1558 They’re Quite Amiable Valmont was locked in a room that resembled a laboratory. His limbs were bound by rune covered chains, while tubes were all around his body. It seemed that he had been examined for some time. All that was left was to cut him up. Valmont was awake, lying there hopelessly, staring at the ceiling as if there was nothing worth living for. He had experienced the scary side of the human race. Wang Teng walked in; the others remained outside. It was just him and Valmont in the room looking at each other for a while. “Hello!” Wang Teng waved and broke the silence. Valmont didn’t want to cooperate, staying silent. The young hero could only continue. “Hey, brother. If there’s something on your mind… anything you’re not satisfied with, you can tell me.” Valmont: … “This isn’t good. I’ll be in a pinch if you don’t cooperate,” said the former in a sly tone. The captive had a bad feeling when he heard that undertone. Those able to move according to the circumstances were the ones that prevailed, so he said with a hoarse voice, “What do you want?” “That’s more like it.” Wang Teng nodded and smiled when he saw the other speak up. “We can always talk things through. Don’t act like we have a blood feud.” Valmont: … He was tempted to say that they did have one, enough to go after each other’s throats. How is this bastard’s brain wired? Does he really think I won’t bear a grudge after being beaten up by him? “All right, I’ll stop with the nonsense,” Wang Teng said, “There’s leniency to those who confess and severe punishment when there’s resistance, so… come clean. What’s your objective for sneaking in the League of Talents?” “I told you before. I came here to kill talents from the human race.” A cold smile appeared on Valmont’s face. “You want to kill us with that strength of yours? Who gave you the confidence?” The righteous hero said calmly. Valmont’s face turned dark. He wasn’t weak. Wang Teng was just a monster. The fellow even possessed light Force, which directly countered his dark Force. The scaled man could feel his scalp tingle when he thought about the light-element techniques the hero had used in battle. “You’re not the only mixed blood participating in the League of Talents, right?” Wang Teng rubbed his chin. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Although it didn’t show, there was a trace of panic in Valmont’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it. I have a way to make you speak,” the hero said. “What are you trying to do?” The captive’s heart skipped a beat as he glared at his questioner. “Don’t be nervous. It’ll be over soon; it won’t hurt.” A strange red light flashed in Wang Teng’s eyes, piercing straight into the scaled fighter’s. “You…” Valmont only had a chance to utter that one word. He then felt a powerful spirit enter his mind as he lost consciousness. His eyes looked glazed. Bewitch! Wang Teng used his charming skill after scanning the room for any surveillance techniques. Everyone had secrets, and outsiders would generally not pry into his. That was especially so for his military backers, since they wouldn’t do such things. Even so, Wang Teng couldn’t guarantee that the invigilators present wouldn’t act. He scanned the room just as a precaution. ‘Bewitch’ was a spirit technique able to control others. It was best not to expose it, since it could draw unnecessary attention. After the skill took effect, the scaled warrior naturally answered all his questions, quickly spilling all the information. However, Valmont wasn’t aware if there were any other mixed bloods like himself in the competition; none of them had any direct contact. Furthermore, that was just his own guess. The dark apparitions are very cautious! Wang Teng thought. Aside from that, he obtained a shocking piece of information: a fair amount of mixed bloods had already entered their world in silence. Many of them retained the traits of the original race, only having half of the dark bloodline. It was hard to tell by appearance alone. They would look like regular beings from the light faction if they used special means to conceal their bloodlines and the dark Force in their bodies. This made detection extremely hard. It was a difficult problem! Wang Teng didn’t expect to obtain such information from his casual questioning. Relaying his findings to General Fu Xinglan and the others was an urgent matter. He shook his head and left the room in a hurry. Major Maxwell saw him exit the room and immediately asked in a soft voice, “Colonel Wang Teng, are you done with your interrogation?” “I’m done. Let’s go back,” the young official replied. Maxwell nodded, not probing further. The matter about mixed bloods was classified; he didn’t have clearance for such information. The pair returned to the main control room. Wang Teng immediately informed the Seven Stellar Academies’ invigilators and the generals about what he had learned, leaving nothing unsaid. The listeners’ expressions turned grave. “How sure are you about his confession?” “100%!” the young one responded calmly. Everyone glanced at him in deep thought. If he’s this confident, he must have used a special method. Coupled with the young hero’s previous performances, General Fu Xinglan and the others didn’t have any doubts about him. Back on Defense Planet No. 29, he had been the one who discovered the dark apparition’s objectives, which led to a virtually impossible victory. Many people didn’t believe him at the time. General Cameron had to fight for his sake with the other