Chapter 420: Rumor Mongering (3)
Zhou Pingsheng said nothing else and sent the students away. After they left, he started frowning. Just what was his teacher thinking?
A new faction master had yet to be appointed. Due to Xia Yuwen's injuries, his teacher had also started losing interest in taking over the books depository. But the position of the head manager was supposed to be his, not Xia Yuwen's. Why was his teacher losing interest just because of Xia Yuwen's injuries?
Without the position as a head manager, how was he supposed to become an elder? Even if he could become the faction master, he still wouldn't be able to get promoted into an elder.
"Teacher cares more about his own advancement into the Sunmoon Realm, not us..."
Zhou Pingsheng snorted unhappily. Just look at his senior brother, Zheng Yuming. Previously, their teacher had promised to rob a grave and get him a new character. But even now, Zheng Yuming was still bedridden with destroyed characters. How was he supposed to survive the Allheaven Battlefield in his current condition?
He rapped on the desk as he thought. After a while, his eyes flickered. Perhaps...it was time he did something himself. He couldn't rely on his teacher all the time. At the very least, he needed to get the position of head manager for himself.
"I'll get 10 students to block Wu Jia's path into the top 100 and get Su Yu stuck above top 90. That way, he won't be able to drop out of the ranking while Wu Jia would be stuck outside the ranking."
That was the best idea he could think of. Keeping Wu Jia out of the ranking for the rest of the year was still the best option. Otherwise, it would be hard to kick Chen Yong out of his position.
Of course, the premise for that was Wu Jia's inability to defeat the 10 students. But she had already recovered from her injury. And she was by no means a weak student. Unless she suffered from another injury, it would be hard to keep her out of the ranking.
Suddenly, he thought of someone.
Zhou Hao!
That was a truly ruthless individual. He had been badly injured during his fight against Su Yu, but Xia Yuwen was rich enough to help him recover. The recovery of the flesh was easy so Zhou Hao had almost fully recovered.
"Zhou Hao...that kid grew up among beasts. He is a killer of no remorse...It won't be surprising if someone like him kills Wu Jia by accident during a match. As for the repercussions of that...well, that's a problem for Zhou Hao and Xia Yuwen to solve."
But he definitely couldn't get his own hands dirty. He had to avoid being implicated by it.
Liu Hong!
Suddenly, a name appeared in Zhou Pingsheng's mind. That fellow would be the perfect person to carry out this plan on his behalf.
...
Su Yu was still in seclusion.
A rumor started spreading in the academy.
While taking a stroll, Wu Jia heard some students whispering, "I heard Wu Jia wasn't supposed to get a slot for this Willpower Grotto. But the multiple character faction decided to sacrifice Su Yu to give Wu Jia this slot."
"What a pity. Su Yu had fought Zhou Hao, Qiu Yi, and the others for Wu Jia. But he has been abandoned just like that."
"Wasn't Wu Jia the reason he has offended so many people? With his talent, he would have received the multiple character faction's full support if it wasn't for Wu Jia."
"True. But why has the multiple character faction picked Wu Jia instead of Su Yu?"
"She's a woman, so...you know what I mean...hehehe..."
Wu Jia's face turned ashen.
She roared at the students, "What are you talking about!"
When the students saw her, they hurriedly walked off without even saying anything to her. Wu Jia was furious. She wanted to give chase, but she decided against it after some thought. She merely stomped her foot on the ground in anger.
As she walked, she kept hearing different versions of the same rumor. She was infuriated. Furthermore, each version seemed to be even uglier than the previous. Wu Jia held her anger in and decided to return to the books depository. But on her way back, she stumbled upon a few students.
Huang Qifeng.
Di Feng.
A bunch of bastards.
Huang Qifeng's face was pale. He had clearly not fully recovered. When he saw Wu Jia, resentment filled his eyes.
He had nearly fully recovered from his willpower injury, but his characters had also been destroyed. That was not something he could just recover from. He had to form his characters from scratch. That would delay his cultivation by at least a year.
When he saw Wu Jia, he sneered, "Are you going to the books depository again? All students have their own accommodations in the academy. But a certain student sure is lucky. She gets to treat the books depository as her home. A single man and a single woman living together. Tsk tsk. I now understand why the multiple character faction has given you the slot instead of Su Yu."
Beside him, Di Feng smiled and said, "Junior Brother, enough. Su Yu was probably forced to help her anyway. After all, that's his martial aunt..."
"Bastard! What are you talking about!"
Wu Jia raged. She was feeling murderous. These people were slandering the relationship between her and her teacher. These shameless bastards! She wanted to kill them!
Huang Qifeng coughed lightly. His face remained pale while his eyes turned cold as he said, "Why? So we're not allowed to talk anymore? Since when is the multiple character faction so overbearing? Books depository? More like filth depository! If you are not involved in any shameful deed, why are you afraid of mere words? A single man and a single woman are living together every single day. Who knows what you do there? Hehe, I now understand why Su Yu was so ruthless during the fight. He was probably too scared to hold back."
"Bullshit!" Wu Jia grew more and more furious.
Huang Qifeng merely laughed and indifferently said, "Sure. Whatever you say. But all the students know what's happening behind the scenes. Otherwise, it is not logical that instead of Su Yu, you're the one with the slot. Not even Bai Feng could get anything. You are the sole exception. Hahaha!"
Wu Jia said, "You guys were the one who had blacklisted my junior brother!"
"Hadn't he offended our faculty head because of you?" Huang Qifeng said, "Ultimately, you're the reason for this. Wu Jia, why are you pretending to be innocent and pure? If you're already a whore, be open about it."
"Die!"
In her fury, Wu Jia's cultural weapon appeared. She could no longer take this. These people were slandering her, her teacher, and her junior brother.
Huang Qifeng narrowed his eyes and sneered as he took a few steps back. Meanwhile, Di Feng looked eager. He was looking forward to kill her after she made the first move.
In the academy, anyone caught attacking a student outside of a ring could be executed as a cultist. Nobody would be blamed for someone killed like this.
Right that moment, someone passed by and berated them, "What are you doing? Are you fighting illegally in the academy? Are you tired of living? What is wrong with the academy nowadays?"
That helped Wu Jia regain her clarity of mind. She hurriedly looked at the speaker.
Not far away, Zhang Hao was walking with a few other genius students. With a frown, he said, "What a mess. The academy is really accepting all sorts of trash nowadays. What are you looking at?"
WIth a snort, he walked away. The other students also gave them a look of disdain before leaving. Junior Brother Zhang was right. Because of these people, the academy was in a mess nowadays.
Di Feng frowned. He looked at Zhang Hao and cursed inwardly. Damn that bastard! He ruined their plan!
But he wasn't suspicious of it. Zhang Hao was a freak, the treasure of the Talisman Faculty. He had always been an arrogant student with high standards. It was perfectly normal for him to look down on Di Feng even if Di Feng was stronger currently.
In the Talisman Faculty, even the senior students couldn't help orbiting around this Zhang Hao. Follow current novels on n0velfire.net
Wu Jia was still furious, but she was finally able to think straight. She knew that if she made a move here, that would be tantamount to suicide. After clenching her teeth, he said, "Just you wait, bastards!"
Huang Qifeng was regretful, but he still sneered and said, "What are we supposed to be waiting for? For you to look for Su Yu? Hehe, is sleeping with your own teacher not enough? You're now setting your eyes on your junior brother as well?"
"Die!"
Once again, Wu Jia lost control of her temper.
Her willpower erupted in anger. Just as Di Feng was about to make a move, a grinning individual not far away said, "Get into a ring before you fight. What's the point of wasting time outside a ring? I can even be your referee. Why don't we have a match to the death?"
Di Feng was infuriated. Who was it this time?
Not far away, a sloppy Zhao Ming could be seen sipping on some beverage while grinning. He said, "Wu Jia, where's your junior brother? Previously, he said that he's going to challenge the ranking after three days. I have been waiting for a few days. Where is he? Tell him to show up soon and get me something to do. I have too much free time nowadays."
After being interrupted twice in a row, Wu Jia finally regained her calm. After giving the two another glare, she ignored Zhao Ming and left with her head lowered. She knew that those bastards were deliberately trying to provoke her into making a move. She was going crazy from anger.
