Grudge Platform

Chapter 46: The Grudge Platform

The night passed in silence. As the first light of dawn touched the horizon, Luo Mu awoke. After a brief period of meditation, he felt refreshed and invigorated, as if he possessed an inexhaustible supply of energy.

Once he had washed and tidied himself, Luo Mu gathered the spirit insects he had released the night before to serve as sentries and stepped out of his room.

Today was the opening day of Jinxiu Academy. At the academy gates, a steady stream of students clad in Jinxiu Academy uniforms poured inside. Some walked in groups of three or five, while others traveled alone, bringing life back to the Jinxiu Academy that had been quiet for some time.

Those who knew one another chatted and laughed, clearly enjoying themselves, occasionally exchanging insights on cultivation. Judging by the smiles on their faces, they had gained much.

Some female students chattered incessantly, though they were not discussing cultivation techniques. Instead, they spoke of where they had traveled during the break, which spirit beasts were particularly fierce, or where they had stumbled upon a few stalks of spirit herbs, boasting of their bountiful harvests.

Standing at the gate, Luo Mu watched the endless flow of students entering the academy and felt a profound sense of wonder. Back then, he had exhausted his family's entire fortune in a failed attempt to begin his cultivation journey; it was clear how immense the required destiny must be to become a cultivator. Yet, seeing so many cultivators gathered here at Jinxiu Academy, how could he not be shocked and moved?

With a helpless shake of his head, Luo Mu decided not to dwell on the thought. He smoothed out his uniform, fastened his identity token to his waist just like the other students, and stepped through the gates.

The entrance was protected by a barrier, one far too sophisticated for Luo Mu's current level of cultivation to perceive. The barrier was vast, shaped like a giant sphere that enveloped the entire Jinxiu Academy. As Luo Mu approached the invisible light shield, the identity token at his waist trembled slightly, and a beam of white light shot out, striking the barrier.

Luo Mu's body passed through the restriction as if it were nothing, entering the academy grounds with ease.

Stepping into the interior of Jinxiu Academy for the first time, Luo Mu was struck by the sight of the architecture before him. He was so stunned that he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

"Hee hee, Senior Sister, look at that masked freshman. He looks completely dumbfounded," a young female student passing by remarked, catching sight of Luo Mu's shocked expression and unable to suppress a giggle.

"Heh, what a country bumpkin. Huh?" Another female student glanced at Luo Mu and sneered with disdain. She had seen countless bumpkins like him and, beyond a mocking remark, gave him no further thought. Suddenly, however, she looked at Luo Mu again, her expression shifting to one of suspicion and alarm.

"What is it, Senior Sister?" Seeing the change in her companion's face, the first student asked, puzzled.

"Let's leave this place first," the senior student replied, her face pale with panic as she hurried away. Though confused, the younger student followed close behind.

"That bumpkin just now has a cultivation base that is not low at all. Even at my fourth level of Qi Refining, I couldn't see through him!" the senior student said once they were at a distance.

"What! Even you couldn't see through him, Senior Sister? How is that possible? Looking at his attire, he is clearly just a freshman!" the younger student exclaimed in disbelief.

"There is no mistake; his cultivation is indeed higher than mine. As for why someone of that level is only a freshman, that is beyond my knowledge," the senior student said, her face still filled with trepidation.

Hearing this, the younger student's expression changed as well. Suddenly recalling the academy's rules, both felt a shiver run down their spines, secretly relieved that Luo Mu had not taken offense.

In the world of cultivation, the strong prey upon the weak. To ensure their students could better adapt to the harsh realities of the cultivation world, Jinxiu Academy had established many rules that ordinary people would find difficult to comprehend.

It was common knowledge that fighting was strictly prohibited within Jinxiu City, and any violation was met with severe punishment. Thus, brawls were rare; if they did occur, it was usually because the parties involved had powerful backers or sufficient strength to make the city officials turn a blind eye, though such cases were few.

Jinxiu Academy, however, was the exact opposite.

The academy not only failed to discourage fighting but actively encouraged it. They had even cleared several acres of land to construct a massive arena known as the "Grudge Platform," specifically for students to settle their disputes. Whether it was a duel or a group brawl, it was the designated place to resolve personal grievances.

