“Held three months early, why is that?”
Zhang Hao was a little surprised. He didn't expect to receive this news.
Dou Bi shook his head and said seriously, “Boss, this Dou Bi doesn't know. But this news should be true.”
Ying Da, who was standing nearby, suddenly remembered something and said to Zhang Hao seriously, “Boss, Ying Da remembers that President Lan came to look for you half a month ago. At that time, you had already gone out on a mission, but he instructed that if you returned, you must go find him.”
Hearing Ying Da's words, Zhang Hao knew that Lan Haiping must have something to discuss with him. He nodded and said, “Okay, I will go find President Lan.”
Half an hour later, Zhang Hao arrived at the College's Dean's office area.
Several guards stopped Zhang Hao.
“Who are you? This is an important area of the College, unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach!” One guard glared at Zhang Hao like a tiger watching its prey.
“President Lan asked me to come find him,” Zhang Hao said.
“Hmm? You are Zhang Hao?” The guard looked at Zhang Hao with a slight surprise.
Zhang Hao nodded.
“Oh, then go in. President Lan specifically instructed that if you came, you could go in directly.” The guard nodded at Zhang Hao and let him pass.
Zhang Hao arrived at the Dean's office.
Lan Haiping was currently working. Zhang Hao cleared his throat.
“Haha... it's you, kid, come in quickly! I guessed you would come.” Lan Haiping nodded slightly at Zhang Hao and smiled.
“President Lan, you were looking for me?” Zhang Hao walked into the room casually.
“That's right, this time the Outer Courtyard Competition will be held in a month, a full month earlier. I want to know, do you have ambition?” Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao with burning eyes.
Zhang Hao nodded slightly and said, “Of course I do.”
“Good, it's good to have ambition. This time, the top three in the Outer Courtyard Competition will receive special rewards, you'll know about that later. However, I think you must be very curious as to why this Outer Courtyard Competition is being held early, right?” Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao with a smile.
Zhang Hao was indeed very curious about this. He nodded at Lan Haiping and said, “Yes, Dean, there must be a special reason, right?”
Lan Haiping smiled slightly and said, “That's right, the reason the Outer Courtyard Competition is being held early this time is because in a year, the Ten Great Sects of the True Martial Continent will be selecting Disciples from the various Colleges. In previous years, the various Colleges would recommend freely. However, this time is a bit special, the Ten Great Sects will personally participate in the assessment. It can be said that this is also an opportunity for you.”
“Sects?”
Zhang Hao was slightly surprised.
If the various Colleges are the cradle of Martial Warriors, then the Sects are the foundation for the strong. They are the hope for Martial Warriors to reach the Peak of the martial path. There is no Martial Warrior who doesn't want to enter a Sect.
Therefore, when Zhang Hao heard that he could join a Sect, his heart was moved.
“Sects, I must enter a Sect. Only by entering a Sect can I have more hope of stepping on Xiao Long,” Zhang Hao thought to himself.
Although Zhang Hao had the System, he did not underestimate the geniuses of the world because of it. If he could join a Sect, with the System in hand, he would be even more like a fish in water.
Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao and smiled slightly, “Hehe, I knew you would be moved, but if you want to participate in the Sect selection a year from now, you must first enter the Inner Courtyard now, otherwise, no matter whether you can take the lead in the assessment or not, you won't even have a chance to participate.”
“Dean, please rest assured. I will definitely join,” Zhang Hao said solemnly to Lan Haiping.
Lan Haiping was very happy and said to Zhang Hao, “Kid, it's good that you understand what I mean.”
Suddenly, Lan Haiping remembered something and said to Zhang Hao with a frown, “Kid, I heard that as soon as you came back, you caused trouble for me?”
Zhang Hao smiled bitterly, “Dean, you have to be reasonable! As soon as I came back, someone was already messing with me, how can you say I was provoking them?”
Looking at Zhang Hao's aggrieved look, Lan Haiping said, “Alright! I also know about the matter you mentioned. I will warn the people of the Tianlong Alliance, you'd better restrain yourself. After all, your future path is still long! There's no need to fight over temporary gains and losses.”
Zhang Hao said coldly, “Dean, I understand what you mean. But if someone looks for trouble with me, I will not sit idly by.”
“Alright, I know you have a big temper, I just hope you'll settle down before the Outer Courtyard Competition,” Lan Haiping said.
“Dean, I will seriously consider what you said.” Zhang Hao also knew that Lan Haiping meant well and didn't want to lose Face for him.
“Kid, I know you are arrogant and strong. But this time's Outer Courtyard Competition also needs to be taken seriously. This time, there are a few dangerous people in the Outer Courtyard Competition. The one you need to pay the most attention to is Duan Yuanrui.”
“Duan Yuanrui?” Zhang Hao murmured.
Zhang Hao had heard this person's name a few times. He only knew that this person was the person in charge of the Tianlong Alliance in the Outer Courtyard.
“That's right, Duan Yuanrui, this Duan Yuanrui's strength has improved very quickly. In fact, he could have been promoted to Martial King half a year ago, but he suppressed it forcefully, all for the sake of participating in this competition. Therefore, his cultivation cannot be measured by an ordinary Half-Step Martial King. He could even be a Martial King Second Heaven, or even a Martial King Third Heaven,” Lan Haiping said with a serious expression.
“Hehe, it doesn't matter, whether he suppressed it or not, as long as he's not a Martial King, I'm not afraid, even if he's a Martial King First Heaven, Young Master is not afraid of him,” Zhang Hao said with certainty.
“Kid, this old man knows you can challenge opponents of higher levels. However, there is still a huge gap between Martial King and Great Martial Master. Perhaps you can challenge a Martial King First Heaven, or even defeat a Martial King Second Heaven, but what about a Martial King Third Heaven? Lan Haiping looked at Zhang Hao and asked with a serious expression.
Zhang Hao smiled sheepishly. He knew his own limits. Defeating a Martial King First Heaven was already his limit. Challenging an opponent of a higher minor Realm within the same major Realm was considered Genius on the True Martial Continent. But killing an opponent across a major Realm was considered a monster.
Martial King Second Heaven? Zhang Hao really wasn't sure.
Although Zhang Hao had killed a Martial King Second Heaven Martial Warrior outside Tianwu City, that was because the other party underestimated him, catching him off guard. In addition, Zhang Hao used a destructive attack to kill the other party. Strictly speaking, he didn't defeat the other party with his real combat strength.
“Dean, didn't you say that anyone exceeding Martial King needs to report to the Inner Courtyard? As long as the other party suppresses their cultivation at that time, I won't be afraid of them,” Zhang Hao said seriously.
Lan Haiping shook his head and said, “Hehe. Kid, you are still too naive. What if the other party breaks through temporarily during the competition? That doesn't violate the rules either.”
“Cough cough, isn't that too despicable?” Zhang Hao broke out in a sweat.