Chapter 622: The Hidden Danger

Seeing Wu Luoxue and Zhen Congming walking out, the old men all ran out after them, thinking that Wu Luoxue would become a top oil painting master since she could paint so well so young.

Jiang Yuan watched the old men in surprise and then looked back at the apple on the canvas, but she couldn't see anything special about it.

To Hao Ren, it was a simple apple that anyone who had learned oil painting could paint with ease.

He looked at Jiang Yuan's oil painting teacher and realized that this old man who had shown interest in Wu Luoxue first didn't follow her out.

The old man touched the canvas lightly and picked up the painting brush that Wu Luoxue had used before carefully observing it.

"Teacher, is that elementary school student very talented?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Wang Shitong took out a small knife from his pocket and cut the apple from the canvas before tossing it at Jiang Yuan. "Take it back and study it carefully!"

Jiang Yuan put away the piece of painted canvas in bafflement since she still couldn't see what was special about this red apple.

Wang Shitong turned slightly and looked at Hao Ren and the others.

His intense gaze seemed as if it could pierce Hao Ren.

When he was with those old men, Hao Ren didn't see anything special about him. However, meeting his gaze now, Hao Ren found that this old man's presence was very extraordinary.

"Put away the stuff, and you must practice more. Don't go out and play with guys so often," Wang Shitong said.

"Ok, Teacher." Jiang Yuan answered with a nod.

However, she thought differently. Now that she was famous, it was time for her to expand her connections, and she must choose carefully among the guys who were pursuing her.

She had planned to have a casual relationship with Hao Ren before graduation, but now she had to change her plan.

"Let's go." Seeing nothing interesting in the exhibition, Hao Ren waved his hand.

"Ok!" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili answered immediately.

When the old man stared at Hao Ren for a few seconds, they looked at the old man for a few seconds as well. However, they felt nothing unusual about him.

Still wondering what was unique about the apple, Xie Yujia froze for a few seconds and followed Hao Ren hurriedly.

Since their textbooks were still in the academic building, Xie Yujia ran into the classroom where another class was in progress. She walked in silently and came out with their textbooks.

On the other side of the street, LingZhao Middle School had begun afternoon classes, and East Ocean University had gradually quieted down as well.

"Gongzi! We're hungry!" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili took Hao Ren's arms and yelled in a pettish manner.

"Go buy yourself some food." Hao Ren dug out his wallet and handed two-hundred-yuan to them.

"Well..." Lu sisters looked at him in disappointment.

They had wanted Hao Ren to have lunch with them instead of asking for money.

"Yujia, you go grab a bite as well. I'm not hungry," Hao Ren said.

"Ok. You must be careful." Xie Yujia held the Lu sisters' hands, leading them to Hongji Square out of the west gate of the school.

She felt like that the old man was a bit weird but couldn't explain why, thinking maybe it was a unique characteristic of artists.

When the three girls were gone, Hao Ren went to the Administrative Building.

He assumed that Yue Zilong would be back after a few days of rest. When he was besieged on Fifth Heaven, Yue Zilong had come to check on him.

Sure enough, Yue Zilong was in the office with the other two counselors for other programs. Some members of the Student Council were making plans in the outer office.

"Mr. Yue," Hao Ren called at the entrance before walking into the office.

"Little Hao, come in." Yue Zilong beckoned at him.

He looked very intimate as if he were truly a newly-appointed young counselor.

"Mr. Yue, we're off to have lunch," the other two counselors in the office said to Yue Zilong as they walked to the door.

The Teacher's Cafeteria on the second floor of Clear Stream Cafeteria was open until two o'clock in the afternoon, and the teachers usually had lunch after the rush hour caused by students.

"Ok," Yue Zilong answered with a smile and then glanced at Hao Ren. "Sit down."

After Hao Ren sat on the chair, Yue Zilong poured a cup of water and placed it before Hao Ren.

"I've finished the task of rounding up the dragon cultivators in the school," Hao Ren said as he looked at him.

"Good! Good!" Yue Zilong looked genial when wearing his glasses, and he took out five to six objects from his ring.

