Chapter 307 - Exquisite Skill Gem

Han Wu exited his divine realm and returned to his dormitory at Imperial College. The moment he stepped inside, a message from Saliya reached him. Xu Hai had instructed her to tell Han Wu not to ascend into a God upon his return. Instead, he was to go straight to Room 307 of the office and meet him there.

The directive puzzled Han Wu. He could not understand why his professor would delay such an important step, yet he chose to trust his professor’s judgment. He walked to the office and knocked on the door of Room 307.

Xu Hai’s voice came from inside the room. “Come in.”

“Come in,” Xu Hai’s voice called from within.

Han Wu pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to find that his professor was not alone. A striking woman stood beside him, dressed in form-fitting black overalls. Her beauty was beyond compare, the kind that stirred dangerous impulses. For a fleeting instant, even Han Wu felt an intrusive urge to dominate her. Luckily, his spirit was stronger, and he cast the thought aside almost as soon as it surfaced.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“Professor, are you looking for me?” Han Wu asked.

Xu Hai glanced at him before gesturing toward the woman in black. “This is the student I mentioned. His name is Han Wu.”

The woman’s gaze swept over him. Her scarlet lips curved and parted slightly.

“Not bad.” Her voice carried a strange fragrance, as if the air itself thickened with her words.

Han Wu frowned faintly and looked to Xu Hai for an explanation.

Xu Hai cleared his throat. “Han Wu, allow me to introduce her. She is Su Lan, a Major God of the Darkness faction. More specifically, the Major God of Seduction.”

Han Wu bowed with respect. “I greet you, Major God of Seduction.”

Su Lan’s voice dropped into a purr. “I’ve heard of you. You led a team of vampires and triumphed against the angels.”

Han Wu answered with modesty. “The credit belongs to the entire team. At most, I only offered them some assistance.”

Su Lan frowned faintly. “Excessive humility is nothing more than arrogance in disguise.

Xu Hai coughed softly and helped Han Wu a little. “It’s good for youngsters like him to stay humble. No need to frighten him. Han Wu, I imagine you’re wondering why I didn’t let you ascend into a God right away. I’ll tell you the reason.

“When someone ascends into a God, they awaken new powers, but the outcome is random. Striking luck and gaining something valuable is rare. That’s why I reached out to Su Lan for help. The two of us vouched for you and submitted an application to the college so that you could receive an Exquisite Skill Gem.”

Han Wu’s eyes widened. He had never imagined it was possible to influence which powers he awakened. The right power would catapult his strength to new heights. He had already witnessed the difference firsthand with Sacrifice, the first Exclusive Divine Power he had acquired. That single skill had allowed him to outpace his peers. Without it, graduating from high school with locusts as his core race would have been all but impossible.

“Thank you, Master! Thank you Ms. Xu.”

“Let’s move on, then.” Xu Hai flicked his arm, and in an instant the three of them stood before the rector’s office.

He rapped lightly on the door, and the rector’s voice called from within, “Come in.”

They stepped inside. Xu Hai and Su Lan seated themselves while Han Wu stood respectfully behind Xu Hai, studying the rector with interest.

This rector was not the head of Imperial College but the one who managed its resources. Among the college rectors, he held some of the greatest authority.

Xu Hai spoke first. “Mr. Feng, the application I submitted has been approved. I’ve come today to receive the Exquisite Skill Gem I applied for.”

Feng, a Major God with status equal to Xu Hai, regarded him for a moment before his gaze shifted to Su Lan, then finally to Han Wu. “Are you Han Wu, the first-year valedictorian?”

Han Wu nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Isn’t it too soon for you to ascend when you’re only in your first year? You’ll need a vast amount of Faith Points to maintain your Divine Authority. Without enough units, you won’t be able to sustain it,” Feng cautioned.

“Rector, please don’t worry. I have many units, and the Faith Points they generate each day are more than enough to support my Divine Authority,” Han Wu replied with confidence.

