Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 162 - Five-Layered Golden Pagoda

The farce finally came to an end. At this point, the Xue Clan had to give up and left the venue.

As for Jin Jianfeng and Xue Wushuang, they followed behind the headmaster into the core region of the academy. When the first gleam of dawn shone through the horizon, the academy was bustling with excitement as they welcomed a new year.

“Sit!” Fan Zhen said as he took his seat.

Jin Jianfeng sat down, leaning against the chair. As for Xue Wushuang, he was still furious, especially when his left cheek was still swollen.

“Headmaster, I demand an explanation!” Xue Wushuang glared at Jin Jianfeng before turning his gaze to the headmaster. He was humiliated in front of so many students and teachers, so how could he face them in the future?

“Rest assured, I will provide a satisfactory resolution,” Fan Zhen gestured. He summoned them to address the issue. It wasn’t that conflicts among teachers were non-existent, but fights were rare. Given the annual ranking of teachers, competition was inevitable.

“I’m clear about what happened tonight; everyone has seen what the Xue Clan did. Teacher Xue doesn’t need me to go into details, right?” Fan Zhen didn’t rush to resolve the dispute between the two teachers.

“That brat injured people of my Xue Clan repeatedly. Every battle tonight was a fair challenge. Please uphold justice!” Xue Wushuang said nervously. The Xue Clan had disregarded the academy’s rules and targeted another student. This was the same as disregarding the headmaster and challenging the academy’s prestige.

“A fair challenge?” Jin Jianfeng opened his eyes and looked at Xue Wushuang with a playful gaze. “A fifth-level Spirit Cleansing Realm expert against someone in the Xiantian Realm. You’re telling me that it’s a fair fight?”

Jin Jianfeng’s words left Xue Wushuang speechless. The Xue Clan had infiltrated the academy, bribing teachers and recruiting students. This naturally incited dissatisfaction among many, as the academy was under the royal clan’s jurisdiction. The Xue Clan’s actions were tantamount to challenging the royal clan’s authority.

Minor conflicts were typically overlooked, but that night’s events had crossed the academy’s line of tolerance.

“Headmaster, that brat killed so many people. Are you just going to let it go?” Xue Wushuang was adamant. Liu Wuxie had to pay with his life, no matter what, to avenge the fallen disciples of the Xue Clan.

“What can you do about it? Blame yourselves for being weak,” Jin Jianfeng sneered. The Xue Clan was the one to set up the trap, and their disciples died instead. The Xue Clan could only blame themselves for it.

“Enough. Public killings will be penalized, no matter the justification. Now, let’s discuss the two of you,” Fan Zhen interjected. If the academy disregarded Liu Wuxie’s public execution of other students, it would set a dangerous precedent, leading to chaos.

Upon hearing that Liu Wuxie would face punishment, a smug smile spread across Xue Wushuang’s face.

“If anyone is to be penalized, it should be the Xue Clan first. Xue Wushuang, if you’re dissatisfied, we can settle this outside,” Jin Jianfeng rose from his seat, his face a mask of fury. He bore no resemblance to the laid-back figure who had been lounging in his chair earlier.

“Come on then. You think I’m afraid of you?” Xue Wushuang stood up from his seat.

“What are you two doing? Do you no longer regard me as your headmaster?!” A powerful shockwave emanated from Fan Zhen, signaling his genuine anger.

Jin Jiangfeng and Xue Wushuang lowered their heads and recollected their aura, returning to their seats with a cold snort.

“I have made my decision on this matter. The punishment will be announced in a few days. As for the two of you brawling in public as teachers, you will be fined half a year’s salary!” Fan Zhen declared his verdict outright. Both would face fines for their actions, which had tarnished the academy’s reputation. With a wave of his hand, Fan Zhen continued, “You two may leave now.”

Jin Jianfeng and Xue Wushuang left the hall, glaring at each other before they left.

......

When Liu Wuxie returned to his courtyard, Li Shengsheng and others were still around.

“Everyone can go back now and let Junior Brother Liu rest.” Zhao Cheng stepped forward. After a series of battles, even an ordinary person would be exhausted, and Liu Wuxie wasn’t an exception. He only managed to fight for so long, relying on his dantian, but he also exhausted his soul energy when playing the zither.

“Junior Brother Liu, rest well. We’ll come to see you in a couple of days.” Li Shengsheng and others left. The courtyard returned to peace, leaving behind Liu Wuxie alone.

Returning to his room, Liu Wuxie swallowed several Origin Yang Pills and contemplated what to do next. He had already fallen out with the Xue Clan openly, and even the teacher in the Marrow Cleansing Realm had attacked him, which meant he needed to be cautious.

News of the banquet’s events spread throughout the academy within a day.

On the second day, Liu Wuxie came out of the room and was greeted by warm sunlight. He walked towards the depth of the academy. His bottleneck was loosening through an entire day and night of cultivation, and he could reach the Spirit Cleansing Realm anytime.

