Chapter 132: Chapter 132: 3 Spots

Fang Chen and Fan Yutong arrived at the Liuyun Society. They stepped through the doors into the training hall, where a sizable crowd had already gathered.

Beside him, Fan Yutong whispered, "These are all the members from our four societies—Liuyun, Jinyi, Black Tortoise, and Cyan Simurgh—who are currently at the academy. It includes everyone at the High Martial Realm, as well as Yellow Rank members who have only undergone Qi Collection for One Qi and haven’t yet begun Harmony to prepare for the Profound Rank."

She briefly explained, "Generally, once someone reaches the Yellow Rank with two wisps of Spiritual Qi, they’ll immediately prepare for Harmony and attempt to reach the Profound Rank. They won’t intentionally linger at that stage. Therefore, the active mainstays handling the society’s daily affairs and these internal meetings are us High Martial Realm cultivators and the Yellow Rank members with One Qi."

Fang Chen nodded in understanding.

There were no chairs in the training hall; everyone sat cross-legged on the floor, resting on standardized gray futons. The crowd naturally divided into four distinct columns, clearly delineating the four societies.

At the very front of each column sat a single person. Their auras were steady, visibly a cut above the rest behind them. These were likely the Speakers for each society at this tier. Fang Chen had heard that the presidents, vice presidents, and core Profound Rank members of the societies were rarely at the academy. They often had to travel far and wide, sometimes even guarding a Secret Realm to wait for resources to spawn. Thus, those left behind to handle daily affairs and lead the Yellow Rank and High Martial Realm members were these "Speakers."

He looked toward the front of his own Liuyun Society column. The man sitting there had a straight, upright back. It was Li Su—the very person who had signed the documents when Fan Yutong first took Fang Chen to exchange for a Combat Suit.

Fang Chen’s gaze swept over the leaders of the other three columns. The Speakers for the Jinge Society and the Black Tortoise Society were both men. One had a sharp aura like an unsheathed blade, while the other felt as steady and heavy as a mountain. Sitting at the head of the Cyan Simurgh Society was an aloof and elegant woman, and the students seated behind her were exclusively female.

Fan Yutong led him to the back of the Liuyun Society column, where they found two adjacent futons and sat down. Fang Chen sat cross-legged as expected.

Naturally, he had his own thoughts regarding the ranking tournament slots they were going to discuss tonight.

"That’s an opportunity to directly exchange for Spiritual Qi..." Fang Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Who would be willing to wait another year? On the path of martial arts, falling behind once meant falling behind forever. The sooner one got their hands on a core resource like Spiritual Qi, the more certainty and initiative they would possess. Who knew if the specific Spiritual Qi he needed next year might go completely extinct due to some unforeseen variable?

But how exactly was he supposed to fight for this slot? What price would he have to pay? Would it even suit his current circumstances? He needed to hear the specific rules and requirements first.

He was just about to quietly ask Fan Yutong in front of him, but he noticed that the usually straightforward and confident senior was constantly taking deep breaths. Whether she was overly excited about the impending slot allocation or nervous about the competition, a noticeable blush colored her cheeks, and her hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her shirt.

Seeing this, Fang Chen swallowed his words for the time being.

"Never mind. She’s a strong contender for this slot, after all, so her excitement is understandable. I’ll find out soon enough once the meeting starts," he thought.

A few minutes later, the rest of the attendees arrived, and the training hall doors slowly shut.

"The total number of people present from the Liuyun, Jinyi, Black Tortoise, and Cyan Simurgh societies is around one hundred and eighty," Fang Chen calculated silently.

The number of True Martial Realm students wasn’t actually that different from High Martial Realm students because, theoretically, breaking through from the True Martial Realm to the High Martial Realm was almost a given. However, after reaching the High Martial Realm, whether one could continue advancing—whether they could undergo Qi Collection, step into the Yellow Rank, or go even higher—was full of uncertainty, eliminating massive swaths of people.

The four-society alliance he was part of was clearly one of the largest and strongest student factions in the academy. Out of the nearly three hundred High Martial Realm and Yellow Rank students in the academy, more than half were gathered right here. Aside from the four Speakers, who were Profound Rank Martial Artists, everyone else was either at the High Martial Realm or a Yellow Rank Martial Artist.

"One hundred and eighty people..." Fang Chen’s gaze calmly swept over the dense crowd. "...competing for three recommendation slots."

At the front of the training hall, Li Su exchanged brief glances with the other three Speakers. Seeing that everyone was present, he cleared his throat.

"Everyone," Li Su’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly into everyone’s ears. "I’m sure you all know why we’ve gathered you here today. The academy ranking tournament is imminent. Tonight, we must establish how to allocate the three recommendation slots shared by our four societies.

"I look around and see mostly familiar faces. However, there are also about twenty new members who have broken through to the High Martial Realm within the last year. For your benefit, I will briefly reiterate the rules.

"The academy has entrusted our alliance with the distribution of these recommendation slots. Our allocation method is primarily based on the Club Points you’ve accumulated within your respective societies. These three slots will be auctioned off using points.

"You should all be clear on how to obtain Club Points—by completing various tasks issued or certified by the societies. You are awarded points corresponding to the task’s difficulty and your level of completion. This is the core standard for measuring your value and dedication to the society.

"Looking at last year’s records, the lowest winning bid for a slot was around 1,800 points," Li Su said. His tone was flat, yet it made the hearts of those with low point totals sink. "Therefore, if your personal points are below 1,500 this year, I advise you to consider exchanging them for other resources in the society vault. You might find that to be a more cost-effective option."

He changed the subject, adding a crucial rule. "Additionally, if you lack sufficient points, you are permitted to make up the difference with cash. However, points take priority.

"For example: if Person A bids 1,800 points, and Person B only has 1,700 points, the slot will go to Person A, even if Person B is willing to make up the difference with cash. Only in the event of an identical point bid will the supplementary cash amounts be compared. The highest bidder wins.

"Is everyone clear on the rules?" Li Su paused for a moment. Seeing that no one had any questions, he gave a slight nod. "Good. Then let the auction officially begin."

He first looked toward the Liuyun Society’s column, his voice calm and powerful. "The first slot is reserved internally for our Liuyun Society. Only registered members of the Liuyun Society may participate in this round. The auction begins now. The starting bid is 1,000 Club Points, with a minimum increment of 50 points. Please place your bids."

After a brief silence, a slightly hoarse voice rang out from the middle rows of the Liuyun Society.

"1,100 points."

The bidder was an ordinary-looking senior student with a sharp, shrewd gaze.

With someone breaking the ice, the atmosphere immediately ignited.

"1,150!"

"1,200!"

"1,300!" a voice shouted, skipping an increment.

"1,350!"

The price rapidly climbed through several rounds of bidding, quickly surpassing the 1,500-point threshold. The active bidders gradually narrowed down to five or six people. Most of them possessed steady auras and were clearly veteran members of the society.

Fan Yutong had remained silent the entire time. It wasn’t until the price was pushed to 1,650 points that she finally raised her hand.

"1,700 points! No! I’ll bid 1,800 points right now!" Fan Yutong announced, jumping straight to last year’s winning price.

Fang Chen knew she was abruptly jacking up the bid to put pressure on the others! After all, there were still two slots left. Many would figure that the competition for the later slots might be less intense, making them unwilling to fight to the bitter end right now.

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