Chapter 78

（This time, the monthly votes have reached four hundred. Thank you, new leader Baiyi Qingyang, for the fourth update!）

The beam of sword light suddenly shot towards Lou Jiao. In an instant, Lou Jiao could only manage to block himself with the punishment whip. However, the whip, along with the magical robe and protective black armor on his body, were shattered by the sword light and scattered in the air.

Although Lou Jiao was not injured, he was left lying on the square paved with stone slabs, wearing only a pair of underpants, which was far from a good sight.

Lou Jiao, who had lived for so long, had never experienced such humiliation before, but he dared not move an inch.

The beam of sword light hovered above his head, ready to strike mercilessly at the slightest movement.

Ge Yi, hearing Chen Xun's words, looked up in shock and saw the clouds disperse in the sky. The girl standing in mid-air could be none other than Su Tang, the direct disciple of the old patriarch.

The crowd watching the grand ceremony on the square today was greatly shocked. Who would have thought such a scene would unfold?

As the first girl in hundreds of years to pass the fifth level of the Heavenly Ladder at the age of twelve and the first to reach the Rebirth Realm at fourteen, Su Tang, the only female disciple the old patriarch had taken in two hundred years, enjoyed a reputation in Canglan City that even surpassed the old patriarch who had lived for hundreds of years.

When the crowd saw Su Tang appear at the grand ceremony, they erupted in cheers:

"Su Tang, Su Tang..."

Especially the black-robed and purple-robed disciples, who looked at Su Tang with fanatical eyes.

Su Tang ignored the cheering crowd on the square and the people standing on the mountain peak, including Su Quan. She descended from the sky, landing gracefully on a stone pillar, like a celestial maiden descending to earth. Her clear and beautiful face exuded an indescribable transcendence. Her eyes flickered, and with a casual wave, she released several beams of sword light, severing the magical bindings on Chen Xun, Zong Ya, and others.

"Su Tang, what are you doing?" Su Quan's face turned a deep red, and he was furious. Everyone knew Su Tang was close to the thirteenth old master, but he never expected her to come out and embarrass him like this.

"Chen Xun is my friend. How can you treat my friend like this and then ask me what I'm doing?" Su Tang's lips parted slightly, her voice clear and melodious, making everyone hear her.

The crowd's heads buzzed. The barbarian boy hanging on the stone pillar was actually Su Tang's friend?

Su Quan was so angry that his whole body trembled!

If Su Tang wanted to plead for this boy, it could have been discussed privately. But to suddenly intervene and humiliate Lou Jiao in front of tens of thousands of people, who would still respect him as "Fourth Master" in Canglan City?

Su Tang's heart was cold as ice. She never imagined that her uncle would be so petty as to want to whip Chen Xun to death on the spot. After she stopped him, he did not reflect but instead glared at her with resentment. She asked coldly:

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Great Uncle, I want to ask you, what reason do you have to expel Chen Xun from Canglan Academy?"

Su Tang's words carried a killing intent, making her seem like a divine sword drawn from its sheath, standing majestically on the square.

Ge Yi and others were shocked and dared not speak, unsure how this would end.

The old man in the blue robe was embarrassed, his face red, and he had no answer to Su Tang's questioning.

A mere True Yang Realm cultivator was like an ant to them.

They had every reason to hand this boy over to Su Quan for disposal. Even if they killed this boy and the dozens of North Mountain disciples on the spot, it would be to uphold the Su family's prestige.

As for the open and hidden struggles between Su Quan and his brother Su Qingfeng, it was actually an internal conflict within the Su Wuwei Mansion. Everyone was more interested in watching the show than in mediating.

If this boy was Su Tang's friend, it was a completely different matter.

Su Tang's friend, who had been saved and taken in by the Black Python, wanted to repay the Black Python's kindness by escorting the Black Python's disciples to the trial. Along the way, they were maliciously attacked by the Gui Xi tribe, and they fought back, eventually capturing the Gui Xi tribe's patriarch and extorting seven talisman weapons and three Nine Yuan Nourishing Cavity Pills. This was not at all excessive.

Who could blame the Gui Xi tribe for offending Su Tang's friend? Not even coming to demand repayment was considered polite.

And Su Quan actually wanted to whip her friend to death. Su Tang's anger seemed entirely justified.

The old man in the blue robe cleared his throat awkwardly and whispered to Su Tang, "There might have been some misunderstanding!"

"What misunderstanding?" Su Tang ignored the old man's attempt to mediate and asked publicly.

She had timed it to know that Chen Xun would officially join Canglan Academy today. She had hidden in the clouds to watch his performance at the grand ceremony, but she never expected such an incident to occur.

She could hardly imagine what would have happened to Chen Xun if she hadn't had a sudden urge to come today.

Su Tang was so angry that her heart was about to explode. If not for a bit of reason, she would have killed Lou Jiao and Su Ling on the spot. How could she possibly let the matter rest?

"Su Tang, how did you meet Chen Xun?" Su Quan tried to change the subject.

"Fourth Uncle, do you think Su Tang is deliberately causing trouble for you?" Su Tang's eyebrows furrowed in anger.

