over at Tang Yihan.
Since the Baking House had taken off, the two of them had found themselves with more free time. Tang Yihan, in particular, now had more time and savings to experiment with her baking innovations.
"Xing Anlei and Jiao Xiaoshuang. The one named Xing Anlei is the Vice President," Tang Yihan replied. She knew this clearly, of course, because of the Great Knowledge Seed.
Normally, graduated students no longer participated in the promotion of the Knowledge Seeds, but they happened to know Xiao Han.
"Oh my... how the tables have turned," Ying Shiqian said, making no effort to lower her voice. "Remember when the Jack-of-all-trades Club came to our shop all aggressive, demanding the Shopkeeper hand over some fragment? They were so arrogant back then~"
Fortunately, the door to the reception room had excellent soundproofing.
"Now, even their Vice President has to bring a respectful greeting gift just to get through the door. Don't you think that's hilarious?" As she spoke, Ying Shiqian nudged Tang Yihan’s leg with her foot.
"We're just riding on Xiao Han's coattails. You make it sound like it's your own achievement." Tang Yihan rolled her eyes at Ying Shiqian and stuffed a pastry into her mouth.
The girl was boasting and chatterboxing far too much; it was getting noisy.
"Hehe~ The first time I saw Xiao Han, I knew... mmm... wha' i' thi'? Gag... cough... Ptu! Cough, cough..."
Watching the two of them fool around, Shopkeeper Xia Li sat silently to the side. She had no intention of going inside.
After all... one had to have self-awareness.
* * *
Inside the reception room.
Xing Anlei had grasped the essence of the situation. Without wasting time on pleasantries, she cut straight to the point, recounting the club's decision after Fu Xinglan and Tracy had left, as well as the events of the past few days in the Qunluosen Wasteland.
"The people remaining in the Qunluosen Wasteland are acting exceptionally arrogant. Although leaving was our own decision, the looks on their faces are truly infuriating..."
Listening to Xing Anlei’s emotionally charged description was far more entertaining than simply observing the raw data.
It seemed the materials the Ancient Remnant Ice King had shaped using the power of the fragments had indeed given those people a taste of sweetness.
Dean Mei hadn't been wrong. If those materials alone were enough to make people start discussing the distribution of future profits, then if the Hexagonal Crystal Amber appeared, even Transcendents would likely descend to fight for it.
"Did you manage to get any samples of the materials they discovered?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, we didn't... but we heard about the so-called 'precious materials' they mentioned. It seems they believe the secret realm was birthed by those Ancient Remnant Ice Kings... but there's a major problem with that theory." Xing Anlei spoke truthfully.
"What problem?"
"We've studied samples from various areas of the secret realm and the remains of the Ancient Remnant Ice Kings themselves. Only the crystals on the bodies of the Ice Kings have any real value, but even then, it's not to the extent that they would need to hide it from us."
"So you suspect they're putting on an act?" I looked at Xing Anlei with a smile.
"While I'd like to believe they couldn't all have united just to put on a show, we can't rule out the possibility..."
"Then what do you plan to do next?" I continued.
"Next..." Xing Anlei looked conflicted. "We have already followed your instructions to stop interfering with that secret realm. Naturally, we have no further plans."
"The main reason for our visit today... was actually to ask for your opinion, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han. The Glacial Throne Secret Realm is, after all, the property of the Witch Academy. Now that it's being forcibly occupied by people from other Transcendent academies, it's not an outcome we wish to see. If there is anything you need our help with, the Jack-of-all-trades Club will certainly not refuse."
Xing Anlei’s words were a masterful bit of diplomacy. She was stating that the club had completely backed off from the secret realm as I requested.
However, the fact that this happened the moment they stepped back made them look like a laughingstock, and they were losing face. By framing it as "academy property," she was subtly asking what I intended to do next.
"The secret realm is indeed the property of the witches, and the academy certainly doesn't want others taking advantage of what belongs to us. I will resolve this matter personally. As for how I'll do it, I won't say for now," I replied simply.
