Chapter 8

The upper academy disciple was a towering figure, his body bulging with muscles. Though he was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he was as robust as a black bear. He kicked out fiercely, aiming for Zhong Yue's knee, the force of his kick capable of shattering stone pillars and cutting through trees!

*Peng!*

A dull sound echoed, and Zhong Yue's body swayed. His left leg almost knelt down, and at the same time, the power from the two totem pillars pressed down, making the burden on his back even heavier!

"Is he surnamed Tian? Tian Feng? Could it be the old examiner from the Azure Sky Hall?"

Zhong Yue quickly figured out the reason. The Tian Feng family had considerable influence within the Sword Gate. The old alchemist surnamed Tian controlled the outer sect's Azure Sky Hall, which was equivalent to the Tian Feng family controlling the upper academy, giving convenience to their disciples.

Now, during the Azure Sky Hall examination, Zhong Yue made Left Chancellor realize that he must control the Azure Sky Hall to provide a path for disciples from humble backgrounds. Therefore, he challenged the old examiner surnamed Tian, seizing power.

This matter was initiated by Zhong Yue, leading to the Tian Feng family losing control of the Azure Sky Hall, which naturally provoked their retaliation!

"Hey? The totem on my pillar is the Turtle Mountain totem. Once activated, it exerts the power of mountains. You can still stand?"

The upper academy disciple kicked out, and seeing Zhong Yue still standing, he was surprised and praised, "No wonder you passed the Azure Sky Hall examination with just your strength. But you are asking for trouble. If you kneel down, and kneel for a few hours in front of the Scripture Hall in front of the upper academy disciples, this matter will be settled, and the Tian Feng family won't make things too difficult for you."

*Whoosh!*

He kicked out again, smiling, "But you refuse to kneel, so you'll suffer even more!"

Zhong Yue's legs bent further, and the pressure from the two Turtle Mountain totem pillars became even heavier, pinning him down!

"Are you curious why no alchemists have come down to take you as a disciple these past few days?"

The upper academy disciple kicked Zhong Yue's knee repeatedly. Many upper academy disciples were coming and going in front of the Scripture Hall, bustling about, but none of them intervened, only watching from a distance.

"This is because the Tian Feng family lost the Azure Sky Hall, and other alchemists are worried that taking you as a disciple would make the Tian Feng family unhappy, so no alchemists have taken you."

*Thud!*

Zhong Yue was kicked to his knees, his hands gripping the ground tightly, trying hard not to let his other leg kneel. Veins bulged on his forehead and hands, taut and tight.

"You will have no one to teach you in the Sword Gate, no one to guide you, and your cultivation will stagnate. As for becoming an alchemist, forget it!"

The upper academy disciple kicked Zhong Yue's right leg again, smiling, "The higher-ups of the Tian Feng family haven't explicitly forbidden them from taking you, but they are unwilling to do so because the Tian Feng family is one of the top ten clans in the Great Wasteland! Offending the Tian Feng family means you will have no future. If you kneel for a few hours here today, you can leave the Sword Gate on your own."

Outside the Scripture Hall, many upper academy disciples looked on, shaking their heads.

A female disciple shook her head, "The Tian Feng family is one of the top ten clans in the Great Wasteland. Offending the Tian Feng family and making them lose the Azure Sky Hall means he won't be able to stay in the Sword Gate, let alone find a place in the Great Wasteland..."

"What's going on?" Someone who didn't know the details asked in a low voice.

"I heard that a few days ago, Left Chancellor and Elder Tian of the Azure Sky Hall had a conflict over this disciple surnamed Zhong. Left Chancellor severely injured Elder Tian and seized control of the Azure Sky Hall. The Tian Feng family lost the Azure Sky Hall, and the higher-ups were furious, putting pressure on Left Chancellor, causing a lot of tension."

"Ah, I see. Left Chancellor is the most outstanding young alchemist in the Sword Gate, favored by many elders. The Tian Feng family can't touch him, but this disciple surnamed Zhong has no background or support, so he will suffer greatly..."

"Not just suffer greatly. Look, Elder Tian of the Azure Sky Hall is also in the Scripture Hall, ostensibly to teach, but probably to see the outcome for this disciple surnamed Zhong."

Zhong Yue grunted and looked into the Scripture Hall. In a quiet room, the old man surnamed Tian from the Azure Sky Hall was indeed sitting there, looking at him expressionlessly.

*Boom!*

Something seemed to explode in Zhong Yue's mind, a mix of humiliation and defiance surging up!

"Tian Feng family..."

His body emitted a crackling sound, his bones vibrating like popping beans. A visible spiritual force emerged from his brow, forming a dense pattern of dragon scales, claws, and body around him!

*Roar!*

A dragon's roar suddenly echoed, growing louder and clearer. Zhong Yue, under the pressure of the two Turtle Mountain totem pillars, slowly stood up, the dragon patterns on his body becoming clearer!

It was as if a dragon's body was moving on his, its thick body covered in raised scales.

