The Eighth Academy covered a large area.

It had numerous training grounds.

When a Magical Beast crisis occurred, this was also where Soldiers were summoned from their territories.

Zhao Chi arrived at the academic building and entered Junior Lord Class 4.

He had already left early, and by catching a ride with Li Ruanyu, he arrived even sooner.

There were only five students in the classroom.

They were all at their desks, heads bowed in silence.

Everyone was looking at their system messages.

When Zhao Chi entered, two students glanced up at him before looking down again.

Zhao Chi walked to his seat.

’Now that I’m officially a Lord, I’ll be coming to the academic building less and less.’

’I’m actually a little nostalgic for my class days.’

’Even though there were a lot of frustrations, the courses were fascinating.’

’It always felt like the instructors on stage weren’t teaching a class, but rather giving a walkthrough for some game.’

Zhao Chi opened his system as well.

He went to his class’s private chat group.

The students were chatting furiously, all of them predicting the rankings for the upcoming test.

The discussion centered on the big names in their year.

Zhuang Wan: [That can’t be right. We may not have honors or elite classes, but Class 10 still has the biggest advantage. I think first place will go to either Yuan Zhao or Zhou Lue.]

Li Xun: [Zhou Lue is from Class 9. He’s brilliant when it comes to theory, but his Constitution is lacking. I think Hua Yuyin from Class 1 will probably take first.]

Yin Lan: [Hua Yuyin is a beast, for sure, but she’s all brawn and no brain. She might be able to brute-force her way through seven stages, but she won’t get any further.]

Sun Quan: [I agree, I have my doubts about Hua Yuyin. But Zhou Lue from Class 9 is definitely solid, and so is Qi Xue from Class 6.]

Yu Wang: [I also think Yuan Zhao from Class 10 is incredible. You Yu from Class 2 and Pei Yuanxiu from Class 5 are pretty good too. They should be able to contend for the top three.]

Li Ke: [I think Cao Feng is pretty good.]

Tan Wei: [Cao Feng is decent, for our class. But ranking high in the entire year? That’s a long shot. Besides, Yuan Zhao and Zhou Lue’s families are rich, too.]

Sun Quan: [Pei Yuanxiu from Class 6 has a pretty wealthy family, too.]

Shi Juan: [You gotta support your own classmates, right? I support Brother Cao.]

Yang Xiong: [This isn’t a vote, so what’s there to ’support’? If we’re going by that logic, I support Lu Yi.]

Lu Yi: [I can’t do it. I don’t have enough experience.]

Cao Feng: [Yang Xiong, you again, you motherfucker. How about we make a bet? On this test. You dare?]

Yang Xiong: [I dare. Just have your daddy buy me a Racial Bloodline and some Soldiers, then we’ll talk. How about you? Do you dare to compete with real strength instead of relying on your family?]

Cao Feng: [Fuck your ’real strength’. Where’s Zhao Chi? Come out and talk. You haven’t forgotten our bet, have you? ]

Yang Xiong: [Zhao Chi can’t be bothered to deal with you. Swap your Shadow Leopards for a free Race first. Otherwise, you’re not qualified to Taunt others.]

Cao Feng: [Hehehe. Can’t be bothered, or just scared? I’ll show you all what a real army looks like!]

[Image] [Image]

Cao Feng sent a few pictures.

The pictures showed sixty Shadow Leopards and five Centaur Shooters.

Five new Shadow Leopards spawned each day. Cao Feng had lost two previously, so logically, he should only have thirty-eight today. It seemed his family had bought him over twenty more.

The Shadow Leopards were all clad in Leather Armor, greatly increasing their defensive capabilities.

Not to mention the Centaurs. Their Movement Speed was already high, and with the ability to shoot Arrows, they could fire on the move and rout their enemies.

However...

An army of sixty-five Soldiers certainly had some power, but it was unlikely to be enough to secure a top rank in the year.

Cao Feng’s main combat force numbered sixty-five, so his territory must also have some population dedicated to production, like Goblin slaves.

All told, his population was probably around one hundred.

Seeing Cao Feng’s pictures, Zhao Chi felt even more confident.

This was more or less what he had predicted.

While cramming on various subjects, Zhao Chi had naturally also reviewed information on the school’s opening tests from the past decade.

There were some differences each year, but by and large, they were all quite similar.

Based on the data from previous years, only a handful of people ever made it to the very end.

’I estimate my own strength should be enough to clear eight stages. Anything beyond that will come down to luck.’

’As for Cao Feng, with his strength and family resources, I estimate he can clear six to seven stages.’

’Unless his family was truly treating him as a priority to be cultivated.’

’But that’s unlikely.’

His family was grooming Cao Feng’s older brother—a humble, polite, and quite powerful young man.

