Arrogance!

"Of course..."

"No!!!"

The words hit the ground like thunder, exploding through the classroom!

Hiss!!~~

Inside the classroom, the students of Class Geng instantly sucked in sharp breaths, all staring wide-eyed at Chen An.

None of them had expected that Chen An, usually introverted, withdrawn, and reluctant to speak, would dare to be so bluntly arrogant at a time like this—to openly declare that he had no regard for an instructor?!

Liu Zhixing, standing before the desk, suddenly stiffened from head to toe. His pupils contracted sharply, veins bulging faintly on his face as fury churned in his chest, nearly beyond his control.

He had never imagined that Chen An—usually taciturn, weak in cultivation, seemingly cowardly, and someone he had never bothered to take seriously—would dare to openly defy and insult him like this.

Liu Qingyun, who had been prepared to watch the show, also darkened at once upon hearing Chen An speak such blunt, arrogant words of defiance against his father.

"Arrogant!!!"

Liu Qingyun glared coldly at Chen An, contempt written across his face with a hint of sinister malice. "Chen An, do you think that just because you have Shen Qinglan backing you, you can look down on everyone and defy your elders as you please?!"

"With your measly second level of Qi Condensation cultivation, you do not even rank among Class Geng. Who gave you the nerve to disrespect my father?!"

"Do you really think no one in the county academy can deal with you?!"

As soon as the words fell, true qi surged around Liu Qingyun. The aura of someone at the late stage of Qi Condensation, nearly at perfection, burst from his body and transformed into terrifying pressure that bore down viciously upon Chen An.

Yet Liu Qingyun's pressure, enough to make an early Qi Condensation cultivator tremble in terror, was no more than a breeze brushing Chen An's face. It was not even worthy of making his eyelids twitch.

Chen An swept a cold glance over Liu Qingyun, then looked at the iron-faced Liu Zhixing. "If you want others to respect you, then you must possess the character and principles worthy of respect!"

"As the chief instructor of the county academy's Class Geng, rather than teaching and imparting knowledge, you scheme for personal gain. Taking advantage of the county examination, you plot against your students, forcing them to abandon the exam and become guards for a trading company—all to preserve your own evaluation record and seek private profit from it."

"How can an instructor so selfish in conduct, one who has cast aside all teacherly virtue, deserve anyone's respect?!!!"

"Good!!!"

The students felt their spirits stir, and the stifled resentment in their chests finally burst free. They could not help secretly cheering in their hearts.

Their eyes shone, inwardly applauding again and again. Yet Liu Zhixing and his son were too imposing; though angered, they did not dare speak. Had those two not been present, they likely would have already shouted their agreement and applauded.

Every gaze directed at Chen An was filled with heartfelt admiration and respect.

No one had expected that the ordinarily silent and solitary Chen An possessed such courage and pride—that he would dare to openly voice every thought that they had all been too afraid to say.

"Good! Good! Good!!!"

The three furious shouts shook their eardrums until they buzzed.

An incomparably powerful late Houtian Realm aura suddenly erupted from Liu Zhixing's body, sweeping through the entire classroom like raging winds and monstrous waves!

Violent gusts crashed wildly in every direction. The surrounding tables, chairs, desks, papers, brushes, and books were instantly hurled into the air by immense force. Wooden tables split apart, sheets of paper fluttered everywhere, and scattered objects whirled chaotically through the air before crashing heavily to the ground with loud bangs.

The airflow throughout the classroom went wild, while pressure descended like a mountain bearing down from above.

If you cannot find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author instead—it may simply have been renamed!

The faces of all the Class Geng students turned deathly pale. Their legs weakened, their breathing became sluggish and difficult, and they were forced to retreat again and again, utterly unable to withstand the majestic aura of a Houtian Realm expert.

Yet Chen An, standing at the heart of the storm, remained tall and upright, his expression calm and his gaze tranquil. No matter how the Houtian Realm pressure bombarded him, he stood as steady as a rock. His robes fluttered faintly, but his body did not sway in the slightest.

Liu Zhixing's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Chen An, his voice icy enough to pierce bone. "You insolent brat! You dare humiliate me in public and defy your teacher! Today, this old man shall..."

"Instructor Liu, what are you doing?!"

