The Holy Academy Is Nobody's Private Garden

"Su Yang, do you want to become a Soul Master and cultivate?" Wang Feng asked with a smile.

"Big brother, I do, but they said, they said my talent wasn't good enough." Su Yang lowered his head. Though he was only six, he understood what it meant to lack talent.

"Your talent is good enough for me. Do you want to cultivate with me?"

"Ah! Can I really follow you, big brother?" Su Yang suddenly looked at Wang Feng, excitement written all over his face.

"Young man, you absolutely mustn't. Since my son lacks talent, I'll take him home with me! Sorry for troubling you any further."

"Uncle, this concerns Su Yang. Let him choose."

"This..."

Wang Feng looked at Su Yang and asked again, "Su Yang, do you want to? But I have to tell you, cultivation is hard, especially for you. It'll be even harder."

"I do," Su Yang said firmly.

"All right, then come with me!" Wang Feng smiled and pulled Su Yang to his side, then looked at the dean.

"You're the dean of the Holy Academy? I'm surprised. A Soul Grandmaster who hasn't even reached level thirty can actually serve as dean. I suppose you must have some exceptional qualities, but I haven't seen them. If anything, I'm very disappointed. My teacher told me the Holy Academy was established for people across the world who wanted to become Soul Masters but had no opportunity. Yet it seems the Holy Academy has become someone's private garden."

"What do you mean?" The dean stared coldly at Wang Feng, his expression turning somewhat ugly.

"If you want to know what I mean, why don't you ask everyone why he died, then come find me? I'll be waiting for you in the inner academy."

With that, Wang Feng pulled Su Yang away. When he reached Yue Guan, he stopped and said, "Everyone who cut in line just now is to go back and queue up again. If anyone refuses, kill them all."

"Yes."

Yue Guan nodded and smiled faintly.

"And send someone to escort Su Yang's father home safely."

"Don't worry, I'll make the arrangements."

Wang Feng nodded and said no more. Instead, he pulled Wang Feng toward the carriage.

The dean looked at the carriage, hesitation flickering in his eyes. At last, he shouted in its direction, "Boy, you're right. The Holy Academy is nobody's private garden. I'll get to the bottom of this. If you deliberately stirred up trouble, I won't let you stay at the Holy Academy, even if you are the Spirit Hall Pope's disciple."

"You'd better."

Wang Feng sneered and quickly led Su Yang onto the carriage. But Su Yang didn't dare go inside, so Wang Feng let him sit outside.

"Senior brother, you were so handsome just now! You actually killed a Soul Elder in one move." Hu Liena gazed at Wang Feng with an infatuated expression, her voice full of admiration.

Wang Feng smiled without replying. After sitting down, he looked at Bibi Dong and asked, "Teacher, who chose the dean? Even someone blind couldn't have picked a Soul Grandmaster in his twenties to be dean!"

"I did."

Wang Feng: ...

Qian Renxue: ...

Hu Liena: ...

Wang Feng froze. Hu Liena and Qian Renxue froze too, staring at Bibi Dong in disbelief.

After a long while, the three finally came to their senses. Qian Renxue frowned and asked, "Mom, why did you make him dean? He knew perfectly well that Wang Feng was your disciple, but he still wanted to arrest him without asking what happened. How is someone like that fit to be dean of the Holy Academy?"

"Exactly! Teacher, I think you might as well let senior brother do it. He might even do better."

"He is fit," Bibi Dong said calmly. She opened her eyes and looked out the window. Though the curtain blocked her view, with her strength as a Titled Douluo, she could naturally see whatever she wanted to see.

"Let's go. We'll enter from the back."

The carriage continued on its way. Wang Feng and the other two exchanged glances, and in the end, Wang Feng asked, "Teacher, does this dean have some exceptional qualities?"

"You'll find out later." Bibi Dong offered no further explanation, but her tone was somewhat strange, so Wang Feng had no choice but to stop asking.

Still, he was puzzled. Just what was so outstanding about someone like that, enough for him to be dean of the Holy Academy?

The carriage soon came to a stop. Hu Liena and Qian Renxue got out, but Wang Feng blocked the doorway and smiled at Bibi Dong. "Teacher, could you grant a special privilege and let Su Yang cultivate in the inner academy too?"

"Yes, but all the resources he needs will be deducted from your share."

"No problem." Wang Feng agreed at once. He didn't need resources to cultivate anyway. At most, there would be tuition to pay, and Hu Liena and Qian Renxue would pay it for them. As for food, they could just mooch off those two.

After getting out of the carriage, the group followed Bibi Dong through the back gate and straight into the inner academy.

Half the inner academy's students had already arrived. Only some who lived farther away had yet to come.

But the students were busy with dorm assignments and a host of other matters, so only a few figures could be seen in the square.

Another Spirit Hall elder led Wang Feng and the others to the academy registration office, while Bibi Dong took the rest to the administration building.

Registering their identities was much easier for them. With an elder leading them, no one dared make things difficult.

After their dorms were assigned, the elder took Qian Renxue and Hu Liena to the female students' dormitory. Wang Feng and Su Yang had to find their own room, but it wasn't difficult. They soon found their dorm, and no one else was inside; there were only the two of them.

Wang Feng then told Su Yang to stay there while he went to find Bibi Dong. He had to see his teacher off, and he also needed to return the Pope Token.

