Chapter 497: Academy Spots

Inside the room, Hua Wuxing frowned.

He looked at those few servile-looking subordinates, his eyes filled with a thoughtful expression.

"Was it you who spread the news that Xia Yang offended me?"

The servile-looking subordinate hurriedly shook his head: "Senior Brother, it wasn't me!

Although that brat offended you, Senior Brother, you are currently planning for a spot in the Academy; how could we spread this matter and cause trouble for you?

He offended you, so once you obtain the Academy spot,"

Hua Wuxing looked at the servile-looking subordinate and finally nodded: "Go and investigate who spread this matter, understand?"

The Zhenyuan Kingdom has a total of one hundred and twenty prefectures, which means one hundred and twenty academies.

As a citizen of the Zhenyuan Kingdom, if one wants to climb higher and improve their strength, one must go through the path of the Academy.

Especially practitioners of Literary Arts.

Practitioners of Literary Arts have almost no combat power.

However, if one becomes a student of the Academy and is lucky enough to obtain... a Dao Soldier.

Then, a practitioner of Literary Arts is no worse than a martial artist.

For instance, the Sect Master of the Qingxu Sect is a Nascent Soul master; he has never practiced any martial arts, yet he is able to govern the Qingxu Sect precisely because the Sect Master possesses a Dao Soldier bestowed by the Holy Sect.

An academy of a prefecture gathers the geniuses of that entire prefecture.

They recruit students every year.

Nanfeng Prefecture has a total of thirty-seven commanderies, and each commandery governs three to seven counties.

As the premier power in Luo Ma County, the Qingxu Sect only has seven spots to join the Academy this year.

Hua Wuxing attaches great importance to this matter and cannot afford any mistakes.

Just then, a servant walked in: "Senior Brother Hua, the Fifth Elder's daughter, Zhuge Qingxia, invites you to go out for an outing."

Hearing this, Hua Wuxing frowned: "Isn't the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang causing trouble for her? She still wants to go for an outing? I'm not going."

Hua Wuxing did not have much affection for this willful and arrogant woman, Zhuge Qingxia.

If it weren't for the fact that he needs to rely on Zhuge Qingxia's father to enter the Academy, he would be too lazy to have any contact with someone like her.

"But Senior Brother, wouldn't it be bad to refuse like this?" the disciple said hesitantly.

Zhuge Qingxia has a bad temper and is overbearing; her reputation in the Qingxu Sect has always been poor.

If he were to pass on Hua Wuxing's words, he might provoke Zhuge Qingxia's anger and end up receiving a lash from her.

Hua Wuxing hesitated for a moment, then said: "Just say that I have gained some insight in my Literary Arts cultivation and need to go into seclusion for half a month.

After half a month, I will accompany her on an outing."

Only then did the disciple heave a sigh of relief.

Having received Hua Wuxing's reply, the young disciple hurriedly trotted out to relay Hua Wuxing's words to Zhuge Qingxia.

Hearing this, a look of disappointment appeared on Zhuge Qingxia's face: "Half a month later?"

A smile appeared on her face again: "Tell Junior Brother Hua, if he doesn't accompany me on an outing in half a month, I will go with other men."

The young disciple broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this and nodded frantically.

Today, it is Lin Chao and three others protecting Zhuge Qingxia's safety.

Zhuge Qingxia is willful and arrogant, and Lin Chao originally thought there would be many twists and turns, but he did not expect that for these past few days, Zhuge Qingxia has stayed obediently inside the Qingxu Sect.

Staying inside the Qingxu Sect can be said to be very safe.

Without an inside traitor, that Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang would be unable to take Zhuge Qingxia away.

The three disciples present, including Lin Chao, were guarding outside the garden; the three of them were somewhat relaxed and began to chat.

"That Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang, he wouldn't just not come, would he?" said a man with a mole between his eyebrows; his name was very ordinary, just Wang Zhi.

"The Qingxu Sect is the number one power in Luo Ma County, backed by the Holy Sect; that Zhu Xiang is just a flower-picking bandit, what guts does he have to come?" said another burly woman, her face filled with arrogance.

"This Zhu Xiang is no ordinary person," said a fair-skinned disciple, "He is a cast-off student from the Nanfeng Prefecture Academy."

"What, he was actually a person from the Academy?

Everyone who joins the Academy is a heaven-gifted genius with a bright future; how could he go and become a flower-picking bandit?" A look of surprise appeared on the burly woman's face.

"It was all because he was harmed by the Northerners," the fair-skinned man's eyes showed an angry expression, "That Zhu Xiang was a good family man from our Southern lands who entered the Academy with his fiancée, becoming a beautiful story.

You all should know how difficult it is for us people of the Southern lands to enter the Academy; it requires a heaven-gifted genius like Hua Wuxing, and even Senior Sister Zhuge Qingxia doesn't have the qualifications.

But the people of the Northern lands have good fates; if someone with ordinary talent like me were born into a great Northern clan, perhaps I could also enter the Academy.

