After the Bureau of Cause and Effect was established, order in Abyss City indeed improved greatly.
Conflicts between the various clans visibly decreased.
Because everyone knew the Book of Cause and Effect before the Northern Darkness Dao Palace was no mere decoration.
If you bullied a weaker clan today,
the Book of Cause and Effect could dig up all your dirty secrets tomorrow.
For ordinary verbal disputes, the punishment might merely be laboring in the Spirit Field.
But if one had committed grave slaughter, they might even be directly expelled from Abyss.
For those clans that had only barely managed to flee into Abyss, being expelled was practically a death sentence.
Thus, in merely a few decades, the atmosphere within Abyss City had been thoroughly cleansed.
Lu Chen was quite satisfied with this.
He even felt a little fortunate that he had chosen the Book of Cause and Effect.
This thing was truly useful.
With the Book of Cause and Effect, Lan Shuang could handle affairs.
If Lan Shuang could handle affairs, he would not have to.
If he did not have to handle affairs, he could continue his seclusion.
That was called a virtuous cycle.
However, the nature of Primordial World creatures was not so easily suppressed.
Especially not those young prodigies.
On the eastern side of Abyss City.
The Martial Practice Arena.
This place had originally only been where young members of the Sea Spirit Clan practiced water-element spells.
Later, as more and more clans arrived, young people from every clan began coming here to compete.
To prevent private fights, Lan Shuang simply officially designated this place as the Martial Practice Arena.
Sparring here was allowed.
Hurting others was not.
Trying to kill them was even less allowed.
At first, the various clans were fairly restrained.
Until Han Jue, the young master of the Ice-Scaled Tribe, arrived at the Martial Practice Arena.
The Ice-Scaled Tribe was one of the clans with the strongest combat talent among Abyss's thirty-six clans.
They were born with ice scales growing across their backs and could absorb the frigid aura of the Northern Sea to cultivate.
Han Jue was also the most outstanding young prodigy of this generation of the Ice-Scaled Tribe.
Though still young, he had already reached the Mid-Stage Golden Immortal realm.
Among Abyss's younger generation, he was nearly without rivals.
And geniuses always had tempers.
Han Jue had always refused to accept the Sea Spirit Clan's management of Abyss's affairs.
In his view, the Sea Spirit Clan had merely been among the first groups to enter.
In terms of combat strength, the Sea Spirit Clan was far inferior to the Ice-Scaled Tribe.
In terms of bloodline, the Sea Spirit Clan was also inferior to the Cold Whale Tribe and the Dark-Armor Tribe.
Why should Lan Shuang be allowed to wield the Book of Cause and Effect and oversee Abyss's internal affairs?
That day.
Han Jue defeated seventeen Realm Guard members in a row at the Martial Practice Arena.
The last Sea Spirit Clan cultivator was sent flying hundreds of zhang by a single palm strike, crashing into the edge of the formation before coughing blood and falling unconscious.
An uproar erupted around the Martial Practice Arena.
"Han Jue, you've gone too far!"
A Realm Guard commander shouted angrily.
Han Jue wore ice-blue battle armor, and the scales on his back glimmered with a cold light.
He raised his head toward the Realm Guard commander and sneered. "It's a sparring match in the Martial Practice Arena. If they're weaker than me, is that my fault?"
"You knew perfectly well they were no match for you, yet you still struck so heavily."
Han Jue's gaze was filled with disdain.
"If they can't even endure an injury like that, what kind of Realm Guard are they?"
"If Abyss wishes to protect all clans, then true powerhouses should be in charge."
"I, Han Jue, refuse to accept a group of Sea Spirit Clan members who can only keep accounts, farm, and register people lording it over us."
The expressions of many young cultivators nearby changed slightly at those words.
Some of them had entertained such thoughts before.
But none had dared to say them.
After all, Lan Shuang wielded the Book of Cause and Effect, and she was the Sea Spirit Clan leader whom the Emperor had sheltered from the very beginning.
