Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Forcing Them to Hand Over the Person
Rage burned in Wang Xuan’s heart. Although he had told himself to exercise restraint, now that he was actually at the academy’s gates, he could feel his fury becoming impossible to contain.
"Your Xingxuan Academy calls itself the premier institution of Blue Moon City, a gathering place for geniuses. So why is it that my son, a living, breathing genius, went in, only to come out a cripple? Can you tell me? Why is that?"
STOMP STOMP STOMP!
As he roared, Wang Xuan made no effort to conceal his aura as a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist. His potent killing intent and rage washed over the guards like a tidal wave. The guards, who were only Tier Two Martial Artists, stumbled back repeatedly, their chests tightening to the point they felt they would vomit blood.
"The Wang family is, after all, one of the three great families of Blue Moon City! If Xingxuan Academy doesn’t give us an explanation today, you’ll find that the Wang family is not to be trifled with."
Wang Xuan, aggressive and overbearing, took another two steps forward. His terrifying pressure forced the two guards back several more paces, their faces pale. Wang Xuan was now only half a step from the grounds of Xingxuan Academy.
"How dare you!" The lead guard finally managed to grit his teeth and stop his retreat, forcefully resisting the impact of Wang Xuan’s aura. He roared, "This is Xingxuan Academy, not a place for your Wang family to run wild! Take one more half-step, and don’t blame us for getting rough."
"Hahaha! A mere Martial Artist dares to talk about ’getting rough’ with me? Go on, just you try it." Wang Xuan’s eyes narrowed as he laughed maniacally. His killing intent boiled, and the dense Profound Qi of an Earth Martial Artist flared, so strong that the guards could barely breathe.
"Brother, come back."
At that moment, Wang Cong suddenly spoke. With a sharp cry, he pulled Wang Xuan back. If Wang Xuan had taken that last step, he would have truly trespassed into Xingxuan Academy, making them enemies.
His expression was placid as he addressed the guards. "I am Wang Cong of the Wang family. My nephew, Wang Fei, is a student at your Xingxuan Academy. Not long ago, he broke through to the Tier One Spirit Martial Realm Samurai level and was set to attend the Profound Spirit Academy in the Royal City next year. But after the final exams today, the person your Xingxuan Academy sent back to us was a cripple with a shattered Dantian and broken limbs. And it’s not just my Wang family. The Zhou family’s disciple, Zhou Xuan, was also crippled. The methods were so cruel, they would outrage gods and men alike."
"I hear that my nephew Wang Fei and the Zhou family’s Zhou Xuan were both injured by a student from your academy named Ye Xuan. As two of the three great families of Blue Moon City, the Wang and Zhou families are not unreasonable, but we are certainly not pushovers to be trifled with. Xingxuan Academy is a place of learning, not a slaughterhouse. Today, Xingxuan Academy must give our two families an explanation. Hand over the perpetrator, or the Wang and Zhou families will not let this matter rest."
"Brothers Zhou Chong and Zhou Qian, what is the Zhou family’s position on this?"
At the main gate, two middle-aged men in the Zhou family’s contingent looked startled. Xingxuan Academy held a transcendent status in Blue Moon City. Their goal was only to punish the culprit, not to offend the academy. Seeing Wang Xuan’s earlier fury, their original intention was to let the Wang family take the lead. They hadn’t expected the shrewd Wang Cong to drag the Zhou family into the spotlight with them.
However, the matter with Zhou Xuan had indeed enraged their family. If they didn’t react, what would the people of Blue Moon City think of the Zhou family? Moreover, on the way here, the two families had already agreed to present a united front. Now that Wang Cong had called them out, they couldn’t just shrink to the side.
Immediately, Zhou Chong took two steps forward and shouted coldly, "Brother Wang Cong is correct! Our Zhou Xuan, at the tender age of fifteen, had already broken through to the Tier One Spirit Martial Realm. She is the number one genius our Zhou family has seen in decades! We never imagined she would be crippled at your Xingxuan Academy. If Xingxuan Academy does not hand over the culprit, Ye Xuan, today, the Zhou family will not let this matter rest!"
"We will not let this rest!"
Outside the gates of Xingxuan Academy, the several hundred Martial Artists from the two families roared in unison. The sound was like rolling thunder, shaking the heavens and the earth.
"Regarding this matter, allow us to report to the Dean first. But if any of you rashly enter our Xingxuan Academy, don’t blame us for getting rough." Seeing the situation, the guards knew it was beyond their control. They immediately sent someone to inform the Dean while they held their ground firmly at the academy gate, not retreating a single half-step.
"Fine. We will wait here for Dean Chu of Xingxuan Academy to give us an explanation."
Wang Cong and the others stood guard at the gate. Each Martial Artist stood as straight as a spear, their terrifying aura soaring into the clouds, intimidating all who watched.
"What? Wang Fei from the Wang family and Zhou Xuan from the Zhou family were both crippled by someone named Ye Xuan?"
"My clan has people in Xingxuan Academy too. I heard that Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan are the most outstanding disciples of the Wang and Zhou families, the best of the younger generation. They’ve already broken through to the Warrior Realm. Getting into the kingdom’s Profound Spirit Academy would have been a sure thing for them."
"No wonder the Wang and Zhou families are so furious. Geniuses like that are incredibly rare. By the way, who on earth is this Ye Xuan?"
"Could it be that good-for-nothing Ye Xuan from the Ye family of Cyan Mountain Town?"
"Are you kidding? That Ye Xuan from the Ye family has a Dead Martial Soul and crippled meridians. He can’t even cultivate. How could he possibly cripple Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan?"