Even if she got into a ring, she wouldn't be Di Feng's match. And she wasn't qualified to challenge him anyway. As for Huang Qifeng, that person would definitely not dare to get in a ring in his current condition.
Both Di Feng and Huang Qifeng were feeling terrible. Zhao Ming!
Damn him!
This fellow was creating trouble again!
Their plan had failed.
Di Feng gestured at Huang Qifeng to be patient. With Wu Jia's temper, she wouldn't be able to stay silent for long. They only needed to keep spreading these rumors. They silently left as well.
After everyone left, Zhao Ming frowned. He looked in Wu Jia's direction. The little girl wasn't too strong, yet her temper was exceptionally fiery. Since the single character faction could do nothing to the other members of the multiple character faction, they were clearly targeting her.
It wasn't like they had any other options. The multiple character faction was filled with someone who could never be seen, someone who was scarily patient, and a crafty fox like Su Yu.
Wu Jia was the only option left for the single character faction.
"Chen Yong..."
Looking at the distant books depository, Zhao Ming muttered to himself. There was nothing he could do about this. He could do something to help if he happened to be around, but he couldn't follow the girl all day long, right?
That girl should learn to control her temper.
If Su Yu was put in the same position, he would probably completely ignore the rumors.
...
At the same time.
Inside the grotto.
One of the jade talismans Su Yu was carrying with him vibrated. He was astonished to find that he could actually receive messages even inside a grotto. He had assumed that all connections with the outside world would be cut. It was evident that this voice transmission talisman was really well made.
After checking the message, an ominous glint filled his eyes. Those people were courting death! Even after receiving such a terrible beating from him, Huang Qifeng still dared to show up and create trouble for them. Was that fellow really not afraid of death?
There was also Di Feng. Did that bastard think that he wouldn't dare to kill anyone?
A match to the death...
Suddenly, Su Yu thought of that. The permission of his teacher would be required to do something like that. If it wasn't for Bai Feng's absence, he would have killed Zhou Hao during their match.
"It seems like the saying is right. When removing weed, you need to remove the roots as well."
Su Yu gnashed his teeth furiously. Those fellows dare to continue creating trouble even after what he did to them. They were really courting death.
His grandteacher said that the single character faction was their shield. But if the so-called shield was courting death, then they should destroy this shield and look for a new shield.
After some thought, Su Yu sent a message to Xia Huyou.
Xia Huyou had not been invited to the Mutual Aid Club, but that fellow had pestered him for a voice transmission talisman after seeing Chen Hao with one. Su Yu did not object and gave him one. And this was the perfect time to make use of that.
The other members of the Mutual Aid Club wouldn't be able to do anything here, but Xia Huyou would definitely be able to drag things out for at least a few days.
"I'll take care of them after leaving the grotto."
Su Yu's eyes flickered as the murderous intent within them dispersed. He was in the middle of opening the Body Strengthening Art acupoints. All in all, he had opened 210 acupoints. He was only a tiny bit away from completing the Body Strengthening Art. After completing it, he would work on the Sky Sundering Saber. He was sure he would need no more than three days to complete his cultivation goal and leave the grotto.
"A proper way to kill...I can either do it in a match to the death or make them attack me outside a ring."
Previously, he had nearly succeeded in making Di Feng attack him outside a ring. Di Feng wasn't exactly a smart person. And he had a bad temper as well. Thinking of all that, Su Yu started drawing up a plan.
"Huang Qifeng...Di Feng...Zhou Pingsheng..."
Name after name crossed his mind. These fellows were truly courting death. For the position of the head manager, they were pulling out all sorts of shameless tricks.
Huang Qifeng's teacher, Zheng Yuming, had been gravely injured. This Huang Qifeng had probably realized that he no longer had a backer and was trying to fawn on Zhou Pingsheng. That was most likely why he was making a move against the multiple character faction again.
"Chen Qi..."
Yet another name appeared in Su Yu's mind. This person would be useful when it comes to information gathering. Su Yu could even try to find out what those fellows cared about most from Chen Qi.
He aimed to finish them off before they could even enter the Willpower Grotto.
Chapter 421: Martial Uncle (1)
Books depository.
Top floor.
After a momentary silence, Chen Yong sighed and said, "Stay indoors for now. Enter seclusion and focus on cultivation until the opening of the Willpower Grotto. You will then resume your cultivation in there."
"Teacher!"
Wu Jia furiously said, "They are spreading the rumor all over the academy!"
She was very furious. Those bastards were too excessive.
"They are trying to ruin you. Do you understand?"
Chen Yong sighed.
Wu Jia said, "I know. I want to fight Huang Qifeng in a match to the death."
"Huang Qifeng might have been crippled by your junior brother, but he still has his physical cultivation. You might not be his match..."
"I will just fight him with all I have and end this matter with the death of one of us."
"..."
This was so troublesome. Chen Yong looked at his stubborn student. She was too inflexible with her thinking.
Wu Jia said, "Teacher, since they are also slandering you, can't you do something as a researcher? Previously, Xia Yuwen was able to give Junior Brother a fine for being rude." Orıginal content can be found at novel⚑fire.net
Chen Yong softly said, "They did not mention me by name..."
"But they are saying that in front of my face!"
She disagreed. They were already being very obvious about it.
Chen Yong rubbed his head and said, "I can do something, but I won't be able to do much apart from slapping some fine on them. Do you understand?"
Wu Jia looked at him in confusion. She only cared about revenge. Even a fine was better than nothing.
When Chen Yong saw his student's confused expression, he sighed and said, "It is very tiring to talk with you about these things."
Wu Jia suddenly felt sullen. This time, she could clearly understand the meaning behind her teacher's words. He was looking down on her!
Chen Yong exhaled and waved his hand. "Go back and take a rest. Stay indoors for now."
"Teacher..."
"Are you not listening to me anymore?"
Helpless, Wu Jia could only stomp off. Too bad her junior brother wasn't around. If he was around, he would definitely beat those bastards to death. What a pity that she was too weak. This was so infuriating!
After Wu Jia left, Chen Yong shook his head. He was also lamenting the fact that Su Yu wasn't around. Su Yu would be a lot easier to talk to if he were here. After a short silence, Chen Yong took out a jade talisman and played with it for a bit before putting it away.
This student of his really needed more patience.
...
Somewhere in the academy.
"Have you heard?"
"What?"
"This is big! Do you know this? In the academy, male researchers will only accept female students for perverse reasons. I heard that this is applicable to even female researchers with male students. I can't believe this. The reputation of our academy is ruined!"
"For real?"
"Yeah! This rumor came from the single character faction. For example, that person from the books depository! There's also Elder Yu-cough, a certain female elder with male students...and a lot other examples! Dang! I finally understand why I still don't have a teacher!"
"Is that really the case? No wonder all those students with teachers are either handsome or beautiful."
"I guess the reputation of our academy is ruined. No, not only our academy. I heard that this is the common practice in all academies."
...
15th of October.
Early in the morning, a series of rumors exploded throughout the academy.
Not only that, the rumors were also spreading all over the capital.
The rumors claimed that as long as the teacher and the student were of the opposite genders, there was definitely an improper relationship between them.
These rumors weren't spread by a random nobody. Rather, they originated from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy's single character faction. The rumors were very convincing, and there were even witnesses to back up these rumors. A certain person in the books depository was quoted as an example.
And the more the rumors spread, the more exaggerated they became. Apart from that person from the books depository, a lot of people were also engaging in such improper relationships, such as Elder Wu Yuehua and Elder Qi. There were also some unsavory rumors involving Principal Wan.
Wan Tiansheng did not have a female student. It had been years since he had last accepted a student. As for Wan Mingze, nobody viewed that person as Principal Wan's student.
According to the rumors, Principal Wan had improper relationships with several female elders and female teachers of the academy.
So long as one had a student or a teacher of the opposite gender, one would not be able to escape this slander. That included Ji Xiaomeng of the Ji Family.
The rumors rocked the entire capital.
Even some random non-cultivators had heard of these rumors. This was the biggest scandal that had ever happened in Great Xia. The moment these rumors were verified, all the academies in Great Xia would be reduced into a joke of the Human Realm.
...
"Bastard!"
"What nonsense!"
Heart Cultivating Pavilion.
Several elders were raging. They had visited the principal's office early in the morning.
