I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  Fortunately, Xiang Shaoyun was someone with a tenacious mind and was able to quickly calm himself. He bowed at the four and said, "Thank you for your offers, but since I have decided on the Dragon Phoenix Academy, there is no reason for me to change my mind."

  "Haha, hear that? That's the right choice, young man!" said Xiao Wei, the middle-aged man, with a hearty laugh.

  The other three had looks of disappointment on their faces. Since a choice had been made, they had nothing else to say. All three of them vanished into thin air as they left.

  Xiang Shaoyun was also feeling rather helpless, If it wasn't for the fact that Caidie is going to the Dragon Phoenix Academy, I would have a much harder time making up my mind.

  "Young man, your name is Xiang Shaoyun, right? I am Xiao Wei, one of the Dragon Phoenix Academy's recruitment elders tasked with recruiting geniuses like you into our academy. Earlier, I saw your fight with that Emperor. You have decent potential, and you are good enough to be a special-recruit disciple. You can forgo the entrance test," said Xiao Wei as he patted Xiang Shaoyun's shoulder in a satisfied manner.

  "Thank you, lord, for the favor you have shown me," said Xiang Shaoyun joyfully.

  "Very well. If you have no other business here, you may come with me to the Dragon Phoenix Academy now. There's not much time left before the official recruitment begins," said Xiao Wei.

  "Uh...can I go at a later date? A brother of mine is going to participate in the entrance test," said Xiang Shaoyun awkwardly.

  Xiao Wei did not mind. "Sure, but remember to arrive before the test. If you miss the deadline, you won't be able to join even if you're a special-recruit disciple."

  "Understood," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "This is a jade plate for the special-recruit disciples of the Dragon Phoenix Academy. With it in hand, you will be able to directly enter the Dragon Phoenix Academy," said Xiao Wei as he handed over a jade plate.

  Xiang Shaoyun accepted the plate and started studying it. He found that it was almost the same as the entrance test jade plate he had gotten; it similarly had the engravings of a dragon and a phoenix carved into it. A unique symbol was also engraved on the plate, signifying his status as a special-recruit disciple.

  After he put the plate away, Xiao Wei continued, "You are a special-recruit disciple, so you will be able to enter the academy with two followers. The two women with you have decent aptitudes, but it's a pity they still have some flaws. You better invite youngsters as talented as you. Who you bring will be very important for your future growth. That's it. I'm leaving. I still need to bring the few decent sprouts I found back to the academy."

  Just when he was about to leave, he looked back and added, "Although you're a special-recruit disciple, I still suggest that you partake in the entrance test. That will benefit you greatly as well."

  He then vanished into thin air.

  Xiang Shaoyun inwardly remarked joyfully, It sure is great being a special-recruit disciple. I can even bring my own people in. I reckon Caidie enjoys the same treatment as well.

  At that thought, he had the urge to bring Xia Liuhui and Gong Qinyin with him. If they were here, he would have brought them without any hesitation. Xia Liuhui was a brother he trusted; therefore, who would deserve the quota more than him? As for Gong Qinyin, she had great talent with an innate talent in the dao of music. She was most certainly someone with a bright future.

  As for Lu Xiaoqing, although she was infatuated with Xiang Shaoyun, her talent was lacking in comparison. If he brought her to the academy, she might fall behind the others. Thus, he had not considered bringing her along.

  Liang Zhuangmin, Dong Ziwan, and Hua Honglou were talented individuals, but none of them were by his side right now. Thus, it would seem like his two quotas would go to waste. He suddenly sensed numerous gazes focus on him, and he started feeling somewhat uneasy. He looked around and found that people of all ages were approaching him, looking at him like they were going to eat him up then and there.

  Before Du Xuanhao and Han Pojun could get near Xiang Shaoyun, he was already swarmed by the crowd, giving him a fright. He braced himself for a massive battle. Contrary to his expectations, instead of attacking, the crowd started talking simultaneously.

  "Young master, I am an elder of the Hundred Sand Gang. My young master has decent talent in cultivation, and on behalf of him, I would like to beg that you accept him as your follower."