For Han Jue to openly lay it out like this was no longer an ordinary sparring match.
He was challenging Abyss's existing order.
The news quickly reached the Northern Darkness Dao Palace.
After listening, Lan Shuang did not get angry.
She merely gently closed the jade slip in her hand.
"Han Jue has finally lost his patience."
Lady Mingzhu sat beside her, her brows faintly furrowed.
"That child's talent is not bad, but his pride is too great."
"If this is not dealt with, I fear Abyss's younger generation will all be influenced by him."
Lan Shuang nodded.
"I know."
"But the various Abyss clans have only recently established themselves. If I personally suppress him, he will certainly refuse to accept it."
"This matter still needs the Emperor's instruction."
Deep within Abyss.
Lu Chen had just been about to immerse himself in the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method when he heard Lan Shuang's report.
His first reaction was—
Throw him out.
That was right.
Throwing him out was the simplest solution.
This was a refuge.
Not some hot-blooded youth tournament.
If you didn't accept this and didn't accept that, then go outside and fight the Dragon Clan.
Why cause trouble inside his turtle shell?
But at that moment, the system's voice sounded.
"An internal conflict among Abyss's young prodigies has been detected. Please choose."
"First, personally suppress Han Jue and establish the Emperor's majesty. Reward: Ice-Soul Divine Spear."
"Second, allow the conflict to continue. The strong devour the weak, and the superior survive. Reward: one wisp of Baleful Fiendish Aura."
"Third, use the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation to suppress both sides and establish Abyss's rule forbidding fights. Reward: one Northern Dark Spirit Veins."
Lu Chen glanced through the options.
The first one—no.
Personally suppress him?
A mere young man at the Mid-Stage Golden Immortal realm was not worthy of him personally acting.
The second one was even more out of the question.
Allow the conflict to continue?
Then Abyss would sooner or later become just like the Primordial World outside.
Lu Chen hated this sort of fighting and killing most.
The third option was best.
Formation suppression.
Trouble-free.
And it even rewarded him with spirit veins.
"I choose the third."
"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained one Northern Dark Spirit Veins."
The next moment.
Above Abyss City, the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation slowly lit up.
Within the Martial Practice Arena.
Han Jue was still sneering.
Looking at the Realm Guard commander before him, he said coldly, "If you refuse to accept this, you can come at me together."
"I'd like to see just how capable this so-called Realm Guard really is."
The expressions of several Realm Guard members nearby darkened as they prepared to form a formation.
Suddenly.
The heavens and earth sank.
A massive phantom of the Black Tortoise appeared above the entire Martial Practice Arena.
The Black Tortoise carried a black sea upon its back, its four limbs suppressing heaven and earth.
The instant that aura descended, everyone felt their spiritual power stagnate.
Han Jue's expression changed drastically.
He instinctively tried to activate his Ice-Scale Bloodline.
But the moment his spiritual power began to circulate, the Black Tortoise phantom slowly lowered its head.
Boom!
A terrifying pressure crashed down.
Han Jue's knees suddenly buckled.
Bang!
He was forced directly to his knees in the center of the Martial Practice Arena.
The ground cracked.
Frigid energy exploded outward.
Yet he did not have even the slightest room to resist.
Han Jue's pupils contracted violently.
How was this possible?
He was a Mid-Stage Golden Immortal!
The young master of the Ice-Scaled Tribe!
Among Abyss's younger generation, he was nearly without rivals.
Yet now, the pressure of a single formation had forced him to kneel.
Forget standing up.
He could not even raise his head.
All the young cultivators around him fell silent.
They stared at the Black Tortoise phantom with stunned expressions.
The next moment, Lu Chen's voice descended from above.
"The first rule upon entering my Abyss."
"No trouble."
"If you want to fight, go to the Martial Practice Arena."
"If you want to kill, get out."