The wealthier and more influential a family, the more emphasis they place on cultivating their heirs.

Behavior and etiquette are also a key part of this upbringing.

But one glance at Cao Feng’s conduct was enough to tell he was poorly brought up.

Such people are basically the ones who have been given up on or aren’t taken seriously.

Unless they’re from a nouveau riche family.

As he was analyzing the situation, a clamor erupted outside the door.

Zhao Chi looked up.

By now, over thirty students were in the classroom, and they all looked toward the door.

Cao Feng entered the classroom along with Zheng He, Kong Xiang, and Shi Juan.

They were laughing and talking loudly without a shred of decorum.

Cao Feng looked over the moment he entered the room.

He was very surprised to see Zhao Chi.

"Huh, look you guys. Zhao Chi’s already here."

Kong Xiang said, "Yeah, Zhao Chi. Why weren’t you talking in the chat? Too scared?"

Shi Juan added, "It doesn’t matter if he was talking in the chat or not, he still has to sign!"

The group walked toward Zhao Chi as they spoke.

The other students watched the unfolding drama with interest.

"Zhao Chi," Cao Feng said, "you haven’t forgotten what was said in the chat, have you? Aren’t you supposed to be a man of your word?"

Zhao Chi nodded. "I haven’t forgotten."

"If you haven’t forgotten, why were you so quiet? In that case, sign this."

With that, Cao Feng used the system to send over a formal wager agreement.

Zhao Chi took a look. The contents of the agreement were the same as what they had discussed in the chat.

The winner would be determined by who ranked higher in the school-opening test.

If Cao Feng won.

Zhao Chi would have to sign a one-year vassal agreement, surrendering 20% of all his territory’s income to Cao Feng for that year.

If Zhao Chi won.

Cao Feng would have to gift the "Racial Improvement Book" to Zhao Chi.

Zhao Chi read the agreement carefully, then shook his head. "The terms need to be changed."

Cao Feng was surprised. "Changed? What, are you scared?"

Shi Juan said, "Weren’t you just claiming to be a man of your word? Trying to back out now?"

Zhao Chi said, "Cao Feng, it says you’ll gift me the Racial Improvement Book, but it doesn’t specify who pays the taxes. The tax rate on this item is not low. You need to amend it to state that you’ll be responsible for the tax fees."

Cao Feng was incredulous. "What the fuck? You’re taking the item back to your own territory, and I’m supposed to pay the taxes?"

Zhao Chi nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course. Otherwise, I won’t sign."

Zheng He sneered, "I think you’re fucking scared, aren’t you? Just trying to find an excuse?"

Kong Xiang said, "Brother Cao, just change it for him! Let’s see if he signs after you change it!"

Cao Feng said angrily, "Change my ass! He says change, so I just change it? Who do you take orders from, him or me?"

Shi Juan sneered. "Brother Cao, he’s just scared, that’s why he’s doing this. He’s just stalling for time. He’s trying to drag things out until Instructor Li gets here. Once the test starts, there’ll be no time to sign."

Zheng He said, "Brother Cao, it’s not like he can win anyway. Just change it."

Cao Feng snorted.

He quickly amended the agreement, signed it, and sent it to Zhao Chi.

"Damn it, it’s just a little tax, right? I’ve changed it. Sign it."

Zhao Chi looked at the new agreement.

He nodded in satisfaction. "That works. I’ve already signed. Take a look."

When Cao Feng saw that Zhao Chi had signed, his face lit up with a triumphant grin.

"Hahaha! I posted those pictures in the chat on purpose! I’m actually hiding another twenty-five Centaur Shooters! You’re such a fucking idiot, aren’t you?"

Cao Feng looked utterly smug.

Shi Juan, Zheng He, and Kong Xiang also roared with laughter.

Zhao Chi found their smug faces amusing. "Alright, alright. You’ve got some brains after all. Good luck to you."

Zhao Chi’s own smile was relaxed.

His expression was one of complete indifference.

Cao Feng, however, was surprised. "Why the fuck are you laughing? What are you laughing at?"

Zhao Chi smiled. "Stop trying to stir up trouble. Go back to your seat. Instructor Li will be here any minute."

Cao Feng sneered. "Fine. We’ll see if you’re still smiling after the test! Let’s go!"

At his own command, Cao Feng led Shi Juan and the others back to their seats.

Just then, Yang Xiong also entered the classroom.

The first thing he said upon seeing Zhao Chi was, "Zhao Chi, whatever you do, don’t sign that agreement with Cao Feng! As long as there’s no agreement, he can’t force you to sign a vassal agreement even if he ranks higher than you. At worst, we can just flame him together in the chat. Backing out of your word isn’t a big deal."