Chapter 186: Dean's Ambition

No one trusts noble purity; who will express my heart.

The hero rescuing a beauty turned into a villain committing murder.

Zhang Xingyu feels he is even more wronged than Dou E.

Reason cannot be explained, and words are hard to argue.

No matter how Zhang Xingyu explains, Lu Changfeng insists that he is plotting against Lu Xiaofeng.

Damn it, it's truly something that can't be cleared even by jumping into the Yellow River.

Under Lu Changfeng's predatory stare and his harsh scolding, Zhang Xingyu covered his face and fled.

Having suffered an undeserved injustice, Zhang Xingyu no longer feels like to wander.

He returned to the competition arena with a sullen expression.

Below the cloud platform, Xu Yun Lao Dao was leisurely sipping Spiritual Tea.

Seeing Zhang Xingyu return, he waved at him.

"Dean! How delightful!"

Zhang Xingyu approached Xu Yun and reached for the nebula tea kettle beside him.

He poured all the Spiritual Tea from the kettle into his mouth and shouted, "Great tea! Dean, another pot please!"

Xu Yun Lao Dao tapped his head and said, "You stinky brat, I only had this one pot of Spiritual Tea, and you drank it all."

Zhang Xingyu shook his head at Xu Yun Lao Dao, "Dean, you're being too stingy. It's just a sip of your Spiritual Tea. I'll buy you ten jin next time!"

Xu Yun Lao Dao glared, "You stinky brat, that's a light remark. My Spiritual Tea is a treasure hard to obtain even with money. The whole Southern Zhanzhou yields only ten jin a year."

"Hah, is it really that awesome? Southern Zhanzhou spans hundreds of thousands of li, with dozens of nations and countless immortal mountain caves; I doubt you can't find a better Spiritual Tea," Zhang Xingyu retorted.

Xu Yun Lao Dao shook his head, "Giving you tea is a waste. You don't understand tea nor its Dao. Drinking tea is not just about the liquid; it's about the atmosphere, the feeling, the culture, the memories!"

"If you keep bragging like this, you could even say drinking is art, friendship, loneliness," Zhang Xingyu added.

"You stinky brat, I was just about to say that," Xu Yun Lao Dao glanced at Zhang Xingyu and added.

Damn, it's just a sip of tea; is it necessary to make it sound so profound?

Zhang Xingyu waved his hand at Xu Yun Lao Dao, "Dean, stop the useless talk. Get to the point—what do you actually want from me?"

Xu Yun Lao Dao stroked his beard, then said seriously, "Zhang Xingyu, the academy cultivated you; you ought to bring honor to the academy!"

"Of course. Dean, just say it straight. Don't talk around the point like a woman!" Zhang Xingyu replied bluntly.

Xu Yun Lao Dao nodded, "Since our academy's founding, we've sent students to 1,322 Immortal Forest Conferences. Among them, students placed in the top ten once, top twenty five times, and top fifty eighteen times. Our academy is called the fourth largest cultivation academy in Southern Zhanzhou because of these outstanding results at the Immortal Sprout Conference."

Zhang Xingyu shook his head, "Dean, those results are pathetic! You love to brag about them."

Xu Yun Lao Dao glared again, "Stop talking nonsense. Zhang Xingyu, for this grand competition I had hoped Hong Ruofei would make the top twenty. Who knew Hong Ruofei just encountered a Foundation Establishment master and was unfortunately defeated."

After speaking, he glanced at Hong Ruofei.

Following his gaze, Zhang Xingyu saw Hong Ruofei sitting on the ground, head down and dejected.

He wore a face of shame and anger, repeatedly tearing at his white heavenly silkworm silk Dao robe with his hands.

Zhang Xingyu shook his head.

What a pity, such a fine Dao robe.

Xu Yun Lao Dao paused, then said to Zhang Xingyu, "You stinky brat, I hope you seize the chance and strive to reach the top twenty. Of course, with your strength, that hope is very slim."

"Dean, you look down on people too much. Not even the top twenty—I'll bring you the top ten," Zhang Xingyu replied proudly.

Xu Yun Lao Dao tapped Zhang Xingyu's head again, "You stinky brat, would you die if you didn't brag? If you truly bring the academy the top ten, I'll fry fish in my palm for you!"

