Chapter 126: Things Can Be Changed

"It’s the Dean!"
"The Dean has actually appeared!"

Upon hearing this voice, every student belonging to Zixiao Academy wore an expression of immense excitement. The reason Zixiao Academy stood at the pinnacle of the Southern Territory, ranking as one of the three greatest academies, was in no small part due to this legendary figure. Many students even held the Dean up as their benchmark, hoping that one day they might become a titan like him. Even the rumors of him being pedantic and stubborn did nothing to diminish his status in the students' eyes. After all, a powerhouse is always expected to be a bit eccentric.

Shen Qingyun glanced nonchalantly at a locust tree outside the crowd and curled his lip. Since he had already arrived, why appear alone? Was he still looking down on him?

Shen Qingyun’s expression remained unchanged as he said slowly, "Dean, please show yourself."

A breeze swept through, and in the clearing surrounded by the crowd, the figure of Ye Zhong appeared, his gaze locking onto Shen Qingyun’s. The students, seeing Ye Zhong, bowed in unison and shouted respectfully, "Greetings, Dean!"

Ye Zhong scanned the crowd with a calm gaze before settling back on Shen Qingyun. "You defeated our students and even boasted of challenging the geniuses of the inner academy. Should I call your courage commendable, or call you ignorant of the heights of the world?"

Shen Qingyun chuckled. "It is said that Zixiao Academy is one of the top three in the Southern Territory, gathering all the region's talents. A guy like me, who wants to enter the academy but has no door to knock on, naturally wants to experience the strength of these geniuses."

"However, I had never heard of a distinction between an inner and outer academy. If this is all the outer academy has to offer, I hope the inner academy won't be a disappointment."

Hearing this, the students of Zixiao Academy grew grim. Had the Dean not been present, they would have abandoned all decorum and swarmed him to teach him a lesson.

"I said just now, the inner academy is not somewhere you can enter just because you want to," Ye Zhong said slowly.

"Is that so?" Shen Qingyun raised an eyebrow and turned to Feng Chuxun. "This is getting boring. Chuxun, let’s go."

Feng Chuxun glanced at Ye Zhong and blinked. It didn't feel like they would be allowed to leave so easily.

Sure enough, Ye Zhong flicked his gray sleeves and stood with his hands behind his back, scolding, "Stop! Do you think Zixiao Academy is a place you can come and go as you please?"

Shen Qingyun stopped, turned around, and looked directly at Ye Zhong. "And what does the Dean of Zixiao want?"

"Originally, if you two had left quietly, I would not have bothered with what happened before. But now, you have not only struck out at the Five Palaces but other halls as well. If I were to let you walk away after that, I would be a very incompetent Dean. Moreover, this was supposed to be a friendly spar; why did you use such heavy hands? If you want to leave today, you will leave an apology. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Of course I understand, since the Dean has made it so clear." Shen Qingyun sneered. "But why should I? If they aren't strong enough, isn't this outcome expected? As for apologizing, are they even worthy of it?"

The anger in the students' eyes flared, but they held back out of respect for the Dean.

"Whether they are worthy or not is not for you to decide," Ye Zhong said with a calm expression. "If you won't apologize, then use your strength to prove that you can walk out of here on your own."

Shen Qingyun smiled. "How do I prove that?"

"Our outer academy has students from seven halls. If you can walk from their hands all the way to the main gate, I will no longer make things difficult for you, and the gates of Zixiao Academy will forever be open to you!"

Hearing this, Shen Qingyun arched an eyebrow and scanned the Zixiao students, dismissing them with, "Just them?" His tone and gaze were filled with such disdain that the students' rage spiked once more, their burning glares seemingly ready to set him ablaze.

Sensing the stifling atmosphere behind him, Ye Zhong realized he couldn't let Shen Qingyun continue; every two out of three words he spoke were meant to belittle them. If he weren't here, the situation would have likely spiraled out of control. After all, those called geniuses of the Southern Territory all had their own tempers.

Ye Zhong added, "Of course, it won't just be them. I will send word to the students of each hall who are currently out on missions and summon them back. Since I said seven halls, no one can be missing." He looked at Shen Qingyun and asked, "Do you dare to accept this challenge?"

Shen Qingyun smiled faintly. "Why not? Bring them on."

"Very well. Three days from now, we start here."

Shen Qingyun nodded. Ye Zhong turned to the students and asked, "And you?"

"Understood!"

The students shouted in unison, the previously stifling atmosphere turning white-hot. Almost everyone stared intensely at Shen Qingyun; in three days, they would finally be able to teach this arrogant, insufferable fellow a lesson. Shen Qingyun knew from their eyes that he had become the public enemy of the entire Zixiao Academy. But fortunately, he was used to such looks, and those who had looked at him this way in the past usually met a miserable end.

Cheng Feng appeared beside Ye Zhong and said to Shen Qingyun, "The two of you, follow me." With that, Cheng Feng tapped his toes, leaped gracefully onto the roof of a palace, and jumped again, carving an arc through the air before landing lightly on the next roof.

Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun did not hesitate, leaping up and mirroring Cheng Feng’s movements under the gaze of countless eyes, easily keeping pace with him.

The students were silent. It was understandable for Feng Chuxun, given his Spirit Phase cultivation, but for Shen Qingyun to do it so easily made them suspect he was intentionally masking his true level.

"Don't bother guessing. He is indeed at the Foundation Establishment stage," Ye Zhong said calmly, as if reading their minds.

The world is vast, and possessing power beyond one’s cultivation level is not unheard of.

"If those two really enter the academy, I wonder if our performance in the upcoming quota competition will improve? Zixiao Academy has been at the bottom for too many years," Ye Zhong sighed, his figure gradually fading away.

The people present wore strange expressions. Ye Zhong’s words weren't loud, but they were heard by all. Knowing that the Dean was considering an exception to recruit them, their minds began to churn.

...

Cheng Feng led them to a pavilion and turned to them. "You two will stay here for the next three days."

Shen Qingyun looked at the elegant structure and bowed to Cheng Feng. "Many thanks, Vice Dean."

Cheng Feng smiled. "We read the recommendation letters you brought. I have to say, the contents shocked us..."

"I have developed an interest in taking you in, and I suspect the old man Ye feels the same, though his pride won't let him admit it."

Shen Qingyun smiled slightly. "Vice Dean, I believe I made my stance very clear at the time."

Cheng Feng nodded, not surprised at all. However, opinions, after all, can change.