52. Fengtian Students

"Wow! Ming Qingyu, who always adhered to strict manners, would behave like this." Immediately, his actions triggered talks among the crowd. Ming Qingyu and Ye Lan were indeed a good-looking couple, standing together. However, there would also be someone that envied their beauty and achievements, "That woman is a slut, hugging Ming Qingyu in public!"

"Wow, how shameless! She hugged Brother Ming!"

"Aaaa, I have longed for a hug from Brother Ming for a long time, and I didn't succeed. How could she look expressionless when she was hugged by Brother Ming!"

"Yes, exactly. She did it on purpose, playing it cool, right?"

"Yes. That's right. What a shameless slut."

"Brother Ming. He actually hugged that woman in public. Ahhhh! I can't live with this! I just can't!" The discussion among the crowd toned up. Fortunately, Ye Lan was the woman who just passed the Shilian Tower, and Ming Qingyu was the son of the Beiming Empire. Given their power and achievements, people dare not cross the line.

Ming Qingyu had come to his senses and let go of his hand in embarrassment. Looking at Ye Lan, he was blushing before Ye Lan had any reaction. "Um, that. Sorry. I am sorry to intrude, Ms. Ye!" just as he was struck by a sudden thought, he said seriously, "Don't be afraid, I will take responsibility!" And he even wanted to take an oath on that. Amused by his behavior, Ye Lan pulled down his swearing hand and said, "Don't be. It's okay."

"Ah?" Ming Qingyu looked at Ye Lan, puzzled.

Ye Lan had already left the tower and walked slowly toward the dean, holding the box she obtained in the tower. During her healing process, apart from the spiritual power that Feng Yi gave her, she also absorbed power from the tower. This was the greatness of her infinite spiritual sea, with endless capacity of absorption and release.

She had no regrets for this trip to the Shilian Tower. She was already a level-three stage-nine spiritual cultivator.

"Now, Mr. Dean, you can fulfill your promise." Ye Lan bowed with her hands closed and completed her teacher-recognition ritual. After she took the dean as her teacher, she stood up aside, looking at the dean. The serious look of Ye Lan made the dean couldn't help squinting and smiling.

Ok. The more the dean looked at Ye Lan, the more he was pleased by this student. "Good, good, good." The dean even said three times, and couldn’t help smiling. After sizing Ye Lan up, he patted on her shoulders and gestured her to follow him.

People followed the dean back to the grand hall of the Fengtian Academy.

The grand hall was the meeting room for the dean, just as the hall where the emperor would summon his subordinates. Among the elegant and simple decorations, a low-profile luxury hid within. Centuries-old wood pillars were carved with the patterns of flying phoenix and dragons, providing a clear but not abrupt smell swaying around people's nose. It was almost like the smell coming directly from the human body, making people believe that it was their own smell.

The dean, along with Ye Lan by his side, went up to the stairs and stood beside his chair. He waved his hand on top as a domineering presence. Yet, Ye Lan was not overshadowed by him by simply standing beside him. No one could ignore her. If anyone looked any closer, they would find that she was just wearing plain clothes with a ponytail, with no makeup on her face. It was her simple beauty that make people unable to ignore her purity and coolness. She was like a snow lotus on the iceberg, sacred and inviolable.

"Starting today, Ye Lan is a formal student in the Fengtian Academy. As of today, Ye Lan belonged to no one and listened to no department. In other words, Ye Lan can access freely to any place of the Fengtian Academy. At Fengtian Academy, she can listen to any teacher's lecture at her will."

The dean slowly read his decision. As soon as his decision was pronounced, the crowd became boiled, and the students were quite dissatisfied. But they dare not to be too loud to disturb the dean. After all, the dean is the master of the Fengtian Academy.

Though whispers were not loud, the volume built up when the number added up. The sound was like the wind blowing through the wheat waves, or the breeze blowing through the sea waves. The voices gradually grew louder.

"God. She can be like that. She is really lucky."

"She was incredible. She went through the Shilian Tower single-handedly within one day. One day."

"Right. She is not a woman, is she? If it was me, I wouldn't dare to marry such a woman. I would be scared to death."

"What are you saying? In my opinion, Ye Lan is a good choice, with a pretty face and a nice body. Look at her. She is prettier than the first beauty. If she wants to marry me, I will divorce all the concubines at home to marry her as my wife!"

"Damn! You sure have some guts!"

