Chapter 83

Seeing everyone remain silent, Master Hu took the opportunity to say, "Let's put aside for now who is right or wrong. As a banned poem, 'The Prodigy Poem' must not be publicly promoted in the future. I believe everyone understands the serious implications. Now, let's discuss how to handle Yue Heng."

Educator Du was the first to speak, saying viciously, "He should be expelled from the academy!"

Everyone was taken aback. Was it necessary to be so ruthless? Many people shook their heads in opposition to the suggestion.

"He comes from a humble background. Even if the content of 'The Prodigy Poem' is overly rebellious, it reflects his true inner thoughts. From his perspective, it's not excessive. He hasn't violated any academy rules, so how can he be expelled?" Educator Shen was the first to object.

"This boy is a prodigy. Just based on his 'On Teachers' and the five 'Encouragements to Study,' his great achievements should protect him from any punishment. Mr. Du has also benefited from him. It's better to leave some room for maneuver. Why must you force him to the brink?" Educator Zhu was also angry, suspecting that Educator Du was seeking personal revenge.

"I believe that as a second-level student, he shouldn't be interacting with new first-level students. Otherwise, his superiority could easily provoke jealousy and lead to unforeseen consequences. It would be better to have him directly join the second-level class, where he can compete with more mature and experienced students, which might help temper his sharpness!" Educator Yan suggested after careful consideration.

"Mr. Yan is right. You teach second-level students poetry and literature, and many of your students write excellent pieces, like 'Little Poet Madman' and 'Little Lyricist Saint.' Additionally, Mr. Shen teaches the techniques of literary competition, and second-level students have much more practical experience than first-level students. It would be best for all of you to help temper Yue Heng's sharpness!"

Master Hu nodded repeatedly. Expelling Yue Heng from the academy was out of the question. He also believed that sending Yue Heng, who hadn't experienced systematic learning, to compete with the older students might help him mature faster.

Educator Du was just speaking out of anger. If Yue Heng was promoted to a second-level student, he wouldn't have any further interaction with him, and even if he harbored deep resentment, he wouldn't have the chance to take revenge.

Seeing that no one opposed, the decision on how to handle Yue Heng was finalized.

That evening, Yue Heng was sitting inside a luxurious transport vehicle, patiently absorbing the talent aura transmitted by the Fuxi Eight Trigram Array and experimenting with channeling the Fuxi Eight Trigram talent aura into his divine palace to combine with his own talent aura, cleansing and expanding his tendons.

With a light hum, the Fuxi Wenpan in front of him emitted a warning sound and radiated light.

An intruder had entered the alert zone!

Several weapons, including swords, shields, and spears, floated in the air, guarding the exits of the transport vehicle. Additionally, several powerful defensive mechanisms around the vehicle were activated, their triggers silently revealed, ready to fire at any moment, awaiting Yue Heng's mental command.

"Yue, can we meet?"

The voice was familiar. Yue Heng saw a familiar face through the observation hole and smiled, dispelling the alert array and jumping out of the vehicle. He bowed respectfully and said, "Mr. Liu, please come in!"

The visitor was a fourth-level scholar and array master, Liu Jingtang. He felt the alert array disappear and saw the surrounding traps automatically vanish. He nodded, acknowledging the small gadgets and couldn't help but laugh, "Yue, not bad. You've already figured out my alert Wenpan so quickly?"

Yue Heng smiled sheepishly, "I'm just showing off. These are defensive gadgets given to me by my craftsman friends. I found they could be embedded into the alert Wenpan's array, so I just threw them in on a whim. I apologize for any inconvenience."

Liu Jingtang praised him a few more times before getting to the point, "Today, I have two things to discuss with you. The first is to inform you of the academy's decision regarding your punishment."

Punishment... Yue Heng felt bitter. He thought to himself, "Trying to act cool turned me into a fool. I shouldn't have recited 'The Prodigy Poem.'"

"Your punishment is that you are not allowed to attend the first-level student classes. You will live, compete, and train with the second-level students."

"Is that all?"

"That's it."

Yue Heng breathed a sigh of relief. He thought it was a severe punishment, but this wasn't much of anything.

Liu Jingtang was just teasing Yue Heng. He continued, "The second thing is that the official notifier of this punishment is not me. Additionally, I suggest you study with me for a month starting tomorrow to learn about the Fuxi Array and avoid the current controversy."

Yue Heng was overjoyed, not knowing where to put his hands, and said excitedly, "Mr. Liu, I've always wanted to systematically study the Fuxi Array, but I lacked a master to guide me!"

Liu Jingtang said seriously, "Don't get too excited yet. Studying the Fuxi Array is a long-term process. Most people don't learn much in a month. After a month, the Spring Hunt will begin, the most intense competition among all students of the same level. You will face over 1,400 literary competitors, not including warriors and craftsmen, and possibly even spirit masters."

Yue Heng wasn't afraid. He smiled, "I know my limits. I will prioritize my own safety and won't actively engage in conflicts with others."

