Chapter 947: Compensation

After a long pause, Wu Tianqiong and Shen Pingchao, their faces flushed with embarrassment, flew over from the wreckage and landed before them. If they had known it would be this humiliating, they would have simply disembarked directly. Now, after such a hard crash, their carefully cultivated image as eminent figures was completely shattered, and their lifelong reputation was ruined.

Zhang Xuan bowed, saying, "A junior like myself greets Headmaster Wu and Headmaster Shen!" He was currently only a Six-star Master Teacher, while his counterparts were Seven-star. In terms of etiquette, he couldn't afford for them to find any fault.

Wu Tianqiong waved his hand, his face ashen. "As fellow headmasters, we are peers; there's no need for such formalities. Headmaster Zhang, it was indeed improper for us to fly the airship directly into the academy, but... shouldn't you return these Saint Beasts to us?" The Cloud Cliff Airship was a magical artifact; while it sustained some damage from the crash, it was minor and acceptable. However, they couldn't afford to lose so many Saint Beasts, even with the Cloud Haze Academy's vast resources. Furthermore, if the Saint Beasts were truly taken away, how would so many students and teachers return after the Combat Master selection? If they had to walk, they'd probably grow old and gray before ever reaching home! The Qingyuan Conferred Empire covered an unknown vast distance, and the Four Great Academies were scattered far and wide. The Cloud Cliff Airship had flown for over a month. If they were to travel on foot and hadn't reached the Saint realm, they would practically die of old age before they could leave the empire.

"Returning them to you isn't impossible, it's just that..." After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan showed a troubled expression.

"Just what?" Wu Tianqiong looked over.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "To be frank, in preparation for this Combat Master selection, our Hongyuan Academy specifically hired master landscape artists to design many beautiful sceneries and arrange countless precious treasures. We're still deeply in debt from it... As a result, your airship crashed and destroyed everything. The Cloud Haze Academy is wealthy, so... could you perhaps compensate us for our losses first, before we discuss the Saint Beasts?"

The Cloud Cliff Airship had descended from the sky, carving a large crater in the ground, leaving many academy buildings in ruins and the area in disarray. "Master landscape artists? Beautiful sceneries? Treasures?" Wu Tianqiong's mouth twitched. He had seen the situation below from the airship earlier; they were just ordinary buildings. Where were the beautiful sceneries? The treasures? Besides, when the airship landed, he also saw that most of the damaged areas were plazas and streets, which shouldn't require much compensation, right? While he thought this, the Saint Beasts were in the other party's possession, so he cupped his fist and asked, "How much compensation is required?"

"I'm not entirely sure of the exact amount myself. As you know, I only recently became headmaster, so I'm not very familiar with these matters... How about this, I'll ask someone for you!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand and called out, "Elder Mi, please calculate the estimated cost to fully restore all the buildings and treasures in the area where Headmaster Wu's airship crashed."

"Yes!" Upon hearing the request, Elder Mi nodded, flew into the air, took a quick look, returned, and transmitted a message: "Reporting to Headmaster, the airship damaged a total of eight buildings and three ponds. To fully repair them would require approximately... two high-grade spirit stones!" To wealthy individuals, high-grade spirit stones might not seem like much, but their actual purchasing power was still considerable. The area where the airship crashed was not particularly important; ordinary craftsmen could complete the repairs. In fact, even two high-grade spirit stones wouldn't be needed for a perfect restoration.

"What did you say?" Zhang Xuan seemed to not have heard clearly. His voice rose, and he frowned, "Twenty thousand high-grade spirit stones? Are you sure that many high-grade spirit stones would be enough to fix it?"

"Twenty thousand..." Elder Mi was stunned. When did I say twenty thousand? I said two...

"These magnificent buildings, not only designed by masters but also embodying the hard work of our predecessors, possess immeasurable value. Calculate carefully how much is truly needed. Don't worry, Cloud Haze Academy, as the leading institution among the Four Great Academies, is incredibly wealthy and certainly won't default on its debts!" Zhang Xuan continued.

"Uh..." Elder Mi's lips twitched, and he tentatively suggested, "Then... twenty-five thousand, or perhaps thirty thousand..."

"Is thirty thousand enough?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Thirty thousand... Is it enough? Or not enough? How about fifty thousand then..." Elder Mi's eyelids twitched uncontrollably; he didn't know how to respond.

"Fifty thousand? It really needs that much? That's right, the property left by our ancestors was destroyed under my watch; its value cannot be measured by mere money!" With a sigh, Zhang Xuan turned and looked at Wu Tianqiong with an apologetic expression: "Headmaster Wu, you heard it too. The academy's damage is truly severe; it will require approximately fifty thousand high-grade spirit stones to fully restore it..."

Headmaster Wu's eyelids twitched wildly. Could they make their act any more fake? For this small, damaged area, not even five high-grade spirit stones would be needed... and they were asking for fifty thousand? Did they take him for a fool? However, he knew that the other party was deliberately inflating the price to put him in his place, especially since they had shown disrespect first. In resignation, he shook his head: "Cough, cough, Headmaster Zhang, it was indeed my fault for piloting the airship directly into the academy. As an old man, I apologize to Hongyuan Academy! How about this: my Cloud Haze Academy will fully rebuild the damaged areas, ensuring they are exactly as they were before. What do you think?"

