Chapter 157: Invitation

Chapter 157: The Invitation

"You've offended the Third Prince. Knowing his character, he will definitely retaliate. You need to be careful. If you had a powerful faction backing you, the Third Prince would have to hesitate and wouldn't dare go too far. But right now, you're newcomers who haven't joined any faction. In that case, the Third Prince will come after you without holding back. While he might not necessarily try to kill you, it's entirely possible he could maim you," Long Aotian analyzed.

"Oh, isn't this the Half-Moon Academy? How can such things happen here?" Lin Xing asked, confused.

Long Aotian smiled and said, "Here, the academy doesn't interfere in conflicts between students. As long as no lives are lost, the academy lets us sort it out ourselves."

"So, you're saying students can brawl freely within the academy?" Lin Xing asked, intrigued.

"Not exactly. How should I put it... It's more like, as long as the aftermath isn't too severe and doesn't cause significant damage or disruption to the academy, then the academy turns a blind eye to these matters," Long Aotian replied.

"Although the Half-Moon Academy is the top academy on the continent, the rivalry and disorder here are also the fiercest. You just saw it yourself—the Third Prince can make trouble so openly here because he has a faction backing him, a powerful force supporting him. As long as he doesn't go too far, no one can really do anything about him."

"Even though I said earlier that I'd look out for you, you're still not members of my Huaxia Association. I suspect the Third Prince won't let you off the hook. While you're pretty strong, with just the four of you, you're no match for them. Their association has plenty of experts as well. You're still not strong enough."

"So, what should we do?" Liu Yi asked.

Long Aotian chuckled. "The best way is to join a major association. If you have an association as your backing, the Third Prince won't dare push it too far. How about this—why don't you join my association? I, Long Aotian, officially invite you to join the Huaxia Association as its president. What do you think? Join us. I don't personally invite people very often," Long Aotian said with a smile.

"It seems this was Long Aotian's ultimate goal all along," Lin Xing thought to himself.

Lin Xing's guess was correct. This was indeed one of Long Aotian's purposes for coming today. These powerful associations pay attention to the new students who come to register every year, observing their performance during the tests. Then they take action, aiming to recruit these newcomers into their own factions or associations.

Because these new students are the lifeblood that will allow these factions to continue surviving within the Half-Moon Academy.

Earlier, during the test, Lin Xing's performance had already caught the eyes of these factions. Such geniuses are rare. If they could bring a talent like Lin Xing into their camp, their future development would be unimaginable.

These factions act with great efficiency. In just one day, someone was already trying to win Lin Xing over—and it was the president of one of the four major factions, the Huaxia Association, personally extending the invitation. The Third Prince's earlier behavior was entirely because he didn't know Lin Xing's identity, unaware that Lin Xing was the one who had astonished everyone during the test.

If he had known that Lin Xing was the most outstanding performer that day, the Third Prince would likely be kicking himself.

Regarding these associations, Lin Xing had always felt vaguely that, given his own status, there was no real need to join them. Moreover, with his own strength, he wasn't afraid of others coming to cause trouble. It was just that trouble would undoubtedly be frequent, which was a major headache.

However, if he joined these associations, he would lose much of his freedom. He hadn't come here to engage in conflicts; he came to improve his cultivation and experience life. Getting entangled in these pointless struggles would contradict his original intentions.

But Lin Xing couldn't outright refuse Long Aotian right now. Although Long Aotian had always presented himself as amiable and relaxed, who knew if he might turn on them? After all, they had just met. Whether his demeanor was genuine or just a facade remained unknown.

Lin Xing didn't answer immediately, instead looking at the other three.

Long Aotian wasn't in a hurry for their response either. He sat there, smiling as he watched Lin Xing and the others, waiting for their decision. Xu Feng and the other two also lowered their heads to consider. Xu Feng and Liu Yi seemed quite relaxed, but Xiwen was different.

At this moment, Xiwen was bowing his head, pondering Long Aotian's words. After all, among the four roommates, his family background was the poorest. Although Lin Xing said his family was just a minor noble, judging by his speech and demeanor, he was definitely not the son of a minor noble. Moreover, he didn't even blink at the expense of treating them here, which showed he was anything but ordinary.

Xiwen thought of his own parents. His family was average, just ordinary commoners. They didn't usually associate with any nobles. Now they had offended the Third Prince of the Ensi Empire. Although Lin Xing was the primary target, he and Lin Xing were a group. That meant he had also offended the Third Prince.

His own strength wasn't great. If he didn't join an association like the Huaxia Association, he would have a tough time later. But if he joined an association, he might not be able to focus solely on his studies in the future.

Xiwen was momentarily torn.

Seeing Xiwen's conflicted expression, Lin Xing sighed. He understood Xiwen's predicament. He was just a commoner, yet now he was being dragged into these conflicts. It probably wasn't what he wanted. Xiwen raised his head and glanced at Lin Xing, just as Lin Xing was looking at him, his gaze filled with understanding.

Xiwen looked at Long Aotian beside him, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately, nothing came out.

"Senior Long, how about this: let us go back and think it over properly before giving you an answer?" Lin Xing said, looking at Long Aotian.

Long Aotian nodded, knowing he couldn't push them too hard. "Alright, go back and consider it. If you have any inclination to join, I hope you'll give priority to our Huaxia Association. You know the reasons."

Lin Xing nodded. "Okay. If we decide to join, we will definitely prioritize joining your association."

Long Aotian nodded. "Then I'll take my leave first. Enjoy your meal." With that, he stood up to leave.

Once Long Aotian was gone, Liu Yi immediately spoke up. "What should we do, boss?" However, even as he said this, Liu Yi didn't seem to have any desire to join Long Aotian's association.

"Anyway, I'm not very keen on joining these associations. Joining or not doesn't make much difference to me. What about you guys?" Lin Xing asked in return.

"I don't want to join any of these so-called associations. As for that Third Prince..." Liu Yi gave a disdainful smile. "Let them come for revenge. I, Liu Yi, have never been afraid." Lin Xing then looked at Xu Feng. Xu Feng shook his head. "I'm similar to you, boss. As for the Third Prince, I'm not afraid of their retaliation either."

"Xiwen, what are you thinking?" Lin Xing looked at Xiwen.

Xiwen's lips moved, but he said nothing. "Xiwen, I hope you think it through clearly. I know you're different from us, but if you choose not to join those associations, I've got your back. Because," Lin Xing glanced at the other two, "because we are brothers from the same dorm!"

"That's right, we are brothers from the same dorm!" The other three's eyes burned with fervor. "We brothers will stick together through thick and thin!"

"Good!" Lin Xing laughed heartily. He liked this feeling.

"So, Xiwen, if you choose to join them, we won't stop you. After all, you have your own choices. Don't rush to decide. Think it over carefully before making up your mind. After all, the Huaxia Association is from our own country. That Long Aotian seems decent; he should take care of students from the Huaxia Empire."

Xiwen nodded and said no more.

"Alright, let's eat first. I'm starving," Liu Yi said, picking up his chopsticks.

Just as Lin Xing and the others were eating, another group of people came up the stairs.