Just as the tension reached a breaking point, a steady, authoritative voice suddenly rang out from beyond the classroom door. It clearly pierced through the violent currents of air and directly suppressed Liu Zhixing's furious roar.

As the voice fell, an aged figure slowly stepped into the classroom.

The newcomer was an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a clean, simple gray academy robe. His face was solemn, and though not the slightest sharp aura erupted from him, he naturally carried the weighty, steady bearing of an academy, inspiring awe in all who saw him.

He was the county academy's Head Elder, Wei Linyuan!

The moment Wei Linyuan entered, the turbulent currents abruptly settled. The scattered Houtian pressure that had been crushing down in all directions withdrew and vanished like the ebbing tide. The paper strewn across the floor and the crooked, broken tables and chairs all fell still.

The classroom instantly became silent as a grave.

The students who had been crushed nearly breathless by the pressure all raised their heads, delight appearing on their faces.

Liu Zhixing's entire body stiffened, and his enraged expression froze abruptly. Instinctively restraining his Baleful Intent, he whirled toward the newcomer. A flicker of panic flashed through his eyes before he forcibly suppressed his anger, bowed respectfully, and said, "Elder Wei, why have you come?!"

Wei Linyuan was the county academy's Head Elder. Not only was he himself at Houtian Realm perfection, but his position as Head Elder placed him second only to the county academy's preceptor.

More importantly, even the academy preceptor, Fan Suiyun—the Xiantian Realm expert—had once been one of Wei Linyuan's disciples.

It could be said that Wei Linyuan was the true foremost figure of the county academy.

Wei Linyuan swept his slightly clouded gaze across everyone in the classroom. When his eyes fell upon Chen An, whose composed, neither servile nor overbearing demeanor differed from the others, a flicker of surprise passed through them. Only then did he turn to Liu Zhixing and say mildly, "This old man happened to be passing by and sensed true qi erupting, so I came to take a look. Instructor Liu, what happened for you to lose your temper so badly?"

At Wei Linyuan's words, Liu Zhixing's heart sank sharply. The rage in his heart was instantly suppressed, even replaced by a trace of panic.

He knew Wei Linyuan's temperament all too well!

This Head Elder was impartial and stern, strictly upheld the academy's rules, valued teacherly virtue and academic conduct above all else, and most despised instructors who abused their position for personal gain or mistreated students.

If Wei Linyuan learned that, for the sake of his own evaluation record, Liu Zhixing had secretly plotted against his students and forced them to abandon the joint examination of the five prefectures, leave the academy, and enter a trading company for profit, then even his position as an instructor might not be secure!

"Reporting to Elder, this boy is named Chen An. His disposition is unruly and arrogant; he defies his elders and refuses to mend his ways despite repeated instruction. In a moment of anger, I merely intended to frighten him. I never expected to disturb Elder. I beg Elder's forgiveness!" Liu Zhixing took a deep breath, glared at Chen An, and twisted black into white while evading the important details.

"Oh?!~~"

Wei Linyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to Chen An. Seeing that Chen An's expression was still as calm as water, without the slightest hint of panic over Liu Zhixing's words, his gaze shifted as he said, "Chen An, do you have anything to say?!"

"Elder, Chen An has always relied on his connection to Shen Qinglan, the top student of Class A, to disregard my father. He has repeatedly talked back to my father. The other classmates and I can all testify to this. I ask that Elder punish this boy severely, to set the academy's conduct aright!" Hearing Wei Linyuan question Chen An, Liu Qingyun hurriedly jumped out and spoke first.

Quite a few students of Class Geng felt their hearts tighten, hesitation showing on their faces.

They knew full well what the truth was, but fearing the power and influence of Liu Zhixing and his son, no one dared speak out publicly to refute them. They could only lower their heads one after another, not daring to meet the elder's gaze.

Wei Linyuan's eyes swept indifferently over Liu Qingyun, who was so eager to defend himself. A strange glint flashed through his eyes before his gaze fell back on Chen An. In an even tone, he asked, "Is what he said true?"

"Elder Wei, the truth of the matter is all on this sheet of paper. Please have a look!" Chen An did not say much. He merely reached out and handed over a piece of paper.

Liu Zhixing and his son, who had been forcing themselves to remain calm, suddenly stiffened all over the instant they saw the paper in Chen An's hand. The color drained from their faces in an instant, leaving them pale as paper...

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