C40 A Bunch of Stupid Things!

"Interesting, indeed. This year's freshman ranking competition is something else!"

"What on earth did he do to unite over ten thousand freshmen against him? Zhou Mu is a goner. If he manages to last until the end of the competition, I'll confess to a dinosaur girl!"

"I'd suggest you live stream yourself pooping upside down. It's humiliating, sure, but it beats a lifetime without happiness."

"A true man keeps his word. Said you'd confess to a dinosaur girl? Then you're gonna do it!"

"…"

The developments within the Illusion Mirror caught everyone off guard. Who would have thought that a bunch of strangers would band together to target a freshman?

It could be jealousy, or maybe something else.

But the situation is spiraling towards the uncontrollable.

"These old timers, are they challenging me?"

The principal let out a cold laugh, as a sense of murderous intent began to swell within.

Bayshore School boasted three level ten Animal Whisperers. Lampo was an old academic who generally stayed out of school affairs. The principal had been reassigned from the area command of Ambergrasp, while Liu Shibin was a seasoned veteran of the school.

As such, even though the principal was more powerful, many teachers saw her as an outsider and were more inclined to back Liu Shibin.

With the backing of the area command of Ambergrasp, these individuals wouldn't dare cause trouble openly, so they resorted to underhanded tactics.

Liu Shibin had freed the ironclad dragon, and now over ten thousand freshmen were conspiring against Zhou Mu.

The sordid details couldn't be summed up in just a sentence or two.

"So you want to play? Let's make it a big game!"

The principal huffed, as hundreds of modes materialized and then disintegrated around her.

Simultaneously, three thunderous roars erupted from within the Illusion Mirror.

All constraints on the tyrant beast were lifted!

...

"We're nearly there, just ahead!"

The students leading the way were out of breath and anxious, but Zhou Mu sensed something was amiss.

The guide, a newcomer, was panting heavily, his face etched with worry. Yet, Zhou Mu sensed something was off. Why did he sound almost cheerful?

"Brothers, Zhou Mu has arrived! We're saved!"

His shout carried across the fifty to sixty meters, resonant and vigorous.

"Just up ahead... it's..."

Puff!

He turned, seemingly eager to say more, but in an instant, a sharp dagger plunged into his heart. His face flickered through confusion, resentment, realization, and regret before settling into a look of acceptance. In the face of death, he seemed to understand—traitors never meet a good end.

"Gold, Gator, eliminate them all!"

There was no room for negotiation, no concern for their intentions. If they had resorted to such tactics to draw him out, their intentions were clearly hostile.

"Gold Sword Qi!"

At Zhou Mu's command, Gold and Gator charged into the crowd. For two lord-level spirit animals, facing a group of novices was overkill. They could stand still and remain unscathed.

Screams of agony filled the air as the new students fell in droves, their essence fading into twinkling lights within a minute.

"Why are there so few of them?"

Zhou Mu's brow furrowed. Barely two thousand five hundred—far from the ten thousand he had anticipated.

"Zhou Mu, head southeast now! They're trying to release the tyrant beast's restraints. These people are sacrificial pawns, left behind to delay you!"

A roar from a survivor snapped Zhou Mu to attention. With two lord-quality spirit animals by his side, the combined force of the new students was futile.

Even if Zhou Mu couldn't slay them all, escape would be effortless. But against another tyrant beast? If Gator and Gold were tied down, Zhou Mu could be overwhelmed, even if it cost them their lives.

Whether the fiend beast would willingly cooperate was almost a foregone conclusion.

Creatures like the Blazing Wind Spins, with their limited intelligence, are an exceptionally rare type among fiend beasts. Even though a Lord-grade fiend beast isn't as intelligent as a human, it can still engage in simple communication. Moreover, with certain special techniques, it's not difficult to entice or manipulate them into battle.

Just think of the Iron Armored Dragon from before; in the presence of a true heavyweight, a Lord-grade fiend beast is nothing special. Humanity's reign as the supreme rulers of Earth is owed not just to our formidable martial strength but even more so to our intelligence.

"Why is there so much trouble over a mere freshman ranking tournament?" Zhou Mu lamented, feeling exasperated. His gut feeling was that it probably had something to do with the principal. Aside from the two hundred people he had rescued, it seemed almost all the new students had banded together against him, which was beyond belief.

They were all freshmen, strangers to each other, so why target him? Clearly, there was a powerful figure behind the scenes, someone capable of influencing the entire future of Bayshore School!

This person had gone to great lengths to target him during this widely-watched freshman ranking tournament, and it seemed the principal might be the real objective. It was all a game of cunning and deceit, a ruthless quest for power and influence, and Zhou Mu was just an innocent casualty.

He had never hidden his identity; a simple inquiry would reveal his connection to the principal. "Damn it, if I find out who's behind this, I'll make them pay—one by one, or in pairs if necessary. I'd go as far as to take down the entire school leadership to get my revenge," Zhou Mu seethed with anger. It had been only a few months since his rebirth, and already he was being plotted against?

This was beyond endurance. He might put up with his uncle's grievances, but not his aunt's. The principal could potentially become his aunt in the future, contributing to the Zhou family's lineage—essentially making her one of his own. How could he stand by while his people were bullied?

"The upcoming battle is not for you to join. Go quickly to where the Blazing Wind Spins is being held, and wait for me there. I'll come to you once I've handled things," Zhou Mu instructed, then immediately set out to find the nearest tyrant beast.

These new students posed no real threat to him. While he couldn't take them all on, if Zhou Mu chose to flee, no one could stop him.

Zhou Mu's agility score of 100 made him twenty times swifter than the average person, allowing him to move with the grace and speed of the wind itself. Did those newcomers, without even a single mount to their name, really think they could catch up to him? Not a chance!

Ordinarily, three Lord-level fiend beasts wouldn't be much of a threat to Zhou Mu. With Gator and Little Green at his side, they could systematically take them down one after the other. However, Zhou Mu's current fear was that his adversaries might employ some tactic to band the three tyrant beasts together.

Even with odds of three against two, Little Green and Gator wouldn't necessarily be defeated. But one mustn't overlook the presence of over 10,000 newcomers. Swarmed by such a massive crowd, even a man of steel would be flattened.

The nearest Lord was a fiend beast resembling a massive gorilla, standing three meters tall and shrouded in darkness. Upon Zhou Mu's arrival, he found the freed gorilla amusing itself with its excrement. Repulsive, yes, but not out of the ordinary. In Zhou Mu's past life, there had been numerous instances of black gorillas flinging feces at people, and even situations where they were force-fed feces by larger gorillas.