Hearing that their granddaughter was in trouble, the geezer and the old lady immediately rushed to the bed. When they saw the ruddy Little Witch, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Haodong said, “I’ve examined her. There’s nothing wrong with her body but she’s in a deep sleep. I can’t wake her up at all.”

Luo Dongqing carefully checked the Little Witch’s state and said, “Don’t worry! This is a good thing.”

Qin Haodong asked in surprise, “What do you mean?”

“Hongying has entered into a deep sleep,” Luo Dongqing said, “when her Holy Spirit Body awakened, she suddenly entered into a deep sleep. A week later, she woke up and successfully opened the Gate of Life. Then, she became a summoner.”

Qin Haodong asked, “Do you mean that her sleep has something to do with the awakening of the Holy Spirit Body?”

Luo Dongqing said, “That’s true. After this girl became a summoner, her cultivation couldn’t be improved. Her grandma and I also read a lot of classical books.

“The final conclusion is that her Holy Spirit Body’s awakening is not complete. She will have to undergo a second awakening.

“As long as her Holy Spirit Body can be fully awakened, not only will she become an outstanding summoner, but her cultivation will also be greatly improved.

“It’s a pity that after several years, there was still no sign of her awakening. I didn’t expect her to enter the awakening state at this time. It seems that you’ve brought a lot of changes to her.”

After hearing the geezer’s words, Qin Haodong was relieved.

In that case, sleeping wasn’t a bad thing for the Little Witch. On the contrary, it was a blessing.

However, the thing had already come to this point. It was definitely impossible for him to enter the bridal chamber. Ouyang Lan waved her hand and chased them out of the room. She stayed behind to take care of her granddaughter.

The two of them went downstairs. Luo Dongqing asked Qin Haodong to sit down and said, “Little guy, my old lady is always like that. Don’t mind her.”

“It’s okay,” Qin Haodong said, “generally speaking, how long will Hongying sleep in this case?”

Luo Dongqing said, “That’s hard to say. The Holy Spirit Body is extremely rare. The classical books left behind are even fewer.

“She slept for seven days last time. I don’t know how long she will sleep for this time.”

Qin Haodong said, “Well, I’ll go back first.”

Luo Dongqing said, “You have to prepare well after you go back. The competition between the North and South Academies is about to start the day after tomorrow. You must bring honor to our North Academy this time.”

Qin Haodong said, “The students of our academy have improved a lot this time. We should be able to get a good result.”

Luo Dongqing said, “That’s right. Our academy suffered great losses in the experience of the Seven Storeys Pagoda. However, we also gained a lot.”

In total, more than a dozen outstanding students of the North and South Academies had died this time, including You Wanjian, Xiao Yulong, Xue Pan, and others.

However, for Tortoise Academy, survival of the fittest was a common thing, so it did not cause too many waves.

Especially You Wanjian and the others, they seriously violated the academy rules. Even if they survived, they would be expelled from the Tortoise Academy.

Sighing with emotion, he added, “However, the academy decided and changed a lot of the rules of the competition this time. The mode that will be launched by us is the battle of the king.”

Qin Haodong asked in surprise, “What do you mean? What is the battle of the king?”

Luo Dongqing said, “According to the previous rules, the North and South Academies will select 10 outstanding students to compete. The top 10 students will get a chance to enter the Tortoise Spiritual Spring for cultivating.

“The competition this time did not change these. The North and South Academies will respectively send out 10 students as before. However, the mode of the competition is very different from the previous ones.

“Both sides will send out students to compete. The competition will carry out the pattern of fighting to the end. The loser will be replaced by another student but the winner will have to fight until he or she loses.

“Until the 10 students finish the competition, the one who wins the final victory will be the king of this competition and have the last laugh.

“As the winner of the reward, he or she has the right to directly enter the Tortoise Spiritual Spring. At the same time, the winner can decide on the quota of the other nine students who can enter the Tortoise Spiritual Spring.”

Qin Haodong nodded. The mode of this competition was much more exciting than the previous competition.

He asked, “There is a flaw to this mode of the competition. If the student of the North Academy wins in the end and the winner lets the other 9 students of the North Academy enter the Tortoise Spiritual Spring, the students of the South Academy will have no chances.

“Similarly, if the student of the South Academy wins, that is the same.”

Luo Dongqing said, “It depends on the bearing of the final king. What our academy wants to train is not an ordinary cultivation artist, but a king who is broad-minded.

“If the winner really does that, it can only mean that he or she only has cultivation and doesn’t have the bearing of a king.”

Qin Haodong said, “Has our academy decided on the10 students for the competition?”

Luo Dongqing said, “The final quota has not been decided yet. But your team coming back from the Tortoise Kingdom will definitely participate in the competition. It’s a pity that Hongying will miss this opportunity.”

After learning more about the competition, Qin Haodong said goodbye to Luo Dongqing. He returned to his dormitory.

The next night, he came to see the Little Witch. She was still asleep and showed no signs of waking up.

However, her physical condition looked extremely stable, so Qin Haodong was not worried.

On the morning of the third day, Luo Dongqing appeared in Qin Haodong’s dormitory. Nine students followed him.

Apart from Murong Jinghong, Fang Qiong’er, Yun Qianqian, and Song Junyu, the other five people were unfamiliar faces. They should be the newly replenished ‘fresh blood’.

