Chapter 44

The officials and professors attending the Qingteng Banquet inside the building were very clear about why the Dean of Tiandao Academy still harbored such deep resentment towards the already declining National Teaching College. Even though the National Teaching College had only two or three students, he was still unwilling to let up, determined to crush them into the dust.

They were all old hands in the capital and well aware of the court's rules. If it weren't for that young couple, the National Teaching College would have been disbanded next year. But not everyone thought the matter was so simple. Xing Jiaoshi, who had told Chen Changsheng that he needed to handle some affairs, appeared behind Bishop Meili Sha of the Teaching Hub at some point.

He lowered his voice and said, "It seems someone wants to force Chen Changsheng to act."

Bishop Meili Sha's face was always drowsy, as if he could never get enough sleep. Hearing this, he opened his eyes with great difficulty and said casually, "Would that boy be so stupid?"

Xing Jiaoshi looked troubled and said, "He's not stupid, but he's young, and I'm worried he might be too hot-blooded."

The Bishop looked through the curtains at the corner where the National Teaching College was seated, and his gaze fell on the little girl beside Chen Changsheng, who looked indignant. He was slightly taken aback.

Looking at someone through a door crack can make them seem flat, but looking at someone through a curtain cannot, because the Bishop knew that little girl.

He sighed and said, "Then... let's pray for the Dean."

...

...

The Dean of Tiandao Academy looked at Chen Changsheng in the corner with a blank expression, not deliberately cold or intimidating, but as if he were looking at a small insect about to freeze to death.

Chen Changsheng had never thought about participating in the competition. If he took the written test and Luo Luo took the martial test, it wasn't that they had no chance, but he knew that if someone was deliberately suppressing the National Teaching College, things wouldn't go as he wished.

His goal was the Lingyan Pavilion. He wanted to participate in the Grand Imperial Examination and win first place. Before that, he didn't want anything to interfere with this process. If he really went down to compete tonight, whether he won or lost, it would not be good for his plan.

Since he wasn't going to participate, why stay in the building to listen to these mocking laughs? Why force himself to remain calm in front of the Dean's emotionless gaze?

So he made a decision no one expected.

"Let's go," he said to Luo Luo, then stood up and prepared to leave.

The mocking laughter in the building stopped abruptly. Everyone saw his actions and was confused. This attitude of ignoring contempt, humiliation, ridicule, and disdain could be seen as shameful cowardice, but could it also be considered unimaginable courage?

Luo Luo, who always followed his instructions without question, stood up without hesitation and followed him out.

Looking at the people whose mockery was fading and whose shock was growing, she pursed her lips and thought, "Master is indeed extraordinary, resolute and silent, able to endure what others cannot. I must learn from him and not be provoked by a few words into wanting to tear these guys apart."

The world is so beautiful; why be so irritable?

Just then, a voice came from outside the building: "Do you think the Qingteng Banquet is a place where you can come and go as you please?"

The voice was clear and young, clearly from a child, but it was filled with unhidden pride and cruelty, even a hint of madness, and a faintly bloody smell, as if the speaker would kill at the slightest dissatisfaction.

It was a taste Chen Changsheng particularly disliked.

He stopped and looked towards the entrance of the building.

Hundreds of people at the Qingteng Banquet turned to look at the entrance.

A young boy stood there, pale-faced, cold-eyed, and with blood-red lips. Though only twelve or thirteen years old, he looked as if he had endured countless years of debauchery, and his demeanor gave off an extremely cruel and chilling feeling.

Many people didn't recognize this young boy.

But many people from Tiandao Academy and Zhaixing College had already identified him.

Because they knew who this young boy was, no one said he was late, and there was silence, with only Zhuang Huan Yu slightly frowning, showing some displeasure.

The Dean of Tiandao Academy's expression was very calm, clearly knowing this young boy would appear.

He looked at Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo, thinking that they were willing to endure humiliation and not participate, thinking they could preserve the last breath of the National Teaching College?

Due to his identity and some more complex reasons, he couldn't personally act against the young couple from the National Teaching College, nor could he let the students of Tiandao Academy do it, but he had long chosen the most suitable person from among the various colleges in the capital.