As for how... the situation with the Ancient Remnant Ice King required the power and skills of my main body. The three plans highly correlated with it also required my personal presence.
As for how to solve the problem? Naturally, the most violent way possible.
When the Rebel Witch Sheryl had lashed out at Dean Mei, she hadn't just snapped the Dean out of it—she had snapped me out of it too.
Her words were filled with the idea that power and talent grant a person the right to be willful.
They made me realize what I could actually do right now.
I used to think that killing was something far removed from me—until I killed someone myself.
I used to think academy rules were something that had to be followed—until I reached a point where I could ignore them.
I used to think I didn't have enemies who wanted me dead—until they actually tried to kill me.
I used to think a world was vast... until it shattered to become nourishment for another world.
And now... I finally understood. Invincibility isn't about staying comfortably at a lower level, enjoying the boredom of bullying the weak.
It's about challenging those far more powerful than you—enemies who cannot kill you!
Cannot, not will not.
This kind of death-defying behavior was like dancing on the edge of a blade, and it gave me an urge to try it.
Even if this wasn't the true definition of strength, I was already bored of bullying the weak.
I turned my gaze back to Xing Anlei.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Instead, I'm more interested in what you mentioned regarding the materials those people found."
As I spoke, I ignored the flicker of disappointment that Xing Anlei hid so well. I then took several frost-covered crystals from my storage equipment.
These crystals were identical to the ones the Ancient Remnant Ice King had created in the secret realm.
These items were produced using techniques derived from the [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment of the Great Glacial Throne Technique. Don't forget, I still had a Heart of the Cold Wave in my possession.
Though its power didn't match the Ancient Remnant Ice King, it was more than enough to manufacture some samples. Besides, these weren't Hexagonal Crystal Amber.
These were all "failures" created during the process of refining Hexagonal Crystal Amber. I had selected the better-performing ones from among the failures and categorized them as a special technique.
Unfortunately... this special technique, much like the Incubation Purification Method, could not be replicated by any means other than the power of the Great Spellbook.
Therefore, these things could only ever be a small taste of sweetness for those people.
Once the Hexagonal Crystal Amber was officially prepared, why would the Great Glacial Throne Technique ever be used to create these mid-to-high-value byproducts again?
"This... these are...!"
Xing Anlei stared at the crystals arranged on the coffee table. After a second of shock, she realized what they were!
"It's exactly what you think. These are the materials those people found in the secret realm."
"May I... test them?" Xing Anlei took a deep breath, momentarily ignoring the question of how I had obtained such things.
"Go ahead."
"Thank you."
Xing Anlei quickly thanked me and picked up the crystal closest to her.
Most upperclassmen knew a bit about identifying Transcendent materials; it was a matter of experience. After all, they dealt with them constantly—whether for making money, alchemy, weapon forging, or even as casting aids.
As the Vice President of the Jack-of-all-trades Club, Xing Anlei had a very broad perspective. Even if she didn't recognize a specific material, she could estimate its value range based on its properties.
After confirming that these materials weren't incredibly rare items, she felt a slight sense of relief.
But it was only slight.
Even if these materials weren't so rare that they couldn't be bought with money, their value was still significant. If they could be produced in large quantities, they would still be a commodity that could make people's eyes turn red with greed.
"If I may ask... where in the secret realm are these materials produced? Previously, due to our limited technology, the club might not have detected the distribution of these resources."
"The Ancient Remnant Ice King. The Ancient Remnant Ice King can create these materials," I said.
"The Ancient Remnant Ice King? Create them?" Xing Anlei’s eyes widened. This was a possibility they had never considered.
In the past, the Ancient Remnant Ice King would attack them on sight. It was impossible for it to cooperate with them to manufacture such special materials.
No wonder they had never found them. It turned out the true value... had always been the Ancient Remnant Ice Kings themselves? But they had completely lost their qualification to pursue them.
"Wait... then how did those people get these materials? Those Ancient Remnant Ice Kings wouldn't cooperate with them, would they?" Xing Anlei immediately spotted the flaw.