The academy's reasoning was sound.

Every student at Jinxiu Academy was a one-in-ten-thousand prodigy, and every one of them was proud and arrogant. Upon discovering their affinity for the Dao, they felt they were different from ordinary mortals, walking a path far above the common folk, which inevitably bred arrogance.

When such people were gathered together, conflicts were frequent, occurring countless times every day within the academy. How, then, were these disputes to be resolved?

Reasoning was out of the question; it did not align with the laws of the cultivation world. Thus, the academy chose to resolve matters through force. If there was a conflict, force was the best solution—whoever had the bigger fist was in the right.

This approach proved effective. It not only resolved private disputes but also gave students an early taste of the cruelty of the cultivation world. The strong prey on the weak, and increasing one's own strength was the only true path. This drove the students to cultivate even harder, yielding excellent results.

However, while the academy supported resolving issues through force, there was one explicit rule: no grudge-based fight was permitted to claim a life. You could cripple your opponent, but you had to leave them with a breath of life.

Should a death occur, the perpetrator would, at the very least, have their cultivation base destroyed and be expelled from Jinxiu Academy to live as a commoner. In more severe cases, they would be executed on the spot.

Of course, the definition of "severe" was entirely up to the academy.

This was why the senior student, after mocking Luo Mu as a bumpkin, had been so terrified upon realizing his cultivation was higher than her own. She feared that her words might have sparked a conflict, and if they were to meet on the "Grudge Platform," the consequences would be dire.

Luo Mu, however, was completely oblivious to all of this and felt quite bewildered.

First, how did they know he was a freshman? And why, after insulting him, did they change their expressions and hurry away?

After observing his surroundings, Luo Mu finally solved the first mystery.

The uniforms of many students differed from his own on the sleeves. His own sleeves were bare, but others were not.

Some had an iron hammer embroidered on the left sleeve and a large character for "Artifact" on the right. Others had a pill furnace on the left and a large "Pill" character on the right. Some had a burning talisman on the left and a large "Talisman" character on the right. More still had the characters for "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth" embroidered on their sleeves.

There were many students in the Five Elements category, and though Luo Mu hadn't paid much attention to them, he now understood why others could identify him as a freshman at a glance.

The patterns and characters on the sleeves were clearly added only after one had chosen a department. Since he had yet to report to his department, his sleeves were naturally empty.

Recalling the Jinxiu Academy students he had killed that day, he remembered the patterns on their clothes—they must have been from the Talisman Making Department. No wonder they had been slaughtered so easily.

The Talisman Making Department did not specialize in powerful offensive techniques, possessing only the most basic spells for daily life or travel. Those individuals had been weak to begin with, and venturing into the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range to hunt beasts suggested they were not from wealthy backgrounds, likely hunting only to earn spirit stones for their talisman materials.

Coincidentally, those individuals had just sold their finished talismans and had nothing left on them when they ran into Luo Mu, the harbinger of Baleful Intent. Without any means to fight back, they had all died at his hands.

Had they possessed a few talismans, perhaps they wouldn't have died so quickly. They had only themselves to blame for their arrogance, believing that wearing the Jinxiu Academy uniform would protect them from harm. They never expected to encounter someone like Luo Mu; it was nothing short of ignorance.

Having resolved his doubts, Luo Mu smiled to himself. After making a few inquiries, he headed straight for his destination.

Ahead lay the reporting station for the Alchemy Department. Even after a month, Luo Mu had not changed his mind; he was determined to join the Alchemy Department.

He had little interest in Artifact Refining or Talisman Making. As for the Five Elements Department, he had considered it, but he knew he lacked the Five Elements spiritual roots and would achieve little there. It was far more prudent to walk his own path of poison cultivation.

As he walked, the masked Luo Mu drew the gazes of many students. This was not because of his mask, but because it was rare for a freshman to already possess a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivation base, which naturally piqued the curiosity of his peers.

What Luo Mu did not know was that within half a day, word had spread throughout the academy that two "dark horses" had appeared among the freshmen—and one of them was, of course, Luo Mu.