Round Table Conference, Background Exposed

The one harboring such intense killing intent toward Mu Chen was, naturally, the side representing the Holy Spirit Academy.

"Oh? Violating the rules of the Spirit Road? May I ask what kind of nonsense these 'Spirit Road rules' are?"

"I have guarded the Spirit Road trials eighteen times, and I have never once heard of any such trial rules. Could it be that the Holy Spirit Academy drafted them overnight? Why was I never notified?"

"Cruel methods and a vicious heart? If no one died in the Spirit Road, what would be the point of the massive death quotas our Five Great Academies set every year?"

"Disrespecting the will of Heaven? What is the will of Heaven? Is your Holy Spirit Academy the will of Heaven?"

"My, my. Even the super-forces presided over by Heavenly Sovereigns wouldn't dare claim to be the embodiment of Heaven's will or act on its behalf. Does your Holy Spirit Academy really dare to?"

"Contempt for the Five Great Academies? Who are the 'Five Great'?"

"In any case, we at the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy do not feel we have been held in contempt!"

Seeing his old rival initiate a proposal, the old man Zhu Tian was so agitated that he didn't even think; he aimed his mouth at the white-robed man's face and began to spray, saliva flying everywhere.

Good heavens, his mouth was moving faster than his brain.

The Five Great Academies are not immutable; they operate on a rotation system based on bottom-tier elimination.

Any academy that ranks last among the Five Great Academies for three consecutive times in the Great Thousand Million Spiritual Academy Tournament will have its status stripped and be replaced by another top-tier academy.

To be honest, as the academy with the shallowest foundation and the shortest history among the Five Great Academies, the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy has been in a period of rising strength, flourishing day by day.

Given time, they would certainly be able to secure their position among the Five Great Academies permanently.

Due to the continuous suppression by the Holy Spirit Academy, the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy had fallen to the bottom of the Five Great Academies for two consecutive tournaments in recent years, ranking even lower than some other top-tier academies.

If they remained stagnant in the next tournament, the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy would fall out of the ranks of the Five Great Academies entirely.

How could they endure this? It was a grudge of life and death.

If not for the fact that the high-level officials of the academy maintained their composure, the powerhouses of the Holy Spirit Academy and the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy would have surely torn each other to shreds upon meeting.

The newly ascended Sovereign from the Ten Thousand Phoenix Spiritual Academy stared at this scene, dumbfounded.

Why did these seniors, who were usually so virtuous and respected, act like this in private?

And wasn't Elder Zhu Tian supposed to be known for being elegant, easygoing, and kind?

This was nothing more than an old, seasoned trash-talker who had gained sentience!

The graceful woman felt her entire worldview collapsing.

The two Sovereigns from the Wu Ling Academy and the Azure Heaven Spiritual Academy looked on with a calm, accustomed expression, even wearing expressions of delight as if they were watching a show.

They signaled to the newcomer not to panic, as this was a recurring program every year.

According to past experience, the more fiercely the old trash-talker Zhu Tian sprayed, the safer things were.

The white-robed man's proposal was refuted point by point by Zhu Tian, who cited classics and reasoned methodically, layer by layer, until the former was left speechless.

"I propose that the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy be removed from the ranks of the Five Great Academies!"

The white-robed man wiped the spit from his face, his voice frantic with rage.

"The Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy objects; the proposal is invalid."

Old man Zhu Tian grinned, retorting lightly.

It felt great; watching his opponent's frustrated expression, he felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

For proposals involving major affairs, each of the Five Great Academies holds a veto power.

"Alright, alright, I suggest you both calm down. Stop arguing."

The two Sovereigns from the Wu Ling Academy and the Azure Heaven Spiritual Academy, having had their fill of the drama, stepped in to mediate, pulling the two men apart as they were about to collide.

Elder Zhu Tian, in particular, had his mouth practically pressed against the other man's face, nearly climbing onto his shoulders.

Having calmed down, the white-robed man took a deep breath. "Everyone, let us not talk of other things today. Is it not a fact that the Five Great Academies have suffered huge losses because of that one person, Mu Chen?"

