Turning Black into White, Adding Fuel! (12) Please Bookmark, Please Vote!

Dawn had just broken.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo both landed before the Headmaster Hall.

"So many Formal Disciples."

With a single glance, Mu Zishuo saw that more than a hundred Formal Disciples had already gathered within the Headmaster Hall. They chatted casually among themselves, and when they saw the two arrive, their gazes all turned toward them.

"Greetings, Senior Apprentice Brothers."

Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo cupped their hands in salute.

The Formal Disciples all nodded slightly in response, their eyes filled with goodwill.

One gentle-tempered female disciple even called out, "Junior Apprentice Brothers, the initiation ceremony will not begin for a while yet. Come in and wait."

The two hurriedly declined on the grounds that they had not yet formally entered the Academy, standing outside the Headmaster Hall to wait.

Had I known, I should have done as Senior Apprentice Brother Xia Mang did and arrived only when the ceremony was about to begin.

Ji Ning looked at his nose, and his nose looked at his heart, acting as though he had not noticed the various curious gazes appraising him.

"These two Junior Apprentice Brothers are so young. I heard one is only sixteen, while the other is fourteen?"

"The youth in white robes is called Mu Zishuo. He is fourteen this year and comes from a collateral branch of the Mulan Clan. His father died when he was still in swaddling clothes, and his mother died when he was ten. He was raised by an old Puppet servant. Yet Junior Apprentice Brother Shuo relied on the cultivation techniques left behind by his parents, as well as some Puppet arts of the Mulan Clan, to pass our Academy's examination."

"That impressive?"

"The other youth, the one dressed in beast skins, is even more formidable. His name is Ji Ning, and he is sixteen this year. He comes from a small tribe in Yan Mountain of our Anchan Commandery. The strongest person in his tribe was merely a Qi Refiner at the Purple Mansion Realm. Ji Ning's parents also died early, but he displayed peerless talent from a young age. A few days ago, he even killed a Purple Mansion Completion Realm Fiendgod from Snow Dragon Mountain and more than twenty Purple Mansion cultivators all by himself."

"A monster, an absolute monster!"

"Exactly. At their age, most of us were still at Xiantian perfection, preparing to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm. Yet the two of them have already passed the Academy's examination."

"The most important thing is that both came from very ordinary backgrounds. I have never even heard of the Yan Mountain where Junior Apprentice Brother Ji Ning's tribe is located."

The Formal Disciples inside the Headmaster Hall discussed in low voices.

Naturally, the subject of their discussion was the newest Junior Apprentice Brothers who were about to enter the Academy.

At this moment, a Formal Disciple who had been in seclusion until emerging only last night asked curiously, "Were there not three new disciples entering the Academy this year? Who is the other one?"

The entire hall suddenly fell silent.

"That one?"

Someone gave a cold laugh. "That Junior Apprentice Brother Xia Manggan comes from the imperial clan, and he has recently made quite a name for himself in Anchan City."

"A Junior Apprentice Brother from the imperial Xia Mang Clan?"

The disciple who had asked the question failed to catch the other meaning in his tone. Instead, upon hearing that one of the new Junior Apprentice Brothers was a member of the Xia Mang Clan, a trace of delight appeared on his face.

The bond between fellow disciples was far more dependable than casually making friends outside.

After all, they were all bound by the Academy's rules.

And for a sect such as the Black-White Academy, which followed an elite path and had only a little over three hundred second- and third-generation disciples from the Purple Mansion and Wanxiang Realms combined, everyone was familiar with nearly everyone else because there were so few of them. Thus, the bonds between fellow disciples ran even deeper.

The affection between some fellow disciples was so deep that it even surpassed their ties with members of their own clans.

That was why the disciple had shown delight upon hearing that a member of the imperial Xia Mang Clan would become his fellow disciple.

"Junior Apprentice Brother Hao, do not be happy so soon. We may regard him as a fellow disciple, but he may not regard us as fellow disciples."

Another Formal Disciple spoke.

"What do you mean?" the Formal Disciple surnamed Hao asked in confusion.

