Triumph Breeds Arrogance?!

The room fell deathly silent; one could hear a pin drop!

The moment Liu Zhixing saw the sheet of paper in Chen An's hand, his pupils contracted violently. His heart sank with a crash, and an icy chill instantly swept through his entire body.

How was that possible?!

Hadn't those withdrawal agreements been in his possession all along?!

How had they ended up in Chen An's hands?!

How had Chen An, a mere boy at the second level of Qi Condensation, evaded the senses of a Houtian Realm expert like him and obtained that paper?!

Beside him, Liu Qingyun's breathing also turned ragged. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, yet he felt nothing. A trace of panic flashed through his eyes as well.

The two of them knew that paper all too well. It was the document they had painstakingly prepared to make those ten Geng Class students voluntarily withdraw from the county examination and join the Treasure Gathering Trading Company as applicants for guard positions.

Neither of them had expected Chen An to somehow obtain one of the documents and hand it over to the headmaster elder.

Wei Linyuan raised a hand and took the thin document. His fingertips brushed over the neatly written lines as his gaze slowly passed over its withdrawal clauses and the trading company's employment terms. His aged, clouded eyes instantly turned utterly grave.

As an old man who had lived nearly a hundred years and served as the county academy's headmaster elder for decades, how could he fail to see the hidden tricks within this agreement?!

The once-peaceful air abruptly trembled. A fierce pressure belonging to a Houtian Realm Great Perfection expert silently enveloped the entire teachers' quarters, countless times heavier and more terrifying than Liu Zhixing's furious aura from before.

He lifted his eyes, his gaze indifferent yet sharp as a blade, and looked straight at the pale-faced, utterly flustered Liu Zhixing. "Good. Instructor Liu, very good indeed!"

Hearing Wei Linyuan's words, with irrefutable evidence right before him, Liu Zhixing's entire body trembled and all color drained from his face.

Before the rage of Wei Linyuan, the headmaster elder, Liu Zhixing could no longer maintain the stern authority he had shown the students moments ago. He staggered forward, repeatedly bowing and clasping his hands toward Wei Linyuan as he said in a trembling voice, "Elder, please forgive me. This subordinate... this subordinate knows his mistake!"

"This subordinate was blinded by greed for a moment. My selfish desires took hold—I coveted a few material benefits, and feared that Geng Class would perform too poorly in the county examination and drag down my own evaluation. That was why I foolishly drafted this document, hoping to persuade several students of mediocre aptitude to give up the county examination and seek a living at the trading company..."

"This subordinate never intended to oppress the students, nor did I deliberately seek to corrupt the academy's atmosphere. I was merely confused for a moment, Elder—merely confused for a moment!"

With the evidence as solid as a mountain before him, and facing the ever-impartial Wei Linyuan, Liu Zhixing no longer dared to twist black into white or slander Chen An. He could only lower his posture, repeatedly admit his wrongs, and beg for mercy, hoping that his submissive repentance would earn him a lighter punishment from Wei Linyuan.

Liu Qingyun felt a chill run through his heart as he watched. His father's public admission of guilt was equivalent to confirming every charge beyond doubt. His face shifted between green and white, all his arrogant swagger gone. He could only shoot Chen An a venomous glare, then lower his head and stand silently to one side.

The surrounding Geng Class students watched in secret shock, cheering again and again in their hearts and cursing that it served him right.

No one had expected that Instructor Liu, who usually held himself high above them all, put on the solemn airs of a respected teacher, and constantly nitpicked and pressured everyone, would now beg so humbly before the headmaster elder—without the slightest backbone or bearing befitting an instructor.

Watching Liu Zhixing bow his head, then catching the mixture of curiosity and contempt in the students' eyes, Wei Linyuan frowned slightly.

He turned to Chen An, then swept his gaze across everyone present. His steady tone carried an authority that allowed no dispute. "This old man will handle this matter impartially and certainly give everyone a fair account. Tomorrow is the county examination. For now, disperse and return to rest and prepare."