"Wrong!" Liu Jingtang said sternly, "You must strive for a high ranking! The Spring Hunt offers rich rewards. Students who perform well will receive substantial rewards and have a better chance of advancing to the Illusory Realm Examination. Have you forgotten the Spring Examination?"

Yue Heng was surprised, "Is the Spring Hunt equivalent to the preliminary examination, followed by a re-examination in the Illusory Realm?"

Liu Jingtang nodded, "The Illusory Realm Examination after the Spring Hunt is only for second-level students and third-level scholars. Every year, the re-examination Illusory Realm for second-level students is the same, which is the great work of the ancient pre-Qin literary sage Qu Yuan, 'The National Sacrifice'! At that time, whether second-level students can break through and give birth to new literary symbols, becoming third-level scholars, will depend on this one move!"

The Illusory Realm of Battle Poetry, another Illusory Realm of Battle Poetry!

Yue Heng thought back to the recently concluded Spring Examination for first-level students, but couldn't recall which specific one it was. He asked curiously, "Mr. Liu, why is there no fixed Illusory Realm of Battle Poetry for the examination from ordinary students to first-level students, but the Illusory Realm for the promotion from second-level students to third-level scholars is fixed as 'The National Sacrifice'?"

Liu Jingtang explained, "Human nature is changeable, but once it is guided and shaped, it doesn't change much. Do you understand this principle?"

Yue Heng suddenly understood. Before becoming a first-level student, a student is like a blank sheet of paper. Once they become a first-level student, their path is set, and it's hard to change.

Liu Jingtang finished speaking and, before leaving, asked meaningfully, "Yue, someone asked me to pass on a message and wants to meet you. Do you have time later?"

Yue Heng asked curiously, "Who wants to meet me? Can't they come here directly?"

"They can't come here directly. This person is not a student of our county academy. I can assure you that they have no ill intentions, only benefits."

"Since Mr. Liu is the intermediary and has helped me so many times, I would be ungrateful if I didn't agree."

"Very well. In half an hour, I will send a vehicle to pick you up."

As Liu Jingtang left, Educator Du and others soon arrived.

Yue Heng had no good feelings towards Educator Du. He had used 'On Teachers' and the 'Encouragements to Study' series to harshly criticize Educator Du, hoping to keep him at a distance and avoid any trouble.

But this guy was seeking personal revenge, even willing to destroy a Fuxi Wenpan he brought from the Chu State's Academy to ruin his 'The Prodigy Poem.'

This was a conflict that couldn't be resolved.

However, this time, besides two other elderly educators, there were also representatives from the enforcement team and Ji Cong.

Yue Heng knew the vehicle couldn't accommodate everyone, so he stood outside and bowed to everyone, remembering the proper etiquette in front of so many people.

"Yue Heng, before informing you of the academy's decision, I want to apologize to you," Educator Du's expression was somewhat dejected and depressed. It was not easy for him, a stubborn and rigid person, to say such words.

Yue Heng was taken aback. What was going on? This old man was actually apologizing?

He looked at Ji Cong, who was smiling, and suddenly understood. It must be that Ji Cong, after his hint, had found evidence to help him. He gave Ji Cong a grateful look.

Educator Du continued, "Ji Cong extracted a trace of the Concentration Incense and found two eyewitnesses who confirmed that someone deliberately framed you by using a mechanical beast to spray the Concentration Incense near you, inducing you to fall asleep. I shouldn't have hastily judged you as being careless and arrogant. If I had been more careful, those subsequent events wouldn't have happened."

Yue Heng repeatedly bowed in response, "Mr. Du, you are overthinking it. No one is perfect. To err is human, but to correct one's mistakes is the greatest virtue."

Hem hem...

An elderly man behind Educator Du covered his mouth to hide his embarrassment, his shoulders shaking as he struggled to suppress his laughter. Yue Heng's words were too harsh, making it impossible for him not to laugh!

Ji Cong also laughed until his stomach hurt, thinking to himself, "This Yue Heng is too devious. He not only accepted Mr. Du's apology with a superior attitude but also pointed out his mistakes as a senior, which must have made Mr. Du furious!"

Educator Du was indeed so angry that he almost lost his composure. Accepting the apology was one thing, and commenting on his mistakes was another, but saying "no one is perfect" was a direct blow to his aspirations to become a sage on the literary path.

How could he compete with others in the future if he didn't have the heart to become a sage? How could he judge the will of the literary heart without such aspirations?

Yet, Yue Heng's words were very reasonable, and the excerpt was from an ancient pre-Qin text. How could he argue against it?

With outsiders present, Educator Du didn't want to continue losing face. He signaled for the enforcement team to take Ji Cong away, leaving only the three of them.

Suppressing his anger, Educator Du said after a long pause, "The 'Encouragements to Study' articles have been listed, and the contribution points have been distributed. However, for safety reasons, all names are concealed, and the articles are semi-closed, requiring certain permissions to access."