"Heh heh." Wang Fei sneered. "Luo the Cripple, I called you Instructor Luo out of respect. But since you’re determined to be shameless, then so be it. Someone like you has no authority over me, Wang Fei."
All the students were stunned. To call the cold-faced instructor a cripple... ’Has Wang Fei lost his mind?’
"What did you say?" Luo Zhan’s eyes narrowed as a dense killing intent erupted from his body. It was an aura forged on battlefields piled high with corpses and flowing with rivers of blood, and it sent the students stumbling back in terror.
"Heh heh, Luo the Cripple, don’t even try to scare me. I’m afraid I have to tell you, during today’s final exam, I, Wang Fei, broke through to the Tier One Warrior Realm. Starting next semester, I will be studying at the Profound Spirit Academy in the Royal City. I’m no longer your student, so you have no right to discipline me. Besides, this is a conflict between students. Don’t tell me you intend to interfere, Instructor Luo? You may be a teacher at Xingxuan Academy, but the Wang family isn’t just some minor clan. If you dare to strike, you’d better be prepared for the consequences."
Utterly fearless, Wang Fei’s body suddenly erupted in a hazy glow of Profound Qi—the telltale sign of a newly ascended Warrior.
"What? Wang Fei broke through to the Spirit Martial Realm? No wonder he’s so brazen."
"My god, he’s only sixteen, isn’t he? With talent like that, he’s definitely qualified for the Profound Spirit Academy. That’s a sacred ground for all the genius martial artists in the kingdom, a place where the truly powerful are born."
"The Wang family has produced such a genius. They’re about to soar. As a direct descendant, it looks like Wang Fei has a good chance of inheriting the family’s assets and becoming the next Patriarch of the Wang family."
"No wonder he’s so arrogant. He’s actually got the skills to back it up."
The onlooking students were utterly speechless. Admission to the Profound Spirit Academy meant catching the eye of the kingdom’s elite. After graduation, their futures would be limitless—it was only a matter of time.
A genius like that... not just the Wang family, but even Xingxuan Academy itself wouldn’t want to see him harmed in the slightest. There was no way Luo Zhan would be allowed to lay a hand on him.
"Good. Very good," Luo Zhan said, staring coldly at Wang Fei. "You think breaking through to the Warrior Realm makes you untouchable? We’ll see. I’d like to see who dares to make a move while I’m here."
’This Luo Zhan is as stubborn and unpleasant as a rock in a latrine pit,’ Wang Fei thought. ’With him here, how am I supposed to teach Ye Xuan a lesson?’
Just then, Zhou Xuan stepped forward and said coldly, "Instructor Luo, I respect that you were once my teacher, but this is a conflict between students. Isn’t it inappropriate for you, an instructor, to interfere so rashly?"
Everyone stared, dumbfounded. What was happening? Two top students ganging up to provoke the terrifying cold-faced instructor? Wang Fei had a reason to be arrogant—he was on his way to becoming a prodigy at the Profound Spirit Academy. But Zhou Xuan...
As the students wondered, a hazy light suddenly flared to life around Zhou Xuan, and an overwhelming pressure of Profound Qi erupted from her.
"The light of Profound Qi! My heavens, Zhou Xuan has also broken through to become a Tier One Warrior!"
"Good Lord, Zhou Xuan’s only fifteen, right? A year younger than Wang Fei, and she’s also broken through to Tier One?"
"Damn. No wonder she’s so confident. A goddess is a goddess, after all. She’s even more of a genius than Wang Fei."
"Ye Xuan is so dead. He’s absolutely dead this time."
The entire crowd was in an uproar; no one could remain calm. A student breaking through to the Spirit Martial Realm was not, in itself, the most shocking thing. The difficult part was breaking through before the age of sixteen. Any Warrior who reached the Spirit Martial Realm before they turned sixteen would be recommended to the Profound Spirit Academy in the Royal City for cultivation, becoming one of its chosen prodigies.
It had been many years since Xingxuan Academy had seen such a genius. Now, for two to appear at once would surely cause an uproar throughout all of Blue Moon City.
From this day forward, the territory of the Wang family and the Zhou family in Blue Moon City was bound to expand.
Luo Zhan’s expression hardened. The pressure from these two young geniuses made even him, their teacher, extremely wary. Just as he was wrestling with what to do, his face grim, Ye Xuan slowly stepped forward.
He simply held up a finger, wagged it dismissively at Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan, and said scornfully, "I was wondering why it was so bright in here. Turns out it was just you two, shining. Heh, so you broke through and became Warriors? Big deal. You’re glowing so much, you think you’re a pair of candles?"
"Hahaha," Chen Xing suddenly roared with laughter. "Young Master Xuan, you’re hilarious! Now that you mention it, they really do look like two candles. That’s great! From now on, we won’t need a lantern for the latrine at night."
"Pfft!"
At this, the whole crowd burst out laughing.
"Chen Xing, you’re courting death!" Wang Fei roared in fury. Zhou Xuan’s face flushed red all the way to her neck, a bone-chilling cold radiating from her as killing intent filled her eyes.
"I dare you to try," Luo Zhan snorted, standing like an iron wall.
