Chapter Sixty-One: Liu Chun Is About to Take Office

Time slipped by in the blink of an eye, and nearly half a year had passed since Liuzong left for the Storm Archipelago. During this period, Liuzong immersed himself in the rented space with a shadow affinity, much as he had when he first acquired the Azure Dragon. He rarely appeared outside, except in the school forum or the library.

His half-year of diligence had not been wasted. Liuzong successfully treated every bone in the Azure Dragon’s skeleton. Using techniques learned from the Golden Pine Valley outpost, and combined with his own research, he finally devised a suitable blend of materials. The main structure of the Azure Dragon’s skeleton now resembled obsidian; black bones flashed with metallic gleams and the pale gray of bone beneath.

But only a fool would mistake this for true obsidian. The black hue was the result of Liuzong’s specially formulated materials stimulating the bone. This new bone gave the Azure Dragon’s skeleton the toughness of metal and the hardness of stone. Most importantly, it could continue to grow by absorbing metals, calcium, chitin, or shadow energies—the rate and limit of growth depended on the materials absorbed.

After finishing his work on the Azure Dragon’s bones, Liuzong planned to take a couple of days to relax and prepare for his next research. It was then that Liu Chun came to find him.

The last time Liu Chun sought him out, he had taken Liuzong on a tour of the Storm Archipelago, which had yielded considerable benefits. Liu Chun’s visit now surely heralded more good fortune.

With such thoughts in mind, Liuzong arrived at their agreed meeting place.

Liu Chun was already there, and upon seeing Liuzong, he hurriedly said, “Liuzong, I may need your help this time.”

Hearing this, Liuzong regarded Liu Chun closely. He noticed some changes—though only half a year had passed, Liu Chun seemed much more haggard, yet also more confident.

Liuzong felt he had seen this look somewhere before—in Zhu Yan’s video, when she encountered the Seven Knights Type I—Zhu Blaze Prototype, she had worn the same expression.

So… Liuzong stood and asked directly, “Liu Chun, are you preparing for graduation?”

Liu Chun, seeing that Liuzong had guessed his intentions, nodded without pretense. “That’s right. I’m ready. I don’t plan to wait any longer. I may need your help to make it happen.”

“Of course I’ll help, but didn’t you say you were still short on materials?” Liuzong asked, puzzled.

Because shadow affinity was rare, and both Liuzong and Liu Chun were players skilled in both magic and martial arts, Liuzong was familiar with Liu Chun’s progress toward graduation. Liu Chun aspired to become a Soul Warden, a profession no less arduous than Liuzong’s own goal. Unlike a Mech Knight, where you only needed to prepare your mech—be it self-made, won from a boss, or inherited—a Soul Warden required a personal prison, a body strong enough to withstand possession, and a cloak that could restore the body immediately after battle.

The body could be cobbled together with necromancy, but the prison and cloak must be crafted personally. For this, Liu Chun had studied forging and tailoring, becoming quite adept.

The problem was that materials for these items were prohibitively expensive, even the most basic ones beyond Liu Chun’s means.

Over the years, Liu Chun and Liuzong had worked hard together, acting as bait in various missions just to earn enough to buy materials.

Now Liu Chun suddenly claimed he was ready for graduation, and naturally Liuzong was skeptical—the gap in required materials was substantial.

Seeing Liuzong’s confusion, Liu Chun explained with a wry smile, “Have you heard the school is going to war?”

“War? Against whom?” The question startled Liuzong.

“Remember the death-defying mission we completed a year ago? We gained access to a new map, and the school applied to the City of Sun for an upgrade—from Sun City Third High to Sun City Second High,” Liu Chun explained.

“You know, the Second High would never agree to that. So, starting next month, a year after the application, we’ll enter a ten-year school rivalry with them.”

Liuzong was dumbfounded. “Ten years?”

“That’s right. The battle will take place on a designated map in Sun City. Only students from Second and Third High can participate—teachers act as NPCs, instructing or issuing missions. After ten years, the outcome will be scored, and the higher score wins.

If we win, our school becomes Sun City Second High, and all future status and benefits will be arranged accordingly. If we lose, half of the new map we just gained will go to Second High as compensation. That’s why the school takes this very seriously.”

“But what does that have to do with your graduation?” Liuzong asked, still puzzled.

“According to the rules, when the school applied for the upgrade, its roster was frozen—students can enter but not leave, and teachers can leave but not enter. So, if I graduate now, even at Level 1, I’ll still be counted as a student of Sun City Third High, not an assistant or teacher.”

Liuzong nodded in understanding. Participation as a student was safer at Level 1 than at Level 0, with more missions available. But he still didn’t see how Liu Chun could meet the graduation requirements so quickly.

Liu Chun explained further: with less than a month before war begins, the school has offered a special policy—any student willing to sign a thirty-year contract with the school will be provided enough resources to graduate.

Of course, the condition is that after graduation, the student must serve the school for thirty years, only after which can they pursue higher education elsewhere.

After finishing his explanation, Liu Chun said, somewhat helplessly, “I’m already over thirty. At this rate, I’d need another ten years to gather all the materials, and graduation would be free, but I wouldn’t meet the requirements for university. It’s better to sign the contract—if I survive, thirty years is enough to lay a solid foundation. Maybe I can even get into a decent university and aim for Level 2.”