Whether in terms of background, origin, or strength, this little monster from the Zongsi Office was the most suitable to send the National Teaching College to its final stage.

And there would be no trouble afterward.

The Dean of Tiandao Academy glanced at the position of the Bishop of the Teaching Hub.

...

...

Many people in the capital knew that the Zongsi Office had a little monster.

This little monster was very powerful. Because he was only twelve this year, he hadn't yet entered the Qingyun List, but everyone believed he had the strength to rank in the top fifty of the Qingyun List. According to rumors, this little monster was the disciple of the Pope, though he had never admitted it. It was also rumored that at the age of ten, he had already killed several practitioners at the Zhaoyao stage, including a young genius on the Qingyun List, though he had never admitted this either.

The little monster did not study at Tiandao Academy like the Pope did in the past, nor did he follow the Pope to study at the Palace Annex, but went to the Zongsi Office, which had the strictest rules and the most brutal cultivation, apparently because he did not want to follow the same path as the Pope.

The strict rules of the Zongsi Office could not stop the little monster's bloodthirsty and cruel nature, but the brutal cultivation made his strength grow stronger. Few people in the capital dared to provoke him, even the strong ones would give way when they saw him. Or perhaps it was because of the rumor that the Pope's disciple was different, but more importantly, it was the known fact that this little monster from the Zongsi Office was named Tianhai Ya'er, and he was from the Tianhai family.

Empress Dowager Sheng's surname was Tianhai.

This little monster from the Zongsi Office was her nephew.

...

...

Under the gaze of countless people, Tianhai Ya'er walked into the building, his clothes fluttering, exuding an indescribable arrogance. His pale, unhealthy face was full of coldness and disdain, a coldness towards life and disdain for... everyone.

He was just twelve this year, more like a child than a teenager, but he had already killed many people and seen many things. His powerful background and strength made his thinking and behavior somewhat deformed and strange, a true monster.

Chen Changsheng watched the child, who was shorter than him, walk towards him, feeling the increasingly strong bloody smell and disliking it more and more.

Tianhai Ya'er didn't even look at him. He looked at the young students scattered around the seats, but his eyes saw no one, and he sneered mockingly, "A bunch of idiots, thinking you can get some benefit from this banquet? In the end, you'll just be humiliated."

The young students sitting in the scattered seats had gone through great hardships to finally pass the preliminary examination of the Grand Imperial Examination and gain the qualification to attend the Qingteng Banquet. Although they knew they were just background for the students of the Qingteng Six Colleges, they still had some hopes. Hearing the child's harsh and heartless words, they immediately became angry.

Tianhai Ya'er rolled his eyes, his voice like a cold blade, and shouted, "Do you want to die?"

The identity and strength of this child had already spread among the scattered seats. Although the young students were angry and indignant, no one dared to stand up. Not only were they not a match for this child, but even if they were, would they dare to attack him?

"Enough," the Bishop of the Zongsi Office frowned slightly and said.

Tianhai Ya'er snorted coldly, though he didn't say anything more, his raised eyebrows and unfriendly expression showed that he didn't even respect his own teacher.

What was strange was that, according to reason, the Dean of Tiandao Academy, who was hosting the Qingteng Banquet tonight, or for some reason, did not want to restrain this little monster from the Zongsi Office, but there were many true big shots in the room, such as the Bishop of the Teaching Hub and the Eastern Imperial General Xu Shiji. They had the qualifications and ability to subdue Tianhai Ya'er, yet they all remained silent, perhaps thinking about the real reason for this little monster's appearance? If this little monster acted, there would inevitably be a bloody and cruel incident. The Zongsi Office wouldn't send him to the Qingteng Banquet, so was this the will of the Palace or the will of the Palace?

Was this little monster really here just for the National Teaching College? Clearly not. The already declining National Teaching College was not attractive enough to him.

He looked in the direction of the Tiandao Academy seats, not seeing the person he wanted to see, feeling disappointed and angry, and said in a shrill voice, "Where is Tang Sanshiu? That country bumpkin said he would cripple me. Where is he? Is he afraid?"