"Haha! I am just joking around. A woman like her needs someone powerful to control her. Otherwise, she would really take full control of the man."

"... stupid lad!"

Ye Lan heard their conversations and remembered them.

"Wow. I never knew that students could be caprice like that. How unfair is the dean." Some girls grumbled in discontent, fiddled with their fingers and said, "I want to go to Xuanhuang Pavilion too!"

"Little sister, don't be sad. Wait until you reach enough high level; you can go as well."

"No, no! I want to go now! Why can she go?"

"Are you blind? Didn't you see her exit from the Shilian Tower intact!" Some people couldn't stand people like that, and blew a raspberry at them, stressing on the word "intact". Ye Lan indeed achieved something great.

"Exactly. Exactly. But… Does that mean she can come and go freely to the Xuanhuang Pavilion as well?" Questions were soon raised by the crowd. And Ye Lan heard their questions. Xuanhuang Pavilion? What was that place?

"Didn't you hear what the Dean said? He said anywhere. Ye Lan can have free access to everywhere in the academy, which must include Xuanhuang Pavilion."

"But don't you know that Xuanhuang Pavilion can only be accessed by the dean and the Elders of the Law Enforcement? We must ask for the dean for permission to gain access to it. How can she have free access?"

"Moreover, there are countless precious treasures and rare ancient collections of books in the Xuanhuang Pavilion; also, numerous psychic origins and limited martial art books. The dean is too partial for her, allowing her to access freely."

People standing in the hall, including both the students and the elders, start to complain about their dissatisfaction.

The elders have dedicated their lives to the Fengtian Academy, and they didn't have free access to Xuanhuang Pavilion. How could Ye Lan, a little girl, have such privilege to access Xuanhuang Pavilion without the permission of anyone.

The elders gathered their complaints and elected a representative to express their dissatisfaction on their behalf to the dean.

"All right. Is there anything else for you guys?" Of course, the dean knew what they were about to say and gave them an opportunity to express their dissatisfaction.

Elected by the elders, there was one elder strolled toward the center of the hall, bowed to the dean and said, "Dean, we, us elders, think that this is not appropriate."

"Yes, indeed. We also feel that this is inappropriate!" after one of them spoke up, several followed.

"How is that?" The dean asked back, looking at the elders provocatively, and thought to himself, "These guys! I had been leaving the academy affairs unattended for merely several days, and they dare to oppose my decisions." The dean was angry, and there would be consequences.

Watching these elders under his seat, he asked the question, with an unclear expression on his face. There was no way to tell whether he was angry or anything else.

The representative of the elder paused for a second and looked at the dean's face, starting to weighing up what he should do. After all, Ye Lan just passed through the Shilian Tower. Maybe it was not appropriate for him to step up and challenge the dean’s decision like this. But, hell, he had already said his complaints. And there was no way of taking that back. If he stopped his questioning, he would be complained by his colleges and still remembered by the dean for his rebellion. Indeed, the leading one was always the one taking the blame. Forget about it; he would be scolded anyway whether he continued or retrieved at this point. The dean couldn't harm him anyway.

After collecting his courage, he bowed to the dean again and said, "It's not that we are dissatisfied. It's just, just…" Sweats dripped down from the elder's forehead; he couldn't say anything except for rumblings. His words were very slow as if he was doing some rehearsal in his heart.

"Just what?" The dean was amused and asked, sitting on the dean's chair.

"It's just that Ye Lan is a fresh student of the academy. Even though she passed through the Shilian Tower in time, letting her have free access to the Xuanhuang Pavilion is still inappropriate. After all, we have no precedent like this before. People who had passed the Shilian Tower was never rewarded like that. This kind of privilege will make us a laughing stalk. Other academies would say that Fengtian Academy was a school that can be entered easily."

This kind of non-sense reason made the dean frown and smile. Quickly, his smile turned into laughs, a very happy laugh.

Such a burst of bold laughter made everyone startled. What's wrong with the dean?

Looking at Ye Lan again, they found that she was still wearing her cool face like the argument happening had nothing to do with her. She was even a little sleepy from standing too long.

Really! It was just unbridled.

The dean, regardless of Ye Lan, looked at the people under the seat, raising his eyebrows, and asked, "Did you all think so?"

This's it. He had enough laugh. People couldn't read the dean's mind.

"However, um. We thought this might not be the proper reward. Please think twice."

"Yes, that's right! That's right! We also think this is improper."

"Oh. You just feel that this is improper?"