Behind Murong Jinghong was a tall young man. There was a proud look on his face. His cultivation had reached the late stage of the Voiding Realm.

The list of the top ten masters was determined after the freshmen competition last year. This person did not make it to the top ten at that time. It could be seen that his cultivation at that time was at most at the early stage of the Voiding Realm.

It was extremely rare for an ordinary person to improve two levels in a year. That should be something he could be proud of.

This man had been following closely behind Murong Jinghong. There was a strange light in his eyes.

Luo Dongqing gathered the ten people and said, “The competition between the North and South Academies will be held soon. The ten of you will participate in the competition on behalf of our academy.

“Maybe you’re not familiar with each other. Introduce yourselves first. Start with Qin Haodong.”

Everyone introduced themselves one by one. It was the young man’s turn. He proudly said, “My name is Wang Zhiliang. Although I didn’t participate in the competition between the North and South Academies last year, my goal this year is to be the second.”

After that, he shot a quick glance at Murong Jinghong. It implied that if Murong Jinghong was number one, he would be number two. Clearly, he looked down on everyone else.

After the introduction, Luo Dongqing said again, “Everyone, the mode of the competition between the North and South Academies this year has changed. The mode is the battle of the king…”

He explained the rules of the competition in detail. Then, he finally said, “In the previous 5 years, our North Academy has never been able to defeat the South Academy. I hope that one of you can win and be the king this year.”

“Please be at ease, Director. Our North Academy will definitely win!”

For a moment, everyone was full of confidence and momentum, especially Murong Jinghong, Yun Qianqian, and the other students who had participated in the experience of the Seven Storeys Pagoda. After the improvement of their cultivation, they were naturally full of confidence. Especially with the support of Qin Haodong, who was a super trump card.

Luo Dongqing nodded with satisfaction and said, “The form of the battle of the king not only tests the strength of every student but also the overall cooperation ability.

“Therefore, I appoint Qin Haodong as the leader of our North Academy team for this competition. He will deploy and decide the order of each person to compete. I hope everyone can cooperate with him.”

After hearing this decision, the attitudes of the members present were divided into two factions.

Murong Jinghong, Fang Qiong’er, Yun Qianqian, and the others felt that it was reasonable. They had seen Qin Haodong’s strength with their own eyes. He was a well-deserved leader.

On the other hand, there was a look of consternation on the faces of Song Junyu and the other five new members. Obviously, they were very surprised by this decision. Moreover, they were extremely unconvinced.

Wang Zhiliang said first, “Director, I think the leader of our team should have enough strength. Although Junior Brother Qin took first place in this year’s freshmen competition, after all, he is still a freshman. It doesn’t mean anything. I don’t think his strength is enough to be the leader.”

He had also watched the freshmen competition. At that time, Qin Haodong’s cultivation was only at the early stage of the Voiding Realm. Of course, this kind of strength was not enough to convince him.

Luo Dongqing was not surprised by this result. He smiled and said, “Who do you think is more suitable to be the leader? You?”

“My strength is powerful, but I’m not strong enough,” Wang Zhiliang said. Then, he looked at Murong Jinghong. “I think Jinghong Fairy should be the leader of our team.”

Song Junyu added, “That’s right. I think so too. Senior Sister Murong is the strongest here.”

After they finished speaking, the other four members repeatedly nodded.

Luo Dongqing smiled. “Murong Jinghong, they have elected you as the leader. What do you think?”

Wang Zhiliang flatteringly said, “Yes, Senior Sister Murong, only when you become the leader can we be convinced!”

Murong Jinghong said, “The strongest is suitable to be the leader. My strength is not as good as that of Junior Brother Qin Haodong, so he is the best candidate for the leader.”

“What?”

Wang Zhiliang, Song Junyu and the others were all confused. They were very clear about Murong Jinghong’s strength. She was the well-deserved number one in the North Academy. When did she willingly give in? Was Qin Haodong really so strong?

Murong Jinghong coldly looked around and said, “Is anyone unconvinced by what I said? If you are unconvinced, you can compete with me. If you win, you are qualified to challenge Junior Brother Qin.”

Under her powerful momentum, the others chose to bow their heads. They had no objection to this decision.

The smile on the face of Luo Dongqing disappeared. He sternly said, “Since everyone has no opinion, then it’s settled.

“Because Qin Haodong is the leader of our team, everyone must obey his arrangement. If anyone dares to overtly agree but covertly oppose, he or she will be directly disqualified.”

“Yes!” Everyone said in unison.

However, Wang Zhiliang was extremely unconvinced. In his opinion, the reason that Qin Haodong could become the leader was purely due to nepotism.

Luo Dongqing said, “Everything is ready. Let’s go now.”

After that, he brought everyone to the Martial Arts Practice Field of the North Academy. According to the rules of the competition between the North and South Academies, they changed venues yearly. The competition this year would be held at the North Academy.

By the time they arrived, tens of thousands of students had already gathered on the Martial Arts Practice Field. They looked forward to watching the annual competition.

In the middle of the field, there was an arena covering dozens of square meters. This arena was supported by a formation. It could withstand all the attacks of people whose cultivation was below the stage of the Grand Completion Realm.

Luo Dongqing left all the competition matters to Qin Haodong. Then, he went to the stand nearby. Ouyang Lan, the Associate Director of the South Academy, had been waiting there for a long time.

After all the members were present, Ouyang Lan said to the audience, “I officially announce the start of the competition!”