Chapter 193: Confidence

Jiang Xincheng wanted to break through the bottleneck peacefully, but someone did not want him to do so smoothly. On the night before Jiang Xincheng was about to attempt the major bottleneck of the Cloud Condensation Realm, Tianhai City welcomed its first snow of the year.

The first snow!

Jiang Ning, the vice dean of the School of Computer Science and Management at Tianhai University, stepped on the thin layer of snow and walked into the small courtyard where Jiang Xincheng rented a place. She knocked on the courtyard gate.

Jiang Xincheng, who was cultivating, sensed something with his Spiritual Sense and detected Vice Dean Jiang Ning outside the gate. He frowned slightly and stood up to open the gate for her.

When he opened the gate, he saw a beautiful woman nearly thirty years old, extremely voluptuous and mature. Her eyes were like peach blossoms, her lips were full, and her charm was bone-deep and utterly captivating. She was in the most beautiful age for a woman, truly worthy of being called the flower of Tianhai University—Dean Jiang Ning.

Jiang Xincheng smiled slightly and said, “Dean Jiang, what brings you here? Please come in.”

“You’ve been back for so long, and if it weren’t for a teacher accidentally seeing you buying food, we still wouldn’t know.” Jiang Ning smiled charmingly, walked into the courtyard, and entered the simple living room of the farmhouse. “Xincheng, you are now a Centurion of the Flourishing Tang Empire. Why don’t you find a better place to live instead of staying in this farmhouse?”

“It’s quieter here, so I can cultivate in peace.” Jiang Xincheng said meaningfully as he poured a cup of tea for Jiang Ning and sat down beside her.

Dean Jiang Ning pouted in an irresistibly charming way. “Do you really like it so quiet? You’ve been back for months and haven’t been to the school even once. You probably don’t know what’s been happening at the school, right?”

“I know quite a bit. Don’t forget, I’m a member of the Flourishing Tang Empire. I can find out a lot of things through my Handheld Computer.” Jiang Xincheng replied with a slight smile.

Jiang Ning said, “Then you should know that many people at Tianhai University are quite unhappy with you, especially the new students who just enrolled. They are all clamoring to strip you of your titles as Chief Student for the first, second, and third years.”

“Let them strip them away. They’re just empty titles.” Jiang Xincheng laughed and poured himself a cup of tea. “I’d rather spend more time cultivating than arguing with them. That way, I can improve faster.”

Seeing that Jiang Xincheng didn’t care about the matter at all, Jiang Ning was stunned. She had studied psychology and was even an expert in it, making her a master of psychology. Naturally, she could tell that Jiang Xincheng was speaking the truth—he wasn’t brushing her off or pretending.

Jiang Xincheng truly didn’t care about the ridicule and doubts, nor did he intend to defeat those who mocked him to regain his reputation and status. But he was just a young man under twenty—how could he not care about fame?

If fame didn’t work as a motivator, what about benefits?

“You must have heard about Tsinghua University sweeping through the universities of the Shenxia Alliance recently, right?” Jiang Ning said with a smile.

Jiang Xincheng nodded. “Our Tianhai University lost too, didn’t we?”

“Uh…”

Jiang Ning was caught off guard. “Our Tianhai University did lose, and our reputation has suffered because of it. We became one of the stepping stones for Tsinghua University’s rise. So, the dean and the principal hope to compete with Tsinghua University again to reclaim the honor we lost. Otherwise, many talented students might go to Tsinghua University during next year’s enrollment.”

“And after losing the previous match, the principal and others have promised to send you to Tsinghua University to regain our pride. For this, the school is willing to spare no resources to train you so that you can break through to the Cloud Condensation Realm before next June. With your combat ability, once you step into the Cloud Condensation Realm, you will definitely be able to defeat the three Great Yuan Warriors from Tsinghua University who are at the Early Stage Cloud Condensation Realm and Mid Stage Cloud Condensation Realm. What do you think?”

“I don’t think much of it.” Jiang Xincheng shook his head and refused directly. He wasn’t cautious just because Jiang Ning was the vice dean of the school. Given his current status and position, not to mention Jiang Ning, even the principal of Tianhai University had to show him some respect. Of course, it was only out of politeness. The principal of Tianhai University might not be as strong as Jiang Xincheng in terms of power, but the authority and influence they held far surpassed Jiang Xincheng’s—it could even be said to be a behemoth larger than the Ximen Family.

“Even without the school’s resources, I can still break through to the Cloud Condensation Realm.” Jiang Xincheng added, a mysterious gleam flashing in his eyes.

Jiang Ning’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. “But if you rely on yourself alone, it will definitely take a lot of time. With the school’s strong support, you might be able to attempt the bottleneck of the Cloud Condensation Realm in just a few months.”

“I don’t need a few months.” Jiang Xincheng smiled confidently. “Within thirty days, I will attempt the bottleneck of the Cloud Condensation Realm. If nothing goes wrong, I will become a Great Yuan Warrior of the Cloud Condensation Realm before the New Year.”

“Ah…” Jiang Xincheng’s words stunned Jiang Ning, and then she said in astonishment, “You’re going to attempt the bottleneck of the Cloud Condensation Realm in thirty days, and you’re confident you’ll break through to the Cloud Condensation Realm before the New Year? How is that possible? I’ve been stuck at the Bone Tempering Late Stage for over a year, and I still don’t dare to attempt a breakthrough. I’m not confident even now.”

Looking at Jiang Ning’s shocked expression, Jiang Xincheng smiled without saying a word. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his face full of confidence. Jiang Ning’s expression gradually turned serious. “Student Xincheng, are you sure you can break through to the Cloud Condensation Realm before the New Year?”

“I am sure.” Jiang Xincheng nodded seriously. “So, the resources you’re offering don’t tempt me. I also don’t want to waste time on such trivial matters. I’d rather use that time to cultivate properly.”

Jiang Ning fell silent, feeling somewhat helpless. Fame didn’t work, others’ ridicule didn’t matter, and even tangible benefits like Cultivation Resources weren’t lacking… What should she do? Jiang Ning was at a loss.

As for power and wealth, Jiang Xincheng was a member of the Flourishing Tang Empire. It was said that he had been promoted to the position of Centurion in just a few months. The power he held was comparable to that of the head of the Administrative Department in an ordinary city, equivalent to a sixth-level civil servant. Tianhai University couldn’t offer him more power than that.

Wealth went without saying. Jiang Xincheng had wiped out the Liu Clan and gained their massive assets. He had also established the Jianghe Group, with a personal fortune of hundreds of millions. Tianhai University couldn’t give a student such enormous wealth.

None of these worked, so how could she persuade Jiang Xincheng to help Tianhai University reclaim its lost reputation, or even achieve more?

Thinking about how Jiang Xincheng could break through to the Cloud Condensation Realm before the New Year, and with his extraordinary combat ability, he might even be able to fight above his level and take on the three Pride of Heaven from Tsinghua University single-handedly, not only restoring Tianhai University’s glory but even elevating it further, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but feel excited. Yet, she was even more troubled about how to convince Jiang Xincheng.