Chapter 135: Gathering Before the Exam
This student from Xiang City was initially like everyone else, searching his mind for the name Zhou Shang among the teachers of this class.
But it didn't take long for him to realize something.
Isn't the president of Xingcheng Hongwu University called Zhou Shang?
Could it be that Jiang Tian's teacher is Principal Zhou?!
Is this real? You're not joking, right?
He had just enrolled in university and was already accepted as a student by the president of Hongwu University. What a starting point.
"Could it be Principal Zhou?" the student, who had suddenly come to his senses, asked again.
Jiang Tian nodded. "Yes."
Hearing Jiang Tian's affirmative answer, the students from Xiang City in front of him fell silent.
A moment later, the same student suddenly bowed slightly and said, "Boss Jiang, please accept my greeting."
With him taking the lead, the other students from Xiang City immediately followed suit and bowed. "Boss Jiang, please accept our greetings."
Not to mention the value of this bowl of noodles, but to become the principal's personal student right after entering school?
That alone was worthy of respect—this was Jiang Tian, the overlord of Southern Province and the number one student in the country.
How could they not pay respects and hold on to this golden thigh?
Leng Hao, once one of the Four New Generation Kings of Southern Province, personally brought them here.
If they didn't seize this opportunity, when would they?
"We're all classmates, there's no need for this," Jiang Tian waved his hand, signaling the students from Xiang City not to be so formal.
But they insisted on following behind him, surrounding him as they all left the dormitory.
After all, they had delayed for quite some time, and it was getting late. They needed to hurry and gather.
With Jiang Tian as the center, the group hurried toward the gathering place.
After leaving the dormitory, many students coming out of other dorms turned their heads and looked at Jiang Tian.
If anyone was the most famous among the freshmen of Xingcheng Hongwu University, it was undoubtedly Jiang Tian.
Even though his reputation online wasn't the best, he carried many strange labels.
But one thing was undeniable—Jiang Tian was absolutely at the top of the popularity rankings.
Many students looked at him with complicated expressions, their thoughts already racing about what they would do during the entrance exam.
Some more arrogant students even raised their hands, pulling their necks slightly, full of provocation when Jiang Tian's gaze swept over them.
Some even shouted loudly:
"Jiang Tian! If you're a real man, fight fairly in the entrance exam! Don't hide!"
There were many such examples. Not a lot, but enough to be noticeable.
The students from Xiang City who followed Jiang Tian were naturally furious, their blood pressure rising instantly.
Just as they were about to speak out in retaliation, Jiang Tian stopped them.
"Don't get too worked up. They're just being used as pawns," he said calmly.
Xue Ruyan nodded beside him, chuckling. "Look, after provoking Jiang, they immediately turned around to take credit for it with their companions."
"And look at the people around them. It's obvious they let him take the lead to test the waters."
Huang Xing, who was walking among them, narrowed his eyes and whispered to Guo Qihang:
"Do you sense a conspiracy?"
Guo Qihang looked at him strangely. "Why are you asking me?"
Huang Xing said, "Seeing how sneaky you are, I figured you'd understand it better."
Guo Qihang: "...?"
He didn't know whether to feel flattered or insulted.
What do you mean by sneaky? Am I that kind of person?!
While Huang Xing and Guo Qihang were joking around, Leng Hao was secretly observing the students around them.
He could see that many of them were just standing by, watching without taking action.
Compared to the students who had openly provoked Jiang Tian, these others seemed to be thinking about something deeper.
It was clear now—this so-called freshman group was not united at all.
Many students had already made secret plans to let others attack first, then watch from the sidelines.
But…
Leng Hao looked at the students around him and thought to himself:
"Soon, you'll all see just how terrifying this person is."
"The only way to improve your performance in the entrance exam is, as you said in your group, to attack in numbers."
"But can you actually work together when your hearts aren't even in agreement?"
In fact, Leng Hao didn't need to think too much to know that they would never actually gang up on Jiang Tian.
The ridiculously stupid student who provoked Jiang Tian just now was merely a fool who got misled.
Once they start fighting, the situation will become chaotic, and that's when these so-called strategists will try to take advantage of the disorder.
The gathering place for the entrance exam was at the northern side of the dormitory complex.
It was a huge training field, an area where students could fully showcase their skills.
Behind this massive martial arts arena was a dense forest, and in the distance, you could see multiple watchtowers on the mountainside.
Additionally, formations were floating above the watchtowers.
Many students could even sense the faint energy fluctuations of these formations—something they had learned about in high school.
Clearly, this forest was equipped with monitoring formations and surveillance devices.
The students who had gathered at the martial arts arena were talking among themselves, speculating that this time's entrance exam might require them to enter the mountains and forests.
When Jiang Tian and his group arrived, they saw that many freshmen had already gathered.
"The number of students this year seems a lot bigger than usual," Guo Qihang muttered as he observed the crowd.
"Compared to the data I collected before, enrollment has increased by at least 30 to 50%!"
Huang Xing immediately followed up. "I heard they expanded enrollment and relaxed some of the admission restrictions."
"They expanded enrollment?" Leng Hao murmured, his eyes darkening slightly. "That only happens when there's trouble."
"If even Hongwu University in Xingcheng is expanding its enrollment, it means that the situation for the human race is worse than we thought."
Sometimes, you could see the bigger picture from small details.
In the past, why didn't students at martial arts universities need to earn merit points?
Because back then, students weren't expected to fight on the battlefield while still in school.
But now?
The moment you become a martial arts university student, you become a reserve soldier—ready to be deployed to war against alien races at any time.
"Ahem..."
A cough drew everyone's attention.
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw an old man floating in mid-air.
Jiang Tian recognized him immediately—his teacher, the current president of Xingcheng Hongwu University.
Zhou Shang.