Eight Directions Stir, A Thousand-Mile Steed Among Men

Class, in one form or another, exists in almost every group. In the world of demon beasts, there are four ranks: low, middle, high, and supreme. Even among herds, there are beast kings.

The division of human classes is far more complex than that of demon beasts. Beyond individual strength, the greatest factor in determining class is the wealth gap.

Within Heavenly Song Academy, the poor end of the spectrum consists of commoner students, while the wealthy end is comprised of students from noble clans. In the outside world, noble clans naturally suppress commoners with overwhelming superiority, exploiting their interests. However, in the unique environment of Heavenly Song Academy, artificial fairness allows the commoner faction to stand toe-to-toe with the noble faction.

The struggle between the two sides is inevitable from the moment each person is born. The opposition between commoners and nobles has already become a tradition at Heavenly Song Academy.

Yan Que, born a commoner and serving on the Student Council, is the leader of the commoner faction in the academy. Upon hearing that Chu Yun, a student from a noble clan, had moved into the West Mountain dormitory, he knew this battle was unavoidable.

The dignity of the commoner faction cannot be challenged. Allowing a noble clan student to reside in their own stronghold would bring about massive negative consequences. It would not only strike a blow to their morale but could even cause their ranks to scatter and fall apart.

Chu Yun must be driven away.

Almost immediately, he sought out Chu Yun's dormitory and issued a direct challenge.

The moment his voice fell, he saw a youth emerge from the room, holding a gleaming, snow-bright blade. Even though he had always harbored hostility toward noble clans, upon seeing this authentic noble scion, he could not help but silently praise: What a fine youth!

Chu Yun had originally possessed a delicate appearance, but he had ultimately belonged to the ordinary category. Now, however, having had his body transformed by the spiritual energy fed back from the Drunken Snow Blade and the Heavenly Fox, his appearance had become extraordinarily handsome and refined.

His sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were like lightning, his nose was straight, and his teeth were white against red lips. More importantly, his rebirth experience had given him a unique temperament—composed, magnanimous, brave, and ever-advancing.

Seeing him, Yan Que felt his heart skip a beat, sensing an extreme, restrained dominance in his opponent—a courage and determination capable of clearing away any obstacle that blocked his path.

"I have long heard of your great name," Yan Que sighed. It was no wonder the other could slay Remnant Wolf, even if it was a lucky win taken while the enemy was exhausted and weak. Yet, such a figure had already surpassed the impression left by previous noble clan students.

Long heard of my name... sigh, haven't I done the same for you? Looking at Yan Que, who stood before him in green robes, as upright as a pine, Chu Yun felt a bitter smile in his heart.

He had originally intended to befriend the man, perhaps even recruit him to serve on Shu Family Island. He had not expected their first meeting to unfold like this.

It truly left him feeling a mix of amusement and frustration.

But regardless of the reason, since the other had come knocking, he had no reason to retreat. So what if it was Yan Que? There was no one in this world who could make him choose to flee in cowardice!

"Hey! Did you hear? The Young Tiger Chu Yun just arrived at the academy and is already fighting with Senior Yan Que!"

"What? Such a thing actually happened? The Young Tiger is truly arrogant."

"I heard Senior Yan Que issued the challenge first, and Chu Yun accepted. They've agreed to face off at the Mountain Arena."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go watch together."

The news of the battle between Chu Yun and Yan Que spread like wildfire. It quickly swept through the entire Heavenly Song Academy, causing a massive uproar.

If one were to look down from high above at this moment, they would see students in twos and threes converging from all over Green Mountain Island into streams of people, swarming toward the Mountain Arena.

"Heh heh heh, the strategy of using a borrowed knife to kill has worked so quickly. I always thought Yan Que was smart, but to think he fell for the trap directly. How disappointing." Ning Yiyi's lips curled into a sneer as she watched the flow of people beside her, her face filled with triumph.

Hua Ying, standing nearby, shook his head. "With Yan Que's talent, how could he not see through such a simple scheme? It is just that his style has always been upright; he prefers to use simplicity to break complexity. Having sensed it, he intends to use his own strength to drive Chu Yun away directly. If he succeeds, not only will his reputation soar, but the cohesion of the commoner students will be strengthened to a new level."

"Can he succeed? Chu Yun's Drunken Snow Blade has 450 years of cultivation. And while his Thunder Vine is also at the Great Demon level, it only has 380 years of cultivation—a gap of over 70 years," Wei Qie said with a disdainful laugh.

Hua Ying gently flicked his index finger, a bright light flickering in his eyes. "That is not necessarily true. In my view, Yan Que still has the better chance of winning."

At this moment, at the peak of Green Mountain, in the Green Vine Courtyard.

A fence enclosed a vegetable patch, and a wooden table and stools were set up in the courtyard.

The White-Browed Alchemist sat by the wooden table, setting down his coarse pottery teacup, his brows slightly furrowed. "I heard the Student Council arranged for the princess of Dunhuang and Chu Yun to stay in the same dormitory. Academy Master, are you just going to let this happen? That child, Jin Bihan, was entrusted to our care by the Dunhuang Kingdom's ruler."

Sitting across from him was an old man with flowing sleeves and the bearing of an immortal. He chuckled and took a sip of hot tea before saying, "Arranging for Chu Yun to stay in the West Mountain dormitory must have been the handiwork of that child, Ning Yiyi. As for involving the Dunhuang princess, that must be a coincidence. Isn't this a good opportunity? Giving Jin Bihan a private room openly would arouse suspicion. Chu Yun is a noble clan student and will inevitably be squeezed out by the commoner student faction. When the time is ripe, I will arrange for him to move to the East Mountain dormitory."

The White-Browed Alchemist let out a long breath. "So the Academy Master had prepared for this long ago. But does this 'ripe time' refer to this challenge Yan Que has issued to Chu Yun?"

"Yes, and no. The key depends on the result."

The White-Browed Alchemist smiled. "Although Chu Yun has a Great Demon weapon with 450 years of cultivation, I suspect he will be the one to lose."

Academy Master Heavenly Song looked up, a half-smile on his face. "Oh? How so?"

The White-Browed Alchemist analyzed calmly, "First, Chu Yun's slaying of Remnant Wolf relied mostly on luck. My deduction is that during their clash, the Drunken Snow Blade suddenly recognized its master, erupting with a powerful attack that caught Remnant Wolf off guard, allowing Chu Yun to win by a narrow margin."

"Secondly, Chu Yun's experience is limited to battles against Lesser Demons; he has almost no experience in Great Demon-level combat, which is completely incomparable to Yan Que. Moreover, Yan Que already has an understanding of the Drunken Snow Blade, while Chu Yun knows nothing of the Thunder Vine."

"Finally, there is the Drunken Snow Blade itself. Although it is a Great Demon weapon, it is only of medium quality and has the flaw of becoming heavier the more it is used. Chu Yun is only a thirteen-year-old boy; how long can he hold out under Yan Que's attacks?"

Academy Master Heavenly Song shook his head.

"What? Does the Academy Master not think so?" the White-Browed Alchemist asked, puzzled.

Academy Master Heavenly Song diverted the topic, asking instead, "Do you remember what my title is?"

"Feng Bole—Academy Master, you are as ethereal and carefree as the wind, and you possess the eyes of Bole, skilled at recognizing the thousand-league horses among men."

Academy Master Feng Bole laughed heartily. After a good while, he stopped and said meaningfully, "Chu Yun is that thousand-league horse among men..."