The smile on Wu Wen’s face vanished. He frowned and said coldly, "Ye Xuan, I am a teacher at this academy. I have the right to end your match. The outcome has already been decided. If you intend to harm student Wang Fei, then don’t blame me for what I’m about to do."
With a cold shout, a terrifying aura erupted from Wu Wen’s body—the power of a Tier Two Xuanwu Realm Martial Artist—and pressed down fiercely on Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan’s gaze turned cold. His body remained as steady as a mountain under Wu Wen’s aura. "This is a life-and-death duel between Wang Fei and me, not some student sparring session," he said icily. "Who the hell do you think you are to meddle in my business? I’ll give you one last chance. Scram now, or face the consequences."
’A life-and-death duel, not a student spar. It’s not supposed to be interfered with by anyone. The idea that he has the right to stop it is a joke.’
"You... Insolent!" Intense killing intent surged in Wu Wen’s heart. Though he was a teacher at Xingxuan Academy, he also had ties to the Wang family and would never let Wang Fei come to harm on his watch. With that, he said coldly, "Ye Xuan, as a student of this academy, you show no respect for your superiors or for the path of a teacher. Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson on how to behave."
The moment he finished speaking, Wu Wen moved, lunging toward Ye Xuan. His terrifying Tier Two Profound Qi surged forward like a roaring tsunami, thundering down to crush its target.
"Heh, Teacher Wu Wen, Ye Xuan is right. No one is to interfere in a life-and-death duel. Your actions are a bit out of line, don’t you think?"
Abruptly, an indifferent voice echoed across the training grounds. From his position before the dueling stage, Luo Zhan’s figure flickered like a phantom, instantly appearing in Wu Wen’s path. He formed his right hand into a blade and chopped down. With a soft SWISH, he split the wave of Profound Qi Wu Wen had released in two.
"Teacher Luo Zhan, what is the meaning of this?" Wu Wen’s gaze grew colder. Obstructed by Luo Zhan, he was forced to halt.
"What am I doing? Heh, I’d rather ask what *you* were planning to do, Teacher Wu Wen. A life-and-death duel is an act protected by the Profound Hall. Until the victor declares it over, no one has any right to interfere, and that includes us academy teachers. Teacher Wu Wen, why don’t we go down together and just watch?"
"Luo Zhan, do you have any idea what you’re doing?" Wu Wen’s gaze was frigid as dense Profound Qi radiated from his body.
"Just upholding the authority of the Profound Hall. Why, Teacher Wu Wen? Are you so agitated that you want to fight me? I may be suffering from an old injury, but I, Luo Zhan, have fought a hundred battles and feared no one. How about you and I have our own life-and-death duel?"
A frigid glint bloomed in Luo Zhan’s eyes. He stood there silently, his face devoid of expression, yet an indescribable pressure washed over Wu Wen, so intense he could barely breathe.
Unlike the other academy teachers, most of whom were Tier Two Martial Artists, Luo Zhan had been a Tier Three, First Layer Earth Martial Artist before retiring. Furthermore, he was the only teacher to have retired from the battlefield. Forged in the crucible of blood and fire, his killing intent was more akin to a baleful Evil Qi. To be fixed in his gaze was like being targeted by a vicious wolf. Even Wu Wen wanted nothing to do with him.
"How absurd," Wu Wen barked. His body flickered as he suddenly shot past Luo Zhan, lunging for Ye Xuan. ’If I can just capture Ye Xuan, this will all be over!’
"Get back!"
Luo Zhan roared, his killing intent erupting without restraint. He had been watching Wu Wen’s every move. The instant the other man moved, Luo Zhan stomped his left foot hard on the stage. With a quick shuffle, he was phantom-like before Wu Wen, closing the distance with a Mountain-Leaning Elbow and hammering his right elbow into his opponent’s chest.
Caught off guard, Wu Wen’s face fell. He hastily retreated, and the two exchanged several lightning-fast blows in the narrow space, dazzling the spectators. Then came a loud BANG! Teacher Wu Wen shrieked in pain. Accompanied by the sound of shattering bone, he tumbled wretchedly off the dueling stage, a spray of crimson blood flying from his mouth.
"A life-and-death duel. No one interferes. If anyone disagrees, you’re welcome to come up here. I, Luo Zhan, will take responsibility." Luo Zhan narrowed his eyes, descending the stage one deliberate step at a time, his gaze as proud and fierce as a hawk’s.
An uproar!
The entire arena erupted. Every student had heard stories about Instructor Luo Zhan, but they never imagined that this formidable man, nicknamed the "Cold-faced Instructor," would be so wild and untamed, even when facing other teachers from the academy.
Wu Wen wiped the blood from his lips, a venomous light flashing in his eyes as he roared, "Teacher Luo Zhan, do you have any idea what you’re doing? If something happens to Wang Fei, how could a mere teacher like you possibly withstand the wrath of the Wang family?"
Luo Zhan smirked coldly. "Whether I can withstand it is none of your business."
Ye Xuan was quite surprised that Luo Zhan would actually make a move for his sake, and a flicker of gratitude crossed his mind.
Seeing that even Teacher Wu Wen had been stopped, a look of intense terror finally flashed across Wang Fei’s face.
BANG!
Ye Xuan suddenly lashed out with his foot, kicking him viciously in the groin!
"AHHH!" A bloodcurdling scream erupted as Wang Fei convulsed violently, his eyes bulging like eggs. As he twitched, a pool of blood slowly spread out from under him. The sight made every male student in the audience shudder, a phantom chill running through their lower bodies.
