Chapter 34 - The Eight-School Alliance Explores Hell

He had also entered the Imperial Treasury, and Lu Hong had been there as well.

Previously, in the game “Skies Above,” he completed the ultimate subjugation mission, which granted him an opportunity to retrieve treasure from there.

Lu Hong remembered a sword inside that was perfect for him, a Level 8 giant sword, the Darkblood Demon Sword.

The grades of weapons were mentioned before, weren’t they?

There are twelve levels in total.

Among them, Levels 11 and 12 are almost exclusively used or collected by Heavenly Gods, while Level 10 weapons are the best that can be forged in this world.

Of course, there are Level 10 weapons in the Imperial Treasury, but none suited Lu Hong.

Having already reached the late stage of First Transition, he believed that the Second Transition wouldn’t be too far off.

The Darkblood Demon Sword from the Imperial Treasury, although ranking low in the treasury, was highly suitable for Lu Hong’s profession in the Second Transition.

This weapon had only one additional effect since being forged—Blood Drain.

That effect was extremely suitable for Lu Hong’s Second Transition profession.

Therefore, his choice was to take not the most expensive, but the most suitable.

When the guards reported that Lu Hong took only a Level 8 weapon, Emperor Konstantin found Lu Hong even more endearing.

Facing a dazzling array of top-tier weapons, he still resisted greed—admirable, truly admirable.

“Ah!

My dear nephew, you are so sensible, it makes me less willing to kill you; what should I do?” Emperor Konstantin sighed deeply.

Having taken the treasure, Lu Hong returned directly to the academy.

The days that followed were quite pleasant; the competition at the academy still continued, but Lu Hong was mostly uninvolved.

He only showed his face on the final day of the award ceremony, then safely escaped a crowd of fangirls under Nono’s protection and returned to the old man’s villa.

These past few days, the old man was also very busy, embroiled in gambling debts and cornered by a group of big shots.

As for why he was cornered, it was naturally because of the powerful performance Lu Hong displayed during the battle.

The power of the Jump Slash left a deep impression on all the big shots; such a formidable student must be recruited to their own academy—it would be disrespectful not to after the effort they took to attend.

As for Lock Fan, this dark horse, although he was privately conversed with by many big shots, given his use of water creatures and Dragon Blood, he must not be from an ordinary family and didn’t care about the three major academies.

“Old man, give me a solid plan; how can we persuade Tukuru to join the Academy of the Swordsmen?!” After much failed negotiation, the academy big shot was ready to flip the table.

At this moment, the old man was also very annoyed; these issues should have been dealt with by the young master himself, but everything was thrown to him.

Now he had offended all the big shots, but mentioning Lu Hong’s aspiration to join the military made the other two major academies’ top brass retreat on their own.

But it was different for the Academy of the Swordsmen, which specialized in training military personnel.

Wasn’t Tukuru born to join their academy?

So, the old man and the big shot from the Academy of the Swordsmen stubbornly negotiated for seven days, but of course, they couldn’t reach an agreement.

The young master’s order was to kick out these chattering folks; he didn’t need to go anywhere to study.

The old man strictly complied, but the big shot from the Academy of the Swordsmen clung to him like a stubborn plaster, insisting on discussing terms.

“I told you, whatever you offer, he won’t go with you.

Do whatever you need to do; the grand melee at Kains Academy has ended, you should go back now.

It’s not right to keep loitering around someone else’s academy,” the old man said impatiently, preparing to leave.

“Listen, Schuss, don’t be so final; tell me where Tukuru is.

I’ll talk to him personally; he will definitely come with me,” the big shot from the Academy of the Swordsmen pleaded, still not giving up; he had been looking for Lu Hong these past few days but couldn’t find him.

Otherwise, who would want to sit with this old man who couldn’t negotiate?

“Well, you go find him then.

If you find him, you can talk to him yourself,” the old man pushed away the big shot and stood up to leave, still uneasy, he added, “Don’t bother, he definitely will not go with you.”

“Humph!” The anger of the big shot from the Academy of the Swordsmen instantly peaked: “I’m very unhappy right now!”

“What?

I’m of general rank; you dare lift a hand against me?” Seeing the malicious look in the other’s eyes, the old man quickly stepped back, continuously warning.

“So what if you’re a general?” The big shot from the Academy of the Swordsmen didn’t hesitate and charged at the old man.

“You don’t want to recruit Tukuru to the academy anymore?

Dare to hit me?”

“No recruiting anymore; him not joining the Academy of the Swordsmen is his loss.

Sooner or later, I will make him understand what regret means!” As soon as he finished speaking, the two began to scuffle.

This time, there were no onlookers around, and they could fight to their heart’s content.

Night fell, and Lu Hong returned to the camp at the Red Maple Mountain Range.

Seeing the bruised face of the old man, he laughed and asked, “Did you get into another fight?”

“It was the other party who started it,” the old man retorted angrily, “He bullied me because his rank is higher than mine!”