Feng frowned. “Han Wu, you don’t seem to understand me. As a first-year student, you should be focusing on your foundation and mastering the basics. It’s one thing to collect many units, but what matters is having strong, high-level ones.

“How many High Lord life forms exist in your divine realm? You should return only when you have at least one hundred.”

To Feng, a High Lord was a rare and formidable unit, nearly impossible to amass in large numbers. Even second-year students rarely possessed more than ten. Expecting a first-year like Han Wu to have any more than that was absurd.

“Rector, I have 8,929,420 High Lord life forms in my divine realm. I have long surpassed the required 100 units.”

Feng nearly toppled out of his chair.

What in the world? Almost 8.93 million High Lords? Does this boy think High Lords can be cultivated like weeds? That number is beyond outrageous!

“Han Wu, it is unbecoming to lie, especially with such a ridiculous claim. I’ll give you one chance. Take back your words and leave, and I’ll pretend none of this happened,” Feng warned sharply.

Xu Hai and Su Lan exchanged a glance. They could see his real intention clearly. Feng simply had no desire to hand over the Exquisite Skill Gem.

Xu Hai’s voice dropped into a hard, dangerous tone. “Mr. Feng, my application has already been approved. Are you trying to play games with me?”

Sensing the rising anger, Feng quickly redirected the pressure toward Han Wu. “Your student is the one making a mockery of this. 8.93 million High Lords? Even a God would struggle to assemble such an army.”

Xu Hai’s face darkened. “Are you accusing my student of lying?”

Feng gave Han Wu a cold, dismissive look. “Accuse him? Your student isn’t even worthy of suspicion.”

Xu Hai did not bother to argue further. Instead, he gave his student a command. “Han Wu, summon every last one of those High Lords from your divine realm and let Mr. Feng see them with his own eyes.”

Han Wu nodded and summoned all of his High Lords at once. The cramped office miraculously warped into a vast expanse of land stretching thousands of kilometers to contain them. Out of the 8.93 million, the overwhelming majority were locusts, numbering about 7.5 million. Next came the Tigermen at 1.4 million, while the combined High Lords of his other races barely surpassed 10,000.

Feng froze when he saw the sheer number of High Lords before him. He weakly pointed at the locusts. “These... Are these really High Lords?”

In raw strength, a Locust High Lord matched a standard Lord of the other races. By rank, however, they were officially High Lords. That fact was undeniable. Even if he set aside the Locust High Lords, nearly 1.4 million Tigermen High Lords still stood before him. The aura radiating from their bodies alone met Feng’s own criteria for a High Lord. Beyond that, roughly 10,000 High Lords from various races added to the tally. That number far exceeded the 100 High Lords Feng had required.

Han Wu’s voice dripped with mockery. “Rector, are you going to take back your words?”

Feng felt a flush of humiliation at being taunted by a student. He longed to slap Han Wu, but with Xu Hai and Su Lan watching, he dared not.

“Mr. Feng, do you believe him now? Will you give us the Exquisite Skill Gem I applied for?” Xu Hai pressed, urging him to produce it.

Feng growled, hesitated, and finally muttered meekly, “The Exquisite Skill Gem is not with me.”

Xu Hai sprang to his feet and seized Feng by the collar, anger flashing in his eyes. “What? Where is the Exquisite Skill Gem I applied for? It was approved!”

Feng could have shrugged him off but didn’t, his shame keeping him rooted. “Someone took it away.”

“Who has the nerve to steal the Exquisite Skill Gem I applied for?” Xu Hai seethed. Since becoming a Major God, he had never faced such a humiliating situation.

Feng shook his head.

Su Lan stepped forward, her slim fingers lifting his chin. “Who took it?”

Han Wu sensed a faint ripple of energy emanating from her as she spoke.

Feng replied instinctively, “Major God Butcher.”

Both Xu Hai and Su Lan fell silent at the name.

Han Wu frowned in confusion. “Who’s Butcher?”

Xu Hai exhaled slowly. “He’s a Major God serving the God King of War. His student also studies at Imperial College. You should know him. It’s Huang Shengjun.”