Chapter 33

But that was hardly a good thing!

Emperor Tai An had long been wary of the Academy, and his dissatisfaction with Li Changsheng, the Number One Under Heaven, had festered for years.

Now the two had joined forces.

If Emperor Tai An truly provoked Li Changsheng, his master, and Jiang Mu Ming, the two of them working together could topple a dynasty—

with a single sword stroke.

Xiao Ruofeng sighed inwardly, uncertain whether this matter was a blessing or a curse.

His final thought, however, turned to Young Master Zhuo Mo, Lei Mengsha.

He was the first to encounter Jiang Mu Ming.

Though he seemed loud and full of idle chatter, he wasn't as foolish as he appeared.

Jiang Mu Ming had left his mark in Southwest Dao and Gan Dong City.

Especially that day, when Lawless and Unrestrained had beaten them to the courtyard of Confucian Immortal Gu Chen.

But when they entered, only the corpses of Lawless and Unrestrained remained.

Confucian Immortal Gu Chen was unharmed, without even a trace of having acted.

Lei Mengsha had suspected as much that day.

So he quietly tracked Jiang Mu Ming's movements, and knew the moment Jiang Mu Ming appeared in Tian Qi City yesterday.

Then there was last night's battle.

With all these clues, Lei Mengsha was already seventy percent certain.

The one who killed Lawless and Unrestrained, the one who fought Mister Li last night—

was Jiang Mu Ming.

That was why he had exclaimed in his heart, 'So it was him!'

A youth not yet twenty!

How long had it been since he first stepped into the martial world? Just a few months, and he had already reached a level where he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the renowned Mister Li?

In comparison, his own daughter was already over ten years old.

And she was still just one of the Eight Princes of Northern Li, not even on the Peerless Ranking.

On the Fine Jade Ranking, she wasn't even near the top...

But though Lei Mengsha had guessed Jiang Mu Ming's strength, he wouldn't go around spreading it.

He might talk a lot, but he knew

some things could be said, and some things could not.

"Hahaha!" A hearty laugh rang out from the Academy rooftop.

Everyone looked up.

It was Li Changsheng, his hair completely white.

"From now on, I won't have to bother with Academy affairs anymore."

"I'm off! I'm off!"

With that, Li Changsheng leaped and vanished, no one knew where.

Leaving the Academy disciples exchanging bewildered glances.

The Eight Princes of Northern Li could only smile wryly—their master truly was... far too unreliable!

Jiang Mu Ming was stunned.

He hadn't expected that on his very first day in office, Li Changsheng would just drop everything and disappear.

Still, it fit the man's carefree nature.

"Ahem!"

At the critical moment, Young Master Fenghua Xiao Ruofeng stepped forward.

He said, "In that case, from now on, Academy matters will be handled by Second Mister."

"For now, the most important thing is the Academy examination."

"For this examination, we invite Second Mister to set the questions!"

Jiang Mu Ming suddenly wondered if coming here to be a teacher at the Academy had been the right decision.

Only the first day.

Li Changsheng had already run off.

The burden of the grand examination fell squarely on his shoulders.

This...

"Forget it!"

Jiang Mu Ming said helplessly, "In that case, the preliminary exam questions for this grand examination..."

"I will set them myself."

"You all prepare carefully, and make sure every scholar attending the preliminaries is properly arranged!"

This time.

Jiang Mu Ming had no intention of letting Young Master Liu Yue set the questions as per the original course of events.

Civil and martial arts were fine, of course.

But they didn't suit Jiang Mu Ming's style.

Better to give this preliminary exam...

a dose of intensity!

He would set the questions himself!

Tian Qi City.

The Academy.

A secluded spot.

Jiang Mu Ming sat quietly reading a book, while beside him, Baili Dongjun, who had already arrived in Tian Qi, sat cross-legged in meditation.

But he was still young at heart, and couldn't settle down for long.

"Practice well."

"This is the Autumn Water Art, which your master created long ago while wandering the world, sleeping by a great river in autumn."

Jiang Mu Ming glanced at Baili Dongjun.

The Baili Dongjun before him was not the one from the original story, who had lost his master.

Though that day, the situation had been dire.