"Yes, Elder Wei!"

The students answered in unison. Though curiosity gnawed at all of them and they wished to stay and watch Liu Zhixing make a disgraceful exit, Wei Linyuan had already spoken. None dared linger, and they could only suppress their thoughts as they slowly left the teachers' quarters in twos and threes, murmuring among themselves.

"You're Chen An, correct?!" Just as Chen An reached the door with the others and was about to leave, Wei Linyuan suddenly called out.

"Yes, Elder Wei. This student is Chen An!" Chen An stopped, turned around, and gave a composed nod.

"You did well. Take the examination seriously tomorrow!" A trace of appreciation crossed Wei Linyuan's face as he looked at Chen An, who had remained calm and composed throughout.

"Yes. Thank you, Elder!" Chen An nodded.

"Mhm. Go on, then!" Wei Linyuan nodded slightly and waved his hand.

Chen An gave a slight bow before turning and walking out.

"Chen An, your guts were way too huge just now!"

"Chen An, I never expected you to be so bold—you actually dared to defy that Liu the Skinner!"

"Thank you for what you did just now, Chen An. If not for you, we might not even have been able to take the county examination!"

The moment he stepped outside, the Geng Class students surrounding him immediately crowded over. They looked at Chen An with admiration and gratitude on their faces.

"Mhm. I have something to do, so I'll be going back first."

Faced with their flattery, Chen An merely nodded faintly. Then he parted the students and strode toward the county academy's main gate.

When faced with the coercion of Liu Zhixing and his son, these people had all been like quails. Even after he stepped forward, not a single one of them had uttered a word of resistance.

What he despised most was that earlier, when Liu Qingyun had twisted black into white before Wei Linyuan and claimed that they could testify, every one of them had still hung their heads low. All of them acted as if the matter had nothing to do with them, terrified of getting even the slightest bit of trouble on themselves and bringing disaster down upon their own heads.

Yet now that he had overturned Liu Zhixing and his son's scheme and preserved their right to take the county examination, this group immediately crowded around him, their mouths full of flattery and gratitude.

Their behavior—arrogant before, obsequious after, chasing profit and avoiding harm—made him utterly unwilling to spare them any attention.

"Tch! What are you putting on airs for?!"

"Exactly! Your cultivation is even lower than mine—what are you acting so high and mighty for?!"

"Yeah! If Elder Wei hadn't happened to be nearby and come over just then, with that tiny bit of cultivation of his, who knows how Liu the Skinner would've dealt with him?!"

"A petty man grows arrogant the moment he succeeds!!!"

Watching Chen An's retreating figure, several of them first exchanged looks, then lowered their voices and began muttering sourly, their faces full of contempt and disdain.

As for the little gratitude they had felt just moments ago, they had naturally long since tossed it beyond the clouds.

Although they had deliberately lowered their voices, with Chen An's current martial cultivation, not even the faintest rustle in his surroundings could escape his ears. Every last word of their sour remarks reached him clearly.

Hearing their slander behind his back, Chen An was not surprised in the slightest. Instead, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Who knows how Liu the Skinner would've dealt with him?!

The Liu father and son ought to be grateful that he had happened to comprehend the artistic conception today, strengthening his soul and no longer being as impetuous and restless as before.

Otherwise, if the Liu father and son had truly dared to make a move, then if he didn't beat them until they shat themselves, it would count as them having an exceptionally clean bowel movement!

These people were timid and afraid of trouble, always shrinking to the rear whenever anything happened. They took advantage yet knew no gratitude; instead, they hid behind others' backs, wagging their tongues and sourly slandering people. They simply weren't worth a second glance from him, much less another fraction of his attention.

Chen An couldn't be bothered to turn back and deal with them. But after thinking it over, he did not immediately leave the county academy. Instead, he headed toward its library tower.

"Chen An?!!!"

Yet just as Chen An passed several school buildings and went by one of the classrooms, a familiar, crisp voice suddenly pierced through the air...

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