"Help with repairs? That works too! Coincidentally, our academy is still missing a Level 7 Spirit Gathering Array. If Headmaster Wu can help us set that up, we can handle the courtyard repairs ourselves!" Seeing that the other party was sensible, Zhang Xuan smiled. They tried to show off to me, arriving so aggressively with a huge airship. Honestly, it's just that I didn't want to show off... otherwise, I'd make sure you regret it!

"A Level 7 Spirit Gathering Array?" Wu Tianqiong's face twitched. Setting up a Level 7 Grand Array not only required inviting a Seven-star Formation Master, but more importantly, each banner for a Level 7 array was incredibly valuable. To establish a formation that covered an entire academy and could operate for many years would incur truly terrifying expenses! However, judging by the other party's demeanor, this seemed to be the minimum requirement. If he didn't agree, the Saint Beasts likely wouldn't be returned. Sixteen Saint Beasts were a significant asset to their academy. Moreover, having flown here and essentially "kidnapped" the Saint Beasts before the selection even began, it would be a major loss of face if word got out. They couldn't afford such embarrassment! After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said, "All right, I agree!"

"Headmaster Wu is truly magnanimous; I am impressed..." Zhang Xuan cupped his fist, then turned to the numerous Saint Beasts behind him, flicking his fingers repeatedly to release their master-servant contracts: "All right, you are free now. You should return to Cloud Haze Academy!"

Roar! Roar! Roar! Upon hearing his words, the many Saint Beasts looked aggrieved, their large eyes filled with reluctance. Possessing dragon bloodlines, they understood the significance of speaking the Eight Sounds of the Celestial Dragon. The individual before them was very likely a true dragon in human form... After finally acknowledging him as their master and feeling a moment of pride, their contracts were instantly severed, leaving them all deeply unwilling.

"Return to Cloud Haze Academy, and your previous offerings will be doubled..." Seeing the expressions on their faces, Headmaster Wu's face twitched uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth and said.

"Roar!" Hearing his promise, the sixteen Saint Beasts reluctantly returned to the Cloud Cliff Airship, their expressions still unwilling.

Seeing the creatures' expressions, Headmaster Wu clutched his chest, feeling a little out of breath. To be honest, he had heard before that Headmaster Zhang was quite eccentric, but seeing him in person, he realized he was far more peculiar than rumored. He was simply a scammer who'd drive people to their graves without paying the price. Just as he managed to suppress the frustration in his heart and was about to speak, he heard the young man nearby sigh, and a faint voice drifted over.

"If you truly wish to follow me, you can quietly return after escorting them back to the academy!"

Roar! Roar! Roar! The sixteen Saint Beasts simultaneously roared with joy and excitement.

"..." Wu Tianqiong swayed, feeling an even sharper pain in his chest, and he found it harder to breathe... What kind of situation was this? This was completely out of line... Otherwise, he feared he wouldn't even survive until the end of the Combat Master selection; he'd be enraged to death. Upon their arrival, they had been full of vigor, believing that Cloud Haze Academy, with its multitude of masters, would surely achieve new heights in this selection... Who knew that before the selection even began, this new headmaster of Hongyuan would completely deflate their spirits! Just thinking about it made him depressed.

"Alright, since the matter is resolved, let's discuss the Combat Master selection!" Forcibly circulating his *zhenqi* to suppress the pain in his chest, Wu Tianqiong spoke.

"Indeed, the Four Great Academies have gathered for the centennial Combat Master selection!" Shen Pingchao added, "Combat Masters are the strongest fighting force of the Master Teacher Pavilion, the most powerful weapon against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Their role concerns the safety of humanity, so this selection must be handled with utmost care and without the slightest negligence!"

"Naturally!" Zhang Xuan replied. What had just transpired was merely a minor lesson for their disrespect towards Hongyuan Academy. When it came to the Combat Master selection, cooperation was essential, and no one could hold back.

"This year, the number of Combat Master recruitment slots has doubled compared to last time. Previously, the Four Great Academies combined, across all five grades, would only recruit fifty individuals. This time, however, they've requested a hundred!" As he spoke of the selection, Wu Tianqiong put aside his previous unpleasantness and spoke with a solemn expression.

"Recruiting a hundred?" It was Zhang Xuan's first time learning about the Combat Master Hall's recruitment quotas, and he couldn't help but gasp. Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy had five grades and a total of one hundred thousand students. While the exact numbers for the other three academies were unknown, their status was higher than Hongyuan's, so their student populations were likely equal or greater. This meant that, by the most conservative estimate, the Four Great Academies had at least four hundred thousand students, yet only one hundred would be recruited! The ratio was a terrifying one in four thousand! If it were the previous quota of only fifty, the ratio would be even higher, reaching one in eight thousand. No wonder this selection was so daunting; it truly was a one-in-ten-thousand pick. It should be noted that merely gaining admission to a Master Teacher Academy was already a highly competitive selection in itself.

"While the number of slots has increased this time, the selection process is even more rigorous... I've heard it even involves life-and-death combat!" Shen Pingchao said.

"Life-and-death combat?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Yes, Combat Masters are different from ordinary Master Teachers. Their primary purpose is to fight and counter the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. How could they display extraordinary combat power without having experienced life and death?" Wu Ran spoke.