This has also led to many spoiled brats from the North entering the Academy." The fair-skinned man looked like a bit of a hot-blooded youth, "Zhu Xiang's fiancée was targeted by a spoiled brat from the North.

That spoiled brat forcibly... slept with Zhu Xiang's fiancée.

Zhu Xiang learned of this and was incomparably furious; at the time, his fiancée kept crying and seeking death.

So, Zhu Xiang took his fiancée and struck the Morning and Evening Drum of the Academy, wanting to use it to cry out for justice, which brought out the Libationer."

"What happened later? Did the Libationer slaughter that dog-mother-born spoiled brat from the North?" the burly woman asked with an urgent expression.

"Are you stupid? If he had been slaughtered, Zhu Xiang wouldn't have been expelled from the Academy and reduced to a flower-picking bandit!" said Wang Zhi.

"Sigh, unexpectedly, when pointing out the culprit, Zhu Xiang's fiancée suddenly changed her story.

She said that it was Zhu Xiang who took a fancy to a treasure of that spoiled brat, so he forced her to seduce that person, and then coerced that person to hand over the treasure." When the fair-skinned man said this, he gritted his teeth.

Hearing this, the burly woman and Wang Zhi also showed expressions of astonishment.

"This woman, if I see her, I will definitely slap her a hundred times!"

"How can there be such a shameless person in this world!"

The three people present cursed one after another.

Lin Chao also occasionally chimed in.

"It is precisely because of the betrayal of his dearest person that Zhu Xiang turned from an innocent victim into an abuser, and was even expelled from the Academy."

"Those people from the North are truly detestable!"

"Not only do they seize our quotas for entering the Academy, but they also..." The fair-skinned man grew angrier as he spoke, as if he were the bullied Zhu Xiang, the one whose quota for the Academy had been snatched away.

"Li Wan, watch your tongue; it is better not to discuss such things." Wang Zhi lowered his voice and said, "The reduction in the quota for official disciples recruited by our Qingxu Sect this time is the work of the Northerners."

"In our Southern lands, for all those belonging to the Holy Sect, the quotas for recruiting official disciples have all been reduced, while those in the North are increasing."

"The Sect Master is a person from the North."

"We should discuss this quietly; these words must not reach the ears of the Sect Master, otherwise..."

"Damn it." The burly woman could not help but curse, "Northern bumpkins!"

Lin Chao, however, did not know much about these matters.

After all, he had not been awake for long, and his understanding of this world was limited.

He could not help but ask: "How can one join the Academy?"

Beside him, the fair-skinned man looked at Lin Chao with a smile on his face, though he felt a hint of disdain in his heart: "Become a Golden Core True Person before the age of twenty, and you can enter the Academy."

Hearing this, Lin Chao was somewhat surprised.

In other worlds, a twenty-year-old Golden Core True Person would have the potential of a Great Emperor.

However, in this world, it was easy to understand.

After all, the three people chatting with him all possessed special physiques.

For instance, Wang Zhi had the rare Heavenly Yin Physique.

The fair-skinned man had the Spirit Void Physique.

The burly woman was even more extraordinary, possessing the Barbarian King Physique.

If these physiques were taken out to the outside world individually, they would all be heaven-gifted prodigies that major sects would scramble to snatch up.

Yet, in this world, they were just... the most ordinary disciples, unable to even enter the Academy.

This contrast made Lin Chao feel quite amused.

It even gave him a sense of unreality.

After all, it would be like waking up early in the morning and seeing an old woman with the Ice Snow Divine Physique dumping night soil.

The four of them chatted outside for a while, but they also kept a constant watch on the movements in the garden and the surroundings.

That expelled student of the Academy, Zhu Xiang, did not appear at the Qingxu Sect either.

Lin Chao's day passed by exceptionally easily and leisurely.

Late at night, Lin Chao finally swapped shifts with other disciples and walked toward his room.

On the way, Lin Chao saw the furtive Zhao Tai, whose eyes revealed a look of distress: "Xia Yang, can you lend me some money?"

Looking at Zhao Tai, Lin Chao could not help but think of a movie he had seen called "Big Shot," where the villain shared the same name as Zhao Tai, and the two even looked somewhat alike.

However, the Zhao Tai before him did not have the arrogance and domineering nature of the one in the movie.

Hearing this, Lin Chao showed a helpless expression: "I have no money."

He really had no money, nor did he have the time to earn any.

In his other lives, he would have long since let himself go and earned money by preying on the wicked.

In this life, the world was far too strange.

As he was now, even though he was already an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist, in terms of strength, he was actually still very weak.

This made Lin Chao sigh with emotion.

If he were a powerhouse of the Boundless Realm, mastering a supreme principle that was universal across all worlds.

Then, he would not be in such a predicament now.

"Sigh." Zhao Tai showed a disappointed expression, "A friend of mine suffered an external injury, and if we go to a medical clinic for treatment, the cost is too high."

"Is it just an external injury?" Lin Chao mentioned casually.

"Yes."

