Chapter 5

Gao Rou stood on the podium, her eyes fixed on her nose, her nose on her heart, and she remained silent.

In front of her was a Xin Gui screen, displaying the information of all the disciples who had entered the lecture hall today.

Each disciple's information corresponded to a fixed seat in the lecture hall, making it clear and easy to see.

Gao Rou had been in a terrible mood recently. When she entered the South Sea Lecture Hall, her master assigned her to the "Spirit Talisman Hall," which filled her with resentment.

She was a genuine sword cultivator, and her master was the great master of the Divine Sword Hall, "One-Word Wisdom Sword" Jiang Huixian, a sword cultivator. Joining the "Spirit Talisman Hall" as a master was something she found extremely unwilling.

Although she was a dual cultivator of swords and talismans, the path of talismans was, after all, a secondary and minor technique compared to the path of swords. It was completely at odds with the great path of sword immortals in Gao Rou's heart. How could she feel at ease?

If it weren't for her master's repeated and earnest persuasion, telling her the importance of the foundation of the path of talismans, she would never have joined the "Spirit Talisman Hall."

What she didn't expect was that joining the Spirit Talisman Hall would bring a series of troubles.

First, she was appointed as the master of the master's lecture hall, facing the lowest-level disciples every day, explaining the most basic talisman characters to them.

After one lecture, Gao Rou was thoroughly disgusted. These low-level disciples not only had low cultivation but also had a lot of malice. Some low-level male cultivators looked at her with lecherous eyes, their eyes gleaming green, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

If it were outside, who would dare to show such an expression in front of her so openly?

Gao Rou could have disabled their eyes with a single sword strike.

But now she was a master, how could she lay hands on a group of low-level disciples?

Moreover, she had joined the "Spirit Talisman Hall" with great reluctance, yet she was despised by some elite disciples of the "Spirit Talisman Hall." A female disciple named Yun Feng of the Spirit Talisman Hall even publicly questioned her talisman cultivation.

This almost made her lungs burst with anger!

This was a blatant provocation, a challenge from a postnatal cultivator to a prenatal cultivator.

The elders and masters of the Spirit Talisman Hall turned a blind eye to this, and some elders even seemed to enjoy the spectacle.

If this could be tolerated, what couldn't be tolerated? Gao Rou decisively accepted the challenge issued by this woman.

The result was, of course, not in doubt. Gao Rou, a dual cultivator of swords and talismans, had received the true teachings of "One-Word Wisdom Sword" Jiang Huixian. Although her research in the path of talismans was not profound, it was enough to completely overwhelm a postnatal realm Spirit Talisman Hall disciple.

The two publicly debated talismans, and Gao Rou ultimately emerged victorious. She finally established her position as a master in the "Spirit Talisman Hall."

But this wasn't the end.

Gao Rou encountered an even more outrageous incident.

There was a rumor within the Spirit Talisman Hall that a Zhu family disciple among the low-level disciples had publicly claimed that he and she had a prearranged marriage from childhood, and he would formally marry her when he turned twenty.

When Gao Rou first heard this, she was so shocked that her hands and feet turned cold, and she almost couldn't believe her ears.

When did she have a prearranged marriage with a Zhu family disciple?

The younger generation of the Zhu family was generally in decline, except for Zhu Gui, who had some potential. Who else could attract attention?

Even if it were Zhu Gui, his cultivation and achievements were far from hers. For him to want to become her dao companion was like a toad lusting after a swan.

Now, a low-level Zhu family disciple was boasting that he had a prearranged marriage with her. Wasn't this just a laughing matter?

What made it even more frustrating for Gao Rou was that she later heard that this low-level disciple was not even a Zhu family disciple. His claim was just self-boasting.

Gao Rou was furious...

What kind of place was the "Spirit Talisman Hall"?

Yun Feng's public challenge was one thing; at least she had the capital, reaching the eighth level of the postnatal realm at a young age, with boundless potential. She was also a member of the Yun family, with a powerful backing, and her future was limitless, giving her some reason to be proud.

But a low-level disciple in black robes from the "Spirit Talisman Hall"—wasn't he just the dregs of the cultivation world?

He... he... he actually dared to speak such nonsense and tarnish her reputation?

Gao Rou's eyes swept over the Xin Gui, and a piece of information suddenly caught her attention.

Fourth row, fifth column, Zhu Yu, a second-level postnatal cultivator...

Gao Rou's eyes turned cold, her pupils narrowing sharply. Her gaze was like a knife as she suddenly looked up at the fourth row on the left. It was this guy, Zhu Yu!

Gao Rou's eyes met Zhu Yu's, and Zhu Yu was also looking at her.

Their gazes locked, and Zhu Yu frowned inwardly. A prenatal cultivator with astonishing cultivation, one glance from her made Zhu Yu's heart churn, making him extremely uncomfortable, almost causing his dantian to collapse.

Zhu Yu was greatly alarmed and quickly focused inward.

In his mind, the "Pangu Map" suddenly lit up, rotating three times. Zhu Yu felt a warmth in his chest, and his mind immediately calmed down.

He gritted his teeth, thinking this woman was too ruthless. Was she trying to take his life?

With this thought, Zhu Yu felt very annoyed. He didn't back down, his gaze still fixed on Gao Rou.