  "Young Master Xiang, I am from Celestial King Province's Lu Manor. I am not even 30 years old, yet I am already a fifth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. I pledge my allegiance to you, young master. I only wish that you can bring me along to the Dragon Phoenix Academy."

  "Young Master Xiang, you are handsome and extraordinary, with outstanding talent in cultivation. I believe you lack a beautiful lover like me. Bring me to the Dragon Phoenix Academy with you, and I will be yours."

  "Damn it! Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror? Even someone as beautiful as me is only going to offer to be the young master's maidservant. Scram!"

  "Young Master Xiang, please accept my young master as your servant. Please. If you agree, we can do anything you want!"

  ...

  Xiang Shaoyun had not expected that all these people were here to beg for the spots he had. It was evident just how many people wished to enter the ancient academies. These people wouldn't be begging him so humbly otherwise.

  One ought to know that there were a considerable number of Emperors among these people, begging on behalf of the young of their clans. Numerous beauties were also trying to get a spot through their charm. One could say that the two spots he had were fatally attractive to these people.

  Xiang Shaoyun was completely surrounded by people. The Han Clan sisters wore bitter looks on their faces as they witnessed this scene. They wanted to follow him to the Dragon Phoenix Academy as well, but when they saw their competitors, they lost all confidence. The only advantage they had over all those people was that they had known him for longer.

  "Everyone, silence," said Xiang Shaoyun, unable to take it anymore. Right this moment, someone in the crowd took the chance to launch a sneak attack on him.

  Chapter 515: This Kid Will Remember That

  Assassins never cared for any sort of rule or law. So long as they could kill their target, they could do anything. As someone who had undergone much tempering, Xiang Shaoyun had his guard up at all times. However, this particular assassin had noiselessly mounted a sneak attack during a chaotic situation, and was almost impossible to guard against.

  Fortunately, the chaos also somehow worked in Xiang Shaoyun's favor. One of the women in the crowd suddenly pounced on Xiang Shaoyun in order to get a spot for herself. She started rubbing her curvy body against him, hoping that she could seduce him by doing that. Her actions caused Xiang Shaoyun to lose his footing and move to the side, something the assassin had not expected. The dagger stabbed into the woman instead of him.

  "AHHH!"

  The woman wailed miserably, alarming the people in the area. Instantly, they understood someone was taking advantage of the chaos to accomplish some other agenda, and everyone scattered.

  Xiang Shaoyun also realized what was happening and quickly retreated with the woman. His gaze landed on an ordinary-looking man before him, feeling the murderous intent akin to a viper coming from the man.

  The man charged Xiang Shaoyun once again, moving at a speed not even Xiang Shaoyun could react in time. This was definitely a late-stage Emperor. An assassin like this was more than enough to assassinate Xiang Shaoyun.

  To the assassin's surprise, Du Xuanhao and Han Pojun had arrived before he could complete his second attack. During the start of the chaos, the two had increased their vigilance for fear that something would happen to Xiang Shaoyun.

  Unexpectedly, someone was really trying to kill Xiang Shaoyun publicly. The moment the woman screamed, both Du Xuanhao and Han Pojun locked on to the assassin and attacked at the same time.

  Du Xuanhao drew his saber
and sent a boundless saber energy powered by saber intent flying forward. As for Han Pojun, he used a spear and sent an ice spike flying toward the assassin. Wherever the ice spike passed, the temperature dropped.

  When the two peak Emperors attacked together, their energies flooded their surroundings, displaying a world-shaking might. The two had expected that both of them were enough to easily eliminate the assassin. But the moment they attacked, two other people intervened and blocked their attacks.

  With that, the assassin no longer had any misgivings and continued on toward Xiang Shaoyun and the woman. With the wide gap of strength between them, it did not seem like Xiang Shaoyun would be able to put up much fight.

  Xiang Shaoyun himself knew he was in danger and was prepared to release his nether prison devil puppet. Just as he was about to do so, a curtain of power suddenly appeared and wrapped around the assassin.

  Bang!

  The only thing Xiang Shaoyun heard was a muffled sound before feeling some liquid splash onto his face. When he focused, he saw that the assassin had been turned into a pile of mincemeat.