"There is a weed on our Back Mountain called Mogen; if you take it, grind it, and mix it with rabbit blood, it might be effective for treating external injuries," Lin Chao said.

Over so many lives, Lin Chao naturally understood some medical skills.

"Xia Yang, you even know medical skills?" Zhao Tai asked in surprise.

Mogen was a type of weed and was worthless.

"A family secret remedy; it might have miraculous effects, you can give it a try," Lin Chao said.

"Xia Yang, you wouldn't happen to be a descendant of the Xia family from the Zhongdu Medicine King Court, would you?

That is the number one sacred site for medicine in our Zhenyuan Kingdom." Zhao Tai widened his eyes.

Lin Chao shook his head: "I am not."

"I have noted down your remedy, thank you, Xia Yang." Zhao Tai bid farewell to Lin Chao and left in a hurry.

Lin Chao did not pay it much mind; returning to his room, he first sat in meditation to cultivate.

After cultivating for about two quarters of an hour, Lin Chao stopped.

This body could not take it anymore.

The next day, Lin Chao was walking inside the Qingxu Sect.

Suddenly, a burst of noise came from somewhere.

"The Flower Bandit!"

"It's the Flower Bandit!"

Someone shouted loudly.

Hearing this, Lin Chao's heart tightened.

Has the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang come to capture Zhuge Qingxia?

So bold?

Without any hesitation, Lin Chao hurried toward the place where Zhuge Qingxia was.

After all, if any harm were to come to Zhuge Qingxia, given Zhuge Liu's temperament, none of them would have a good end.

Lin Chao did not want to invite trouble either.

When he arrived at Zhuge Qingxia's residence, he saw six Registered Disciples guarding the perimeter.

Clearly, the Flower Bandit had not come here.

Wang Zhi waved at Lin Chao: "Xia Yang, come here."

Lin Chao walked over and stood side-by-side with Wang Zhi, then asked in a low voice: "What is going on? Has the Flower Bandit come here?"

"No." Wang Zhi shook his head, and after glancing at the courtyard, he said, "Zhuge Qingxia is inside; the Flower Bandit did not come here."

"Strange, could it be that the Flower Bandit came to the Qingxu Sect not to kidnap Senior Sister Qingxia?"

"I don't know." Lin Chao was not clear on the matter.

Over the next quarter of an hour,

the twelve cannon-fodder Registered Disciples under Zhuge Liu had all arrived and were guarding outside Zhuge Qingxia's courtyard.

With twelve people guarding here, not even a mouse could hope to sneak inside.

Not long after, Zhuge Qingxia walked out wearing a goose-yellow long dress, a look of dissatisfaction on her face.

"Not sleeping in the middle of the night, gathering here to disturb people's dreams?"

The fair-skinned man hurriedly stepped forward, showing a fawning expression: "Senior Sister, the Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang suddenly arrived at the Qingxu Sect, and we were worried about Senior Sister's safety, so we all rushed here."

"Senior Sister, rest assured; with us here, the Flower Bandit will certainly not do anything to Senior Sister tonight."

Crack!

A loud whip sound rang out, and the fair-skinned man let out a miserable cry and fell to the ground.

Zhuge Qingxia held a whip in her hand and lashed it across the fair-skinned man, tearing a hole in his clothes and leaving a bloody welt underneath.

"The Flower Bandit didn't do anything to me, but you lot have caused me to be unable to sleep," Zhuge Qingxia said, then picked up the whip again and lashed the fair-skinned man.

The fair-skinned man's face showed a twisted, pained expression, yet he dared not offer any resistance.

Because the person before him was Zhuge Qingxia, the only daughter of the Fifth Elder.

If they offended the Fifth Elder, the Fifth Elder could drive them out of the Qingxu Sect.

Once they left the Qingxu Sect, all their previous efforts and hard work would be in vain.

Aside from the noble clans and families, the only way out for people like them was a branch of a Holy Sect like the Qingxu Sect.

"You lot are so noisy."

"If Senior Brother Hua Wuxing were here, that Flower Bandit Zhu Xiang would be worth nothing."

As she spoke, she handed the whip to the fair-skinned man: "Each of you take one lash, hit hard, and this matter will be considered over."

The fair-skinned man dared to be angry but dared not speak.

Everyone present shared the same thought.

They dared not offend Zhuge Qingxia and could only silently endure, while also feeling immense grievance.

They had come to protect Zhuge Qingxia, yet they were treated like this.

At this moment, Zhuge Qingxia suddenly changed the subject and looked at Lin Chao: "Your name is Xia Yang, right?"

"Yes," Lin Chao replied.

"You look quite good; you don't have to take this lash." Zhuge Qingxia wore a kind smile, looking just like an understanding big sister.

"Many thanks, Senior Sister." Lin Chao's gaze was calm.

Seeing this, the people around them looked at Lin Chao with a hint of complexity.

People fear comparison.

They transferred their resentment toward Zhuge Qingxia onto Lin Chao.

(End of this chapter)