"No way? When did this happen?" Chen Zhengyong asked curiously from the side.
"Oh, it hasn't been long. I found out over two months ago during my training." Zhu Yanyi wasn't afraid of getting beaten up. "I left in a hurry then and didn't have time to tell you. So I asked Senior Brother Sikong to keep you studying hard. How was it? Okay, right?"
"No wonder Senior Brother Sikong has been pushing me to train so hard lately." Chen Zhengyong looked honest and simple. "I was confused. I thought I was working hard, but I still felt pressured."
Hearing this, the others felt the same way. Wen Ziyuan spoke up too. "I was also confused. Senior Brother Sikong never cared about us before. I didn't expect him to treat us like this now."
Zhu Yanyi felt a bit embarrassed listening to them. "You need to know that Senior Brother Sikong is doing this for your own good. Do you want to lose? Even if you wanted to lose before, it won't work this time."
"Why?" Chen Zhengyong asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
Zhu Yanyi sighed and said, "Do you know why I am waiting for you here?" Some things needed explanation.
"Didn't Junior Brother Tianyun call us here to get together?" Hong Mei asked.
Zhu Yanyi chuckled. "Why get together now, right before a big battle? Do you think we are doing this because we are bored and have nothing better to do?"
Hearing Zhu Yanyi’s words, everyone understood. Their expressions became heavy as they looked at her. They trusted Zhu Yanyi. After all they had experienced together, they knew she was different. She always had a purpose for everything she did.
Zhu Yanyi scanned the group and then said, "I won't hide anything from you. But before I give you the answer, how do you feel about the atmosphere in the Sage Academy now?"
"Oppressive, boring. I don't even want to know the people here. I feel like I don't want to stay in the academy at all," Chen Zhengyong said directly.
"I didn't feel this way when we were fighting evil demons. Now, I just feel that everyone here has changed."
"Senior Brother Zhengyong is right. I feel the same," Hong Mei added. "It seems every student in the Sage Academy now has their own calculations. They don't seem to be plotting against us, but I can feel they are already thinking about how to trick us."
Zhu Yanyi nodded and pointed at Hong Mei. "Senior Sister Hong Mei hit the nail on the head. You must have heard that this competition originally had 280 spots.
The fifty of us who helped restore the Light Forest get one spot each without competing. The remaining 230 spots are for competition. This is already an increase, as there were only about 100 spots in the past. But the other students don't see it that way. They think we took those 50 spots unfairly, so they are very dissatisfied with us."
Zhu Yanyi sneered. "Since they are dissatisfied, I directly suggested to the Dean that we cancel the 230 spots. Let's just keep our 50. If they have the ability, let them come and compete with us.
First, we will set the arena dates for ten days. Each person can be challenged no more than three times a day. Over ten days, the maximum number of challenges one person faces will be thirty.
Second, if we lose any match during these ten days, the spot of the person who lost must be given to the winner.
Third, the purpose of this is to crush their arrogance. Do they really think keeping their heads down and minding their own business is enough? In the cultivation world, there is no such thing as staying safe by hiding. If you don't advance, you fall behind. If they can't pass this hurdle, they don't deserve to be students of the Sage Academy."
Zhu Yanyi looked at everyone. "So I made a deal with the Dean. If we win, we can ask for some conditions as rewards, as long as they don't harm the Sage Academy.
The Sage Academy also needs this competition to show those people what real Sage Academy students should be like. They shouldn't forget their duties as students just because they spent too long in the Linlang Training Ground. Those who can't understand this will be expelled. After all, our original group of seventeen made it through. Now we have fifty confirmed members, which is already a lot more."
After hearing Zhu Yanyi’s words, the others remained silent for a while. Cui Changjiu finally spoke. "Since Senior Sister says so, we have no objections. We will listen to you. But my cultivation and Chang'an's are the lowest. I'm afraid we might embarrass everyone."
"That's why I told the Dean that once we are on stage, we can use any means to win. Hidden weapons, medicine, anything goes.
Don't forget that the Sage Academy is famous for its medical skills. And you won't forget the scene where I used medicine on you, especially when we went to Shangmo for the five-school competition. Remember how we used medicine directly on opponents on the way? You haven't forgotten that, have you?"
Zhu Yanyi looked at everyone curiously, as if to say, "If you forgot, it's okay. I am reminding you now."
Jian Feiyan gave a thumbs up. "That's a good idea. We will use medicine directly."
"It should be done this way. Although we are facing fellow students from the same academy, we are opponents in the competition. Their behavior of thinking they are superior is just like clowns in our eyes. Since they are clowns, let them understand this time that they are not as powerful as they look," Yi Yunfei said seriously.
Sikong Xuran also said, "Exactly. The academy has been messed up by these people. I have wanted to set things right for a long time. This is a good opportunity. The day after tomorrow is the chance. So you don't need to worry about anything else. We just need to continue doing what we are doing."
After Sikong Xuran finished speaking, the others laughed. This idea was really good. At least the eyes of everyone present lit up. They knew what they needed to do, so they smiled.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhu Yanyi knew they had accepted the plan. "Alright, everyone come to my courtyard tomorrow night. I will distribute the medicine powder I have prepared to you. The day after tomorrow, just fight. Don't worry. As long as you don't kill them, you can beat them however you want."
Zhu Yanyi said with a smile. Killing people was wrong, but beating them up was fine. Who made the people in this academy so annoying now?