"You've used two realm-breaking notes and have one left. I will give you four more. This is a Snow Soul Bead which can add essence to the surroundings when you put it in the water; it can help with your cultivation."

Hao Ren put the realm-breaking notes into his pocket since he had no nature essence at present and couldn't open his necklace.

The Snow Soul Bead was very cold, and Hao Ren wrapped it in paper towels before putting it into his pocket.

"The Calligraphy Club has just been founded, and it needs lots of stuff," Hao Ren said.

"What do you need? I can give you supplies to some extent," Yue Zilong said.

"I want 200 level 2 or level 3 foundation establishment pills which are useful stuff. I'll ask Lu Qi to make a list for the rest of the supplies," Hao Ren said.

"200 foundation establishment pills? You have a big appetite." Yue Zilong thought for a while and said, "I can agree to that though."

Hao Ren knew that Xie Yujia could make level 4 elixir pills, but it was a strenuous process. Since most of the cultivators had low realms, he wanted to take some elixir pills from Yue Zilong so that Xie Yujia didn't have to work hard making them.

"And I want to thank you for showing up yesterday," Hao Ren said.

"Don't thank me. Since you are still an inspector, I can't stand by and allow you to be killed by the cultivators on Fifth Heaven. However..." Yue Zilong drawled, "If you work against the Dragon God Shrine one day, I won't show mercy on you."

Hao Ren smiled and looked at Yue Zilong before nodding.

"Is there a metal-elemental dragon cultivator in the school? His realm is not low, right?" Hao Ren asked.

"I've spotted him. Don't worry," Yue Zilong said lightly.

After thinking for a moment, Hao Ren felt like he had no more questions to ask. He drank some water and stood up. "Then, I'll head back."

"Ok." Yue Zilong pointed at Hao Ren's cup, and the water remaining in it evaporated immediately while the disposable cup was flicked into the garbage can.

He knew Hao Ren was related to that eternal demon king, but he didn't want to ask since that eternal demon king had returned to the Demon Sea after turning the Kunlun Mountain upside-down.

He wanted to stay here to watch some more since the metal-elemental dragons seemed to be quite active.

Walking out into the corridor, Hao Ren went to the big independent office of the Calligraphy Club.

When he entered, he saw some club members busy working in the office.

After some decorating, the room was clean and neat. When the members of the Calligraphy Club saw Hao Ren enter, they greeted him respectfully, "Brother Hao!"

"Isn't Lu Qi here?" Hao Ren asked.

"Vice President Lu hasn't come yet. Do you want me to call him?" a girl asked.

Without any nature essence, Hao Ren couldn't use the Inspector's Token and thus couldn't see the elemental attribute and realm of the members. He vaguely remembered that this girl was of wood-elemental attribute and at Gen-level.

"Not necessary." Hao Ren put the cold Snow Soul Bead on the table and asked, "How is the selection of other vice presidents of the club?"

"The list of best candidates is done, and it is waiting for your review," the girl said.

"The vice presidents can take turns." Hao Ren pointed at the Snow Soul Bead and said, "This bead is said to be able to increase nature essence when it is put into water. I'll leave it in the office."

"Ok!" The members answered at the same time.

The moment when Hao Ren took out the bead, they had sensed the overwhelming essence that was coming off it and knew it was a valuable dharma treasure.

However, Hao Ren didn't keep it to himself. Instead, he left it in the office so that everyone could use it to cultivate faster, making them grateful to him.

"Another thing. Each of you can write down the things you want related to cultivation and hand them to Lu Qi. He will form a list and give it to me. Don't ask for items that are too valuable, and I'll try my best to get them for you," Hao Ren said.

Hearing Hao Ren's words, the members were exhilarated. "Thank you, Brother Hao!"

As the ordinary cultivators in their dragon clans, they didn't have much access to resources. In the process of cultivation, they had wanted certain things, but their dragon clan wouldn't or couldn't give them those things.

Of course, Hao Ren wouldn't tell them that a deputy shrine master of the God Dragon Shrine was in East Ocean University right now. Otherwise, they would be frightened.

