Smash That Bastard!!

Not just the over two thousand first-year students—even the hundred-plus teachers under Li Jun, each responsible for different subjects, were swept up in it. Without understanding what was going on, they all rose to their feet and applauded along, turning the scene more fervent than it had ever been.

"This..." Li Jun had not expected things to suddenly turn out like this. At this moment, he could indeed have stopped everyone with an angry shout. But putting an end to such an uplifting scene of applause, cheers, and excitement made even him feel it was inappropriate. Besides, Tie Ta had not committed any major offense.

Li Jun hesitated slightly, then decided not to pursue what had just happened. His gaze merely settled on Ren Jie, who had just arrived. When had this brat become so bold? He actually dared to behave like this at a time like this, and he had truly stirred the atmosphere to such a fever pitch.

But when he thought about how, in another month, he would finally no longer need to concern himself with this most troublesome, most good-for-nothing family head, he felt much better. Though not from the direct imperial line, Li Jun still possessed royal blood. He had devoted himself to turning Jade Emperor Academy into a true institution for cultivating talent for the Bright Jade Dynasty and reversing its reputation as an academy for hedonistic young masters. Yet there was Ren Jie, a family head whom even he, an imperial relative, could not control. Every time Li Jun thought of it, it left him choking with frustration.

If he ignored it, it sat badly with him, becoming a loophole and obstacle in his efforts to strictly govern and reform Jade Emperor Academy. But if he interfered too much or punished Ren Jie, the implications would become far greater. After all, Ren Jie was no ordinary hedonistic young master—he was the Family Head of the Ren Family. Because of this matter, Li Jun had even personally gone to face the emperor, but had gotten no result.

"Alright, that will be all for today. In one month, those who fail to reach the seventh level of the Body Refining Realm will repeat the year. Those who gain nothing from the Spirit Hunt will also repeat the year." Looking toward Ren Jie, Li Jun repeated the heart of his speech before leaving the Martial Arts Arena with the teachers.

"That scared the life outta me." Seeing that Li Jun did not pursue the matter, Tie Ta finally let out a long breath, his heavy regional accent unmistakable.

"Big Iron Tower, you really can't speak quietly to save your life. When you whisper, it's more startling than other people shouting. Of course people are going to notice you." Big Iron Tower was the nickname Gao Ren had given Tie Ta. Tie Ta was around the same age as them, but he was already over two meters and thirty centimeters tall. Even among elite soldiers, he stood a full head taller than anyone else. And his body was astonishingly powerful, his arms thicker than other people's thighs.

"I forgot again..." Hearing Gao Ren say that, Tie Ta grinned and scratched his head.

"So you're not dead yet. Your head really is hard. Ren Jie, Miss Fang's residence caught fire yesterday. Did you send someone to do it?" At that moment, Gao Fei shouted angrily from not far away, apparently terrified that anyone might fail to hear him, as he marched over with a huge group behind him.

"It had to be him. He couldn't pursue Miss Fang, so he flew into a rage from shame."

"He's nothing himself, so all he can do is use such despicable tricks."

"That's right, it was definitely him."

Before Ren Jie could say anything, the group following behind Gao Fei had already begun chiming in.

"Looks like I hit you too lightly last time. You still haven't learned your lesson, have you? We're in the Martial Arts Arena today. Didn't you risk your life whenever someone mentioned your mother? Come on, then. Let's settle it right here in the Martial Arts Arena. This young master will give you one hand and both feet. If that still isn't enough, I'll use one finger against you." Gao Fei had only just learned that Fang Qi's residence had caught fire. He had originally planned to return to Jade Capital City to visit the Fang Family as soon as this ended, when he happened to spot Ren Jie.

"The major examination is coming soon. In another month, you'll go from being my classmate to being my junior. By then, this young master really would be embarrassed to keep beating up a good-for-nothing like you. I'd only be able to let some juniors deal with you then. If Miss Fang's house hadn't been burned down and you weren't the prime suspect, this young master wouldn't even bother with trash like you." He did not believe that Ren Jie, this good-for-nothing family head, would dare commit arson. This fellow usually did not even have enough time to curry favor with Fang Qi. But at the thought of visiting Fang Qi, he wanted to give Ren Jie another thorough beating. After beating Ren Jie last time, he had spent time with Miss Fang, and the memory made him delighted. That was progress unlike anything he had ever achieved before. Having tasted sweetness, he was about to visit Fang Qi again. If he could bring her this news too, perhaps Fang Qi would be so happy that she might truly agree to be with him...