“I know, I know.

Don’t cry, don’t cry,” Lu Hong patted the old man’s shoulder, consoling him, “Don’t go back to the academy these few days, just stay here with me in the camp.

After I reach Level 11, we’ll go back.”

Lu Hong had been missing from the academy, no wonder the big shots searched the entire academy and couldn’t find him.

Now, Lu Hong was in the Red Maple Mountain Range, far beyond Frostleaf Forest, filled with Demon Beasts, yet still quite far from the capital.

Lu Hong had been slaughtering Demon Beasts here for ten days and had not yet advanced to Level 11, but he figured another four or five days should suffice.

“Master, I’m suffering!” The little old man clung to Lu Hong.

“Alright, alright, stop it.

Teaching you skills is out of the question.

I told you last time, master what I’ve already taught you first.”

“” The little old man was just getting into the mood, hoping to snag a couple more skills with this incident, but before he could even speak, Lu Hong ruthlessly cut him off, leaving the old man to look at Lu Hong with a gaze full of silent resentment.

“Don’t look at me.

If you want to learn new skills, just diligently master the previous ones first.” Lu Hong twisted the little old man’s head away and walked straight to the campfire, preparing to roast something for a midnight snack.

“Woof woof woof!” At that moment, Doggie emerged from the dark forest, with a Level 3 Demon Beast Big-Fanged Dog in its mouth.

“Bro, dear bro.

I’ve captured the Demon Beast.

When are we cooking it up again?” Doggie looked at Lu Hong with hopeful eyes.

“Didn’t you just eat this afternoon?

Shoo, shoo, we’re not eating tonight.

We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Bro, my dear bro, I haven’t had my dinner yet!

Please take pity on me!” Doggie pleaded.

“Watch this.” Lu Hong picked up a stick and waved it in front of Doggie.

“No, no!” Doggie panicked, but Lu Hong ignored him and harshly threw the stick far away.

“Ah!

I hate you!” Doggie felt its limbs disobeying as it suddenly dashed after the thrown stick.

Hehe!

In the days spent together in the Red Maple Mountain Range, Lu Hong discovered Doggie’s two weaknesses: he loved watching all the Demon Beasts’ behinds, and anytime an object flew by him, he couldn’t help but fetch it, perhaps it was a congenital instinct.

Soon, Doggie returned with the stick, then Lu Hong threw another.

With tears in its eyes, Doggie rushed back into the dark forest…

When Lu Hong successfully advanced to Level 11, a significant event shook the entire Sacred Empire.

The Hell Sect clandestinely plotted and opened a Hell Rift within the empire’s territory.

Fortunately, Danni arrived in time and forcefully disrupted the process connecting the Hell Rift to the deeper parts of Hell.

Ultimately, this Hell Rift projected into a remote corner of Hell, and after Danni led a team to investigate, they found it was a lower level of Hell, wherein even the highest ranked Demon Beast was only First Transition Level 12.

So here comes the question, what does a Hell entrance of this power level represent?

Obviously, it’s another perfect training ground for the academy students.

As news of the Hell Rift spread, the chancellors from the eight major academies personally went to the Hell plane to inspect it.

After ensuring no high-level demons were present, the chancellors decided to conduct joint training, deploying large numbers of students into it.

“Don’t be afraid of sacrifices.

With the Hell Sect’s growing influence, confronting Hell seems almost certain.”

This training stint in Hell could also be a good thing.

Of course, student safety couldn’t be 100% guaranteed, so to minimize casualties, only students of Level 8 and above were allowed into the Hell Rift.

Nono and Fidel were just right for this, while Lu Hong was personally called in by the chancellor to prepare for the role of student military leader, leading the students in training and growth through combat in the Hell plane.

“No way.” Lu Hong flatly refused the chancellor’s proposition.

“Mr.

Tuturu, your strength is formidable; you’re the best candidate to lead.

Why won’t you agree?” the chancellor pressed, anxious.

“It’s too much hassle, and I prefer working solo.” Lu Hong smirked, leading a bunch of students?

No way.

He wouldn’t bother if not for the abundance of easy-to-kill demons in Hell, that hellhole of a place was all harsh terrain and tricky demons, not a breath of fresh air in sight!

“Alright, then I’ll have Lock Fan lead the team.

But Mr.

Tuturu, I sincerely hope you can help out at crucial times, ensuring the students’ safety,” the chancellor pleaded again, with a softer tone for this man who helped him regain his principal.

“Alright, I agree.

After all, we’re from the same academy.”

“That’s excellent, I truly appreciate it, Mr.

Tuturu, you’re a lifesaver!” the chancellor excitedly shook Lu Hong’s hand, then turned with a grimace to Lock Fan: “You’re leading this time.

If there are significant casualties, you better prepare for a beating when you return!”

“” Lock Fan gazed at the chancellor’s 360-degree mood swing and was utterly speechless.

What was this?

Favoritism?

This was a classic case of double standards!

I must protest!