High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1169: Chapter 231: The Undercurrents After the Spring Hunting

April 24th, Friday.

According to the teaching plan of the First University, this day was supposed to be the opening of the Spring Hunting. Nevertheless, due to complex internal and external circumstances and the difficulty of ensuring student safety, the school postponed this plan. Moreover, according to senior sources working in the student union, the First University may very well cancel Spring Hunting this year.

Like Winter Hunting, Spring Hunting serves as a stage for students to practice their magic, held once every semester. The scores from hunting often account for a significant proportion of the practical evaluation each year.

Therefore, the rumor of cancelling Spring Hunting struck like a bolt from the blue for the score-conscious students of Jiuyou Academy.

This is because most students at Jiuyou Academy, unlike those at Alpha Academy, do not focus on extracurricular practice activities and are not keen on participating in club activities. Hence, the hunts organized by the schools during winter and spring become one of the main ways for these students to acquire practical scores.

Now, with Jiuyou Academy’s annual comprehensive points nearly on par with Alpha Academy, the sudden news of cancelling Spring Hunting inevitably led the students of Jiuyou to wild speculation.

Over the past week, Zheng Qing had heard more than once claims like ”Spring Hunting was cancelled by Alpha Academy’s PR” or ”Alpha is lowering Jiuyou Academy’s total score by sniping at practical points” proliferating as conspiracy theories.

To be fair, how many practical points Jiuyou Academy’s students could obtain through Spring Hunting is a matter up for debate, not to mention that Alpha Academy’s students could also earn a large number of practical points during Spring Hunting. Therefore, any student with a modicum of logical thinking should scoff at such conspiracy theories.

But the interesting thing about reality is that very few people manage to maintain objectivity and rationality when discussing their interests. The fervor and agitation of the masses often achieve what reason alone cannot—such as swaying public opinion to direct policy changes.

Perhaps, some believed that by stirring students, the school might slightly lessen the weight of practical scores in the year-end evaluations, thereby improving their final grades; others simply disliked Alpha Academy and seized every opportunity to make things difficult for them.

In any case, under the unconscious promotion of the ignorant, the silent empowerment of the malicious, and the deliberate indulgence of the indifferent bystanders, the conflict between Jiuyou Academy and Alpha Academy intensified. The rift had grown to the point where any encounter between the hunting teams of both academies guaranteed serious injuries to the hunters.

This tension carried over to the practical class on Friday afternoon, making the atmosphere even more fraught.

Because the practice class for Astronomy Class 08-1 involved taking lessons with some students from Alpha Academy. Since the first practice class, there had been friction and discord between the young wizards of the two academies.

Not long ago, the school had planned to segregate the students of the two academies and reassign teaching tasks, but this plan was canceled halfway through its implementation for unknown reasons. So in today’s practice class, the students of Astronomy Class 08-1 once again stood shoulder to shoulder with those from Alpha Academy.

”We have to let them know who’s the top of the First University,” Zhang Ji Xin and a few others stood together, counting on their fingers, eagerly sizing up the serious-faced white-robed ones opposite and said.

Zheng Qing nodded repeatedly on the surface but inwardly lamented.

From the onset of the class, the tension between the two academies had already thickened to the point where even the groundhogs in Green Valley could smell it. These little creatures, which had just regained a bit of fat in the spring, took off running at the sight of both white and red robes on their turf, completely ignoring the acorns and hazelnuts held by the witches.

They wouldn’t even mind staying in the practice class of Starry Sky Academy, drenched in the uncouth enthusiasm of the blue-gowned ones; they refused to deal with either the white or red-robed ones.

Truly, a sad story.

”There’s an old saying, ’A good merchant hides his goods as if he has none; a gentleman’s great virtue, appears foolish,’” Zheng Qing looked at the eager Elders and couldn’t help but advise, ”There are so many people here, we should keep a low profile... Didn’t we agree before that Absolution would not meddle in these trivial school matters?”

”Appears foolish? What does that mean, that he looks stupid?” Zhang Ji Xin glanced at Zheng Qing with a slant in his eyes.

The young state-funded student, upon hearing this, was so angered that he fell backward.

Xin Fat Man chuckled a few times before patting the Red-faced Male Wizard’s shoulder to explain, ”What that saying means is ’A skilled merchant keeps his merchandise hidden, pretending to have none; a man of noble character often looks like a fool, not showing off his abilities’... After all, you are a Huaxia person, how could you understand less of the traditional texts than I, a German?”

Zhang Ji Xin rolled his eyes, looking at the fat hand on his shoulder, and muttered, ”With that slick manner of yours, who would think you’re German?”

The Fat Man quickly perceived the chill in the Elder’s words and swiftly withdrew his hand.

Zhang Ji Xin clicked his tongue in disappointment, withdrew his gaze, and looked towards the leader of his Hunting team.

”Not getting involved in the conflicts between societies doesn’t mean we can ignore them when they happen,” the Red-faced Male Wizard said seriously for once, ”I know you don’t want to cause trouble for everyone, but when trouble comes knocking, we can’t expect those guys opposite us to leave us any dignity.”

”That makes sense,” Xin Fat Man nodded repeatedly.

Zheng Qing sighed, suddenly feeling somewhat dispirited.

Turning his head, he saw that a skirmish of words had already begun between the Red Gown and the White-robed, but under Assistant Hilda’s stern gaze, no physical altercation beyond shoving had occurred yet.

Then, he happened to overhear a White-robed person saying, ”If you can’t learn it, then don’t bother learning it, this kind of thing requires talent, no shame...”

But this remark was immediately retorted by a Young Wizard from Astronomy Class 08-1.

”Hey, wake up, bloodlines are dead, it’s already the year 9002!” Duan Xiao Jian stood behind Tang Dun and shouted at the White-robed students from Alpha Academy, causing a burst of laughter from the surrounding students.

The White-robed students did not react with the anger Duan Xiao Jian had anticipated.

They just looked at the noisy Red Gown with a contemptuous gaze, as if they were staring at a lively cockroach. Sometimes, this kind of silent contempt can be more infuriating than the sting of words.

”I agree with you,” the young state-funded student turned to his companions, rolled up his sleeves, positioned his Law book where he could quickly draw it, and then shook his head, beginning to warm up his muscles:

”Sometimes, reasoning doesn’t solve the problem... because some people don’t understand the reasoning spoken.”

Zhang Ji Xin nodded in satisfaction and cracked his knuckles.

Crack, crack.