"Sparring in the Martial Practice Arena is allowed."
"Using sparring as an excuse to hurt others and establish your authority is not."
The voice was not loud.
Yet it fell clearly into every person's ears.
Han Jue was pressed to the ground, his face shifting between green and white.
Humiliation, shock, and unwillingness.
And a trace of irrepressible reverence.
He finally understood just how absurdly wrong he had been.
He had thought the Sea Spirit Clan managed Abyss because the Emperor was in seclusion and could not be bothered with it.
He had thought that as long as he displayed his talent, the clans would see the Ice-Scaled Tribe's strength.
But only now did he understand that in the eyes of the true Emperor, his so-called talent, pride, and combat strength were things that could be suppressed with a single thought.
The Emperor was not uninvolved.
He was merely too lazy to get involved.
If the Emperor truly wished to intervene, no one in all of Abyss could resist.
Han Jue gritted his teeth and pressed his forehead to the ground with difficulty.
"Han Jue knows he was wrong and is willing to accept punishment."
Lu Chen had originally wanted to punish him by sending him to work the Spirit Field.
But on second thought, sending such a troublemaker to the Spirit Field might end with him freezing it solid.
So he said, "Your punishment is to join the Realm Guard and start from the very bottom."
"When you learn to follow the rules, then we can talk about strength."
Han Jue froze.
The Realm Guard?
The Emperor had not expelled him.
Instead, he was letting him join the Realm Guard?
Was this a punishment?
Or was he being given an opportunity?
Han Jue's heart shook violently.
He felt that he understood the Emperor's deeper intentions.
The Emperor had seen both his talent and his pride.
That was why he was tempering him in this manner.
Starting from the bottom was not humiliation.
It was to make him truly understand what it meant to protect Abyss.
The last trace of defiance in Han Jue's heart vanished completely.
He bowed deeply.
"Han Jue is willing to join the Realm Guard!"
"From this day onward, I am willing to guard Abyss for the Emperor!"
Lu Chen: "..."
I only told you not to cause trouble.
Why did you suddenly get all fired up?
The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation slowly dissipated.
Han Jue rose from the ground. Though his face was pale, his gaze had never been firmer.
He walked over to the Realm Guard member he had injured and bowed.
"My strike earlier was too heavy."
"I will personally compensate you with healing spirit medicine."
"Once you recover, I will spar with you again."
The Sea Spirit Clan cultivator paused, then nodded with a bitter smile.
"Alright."
The young cultivators around them watched this scene with complicated feelings.
Han Jue's suppression did not make them look down on him.
Instead, it made them realize for the first time that the Abyss Guardian Team was by no means a gathering place for the weak.
They were guardians of order personally acknowledged by the Emperor.
If even Han Jue could start from the bottom, why couldn't they?
Only a few days later.
The number of applicants for the Realm Guard surged.
Young cultivators from the Ice-Scaled Tribe, Cold Whale Tribe, Water Ape Tribe, and Merfolk Tribe all applied to join.
Lan Shuang stared at the application jade slips piled across her desk and remained silent for a long time.
Lady Mingzhu chuckled. "It seems the Emperor's suppression not only crushed Han Jue's arrogance, but also brought out the spirit of Abyss's younger generation."
Lan Shuang slowly nodded.
"If that is the case, the Realm Guard needs to be formally expanded."
"With more and more young people, we cannot rely solely on the Martial Practice Arena."
"Abyss needs a place to teach them cultivation, rules, and the means to avoid calamities."
Lady Mingzhu's eyes flickered.
"You mean?"
Lan Shuang looked toward the Northern Darkness Dao Palace, her expression solemn.
"Establish Abyss Academy."
Deep within Abyss.
Lu Chen suddenly had an ominous feeling.
Just as he was about to enter seclusion, the system gave a soft chime.
"Detected that Abyss Academy will soon be established."
Lu Chen opened his eyes.
"Who?"
"Who told you to start a school?"