Gao Rou was startled. She had just glared at him in anger, releasing her divine sense, but the low-level disciple was still unharmed?

But then she suppressed this thought, her anger growing even more intense.

It was indeed this guy. Zhu Yu's face was calm, his gaze steady, giving an extremely composed impression.

But Gao Rou felt this was a provocation, an absolute provocation!

At this moment, the lecture hall became even noisier. Many people had seen Gao Rou and Zhu Yu's exchange, and the gossip about Zhu Yu's boasting quickly spread, with many people whispering and laughing maliciously.

Even Yu Tian, who was next to Zhu Yu, couldn't help but turn to look at him.

She was very close to Zhu Yu, and when Master Gao Rou released her divine sense, it also affected her. Her heart had raced wildly, almost losing control.

But why was Zhu Yu completely unharmed? He even dared to look back at Master Gao Rou?

A complex emotion welled up in Yu Tian's heart. She sensed a difference in Zhu Yu.

In the past, this guy would always smile foolishly at her, trying to please her and win her favor.

But today, he had just given her a cold glance, and his cultivation seemed...

Yu Tian had also seen his control of the "Peach Wood Talisman Sword." He could casually manipulate it, with three talisman lights flashing in his palm.

This was the extremely difficult "Cloud Stacking Three Waves" technique of the "Peach Wood Talisman Sword," involving three different talisman structures and three different forces. Yu Tian could also perform this technique with full effort.

But she admitted she couldn't do it as effortlessly as Zhu Yu, with such ease.

For a moment, Zhu Yu's image in her eyes became very confusing. Could he have been hiding his true abilities all along...

"Cough, cough!" Gao Rou lightly coughed, finally retracting her gaze.

Looking at Zhu Yu, he was just a scoundrel, not backing down. She was a girl, after all, and couldn't keep staring at him.

But...

Gao Rou's expression gradually turned cold. "Someone just fought in the lecture hall, desecrating the master's lecture hall. According to the South Sea rules, this must be dealt with seriously! The disciples who fought, step forward!"

"Hou Decai! Zhu Yu!"

Gao Rou called out their names, her tone suddenly becoming cold and threatening.

Fighting in the lecture hall, violating the academy's rules, a heavy charge was placed on them.

Hou Decai, who had just been kicked by Zhu Yu, was still dazed. Now, with the charge of violating the rules, he was terrified, trembling as he stood up, his whole body shaking.

Zhu Yu, however, remained calm, slowly standing up.

Gao Rou's eyes swept over the two. She ignored Hou Decai, who was just the unluckiest person in the world!

Her target was Zhu Yu. She wanted to expel him from the Spirit Talisman Hall and the South Sea Cultivation Academy, out of sight, out of mind. Once this guy lost the protection of the academy, she could easily kill him outside, as easily as squashing an ant.

"Hundreds of disciples here have seen what just happened. They can all testify. This incident is serious and must be reported to the disciplinary master for serious handling. The disciples who violated the rules should be expelled from the academy!" Gao Rou declared loudly.

"Wow!" The crowd was immediately in an uproar.

Expelled from the academy?

Just for one fight in the lecture hall, they would be expelled? Many disciples were secretly amazed.

According to the rules, there was indeed such a clause, but the academy encouraged competition among disciples. Fights were common, and the academy often turned a blind eye. Who would take such a minor incident seriously?

But today...

Some people were already looking at the two with sympathy. These two had really stepped on a landmine.

The most unjust was Hou Decai. Zhu Yu's offense against Master Gao Rou was well-known, and expelling him was the main reason. Hou Decai was just a sacrificial lamb.

"What's all the noise about? Do you have any objections?" Gao Rou said coldly. At this moment, she was as cold as ice, and the aura of a prenatal cultivator, once angry, was inviolable. Her stern rebuke, accompanied by a divine sense signal, made everyone's hearts tremble, and the entire lecture hall fell silent.

"I have an objection!" A calm voice rang out.

Everyone's eyes turned to the source of the voice, and it was Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu was not nervous, his expression extremely calm, as if he had no intention of being severely punished or expelled from the academy.

"What objection do you have? Did I wrong you?" Gao Rou asked coldly.

Zhu Yu stared at Gao Rou, suddenly smiling. "Absolutely wrong. Brother Hou Decai and I are well-known good friends. How could we fight over a word? You can ask all the senior and junior disciples here, I am telling the truth!"

Gao Rou was taken aback, her expression changing several times. She said coldly, "You are clearly lying. Shi Xiaogang, stand up and tell me about the relationship between Zhu Yu and Hou Decai..."

Shi Xiaogang stood up in a daze, looking at Zhu Yu and then at Hou Decai. His usually calm face showed a hint of strangeness as he said softly, "Report to Master, they are indeed good friends. Senior Brother Hou Decai has always been a follower of Senior Brother Zhu Yu. He... he even helped Senior Brother Zhu Yu deliver love letters..."

"Ha!" The crowd was stunned, the scene losing control again. Everyone's faces showed a strange expression, and some disciples burst out laughing.

The disciples of Building 103 were a rowdy bunch, always looking for trouble. Shi Xiaogang, who looked calm and composed, was actually full of mischief.

He was clearly stirring up trouble, and the people around him were only too happy to play along.