"Hah, pan‑frying fish in the palm of my hand isn't hard. If I bring the academy the top ten, Dean, you give me all the Spiritual Tea in your storage ring to drink!" Zhang Xingyu said.

Xu Yun Lao Dao felt a pang of pain for his Spiritual Tea.

But compared with the academy's honor, he readily nodded in agreement.

"Ah!"

The two were bantering when a wail suddenly rose from above the cloud platform.

Immediately after, a blood‑splattered fellow was kicked off the cloud platform.

He slammed his head onto a stone slab, brain matter splattering, convulsed a few times, then fell still.

The crowd below was shocked and turned pale.

This was the first death incident of this Immortal Forest Conference.

Although injuries on the cloud platform are inevitable, causing death is strictly prohibited by the conference.

"Punish the murderer severely!"

"Killers must pay with their lives!"

"Blood debt must be repaid with blood!"

Below the platform, the deceased's fellow sect members shouted while complaining to the senior judge, demanding severe punishment for the platform's culprit.

"Punish what!"

Above the deceased, a gold‑robed youth floated down, sword in hand.

"A lowly mortal cultivation academy scum, inferior in skill, fell off the platform and died—who can blame him?"

The gold‑robed youth lifted his head and chest, speaking disdainfully.

His Dao robe was embroidered with a golden river, indicating he is a disciple of the Tongtian Immortal Sect.

The Tongtian Immortal Sect is one of the ten great sects of Southern Zhanzhou, with countless masters, its headquarters at the Tongtian River.

"Nonsense!"

"Distorting right and wrong!"

"Can disciples of the ten great sects kill at will?"

Amid the crowd's accusations, the judge ultimately escorted the offending Tongtian Immortal Sect disciple away.

Soon after, the referee returned again.

A gong sounded.

"Immortal Seedling Conference Top 100 Competition, Group 3, Round 2, Match 1: Xiangjiang Sword Sect's Cheng Haonan versus Nanhua Immortal Academy's Zhang Xingyu."

Zhang Xingyu felt a bit dazed.

What's going on?

Brothers fighting brothers, fellow disciples clashing.

Running into Fifth Senior Brother Cheng Haonan this early was truly beyond his expectations.

If he were to knock Fifth Senior Brother off the Cloud Platform, he would truly feel uneasy in his heart.

But if Fifth Senior Brother were to knock him off the Cloud Platform, he would also be truly unwilling.

Moreover, Master Xu Yun and the other senior brothers were still watching him from below.

He really had a headache.

A difficult choice.

In a daze, Zhang Xingyu had already ascended to the Cloud Platform.

"Fifth Senior Brother!" Zhang Xingyu clasped his hands toward Cheng Haonan.

"Junior Brother Zhang!" Cheng Haonan nodded.

"Fifth Senior Brother, I promised the Dean I would make the top ten. For the honor of the academy, I..." Zhang Xingyu apologetically explained.

Before he could finish, Cheng Haonan interrupted: "I know, junior brother need not hold back. We've been together so long as senior and junior brothers, yet we've never sparred. This opportunity is perfect."

Zhang Xingyu nodded: "Then please, Fifth Senior Brother, don't hold back either. Let us brothers have a good exchange."

Zhang Xingyu drew his Fire Dragon.

"Fifth Senior Brother, as the junior brother, I'll strike first."

Having said that, Zhang Xingyu's Fire Dragon turned into a flowing light thrusting toward Cheng Haonan.

Cheng Haonan shook his hand, and his flying sword shot out, meeting the oncoming sword light.

The two flying swords went back and forth without cease.

After over a hundred exchanges of the flying swords, Cheng Haonan's hand flashed with golden light, and a brick transformed into a small hill that hurtled toward Zhang Xingyu.

Zhang Xingyu threw out his Immortal-binding Rope, trapping the brick in midair.

The two stood in place, continuously pouring spiritual power into their flying swords and magic treasures.

After a moment, Cheng Haonan suddenly uttered a Dharma decision, retracting the brick and flying sword.

In Zhang Xingyu's astonished gaze, Cheng Haonan leapt down from the Cloud Platform.

"Junior Brother, please look after Junior Sister Ouyang! Make her forget me!"