"Let’s just watch. The truth will come out soon enough. I wonder how Xingxuan Academy will handle this. Although the academy holds a special status in Blue Moon City and Dean Zhu Weichen is one of the city’s top experts, the Wang and Zhou families are two of the three great families. Their status is significant. With them joining forces, even Xingxuan Academy might not be able to suppress this."
"This Ye Xuan fellow is out of luck. He could have offended anyone, but he just had to offend two of the three great families. He’s a dead man for sure."
This exchange helped the onlookers understand the situation. Instantly, a flood of whispers broke out as they eagerly discussed the matter, craning their necks to watch the drama unfold.
「In the Xingxuan Academy dormitory area.」
Ye Xuan was clearly unaware of the events unfolding at the academy gate. Having packed his things for his return journey tomorrow, he was currently studying his Martial Souls.
After breaking through to the Tier One Spirit Martial Realm, the attributes of his three Martial Souls were finally clearly visible.
Based on the classification of Martial Souls, he made a simple distinction between his three. The Earth Martial Soul should belong to the Natural Element. So-called Natural Element Martial Souls generally refer to those that manifest as forms from the natural world, such as fire, ice, earth, wind, and so on.
This type of Martial Soul had a rather unique advantage: its superiority wasn’t obvious in the early stages, but in the later stages, once it became powerful, the might it could produce was terrifying.
’Heh, speaking of which, my Earth Martial Soul should be in the same category as the Zhou family’s Petrification Martial Soul. Both can increase a Martial Artist’s strength and defense. In terms of actual grade, the Earth Martial Soul should be a level higher than the Petrification Martial Soul. But here in Blue Moon City, our Ye family is actually ranked below the Zhou family. How bizarre.’
What did having a superior Martial Soul mean? In the Martial Artist Realm, many things could influence a Martial Artist’s combat power, such as their Martial Soul, martial skills, Cultivation Technique, weapons, and so on. But the most important among them was the Martial Soul. Generally speaking, if a Tier Two First Layer Martial Artist with an Earth Martial Soul faced a Tier Two First Layer Martial Artist with a Petrification Martial Soul, the one with the Earth Martial Soul would almost always win. This was true unless the one with the Petrification Martial Soul possessed a heaven-defying Cultivation Technique or terrifyingly powerful martial skills.
Ye Xuan found it quite strange that the Zhou family was now ranked above the Ye family. But it was just a passing thought. A family’s strength couldn’t be judged by its Martial Soul alone; factors like heritage, financial power, and talent also played a huge role.
As for the Life Martial Soul, it should belong to the Plant Element. The green sprout in his mind had already grown to be three inches tall and had sprouted a few leaves. As it swayed, it exuded a hazy aura of life.
What concerned Ye Xuan the most was the Devouring Martial Soul in his Dantian. He was especially shocked that during the day, it had actually devoured a trace of the Martial Soul aura from both Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan.
Advancing a Martial Soul was mostly done using the Profound Souls of Profound Beasts or the Soul Crystals they left behind after death. This was the first time Ye Xuan had ever seen a Martial Soul that could devour the aura of other Martial Souls.
"BANG!"
Just as Ye Xuan was deep in his study, the dormitory door was suddenly thrown open.
"Young Master Xuan, this is bad! You injured Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan, and now experts from the Wang and Zhou families are blocking the academy gate, looking to cause trouble for you!" Chen Xing shouted, his face etched with anxiety.
"Oh? The Wang family and the Zhou family are at the academy gate looking for me?" Ye Xuan stood up, a sharp glint in his eyes, and a slight smile played on his lips. "Interesting."
Chen Xing said anxiously, "Young Master Xuan, this is no time for ’interesting’! You need to hide, quickly! If they find you here, you’ll be in big trouble! I heard the one leading the Wang family this time is their number two figure of the second generation, Wang Xuan. He’s Wang Fei’s father, and his strength has reached the Second Layer Earth Martial Artist level. In our Chen family, only the Patriarch and maybe one or two others are stronger than him."
Ye Xuan sneered. "Hide? Why should I hide?"
Chen Xing’s face was full of worry. "Young Master Xuan, surely you don’t think you can be fearless just because our Xingxuan Academy has a special status in Blue Moon City, do you? The Wang family and the Zhou family are two of the three great families. With them joined together, Dean Zhu Weichen might not be willing to take a hard stance. What’s more, you offended him on the training grounds before. If the Dean agrees to hand you over, it’s all over."
"Hmph. My fight with Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan was an official life-and-death duel. What right do the Wang and Zhou families have to come looking for me? Let’s go. We’ll go watch the show."
Chen Xing slapped his forehead and rolled his eyes. "Heavens, how can you act like nothing’s wrong in a situation like this, Young Master Xuan? I really don’t know what to do with you."
Groaning in exasperation, Chen Xing rushed out after Ye Xuan.
He didn’t know that this was the kind of trouble one couldn’t hide from, even if Ye Xuan stayed in his dorm forever without taking a single step outside.
「In the Xingxuan Academy Dean’s office.」
Dean Zhu Weichen was still deep in thought, pondering the Kun Palm from the North Nether Profound Skill that Ye Xuan had previously displayed. The move, which integrated the momentum of the heavens and earth, replayed in his mind. Each time he recalled it, he was deeply shaken.
Just as he was pondering a critical point, his train of thought was interrupted by the head of the guards who had come to report.
Upon hearing that the Wang and Zhou families were blocking the gates of Xingxuan Academy, Zhu Weichen’s brows furrowed. He had just been contemplating a key aspect of the Kun Palm, and he couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. His voice was icy as he said, "The Wang family and the Zhou family have some nerve, daring to block the gates of my Xingxuan Academy. Go find Yun Aoxue. Let her and the other teachers handle it. Don’t bother me with such trivial matters again."
