Chapter 92 Professors Competing

Xu Han's eyes lit up. Truly worthy of being called epic equipment! The attributes it added were downright outrageous. Anyone, as long as they possessed a piece of epic equipment, could utterly dominate ninety percent of their peers at the same level. This was no idle boast.

Huang Zhengtian smiled warmly. “Xu Han, congratulations on claiming first place in the trial,” he said. “I'm Huang Zhengtian, Dean of the War Academy. If you’re interested in joining us, I’ll assign you the best mentor available.” Xu Han paused in surprise, then replied with a polite smile, “Thank you, Dean Huang.”

Huang Zhengtian was in no rush; he simply gestured for Xu Han to step down. Under the envious gaze of the crowd, Xu Han returned to the floor below. Behind him, Zheng Gang and the others ground their teeth in frustration.

“That sly old Huang, taking advantage for personal gain!”

“Exactly! How underhanded!”

“We have to make him pay for this!”

Huang Zhengtian’s smile faded as he turned back to the audience and continued the announcements. “Second to fourth place…”

Soon, all the prizes for the top ten were distributed.

Huang Zhengtian spoke again. “Next, you may choose your mentors. All mentors are seated in the stands. Each academy’s mentors are clearly grouped, so there’s no need for me to say more. You have one hour to make your choice. If you haven’t found a mentor within the hour, you’ll be randomly assigned one based on your profession. Now, you may begin.”

As soon as he finished speaking, many students rushed toward the stands.

Xu Han, however, was in no hurry. He planned to observe which mentors others would choose first. After all, he had no information on Dragon Country University or the specialties of the various academies and mentors. Choosing a mentor at random would be far too irresponsible.

In the first section of the stands sat the mentors from the Warrior Academy—each one a towering, muscle-bound giant. Some wielded great axes, others heavy swords. Some were clad head to toe in iron armor, only their eyes visible.

Beside them were the mentors from the War Academy. Most wore military uniforms and were almost all men. Only the Mage Academy boasted a significant number of female mentors. Many male students stared at those women, nearly getting nosebleeds.

Yet, not being magic users themselves, they could only look on with longing, unable to join the Mage Academy.

Further down sat the mentors from the Assassin Academy—an even mix of men and women, all with well-proportioned figures, dressed in tight-fitting nightwear, and sitting quietly with little presence.

Next came the Science Academy, their mentors clad in white lab coats, brimming with academic air.

The final section held only a handful of people.

When Xu Han’s gaze landed on one of the women there, he was momentarily taken aback. She wore light crimson armor, her fiery red hair cascading casually over her shoulders, her entire being like a burning flame—impossible to ignore. Wasn’t this the woman he had met the other day? So she was a mentor?

Just as Xu Han looked at her, the woman’s eyes found him. She leapt from the high podium with ease, landing lightly and dashing straight toward him. In the blink of an eye, she stood before him.

“Hehe, found you!” she said triumphantly, hands on her hips. “This time, you won’t get away. Be my student!”

Xu Han frowned and replied, “I’m not really interested in the study of exotic beasts.” He had dabbled in many skills, but close combat suited him best. It would be wiser to attend the Warrior Academy and learn from a mentor skilled in melee combat, integrating all his abilities to raise his fighting power to a new level.

Feng Qingyu quickly interjected, “Don’t be so hasty. You just don’t know enough about the Institute of Exotic Beasts, that’s why you say that. First—”

Before she could finish, a woman in a deep blue mage’s robe approached gracefully. Smiling, she said, “Feng Qingyu, stop trying to trick this new student. The Institute of Exotic Beasts is also known as the Asylum, filled with nothing but madmen. You’d be better off joining our Mage Academy. I saw you using magic earlier, and in this world, magic is the only true path. Oh, and here’s a secret: the Science Academy is working with us to develop magical technology. Once that’s complete, everything will revolve around magic. Our Mage Academy will be the number-one academy in Dragon Country University!”

Feng Qingyu scowled. “Zhang Ling, what’s that supposed to mean? The research data from the Institute of Exotic Beasts is useless to you? Doesn’t it help you hunt exotic beasts?”

Zhang Ling covered her mouth and laughed. “Useful? That’s a joke. All you need is a detection spell to learn the basics about any exotic beast. What use is all that research?”

Feng Qingyu snorted. “You said it yourself—that’s just basic information. Is that really enough to deal with exotic beasts? Do you understand their habits, their weaknesses? Magic, no matter how powerful, has its limits. But if we truly understand exotic beasts, we can defeat them even above our level. And what will you do if, one day, your detection spells fail?”

Zhang Ling scoffed. “That’s impossible. Detection spells never fail.”

A group of students in mage robes had gathered nearby, all seeking out Zhang Ling. Their curious gazes lingered on Xu Han, wondering what kind of prodigy he was to have two mentors fighting over him so openly.

At that moment, a young man in military uniform approached with a friendly smile. “Xu Han,” he said, “I’m here on behalf of the War Academy to invite you to join us. Dean Huang said that if you do, you’ll receive a thousand merit points, and he’ll personally make time for one-on-one instruction.”

Gasps of amazement rippled through the crowd. The War Academy was making a bold offer—every freshman started with only one hundred merit points, and earning a thousand would take a year of hard work. Yet Xu Han could gain them simply by joining. It was an incredible advantage.

And that wasn’t all—one-on-one coaching from the dean himself! A single session was worth five hundred points for just half an hour, and even then, slots were limited and highly sought after. Now it was being offered to Xu Han outright.

Both Zhang Ling and Feng Qingyu frowned.

Zhang Ling spoke in a mocking tone, “Well, Fang Zhang, you at the War Academy are really pulling out all the stops—a thousand merit points just like that. Aren’t you afraid the other deans will complain about your underhanded recruiting?”