Chapter 451 - Rankings
After finding out what was happening, Dai Zhi didn't waste any time at all and called out every single cultivator under the academy that was currently on the planet and was free.
Other than the Third Guardian, all of them more or less obligated to answer his call but many of them still refused. These were the youngsters from other powers that were stronger than the Dai Clan which supported him. All of them belonged to other Empires, Dynasties and Ancient Clans. Even the Academy's Holy Son didn't have the right to order them around. The most he could do was 'request' them to make an 'appearance'.
On a mountaintop above the clouds, Dai Zhi stood at the very edge looking down at the layer of clouds below him. His crimson eyes emitted occasional flashes of red light. His gaze seemed to pierce through space as the scenes from several kilometers away were visible to him as clearly as day.
Behind him was a group of almost a 100 people. It was made up of dashing young men and women that gave out fiery auras as they stood proudly in smaller groups.
One man and one woman separated from the group and approached Dai Zhi. The man looked dashing, like a valiant hero from a fairytale.
Short black hair, puffed out chest, wide muscular shoulders and tall stature. There were two longswords attached to his waist, hilts made of a black metal and white ivory.
The girl was exceptionally beautiful. She gave off a very mature vibe even though she looked to be in her early twenties. She wore a white dress like she was going to a fancy party and had a gentle smile on her face.
Her long, white hair waved with the occasional gust of wind making her look like a Goddess.
"Young Master," both of them said in unison before coming up to stand beside him. The girl was on his right and the man on his left. Together, all of them looked like outstanding people and none of the others could even compare to them.
Although the said "Young Master", neither of their tones was servile. It was just a
"Mhm, Nel, Aer, do you guys have any ideas?" Dai Zhi asked with a slight nod. His eyes still hadn't moved from the spot he was initially looking at.
Nel was the girl on the right. She was the Crown princess of the Empire of Neifion. A subsidiary of the Lynn clan, one of the three big clans in control of the Academy.
Aer was from an Ancient Clan, the Clan of Ya. There were extremely famous in the right circles as one of the most avid worshippers of the Temple of Light. Many of their people belonged to the Temple of light and held high positions which allowed them to venture far out in the deep space and make a name for themselves.
But they weren't weak in any sense of the word. They were one of the few ancient clans that were still actively trying to expand their influence in the outer worlds, and that meant war!
They had constant battles with the other tribes, alien species, and whatnot. They had one of the largest deep space armies on the entire Beast world which made them absurdly rich and powerful.
They were the self-proclaimed heralds of the Temple of Light and now they were backing up Dai Zhi as well.
He had a lot of potential and was officially recognized by the Temple which made him even more valuable.
"Whatever Young Master needs assistance with, I am here to provide," Aer said straightforwardly. Nel's lack of response indicated she held the same position.
Dai Zhi nodded absentmindedly. Their positions were clear and wasn't going to decline their help. The current situation didn't allow him to do so.
After finding out that the participants were taken by an outer clan that had entered the planet, the first thing Dai Zhi did was let the higher-ups know about it. After a short investigation, they reached out to him.
"Consider it part of the tournament. Whoever rescues them will get bonus points."
It was clearly a ploy to basically give him all these points, to further elevate his ranking in the tournament since he was still only 4th overall.
That's why the third guardian of the Academy didn't come, nor did the Hall's guardians participated. They all mutually agreed to give him this chance.
Even those two monsters from the other continents were told to stay put. Otherwise, they would have already done the deed. After those two arrived, his entire plan had to change. He fell from 2nd ranking to 4th in a few weeks.
Dai Zhi knew he was being watched carefully so he decided to gather all these people and make a show of it. To display his 'many' qualities, he decided to lead them himself. The only thing he didn't expect was Dima joining him last second.
Dai Zhi turned his head halfway and looked over his shoulder to the left where a shiny bald head was chatting with a few other people. Dima 'felt' his gaze and turned to give him a smile.
'At least he's taking a back seat...' Dai Zhi thought internally while giving him a nod back.
This was going to be his ticket to the first rank!