Chapter 150: Chapter 150: The Crown Prince
"He lost?"
All the students stared blankly at the scene, dumbfounded and in utter disbelief.
The members of the Crown Prince Alliance stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. Ye Xuan had defeated Tong Hong in a single strike.
Humiliation!
A sense of shame washed over every member of the Crown Prince Alliance.
Yun Aoxue’s tightly clenched fists suddenly relaxed, and a smile touched her lips. ’That kid really is full of surprises. But he’s far too reckless. He scared the life out of me.’
She gritted her teeth, already plotting how she was going to deal with Ye Xuan later.
Leng Yingying and Feng Rouyi finally let out the breaths they had been holding.
"Haha! See? I told you! So what if he’s Tong Hong? So what if he’s a Wind and Cloud Rankings expert? In front of Young Master Xuan, he’s nothing more than a clay chicken or a pottery dog—completely useless!" Chen Xing grinned and laughed, feeling incredibly pleased. His gloating earned him furious glares from many of the surrounding students.
But Chen Xing ignored them. Seeing Ye Xuan’s display of power was like he himself was on the challenge stage, fighting against all comers and sweeping aside all opposition. The feeling was just incredible.
On the challenge stage, Ye Xuan slowly walked toward Tong Hong.
Clutching his chest, Tong Hong glared at Ye Xuan with venomous hatred. His pupils constricted, but his eyes held nothing but endless fear.
"A high-ranking member of the Crown Prince Alliance, an expert on the Wind and Cloud Rankings... Heh, so impressive!"
Ye Xuan’s indifferent voice made Tong Hong feel so humiliated he wished he could find a hole to crawl into and hide.
Down below, the pupils of the Crown Prince Alliance members contracted. This was a blatant insult. Ye Xuan’s words weren’t just a slap to Tong Hong’s face; they were a vicious slap to the face of the entire Crown Prince Alliance.
’If their higher-ups are this weak, how strong can the Crown Prince Alliance possibly be?’
The faces of the Crown Prince Alliance members turned utterly grim, their gazes sharp enough to devour Ye Xuan.
"What... are you going to do with me?" Tong Hong stared intently at Ye Xuan, his hoarse voice echoing across the stage.
He endured the pain, his eyes fixed on Ye Xuan’s, concerned only with how Ye Xuan would deal with him.
Looking at Tong Hong, Ye Xuan shook his head. "You were so arrogant just now, threatening to cripple me in front of everyone, to make me suffer endless torture and taste a fate worse than death. Why are you acting like a pathetic worm now, waiting for my judgment?"
Humiliation and hatred filled Tong Hong’s heart, but he didn’t dare to retort.
A sliver of hope still remained in his heart.
Ye Xuan shook his head slightly, his voice indifferent. "Are you still holding on to some hope? Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I’ll just do to you what you planned to do to me: cripple your cultivation and let you spend the rest of your life in regret, enduring endless pain."
As his words fell, a sharp glint flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
"Stop!"
Just then, a stern shout came from below the stage. Teacher Lu Hao shot to his feet, leaped onto the stage, and said self-righteously, "Ye Xuan, Tong Hong has already been defeated. The challenge is over. You cannot harm him."
As he spoke, he released the terrifying aura of a Third-Layer Earth Martial Artist. Dense Profound Qi surged like waves, pressing down on Ye Xuan. It was clear he would strike with lightning speed if Ye Xuan made the slightest move.
Ye Xuan turned his head and looked at Lu Hao coldly. "This was a life-and-death battle between Tong Hong and me. You have no right to interfere."
Lu Hao shook his head, his tone dripping with righteousness. "Ye Xuan, as a teacher of this academy, I have the right and responsibility to oversee the life and death of students. Since Tong Hong has been defeated, attacking him again would be a violation of academy rules. Stand down now. Don’t be stubborn and go down the wrong path."
"’Go down the wrong path,’ huh?" A mocking expression appeared on Ye Xuan’s face. "Teacher Lu Hao, weren’t you the one who told Teacher Yun Aoxue that teachers couldn’t casually interfere in student challenges? And yet here you are, interfering. Or were the words you just spoke all bullshit?!"
"Besides, no one is allowed to interfere in a life-and-death battle, not even a teacher. Who do you think you are, trying to act all high and mighty in front of me?!" Ye Xuan sneered and viciously kicked toward Tong Hong’s Dantian.
’A mere teacher trying to act tough in front of me? What a joke.’
When he, Ye Xuan, decided to cripple someone, not even the Heavenly King himself could stop him.
"How insolent!" Lu Hao’s gaze turned cold, true anger stirring in his heart. He hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to completely ignore his words and utterly humiliate him in front of everyone.
Profound Qi circulated within his body as Lu Hao thrust a palm at Ye Xuan, unleashing the full power of a Third-Layer Earth Martial Artist. The air in front of him suddenly exploded, forming a massive tornado that swept forward, carving deep gouges into the hard, iron-rock stage.
"Lu Hao, what do you think you’re doing?" Yun Aoxue roared in anger. She shot forward, placing herself in front of Ye Xuan and using her own body to block Lu Hao’s attack.
BOOM! Yun Aoxue’s body trembled, and she staggered back two steps, the blood in her veins churning. Ye Xuan caught her, helping her regain her balance.
"Teacher Yun, are you okay?" Ye Xuan was genuinely moved.
