Chapter 84: Outwitted by One’s Own Cleverness (First Update—Seeking Initial Subscriptions)

At this moment, Chu Cheng had arrived before a luxurious tent in the center of the military camp. Assistant instructor Liu Weifei from Class Five stood at the entrance; upon seeing him, he beckoned and spoke in a low voice, "Vice Principal Du and Director He are waiting for you inside."

He thanked him, pushed open the door, and instantly felt as if he had passed through a spatial membrane into another realm—the subtle, prying gaze that had lingered upon him vanished in a heartbeat.

Chu Cheng released a quiet sigh of relief, lifting his gaze to see five figures within the tent.

In the center stood an elderly man with white hair, occupying the pivotal position; he was undoubtedly Vice Principal Du. Beside him was a burly, muscular man, likely Deputy Director He Yuan. Though it was his first time meeting them, he recognized the remaining three: Class One's instructor He Xiao, Class Five's Duan Yuqin, and Mo Han.

He hurried forward, offering a respectful greeting to each.

Du Zhaotian, at the center, nodded and spoke, "Teacher Mo should have told you— I can help expel the Void Imprint and the Demon Lord's mark from you. This will require expenditure of the domain's essence. Given your status as a student, the school can bear the cost, but you must pay a price."

Chu Cheng nodded swiftly. "I understand and am willing to pay whatever is required."

"Good. Listen first to what you must sacrifice, then decide if you agree."

"Please, Principal."

"First, this Abyssal Demon-forging was summoned at great expense by Sun Yu—it's his trump card to seize first place in the entrance examination. Whether it is slain or banished, it counts as a loss for him and determines his chances of victory."

"Ordinarily, the school should not intervene, but unfortunately, he summoned the Abyssal Demon-forging, which targeted you and posed a threat. Your request for the school to address this is reasonable."

"I have spoken with Sun Yu and Class One's instructor and devised a compromise."

"The school will purge the Demon Lord's mark and banish it from the simulation. In exchange, you must pay fifty points and three permissions to compensate Sun Yu for his loss. Are you willing?"

Chu Cheng nodded without hesitation. "I am!"

Though this would strip him of the majority of his points and permissions from the exam, resolving the hidden danger on himself was worth the price. Besides, this only took a portion of his gains, without affecting his final score.

He quickly added, "Provided, of course, that he does not use the Demon Lord's power during this period to attack the Orc King’s city or slay the Orc Grand Chieftain."

"I object!"

Class One's instructor He Xiao immediately protested. "Until the banishment, that power is still Sun Yu’s to command—he has every right to use it as he wishes!"

Chu Cheng shook his head. "The premise of my compensation is to offset his losses—based on the losses from the coming plot. If he uses that power to conquer the Orc King’s city and kill the Grand Chieftain, he will have already secured the greatest benefit from this simulation and suffered no loss—I need not compensate him."

"That’s your concern. Since you—"

"Instructor He Xiao!" Vice Principal Du interrupted, his voice grave. "Sun Yu's summoning of the Demon Lord was already skirting the edge of the rules—everything should be done in moderation!"

He Xiao opened his mouth, then lowered his head in silence.

"Then let it be as discussed before: Chu Cheng will compensate Sun Yu—"

Principal Du paused mid-sentence; his face abruptly darkened as he turned to He Xiao, snorting coldly. "How clever."

With that, his form blurred and became ethereal; in an instant, his presence vanished, though his silhouette remained.

Everyone exchanged confused glances, all looking to He Xiao.

He Xiao was at first puzzled, then as if contacting someone, his expression turned grim. He addressed Deputy Director He Yuan, "I truly didn’t know—he promised already, but I didn’t expect him to do this."

He Yuan snorted. "I will soon announce that his results based on the Demon Lord projection will be revoked!"

A ripple of surprise ran through the group. He Xiao looked up, but He Yuan silenced him with a firm voice. "Summoning the Demon Lord projection was already skirting the rules. If he had done it quietly, perhaps it could be overlooked, but he acted so brazenly, endangering other students."

"Worse, he had no sense of confidentiality and leaked secrets. The Demon Lord now knows the school intends to banish him and tried to establish a fixed spatial marker—fortunately, the vice principal discovered it in time."

"What?"

Everyone rose in alarm. Mo Han asked urgently, "Is it still possible to stop him?"

He Yuan nodded.

"Fortunately, Chu Cheng suggested banishing Imortal's projection, prompting the vice principal's early attention. Otherwise, had we waited until the simulation ended as planned, there was a good chance he would have exploited the loophole."

"Thank goodness!"

He Yuan now turned to He Xiao. "Do you still object?"

He Xiao shook his head decisively. "I didn’t expect him to be so careless. I must accept responsibility for my oversight and instruction. I agree to the revocation of his results."

A sudden turn of events!

Chu Cheng listened quietly at the side, inwardly rejoicing—within just a few words, his greatest rival's results were rendered moot.

He blinked, sending a discreet inquiry to his instructor.

Duan Yuqin replied, "The school had always planned to banish the projection, but originally meant to wait until the simulation ended, and at the same time help purge you of the Demon Lord's mark."

"You unexpectedly requested it early, your reasoning sound. Coupled with Sun Yu's maneuver, which was already quite opportunistic, the vice principal agreed. Yet Sun Yu showed no vigilance and, to spite you, deliberately killed the Orc Grand Chieftain ahead of time, thus causing the leak."

"Now, Imortal has slain the Orc Grand Chieftain and is using the host of souls collected previously to establish a fixed coordinate, allowing the true body to locate this simulation."

"If the fixed coordinate is completed, a swarm of demons will teleport into the simulation; the school would have to pay a steep price to purge them."

"You’ve unwittingly performed a great service. This time, you are assured first place in the entrance exam."

"Oh!"

Chu Cheng pumped his fist inwardly.

With Sun Yu disqualified, he had no more rivals.

Pan Yue’s results were respectable, but fell short compared to theirs; with the simulation nearly concluded and the Orc Grand Chieftain dead, the remaining plot could not allow Pan Yue to catch up.

In other words, barring any surprises, first place was all but guaranteed for him.

Half an hour earlier.

About a kilometer outside the Orc King’s city, in a stone hollow, Sun Yu, Pan Yue, and their companions were observing the distant city. Even from several kilometers away, the turmoil within the royal city was faintly visible.