Apart from those big shots, there were still some people who didn't care much about Tianhai Ya'er's background and strength.

Zhuang Huan Yu looked at him expressionlessly and said, "If you keep causing trouble, I won't mind challenging you first."

As the representative of Tiandao Academy and the tenth genius on the Qingyun List, his calm words were more powerful than the combined anger of all the students in the scattered seats.

Tianhai Ya'er laughed strangely, extended his blood-red tongue to lick his lips, and said, "You can't bully the young."

Although these words sounded a bit like a bully, they proved that this seemingly arrogant and cruel child was actually very calm and wary of Zhuang Huan Yu.

Just then, a light laugh came from a certain direction, clearly mocking this little monster from the Zongsi Office for being a bully and a coward, which was very shameful.

Tianhai Ya'er's smile suddenly vanished, and he looked in the direction of the laughter.

Many people followed his gaze.

In the silence of the Bishop of the Teaching Hub and Xu Shiji, and the obvious indulgence of the Dean of Tiandao Academy, who else would dare to mock this little monster? Were they not afraid of death?

The laughter came from the seats of Zhaixing College.

It was a very robust young man.

Chen Changsheng recognized this young man; it was during the entrance examination of Zhaixing College.

He was somewhat worried about this young man.

Because Tianhai Ya'er's eyes had become very cold, no longer cruel, looking at the robust young man as if he were already dead.

Just then, the officer leading the Zhaixing College team asked expressionlessly, "Can't we laugh?"

Even a little monster like Tianhai Ya'er knew that Zhaixing College was not to be provoked, especially when he had no moral high ground. He looked at the robust young man, grinned, showing a mouth full of white teeth, like a calm young beast before it went mad.

...

...

The curtain behind the building slowly opened, revealing a large stone platform under the starry sky. There were more than a dozen bronze incense burners around, emitting a calming fragrance, and deep underground, defensive magical artifacts were buried, maintained by the instructors of Tiandao Academy to ensure that the energy from the battles would not spread beyond the platform.

The Qingteng Banquet officially began. Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo did not leave because Luo Luo gently tugged at his sleeve, and because he was worried about the young man from Zhaixing College, and because the little monster from the Zongsi Office had mentioned his friend Tang Sanshiu.

According to the tradition of the Qingteng Banquet in previous years, the first part would be a guiding battle between the students from various regions and the students of the Qingteng Colleges. The large gap in strength between the two sides made it easy to control, and generally, no accidents would occur.

But this year's Qingteng Banquet had seen too many unexpected events. The National Teaching College had reappeared before the world, and the bloodthirsty little monster had been released by the Zongsi Office. A dangerous undercurrent was quietly surging, and more unexpected events were bound to follow.

Before the Dean of Tiandao Academy could announce the list of combatants, a figure appeared on the platform.

Tianhai Ya'er looked in the direction of Zhaixing College and laughed, "Someone asked, can't we laugh? Of course we can. The Qingteng Banquet is such a boring thing, it's laughable. Everyone can laugh. Look, I'm laughing too."

He was a child, laughing innocently, but his pale face and blood-red lips made him look very cruel.

"Only... I'm about to beat you to death."

Tianhai Ya'er looked at the robust young man as if he were already dead and asked seriously, "Can you still laugh as happily as before?"

The building was deathly silent, and there was no sound from the seats of Zhaixing College.

Zhuang Huan Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "You know the rules of the Qingteng Banquet. If you don't follow the rules, I'll have to represent Tiandao Academy and act."

"I can't beat you, so I don't dare to offend you. But what if someone offends me?"

Tianhai Ya'er looked at him, then at the Dean of Tiandao Academy, and asked, "I won't kill him, is that enough?"

The Dean of Tiandao Academy said expressionlessly, "The Qingteng Banquet is about exchange, and it should be stopped at a point."

Tianhai Ya'er looked back at Zhaixing College.

The robust young man was silent for a moment, then shook his head, rejecting the officer's meaning, and slowly walked onto the platform.