Ye Xuan suddenly stepped in front of Luo Zhan. "Instructor Luo, this is a matter between students. Let us handle it as students."
Luo Zhan frowned. "Ye Xuan..."
"Heh, don’t you trust me, Instructor Luo?" Ye Xuan said with a faint smile. Seeing the confidence on his face, Luo Zhan instinctively halted. He then heard Ye Xuan say calmly, "Alright, what do you two want from me? Spit it out."
A cruel smile spread across Wang Fei’s face. "You little bastard, enough with the clever remarks," he said coldly. "You’ve offended the Wang family and framed my little brother. Your crimes are unforgivable. But, seeing as we’re fellow students, I’ll give you two choices. First: kneel before everyone, kowtow and beg for my forgiveness, confess the details of the plot against my brother, and swear to avoid anyone from the Wang family for the rest of your life. If you do that, I might consider letting you go. Your second choice is to fight me. A proper, life-and-death duel between men. If you can withstand ten of my moves without losing, I, Wang Fei, swear I will never bother you again. What do you say?"
"Wow, Wang Fei is actually being merciful. All Ye Xuan has to do is survive ten moves and he’ll be left alone."
"Huh, the second option doesn’t sound too bad. What’s Wang Fei up to?"
"Is there even a choice? If he picks the first option, his life as he knows it is over. The second option at least offers a sliver of hope."
"Weird. Very weird. Wang Fei isn’t known for being this reasonable."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves.
’Hmph. Ye Xuan will never choose the first option. Once he picks the second, I’ll make him understand the consequences of offending the Wang family. Killing him would be letting him off easy. I’m going to cripple him completely, turn him into a total waste.’ Wang Fei sneered inwardly.
A murderous glint flashed in Wang Fei’s eyes, and he felt a surge of exhilaration. He could already imagine the endless praise he’d receive from the family elders when news of him avenging Wang Yue got back. This fight wasn’t about revenge for Wang Yue; it was about farming some prestige for himself within the family. Otherwise, he couldn’t give a damn whether Wang Yue lived or died.
"Heh, you’re so merciful," Ye Xuan said with a smirk, turning to Zhou Xuan. "And what about you?"
Zhou Xuan’s face was a mask of indifference, her posture radiating superiority. "I’m not so merciful," she said coldly. "You shattered my brother’s legs, so today I will cripple all four of your limbs. And not just your limbs—I’ll destroy your cultivation as well. Of course, if you want to destroy your own cultivation and break your own legs right here and now, I might consider not getting my own hands dirty."
She was tall and slender, with hair cascading over her shoulders. Beneath her silver leather armor, she wore a short red skirt. Her straight, slim calves were wrapped in black stockings, an alluring sight.
And yet, this beauty’s heart was as venomous as a viper’s.
"Heh. It seems the two of you are certain you have me cornered today," Ye Xuan said, his eyes turning cold.
Wang Fei looked down on him and snorted. "Make your choice. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance."
"Two students from the senior class, bullying someone from the junior class. Wang Fei, Zhou Xuan, have you no shame?"
Suddenly, a clear, cold voice—pleasant to the ear but laced with anger—cut through the air.
"Who is it?" Wang Fei frowned and snapped, his cold gaze following the crowd’s to see who had spoken.
The crowd parted to reveal a young woman of unparalleled, icy beauty. Dressed in a long blue gown, she looked like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens—elegant, noble, and radiating a chill that seemed to come from her very soul.
"Leng Yingying, it’s you. This doesn’t seem to be any of your business, does it?" Wang Fei’s expression shifted. He never imagined that Leng Yingying, one of the academy’s three great goddesses, would appear.
Zhou Xuan’s glare darkened. "Leng Yingying, I don’t recall asking for your input."
The other students were also stunned. Leng Yingying was known for being a loner at the academy, rarely interacting with anyone. ’Why would she stick up for a loser like Ye Xuan?’
"Heh. You’re right, your affairs have nothing to do with me, and it’s not my place to interfere," Leng Yingying said. "But as a member of the senior class, I have to speak up. Your actions bring me shame."
"Senior Sister Leng Yingying is absolutely right! So-called senior students ganging up on a junior? Is this the best the great families can do?"
Another angry shout rang out. The crowd parted again to reveal Feng Rouyi, her fiery red hair impossible to miss. She strode forward, her face a mask of contempt for Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan.
’Heh, seems my luck with the ladies isn’t half bad,’ Ye Xuan thought to himself, rubbing his nose.
The surrounding students were completely floored. ’My god, what is going on today? All three goddesses gathered in one place, and two of them are here for Ye Xuan? Damn it, that guy’s too lucky! He’s just become the public enemy of every single guy at Xingxuan Academy.’
If looks could kill, Ye Xuan would have been slain a thousand times over by the glares of the male students around him.
"This is the Wang family’s business. It’s not your place to interfere," Wang Fei snapped at the two women.
Leng Yingying sneered. "Heh. Senior students, Tier One Warriors of the Spirit Martial Realm, future students of the Profound Spirit Academy... challenging a junior student? Do you two have any shame at all? I’d be humiliated to attend the Profound Spirit Academy with the likes of you."