Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 114 - Retard

Liu Wuxie didn’t expect to encounter Song Ling here under these circumstances. The chubby student lying on the ground was the young master of Azure Billow City’s Song Clan, Song Ling.

Liu Wuxie hadn’t seen him during the assessment. Furthermore, it seemed like Song Ling had been in the academy for a few days. He reached out to help Song Ling rise, brushed the dirt off his clothes without a hint of revulsion, and even offered him a reassuring look.

“Big Brother, they’re strong. Let’s leave this place!” Song Ling was aware of Liu Wuxie’s abilities, but these people were students of the elite classes, which meant they were strong. So, it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“Senior Brother Hu, this is the brat that refused our invitation to the elite class. Senior Bai even said that he’ll reward five third-grade pills to whoever cripples this brat today!” Among the group of five young men, the one on the far right stepped out. He had been present in the afternoon and recognized Liu Wuxie.

This revelation incensed them, making them feel as if the elite classes were being challenged, putting their prestige at risk.

Hu Jihua was initially taken aback, but then a smile spread across his face. He hadn’t expected such a stroke of good fortune. Not long ago, Bai Qiong had put a bounty on crippling Liu Wuxie. If Liu Wuxie were to be crippled, the rewards that were rightfully his would go to Bai Yu. This was because the next day, the rewards would fall into Liu Wuxie’s hands, and there would be nothing Bai Qiong could do about it.

The competition in the academy was far more severe than Liu Wuxie had imagined.

“Kid, your luck has run out. The heavens are favoring me!” Hu Jihua laughed as he and the four other young men encircled Liu Wuxie and Song Ling, blocking any escape routes for Liu Wuxie.

The crowd around them swelled as word of the Nine Stars Illumination spread across the academy. Liu Wuxie, a prodigy with an imperfect constitution, naturally drew everyone’s attention.

“Is this the kid who triggered the Nine Stars Illumination and passed the Profound Gate?” murmurs rippled through the crowd as all eyes turned to Liu Wuxie.

“He looks ordinary. He’s just in the fifth-level Xiantian Realm, and many students are in the same cultivation realm as him in the academy.” The discussions were unfavorable to Liu Wuxie. After all, it was natural for a genius to incur everyone's envy.

Facing the surrounding mockery, Liu Wuxie maintained his indifference and looked at the five young men calmly.

“Big Brother, go on without me!” Song Ling urged Liu Wuxie, not wanting to be a burden to him.

This naturally moved Liu Wuxie, as Song Ling was his first friend since his transmigration to the True Martial Continent. He couldn’t just stand by while his friend was in trouble.

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to me!” Liu Wuxie reassured Song Ling. The Houtian Realm was too insignificant in the Imperial Academy, and it was unclear if Song Ling could survive there. This left Liu Wuxie puzzled about his friend’s admission to the academy, given that Song Ling’s talent might not even get him through the initial assessment round.

Hu Jihua pressed on as he stepped forth, already three steps away from Liu Wuxie. The five of them were all in the seventh-level Xiantian Realm, and they were like Xu Lingxue, recruited into the academy by teachers in the first half of the year without needing an assessment.

“Brat, if you cripple your cultivation and become my dog, I might consider sparing your life!” Hu Jihua sneered, planning to cripple Liu Wuxie’s cultivation.

The Imperial Academy wouldn’t accept trash, and if someone’s cultivation was crippled, they could only leave the academy. Given Liu Wuxie’s recent situation, he would be killed before he could even leave the ten-mile-long path.

Hu Jihua’s arrogance was evident as he spoke about his intention to cripple Liu Wuxie’s cultivation. This was a trait that had become ingrained in his character over time due to his habitual arrogance.

Right then, Li Shengsheng walked over. He was also in the seventh-level Xiantian Realm, and his chances of success against the five young men were slim.

“Senior Brother Li, is there a penalty for crippling someone’s cultivation in the academy?” Liu Wuxie asked suddenly, a smile on his face as he turned to Li Shengsheng. The slight curl of his lips was a clear indication of his anger.

“If it’s a fair fight, only ten credits would be deducted at most,” Li Shengsheng replied honestly. The Imperial Academy mainly used credits as fees for the various services in the academy. In a nutshell, the more the credits, the better. One credit was also equivalent to 100,000 gold coins. This meant that crippling someone was equivalent to 1,000,000 gold coins, and this was the only way the academy could prevent a life-and-death battle, as not everyone could fork out 1,000,000 gold coins.

This was Liu Wuxie’s first day in the Imperial Academy, and he still had no credits. This meant that he had to earn credits as soon as possible. He asked, “Senior Brother Li, how many credits do you have?”

The sudden question left Li Shengsheng baffled. Having spent over a year in the Imperial Academy, he had amassed a considerable amount of credit. He replied, “About sixty.”

“That’s enough!” Liu Wuxie abruptly vanished, leaving everyone puzzled as to how he disappeared.

A succession of loud crashes echoed as five bodies were hurled out, colliding with the dining hall’s tables and chairs, causing pandemonium among the crowd. Liu Wuxie had acted without any forewarning.