The one with the worst temper among them had even turned an entire table into dust with a single slap. He furiously said, "What is this nonsense? I won't accept this! Their conflict is their business. Over the years, we have not meddled in these affairs. Apart from teaching some students, we have not gotten involved in anything. Are they going to get rid of us alongside the multiple character faction as well?"
"What is the single character faction trying to do? Erase all factions? Don't tell me they don't have any students of the opposite gender?"
"..."
The elders were furious.
Wan Tiansheng remained calm. He softly said, "Old Zhou isn't this stupid. Everyone, how would this even benefit him?"
Elder Qi scolded, "Benefit? Why else? Those idiots are trying to use this rumor to drag Chen Yong down. But their dumb lackeys messed it up and lost control of the rumors."
They naturally wouldn't believe that this was Zhou Mingren's original intention. But it wouldn't surprise them if this was done by the dumb lackeys under Zhou Mingren. Originally, they had probably only spread rumors about the multiple character faction. But how could such rumors not twist and change the moment they started spreading?
Since Chen Yong and Wu Jia were in an improper relationship, how about the others? How would the imagination of the masses not run wild?
Elder Qi said, "And now, the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy has turned into a joke. Wan Tiansheng, do you know what the people outside the academy are saying? They are saying that the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy should change its name to Great Xia Loving Teacher Academy. Do you think this is good?"
A different elder said, "Damn those people. How can they be saying these things lightly? Old Wan, if you don't do something today, you won't even be able to survive the scrutiny of the Talent Fostering Bureau. You need to find the main offender and execute that person. The punishment must be strict."
They were infuriated.
These rumors had evolved into something much more complicated. They are being spread all over the capital. If this continued, the reputation of their academy will be ruined. Would anyone still dare to join their academy in the future?
As for the elders like them, they would probably be treated as clowns during their visits to the other prefectures and the Knowledge Seeking Realm in the future. A rumor had a way of being taken as the truth as long as enough people believed in it.
A different elder said, "Why hadn't those bastards from the single character faction included Zhou Mingren in these rumors? That Xia Chan from the Xia Family is his student. Why are there no rumors about them? So we are the only ones suffering while everything is still fine for Zhou Mingren?"
Wan Tiansheng was having a headache.
He softly said, "Stop shouting. In a span of one night, these rumors have been spread all over the capital. This can only be done intentionally. There is a possibility that this is done by the Myriad Race Cult to create chaos..."
"Are you going to blame the Myriad Race Cult for everything?" Elder Qi said, "I refuse to believe that you won't be able to find the culprit. Dispatch the academy guards and the Discipline Hall. Get them to investigate this. I want to know the name of the culprit. Wan Tiansheng, don't even dream of smoothing things over. If I find out that it was really done by someone from Old Zhou's side, I won't spare them."
The other elders voiced their support. "The truth will ultimately be uncovered. Investigate this thoroughly. If they can't even do this much as cultural researchers, they should just retire."
"Find the culprit and cut their head off. Using the academy's reputation as a weapon against their opponents? Someone willing to destroy the reputation that has been built over a period of hundreds of years should not be kept around."
The elders were basically mad with rage. They weren't going to let this slide. As long as they put their minds into it, they would definitely be able to uncover the truth. If it wasn't the single character faction, the single character faction would be fine. But if it was really them, these elders would definitely not let this slide.
Wan Tiansheng shut his eyes and sank into thought. After a moment, he said, "Since you want to investigate this, let's do it. You are right. We can't allow the academy's reputation to be ruined by a few parasites. The Discipline Hall and the academy guards will start an investigation. After we find the culprit, we will hold a meeting of elders to decide on the punishment."
"Hmph!"
The elders were unhappy. What was the point of a meeting? Just kill the culprit and be done with it.
Elder Qi coldly said, "Finding the person who had spread the rumors is not enough. We also need the name of the one who had ordered this to happen. Old Wan, they are slandering the researchers and genius students of the academy. If we let this slide, don't be surprised if the teachers and students start losing their respect and reverence for the academy. You should stop smoothing things over all the time."
Wan Tiansheng was speechless. Had he smoothed anything over this time? Hadn't he agreed to investigate this matter? He only felt that the single character faction wasn't dumb enough to drag the entire academy and Great Xia along while attacking Chen Yong. Wasn't that the same as courting death?
These elders were too impatient. They didn't even give him a chance to speak his mind. It wasn't like he was trying to speak for the single character faction. It was better to investigate things properly before assigning blame, right? This was so troublesome.
He had nothing else to say to these old fellows so he waved his hand, "Start the investigation. Old Qi, you guys will take the lead. We will talk more after concluding the investigation."
The elders wasted no time and left immediately. They were definitely not going to put up with this.
Chapter 422: Martial Uncle (2)
Before long, chaos engulfed the entire academy.
Discipline Hall.
Old Huang was forced to take up his new post in advance to work on the investigation.
One student after another was taken in. The elders were personally leading the investigation with the assistance of the guards and Discipline Hall.
Inside a large hall.
A lot of elders were present.
After the students were brought in, Elder Qi questioned, "When did you hear the rumors? Who told you these rumors? What did they tell you? Tell us everything. Don't even dream of lying. You are very clear on the means available to cultural researchers. Anyone caught lying will either be expelled or even executed as members of the Myriad Race Cult."
The students trembled with fear.
None of them had expected that they would be arrested by the guards and the Discipline Hall just for gossiping in private. Not only that, but the elders were even personally interrogating them. None of them dared to hide anything.
One name after another was given, and more and more students were brought in. The investigation proceeded as they chased after the source. Eventually, the single character faction students were arrested.
...
Single character faction's building.
Inside a large office, Zhou Mingren was sitting there silently. A few elders with unsightly expressions could be seen around him.
Just a moment ago, the guards and Discipline Hall had arrested a few of their students right in front of them. They were in the middle of a meeting with these students when that happened. The guards had merely charged in and dragged the students away without care.
Among the crowd, Zhou Pingsheng had a pale expression. He did not dare to utter even one word. This time, only a few students outside the Top 100 Ranking had been arrested. But the situation seemed to be getting more and more serious.
Zhou Mingren looked at the crowd silently. After a long while, he calmly said, "Gather all the teachers and students of our faction. I want to see who else they are going to arrest."
"Old Zhou!" Yu Hong said, "Have the Discipline Hall and academy guards gone mad? How dare they arrest those students in our presence?"
Zhou Mingren shot her an indifferent glance and said, "I think I have an idea about what happened. Initially, I thought that although we have members of different qualities, none of them are absolute idiots. Looks like I was wrong. Yu Hong, are you really not aware of what has happened?"
"There are many ways you can suppress the multiple character faction. But this has involved the entire academy and even the entire capital. We have been reduced into clowns." Zhou Mingren sighed, "I thought that none of us could possibly be that stupid. But now, I have to wonder if some people are really too stupid to be saved."
As he said that, he glanced at his own student: Zhou Pingsheng. Was this student of his really that stupid? Even if he was stupid, how was he stupid enough to involve even people like Wan Tiansheng and Ji Hong? Did this dumb student really believe that the single character faction was already the strongest in the Human Realm?
Zhou Mingren was tired. Of his students, Zheng Yuming was the smart and shrewd one. Thus, things had been smooth for the single character faction for the past few decades. They had been able to grow bigger and stronger while keeping the multiple character faction suppressed.
But after Zheng Yuming fell victim to that ploy...yes. He considered that a ploy. Zheng Yuming had regained consciousness and Zhou Mingren had asked about the incident that day. Zheng Yuming had not intended to make a move against Su Yu at all. Clearly, this was either Chen Yong's scheme or Wan Tiansheng's deliberate action.
Ever since Zheng Yuming was crippled, the single character faction had been in a mess. First, they had spent 100,000 merit points on a ridiculous blood essence formula. Then, due to a mistake he made, he was forced to pay over 100,000 merit points to solve the incident involving the willpower texts.
He had just settled the previous incident when yet another trouble came knocking. How was he supposed to focus on his breakthrough? He couldn't even focus on his cultivation. They had lost a Mountainsea and a genius student. Even their partner, Xia Yuwen, was currently half dead. They had also lost nearly 200,000 merit points. And now...were they going to suffer yet another loss?
Nobod dared to disobey Zhou Mingren's order.
The teachers and students of the single character faction arrived one after another. Before long, the room was too full, leaving the newcomers standing outside.
