Chapter 78

"Uncle!!"

"Teacher!!"

None of them—Dao Ran, Qiao Cheng, Shi Zhongtian, or anyone else—had expected that the suave appearance of Xia Bojian would only last for a moment before he ended up rolling on the ground.

Everyone was flustered, at a loss for what to do. They were unfamiliar with how to handle such a situation. In their minds, their god-like mentor had actually been knocked to the ground, and the academician's robe, symbolizing the status and identity of the academy, was instantly covered in mud and dead leaves.

Everyone rushed forward, but the one who reacted the fastest was Xia Bojian himself.

As a powerful figure with the three souls connected, he did not take any of the little brats in the academy seriously. Intervening in the students' conflicts was already a very undignified thing to do in his eyes.

However, just now, if Su Tang's punch had landed, Dao Ran's life might have been in serious danger right there. No matter how much Xia Bojian cherished his dignity, he could not stand by and let someone die, especially his own nephew whom he had watched grow up.

He moved, effortlessly deflecting Su Tang with a wave of his hand, maintaining his dignity. After that, Lu Ping charged recklessly. Xia Bojian did not intend to use any serious force, just planning to deflect him and continue his suave demeanor. But unexpectedly, this move met with a hard resistance. The soul force that Lu Ping suddenly unleashed exceeded his expectations, and he was unprepared. Even as a powerful figure with the three souls connected, his response in that instant was insufficient to perfectly avoid or defend.

He fell, though his opponent did as well. But given his status and position, calling a young man from a backward little academy like Xiageng District an "opponent" was already a significant demotion. Now, to end up in a tie with him was a complete and utter defeat, making Xia Bojian somewhat angry and embarrassed.

With a sullen face, Xia Bojian quickly rose from the ground, but the academician's robe, covered in mud and dead leaves, completely ruined the suave image of his action.

For him, one strike could have taken Lu Ping's life. The reason he was knocked down earlier was entirely due to the unexpected nature of the attack. Lu Ping's soul force, which had been forcibly suppressed by the Soul Lock, had never existed before it was secretly used, and even Xia Bojian could not sense it. When it burst forth, what he thought was enough force turned out to be insufficient. Otherwise, that level of soul force would have been easily handled by Xia Bojian.

This loss was undoubtedly very frustrating, like a sudden disaster. The disparity in their positions made Xia Bojian unsure of what to do. Dealing with such a far inferior young man would not help him regain his dignity; it would only make him look even more undignified.

Fortunately, there was Dao Ran.

His nephew, whom he had watched grow up, quickly realized Xia Bojian's awkward situation.

"Bold!" He shouted, rushing forward to replace Xia Bojian. He was not worried about whether he could match Lu Ping, knowing that his uncle was right behind him, and he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

Everyone understood this.

At this moment, Lu Ping had no choice but to take a beating. Everyone knew that his earlier attack on Xia Bojian was just a fluke; he did not truly have the strength to contend with a powerful figure with the three souls connected.

But Lu Ping showed no sign of retreating. He glanced at Su Tang, who had just been flung away by Xia Bojian, his eyes full of determination.

If it was a wall, he would knock it down; if it was a tree, he would uproot it; if it was Xia Bojian, he would hit Xia Bojian; if it was Dao Ran and Xia Bojian together, he would hit them both!

Lu Ping had already leaped up and swung his fist, using all his strength. The chains of the Soul Lock were about to appear again, but at that moment, a strong wind suddenly blew in.

Xia Bojian's face immediately changed, even more so than when he was knocked down by Lu Ping.

"Step back!" he shouted, but Dao Ran was unaware. With his uncle personally backing him up, he was about to let out all his pent-up frustration. His fist would not stop, as he did not realize that the "step back" was directed at him.

He was then swept away by the wind, his body and the force of his punch disappearing instantly. Dao Ran... was blown away.

Lu Ping's punch naturally missed. He had been prepared to use all his strength, but his target was suddenly blown away by the wind.

"What... is going on?" Qiao Cheng, for the fourth time, expressed his bewilderment. Today, he had come to support Dao Ran, and he had seen things that were truly unbelievable. How long had it been? Had it even been a minute?

The wind blew Dao Ran away, and another person appeared on the scene.

Chu Min, whose appearance was even more unbelievable than Xia Bojian's. Xia Bojian at least seemed to have descended from the sky, with a process. But Chu Min suddenly appeared, and no one saw or felt her.

The drunk woman!

In the eyes of the students of Tianzhao Academy, Chu Min had no name. Even until the day before yesterday, they only knew that she did more than just drink: she was a cultivator, and a very powerful one at that. It was said that she had completely subdued Lu Ping with one move that day.

Wait...

This drunk woman, who subdued Lu Ping with one move.

Xia Bojian was knocked down by Lu Ping.

By comparison, could this drunk woman be even more powerful than Xia Bojian?

No, that's impossible, of course not.

The situations were different; how could they be compared? Xia Bojian was not paying attention, while this woman must have taken the initiative and used her full strength. It must have been like that.

Xia Bojian's students were hurriedly defending their mentor, feeling much more at ease after sorting out this logic. Then, they saw their mentor facing off against the drunk woman, his expression extremely serious, as if facing a formidable enemy. In their memory, their mentor had always been casual and jovial, even in front of the dean, Yun Chong, never showing such a serious demeanor.

"You..." Xia Bojian said one word, but then a powerful female voice, amplified by the Soul of Sound, echoed over Tianzhao Academy, completely interrupting what Xia Bojian was about to say.

"Is there anyone... anyone here!!!"

Wen Yan, after controlling her soul force, finally managed to shout this.

Chu Min immediately darted forward, and Xia Bojian's movements were not much slower. The others watched the two powerful figures rush away, feeling a sense of shock. But soon, someone noticed something even more surprising.

"That woman's clothes..." Qiao Cheng said, walking over to Shi Zhongtian.

"Yes... I noticed it too..." Shi Zhongtian, a cultivator with the Soul of Sight, had excellent vision.

They had never paid attention to it before. Because this drunk woman was always drunk and very unkempt, no one wanted to get close to her, and thus no one had ever carefully observed her clothing.

But now, with the two figures rushing away, a comparison was immediately made.

Xia Bojian's academician's robe was dirty, but it had already shaken off much of the dirt. As he rushed forward, the robe fluttered, maintaining its suave appearance.

Chu Min's clothes looked very old, so old that the original color could no longer be seen. Her speed was not slower than Xia Bojian's, but her clothes flapped wildly, giving a very disheveled appearance.

But no matter what, Qiao Cheng and Shi Zhongtian both noticed that Chu Min's old robe was the same style as their mentor's.

"Academician's robe..." Qiao Cheng said, swallowing hard.

At Tianzhao Academy, students had different grades, and mentors had different statuses. The outstanding mentors could be rated as academicians of the academy, enjoying better treatment and resources, and had the right to wear the academician's robe.

"Not just that..." Shi Zhongtian, with even better eyesight, continued. He had been staring at Chu Min's back, and the pattern on the center of the robe was already faded. But when he used his "Discerning Sight," he could finally see the halo of light inside the sun on the back of the robe.

One halo represented one.

"Not just an academician, she is our Tianzhao Academy's... Chief Academician." Shi Zhongtian was once again stunned, like when he discovered that Su Tang's strength enhancement was only five times. But this time, he at least stated his conclusion.

Chu Min, the Chief Academician of Tianzhao Academy.

(Thank you all for waiting, even though you might have already gone to sleep, the update is here. If you're up, please give a recommendation vote!)

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