  "Hmph. You dare assassinate a young genius in my presence? Your sin can't be forgiven," said the old man from the platform.

  His voice was akin to a sudden thunderclap, ringing loudly in the ears of everyone present. After he said that, two different clumps of energies shot out. The Emperors battling Du Xuanhao and Han Pojun couldn't even scream before they were reduced into mincemeat as well.

  Du Xuanhao and Han Pojun were given a fright. They quickly withdrew their attacks before dashing toward Xiang Shaoyun and standing guard beside him. The crowd had complicated expressions when they saw that, and nobody stepped forth to disturb Xiang Shaoyun anymore.

  A tall tree would always be the first to fall. Many people understood that, and what they should do now was look after their own hides. Xiang Shaoyun looked at the woman in his arms. She was already dying, and he quickly fed her a drop of lightning liquid. This woman had taken an attack on his behalf for no apparent reason. He felt guilty, but that did not mean that he would accept this woman as his follower to the Dragon Phoenix Academy because of that.

  It was not that he was cold blooded, but if it wasn't for the chaos caused by the crowd which this woman was part of, the assassin wouldn't have had the chance to attempt to assassinate him. Of course, he was still highly grateful for what this woman did, so he repaid her with something else.

  He told Du Xuanhao, "Big Brother Du, look after her for me. Keep her alive."

  "Don't worry, she will be fine," said Du Xuanhao with a nod.

  Xiang Shaoyun then walked toward the three lumps of mincemeat and started looking for clues, trying to ascertain if these were members of the Rat Assassins as well. Unfortunately, not much was left of the three, and they did not have any items on them that could reveal any clues.

  Xiang Shaoyun did not bother wasting too much time on them. Instead, he went to the old man at the contribution platform and bowed, "Thank you, lord, for helping this kid."

  He had already known that this was no ordinary old man from the incident with the four representatives from the academies. The person who stopped the disturbance when he was comprehending the Contribution Stele and the person who had killed the assassins was most likely this same old man as well. Thus, he had to properly voice his gratitude.

  The old man raised his murky eyes and said, "You don't have to thank me. I am merely unwilling to see a genius of our race die an early death. If you really want to thank me, cultivate hard and kill more devils in the future."

  "This kid will remember that!" Xiang Shaoyun said solemnly. After a slight pause, he looked behind and yelled at Han Pojun, "Big Brother Han, come over here."

  Han Pojun did not know why Xiang Shaoyun was calling for him, but he still went over. Naturally, Du Xuanhao went with him as well.

  "What do you need, Young Master Xiang?" Han Pojun asked.

  "You must have seen the contribution exchange catalog as well, right? There's a blood cocoon stone in there—" Xiang Shaoyun started speaking but was interrupted by Han Pojun before he could finish.

  "Yes, I know that. But it's too expensive. I can't afford it. I'll just have to wait patiently and see if an opportunity will present itself for me to get it in the future."

  Han Pojun had assumed that Xiang Shaoyun was only notifying him that a blood cocoon stone was available for sale in the catalog. That was why he hadn't bothered to wait until Xiang Shaoyun was done talking. If he had enough contribution points and devil cores, he would have purchased the blood cocoon stone long ago. There was no point in taking the risk to get it from the Devil Domain instead.

  Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "Big Brother Han, let me finish. I am planning to purchase the blood cocoon stone for you to thank you for your help."

  "Do you even know how much it costs?" Han Pojun asked.

  "500 million contribution points and 30 sovereign-grade devil cores," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "That's right. The contribution points aren't the hardest to get. Time is all you need. But the 30 sovereign-grade devil cores can only be gathered by Sovereigns," said Han Pojun with a sigh. "Young Master Xiang, thank you for the goodwill, but forget about this for now."

  Chapter 516: Trading for Numerous Odd Items

  Sovereign-grade devil cores could only be harvested from Devil Sovereigns. Han Pojun was only a peak Emperor. He wouldn't be able to kill a Devil Sovereign even if he tried his best. To gather 30 sovereign-grade devil cores, only their Han Clan ancestor would stand a chance. Otherwise, there was no way he would be able to get them.

