Chapter 76

(We are still 80 monthly votes short! Could it be that no one is looking forward to the next chapter? Tears...)

Chen Xun lifted Su Qingfeng, Ge Yi, and others, and the expressions of the crowd eased slightly.

"What are the details?" Su Quan released his energy, giving Chen Xun his freedom, but his sinister eyes still fixed on Chen Xun's face, ready to turn ruthless and kill him on the spot at the slightest provocation.

"Chen Xun is originally from Yunzhou. In his early years, he followed his father to collect herbs in Mianya Ridge. His father was struck by lightning and died, and Chen Xun was also severely injured by the lightning, losing most of his memory. After being saved by the Wu Mian people, he has lived in Wu Mian Village for four years," Chen Xun recounted.

"General Su Qingfeng originally intended to recommend me directly to the Canglan Academy, but the Wu Mian people saved my life, so I declined General Su Qingfeng's kindness and decided to represent Wu Mian in the tribal trial. This matter has been approved by General Su Qingfeng and Ge Yi. Su Ling should also know the details, but he didn't mention it earlier and suddenly accused me of having ulterior motives today..."

"Ge Yi, come here and speak!" Su Quan shouted down to the foot of the Fulong Mountain.

Chen Xun turned to see Ge Yi, dressed in a black battle robe, running up the steps. He also noticed Su Ling's pale face and thought: Was Su Ling, incited by the Gui Xi tribe, so eager to accuse him that he didn't consider the complexity of the situation?

Ge Yi ran to the mountain top, knelt on one knee, and greeted Su Quan and the old man in a blue robe: "Ge Yi greets Fourth Master and the elders..."

"Is what he said true?" Su Quan asked, frowning.

Ge Yi respectfully replied, "Last year, Ge Yi accompanied Thirteenth Master to Mianya Ridge to discuss trade. I met Chen Xun then. This time, when we came to Mianya Ridge to select academy students, Thirteenth Master did instruct me to bring Chen Xun back to Canglan..."

Hearing Ge Yi's words, the others' expressions eased. They thought that for a young man with the cultivation of the True Yang Foundation Stage, it was no wonder Su Qingfeng valued him so highly, as he could withstand the pressure from nine of them.

Considering that the boy looked only thirteen or fourteen and had been taken in by the Wu Mian people four years ago, when he was not even ten, no other sect would have sent someone to infiltrate the Canglan Academy through such a method.

The decision to extend the reach to Mianya Ridge and recommend tribal children to the Canglan Academy was made only in the past two years. No sect could have predicted this and planted such a hidden hand two or three years in advance.

Although Chen Xun said he had unclear memories of the past, this was not considered a significant issue by the others.

The people present, who had practiced for a hundred years, had encountered all sorts of strange and bizarre events.

Thus, this became an internal matter of the Xuwu Marshal's Mansion. The old man in the blue robe and others thought about leaving, and since Su Ling was the nephew of the old man in the blue robe, no one intended to pursue his responsibility for false accusations.

As long as one was a descendant of the Su family, even if the relationship with the main line was distant, they would still receive some care in the Canglan Academy.

However, Su Quan's expression was unpredictable, and he asked Ge Yi in a low voice, "Is this the truth?"

Ge Yi, with a stiff face, replied, "Ge Yi dares not lie to Fourth Master."

Chen Xun thought this small farce would end here, but he was surprised to see Su Quan's expression still so grim. His heart sank, realizing he had underestimated the situation.

The old master of the Xuwu Marshal's Mansion, Su Junyuan, had been in seclusion for many years, indifferent to worldly affairs, and the chance of breaking through to the peak of the Rebirth Stage and entering the Heavenly Yuan Stage was slim.

If Su Junyuan passed away, the next master of the Xuwu Marshal's Mansion would be decided between Su Qingfeng and Su Quan.

Although Su Qingfeng and Su Quan appeared to be on good terms, they were actually at odds, each wanting the position of the Xuwu Marshal's Mansion.

The Gui Xi tribe incited Su Ling to cause trouble, not to kill him, but to understand Su Quan's mindset and use Su Quan's hands to expel him from the Canglan Academy...

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Su Quan was also struggling internally.

He could see that the elders, including Su Fanglong, were quite appreciative of the young man:

At just thirteen or fourteen, not only did he successfully enter the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder and gain the status of a Black Robe Disciple, but he could also withstand the pressure from nine of them. Even without the ancient bloodline, his divine soul was exceptionally strong, making him a rare talent for cultivation.

Although the young man was not a tribal child and entering the Canglan Academy through the tribal trial was somewhat irregular, for the Three Orders and Six Marshals' Mansion, any disciple with the potential to reach the Rebirth Stage was a precious resource.

Like Qianlan, even if she hadn't passed the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder, the Inner Court of the academy still wanted to recruit her because of her ancient bloodline.

Qianlan, at such a young age, already had a good cultivation base and the potential to break through to the Heavenly Yuan Stage in the future.

The people present, all at the middle to late stages of the Rebirth Stage, might never reach the Heavenly Yuan Stage in their lifetimes, but they knew that such a talent made any rules set by the Su family irrelevant.

Cultivators, with their clear minds, understood that rigid rules were more harmful than beneficial.

Su Quan was also concerned that if he expelled the young man now, the elders like Su Fanglong might have other thoughts and resent his public suppression of a disciple valued by Qingfeng.

Seeing Su Quan's expression, Chen Xun's heart raced, thinking that his entry into the Canglan Academy depended entirely on Su Quan's decision.

Before entering Canglan City, Chen Xun's desire to enter the Canglan Academy was not so strong, but after living in the annex for over ten days, he realized that the resources available within a sect were far beyond what a solitary cultivator could imagine.