As a Skysoar, Liu Hong was lucky enough to get a spot in a corner of the room. He stood there and observed silently. The single character faction was declining. After several losses, their faction was starting to fall. He could see that the single character faction only appeared strong, but inwardly, they were weak. The multiple character faction hadn't even done anything toward them yet they were already starting to fall apart by themselves.
"Rumors?"
Glancing at the pale Zhou Pingsheng, Liu Hong resisted the urge to curse. Was that dumbass the culprit? How did that fellow mess something so trivial so badly? Liu Hong couldn't help but start admiring Zhou Pingsheng for his sheer ability to screw things up. Not a single person from the multiple character faction had said anything this time. Yet for some reason, the single character faction had still suffered a loss.
While he was thinking, someone shouted outside, "Huang Qifeng, Di Feng, Zhu Hong, and Qiu Yi. Come out here. We need you to take a walk with us."
Inside the room, Di Feng's face changed as he hurriedly said, "Grandteacher, we didn't spread those rumors! It really wasn't us! Grandteacher..."
Zhou Mingren indifferently said, "Go. Take a walk with them. The truth will be found sooner or later. Old Qi and the others can investigate this matter if they want, but if they try to make my people the scapegoat without proof, then that would be an attack on me."
"Grandteacher..."
They grew even more nervous when they heard that.
"Go." Zhou Mingren stood up and said, "I'll go with you. I want to know which idiot did this as well."
He was also getting furious. If it was found out that this was really the work of someone from the single character faction, then he could only start cleaning up their ranks. With too many fools among them, the others could be dragged down easily. Before this, Zheng Yuming had done very well. He had ensured that their only enemy was the multiple character faction. He was able to face everyone else, including Wu Yuehua and company, with a smile. He wouldn't fully offend them despite not being friendly with them.
He would be willing to take a step back on certain matters for the others and stayed firm for matters involving the multiple character faction.
Because of that, the elders slowly came to understand that they only needed to avoid the conflict between the single and multiple character factions to not cause themselves unnecessary problems. This was a foundation Zheng Yuming had painstakingly built. But that foundation had been broken. In a short period of time, they had offended one elder after another.
...
Discipline Hall.
Zhou Mingren arrived, followed by Yu Hong and the other elders.
Elder Qi ignored them. With a calm expression, Old Huang said, "Since you're here, please listen silently. Faculty Head Zhou, I hope you won't disturb the Discipline Hall and academy guards when we are performing our duties. This matter might seem minor, but if we ignore it, the prestige we have spent over 300 years building will be ruined. In the worst case scenario, this might be the trigger that would cause the academy to decline and eventually shut down."
Di Feng and the others had arrived as well.
Elder Qi ignored all the visitors and focused on the suspects. With a harsh tone, he said, "Di Feng and Huang Qifeng. Some people have identified the two of you as the origin of the rumors about the relationship between teachers and students. Is this true?"
"No!"
"Nonsense." Elder Qi slapped the table in front of him. His aura soared as he said, "You dare lie? Mere Mental Tempering Stage students are trying to lie to us? What do you take Mountainseas for?"
With an imposing expression, Elder Qi scanned his surroundings. Finally, his gaze landed on Zhou Mingren's group. He coldly asked, "You should be able to see that they are lying, right? Old Zhou, as a pseudo Sunmoon, you can see this, right? If you really can't, perhaps you aren't really qualified to be a faculty head anymore."
Zhou Mingren said nothing. He could naturally see that the students were lying. Mental Tempering Stage students were trying to lie to Mountainsea cultural researchers...These students were really treating Mountainseas as idiots. Both Yu Hong and Elder Sun had unsightly expressions as well.
Di Feng hurriedly said, "We're speaking the truth! We're not lying!"
"Audacious!"
Rumble!
Elder Qi lashed out, causing Di Feng to collapse and cough a mouthful of blood. Di Feng paled.
Elder Qi coldly said, "You are already here. How dare you lie? Tell me! Who ordered you to do this? How impudent! Getting mere Mental Tempering Stage students like you dare to slander Mountainseas and even Sunmoons? Do you really think that you're untouchable because you have a backer?"
"Old Qi, don't use this as a chance to attack someone else indirectly." Zhou Mingren said, "There is no need for me to order something this foolish. If I'm that stupid, I wouldn't have been able to become a pseudo Sunmoon."
Elder Qi snorted coldly. He couldn't be bothered to argue. Looking at Huang Qifeng, he shouted, "Huang Qifeng, confess! Who ordered you?"
"Nobody..." Huang Qifeng's face changed as he hurriedly explained, "We didn't slander any Mountainseas or Sunmoons! Elder Qi, I admit that I have said something to Wu Jia because of my hatred toward her. I was trying to force her to fight me. But I have really not spread any of those rumors!"
Huang Qifeng's brain was working overtime as he hurriedly added, "I confess that I did somewhat attempt to slander Head Manager Chen Yong, but I didn't even mention him by name. According to the academy rules, I will be punished for disrespecting my teachers and seniors. I am willing to take the punishment for that. Please be lenient, Elder." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Nove1Fire.net
"Hmph!" Elder Qi snorted and looked at the other students. He coldly asked, "Huang Qifeng has confessed. How about the rest of you? Also, have you slandered only Chen Yong?"
After saying that, he ordered, "Bring him in."
Shortly after, a different student was brought in. The student had a pale face. The moment he entered the room, he dropped to his knees and said while trembling, "Elder, it wasn't me! I was only following orders! Di Feng and his group were the ones who had told me to spread the rumors! They paid me five merit points to do so! You can check my merit card for the transaction record! It was really them! I made the mistake of accepting this job because I thought it was easy money. I admit that I am guilty, Elder!"
When Di Feng saw the newcomer, his face changed as he hastily said, "Elder, I only...I only told him to spread some rumors related to Wu Jia! Nothing else! Huang Hao, speak clearly! Isn't that the case?"
The face of the student called Huang Hao sank as he countered, "Nonsense! You clearly told me to drag everyone in and force the other elders to stay uninvolved to prove their innocence! But the thing got out of control and spread outside the academy..."
The expressions of Di Feng and company changed.
Chapter 423: Martial Uncle (3)
Qiu Yi furiously said, "Huang Hao, you dare slander us? Yesterday, we only told you to spread the rumors about Wu Jia. We mentioned nothing about the other elders! This is slander! Damn it! You're trying to kill us!"
Huang Hao was getting anxious. He denied, "Nonsense! That clearly wasn't what you said yesterday! Elder Qi, I wasn't lying! I have no grudge with Wu Jia and the multiple character faction. I only wanted to make some money. There is no need for me to target them. I only did what I was paid to do!"
Huang Hao was sweating all over from anxiousness as he continued his explanation, "I guarantee that these rumors came from them! First, the rumors were only aimed toward Wu Jia. But after she started hiding, I recalled what they told me and spread the rest of the rumors as well. Without their order, why would I provoke the elders for no reason? I wasn't crazy! Five merit points were a lot. I thought that spreading some rumors wouldn't be that big of a deal, so I decided to do it. Who would have guessed that this matter would devolve into this mess?"
"Bullshit!"
Even with his injured body, Di Feng was so furious that he stood up and tried to attack Huang Hao.
Rumble!
A palm attack sent Di Feng crashing into the wall. Elder Qi shot Di Feng a cold gaze before looking at Zhou Mingren. "The students of your faction sure are gutsy. They actually dare to attack a witness in the middle of questioning."
Zhou Mingren shut his eyes and sighed inwardly. That was truly idiotic. He had a vague feeling that Di Feng and company had probably only ordered to have rumors concerning Wu Jia spread. But...Di Feng was a total idiot. He had actually tried attacking the witness in front of all of them. That was the same as suicide. Even if Elder Qi and the other elders were doubtful about Huang Yao's words, this single action was enough to anger all of them.
After a long while, Zhou Mingren said, "Check Huang Hao's mind for any tampering. Di Feng might be stupid, but it really is completely pointless to drag the other elders down while slandering the multiple character faction. Huang Hao does not seem to be telling lies either. Old Qi, check his mind. We will admit to all wrongdoings that we have actually done. But we won't accept being framed and punished for it."
Elder Qi frowned. After thinking about it, he called a different elder over and said, "Let's check his mind together. Old Huang, you should join us as well. Let's see if his memories have really been tampered with."
