After grabbing the jade slip, Pang Zheng glanced at Ye Zichen and the others. Given that they had a jade slip with their demands, it was obvious that they’d prepared for this.
Ye Zichen must have reached the conclusion that Pang Zheng would make concessions to end all of this. Perhaps he wasn’t absolutely certain, but either way, for him to plan this far ahead was extraordinary.
Pang Zheng glanced coolly at Ye Zichen once more, then infused his divine sense into the slip.
“This is impossible.” He didn’t even read the whole list. After just a single glance, Pang Zheng refused their requested compensation.
“What do you mean by that, Society Head Pang?” asked Ye Zichen.
“You’re asking for too much.”
“How is this too much?” Ye Zichen pointed at the slip, then walked up to Xue Mo. “The resources listed on that slip were chosen out of consideration for Society Head Xue and Society Head Pang’s statuses. We’re just asking for due compensation given your lofty statuses, plus a little extra to make up for Society Head Xue’s psychological distress, as well as the damage to her reputation. We’re being completely forthright, so don’t haggle!”
“Psychological distress? Damage to her reputation?” Pang Zheng stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Our Society Head Xue wants to watch Sun Jialing’s performance. Given that she can’t, it’s only natural that she’d be somewhat distressed. Of course this requires due compensation! As for damage to her reputation, that’s simple! Society Head Xue has always kept her word, but this time, out of concern for you, she’s breaking her promise and letting Sun Jialing skip her nude performance. Don’t you think this’ll hurt Society Head Xue’s reputation?”
“Don’t take this too far!”
“You’re the one taking this too far!” Ye Zichen’s expression instantly darkened. He rubbed his hand over his ear and laughed, “Do you know who you’re talking to? Don’t forget just whose territory your Pang Family lives in! Pay up or strip, it’s up to you. We have no time to waste with you!”
Beneath that cold case, Pang Zheng’s heart instantly chilled. He clenched his fists and forcibly repressed his temper, then examined the requested compensation once more. “I don’t have that much on me. Give me a little time to prepare.”
“You have an hour. Don’t tell me it’s not enough. Given your position, that should be plenty of time to assemble the required resources.”
Pang Zheng nodded. “Alright.”
As promised, before the hour was up, a group of Grizzly Bears rushed back. Pang Zheng carried a spatial ring as well as three golden cards.
“Here is three million aureus as well as the resources you requested as compensation.”
Xue Mo and the others had no idea just what Ye Zichen had demanded, so when they heard “three million aureus,” they were stunned.
They’d wondered just what Ye Zichen had asked for to provoke such a response from Pang Zheng.
Now, however, it was clear. If three million aureus was just a portion of it, whatever was in that ring had to be precious.
They felt about three seconds of pity for Pang Zheng. But of course, that was it. Xue Mo and the others were from Anti-Upheaval, and were the Grizzly Bears’ rivals.
If Pang Zheng had suffered a heavy loss, they ought to be happy about it.
Ye Zichen accepted the cards and the ring and did a quick scan of their contents. It didn’t look like anything was missing, so he withdrew his divine awareness and smiled broadly. “Then I’ll graciously accept this on behalf of Anti-Upheaval.”
“We’re even now, right? In that case, I won’t stick around to chat. Bye for now!” After such a massive loss, Pang Zheng’s face was practically green. He cupped his fists respectfully, then left. However, after a few steps, he stopped. “Brother Ye, I hope to see you at the Student Society Ranking War half a year from now.”
“Hard to say, but I’ll do my best to make it there!” Ye Zichen smiled.
With that, Pang Zheng left, taking the other Grizzly Bears with them. Xue Mo dashed over like a little miser, eager to see their haul. She wiped the ring to see just what was stored inside.
Before long, she gazed at Ye Zichen in utter astonishment. “You’re awfully black-hearted, aren’t you? No wonder Pang Zheng practically went green with fury! This must be half his net worth!”
“Do you think it’s a lot? And here I thought it was too little. You’re undervaluing yourself. You’re worth far more than these resources. Rather, you’re priceless! I only asked for this little because it was the limit of what he’d accept.”
Ye Zichen smiled at her, then slipped the three golden cards into Xue Mo’s hands. “Use this to develop Anti-Upheaval. This ought to be enough to help us recover some of our vitality.”
He stretched lazily, yawned, and said, “The past few days have been exhausting, so I’m going back to get a good night’s sleep.”
With that, Ye Zichen left before Xue Mo could react. She stared blanky at the golden cards, Ye Zichen’s words echoing repeatedly through her head.
When she’d finally regained her senses, she realized Ye Zichen wasn’t there. She couldn’t help but ask, “Where’d Ye Zichen go?”
“He said he was going back to rest,” said Li Hu.
“Then we should head back too.”
Xue Mo put the ring and money away, then left, her hands behind her back. However, there were traces of a certain something lingering in her gaze.
…
“Divine power is actually the result of immortal power’s metamorphosis, but in comparison to immortal power, it’s at a higher level….”
In a classroom large enough to accommodate a hundred thousand students, a single lecturer stood on stage discussing the origins of Divine Power. Ye Zichen sat somewhere out of the teacher’s line of sight. His eyelids drooped, and despite himself, he yawned.
There was nothing for it! He couldn’t bring himself to maintain the slightest interest in this topic.
Also, this type of educational atmosphere was unbearable! There were fully a hundred thousand people crowded in here. Although everyone had sealed off the sounds of their breathing and no one dared make noise, perhaps only ten percent could study under these circumstances.
However, this class was mandatory, and they’d get penalized if they skipped.
When their grades dropped too low, students lost their qualifications to study at Skyspan Academy.
“Excuse me.” Ye Zichen, who was on the verge of dozing off, suddenly heard a voice. He looked up and saw Xue Mo wearing a hood and standing beside him.
“Why are you here?”
At the sky supreme level, there was no longer any requirement to attend formal classes. Even if she wanted to study, there was no need for her to attend such a low-level, fundamental lecture.
“Hurry up and made space for me. Do you want others to find out I’m here?”
Ye Zichen did as she requested. Xue Mo cautiously looked around, pulled her neck in close, and sat beside Ye Zichen.
Ye Zichen paid special attention to her outfit. How feminine!
“This class is awfully dull, isn’t it?” said Xue Mo after listening to the instructor’s lecture for a few moments.
“Drop the nonsense. Why are you here? Why aren’t you back at the base?”
“I left the Society to Bao Jingwu and Chen Guangfa. There’s no need for me to be there all the time. Besides, you’re the loyal minister responsible for our return to prominence. I’m here because I’m concerned that you’d be bored in class. Aren’t I here to accompany you?”
Ye Zichen didn’t quite know what to say. “What are you trying to say?”
“You really can’t read the room, can you?” She glared viciously at Ye Zichen, but her gaze contained complex, unspoken emotions. “I’m here to rescue you! Don’t you wish you could get out of these pointless lectures?”