Most of the other Formal Disciples also revealed curious expressions.

Thus...

Two Formal Disciples gave a detailed account of Xia Manggan's various actions during the entrance examination.

Only, in their telling, Xia Manggan had relied on his status as a member of the imperial clan and arrived last of all for the entrance examination.

Afterward, because he cultivated an Immortal Rank Qi Refining method, the Academy had allowed him to take the examination even though he was already at Purple Mansion Perfection in Qi Refining.

But first, relying on his cultivation being higher than the other young cultivators taking the examination, he had flaunted his strength in the Puppet Formation. Then, during the final examination guarded by a Formal Disciple, despite Beishan Xuantang deliberately going easy on him, he had struck ruthlessly instead.

After forcing Beishan Xuantang to exceed the limits and use an Earth Rank magic treasure to protect himself, Xia Manggan had seized upon the flaw and used his imperial status to pressure the Academy into punishing Beishan Xuantang...

"Poor Senior Apprentice Brother Xuantang was not only injured, but was also punished with ten years of confinement."

The Formal Disciple recounting the matter spoke indignantly. "Tell me, who would dare befriend a fellow disciple like that?"

"That is going too far."

"How could he act like that!"

"Senior Apprentice Brother Xuantang is such a gentle and courteous person..."

"Look, Junior Apprentice Brothers Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo came early to wait, but Xia Manggan has still not arrived."

"Yes, he is far too arrogant."

"No. We have to think of a way to teach him a lesson. Otherwise, he will think the Formal Disciples of our Black-White Academy are easy to bully."

"Right."

A long-haired woman clad in an aqua-blue Daoist robe listened silently, a trace of mockery flashing deep within her eyes.

The ones shouting most fiercely in the hall were those who normally associated most closely with Beishan Xuantang. Most of them came from humble minor clans, or were disregarded members of distant collateral branches within major clans.

Clearly.

These people had heard Beishan Xuantang's version of events, and they naturally held ill will toward Xia Manggan's imperial status. That was why they were working so hard to stir up sentiment among the Formal Disciples.

But was the truth really like this?

The long-haired woman did not believe it.

Especially not the "truth" that had spread from the mouth of the hypocritical and twisted Beishan Xuantang.

Upon a jade bed.

Bi Hai, the headmaster of the Black-White Academy, sat cross-legged, watching a floating Water Mirror before him.

Within the Water Mirror was the scene inside the Headmaster Hall.

The conversations and discussions of those Formal Disciples could also be heard clearly.

"Twisting black into white and stirring up trouble!"

Disgust appeared on Bi Hai's face.

Rather than correcting his mistakes, Beishan Xuantang was exploiting the fellow disciples close to him to sow discord among his fellow apprentices.

Though he did not dare directly claim that the Academy's punishment had been unjust.

By portraying himself as the weak party and the victim, where did that leave the Academy?

Bi Hai had originally chosen not to announce Beishan Xuantang's punishment to the entire Academy because he wished to preserve some face for Beishan Xuantang, and even more so for Iron Hand Daoist.

But now it seemed...

"A disciple with such a crooked heart cannot be kept any longer."

Just as Bi Hai was about to rise and head to the Headmaster Hall to reveal everything—

"Bi Hai, let those little ones discuss it. Let them make a fuss."

"Right. Tell the other second-generation disciples as well not to interfere or ask questions."

"The third-generation disciples receive far too much preferential treatment in Anchan City. Every one of them is so arrogant. This is a perfect opportunity to temper them."

"Haha, those little ones are even discussing how they will teach that Xia Mang brat a lesson in the Dao Discussion Hall battle a few days from now. No, I need to add some fuel to the fire as well. Otherwise, those little ones will not be enough for him to fight."

"Senior Apprentice Brother Five Madmen, go find those few strongest third-generation disciples..."

As Bi Hai listened to the increasingly excited voices of the five Immortal elders, anticipation also appeared in his eyes.

The inheritance of the Academy's patriarch, Hunyuan Heavenly Immortal.

What exactly was it like? None of them had seen it yet.

It was not only the five Immortals.

He was intensely curious as well.

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