Huang Hao's testimony had clearly conflicted with the testimony of Di Feng and company. But they had already confirmed that Huang Hao was the first person who had spread all the rumors while Di Feng and company were the culprits. With that, two Mountainseas and one ninth-stage Cloudbreach stepped forth to inspect Huang Hao's memories.
Of course, reading memories was a feat out of their reach. But they could check Huang Hao's sea of willpower for any signs of tampering. When an expert modified the memories of a person, some traces would be left in the sea of willpower. So long as it had happened, they would be able to find something.
After a long while, Old Huang shook his head, "I'm too weak. I found nothing out of place."
Old Qi and the other elder exchanged gazes before shaking their heads.
Elder Qi looked at Zhou Mingren and said, "If you don't trust us, you can check yourself." The source of thɪs content is noⅴelfire.net
Zhou Mingren stood up and said nothing. He placed his palm atop Huang Hao's head and performed a detailed check. After the first scan, his heart thumped as he hurriedly performed another scan.
Nothing out of place was found!
But suddenly, the look in his eyes changed as his gaze landed at the wound on Huang Hao's arm. He coldly asked, "How did you get this wound?"
Huang Hao was trembling in fear while he replied, "I fell down last night..."
"You fell down?" Zhou Mingren said, "You're a Mental Tempering Stage cultivator. How can you fall down so easily?"
A small wound could be seen on Huang Hao's arm.
Huang Hao hastily explained, "It's true! Yesterday, I was busy spreading rumors everywhere and fell down because I wasn't watching where I was going..."
Zhou Mingren silently studied the arm and softly muttered, "Fell down..."
He sighed and said, "I suspect that his memories have been changed. Instead of doing through the sea of willpower, this person has extracted his blood essence, modified his memory imprint, before returning the blood essence to him, modifying his memories."
He looked at Huang Hao and asked, "When you woke up this morning, did you experience dizziness and a weak feeling all over your body?"
Huang Hao replied, "Yeah..."
Suddenly, Elder Qi said, "Enough! Zhou Mingren, can you do something like this? Can even Sunmoons do something like this? Are you telling me an Invincible has personally modified his memories?"
"There is no need for an Invincible to do this. There are people below that realm who are also capable of this."
Zhou Mingren's eyes turned cold as he looked outside the window. "Hong Tan, Chen Yong, Bai Feng...anyone from the multiple character faction might have the ability to do this..."
Elder Qi was furious.
Old Huang frowned, "Where's your proof? Vice Principal Zhou, at this point, your word alone is no longer enough. Where is your proof? Are we supposed to arrest the entire multiple character faction and interrogate them through torture?"
Elder Qi ignored Zhou Mingren and lifted the badly injured Di Feng and coldly demanded, "Tell me! Who ordered you to do this!"
Zhou Mingren frowned, but he could only sigh inwardly.
How cruel and ruthless.
This was not Hong Tan's style. Bai Feng was too injured to do this. Could it be...that person?
Extracting blood essence and modifying the memory imprint...was it the handiwork of that person? Had that person reached this far in his research? Or had he misunderstood everything?
Zhou Mingren lowered his head and returned to his seat. He no longer said anything. This time, they were going to take a loss no matter what. Unless they could prove that Huang Hao's memories had indeed been tampered with, there was no way they could escape the blame this time.
...
Books depository.
Wu Jia was still sulking while Chen Yong was acting like nothing had happened. With a smile, he asked, "Are you still angry? They're not only talking about you. The entire academy and the capital have been thrown into chaos as well. These people enjoy talking drivel too much. Just look at how they're all going to suffer now."
"Teacher, are those people stupid? They deserve everything that is happening to them right now!"
Chen Yong said, "That's because they are too stupid. You need to pay a price for running your mouth too much. Don't be angry anymore. I'll teach you something new today. You can learn the way to squeeze more power out of your cultivation..."
"Squeeze?"
"A self-harm technique. A technique requiring you to burn your blood essence."
Chen Yong sighed and said, "You can be provoked into a fight to the death too easily. I shouldn't be teaching you something like this, but you're too stubborn and straightforward. You don't know when to take a step back. Something will happen sooner or later. Today, I'll be teaching you something you can use to preserve your life in the future."
Chen Yong started nagging, "Like the myriad races, we humans have blood essence as well. Your martial uncle has been researching the blood essence and abilities of the myriad races. You know this. Blood essence can be extracted from both the dead and the living. Of course, extracting from someone alive would be harmful for one's body."
Chen Yong softly explained, "For humans, different amount of blood essence can be extracted depending on the target's cultivation level. Someone at the Mental Tempering Stage can survive having ten drops of blood essence extracted or a drop or two ignited. But that person will suffer a heavy injury and be weakened..."
Wu Jia curiously asked, "Teacher, will the increase in strength from doing this be significant?"
"Of course." Chen Yong said, "As a Mental Tempering Stage and ninth-stage Great Strength student, you can increase your strength by 10 percent or more after igniting a drop of your blood essence. But after that, you will need to spend some time recuperating or you will suffer from some side effects in the future.
"Blood essence is very important and mystical. It even contains the instincts and memories of the body it comes from. The blood essence abilities your martial uncle is able to use are basically a method of utilizing the ability imprints in blood essence. Apart from ability imprints, memory imprints can also be extracted from blood essence. That is one of the main research subjects of your martial uncle."
As Chen Yong explained, a figure suddenly appeared outside the window.
Wu Jia did not notice the figure.
Chen Yong shot the window a glance. Outside, Wan Tiansheng was staring at him. "Chen Yong, you should have stopped at experimenting on cultists. If you dare to do this on a student ever again, I will personally end your life."
Chen Yong nodded and gave no reply. He continued his lesson with Wu Jia.
Wan Tiansheng stayed outside, staring at Chen Yong for a very long time. The multiple character faction was truly a faction filled with freaks. But when these freaks turned into monsters, it would be time to put them down.
After a long while, when Wan Tiansheng was about to leave, Chen Yong said, "Principal, I always repay those who have shown me kindness. Jia's parents were killed by the cult back then when they were trying to help me. I saw the incident myself. Those who dare to run their mouths deserve nothing less than death. I have already restrained myself this time."
Wan Tiansheng frowned, "This is the first time. I hope it's also the last time."
"There won't be a second time. I had remained silent the previous time they injured Jia. She was partly to blame for that. I am a reasonable man. But this time, they tried killing her. If this happens again, I will make sure to kill all of them before you kill me."
Wan Tiansheng frowned and turned around to stare at Chen Yong again. Meanwhile, Chen Yong continued seriously teaching Wu Jia on the intricacies of blood essence.
"Chen Yong, just enter the Mountainsea Realm as early as possible. If you can reach the Mountainsea Realm, they will naturally stop targeting Wu Jia."
"That is my business. It is unrelated to Jia. Principal, I am a very patient person. But when a patient person loses his temper, he can be very scary." Chen Yong looked at Wan Tiansheng with a smile and said, "I want Zhou Pingsheng's life for this. If he doesn't die, I won't let this rest."
"..."
Wan Tiansheng looked at Chen Yong coldly. He said nothing and vanished into thin air.
As for Chen Yong, he continued his lesson with a gentle look on his face. "Jia, remember this. There are many ways you can use to kill someone. It is not necessary to fight someone head on every single time. Learn more from your junior brother. He is shrewd. When an Invincible tries to kill another Invincible head on, that Invincible might get killed instead. But using some other methods, he might be able to kill several Invincibles."
"Methods?" Wu Jia complained, "Teacher, I don't like to scheme and plot."
"You...sigh." Chen Yong was greatly troubled. "Fine. Keep being you. It's not like our multiple character faction is relying on you. Just cultivate properly. I will try to bring you and your junior brother together. He is smart. He will be able to protect you well..."
"Teacher!" Wu Jia said, "I...have never thought of that! Why are you suddenly talking nonsense?"
"..."
Chen Yong laughed and nodded. "Fine, fine. I'll stop. We'll let fate decide if the two of you will get together in the future."
Inwardly, he sighed. A day would come when he grow old or die. How long could he keep taking care of her?
Su Yu? He was someone with the potential to enter the Sunmoon Realm. As for himself, was he really capable of stepping into the Sunmoon Realm? With a laugh, he decided to stop worrying too much. It was still too early for that.