However, it wasn’t over yet. Ye Xuan raised his right foot again.
At the entrance to the training grounds, Dean Zhu Weichen, who had been completely mesmerized by the worldly aura Ye Xuan had projected, finally snapped back to reality. "Stop!" he roared.
The rumbling command echoed across the training grounds, shaking every student present to their core.
"Dean Chu, save me!" Seeing Zhu Weichen, Wang Fei cried out in terror as if he had just seen his savior.
Ye Xuan’s foot was already on its way down toward Wang Fei’s Dantian. He paid the interruption no mind, not faltering in the slightest. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he sneered, "Don’t get your hopes up. I’m crippling you today, and no one can save you!"
With his meridians severed, Wang Fei couldn’t move an inch. He could only watch in horror as Ye Xuan’s right foot came down, his heart flooded with infinite fear and regret. ’He’s a madman! A complete madman! He’s even ignoring the Dean’s orders! Isn’t he afraid of dying? Why did I ever provoke him? No, I have my whole life ahead of me! I’m supposed to get into Profound Spirit Academy! Save me! Please, someone save me!’
BANG!
His foot landed squarely on Wang Fei’s lower abdomen. A spike of Profound Qi stabbed viciously into Wang Fei’s Dantian. With a sound like a balloon being punctured, a dense torrent of Profound Qi spewed wildly from it.
’Heh, this Profound Qi isn’t half bad. I guess I’ll relieve you of it.’ At that thought, Ye Xuan silently activated his North Nether Profound Skill. Unseen by anyone, the purest wisp of Profound Qi from Wang Fei’s Dantian was being siphoned through Ye Xuan’s right leg and into his own body.
PTHOO!
A mouthful of vital blood sprayed from Wang Fei’s mouth. He instantly went limp, slumping like a pile of mud, his eyes dimming until they held no light at all.
Ye Xuan landed another kick, sending Wang Fei to the center of the stage. The crisp cracking of bones, like beans popping in a hot pan, reached everyone’s ears. It was impossible to tell how many of Wang Fei’s bones had been broken.
’Such ruthless methods!’
All the students were terrified. Ye Xuan was too vicious. He hadn’t just destroyed Wang Fei’s Dantian; he had crippled his limbs as well. Unless the Wang family could procure a Heaven-defying Pill of the Sixth Grade or higher, Wang Fei was now a complete and utter cripple for life.
To fall from a world-renowned genius admired by all to a powerless cripple with a shattered Dantian... The difference was as vast as heaven and earth. The mere thought of it made everyone’s blood run cold.
Zhu Weichen was also stunned. He never imagined that Ye Xuan would dare to make a move even after he had roared at him to stop.
His figure blurred, and he appeared before the dueling stage. An invisible pressure radiated from his body as he furiously bellowed, "I told you to stop! Did you not hear me?"
"And who are you to tell me when to stop? This is a life-and-death duel. I decide who lives and dies here. Now get lost."
’Get lost?’
All the teachers present stared wide-eyed, gurgling sounds escaping their throats as if they were strangled hens. ’This kid is insane, completely insane! How dare he speak to the dean of the academy like that? Does he have a death wish?’
Yun Aoxue rushed to the front of the stage and said anxiously, "Dean, please calm down! Ye Xuan, this is the dean of our academy, Zhu Weichen! Hurry and pay your respects!"
"Heh, if it isn’t Teacher Yun. We haven’t seen each other in a few days, and you seem to have gotten quite a bit more beautiful." Ye Xuan’s ice-cold expression instantly thawed into a warm spring breeze, the change so fast it was staggering. He glanced at Zhu Weichen and said nonchalantly, "Oh, so it’s Dean Chu. Student Ye Xuan pays his respects. As I’m in the middle of a life-and-death duel, I can’t come down to greet you in person. I’m sure Dean Chu won’t hold that against a mere student like me, will he?"
He claimed to be paying his respects, but his tone was so flippant that it lacked any shred of courtesy, causing the listening teachers to break out in a cold sweat.
Yun Aoxue was speechless. ’This brat... he’s actually flirting with me at a time like this? Does he really not understand the consequences of offending the dean?’
Suppressing the rage in his heart, Zhu Weichen barked at the teachers present, "Today is the final exam day. Can someone tell me exactly what is going on here?"
"Your Excellency, the Dean, you must deliver justice for Wang Fei and the others..." Wu Wen was the first to leap forward, unleashing a torrent of denunciations against Ye Xuan. He painted him as disrespectful to his superiors, a brute who savaged his fellow students, and an arrogant tyrant. To hear him tell it, if Ye Xuan wasn’t executed, the world would be plunged into darkness and the academy would fall to ruin.
Ye Xuan offered no defense, merely sneering.
"Your Excellency, the Dean, that’s not what happened..." Luo Zhan also stepped forward and recounted the events from beginning to end. "Ye Xuan and Wang Fei were in a proper life-and-death duel. Everything he did was justified."
"That’s right, Dean Chu. Everything Instructor Luo Zhan said is the truth."
"It was Wang Fei who initiated the life-and-death duel with Ye Xuan."
"Heh. Wang Fei was the weaker one. He got what he deserved by being crippled."
Leng Yingying, Feng Rouyi, and Chen Xing all spoke up in succession.
Yun Aoxue also leaned in and whispered into Zhu Weichen’s ear, "Sir, that’s the student I told you about, Ye Xuan. His achievements in Alchemy are astounding. And he does indeed have a bit of a grudge with the Wang family."