"You bastard, I'll kill you..." Before Ren Jie could respond, Tie Ta could no longer stand it upon hearing this. Ren Jie had been beaten in the classroom last time, and Tie Ta had even gone looking for Gao Fei over it. But Gao Fei had fled then, afraid he might beat Ren Jie to death. Now Gao Fei was humiliating Ren Jie before so many people. Tie Ta immediately raised his fist and was about to charge forward.

"You big idiot, you think you can fight Young Master Fei..." Seeing this, the group behind Gao Fei also prepared to rush in. A brawl was about to erupt.

"Tie Ta!" Ren Jie raised his hand slightly, stopping Tie Ta, whose eyes were glaring wide like bronze bells, from making a move.

"Over there. If you can remain standing for a quarter of an hour, I'll lose 500,000 taels of gold to you." Ren Jie pointed toward the central Martial Arts Arena and spoke with complete calm.

Five... hundred... thousand taels of gold? The onlookers who had been watching for amusement were instantly shocked, frozen where they stood.

Had they heard wrong? Though ten taels of gold could only be exchanged for one Jade Coin, and Jade Coins were the most widely accepted currency, silver and gold were the currencies most commonly circulated in the market. Still, 500,000 taels of gold was enough to cover an ordinary family's expenses for a lifetime.

What was even more unbelievable was that Ren Jie had proposed this. Going into the Martial Arts Arena meant that even if someone was beaten to death, it was their own fault.

Had he gone mad? He said he would lose as long as Gao Fei remained standing for a quarter of an hour. What kind of joke was that?

Did he think he was a True Qi Realm expert?

"500,000 taels of gold, right? Fine." Gao Fei agreed at once. A quarter of an hour? I can cripple him in the time it takes to blink. I'll earn 500,000 taels of gold for free and please Fang Qi too. This is a good thing I couldn't dream of even in my dreams.

Gao Fei agreed without hesitation. Turning, he pushed off with his feet, and his body sprang like a fierce tiger. After several leaps, he had already rushed onto the Martial Arts Arena.

"Come on! Forget a quarter of an hour—if a good-for-nothing like you can last more than ten moves in my hands, I'll count it as your victory immediately." Although some people had already left, there were still at least a thousand people in the arena. When Gao Fei leaped up and shouted, those who had been about to leave, not knowing what was happening, all stopped and looked over.

"Meal Ticket Boss, have you gone crazy? What kind of joke is this? Even if you want to die, you can't do it this way!" Everything had happened too quickly just now, and Gao Ren had not even had a chance to stop him. Now that he came to his senses, he hurriedly grabbed Ren Jie.

"Family Head, I'll fight him in a Life and Death Battle..." Tie Ta said, preparing to go up.

"What are you two panicking for? Get ready to watch a good show..." Ren Jie bent down and lifted up a heavy Cold Iron Wood bench weighing over ten jin from below. At the same time, his other hand produced a stack of Gold Notes.

"Gao Fei voluntarily went into the Martial Arts Arena to wager 500,000 taels of gold with this family head. If he can remain standing beneath the Cold Iron Wood benches for a quarter of an hour, this family head is willing to lose 500,000 taels of gold. Now listen carefully, everyone! Those who want to make money, move now! Throw the benches in your hands! Miss and you get one hundred taels of gold. Hit him and you get one thousand taels of gold. Draw blood and you get ten thousand taels of gold! There are five thousand Cold Iron Wood benches here—anyone who wants to make money, get moving!" Ren Jie roared wildly. The force within his body was now more abundant than that of an ordinary seventh-level Body Refining Realm cultivator. Though he could not speak as casually as Li Jun and make his voice sound as if it were right beside everyone, his roar still allowed the remaining thousand-plus people to hear him clearly.

"Whoosh..." Having said that, Ren Jie swung the ten-plus-jin Cold Iron Wood bench in his hand and hurled it into the Martial Arts Arena.

Wh... what? When did I wager that with you? What is this guy talking about? Even Gao Fei, standing in the Martial Arts Arena, was dumbfounded. What was this guy saying? Then he saw the whistling Cold Iron Wood bench flying at him and abruptly dodged aside. The distance was great, and the bench was a large target, so avoiding it was not difficult.