Lu Hao was strong, but not strong enough to kill him. Still, Ye Xuan had never imagined that Teacher Yun Aoxue would, in her haste, use her own body to block Teacher Lu Hao’s attack to save him. He was incredibly touched.
Yun Aoxue shot Ye Xuan a fierce glare before turning to Lu Hao. "Lu Hao," she said coldly, "you yourself said a moment ago that we teachers have no right to interfere in student challenges, didn’t you?"
Lu Hao’s gaze grew colder. "Yun Aoxue, I’ll show you some respect since you’re also a teacher and let what happened earlier slide. But whether I have the right to interfere or not isn’t for a new instructor like you to decide. Get out of my way."
"Is that so?" Yun Aoxue took a Token from her person and held it up in front of Lu Hao. "Then take a look at this."
"The Academy Supervisory Token? How is that possible!" Lu Hao exclaimed in shock.
Profound Spirit Academy was the most prestigious institution in the Liuyun Kingdom, so it was naturally filled with various factions. It was easy for teachers to be influenced by outside powers, leading them to favor or suppress certain students.
Therefore, Profound Spirit Academy had a special supervisory department to monitor the conduct of its teachers, representing the academy’s highest authority.
Every member of this department held a high position and was a loyal guardian of Profound Spirit Academy’s authority and status. The Supervisory Token was their symbol.
To see the Supervisory Token was like seeing the Dean himself; normally, no teacher was allowed to disobey it.
Lu Hao could never have imagined that Yun Aoxue, a new instructor who had just joined the academy this year, would possess a Supervisory Token.
"So Teacher Yun is from the supervisory department. I, Lu Hao, have been rude." Lu Hao lowered his head, his expression grim. He then turned and walked off the stage.
Seeing the Token was like seeing the Dean. If he dared to show the slightest disrespect and it was investigated, he could be expelled in a matter of minutes.
"I can’t believe the academy even gave her a Supervisory Token. That Lu Hao is really useless." Wu Liang watched everything unfold, feeling frustrated. He had originally planned to wait for Lu Hao to cripple Ye Xuan and for Yun Aoxue to be on her last legs before stepping in to "rescue" them, hoping to leave a good impression on her. He never thought his plan would completely fall apart.
"Looks like no one can save you today," Ye Xuan said, turning to the pale-faced Tong Hong with a faint, cold smile.
"You can’t cripple him."
Just then, a high-ranking member of the Crown Prince Alliance below the stage suddenly stood up, causing Ye Xuan to turn his head slightly to look at him.
"You can’t cripple him. Otherwise, you’ll regret it."
"Can’t you people from the Crown Prince Alliance come up with something new? I, Ye Xuan, never regret my actions." Ye Xuan’s leg rose again, startling the other party into shouting, "Wait a moment!"
"You have more to say?" Ye Xuan glanced at him. The man spoke with cold arrogance, "Do you have any idea who founded our Crown Prince Alliance? If you don’t do this, there’s still a chance for reconciliation between you and our alliance. But once you cripple Tong Hong, you will have made an unresolvable enemy. Have you considered the consequences?"
"The founder of the Crown Prince Alliance!"
Hearing this, many of the experts on the challenge stage who knew something about the matter were shocked.
Indeed. Although Ye Xuan had defeated Tong Hong, Tong Hong was, after all, just a high-ranking member. Compared to the founder of the Crown Prince Alliance, he was on a completely different level. Crippling Tong Hong would be a slap to the founder’s face. If that person became enraged, even the Profound Spirit Academy itself would tremble.
Standing in front of Ye Xuan, Yun Aoxue’s gaze also hardened, a trace of worry on her face.
"Ye Xuan, the founder of this Crown Prince Alliance is no small matter. If possible, it would be best to let this go and avoid further trouble."
Even a teacher like her, who could obtain a Supervisory Token, was wary of the Crown Prince Alliance’s founder. It was a sobering thought.
A flicker of light crossed Ye Xuan’s eyes. Tong Hong, who was staring intently at him, felt a sliver of hope rise on his face again.
"That’s right! I’m a member of the Crown Prince Alliance! If you cripple me, your fate will be even more miserable than mine! You’ll die for sure!"
"Idiot!"
Hearing Tong Hong’s threat, Ye Xuan’s raised right leg suddenly fell. In an instant, a stream of pure Profound Qi surged into Tong Hong’s Profound Sea. At that moment, everyone’s gazes froze.
No one would have thought that, even when faced with such a threat, Ye Xuan would still strike Tong Hong without a moment’s hesitation, crippling his entire cultivation.
BZZZT!
Not only did he cripple Tong Hong’s cultivation, but a divine light also flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes. An invisible surge of Soul Power entered Tong Hong’s shattered Profound Sea.
Above Tong Hong’s head, the Ghost Shadow Cat Martial Soul materialized. A look of terror appeared in its cold, sinister eyes. It let out a piercing shriek before instantly dissipating into nothingness.
His Profound Sea was shattered, and his Martial Soul had collapsed. From this day forward, Tong Hong would be a complete and utter cripple, with no hope of ever recovering.
"You..." Tong Hong could never have imagined that in this situation, just as a sliver of hope had begun to flicker in his heart, despair would arrive so swiftly.
He hated himself. Why did he have to provoke a monster like Ye Xuan? In truth, there wasn’t even that much animosity between them. Yet in the end, over such a minor grudge, he had paid a price he would regret for the rest of his life.
He truly was an idiot.