Just the hundred or so basic scrolls in the annex library had greatly benefited Chen Xun.

After much consideration, Su Quan felt that expelling the young man from the Canglan Academy would be too harsh and decided to postpone the matter for further discussion.

"Fourth Master, Lou Jiao has something to report..."

The hook-nosed attendant who had been exchanging glances with Su Ling could no longer hold back and stepped forward.

Hearing that he was surnamed "Lou," Chen Xun's heart sank, realizing that the Gui Xi tribe was determined to expel him from the Canglan Academy to deal with him more easily.

"What do you have to say?" Su Quan asked.

Lou Jiao glanced at Chen Xun, his eyes flashing with cold light, like ice.

An invisible aura seemed to emanate from him. As Lou Jiao spoke to Su Quan and the old man in the blue robe, Chen Xun, standing nearby, could not hear a word, but from the slightly surprised expressions of Su Quan and the old man, he knew the situation was not in his favor.

After a moment, Su Quan's eyes turned cold, and he asked Ge Yi, "Is what Lou Jiao said true?"

Ge Yi looked at Chen Xun with a helpless expression and said, "The five trial iron badges obtained by the disciples of Mianya Ridge were indeed due to Chen Xun's coordination. The seven talismans and three Nine Yuan Nourishing Cavity Pills provided by the Gui Xi tribe to save Lou Shiyi's life were indeed distributed among the northern tribes..."

Chen Xun now understood everything. Seeing that using Su Quan's suspicion of Su Qingfeng could not expel him, Lou Jiao no longer hid the ugly deeds of the Gui Xi tribe during the trial.

The enmity between the Wu Mian and the Su family had long been forgotten, even by the Wu Mian people, and few within the Su family still cared about the Wu Mian. However, the potential alliance of the northern tribes was not something the Su family wanted to see.

Seeing Su Quan and the old man in the blue robe looking at Qianlan with hesitation, Chen Xun's heart sank further, knowing that Lou Jiao must have revealed the true reason for Qianlan's decision to stay in the Xuwu Marshal's Mansion, which would only increase Su Quan's suspicions.

"Ridiculous!" Su Quan, no longer holding back, his eyes flashing with anger, shouted at Ge Yi, "The rules set by the Canglan Academy cannot be trampled upon. If non-tribal members participate in the tribal trial, it will be chaos. Quickly expel this boy from Fulong Mountain..."

Ge Yi, hearing the thunderous voice of Fourth Master, was not particularly afraid, but seeing the elders' unanimous support for Fourth Master, he knew that even if Thirteenth Master returned, the outcome might not change.

After the fall of Zong Shouyang, the Wu Mian had declined to their current state. Even if they could unite the forty-odd tribes of northern Mianya Ridge, their strength was far inferior to the Gui Xi tribe. What right did they have to make the Su family suspicious?

Moreover, Chen Xun was only using the Wu Mian's name to enter the Canglan Academy. With Thirteenth Master's face and Fourth Master's indecisive nature, he might not truly expel Chen Xun.

But the situation was different with Qianlan.

The Canglan Academy might not encounter a disciple with the ancient bloodline for thirty to fifty years, and the potential to reach the Heavenly Yuan Stage was rare. Fourth Master and the elders naturally hoped that Qianlan would serve the Su family and be loyal to the Canglan Academy in the future.

Chen Xun's outstanding performance during the trial had made him the core of the northern five. Qianlan even gave up the opportunity to enter the Inner Court directly to stay in the Xuwu Marshal's Mansion, wanting to cultivate with Chen Xun and the others.

Chen Xun's existence could directly affect the Su family's future control over Qianlan, which was not a situation the Su family or the Canglan Academy wanted to see.

Although Chen Xun's cultivation potential was also excellent, the choice between Chen Xun and Qianlan was clear.

Gu Jianfeng and others were shocked to hear Su Quan's anger and the order to expel Chen Xun.

They had no idea how malicious human hearts could be. Lou Jiao's few words had completely changed the attitude of Su Quan and the elders.

"Disciple Gu Jianfeng, I beg Fourth Master to reconsider. Otherwise, I will have no face to stay in the Canglan Academy!" Gu Jianfeng knelt on the ground, risking his future to plead for Chen Xun.

Su Quan, who had initially doubted Lou Jiao's words, thought that a mere thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy could not have such strong scheming and cohesion. He guessed that Qianlan's decision to stay in the Xuwu Marshal's Mansion might be due to her first love, and that expelling Chen Xun would make Qianlan focus on cultivation for a few years, and the past would be forgotten.

Seeing Gu Jianfeng risk his future to plead for Chen Xun, Su Quan's face darkened, and he was ready to expel both of them.

"Jianfeng, if you consider me a brother, stand up and do not plead for me!" Chen Xun, seeing Zong Ling, Nan Xi, and Qianlan about to kneel and plead for him, was moved but knew the situation was dire.

He could only shout at Gu Jianfeng before Su Quan acted:

"The Wu Mian took me in, and I accompanied Zong Ling and Nan Xi to Canglan City. I don't necessarily value the Su family's profound skills, and it doesn't matter to me whether I enter the academy or not. Don't plead for me..."

Seeing that the mere thirteen or fourteen-year-old Chen Xun not only showed no fear but also spoke arrogantly, Su Quan was so angry that he laughed. However, with tens of thousands of people watching the grand ceremony at the foot of Fulong Mountain, he could not do anything to the boy. He waved his sleeve, and a powerful force struck Chen Xun's face.

Chen Xun, not expecting Su Quan to suddenly attack him, saw no reaction from the Vajra Black Robe he wore, and he rolled down the ten levels of the Heavenly Ladder, over three thousand steps, landing on the square at the foot of the mountain, bruised and battered, with broken bones.