"Haha, money! A hit gets you one thousand taels of gold, so what are you waiting for?" The moment Gao Ren heard Ren Jie's words, he reacted. Ren Jie had only just made his move when Gao Ren swung up a Cold Iron Wood bench and threw it out as well.

"Big Iron Tower, what are you standing there for? Throw them!" As Gao Ren threw benches himself, he also reminded Tie Ta to act.

Tie Ta still had not quite reacted, but since both the family head and Gao Ren were doing it, he reached out and grabbed two or three Cold Iron Wood benches in each hand, then hurled them all out at once.

"Ren Jie... you..." Gao Fei had just started to speak when more Cold Iron Wood benches came screaming toward him, forcing him to dodge in a hurry.

"What are you all standing around for? Anyone who wants to make money, move now! These are Gold Notes worth one hundred taels. Those who hit him can come to this family head later to claim one thousand taels. The more you throw, the more you gain!" Ren Jie raised his hand and tossed all the small-denomination Gold Notes worth one hundred taels into the air. They scattered in midair, drifting toward the surrounding crowd.

Naturally, those studying at Jade Emperor Academy were not short on money. But precisely because of that, their expenses were high, and their understanding of money and pursuit of it exceeded that of ordinary people. Moreover, Ren Jie's actions had left many people confused. They thought this was truly the wager they had made. Besides, Gao Fei had offended quite a few people in the academy.

With Ren Jie stirring things up, Gold Notes fluttered through the air while Cold Iron Wood benches flew everywhere. A group of people who had grudges against Gao Fei seized the chance to throw their own benches. It was like Ren Jie's applause earlier—enough money to stir them up, combined with only half understanding the situation, easily created momentum.

As long as one person threw, the others immediately followed. Besides, what did this crowd of hedonistic young masters studying at Jade Emperor Academy not gamble on in their daily lives?

At first, only Tie Ta and Gao Ren desperately hurled the Cold Iron Wood benches around them. Tie Ta threw faster and threw more, making it look as if many people around them were throwing at once. But after Ren Jie tossed a handful of Gold Notes into the air, Cold Iron Wood benches began whistling toward the Martial Arts Arena from every direction.

"Ren Jie... I... wagered with you... ah... you bastards..."

"Stop... I... didn't..."

"You bastards, hurry... stop... make them stop!"

"Save... me..."

At first, Gao Fei could still dodge them. But there were simply too many later on, and Cold Iron Wood benches came crashing at him from all directions. Unable to avoid them all, he could only desperately block. When there were few, he could barely fend them off. But as their numbers grew, some of them striking with tremendous force, Gao Fei was battered beyond misery and screamed again and again. He wanted to leave the Martial Arts Arena, only to find that he could no longer escape.

Cold Iron Wood benches flew densely from all around, like Ten Thousand Arrows Fired Together.

"Damn..." The few people who had been following Gao Fei were all dumbstruck. Save him? How were they supposed to save him?

The people around them were already worked into a frenzy from throwing. Looking at the ferocious rain of countless Cold Iron Wood benches, anyone who tried to go up would be smashed flat before they even got there.

They stood there one after another, helpless and at a loss, unable to understand how things had turned out this way.

"Good throw! Here's a Gold Note worth one thousand taels—take it." Ren Jie pulled out a Gold Note worth one thousand taels of gold, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it toward someone in the distance who had just struck Gao Fei on the head with a Cold Iron Wood bench.

"That spinning technique was well used. A special reward of one thousand taels."

"This one drew blood. Ten thousand taels."

In truth, not many were doing it purely for money. But no one would turn down money earned for nothing, and there were already many who disliked Gao Fei. Some who normally would not dare confront him alone were throwing the hardest now. At least several hundred people had joined in. With things this chaotic, even if they beat him to death, no one could trace it back to them. Under such circumstances, they threw with even greater savagery.

Ren Jie had merely given things an initial push. After that, he no longer needed to push at all. Before long, all five thousand Cold Iron Wood benches in the enormous Martial Arts Arena had been hurled at Gao Fei.

In the end, Gao Fei was completely buried beneath the Cold Iron Wood benches, alive beneath a mound in the Martial Arts Arena. Fortunately, the benches were not stones and left many gaps, so he would not be buried alive. But anyone could see that even if Gao Fei did not die this time, he would not fare much better.