Liu Wuxie was someone who acted according to his wishes, and he was never a merciful person. The five young men lay on the ground as they wailed in pain. Everything took place too quickly. Before anyone could even react, Hu Jihua’s group of five had suffered a rupture in their dantian, their true essence seeping out, and their cultivation was crippled.

Li Shengsheng’s mouth was wide open, and the battle ended before he could even have the chance to speak. He had intended to caution Liu Wuxie against tangling with the elite classes, fearing it would complicate his academy life.

But Liu Wuxie wasn’t someone who would listen to such advice. Since his friend was slapped, how could he let this matter rest so easily?

“Senior Brother Li, cover the fifty credits for me first. I will pay you back when I earn credits.” Liu Wuxie casually suggested, brushing off his hands as if he had just performed a mundane task. To him, Hu Jihua’s group of five was nothing more than rubbish.

Li Shengsheng wore a wry smile. He wasn’t particularly concerned about his credits; he could always earn more if he ran out. Besides, he hailed from a prosperous family. The amount was trivial for a large clan, though it might be a significant sum for a smaller clan in Azure Billow City.

“Someone’s dead! Students of the elite classes are dead!” The surroundings erupted into chaos as students who were dining scattered out and spread the news. It didn’t take long before news of students from elite classes being killed spread throughout the Imperial Academy.

The hierarchy was strict in the True Martial Continent. Students from elite classes were followed by a crowd wherever they went, and Liu Wuxie had just crippled the cultivation of five students from the elite classes in one go. Thus, everyone naturally felt like the heavens were about to collapse.

“Big Brother, what should we do now?” Song Ling panicked, his face becoming pale with fright. He wasn’t worried about himself but feared it might implicate Liu Wuxie.

“I’ll bear the responsibility for it, and it has nothing to do with you!” Liu Wuxie assured Song Ling with a signal. If the situation were grave, Li Shengsheng’s expression might have altered, but given his calm demeanor, it seemed unlikely.

The surrounding students retreated and didn’t dare to get too close to Liu Wuxie, fearing they might be implicated in this mess. Numerous elite class students were also dining in the vicinity.

At that moment, a group hurriedly approached, likely alerted by someone.

“It’s Senior Brother Bai! He’s also dining here, and this brat is finished!” An uproar came from the surrounding area as Bai Qiong, a Spirit Cleansing Realm cultivator and a prodigy on the Earth Ranking, was spotted. There were thousands of students in the Earth Grade, and the fact that he could make it into the top ten proved that he was extraordinary.

Bai Yu trailed behind Bai Qiong, who likely brought his younger brother here to familiarize him with the surroundings. They were quick to respond when they heard about the elite class students being crippled.

As Bai Qiong and over a dozen students appeared about ten steps away from Liu Wuxie, everyone automatically made way for them. Their faces darkened as they glanced at Hu Jihua’s group of five. Injuring Hu Jihua, who was considered Bai Qiong’s underling, was akin to slapping Bai Qiong’s face.

“Brat, how dare you cripple the students of our elite classes! Why aren’t you on your knees!” A youth emerged from behind Bai Qiong, pointing at Liu Wuxie and demanding that he kneel and apologize. If Liu Wuxie had waited for them to act, he would have been in deep trouble.

While killing might have been forbidden in the academy, the academy wouldn’t sacrifice another prodigy for a deceased one. The perpetrator would only be punished to a certain extent.

Liu Wuxie paid no heed to the speaker, his focus solely on Bai Qiong. This was likely to be his first significant adversary since joining the academy. This individual was powerful and was due for a promotion in a few days.

Previously, Hu Jihua had revealed that Bai Qiong had placed a bounty on crippling Liu Wuxie’s cultivation, establishing a conflict between them even before their first encounter.

“Senior Brother Bai, you’re in the Spirit Cleansing Realm. Surely you’re not considering attacking Junior Brother Liu?” Li Shengsheng stepped forward, cautioning Bai Qiong against exploiting his superior cultivation to oppress the less powerful.

“Li Shengsheng, who do you think you are to speak in my presence?” Bai Qiong glared at Li Shengsheng with a predatory gaze, effectively silencing him. His domineering attitude made it clear that someone from the advanced class, like Li Shengsheng, had no right to address him.

Suddenly, Liu Wuxie started clapping, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he looked at Bai Qiong. Given his existing feud with the Xue Clan, he wouldn’t hesitate to cripple another person. After all, he had already offended the elite classes and was prepared for the ensuing challenges. Adding one more enemy to the list wouldn’t make much of a difference.

“Brat, what are you laughing at?” Bai Qiong examined Liu Wuxie. Bai Yu had briefed him about Liu Wuxie earlier in the day, informing him of Liu Wuxie’s agility and how no ordinary Spirit Cleansing Realm experts could match him.

“I’m laughing at a retard like you!” Liu Wuxie’s reply was beyond everyone’s expectations as he was the first person to mock an expert ranked ninth on the Earth Ranking in public.