officials, choosing to stand by him. Once the battle was over, the general reported everything to the higher ups, which was why General Fu Xinglan and the others were well informed about it. “Did you ask about where they were?” General Fu Xinglan asked. Wang Teng nodded and gave them the location. “It’s there!” The experts were shocked, their expressions then revealing cold smiles. “The great hermit lives in the city.” “But the League of Talents is being broadcast live in the entire universe. They probably saw Valmont be captured and moved as a precaution,” Wang Teng said. “You’re right.” General Fu Xinglan nodded. “But we should still send people to check and see if we can find any traces.” Wang Teng made no comment. “Just now, you said that you’re suspecting that other mixed bloods are in the competition?” said the invigilator from the First Stellar Academy. “It’s just a guess.” The former shook his head. “Based on Valmont’s confession, none of the mixed bloods had any direct contact, so they don’t know of each other’s existence. That was only a guess he made; however, it aligns to what I’m thinking.” Old Weng stroked his white beard and said, “The martial artists who entered the top eighteen are mainly the talents from the big families. The backgrounds of people like Yue Qiqiao and Su Jianchen can also be checked; it shouldn’t be them. If there are any infiltrators, they must be hiding amongst the top thousand.” “Let’s check again. The Seven Stellar Academies would be a laughing stock if mixed bloods were to be enrolled,” Trollope said. “There’s no harm in checking the top eighteen again. We can’t rule out the possibility of someone being supplanted,” said Wang Teng after hesitating for a moment. Gong Han glanced at Wang Teng with approval and nodded. “You’ve thought it through. Let’s do it as you suggest.” “Little Wang, since you’ve proposed it, we should also check you.” Sikong The Second smiled. Little Wang? Wang Teng was speechless. What was that? “I don’t mind. You can check me if you want.” At the same time, Wang Teng shouted in his mind: System, protect me! Sikong The Second didn’t mean what he said; none of them thought that the boy was related to the dark apparitions. The light Force he displayed when he was battling the scaled warrior was enough for them to rule out any suspicions. How could someone have both light and dark Forces in his body at the same time? It was tantamount to having a death wish. General Fu Xinglan and the others were fast. They immediately gave the order to check each participant. Wang Teng also returned to the Battle Planet to rejoin the Second Prince and the others. They had just gone through the military’s screening and knew that something was going on. They immediately gathered around the young hero to ask about this upon his return. “Wang Teng, what’s going on?’ Ji Haochen asked softly. “Nothing, they’re just checking to discard some possibilities.” Wang Teng smiled. “No way, the higher ups have suspicions of us?” Timothy groaned. “Just in case something’s wrong.” The young earthling naturally kept the fact he proposed the idea a secret. Otherwise, there was a risk of him being ostracized. The Crown Prince glanced at Wang Teng. His senses were sharp, somehow sensing that the guy was feeling guilty. “Having said that, it feels unpleasant to be suspected,” Ji Haochen said. “Well, no one has a problem with this. We should be happy.” Wang Teng laughed it off. Everyone knew it, so they dropped the subject. “Right, did you really meet the invigilators from the Seven Stellar Academies?” Ji Haochen asked. “Yes.” Wang Teng nodded. “How was it? What are they like?” the former asked in a hurry. The Second Prince and the others looked over, obviously curious. Even the Crown Prince glanced at his rival. Wang Teng recalled and responded, “They’re all right, nice to talk to.” Everyone looked unconvinced. “Are you sure?” Ji Haochen had his doubts. “Yes, do I really have to lie about this?” said the hero, nodding fervently. “Then, did they say anything to you?” the Second Prince asked doubtfully. “Oh yes. They said their academies have many beauties, and asked me to socialize with them when I enter,” said the hero. He only remembered that part from his conversations with the representatives. “???” The Second Prince and the others were dumbfounded. There are many beauties in the academies? Socialize with them? What’s all this? They couldn’t help but wonder if the invigilators that Wang Teng met were imposters. They must be fake! All that can’t be real. The Crown Prince glanced at Wang Teng with an odd expression, thinking that the latter was just fooling around. Wang Teng saw their suspicious looks so he defended himself, “You might not believe me now. You’ll know I’m telling the truth when you meet them.” The Second Prince waved a hand tiredly. “Forget it. I’m not asking anymore; we won’t get any answers from you.” Ji Haochen rolled his eyes. “We’ll have a chance to meet the invigilators as long as we get in the top ten. Let’s see if what you said is true then.” The others nodded, their fighting spirit flashing in their eyes. They were definitely going to fight for the top ten; no one could stand in their way. “But then again, were you recruited in advance?” the Second Prince asked. “It didn’t count as scouting. In the end, it still depends on the ranking,” Wang Teng replied, “It’s nothing if I don’t get first place.” He glanced at the Crown Prince after mentioning the last part. Their eyes met, their competitive edge at an all time high.