  He did not believe that Xiang Shaoyun would have sovereign-grade devil cores on him. Besides, anyone with such an item would much prefer to keep it for themselves and slowly absorb the energy within. One could still grow stronger that way. Thus, it would be pointless to trade the cores for a blood cocoon stone.

  To his surprise, over 30 devil cores shrouded in thick devilish energy appeared in Xiang Shaoyun's hands. From the size and the energy density of these cores, they were most certainly sovereign-grade devil cores.

  "T-these are sovereign-grade devil cores!" Han Pojun exclaimed in alarm.

  "That's right. I have one billion contribution points and 35 sovereign-grade devil cores with me. It won't be a problem for me to purchase the blood cocoon stone. Of course, I feel like the icesouls heart would suit you more, Big Brother Han. Take your pick. I'll get it for you," said Xiang Shaoyun seriously.

  Han Pojun became so excited he couldn't speak anymore. The blood cocoon stone was something he had discovered by chance. He had only managed to get it after nearly killing himself. Unfortunately, Du Xuanhao was the one who had benefited from it. Now that he had the chance to get yet another blood cocoon stone, his excitement was understandable.

  Even Du Xuanhao was greatly moved. He knew very well that Xiang Shaoyun was only doing it for his sake. If it wasn't for the fact that he had used the blood cocoon stone, there was no need for Xiang Shaoyun to take such a loss.

  Han Pojun regained his calm, and after taking a deep breath, he said, "Young Master Xiang, you don't need to do this at all. I told you. Old Du was harmed for the sake of saving my life. That was why I had given him the blood cocoon stone. I do not regret it!"

  "I know, but I am not repaying you with a blood cocoon stone only for the sake of Big Brother Du. Rather, I hope to befriend a loyal man like you, Big Brother Han," said Xiang Shaoyun earnestly. "Contribution points and devil cores can always be earned, but a missed opportunity might not return a second time. I hope you accept my gesture, Big Brother Han."

  Han Pojun stopped hesitating when he saw Xiang Shaoyun's earnestness. "Ok, it will be impolite for me to keep refusing."

  "That's more like it. So do you want the blood cocoon stone or the icesouls heart? Or do you want something else of equal value?" asked Xiang Shaoyun with a satisfied smile.

  "Naturally, the icesouls heart suits me more," said Han Pojun frankly.

  "Icesoul
s heart it is, then," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  He then took out his contribution plate and traded for the icesouls heart. The old man gave Xiang Shaoyun a deep look before removing the corresponding contribution points from the plate and accepting the devil cores. Next, he took out a jade case and said, "Here is the icesouls heart."

  Xiang Shaoyun had initially assumed that he would be pointed somewhere else to claim these treasures. Surprisingly, the old man actually had the treasures on him at all times. But when he recalled that this old man was powerful enough that even the elders from the four academies had to show him respect, he was no longer as surprised. Even with valuable treasures on him, nobody would dare to try anything against this old man.

  The moment Xiang Shaoyun accepted the icesouls heart, a chill crept onto him from the case and assailed him. His arms started shivering from the cold. He quickly handed the case to Han Pojun and said, "Here, Big Brother Han!"

  Han Pojun accepted the case carefully as if it was the most precious of treasures. Grateful, he said, "Thank you, Young Master Xiang. If there is anything you need from me in the future, feel free to let me know. I, Han Pojun, will agree without any hesitation!"

  For him, this icesouls heart was even more valuable than the blood cocoon stone. With it in hand, he had a high likelihood of entering the Sovereign Realm. Thus, he was filled with gratitude toward Xiang Shaoyun.

  "You are too polite, Big Brother Han," said Xiang Shaoyun as he waved his hand in a carefree manner. He then flipped the pages on the catalog before stopping on a certain item: Star extension grass, three million contribution points and 50 emperor-grade devil cores.

  "Lord, I wish to trade for this," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "Keep looking and complete the trade in one go," said the old man.

  Xiang Shaoyun nodded and continued browsing the catalog before deciding on a few more items. He decided on a 3,000-year-old root essence, a top-quality earthstone heart, a 1,000-year-old congealed liquid ball, a radiant meteorite, and a dark heart. Each of the five respectively corresponded to the wood, earth, water, light, and dark elemental astral energies.