The upper academy disciple was startled and quickly shouted, the patterns on the two Turtle Mountain totem pillars becoming brighter. The waves on the totem pillars formed two mountains, turtle-shaped mountains, pressing down on Zhong Yue!

He had pushed the power of the totem pillars to their limit, determined to crush Zhong Yue!

"Tian Feng family!"

Zhong Yue roared, his back straightening. As he stood up, a wild and fierce aura emerged from behind him. A terrifying dragon head slowly lifted from behind his head, its eyes glowing with fierce light, its claws gripping Zhong Yue's shoulders!

Zhong Yue, under the pressure of the two turtle mountains, stood up completely, his straw shoes crushed to pieces. He lifted his foot and stomped hard, causing the ground to shake. The two Turtle Mountain totem pillars were jolted from the ground, and the patterns on them shattered!

The upper academy disciple grunted, and suddenly, a light cracking sound came from the two Turtle Mountain totem pillars, followed by a loud explosion. They shattered into countless wooden splinters, clearly unable to hold Zhong Yue, who had shattered them with his dragon power!

"The Tian Feng family is nothing!"

Zhong Yue kicked out, and the upper academy disciple was terrified. Zhong Yue's leg, wrapped in a highly concentrated spiritual force forming a dragon body, was incredibly thick and full of unimaginable explosive power!

He had been kicking Zhong Yue's knee repeatedly, so he was very close to Zhong Yue. When Zhong Yue suddenly exerted his power, shattering the Turtle Mountain totem pillars and kicking out, the upper academy disciple had no chance to dodge!

The force of this kick was far stronger than that of low-level demons. It felt like a mountain collapsing and the earth tilting.

A shockwave echoed, and a figure was sent flying into the air, crashing into the doors and windows of the Scripture Hall, shattering them!

The upper academy disciple flew directly toward the old man surnamed Tian from the Tian Feng family, kneeling before him, his knees hitting the ground, blood gushing out, staining the area red.

In the quiet room, all the Tian Feng family disciples were stunned, and the old man surnamed Tian was also taken aback.

Outside the Scripture Hall, the upper academy disciples who were watching the spectacle were also stunned, unable to believe what they saw. They had thought Zhong Yue would be humiliated, kneeling for hours in front of the Scripture Hall, and then leave the Sword Gate in disgrace.

After all, Zhong Yue had just entered the upper academy, and his cultivation was only at the Out-of-the-Cave stage, while the upper academy disciple had been cultivating for a long time and was much more advanced.

Moreover, Zhong Yue had nothing, while the other had the Turtle Mountain totem pillars to hold him down, and there were two of them!

However, the upper academy disciple was kicked away by Zhong Yue!

Zhong Yue retracted his leg, shook his leather jacket, and looked up at the quiet room in the Scripture Hall. The old man surnamed Tian was also looking at him, his face dark.

The upper academy disciple kneeling before him was both ashamed and angry, trying to stand up but grunting and kneeling again.

The force of Zhong Yue's kick was immense. Despite the upper academy disciple's higher cultivation and earlier entry, he was overwhelmed by Zhong Yue's dragon power, his leg muscles and bones injured, making it impossible for him to stand.

"You're asking for death!"

The upper academy disciple was shocked and furious. A sharp blade suddenly rose from his waist, adorned with beautiful totem patterns, clearly his soul weapon.

Without hesitation, he activated his soul weapon, and a flurry of sword light filled the air, rushing toward Zhong Yue!

The sword light was clearly a sword formation, a high-level attack technique of the Sword Gate. Zhong Yue could only see a white blur, unable to distinguish reality from illusion!

This was the power of the Sword Gate's legacy. Although Zhong Yue had also reached the soul activation stage and could manifest spiritual force visibly, he had not learned high-level attack techniques. Thus, he was unable to counter such a soul weapon and sword technique.

The dense sword light reached him in an instant. Zhong Yue, with dragons wrapping around his body, leaped back, retreating several dozen feet.

The sword light pursued him, raining down from the sky, faster than his retreat. The sharp sword light could cut through hair, and if it struck, even an iron body would be riddled with holes!

"You're too much!"

Zhong Yue gritted his teeth, his soul suddenly leaving his body. He activated his soul in the green stone slabs on the ground, and with a *whoosh*, a heavy green stone slab flew up, heading toward the Scripture Hall!

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—*

His soul released and retracted, and as soon as he threw one green stone slab, he immediately activated his soul in another. In an instant, the green stone slabs in front of the Scripture Hall flew up like waves, forming a straight line, whistling toward the Scripture Hall!

The upper academy disciple in the Scripture Hall was startled and quickly recalled his soul weapon, swinging his sword to cut through the flying green stone slabs. Instantly, rocks flew everywhere, dust and smoke filled the air like a fog.

"Useless, can't even deal with a newly entered upper academy disciple!"

The old man surnamed Tian was furious. His hand retreated into his sleeve, and he quietly flicked his finger. Suddenly, the upper academy disciple's soul weapon flew out, piercing through the dust and smoke, shooting toward Zhong Yue like lightning. No one noticed his covert action!

"So fast?" Zhong Yue's heart raced as he saw the soul weapon approaching his forehead!

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