"The Ancient Remnant Ice King naturally wouldn't cooperate. They obtained those materials from the bodies of the people who were blasted out of the secret realm. Every single piece... is stained with the blood of those whose lives were drained."
"What?!"
Xing Anlei was stunned by the answer.
If it was just a matter of heavy injuries or deaths, they had plenty of those before. Were all those ice crystals actually these materials... and they had just watched them melt?
No, that wasn't right.
Xing Anlei quickly realized that the materials before her weren't ice blocks that melted at room temperature. They were clearly permanent low-temperature crystals with Transcendent properties.
Only a specific alchemical refinement could change their internal structure and energy composition. They wouldn't melt at room temperature unless... their power was completely drained.
"The Ancient Remnant Ice King won't cooperate with them to produce these things. So, what they're thinking now is... to take it back and have a Transcendent Mentor enslave it. That way, they'll have a perpetual motion machine that constantly churns out these materials." Ignoring Xing Anlei’s shock, I continued.
"And I will not give them that chance."
* * *
The conversation didn't last much longer, but that didn't mean Xing Anlei left empty-handed.
On the contrary, her harvest was massive!
Just getting these material samples was enough to give the club members an explanation and put their minds at ease. It let them know that those outsiders hadn't found something unimaginably precious; at least the value was within a range they could stomach.
Furthermore, there was another crucial piece of information.
Teaching Assistant Xiao Han was going to take action personally!
And Teacher Bai, who was sitting right there, hadn't said a word the entire time. But her presence alone signaled that she was ready to intervene at any moment.
This meant those people wouldn't be acting smug for much longer.
* * *
Back in the Baking House.
After seeing Xing Anlei off, I turned to look at Sister Bai.
"Xiao Han, you did well! You dominated the direction of the conversation the whole time~" Sister Bai praised.
She could see that the other party was constrained by the gap in status and didn't dare to overstep, but for this meeting, Xiao Han—backed by her Heart Sense and strength—truly was the one leading the way.
There was a simple, brutal, and direct beauty to it.
"Hehe~ Actually, I prefer them when they're arrogant and unyielding. It's a shame I probably won't get the chance to see that; they caved too quickly," I said with a hint of helplessness.
Initially, the fireworks from the secret realm's explosion were meant for these clubs to see, but unfortunately, they didn't have the luck to witness it.
"What do you plan to do next, Xiao Han? Go straight to the Qunluosen Wasteland?"
"Of course~" I replied with a smile.
My slightly excited tone carried a trace of undetectable killing intent.
Because I was truly curious... how many people I would have to kill to attract a Transcendent to target me, regardless of their dignity.
Yes... killing.
I could now calmly speak of using human lives as chips to force a Transcendent to move against me.
Didn't the Dean hope I wouldn't use the Hexagonal Crystal Amber as bait?
And she didn't want me to use the Elven Mother Tree as a lure to make the elves attack me.
Then let everything return to the most primitive way. Let's see how many students have to die before they start taking things seriously.
After all, I'm standing on ground under the Witch Academy's influence, protecting the academy's assets. Killing a few blind bandits who are trespassing on academy property is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?
I pushed open the door to the reception room and saw the Shopkeeper and the other two waiting for us outside.
"Xiao Han! Uh... and Teacher Bai." Ying Shiqian had started to call out to me enthusiastically, but she stopped instinctively upon seeing Bai Yu.
After all, Bai Yu was now a Transcendent Mentor!
Theoretically, Bai Yu was younger than Ying Shiqian and the others, yet she had already ascended to the Transcendent level. This shift in status made it difficult for Ying Shiqian to figure out how to act.
But calling her "Teacher" was definitely the safe bet.
"It's fine. I told you, there's no need to be so stiff. Xiao Han's friends are my friends," Sister Bai said, seeing Ying Shiqian’s awkward expression. "However, Xiao Han and I have things to do, so we won't stay and disturb the Baking House any longer."
"Ah! No problem at all! Xiao Han and Teacher Bai are welcome at the Baking House anytime!" Ying Shiqian said quickly.
The three of them then saw Sister Bai and me out.