Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Lu Chao’s answer was...

”If they refuse, they refuse. But since these academies are just here for the show, we can’t let them pass.”

”After all, there are only sixty spots in the first trial.”

Only sixty academies could pass the first trial.

If these tag-alongs got through, only to be let past by the twenty blocking academies, all of Lu Chao’s and Sky Cliff Academy’s subsequent actions would be meaningless...

What would happen if these tag-alongs accidentally took up all sixty spots?

”But, Fake Lu Chao, almost half the academies are too scared to charge,” Senior Sister Sky Cliff said quickly.

The senior disciples from the other four leading academies also nodded gravely.

If nearly half were too afraid to charge, it meant the number of rebels was too small. And if they were too few, they could never defeat the twenty blocking academies.

Lu Chao smiled beneath his mask and explained...

”Think about it the other way around...”

”As long as the blockers know that nearly half the Small Institutes are too afraid to charge with us, they’ll underestimate us.”

”You should have noticed by now. The blockers know we’re trying to figure out a way to fight back, yet they haven’t paid us any mind.”

The senior brothers and sisters from the five academies were stunned. It seemed he was right.

’The blockers hadn’t seen any new academies arrive, so of course they would have sent scouts to investigate. And of course, those scouts would have learned that Sky Cliff Academy and the others were organizing the Small Institutes to resist. So why hadn’t they taken any action?’

’It was arrogance and complacency. They knew that nearly half the Small Institutes were too afraid to join.’

”Besides, they already know that you five academies are the ones resisting. You have no path of retreat.”

”It’s too late for you to back out, even if you wanted to.”

Lu Chao added quietly. With that, he turned and left.

The five senior leaders blinked, slowly mulling over Lu Chao’s words. Then, one by one, their expressions changed dramatically.

”Damn it, Fake Lu Chao! You set us up!”

It suddenly dawned on them. They truly had no path of retreat.

’Before, some of them had been thinking that if things went south, they could just give up. But now, the twenty blocking academies must have already investigated and discovered that they were the five organizing the Small Institutes’ resistance.’

Without even realizing it, they had become the ones sticking their necks out.

In other words, the twenty blocking academies wouldn’t spare Sky Cliff Academy and the others, even if they tried to quit now.

”That bastard!”

”That Fake Lu Chao must have known from the start that nearly half the Small Institutes wouldn’t dare to join.”

”He was just setting us up, using us to stick our necks out and forcing us to follow him down this path to the very end!”

The corners of the five leaders’ mouths twitched, and for a moment, their hearts seethed with endless resentment.

’But what could they do? They had no choice but to see it through to the end.’

The five quickly issued orders for their people to completely block the students from the cowardly Small Institutes, not allowing them to advance a single step.

As soon as they were done...

Lu Chao returned, still wearing his mask. With him were Luo Wendeng and eight others.

Their eyes glaring with resentment, Senior Sister Sky Cliff couldn’t help but ask, ”Fake Lu Chao, just how confident are you?”

Lu Chao tilted his head and replied, ”Of course, one hundred percent.”

At his words, the five leaders’ eyes filled with disbelief.

”The time is almost right, Brother Luo...”

”The nine of you, go and mix in with the Small Institutes that are too afraid to charge. Remember to smear some mud on your faces so no one recognizes you... When the time comes, on my command, you will incite them to charge with us.”

Hearing Lu Chao’s command, Luo Wendeng and the eight others left without hesitation.

The leaders of Sky Cliff and the other four academies watched Luo Wendeng’s group leave in confusion. Before they could process it, Lu Chao suddenly drew his Sword and sketched a map on the ground...

”This is a topographical map of the area near the blockers.”

With that, Lu Chao wrote ”Sky Cliff” on the map. ”Senior Sister Sky Cliff, this is your position.”

Then, he marked the positions for the other four academies.

Finally, Lu Chao said, ”I’m going to go on ahead alone and confront these twenty blocking academies. I’ll find an opportunity to break through their blockade, and they will certainly try to stop me from reaching the finish line...”

”The moment they stop me, whichever group I call by name must immediately charge out and attack.”

The five leaders, who had just been seething with resentment, gradually grew serious.

Lu Chao sheathed the Sword he’d used for drawing the map and said gravely, ”We only get one chance, so don’t you dare give up... Remember, while I’m drawing their attention, you all sneak into the positions I’ve marked.”

With that said, Lu Chao strode out of the forest, walking step by step toward the twenty blocking academies.

Meanwhile, Senior Sister Sky Cliff and the others burned the positions on the map into their minds.

One of them said, ”I can’t believe he already scouted the terrain. And to think no one even spotted him.”

A second person spoke up...

”Fake Lu Chao is on his way. We should start moving through the forest.”

”There’s no turning back now, no matter what. All we can do is give it everything we’ve got.”

Senior Sister Sky Cliff gazed at Lu Chao’s retreating figure...

She murmured, ”His solo combat ability is truly terrifying, but can he really break through twenty of the strongest academies all by himself?”

She clenched her fists. All she could do now was muster all her will to fight.

They returned to their assigned teams. Each team consisted of students from their own academy plus those from the other academies that had joined them, totaling a little over a hundred people per team.

Combined, the five teams numbered around six hundred people.

As for the twenty blocking academies, assuming an average of fifty students each, they numbered a thousand strong.

Six hundred against a thousand. The odds were truly, truly stacked against them.

As this thought crossed Senior Sister Sky Cliff’s mind, she secretly instructed her junior brothers and sisters...

”When the chaos breaks out, just charge for your lives. If even ten of us make it to the finish line, it’s our victory.”

’She had her own selfish plan. Things would definitely get chaotic. The only thing to do was to make a mad dash for the finish line.’

The leaders of the other academies had the same selfish idea...

What they didn’t know was that this was exactly what Lu Chao had intended.

He needed every single one of them to charge out with reckless abandon. Only then would their strongest fighting spirit be ignited, and only then could they snatch victory from the jaws of chaos.

...

While Lu Chao walked step by step toward the blockers, the five teams crept silently through the forest.

The members of the twenty blocking academies all wore expressions of utter ease...

A woman from Fox Flame giggled. ”Why haven’t Sky Cliff Academy and the others started yet? I’m getting a little impatient.”

”Yeah, it’s fucking hilarious,” Yan Jun chimed in. ”To think they’re actually ganging up to charge us.”

Just as Lu Chao had predicted, when no new academies arrived, they had sent out scouts to investigate. The report that came back was just what he’d said it would be: Sky Cliff Academy and the others were organizing the Small Institutes to fight back.

At first, they were a little surprised and considered making a preemptive strike.

But when their investigation revealed that nearly half the Small Institutes were too afraid to participate, they were simply amused. They eagerly awaited the charge from Sky Cliff Academy and the others; their hands were itching for a fight.

A thousand of them to hold off six hundred...

Besides, most of them were students from the academies of the Seven Great Flame Countries. They didn’t even consider Sky Cliff Academy and the others a threat.

Just as they were all cracking their knuckles in anticipation, the sound of footsteps reached them...