Chapter 424: You Need A Cold Heart (1)
Discipline Hall.
Huang Hao insisted that Di Feng and company were the ones who had instructed him to spread the rumors.
Di Feng and company had also admitted to that, but they denied involvement in the spread of the rumors involving everyone else. They only admitted to targeting Chen Yong and Wu Jia. There was a great difference between the two.
If they had only targeted Chen Yong and Wu Jia, they were doing it out of personal grudge. They would be punished for disrespecting a teacher, but the punishment would be much more lenient.
As for the other rumors, the matter involved the entire Great Xia. If they took the blame for that as well, they might really be executed.
Questioning room.
Huang Qifeng was pale as he loudly said, "Elders, we have really not slandered the other elders. Huang Hao is lying. We haven't done any of that!"
Qiu Yi was also greatly frightened. He looked at Zhou Mingren and said, "Grandteacher, that really wasn't us! We weren't crazy! We can act against Wu Jia, but there is no need for us to provoke the other elders!"
The elders ignored them.
Elder Qi looked at the other elders involved in the investigation before looking at Old Huang. He solemnly said, "None of them are lying."
Yes. These elders were able to easily see that these students were telling the truth.
But there were two versions of truth.
Nevertheless, they had indeed created a rumor to slander Chen Yong. And Chen Yong was a ninth-stage Cloudbreach and the head manager of the books depository. Even if they had only slandered him, they would still be punished.
Meanwhile, Zhou Mingren kept his eyes and mouth shut.
Old Huang said, "Would these people dare to attack Chen Yong for no reason? Someone else must be behind this."
Elder Qi looked at him before looking at Di Feng and company. He said, "Tell the truth. Who instructed you to do this?"
"Nobody!"
"Think properly before you answer." Elder Qi calmly said, "It is not a great offense for a researcher to slander a colleague. But a student slandering a higher up of the academy is a very big deal."
He was telling the truth.
This was an era where strength was everything.
A Mental Tempering Stage slandering a Cloudbreach was very different from a Cloudbreach slandering another Cloudbreach.
Suddenly, Zhou Mingren opened his eyes and said, "It was me. I only instructed them to think of a way to deal with Wu Jia and remove Chen Yong from the books depository. As for the spreading of rumors, I wasn't involved in it."
Elder Qi and the other elders looked at him.
Old Huang coldly said, "Vice Principal Zhou, some words can't be lightly said. You need to pay the price for it."
In truth, they already had a guess that the mastermind was probably an idiot called Zhou Pingsheng.
Yu Hong and Elder Sun also looked at Zhou Mingren. He calmly said, "I will naturally take responsibility for this. Since I have accidentally caused this incident, I will face the consequences. I will be resigning from my position as the vice principal. Is this acceptable?"
He was resigning as a vice principal!
The other elders frowned. What was the difference between a vice principal and an elder? The biggest difference was succession in the event of Wan Tiansheng's death. Additionally, vice principals also had the power to interfere in the affairs of all the academy faculties.
For example, a vice principal was allowed to interfere in the affairs of the Talisman and Pillmaking Faculties.
If Zhou Mingren resigned, he could no longer interfere in any affairs outside the Character Faculty. This was actually quite a harsh punishment.
Old Huang's eyes were cold as he said, "Vice Principal Zhou, you need to be responsible with your words. It is not a good look for you to be taking the blame for someone else. You're the vice principal. If you insist on taking the blame, we naturally won't be able to continue our investigation..."
With Zhou Mingren confessing to the offense, they naturally couldn't continue with their investigation anymore. For more chapters visıt novel•fire.net
It would be pointless to do so. Even if they could find proof of Zhou Pingsheng's involvement, he could simply claim that he was acting under Zhou Mingren's orders. It was much harder to deal with a Cloudbreach than a Mental Tempering Stage student.
They could easily see through the lies of a student. But even Sunmoons would have a hard time seeing through the lies of a Skysoar. At the Skysoar Realm, one's willpower would grow massively. It wouldn't be so easy to read them.
Zhou Mingren indifferently said, "Like I said, they were acting on my orders. Feel free to punish me as you wish. What else do you want to know?"
Elder Qi frowned.
He looked at Zhou Mingren and frowned. "Old Zhou, both of us know the truth very well. You are someone on the cusp of entering the Sunmoon Realm. We both know these petty tricks are beneath you. When Zheng Yuming was running your faction, everything he did had been done within the bounds of the rules. Your faction might have been somewhat messy, but it wasn't chaotic. Back then, everyone still followed a set of rules. But now...hehe."
Those words stabbed into Zhou Mingren's heart like needles.
Was he not aware of that?
He was perfectly clear!
But were these people not aware that Yuming was already a cripple?
Indifference returned to Old Huang's face as he said, "Since Vice Principal Zhou has admitted to being the mastermind, we will decide on the punishment in a meeting with Principal Wan. As for Di Feng and the rest..."
Zhou Mingren had already taken the blame. But they still couldn't verify if these people had also spread the rumors about the other elders.
After a short silence, Old Huang said, "People who have directly spread the rumors like Huang Hao have ruined the academy's reputation and slandered their teachers. From today onward, they will receive no benefits from the academy. They will no longer be allowed entry into the grottos, books depository, and library. They will each be subjected to 30 whips and fined 100 merit points. A demerit will also be left in their profiles."
Nobody objected.
Old Huang continued, "People who have created the rumors like Di Feng, Huang Qifeng, and Qiu Yi will receive 100 whips and a fine of 1,000 merit points. All their benefits within the academy will be canceled..."
Zhou Mingren interjected with a sigh, "I was the mastermind. They are only following my orders. They can be whipped, and even have a demerit left in their profiles. As for their academy benefits, I hope the Discipline Hall can be lenient on account of their status as top 100 students. They are basically future Skysoars."
If all their benefits were cancelled, they would no longer be able to enter the Willpower Grotto as well. As for the whipping punishment, it was actually a lot more painful than it sounded. A demerit in their profiles would also cause them a lot of problems in the future. A fine of 1,000 merit points each was actually quite large.
But none of that could compare to the cancellation of all benefits. If that happened, these students would miss out on a lot of opportunities within the academy. Weren't these benefits the reason why they joined the academy?
Removing these benefits was the same as expelling them. These were the elite students of the single character faction. He couldn't allow all of them to be destroyed at once.
Old Huang said, "They deserve this. At the very least, I have allowed them to remain in the academy. If they make a great contribution in the future, they might be able to cancel these penalties."
"Great contribution?"
After a short silence, Zhou Mingren asked, "Does eliminating Myriad Race Cult strongholds count?"
"Yes." Old Huang's eyes flickered as he asked, "Are you sure, Vice Principal Zhou? Remember that you can't falsely assign battle merits to someone else. Anyone caught doing that will be subjected to the death penalty."
"I understand." Zhou Mingren looked at Di Feng and the other students before softly saying, "There is still hope. Great Xia places great importance on battle merits. You guys are not far from the Skysoar Realm. If you can eliminate a few cult strongholds, you will be able to recover from this."
He sighed inwardly. This was a heavy loss for their faction. What a bunch of idiots! As for his position as the vice principal, so be it. At this point, it was time for the single character faction to withdraw the scope of their activities. Previously, when they were at the peak of their power, they could interfere in the affairs of the other faculties. But now, he wouldn't be able to continue doing so even if he wanted.
Old Huang continued, "Additionally, for being incompetent teachers, Zhou Pingsheng, Yang Chao, Min He and the others will stop receiving merit points for one year. They are also forbidden from applying for promotions for three years."
"Huang Chen!" Zhou Mingren stared at Old Huang while the look in his eyes changed repeatedly. He said, "They know nothing about this. Forfeiting their salary for a year is enough. Fobidding them from all promotions for a period of three years is too excessive."
That punishment would only mean that even after becoming the head manager and faction master, Zhou Pingsheng would not be promoted into an elder. Why? Because the lowest requirement for an elder was to be a senior researcher. And Zhou Pingsheng was still not a senior researcher.
Old Huang looked at Zhou Mingren and indifferently said, "If Vice Principal Zhou is dissatisfied with our handling of this, you are free to file a complaint. But before that, we of the Discipline Hall will still carry out our duties as we see fit. We are already giving them a lighter punishment out of respect for you."