On the top floor of the administration building, nine chairs stood around a long table. Bibi Dong sat in the main seat at the center, and to her right sat the dean, Yu Xiaogang, known as Grandmaster.

He was famous throughout the continent, though mostly in a negative sense. Still, he did have exceptional abilities when it came to teaching about Martial Souls.

The others were important figures from the Heaven Dou Empire, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, other sects, and the Star Luo Empire.

After they finished discussing the start of the school year, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan member changed the subject to what had happened at the academy gate.

He looked at Bibi Dong and said, "Your Holiness, I heard that your disciple killed a member of my clan in front of everyone. Although my clan was at fault first, wasn't killing him going too far? I hope Your Holiness can give us an explanation."

Everyone looked at Bibi Dong. They all knew about the incident, but the academy's affairs had been more important, so they had left it until last.

Bibi Dong frowned and looked at the dean, Yu Xiaogang.

But Yu Xiaogang seemed to sense Bibi Dong's gaze and turned his head away, whether deliberately or not, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

"Since you yourself said your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was at fault first, what do you want?" Bibi Dong asked the man in a low voice.

"I won't make things difficult for Your Holiness. I won't ask for a life in exchange for a life, but this incident has already had a very bad impact on the academy. I think your disciple should be expelled. It would also serve as a warning to all the students that the Holy Academy isn't a place where anyone can do evil as they please."

"Mm, I think that would be just right." The person from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, seated beside the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan member, nodded in strong agreement.

As for the others, none of them said anything.

"And you, Dean? Do you think the same?" Bibi Dong looked at Yu Xiaogang.

"I..." Yu Xiaogang looked conflicted. He glanced at Bibi Dong, unsure what to say, then looked at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan member and said, "Both sides were indeed at fault in this matter, but..."

"Xiaogang, you've been away all these years. The clan leader misses you dearly! Come home for a visit when you have time." Before Yu Xiaogang could finish, the man suddenly interrupted him.

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed at those words, and his body trembled. Then he looked at Bibi Dong and said, "We do need to give the students an explanation. Since I'm the dean, let's expel him!"

Bibi Dong closed her eyes, her face remaining calm throughout. The room suddenly fell silent.

After a long time, Bibi Dong abruptly opened her eyes and looked at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan member. "My disciple was in the wrong and caused a very bad impact on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. How about a Soul Bone?"

"A Soul Bone!"

The man was startled. He hadn't expected Bibi Dong to offer a Soul Bone. Although Soul Bones weren't particularly rare, even the great sects never had enough to meet demand!

"Very well. Since Your Holiness is willing to offer a Soul Bone as compensation, I have no objection. We'll let the matter rest."

"Good. I'll have someone deliver the Soul Bone to you."

"Thank you, Your Holiness."

"All right, if there's nothing else, I'll be going." Bibi Dong rose and walked straight out.

Downstairs, Wang Feng had waited all morning when he finally saw Bibi Dong come down. Quite a few people accompanied her, all from the Seven Great Sects and the two great empires. The dean was there too.

Whether they feared Bibi Dong or were keeping their distance, they all followed a long way behind her.

Wang Feng immediately went up to her, took out the Pope Token, and handed it to her.

"Teacher, are you going back?"

"Mm." Bibi Dong nodded. "I've already explained what happened at the gate to them, so don't concern yourself with it anymore. Keep the token. You might have a use for it, and it's no use to me anyway."

"Ah!" Wang Feng was startled. "Teacher, this is the Pope Token. Is it really appropriate for me to keep it?"

"It's fine. Take it."

"Oh, all right!" Delighted, Wang Feng put it away. He had wanted to keep the Pope Token all along; it was incredibly useful.

"By the way, Wang Feng, there's something I need to tell you. You must maintain a good relationship with the dean. Although his Soul Power Level cannot break through level thirty, no one on the continent can match his research into Soul Master theory. With his guidance, you'll surely gain a great deal."

"Theory?" Wang Feng frowned. Why did that sound familiar? Could the dean be the man who wrote that book?

Wang Feng looked back at the dean walking among the crowd. He wanted to ask, but found it hard to bring up, because he had noticed that his teacher's eyes looked a little strange when she mentioned the man, as though she were a different person from usual.

"He's also an elder of our Spirit Hall. Don't let what happened at the gate cause any conflict between you," Bibi Dong suddenly added.

"Ah! He's an elder too?" Wang Feng was slightly startled and felt a headache coming on. An elder from their own side hadn't helped one of their own. "All right, Teacher, I'll remember." Wang Feng smiled and nodded. Since the man was one of their own elders, he naturally couldn't dwell too much on what had happened earlier.

The two walked in silence toward the back gate, one behind the other. As they walked, Wang Feng suddenly frowned and asked, "Teacher, is something wrong? Why do you seem unwell?" He had noticed she didn't seem well when she came downstairs, as though she were very tired. She was a Titled Douluo; a meeting that lasted all morning shouldn't have left her like that.

Bibi Dong smiled. "It's nothing. Don't worry about me. All right, I'm going back. You don't need to come out with me."

"All right, then! If anything happens, have someone let me know. I'll come back to see you anytime."

"I know." Bibi Dong waved her hand in farewell.

Wang Feng went no farther. He watched Bibi Dong leave before turning back.