Picking a Fight on Purpose

Song Xu led Lu Qing'an and Xiao Qingyi into the formation, then flew down with them into a quiet, elegant residence at Demon Willow Academy.

At the tea table, Song Xu poured tea and water for the two of them. His face was wreathed in smiles, though his movements were somewhat restrained.

"Little Xu, how have things been for you at the academy lately?" Xiao Qingyi asked with a smile.

He was pleased with all his disciples, especially this youngest one. Song Xu had long since become a two-star instructor at Demon Willow Academy and was working hard to advance to three-star instructor.

"I'm preparing to compete for a three-star instructor position. If nothing unexpected happens, I should have it in the bag," Song Xu said with a smile.

"Oh? That's good news!" Xiao Qingyi nodded with satisfaction. Then something occurred to him, and he asked directly, "If you become a three-star instructor, could you waive the assessment and arrange for children to enter the academy to cultivate?"

Song Xu still did not know why his master had come. He knew only that his master and Lu Qing'an wanted to see the academy head. Hearing this, he instantly realized something, and a wry smile hurriedly appeared on his face.

"Master, let alone a three-star instructor-even a hall master or a deputy academy head couldn't do that. I'm afraid only the academy head himself could waive the rules."

An instructor was a teacher, while a hall master was much like a dean of students.

Hearing this, Lu Qing'an did not want to put Song Xu in a difficult position. "Old Xiao, don't make things difficult for your disciple. We can wait for the academy head to return and go straight to him."

"All right." Xiao Qingyi nodded, then looked back at his disciple and teased, "Little Xu, bring your master some glory and work your way up to academy head of Demon Willow Academy one day. Then we won't have to go through so much trouble!"

Song Xu gave an awkward smile.

Me, become the academy head...

If I could become a deputy academy head, or even just a hall master, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams.

"Little Xu, are you really sure your academy head will return tonight?" Lu Qing'an asked.

Song Xu scratched his head. "Senior, I only happened to overhear the hall masters talking about it. It should be right, but I wouldn't dare guarantee it..."

"All right, we'll wait here," Xiao Qingyi said.

Lu Qing'an nodded, and they drank tea and chatted.

"Senior, who are you hoping to have enter the academy to cultivate this time?" He had not seen Lu Qing'an in a very long time. Lu Qing'an had disappeared for over a thousand years, and as soon as he returned, he wanted to arrange for someone to enter the academy. It was very strange.

"My daughter."

"Ah?!"

Song Xu's eyes widened.

Daughter?!

You have a daughter?!

Xiao Qingyi hurriedly sent his disciple a voice transmission, telling him the broad outlines of Lu Qing'an's situation.

After hearing it, Song Xu was even more dumbstruck.

So he went to the Immortal Ruins!

And he got married and had two daughters!

To better nurture his two daughters, it was indeed better to send them to Demon Willow Academy.

The three drank tea and chatted as they waited in silence.

At one point, Lu Qing'an looked up at the Time-Reversing Demon Willow in the sky and gave it some thought. Since he planned to have his two children cultivate here and had nothing to do at the moment, he might as well take a walk around the academy and see what the environment was like.

"Little Xu, since we have nothing to do anyway, take me for a walk around your academy."

"Of course!"

And so, the three began strolling around Demon Willow Academy.

As Lu Qing'an wandered about, he found that the academy's surroundings were quite pleasant, elegant and tranquil. From time to time, he saw students of different grades sitting cross-legged in various places, cultivating, or gathering in groups to discuss cultivation.

The atmosphere was quite good.

"Not bad. When my daughters come here, they should be able to interact with plenty of people too."

He did not want his two daughters to follow the same path as his disciple.

Many students who saw Song Xu came forward to bow and address him as instructor.

It made Lu Qing'an feel as though he had returned in a dream to the campus of his previous life.

"Not bad. Little Xu, take me to see your academy's treasured treasure, the Time-Reversing Demon Willow." Lu Qing'an mainly wanted his elder daughter to cultivate there. The one-to-three-hundred time flow ratio would give her cultivation a tremendous boost.

"Of course."

Before long, the three arrived before the roots of the enormous Time-Reversing Demon Willow.

A vast plaza paved with bluestone lay before it, and in the center, various distinctive buildings had been built around the roots of the Time-Reversing Demon Willow.

Quite a few students were sitting cross-legged inside, cultivating.

The interiors of the buildings higher up could not be seen.

With a single glance, Lu Qing'an could tell that time flowed much faster there than it did farther away.

"Indeed, paired with a time treasure, the maximum time flow ratio can reach one to three hundred," Lu Qing'an murmured.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, his expression suddenly tightened slightly.

His divine sense swiftly entered a box inside one of his treasures.

It was the very box containing that mass of energy!

At that moment, the energy mass was vibrating wildly, as though it wanted to break free of the box's restraints and fly out.

With a flicker of his will, the energy mass instantly died down, with no room left to struggle.

Even so, he could still feel that it was filled with desire.

"Does it want the Time-Reversing Demon Willow?"

Lu Qing'an stared at the Time-Reversing Demon Willow ahead.

To verify it, he prepared to approach the Time-Reversing Demon Willow and see what happened.

The energy mass came from beyond the heavens and was extremely mysterious. Getting to the bottom of it might not be much use to him, but it might benefit his children.

"Stop!"

Just as Lu Qing'an was about to step forward, a figure suddenly flashed out of the void and appeared before him, stretching out a hand to block his path.

Lu Qing'an looked at the newcomer.

The man was middle-aged, about the same age as Song Xu and at much the same cultivation level. Both were in the Early Great Emperor Realm.

The slight difference was that this man had less of Song Xu's refined bearing and more of a sharp edge.

Song Xu hurried forward. "Lu Hong! What are you doing?"

You even dare block the Eternal Night Demon Emperor!

Lu Hong was a two-star instructor at Demon Willow Academy.

"Who are these two? Anyone who isn't from Demon Willow Academy is forbidden from approaching the Time-Reversing Demon Willow!" Lu Hong said expressionlessly.

"You don't know who I am?" Xiao Qingyi cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back, presenting the image of an expert.

His identity as Great Emperor Leixiao was widely known throughout the Demon Domain. There were not many who did not recognize him.

And yet.

Xiao Qingyi, who had wanted to show off, was thrown off balance by Lu Hong's next words.

"I don't know you. In any case, I'm guarding this place today, and no one who isn't from our academy may approach the Time-Reversing Demon Willow. Those are the academy's rules!" Lu Hong said.

"You actually don't recognize me?" Xiao Qingyi frowned.

Does this brat really not recognize me, or is he pretending?

Lu Hong had naturally recognized Xiao Qingyi, but so what?

Great Emperor Leixiao was indeed quite powerful, but this was Demon Willow Academy!

After the Eternal Night Demon Emperor became an emperor, he had intimidated every power in the Demon Domain, yet even he had never come to Demon Willow Academy to make trouble. Great Emperor Leixiao was considerably weaker than the Eternal Night Demon Emperor and might not even be a match for their academy head. There was no reason to give him any face here!

What was more, Xiao Qingyi was Song Xu's master!

"How come I've never heard of such a rule? Lu Hong, could it be that you're trying to disgust me because I'll soon be competing with you for a three-star instructor position?" Song Xu asked, staring at Lu Hong.

He really had never heard of such a rule!

When Xiao Qingyi heard this, he understood at once.

So it wasn't that he didn't recognize me. He did, but because he's competing with my disciple, he's putting on an act!