Su Quan was speechless.

He never expected the usually gentle Su Tang to stand up for an unrelated boy and make him and the Elder Su Fanglong lose face.

The old man in the blue robe saw that Su Tang was truly angry and couldn't fathom the relationship between this boy and Su Tang. But with so many people watching, he had to calm the situation down. "The handling of this matter by the Su Wuwei Mansion was indeed inappropriate. Su Tang, what do you want to do?"

Su Tang was also angry. When her great-uncle suddenly turned to support her uncle, she didn't know what to do. She turned to Chen Xun:

"Fourth Uncle treated you unfairly. How do you want to handle this?"

"Chen Xun, the Su Wuwei Mansion treated you unfairly. How do you want the academy to handle this?" the old man in the blue robe asked Chen Xun.

Chen Xun smiled bitterly. The crowd was now wary of Su Tang, but ultimately, they feared the old patriarch behind her. However, the old patriarch of the Su family was not someone to be trifled with.

The Su family's actions and style in Canglan were a direct reflection of the old patriarch's will.

If the matter reached the old patriarch, it would not end well for them. But Su Tang might not fully understand this.

Chen Xun straightened his clothes and said loudly to the mountain peak, "Chen Xun has violated the rules and is willing to accept the punishment of being expelled from the academy. I will not have any complaints!"

The old man in the blue robe nodded inwardly. This boy finally showed some respect. "Although you disrespected the academy, it was due to your youth and ignorance, which can be forgiven..."

After today's incident, Chen Xun dared not continue his cultivation under Su Quan.

Even if Su Quan didn't kill him openly, he could sabotage his cultivation methods and leave him half-paralyzed.

Chen Xun quickly said, "Thank you, Venerable, for your leniency. But after today's incident, I have no face to stay in the academy."

"Disciple Gu Jianfeng also has no face to stay in the academy!" Gu Jianfeng, Nan Xi, and Zong Ling also stood up resolutely, demanding to leave the academy.

Chen Xun knew that staying in the Su Wuwei Mansion would be more harmful than beneficial for Gu Jianfeng and the others. Their decision to leave the Canglan Academy with such resolve stirred his blood.

Qian Lan was struggling in pain. Chen Xun guessed she wanted to leave the academy with them, but her hands and feet were secretly restrained by the old man in the blue robe and others, leaving her unable to move.

Chen Xun knew the Su family would never let a disciple with ancient bloodline leave. He bowed to the old man in the blue robe and said, "Before I leave, I have one request, Venerable."

"Speak," the old man in the blue robe said.

"Chen Xun and others have mediocre talents and are not qualified to cultivate in the academy. It is our limited good fortune. But Qian Lan's talent far surpasses ours. The Su Wuwei Mansion may not be able to cultivate her. I humbly request that you take her as a disciple..." Chen Xun said. They had offended Su Quan today, so they couldn't let Qian Lan fall into his hands.

Su Quan was so angry that he almost spat blood. He never expected that as the deputy commander of the Su Wuwei Mansion, he would be mocked by this boy!

"Qian Lan has great potential in cultivation. We also intend to take her into the inner court of the academy for focused cultivation. My cultivation methods may not be suitable for her, but rest assured, the academy will find a master to teach her diligently..." the old man in the blue robe said.

Disciples with ancient bloodlines were the most scarce resources in Canglan and among the major clans and sects. No one would reject such a disciple. Even if they never broke through, if a disciple could reach the Tianyuan Realm in the future, their status in Canglan would be different.

However, the old man in the blue robe did not want to be criticized, so he took the opportunity to take Qian Lan as a disciple.

He only vaguely told Chen Xun that Qian Lan would not stay in the Su Wuwei Mansion, but he would not let her leave the Canglan Academy.

Chen Xun nodded. This was the best outcome. He nodded to Qian Lan, telling her to follow the old man in the blue robe's arrangements and not struggle in vain.

Chen Xun then asked Ge Yi, "We have some personal items left in the courtyard. Can we go and retrieve them?"

"Of course," Ge Yi said. He really couldn't understand how Chen Xun knew Su Tang.

The old man in the blue robe also hoped to resolve the matter quickly. The complications had already caused them a lot of trouble. He looked at Su Quan, wanting to confirm his opinion one last time.

Su Tang's strong support for an unknown boy left Su Quan helpless.

The old patriarch had only two disciples: Su Tang and Wu Yang.

If the old patriarch supported Qingfeng under Su Tang's influence, Su Quan would have no chance to compete for the position of the next Su Wuwei Mansion commander.

"A Xun, if the Su Wuwei Mansion doesn't want you, I will take you as my disciple!" Su Tang said.

When Su Tang said this, both the mountain peak and the foot of the mountain were stunned.

The old man in the blue robe also smiled bitterly. If Su Tang really took this boy as a disciple, no one except the old patriarch could stop her.

Su Quan's face twisted slightly, and he felt a sting. He expelled this boy, and the boy directly became a disciple of the old patriarch's lineage. In the future, he would be a laughingstock in Canglan City.

Page break for AD start

Page break for AD end