Chapter Thirty-Four: Ding Family Town

Zhao Qing had left, leaving only seven people behind. Chen Long’s gaze flickered as he stared viciously at Chen Bo, gritting his teeth and saying, “I know you only got into Tianyang Academy because of your sister.”

“I, Chen Long, want to see how a useless person who doesn’t even know how to cultivate manages to survive in Tianyang Academy. Don’t disgrace the Chen family or drag us down.”

He glanced at the other two family representatives and continued, “Tianyang Academy is filled with geniuses and talented individuals. None of us have any advantage here. If we want to thrive, we need to stick together—make others wary of us. What do you think?”

Though his words sounded conciliatory, there was a faint threat underlying them. Chen Yizhang and Chen Yue, loyal followers of Chen Long, quickly echoed his sentiment. “Brother Chen Long is right, we should form a group. But every group needs a leader.”

“I believe Brother Chen Long is the most suitable. He suggested we band together, his strength is the greatest among us, and his father is the Chen family’s Grand Elder. By reason and by right, Brother Chen Long should lead us.”

The three from the other families exchanged glances. Among the six, Chen Long was undoubtedly the strongest. Chen Yizhang and Chen Yue matched their individual strength, but the two Chen family members possessed a powerful joint attack technique.

Combined, the three outsiders were no match for the Chen family. They had no choice but to compromise.

Seeing the other families agree, Chen Long nodded in satisfaction. As for Chen Bo, he had long since been ignored—a useless person could hardly stir up trouble.

Only the genius from the Zhang family kept a keen eye on Chen Bo. He wasn’t a muscle-bound brute like Chen Long. His father managed the Zhang family’s business, so he’d been shrewd since birth. He didn’t believe Chen Bo had gotten in through connections.

If Tianyang Academy allowed backdoor entries—especially for a useless person—he’d never believe it. The academy had crippled even royal scions; would it really open a backdoor for Chen Bo?

He was convinced Chen Bo harbored a great secret—something that made Tianyang Academy take notice and grant him an exception. Perhaps it was a legendary treasure map, or a powerful cultivation technique, or some miraculous life-and-death pill.

With that thought, greed arose in his heart. Yet, remembering Chen Bo’s close ties with the academy’s instructors—especially his complicated relationship with the formidable Yu Shifei—he felt some apprehension.

Moreover, since Tianyang Academy was aware of Chen Bo’s treasures and tried to win him over, it was likely those treasures were no longer in his possession. The Zhang family genius lost heart; even with a thousand courage, he would not dare rob Tianyang Academy.

For now, it was wiser to curry favor with Chen Long. This brute’s strength and talent surpassed theirs—better to hitch himself to this powerful figure.

Chen Long paid no attention to Chen Bo, and Chen Bo did not care for his attention either—after all, Chen Long wasn’t a woman, so being remembered by him was nothing to be afraid of!

Just as Chen Bo prepared to find his dormitory, he saw a group approaching.

There were six of them, all looked like freshmen by their attire, and they eyed the people from Flame Town with amusement. The leader said, “Well, well, look who we have here! Aren’t these the so-called geniuses from Flame Town?”

“My, my, how odd. How did Tianyang Academy admit this bunch? One of them looks at least eighteen already. Hm? Why are there seven of you? That one looks familiar…”

He stared at Chen Bo, thought for a moment, then exclaimed, “Oh, I remember now! Aren’t you that useless young master from the Chen family in Flame Town? I heard that over a year ago, you went from being a peerless talent to a cripple with severed meridians.”

“Tsk tsk, if even someone like you can enter Tianyang Academy, the others can’t be much better. Flame Town really gets worse every year—you’d be better off merging into our Ding Family Town!”

“If you joined us, maybe you could become a third-rate little clan. Don’t worry, our Ding Family Town will take good care of you—no need to fear thugs and troublemakers.”

This was Ding Kuan, the eldest son of Ding Family Town next to Flame Town, and a genius in his own right.

The rivalry between Flame Town and Ding Family Town dated back centuries. When the beast horde attacked, Flame Town was the first target. They sought help from Ding Family Town, but Ding Family Town declined, citing a shortage of manpower.

Later, the beasts found Flame Town tough and shifted their attack to Ding Family Town. Ding Family Town then turned to Flame Town for help, only to be met with indifference—a casual excuse to brush them off.

Thus, the feud was born. After the beasts retreated, both towns accused each other, causing a stir across Tianyang Prefecture.

Over the next centuries, the conflict intensified. Just over a decade ago, a major armed clash erupted between the two towns, prompting the provincial city to send troops to suppress it.

The matter even reached the imperial court; enraged, the emperor doubled the towns’ taxes and threatened to double them again if such incidents recurred.

If they persisted, the entire populations would be sent to the border battlefields as laborers. Only this threat kept Flame Town and Ding Family Town quiet for the past decade.

Of course, that was just on the surface. Beneath, the rivalry ran deep, with neither side willing to let go. Even the younger generation, like Chen Bo, knew the history.

Now, old enemies met again, and with such provocation, the hot-tempered Chen Long could not help but retort, “Hmph! Don’t lump this backdoor loser in with us!”

“You lot getting into Tianyang Academy is the real miracle! Flame Town gets academy instructors recruiting every year, while your Ding Family Town—well, isn’t it every other year at best?”

“What right do you have to judge us? A bunch of useless nobodies!”

“Brother Chen Long is right! Ding Family Town is full of petty people—ancestors were petty, descendants are the same! Tianyang Academy admitting you is the biggest miracle of the year!”

“What do you mean, Flame Town? Looking for a fight?” Ding Family Town’s people couldn’t hold back, cursing.

Ding Kuan sneered, “Don’t stoop to the level of these country bumpkin losers. They’re not worth our anger. Our targets are the geniuses from all over Tianyang, not a bunch of trash from Flame Town.”

“Damn it, Ding! Say that again if you dare!”

“I said, Flame Town’s losers aren’t worthy of our anger. So what if I said it—what can you do?”

“Brother Ding Kuan is Ding Family Town’s number one genius—he could crush all of you from Flame Town single-handedly!”

“Damn it, if you’ve got guts, let’s fight! Son of a bitch!”

“Damn, let’s fight!”