He was casting aside all high-sounding excuses to speak directly of naked interests.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tian felt a sense of foreboding and immediately looked at the reactions of the others.

Sure enough, the three Sovereigns began to ponder.

In the battle of the Black Demon Forest, the Holy Spirit Academy had suffered the most, but the other academies had also sustained casualties.

Peerless kings, seventh-grade quasi-kings, and elite seeds of the fifth and sixth grades—all sides had suffered losses.

Especially the Azure Heaven Spiritual Academy.

Although it was already a foregone conclusion that they had borrowed the genius Liu Qingyun from the Ancient Clan behind them, who would ever complain about having too much talent of their own?

Qiu Beihai, whom Ji Xuan regarded as his right-hand man and a capable assistant in surrounding Mu Chen, was a peak king rarely seen in the Spirit Road, and he had his own merits.

The high-level officials of the Azure Heaven Spiritual Academy had intended to use him as a supplement to their lead genius Liu Qingyun, a powerful arm for this Ancient Clan talent to conquer the Spiritual Academy Tournament in the future.

But now, with the death of Qiu Beihai, all of that was gone.

"I propose that Mu Chen be executed in the name of violating the Spirit Road rules, to deter the petty scoundrels in the shadows and uphold the prestige of the Five Great Academies."

The man in white saw his scheme take effect, a flash of smugness crossing his eyes.

"That is inappropriate. The punishment is too cruel and may invite public criticism."

The Sovereign from Azure Heaven Spiritual Academy was a human elder in a grey robe, his back hunched and his appearance unremarkable.

He frowned and shook his head, saying, "It would be better to strip him of his trial qualifications and expel him from the Spirit Road. A minor punishment will serve as a warning."

"Very well. To prevent any questioning, we should put it to a vote."

"Regarding the proposal to expel Mu Chen, the Holy Spirit Academy votes in favor."

The man in white glanced at the old grumbler Zhu Tian, his tone rising.

Originally, he had not intended to be so ruthless, but this man had forced his hand.

He had to reiterate once more: the prestige of the Holy Spirit Academy must not be offended!

The grey-robed elder felt he had successfully mitigated the severity, finding the punishment moderate, and immediately agreed.

The graceful woman from Ten Thousand Phoenix Spiritual Academy, having just taken on the role of guardian, maintained a conservative style; after a moment of contemplation, she decided to abstain.

As long as that phoenix from the North Desert Wen Clan remained unharmed, nothing else mattered.

Wu Ling Academy held a transcendent status and remained neutral as always, abstaining as expected.

Zhu Tian, holding the voting rights for Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, felt a bitter taste in his mouth, unable to make up his mind.

In this situation, whether he voted against or in favor, he could not change the outcome.

Now, everyone's gaze was fixed upon him.

Just at this moment, a martial artist clad in the standard robes of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy walked over on light feet and whispered something into Zhu Tian's ear.

"Everyone, I have some news to share with you all."

Zhu Tian's dejected mood was instantly swept away as he spoke in a loud voice.

The information brought by the Northern Heavens expert was precisely about Mu Chen's background and origins.

His father, the King of Hundred Spirits Mu Feng, was a Seventh Grade Sovereign (having broken through recently).

He occupied a high-level continent in the northwest region of the Great Thousand world, the Hundred Spirit Continent, commanding four major legions with millions of armored soldiers and multiple Sovereign experts in his service.

It is worth mentioning that the Hundred Spirit Continent was originally a subordinate territory of the Northern Profound Sect, a giant super-power in the northwest, and was once overseen by an Earth Sovereign expert.

Over a decade ago, a transfer of power occurred within the Hundred Spirit Continent; the previous King of Hundred Spirits retreated from the limelight and stepped down in obscurity, while the newly ascended king, Mu Feng, was crowned in the capital.

Hidden within these few words were the bloody storms that had taken place in the shadows back then.

In other words, the Hundred Spirit royal family might possibly have an Earth Sovereign backing them.

ps: One piece of good news, one piece of bad news.

The good news is that after half a month of profiling on Qidian, the collection count has finally barely broken one thousand.

The bad news is that breaking one thousand is useless; the test push failed, and I don't know if there will be any further promotion.