As a lord, I was forced to farm

Chapter 923 First Steps
"They're all making way for us." A genius disciple from the Mindao Academy's rookie competition narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly feeling that everyone else was just extras while he was the protagonist. This made him straighten his back, raise his chin, and glance at the people around him.

He wasn't the only one who felt this way; most of the disciples at Mindao Academy had a sense of arrogance.

Actually, they weren't wrong. After all, being able to enter Mindao Academy, one of the five major academies, already meant they were geniuses. And being able to stand out from Mindao Academy and participate in the power competition further proved that they were geniuses among geniuses.

Therefore, as long as they don't encounter people from the other five major academies, they do have the right to hold their heads high and enjoy the envious glances cast their way by other forces.

"Bang!" They were enjoying being stared at when suddenly, a few disciples who weren't paying attention to where they were going accidentally bumped into someone.

This left them somewhat bewildered.

One of the rising stars from Mindao Academy was hit on the nose. The faster he had been walking with his eyes half-closed, the more his nose hurt now.

The pain was unpleasant, and he rubbed his nose, glancing at the black riding outfit out of the corner of his eye.

None of the disciples from the other four of the five major academies wore black robes, so he immediately glared at them and scolded, "When you see disciples from our Mindao Academy coming, don't you know how to make way?"

"what?"

Led by Hu Lian, the students from Suhong turned around, their voices heavy with tension, and more than two hundred pairs of dark eyes stared at them.

The Mindao disciple, feeling a chill run down his spine under the intense gaze of so many eyes, broke out in a cold sweat almost instantly. If it weren't for a fellow Mindao academy senior supporting him from behind, he would have completely disgraced the Mindao academy.

The group of people from Mindao were forced to stop and all looked at the group in front of them.

They wore uniform ink-wash robes, the black somber and seemingly absorbing all light. The scattered white patches, in the dim, reddish light, appeared like splatters of blood on their garments. Their robes appeared simple and monochromatic, lacking excessive ornamentation, but the material was of exceptional quality. The cuffs and hems were embroidered with flowing cloud patterns in deeper, darker lines, occasionally flashing with a ghostly light, like undercurrents lurking in the abyss.

These people were very young, their faces still showing signs of immaturity, and they looked to be about the same age as us.

But their faces didn't seem to show much of the curiosity, nervousness, or eagerness that comes with their age.

What caught the attention of the Mindao disciples were their eyes. They were dark and bloodshot, as if they had traversed the abyss. There was weariness, indifference, and a terrifying aura, as if they had passed through mountains of corpses and blood. It was as if, should any event shatter their calm, a colossal abyss beast would tear through their flesh and burst forth—

— Tear the enemy standing in front of them to pieces.

The arrogance of the Mindao disciples gradually dissipated, and Hu Lian glanced at the Mindao disciple who had bumped into him.

A moment of silence fell over the air.

It was Yangming, a more mature-looking disciple from Mindao, who said in a deep voice to the other disciple, "You hit someone and then spoke rudely. Go apologize!"

When the senior disciple spoke, the disciple had no choice but to obey, shrinking back and bowing deeply, "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!"

Hu Lian's usually gentle eyes were now indifferent as he nodded to the disciples of Mindao without saying anything more.

His performance, however, caught the eye of Ren Han, the leading disciple. As a fellow participant, he sensed an evenly matched aura emanating from Hu Lian. Moreover, the somewhat mysterious young man beside him, wearing a black hood, also posed a threat to him.

A glint of fighting spirit flashed in his eyes as he asked, "Which academy are you from? What are your names?"

Hu Lian and Tu Shi raised their eyes slightly, their eyelids drooping, seemingly exhausted from dealing with them. The latter yawned, his voice low and hoarse, as if he had just woken up from a dream, "Isn't it proper etiquette to state one's own power and name before asking someone's name?"

Ren Han was taken aback. Their uniforms, belonging to the Mindao Academy, were so conspicuous. As one of the top contenders for the championship in this competition, his information should have been studied by many forces. If he were a participating disciple, it would be impossible for him not to know that he was Ren Han from the Mindao Academy.

Ren Han's expression turned slightly cold; he took Tu Shi's tone and words as a deliberate provocation.

Without needing to say more, the people from Mindao Academy made a slight turn and brushed past the people from Suhong Academy, their movements carrying an unreadable chill and a sense of confrontation.

Mindao Academy is the focus of attention for many forces and disciples, and the confrontation just now was witnessed by countless people, which inevitably sparked a discussion.

It was obvious that Hu Lian and Tu Shi's behavior and words were interpreted by them as a provocation against Mindao Academy.

The departure of Mindao Academy was like a large stone being thrown into a lake, stirring up a huge wave in the crowd:

"Which faction is this? How dare they speak to Ren Han of Mindao Academy like that? Aren't they afraid of being targeted by Mindao during the competition?"

"Their aura doesn't seem weak."

"But so what? Mindao Academy has stood firm in the power competition for hundreds of years!"

"Hehe, this is going to be good!"

……

Although Su Hong and the others, who were being discussed by everyone, heard these words, they didn't feel any apprehension or fear. Instead, they seemed to have seen through the illusions of the world and were indifferent to everything.

after all--

When you face several massive Dan Tian Realm demonic beasts as large as mountains, and wake up to find yourself enduring fists as big as lava mountains, you'll realize that it's nothing when you face the pressure from Ren Han and the others a few months later.

If you were to chop down trees day and night in the extreme cold, wearing only a single layer of clothing and using a broken axe, even the weakest person could forge an iron will.

Imagine you were dumped in a dangerous, desolate jungle, where you had to fight for everything—food, shelter—and constantly face the pursuit of monsters many times stronger than yourself. Having survived so many life-or-death situations, how could you possibly be intimidated by such a scene?

The other disciples of Su Hong are in the same boat, spending every day in grueling training.

Da Su is still young, and its teaching staff may not be as strong as that of established forces that have been around for a century. However, the cultivation resources it provides to Su Hong's disciples are in no way inferior to those of other forces in terms of quality. They can soak in the ancient Creation Tempering Medicine Bath at will, drink the Eight-Colored Marrow Crystal Spirit Liquid every now and then, and freely enter and exit the magical floors of the Southern Crown Secret Realm...

The students of Suhong Academy seized this rare opportunity and put all their effort into cultivation—which is why they were able to present such a performance in the power competition.