Zhou Mingren frowned and said nothing else. Three years...for three years, these researchers would not be able to apply for a promotion.
Zhou Pingsheng was not the only researcher who was on the verge of a promotion. A few other researchers were also in a similar position. With this punishment, the single character faction's influence would be further curtailed.
He looked at Huang Chen with an unsightly expression. The Discipline Hall had acted like this before.
Old Huang ignored Zhou Mingren and said, "The teachers should also be held responsible for the lack of morality the students have displayed. During the year end evaluation, the Discipline Hall will conduct a thorough investigation. We really want to see if these teachers have actually been putting any effort into their duties."
The moment those words were said, the faces of Yu Hong and the others changed. Yu Hong demanded, "Huang Chen, what is the meaning of this?"
"What do you mean?" Old Huang looked at her and indifferently said, "We are the Discipline Hall. Don't you understand? We are duty-bound to supervise the academy for any wrongdoings. Elder Yu Hong, are you trying to interfere in our duties? If you are clean, why are you afraid of an investigation? I also hope that all of you will remind the others of their duties after this. The review this year will be strict. Our investigation will extend to the warehouses, the accounts, the class hours, all the research subjects, all the fund allocations, and so on."
Old Huang coldly said, "I am very curious. The academy has been allocating ample funds to all the faculties each year. Why is it that some students are still suffering from a lack of cultivation resources? I don't think our academy actually lacks cultivation resources. Even if we don't have enough willpower texts to allow all students to read one every day, we still have enough for each student to read at least one willpower text every one or two weeks. But I have discovered that a lot of students can barely get to read one willpower text every six months or even a year."
"This applies to the pillmaking faction, the talisman faction, the weaponsmithing faction, and the beast taming faction. You better get your books in order. Don't let me discover anything during the year end review."
Chapter 425: You Need A Cold Heart (2)
Old Huang scanned the crowd and coldly said, "I hope that all of you can still remain as elders after the year end review. Don't get yourself exiled to the Vanguard Regiment after the review or even removed as an elder. That would be embarrassing."
The expressions of several elders changed upon hearing that. Even some of the Discipline Hall elders paled slightly. Huang Chen was never so strict before!
Old Huang said, "Everyone, remember my words. We also need to hold the meeting of elders and come to a conclusion for this incident as soon as possible. I will be making a public announcement and the students will be whipped in public. We will let the world see that order still exist in the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. It is fine to compete among ourselves. But those who cross the line will be punished severely."
Nobody said anything.
Public announcement and public whipping.
An intensive year end review.
This would change even the existing power structure in the academy.
...
The Discipline Hall was efficient. The Great Xia Cultural Research Academy was also efficient.
By the evening of the 15th, a concensus was reached.
And the decision was announced to the entire Great Xia.
As a pseudo Sunmoon and vice principal of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, Zhou Mingren was actually involved in this scandal. Thus, he became the center of attention.
It was announced that he would forfeit his salary for three years and be removed from his position as a vice principal. Zhou Pingsheng and the other researchers involved would forfeit their salary for one year, blocked from all promotions for three years, and have a demerit left in their profiles.
Di Feng, Huang Qifeng, and the other students would be subjected to 100 whippings, a fine of 1,000 merit points, and the removal of all their academy benefits.
Even people like Huang Hao were punished.
The various students who had been involved in the spreading of rumors were also punished. Some were only fined a few merit points while some were fined hundreds of merit points. Some of the students who were more heavily involved were even banned from all grottos.
...
This shocked various parties.
Nobody was shocked that the students were punished.
More importantly, a pseudo Sunmoon had actually been removed from the position of vice principal. This was no small matter. A pseudo Sunmoon was already one of the strongest existences in Great Xia.
A single scandal had nearly ruined the future of a top expert like this.
The Great Xia Cultural Research Academy had handled this scandal with great efficiency. In half a day, everything had concluded. The masses of Great Xia had greatly enjoyed this show.
Zhou Mingren had suffered a huge loss of reputation.
As a pseudo Sunmoon, he had actually lowered himself to do something like this.
Compared to his loss of reputation, all his other losses seemed negligible.
...
Afternoon.
Dao Preaching District.
A multitude of people had arrived there. Today, the public whipping was going to be held.
The massive square was surrounded by countless students and teachers.
Chen Yong had arrived as well. Beside him was Wu Jia. He merely stared at the students in the middle of the square indifferently. Not far away, Zhou Pingsheng was watching with a pale expression. All his students were there, waiting to be whipped.
His teacher had been punished. He had been punished. And his students were going to be fined and whipped in public. This was a great humiliation for Zhou Pingsheng.
That was not the extent of his losses. In the eyes of the elders, he had been reduced into a piece of trash. His teacher and the elders were naturally aware that he was the real mastermind.
Looking at his kneeling students, he had both fear and fury in his eyes. He had only told these bastards to deal with Wu Jia. How had things escalate into this? They had attracted the attention of all the experts in the academy and even the capital.
A stricter year end review.
What did that mean?
Basically, they would have to plug all the holes in their books. And that wasn't a small sum of money. That was a much bigger loss than a fine of several thousand merit points.
Just for the books depository alone, he would need to spend around 30,000 merit points to plug the hole. And that was not the only hole they had to deal with. There were also the treasury, the research center, the Missions Department, the currency exchange center...
The entire single character faction would need to spend at least 200,000 merit points to plug the various holes they had created.
But prior to this, they had already lost a lot of merit points. After today, the single character faction would truly be in a terrible financial situation. They had to maintain some of their research centers. And some of their research projects couldn't be stopped.
And that was not all. Some of their researchers might even be exiled to the Vanguard Regiment. The lucky ones would be able to return alive. The unlucky ones...would be buried in the Allheaven Battlefield.
He had turned into the public enemy of the single character faction. Even the researchers of the other factions were viewing him with hostility. Because of him, all the researchers had to start living in fear.
Just why was all this happening?
Before today, Zhou Pingsheng was still dreaming about becoming the faction master, head manager, and an elder this year. But none of that was happening anymore. At this time, Old Huang had finally arrived. This was his first public appearance as the master of the Discipline Hall.
He coldly ordered, "Start the punishment."
Pa!
The guards held nothing back as their whips lashed out toward the students.
"Ahhh!"
Miserable wails resounded throughout the square. Their backs split apart as wound after wound appeared.
Old Huang scanned the crowd and coldly remarked, "There are rules in the academy. The military has their own rules. Great Xia has its own rules. And the same apply to the academy.
"Student or researcher, nobody can ignore the rules. These rules are why the human race has been able to become a top 10 race. Without rules, our soldiers will be doing whatever they want. Will we still be able to enjoy our current place?
"If we are unfair in punishing transgressions and rewarding contributions, who would still be willing to strive hard for the human race? Put more strength into it!"
With his cold order, the guards applied even more strength in their whipping.
The Discipline Hall had the authority to supervise the academy. If they deliberately held back when carrying out a public whipping, they would be punished as well.
Blood spilled everywhere.
The students were not allowed to resist the whipping with their source qi and willpower. Since cultural researchers were already weak physically, they were suffering greatly. Huang Qifeng, who had yet to recover from his previous injuries, had fainted after a few whips.
He was not the only one who had fainted. The weaker students such as Huang Hao had fainted as well. The whips continued landing on their unconscious bodies.
...
Further away.
After a while, Chen Yong shot the nearby Zhou Pingsheng a glance before leaving with Wu Jia.
She softly asked, "Teacher, are we leaving so early?"
"Yeah. They have been taught a lesson for running their mouths. They won't dare to do this anymore. What a pity that someone has still escaped the punishment he deserves."
Zhou Mingren?
Chen Yong glanced toward a distant tall building. There, a standing figure could be seen.
Chen Yong smiled. He couldn't deny that Zhou Mingren was a good teacher. For his student, he had shouldered such an offense.
Inside the building.
Zhou Mingren was also looking at Chen Yong with a deep gaze. He realized that he had underestimated Chen Yong all these years.
This time, the single character faction had suffered a great loss. And they had also lost a lot of reputation. An expert like him would rarely be subjected to public punishment. And he had created history as the first in Great Xia.
He withdrew his gaze from Chen Yong and looked at the person seated beside him. He softly asked, "Yuming, has the single character faction been ruined? There are so many of us yet we can't even do anything to a few indivduals..."