This was an excellent opportunity for him, but making a breakthrough required immense spiritual energy to support it. The resources on him weren’t enough if he stayed in his courtyard. Thus, there was only one solution, which was to use a cultivation chamber.

The Imperial Academy had built numerous cultivation chambers, which were typically crowded. If Liu Wuxie arrived late, he would find no available space. Hence, he set out at dawn.

“This is the cultivation pagoda?!”

The Profound Grade region had a five-layered golden pagoda with over a hundred cultivation chambers. The first floor was rather ordinary, but it had the most numbers, costing five credits for a day.

The second floor was more expensive, requiring twenty credits for a day. The third floor required fifty credits for a day. The fourth floor was only open to teachers, and the fifth floor only had three chambers meant for the academy's headmaster and some ancient beings.

Liu Wuxie, already familiar with the academy’s regulations, passed through the first floor and entered a hall. He observed numerous students, mostly in the Xiantian Realm, entering the cultivation chambers. The second floor housed around twenty chambers, each corresponding to the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

But Liu Wuxie didn’t stop there and headed to the third floor. The first two floors were cheap, but the environment was naturally worse than the third floor. The third floor only had ten chambers, but the academy had over ten thousand students. As a result, there was a strong contest for the chambers here.

If Liu Wuxie’s breakthrough hadn’t been imminent and required the use of the chamber, he wouldn’t have come to this place. He walked towards the counter and could go in as long as there were spare chambers.

The person responsible for recording was an elder in his forties, who became energized upon seeing someone coming.

“Are there any available cultivation chambers?” Liu Wuxie asked, taking out his medal. He could only think of another way if there wasn’t any available chamber.

“Are you sure you want to use a cultivation chamber on the third floor?” The elder was surprised. Most of those who came to the third floor were in the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm, and it was the first for someone in the Xiantian Realm to come here.

“Is there a problem with it?” Liu Wuxie knew what the elder was thinking. His cultivation was too low and shouldn’t have come to the third floor. Just the eyes of the elder had given him away.

“The academy doesn’t have any rules against that, and there’s a cultivation chamber available. It was reserved by someone yesterday, but it was suddenly canceled. It costs fifty credits a day; how many days do you want?” The elder took out a jade token from under the counter, which was the key to the cultivation chamber.

“One day!” Liu Wuxie only had a hundred credits and didn’t want to spend them all. One day was enough for him to make his breakthrough.

The third-floor cultivation chambers required prior booking, and Liu Wuxie had arrived hoping for a stroke of luck. To his surprise, a chamber was still available, which brought a smile to his face. He placed his student medal in the designated slot, and fifty credits were deducted.

“Room 10, you can enter now!” The elder returned the medal to Liu Wuxie and sat back down, continuing to doze off.

Taking up the jade token, Liu Wuxie turned and brushed past a purple-robed man, who gave off a dense blood stench.

“I want a cultivation chamber!” The purple-robed man slammed his palm on the table, startling the elder.

However, Liu Wuxie ignored him and continued heading to his room.

“I’m sorry, but the last room was just taken,” the elder informed the purple-robed man, looking fearful and helpless.

The man in the purple robe abruptly turned to look at Liu Wuxie, his eyes devoid of any emotion. It was clear that he didn’t recognize Liu Wuxie. Given his murderous aura, it seemed he had just returned to the academy.

“Brat, stop right there!” A roar echoed, releasing a sound wave that swept toward Liu Wuxie. The roar shook the entire third floor as they were only five meters apart.

Liu Wuxie halted and spun around, his brows knitted in displeasure. He looked at the man in the purple robe with a hint of annoyance.

“Are you addressing me?” Liu Wuxie inquired. He could feel an aggressive energy emanating from this man, and the young man’s soul energy was far from weak. He even knew how to use his soul energy as a form of intimidation.

“Give me the cultivation chamber. I, Bai Zhan, will owe you a favor,” the man in the purple robe introduced himself. His name alone would send shivers down the spine of those who heard it.

There was no room for discussion as Bai Zhan spoke in a domineering tone. It was a declaration rather than a negotiation.

“I’m sorry, but no!” Liu Wuxie didn’t want to make new enemies. He might not be afraid, but it would affect his cultivation speed. He turned around and headed to the cultivation room, leaving behind Bai Zhan clenching his fists together.

“No one has ever dared to refuse me, and you’re the first. If you can withstand one punch from me, the cultivation chamber is yours,” Bai Zhan declared, flames igniting around him as he released a powerful shockwave, intending to strike Liu Wuxie. If word got out that someone at the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm was attacking someone in the Xiantian Realm, it would likely be seen as a joke.

Liu Wuxie came to a halt, a flicker of murderous intent in his eyes. He wasn’t one to seek conflict, but it seemed people often mistook his restraint for weakness.

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