The Southern Heaven Academy had yet to recover from yesterday's crushing defeat when it immediately convened an emergency meeting.
In the great hall, Ji Zhan swept the crowd with an icy gaze and said coldly, "Everyone, news swept in like a hurricane today. Have you all heard? Zhan Wushuang, the Battle Sect's foremost genius, has lost both arms, and a disciple of our Southern Heaven Academy was responsible. Do you think our disciples have what it takes to do that? If an elder did it in disguise, then get your ass out here right now and come with me to the Battle Sect to beg forgiveness. Otherwise, once one of the Battle Sect's terrifying experts goes to the scene, looks back into the past, and discovers that an elder or dean did it, it will be a disaster for our Southern Heaven Academy."
Ji Zhan had resorted to outright swearing. The moment he heard the news, he had been trembling with fear. The Battle Sect was a colossal existence that the Southern Heaven Academy simply could not afford to provoke, and it was fiercely protective of its own.
Besides, Zhan Wushuang was so outstanding that a terrifying expert would surely go to the scene and look back into the past. If that expert vented his anger on the Southern Heaven Academy, it would spell disaster.
Yet when his voice died away, the great hall fell eerily silent. Everyone watched the people around them, making Ji Zhan so angry he wanted to curse their mothers. This emergency meeting had gotten them nowhere.
Ji Zhan was almost bursting with rage, his temper at its worst.
"Father, perhaps our Southern Heaven Academy really does have such a gifted disciple? Didn't Su Xiuyi appear here before?" Seeing how furious Ji Zhan was, Ji Wuming offered an explanation.
"Impossible."
"That's absolutely impossible. If our Southern Heaven Academy had such a disciple, would we not know about it? Without sufficient resources, a gifted disciple like that would lose the best time to grow and fade into the crowd." Ji Zhan rejected the idea outright.
"Wouldn't revealing himself be courting death? Senior Brother Su Xiuyi is an example!" Ji Wuming took a deep breath and growled.
"You..."
Ji Zhan fell silent at once. Just as Ji Wuming had said, wouldn't revealing such talent be courting death?
Before long, however, as everyone at the Southern Heaven Academy waited in dread, an ancestor of the Battle Sect appeared at the site of Zhan Wushuang's fight with Su Xiuyi. He looked back into the past and caught the lingering traces of their presence. To his immense shock, he discovered that it truly had been a gifted disciple of the Southern Heaven Academy, not someone in disguise.
"Hmm?"
"The Southern Heaven Academy really is a blessed place where geniuses emerge in succession. To think it has someone like this, who utterly crushed Wushuang. Utterly crushed him." The figure could hardly hide the surprise in his eyes.
The figure hovered in the air, his face indistinct. A moment later, he vanished. When he appeared again, he was already above the Southern Heaven Academy. He stared down at it coldly, sweeping his willpower recklessly over its disciples in search of that terrifying genius, but ultimately found nothing.
"Greetings, Senior Zhige. May I ask what brings you to the Southern Heaven Academy?" All the experts within the academy appeared together, looking fearfully at Meng Zhige, the Battle Sect ancestor, an utterly terrifying existence.
"Ji Zhan, your Southern Heaven Academy truly does produce geniuses one after another. First came Su Xiuyi, who suppressed the Great Zhou Dynasty's chosen so thoroughly they could scarcely breathe. No sooner had Su Xiuyi's time ended than another mysterious young fellow appeared and effortlessly took Zhan Wushuang's title of invincible in the Soaring realm. What a pity. He's hidden himself so well that even I couldn't find him.
"Still, your Southern Heaven Academy is truly incompetent. You can't even protect your own disciples. Su Xiuyi's tragic end has frightened him into hiding in the shadows."
As soon as Meng Zhige finished, without giving Ji Zhan a chance to answer, he spoke again, seemingly to himself. The next moment, his voice rang throughout the Southern Heaven Academy. "I am Meng Zhige of the Battle Sect. I bear no ill will in coming to the Southern Heaven Academy today. You suppressed Zhan Wushuang and forced him to cripple both his arms through your own ability. My Battle Sect will certainly not blame you, nor will we hold the Southern Heaven Academy responsible. But the Southern Heaven Academy is incompetent. Su Xiuyi, too, was a brilliantly gifted genius who suppressed an entire generation, yet what became of him? If you are willing, come to my Battle Sect. I, Meng Zhige, swear here and now that if you come to the Battle Sect, I will take you as my final disciple."
After speaking, Meng Zhige left without lingering. With a genius like this, it could only depend on whether he was willing; coercion would not work.
"The Battle Sect?"
"As expected of an immensely powerful sect, one capable of contending with the Great Zhou Imperial Clan." Hearing Meng Zhige's voice, Su Xiuyi sighed in admiration.
But Su Xiuyi was not tempted in the slightest. Nowhere was as safe as the Myriad Text Academy. His own strength was what mattered most; he would consider going out when he reached the peak of invincibility. Su Xiuyi closed his eyes.
Meng Zhige vanished, but the Southern Heaven Academy instantly erupted. Some had previously suspected that someone in disguise had severed Zhan Wushuang's arms, but now it was confirmed that the Southern Heaven Academy had someone even more formidable than Su Xiuyi.
"Zhan Wushuang was forced to cripple both his own arms?"
"The Battle Sect's War God, Meng Zhige, actually swore here that he was willing to take him as his final disciple?"
An uproar broke out. The disciples could hardly believe it and looked at one another.
"Who do you think it is? Will Meng Zhige lure him away? As Meng Zhige's final disciple, he'd surely be one of the Battle Sect's holy sons. His status would be incredibly exalted, comparable to that of an imperial prince."
The Southern Heaven Academy's many elders also stared at one another, their faces blank. The Southern Heaven Academy really did have such a terrifying disciple.
"Deans, after you return, check whether he is one of your disciples. Our Southern Heaven Academy is willing to devote everything to nurturing such a chosen. I, Ji Zhan, swear that this time, as long as I live, no harm will come to the Southern Heaven Academy's disciple." Ji Zhan took a deep breath and swore before them all.
The deans hurriedly nodded, their faces full of urgency. The moment they heard Meng Zhige's words, they had wanted to return and investigate.
At that moment, only two people in the Southern Heaven Academy wore gloomy expressions: Shen Dong and his teacher, Ning Xionglin.
Shen Dong in particular had clenched his fists until they creaked, jealousy and resentment flashing in his eyes. He had gone to great lengths to make Su Xiuyi disappear, yet Zhan Wushuang, who had defeated him, had been forced to cripple both his arms by a mysterious disciple of the Southern Heaven Academy. How could Shen Dong not be furious? He had gone to such lengths and schemed against Su Xiuyi, only to be crushed by a mysterious person once again, leaving him utterly overshadowed and reduced to a stepping stone.
Losing to Zhan Wushuang had not actually affected him much, because Zhan Wushuang was not from the Great Zhou Dynasty but a genius of the Battle Sect.
But now that a mysterious Southern Heaven Academy disciple had crushed Zhan Wushuang, who had defeated him, Shen Dong's title of top scholar looked utterly shabby.
Please give me recommendation votes. There are so few, it's pitiful. I'm asking all you big shots to look after me.
(End of chapter)