He was the most outstanding new student of Zhaixing College this year, but he was never arrogant, being honest and lovable, and very much liked by the officers, who had high hopes for him, hoping he could participate in the Grand Imperial Examination next year, so they specially brought him to the Qingteng Banquet.

Because he was honest, he was straightforward. When Tianhai Ya'er's fierce and arrogant demeanor intimidated everyone, he thought the officers would speak up, but they were so silent, which made him feel disappointed in Zhaixing College for the first time, so he laughed.

Yes, he deliberately laughed.

This robust young man wanted to use this laugh to tell everyone that Zhaixing College was still the same as before, not knowing what fear was.

From that laugh, he began to prepare for the battle.

He knew he was not a match for the little monster from the Zongsi Office, but he would not retreat before the battle.

He came to the stone platform, facing Tianhai Ya'er, his figure appearing even more robust under the starry sky.

"My name is Xuanyuan Po, a first-year student at Zhaixing College."

Tianhai Ya'er smiled and said, "Saying you're a first-year student first, do you want me to go easy on you? Looking at your big, stupid appearance, you must be in your twenties. I'm only twelve this year, so don't worry, I won't go easy on you."

The robust young man, named Xuanyuan Po, said honestly, "I just grow fast. I'm only thirteen this year, and I am indeed a first-year student. Of course, I am older than you, so you don't need to go easy on me."

"Very good," Tianhai Ya'er's smile vanished.

Xuanyuan Po bent his waist, focused his mind, and clenched his fist like a rock, saying, "Please teach me."

Tianhai Ya'er's expression was blank, and he casually threw a punch!

A terrifying hurricane rose on the stone platform, spinning at high speed.

His fist was the center of this hurricane!

A faint barrier suddenly appeared in the night sky around the stone platform.

The barrier was slightly deformed, and the starlight that seeped through was particularly pale.

Silence.

Countless eyes looked at Tianhai Ya'er's fist, stunned.

Everyone knew that this little monster from the Zongsi Office was very powerful, with the bloodline of the Tianhai family and the teachings of the Pope, how could he not be strong?

But no one expected him to be this strong!

Just a simple punch could trigger a hurricane and deform the barrier maintained by the instructors of Tiandao Academy!

People looked at the cruelly smiling child on the platform, thinking he was only twelve this year, and were even more shocked.

If he were on the Qingyun List, where would he rank?

How well would he do in next year's Grand Imperial Examination?

...

...

No one thought Xuanyuan Po could block this punch, not even the officers and students of Zhaixing College.

But to everyone's surprise, Tianhai Ya'er's punch was actually blocked!

The two fists collided, producing a thunderous sound, and the barrier around the stone platform deformed again!

Blood trickled from the corner of Xuanyuan Po's mouth, his eyes dimmed slightly, his feet sank into the hard stone, his clothes were torn by the wind from Tianhai Ya'er's punch, and he showed signs of defeat, but he did not fall, nor did he take a step back!

Because at the moment of the collision, something unexpected happened!

This young man was extremely robust, and his fist was also very large, but it had grown even larger at this moment!

More shockingly, a thick layer of black fur appeared on the surface of his fist, and even on his exposed right arm, it was covered in black fur!

His right arm swelled rapidly, becoming thicker than an ordinary person's thigh in an instant!

Those strong muscles were like steel pillars, seemingly containing boundless strength!

Only in this way could he withstand Tianhai Ya'er's terrifying punch!

...

...

"Beast transformation!"

"Actually a demon!"

The stone platform echoed with countless exclamations, especially from the students in the scattered seats, many of whom were seeing this for the first time, shocked and shouting.

The instructors and students of the Qingteng Six Colleges were also very surprised.

Only the officers of Zhaixing College, who knew the situation beforehand, remained silent, but even they did not expect this demon new student to be able to perform far beyond his usual cultivation level under the terrifying pressure of Tianhai Ya'er.

Tianhai Ya'er did not expect that this opponent, whom he completely looked down upon, could block his punch.

This made him feel humiliated.

This made him very angry.

He screamed almost madly, like a child whose toy had been taken away.

The instructors of the Zongsi Office heard