"Any news recently?" Hao Ren asked them.

"A 10,000-year Lingzhi Mushroom appeared in the Youlan Wood Dragon Palace at Wu Mountain in the West..."

"One elder from Dongting Lake Dragon Palace reached top-tier Qian-level..."

"The Royal Prince of the Changbai Mountain Dragon Palace wants to transfer to our East Ocean University and join Brother Hao's group. He and Vice President Lu are friends."

One by one, they offered information about the clans.

"Ok..." Hao Ren nodded slightly, feeling like all the dragon palaces were trying to increase their strengths.

With the fall of the West Ocean Dragon Clan, all the dragon clans from different regions had adjusted the focus of their diplomatic policy. In general, they were all leaning toward East Ocean.

"Ask each member of the club to prepare some calligraphy works. Now that the Calligraphy Club is founded, we must come up with some activities."

"Ok. President!" They answered as one.

After the establishment of the Calligraphy Club in such a short time, they must organize some club activities so that the ordinary students wouldn't get suspicious.

Hao Ren stood up and walked out of the office. In the week without nature essence, he couldn't cultivate, so it was a rare rest period for her.

He borrowed some books on architecture and sat in a spot close to the window, reading them one by one.

In fact, architecture had things in common with array formations. While array formations collected nature essence through all kinds of methods, the art of architecture supported weight through all sorts of combinations of materials.

Hao Ren was deep in thought while reading the architecture books at a long table in the library, and the students nearby turned their gazes toward him, especially the girls.

The girls found Hao Ren charming in the sunshine. Hao Ren had surpassed Huang Xujie with ease and became the focus of the students and Prince Charming for many girls in the school.

They were amazed by Hao Ren's manner while he talked with Song Qingya today.

They all regretted not noticing this quiet and low-profile guy earlier. Now that he had emerged, he was too high for them to reach.

While the sunlight crawled on the long table, Hao Ren read quietly, and his manner and movements seemed to have merged with his environment, firm and full of force.

After reading six books with his photographic memory, Hao Ren returned the books to their shelves and walked out of the library at a steady pace.

It was dusk outside.

Little White was playing with some first-year girls outside of the library.

Hao Ren called out, "Little White!"

Dadada... Little White trotted over and leaped into Hao Ren's arms.

The girls looked at Hao Ren enviously while they whispered to each other.

"That is Hao Ren..."

"Yeah. The President of the Calligraphy Club, and even superstar Song Qingya came into the school to see him..."

Hao Ren picked up Little White by its ears and walked toward the south gate of the school.

"You hungry little thing!" He patted Little White on its head.

Little White barked and spat out a piece of sausage before jumping down to the ground and walking alongside him.

The two shadows lengthened on the ground in the setting sun.

"The Senior is very handsome..." The first-year female students were still standing there, admiring Hao Ren's figure.

The posters of the art exhibition outside of the Arts Building had been put away since the half-day art exhibition had ended. The campus was now in its most peaceful moment of the day.

Su Han jogged home wearing her running shoes.

Zhao Yanzi began the night study session in the classroom with her classmates after having dinner in the middle school cafeteria.

The golden setting sun shone on the quiet campus.

"Heaven Earth Lock!"

The golden campus instantly turned red.

Jiang Yuan's oil painting teacher descended slowly from the sky and stood before Hao Ren with a kind smile.

"I, Wang Shitong, the Zixuan Cave Master, is honored to meet the Commanding General of East Ocean." Wang Shitong cupped his hands.

Hao Ren looked around and saw that the students were still walking as usual, and it seemed like no one noticed this part of the campus. He looked up and saw that even the sky had turned red.

Wang Shitong's energy sphere had engulfed the whole city!

Woo!

Little White instantly changed into its snow lion form, baring its teeth at Wang Shitong.

"Little level 3 demon beast..." Wang Shitong snapped two fingers.

Two golden lights shot from his fingertips, and Little White fell to the ground immediately.

"Hand over the Heaven-Reaching Shield." The old man reached out his hand.