The older ones weren't Hong Tan's match. The generation below them wasn't Chen Yong's match. Their Skysoars weren't Bai Feng's match and their students weren't Su Yu's match.
Numbers?
What was the point?
With only a few people, the multiple character faction had given the single character faction numerous setbacks. A Mountainsea had been crippled, a vice principal had been removed from the position, several researchers had been blocked from all promotions, and several students were being whipped in public.
And there was also the enormous amount of money they needed to pay before the year end review.
After plugging all the holes, they would probably find it hard to even open the Willpower Grotto. But they had no choice but to proceed with it since a promise had already been made. The elders who had been given the grotto slots would not allow them to cancel the plan.
But even after opening the grotto, their elite students like Di Feng would not be allowed to enter. The issue was the price of opening this grotto. It would practically exhaust all their savings.
Zheng Yuming sighed and replied with a helpless tone, "Teacher, we underestimated them. As a result, we have been turned into a joke by them. We have even offended all the other factions. And there's also the year end review..."
Zhou Mingren nodded. They had harmed everyone's benefits. The others wouldn't put their blame on the Discipline Hall. The blame would only fall on them. Why would the Discipline Hall decide to intensify their year end review for no reason?
"Teacher, the loss of merit points and resources can be easily solved. We can get reimbursements from Great Zhou."
Chen Yuming clenched his teeth and said, "Great Zhou needs to compensate us for our losses."
Zhou Mingren sank into a momentary silence before nodding his head.
"Also, time to call Elder Fang and Elder Zhao back..."
"Old Ma has been exiled to the Vanguard Regiment. That's good, I suppose. He can watch over you there. I'll think of a way to transfer Old Fang back."
"Elder Ma has been punished?"
Zheng Yuming had no idea. Zhou Mingren nodded, "He received the punishment on the same day Hong Tan returned. I suppose that's not a big loss as I've been intending to have one of them watch over you. I haven't been able to find an excuse to send him to the Vanguard Regiment, but I don't have to worry about that anymore."
"I have troubled you, Teacher."
Zheng Yuming sighed again.
Zhou Mingren said, "It's not that big of a trouble. By the way, are you sure Chen Yong was the one who had schemed against you?"
"Yes." Zheng Yuming sighed, "I was observing the fight. But what I saw wasn't an injured Qifeng. Instead, I saw a dead Qifeng. Out of anger, I moved out to get an explanation. As a result..."
"So he was able to interfere with your willpower?"
"Yeah." Zheng Yuming nodded, "He was the strongest individual present. Nobody apart from him could have done so. He must have produced an illusion. Instead of affecting my willpower direction, he could have overlapped an illusion over the ring."
Zhou Mingren nodded and stopped asking. Since they had no proof, it was pointless to say more.
Just like how it was clear that Huang Hao's memories had been tampered with, but nothing could be done without proof. They would only be able to discover something if an Invincible personally performed an investigation.
Without proof, they couldn't do anything to a ninth-stage Cloudbreach. Not to mention that Hong Tan was also around.
"Teacher, the multiple character faction has been laying low for so many years. But this year, they have been hitting back repeatedly. Is it possible that Great Zhou has reached the limits of their suppression?"
Zhou Mingren said, "It has been 50 years. It isn't that they can't maintain the suppression anymore. But they have already done all they could. Liu Wenyan and the others are returning one after another. Hong Tan is on the verge of advancement. And there are also some people pulling strings in the background, allowing the multiple character faction to keep hitting back against us."
"In that case..." Zheng Yuming thought for a bit and said, "Do we continue doing this?"
"Yes."
Zhou Mingren said, "Risk and reward go hand in hand. This is an opportunity for us. Without the multiple character faction, we wouldn't have been able to reach our current height. We will lose a lot if we can no longer suppress the multiple character faction..."
Zheng Yuming nodded and said, "We'll continue, then. At the very least, we have to prevent them from registering their faction once again. Teacher, we need to get more support from Great Zhou. Otherwise, it would be hard for us to continue doing this."
"I know. Zhou Polong won't let Shan Tianhao's death go unanswered. But since Great Xia is not his territory, he can only rely on us. Since the academy is preventing our people from using the grottos, we will get our own grottos. I'll get Great Zhou to send us a few Eternal characters."
Zheng Yuming's eyes fickered. His teacher had quite a big appetite.
"Willpower texts, pills, cultivation methods, cultural weapons...we want all of them." Zhou Mingren said, "We have suffered too much this time. They have to compensate for our losses."
Zheng Yuming nodded.
Zhou Mingren said, "Who do you think is more suited to be the new faction master?"
Zheng Yuming looked at the distant Zhou Pingsheng and sighed. This junior brother of his was too useless to take on that role.
"Let's leave the position vacant for now. We can have a few people to act as the acting masters instead."
"What do you think of Liu Hong?" Zhou Mingren asked.
Zheng Yuming frowned, "Teacher, he's only a Skysoar. Also...he's too crafty."
"That's the kind of people we need." Zhou Mingren said, "The other candidates represent the other elders. But Liu Hong's teacher, Old Zhao, is in a sealed seclusion. Liu Hong has no backer. We can have the elders manage the Cloudbreach cultivators while Liu Hong will be allowed to manage those at the Skysoar Realm and below. What do you think?"
Zheng Yuming thought about it and said, "He is actually quite suitable for that. But I have a feeling that he doesn't really care about who we suppress. He only cares about his own growth. He is a perfect example of a selfish person. He will only put effort into things that can benefit him."
"We can simply align his personal benefits with the benefits of the faction. That way, he would work hard for us." Zhou Mingren wasn't too worried. "Let strength and research results decide everything. Without actual ability, nothing matters."
Zheng Yuming nodded and asked, "Teacher, how about the books depository? Are we still trying to get the position of the head manager?"
"Chen Yong..." Zhou Mingren looked in the direction Chen Yong had left and said, "It's time for our people to stop making moves against them. Or perhaps they will only be allowed to move within the bounds of the rules. I'll look for Xia Yuwen after this. If he no longer wants that position, we will let go of it."
Xia Yuwen was going to recover from his injuries soon. His biggest issue right now wasn't his physical injuries. Rather, it was the damage to his mind. That sword of Bai Feng had destroyed his confidence. That was the scariest damage a cultivator could suffer.
An eighth-stage Skysoar had defeated him. That was the biggest blow to Xia Yuwen. If Bai Feng was a third-stage Cloudbreach instead, Xia Yuwen wouldn't have been so badly affected. Fınd the newest release on novel·fire.net
Zheng Yuming nodded.
He would need to leave the academy next month. Even now, he had yet to fully recover. His main Divine Character remained destroyed. He didn't even know if he could leave the Allheaven Battlefield alive.
After a while, Zhou Mingren said, "So the rumors have spread all over the capital in one night? Just how many people are there in the multiple character faction? Huang Hao is the culprit in the academy due to the modification performed on his memories. How about the rumors outside the academy? Some people are helping Chen Yong outside!"
Zheng Yuming nodded, "Definitely."
"As the saying goes, old institutions die hard."
It would seem like the multiple character faction still had some people outside the academy. Some of them had appeared to help Chen Yong. They only needed to follow this line of investigation to dig out more of their hidden members.
Out of nowhere, Zheng Yuming said, "Teacher, keep a close watch over Junior Brother Zhou."
"Hmm?"
"You know the story behind how Wu Jia came to be Chen Yong's student. Even before joining the academy, Chen Yong had been sponsoring her studies. She is akin to a daughter for him. Junior Brother has touched something that is sacred to Chen Yong. I'm afraid that something bad might happen to him soon."
Zhou Mingren frowned and continued staring in the direction Chen Yong had left without saying anything.
After a long while, he said, "Will Principal Wan let it slide if Pingsheng ends up dead?"
Zheng Yuming's heart trembled. He didn't dare to say anything. There were a lot of implications behind that remark. Was it possible that...his teacher...intended to...
Zhou Mingren started to leave. While walking away, he said, "Not only is he incapable of getting things done, he also constantly brings us trouble. Of course, I am not heartless enough to watch him die. Unfortunately, I will be entering seclusion soon. If he's fine, good. If he continues doing stupid things, not even I can save him."
Sacrificing Zhou Pingsheng to remove Chen Yong. Zheng Yuming's expression changed. Was this worth it?
Probably.