Chapter 51: Pros and Cons

"Teacher, please rest assured. We haven't left anything that could directly prove we instigated them. Even if those people accuse us, we can simply deny it to the death. They can't act against us based on mere words from a few individuals, can they? We only wanted others to know that our Da Luo Academy is not to be trifled with."
One of them forced an explanation.

"Instigation? Denial to the death? So you did this for the academy!"
Scholar Li trembled with rage, his silver hair flying. With a flash of runes, a teaching ruler appeared in his hand, purple and as warm as jade, not long—about a meter—crystalline as if water might drip from it, surrounded by mist.

"Is this what you have learned at the academy?"
He brought down the purple ruler; there was no visible movement, but the faces of those before him turned pale as death, sweat pouring like rain, teeth clenched tight, enduring in silence.

Seeing Scholar Li about to raise the ruler again, fear spread across their faces. Their gazes turned to his left, where another sat, also dressed in the uniform of Da Luo Academy. He was handsome, eyes closed as if resting, but upon sensing their looks, he opened his eyes—emerald green, as if countless scriptures floated within.

"Scholar, if you strike with that ruler again, these men will be ruined!"
The voice was gentle and magnetic, inspiring instant trust.

Scholar Li paused in midair, snorted coldly, and lowered the ruler at last...

"What’s done is done. Blaming them won't solve anything. Best to think about how to deal with the situation."
The man closed his eyes again, speaking calmly.

"Zi Qing, your family finally produced a seed of Biting Blood and Loyal Heart. If he falls here, your family will be heartbroken..."
A lazy voice sounded to Li’s right. A young man rubbed his eyes and yawned, as though just awakened, then flicked a speck of sleep toward Zi Qing, which landed less than a foot from him and dissipated into dust in the air.

"Tie Niu, as chief of the Confucian Hall, why do you entertain such childish notions?"
Zi Qing's face remained tranquil as water, unmoved by Tie Niu’s antics.

"Zi Qing, don’t act as if you control everything. You may have the Biting Blood and Loyal Heart, but you’re not the Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart. You can’t predict heaven and earth..."
Tie Niu scoffed, annoyed by those who pretended everything was under their control...

"These juniors are right. They wore obscuring formations; no array could record their voices or faces, unless they were foolish enough to speak before at least a Saint King."
Zi Qing opened his eyes, gazing at the group with unfathomable emerald pupils.

"No...no, we checked. The deepest background we sought was from the Hao Tian Sect. The one who came was just a Saint, and we found him first. The rest we picked randomly from unaffiliated wanderers. Even if Zhou Tian got wind of it, he couldn’t arrange Saint Kings around so many scattered individuals..."
The man at the front, facing Zi Qing’s gaze, trembled inside and hurriedly explained. After all, they had been carefully selected from Da Luo Prefecture, and if not for encountering Zi Xu, the 'protagonist'!

"Then what remains is wrangling. Tian Qin won’t and can’t act against us based solely on a few people's words."
Zi Qing nodded.

Zi Qing was clearly on a different level from those few. When he spoke the same idea, Scholar Li only frowned, saying nothing. Zi Qing pondered for a moment and continued:

"You’re from the Law Hall, aren’t you?"
"Mm..."
They nodded, feeling an ominous premonition.

"Go back and find Teacher Wu Ling. Voluntarily drop one academic level and deduct ten credits."
Zi Qing said softly.

"..."

Their faces, just beginning to recover from the ordeal with the ruler, turned unspeakably ugly, written all over with resentment and unwillingness. They opened their mouths, and after a long pause, finally responded with palpable reluctance,
"Yes..."

"Zi Qing, impressive! Reaching even into the Law Hall, but isn’t your family from the Heaven Hall?"
Tie Niu mocked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I’m doing this for their own good. The Law Hall’s punishments are the strictest in Da Luo Academy. If Wu Ling goes after them, the consequences won’t be so simple."
Turning to those men, he asked,

"Do you know why you are being punished?"
"Our methods weren’t aboveboard..."
The man at the front replied weakly.

"Wrong!"
Zi Qing frowned, like ripples disturbing a calm lake.

"You truly learned nothing at the academy! Yes, your methods are an issue, but not because they lack honor—it's because they were crude, foolish! And you overestimated yourselves!"

"This is Tian Qin Imperial Capital. If the great figures of Tian Qin want to investigate, what could escape their scrutiny? Even how many women Tie Niu slept with last night, and how many times, they could easily find out—let alone your petty schemes!"

"Hey, you—cough, cough—don't use me as an example, stop making things up!"
Tie Niu stumbled awkwardly.

"Do you really think the academy can protect you for life?"
Zi Qing ignored Tie Niu, continuing to admonish the group.

"If you can endure, then endure. If not, use flawless methods so your targets have no complaint to voice. What you did? Nine-tenths of your scheme relied on the academy’s shelter!"

...

While they discussed above, the battle between Tian Ling and Zhang San had already begun.

On the arena, with the disappearance of the chains of divine order restraining them, neither wasted words.

"Kill!"
Zhang San roared, flames igniting in his pupils. His spear glowed fiery red, as if roasted in divine fire, heat waves enveloping him. Crimson runes surged forth, energy erupting like a volcano.

With a flash of the spear’s shadow, a red-flame dragon coiled around the shaft. Zhang San became a scarlet divine light, charging at Tian Ling.

Tian Ling’s gaze sharpened. The searing wave of fire and the menacing dragon rushed at her, Zhang San’s mighty form exuding overwhelming power, like a moving volcano.

"Ha!"
Tian Ling gave a light shout. Boundless gale winds surged skyward, fierce enough to tear space itself. Azure runes enveloped her, and within the limitless wind, a blue sword slowly appeared. A single glance threatened to rip one apart!

Her figure blurred, an azure tornado spinning beneath her feet. Gripping the blue sword, she swept out a hundred-zhang sword aura. Gale winds roared, infinite waves following the sword’s path.

Zhang San responded in kind; red flames swept across half the sky, and behind him an ancient volcano erupted, spewing endless magma—one of his divine powers.

The arena was split in two, azure winds and scarlet flames clashing fiercely, as if a great star exploded here, destruction surging forth!