Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 107 - Stripped of Status

The three headmasters and star teachers all recognized that this was a blade technique close to perfection. While others might not discern much from the wounds, these experienced individuals, who had lived for decades to over a hundred years, could appreciate the flawlessness of Liu Wuxie’s attack.

“You did that?” Fan Zhen asked.

“That’s right.” Liu Wuxie admitted to it straightforwardly without any explanation. That was because he couldn’t even be bothered to justify his actions.

“Give me a reason why you did that!” Fan Zhen’s tone turned heavy. If Liu Wuxie had crippled those participants without a valid reason, it was a serious crime. The Imperial Academy would have to provide an explanation to the parents and clans of those affected.

“No reason!” was Liu Wuxie’s response, which took everyone by surprise. Everyone had expected him to provide an explanation, but he bluntly stated that there was none. This was akin to stirring up a hornet’s nest.

Upon hearing Liu Wuxie’s reply, the teachers all wore expressions of anger. After all, Liu Wuxie was only a participant and wasn’t yet a student. Who gave him the audacity to talk to the headmaster in this manner?

Meanwhile, Xue Pinzhi was inwardly delighted, not expecting Liu Wuxie to be so brazen. This was even better, saving him the effort of fanning the flames.

“Kid, you seem to think you’re in charge,” a teacher reprimanded, “You killed a participant without showing remorse, and you’ve severed the leg tendons of ten-odd people. According to the rules of the Imperial Academy, you should be executed!” Liu Wuxie had noticed him secretly communicating with Fan Yeping before speaking up. This meant that this teacher had an extraordinary relationship with Fan Yeping.

As for the other participants, they all laughed, gloating that Liu Wuxie was in trouble. After all, Liu Wuxie had offended a teacher and even dared to talk back to the headmaster. This had never happened before since the establishment of the Imperial Academy.

“This is the Imperial Academy’s teaching philosophy? Distorting right and wrong!” Liu Wuxie sneered with a disdainful look on his face.

It was clear to everyone that Liu Wuxie held everyone present in contempt, including the three headmasters. This accusation of theirs twisting the truth incensed all the teachers present.

“Kid, how dare you mock the Imperial Academy? Do you think that we wouldn’t dare to kill you?” The teacher who had spoken earlier, Dong Yue, stepped forward, ready to confront Liu Wuxie directly.

“Dong Yue, calm down!” Fan Zhen intervened. Dong Yue, who had become a teacher alongside Fan Yeping, had a close relationship with him. Dong Yue snorted and reluctantly stepped back, but continued to glare fiercely at Liu Wuxie.

“Be rest assured. If the Imperial Academy is at fault, I will apologize to you. But if you’re someone who killed innocent participants indiscriminately, I won’t show you any mercy either,” Fan Zhen declared, emphasizing his commitment to act justly as a headmaster.

Liu Wuxie felt somewhat reassured by Fan Zhen’s words. After all, if everyone at the Imperial Academy were like Fan Yeping, the academy would not live up to its reputation.

Chen Leyao wanted to step forward to clarify the situation, but Xue Pinzhi held her back, preventing her from doing so. Fan Yeping, of course, would not intervene, and neither would the other participants. The only person who could vouch for Liu Wuxie’s innocence was Chen Leyao, but she was restrained by Xue Pinzhi.

“Three headmasters, if I’m not mistaken, there should be a memory crystal on the Testing Pillar. You just have to play it to know the details,” Liu Wuxie Liu Wuxie suggested, turning to look at the Testing Pillar. A memory crystal, more advanced than memory talismans, was installed at the top of the pillar to record daily activities.

Upon hearing about the memory crystal, Fan Yeping shuddered with a hint of unease. After all, he had hinted for Zhang Qing to cripple Liu Wuxie earlier.

The three headmasters exchanged glances and nodded to each other. The existence of the memory crystal was only known to the headmasters and a select few. They were puzzled as to how Liu Wuxie knew about it when even the teachers present were unaware.

Each memory crystal was precious, and the Imperial Academy only had one. It was embedded into the Testing Pillar when it was forged. The headmasters or teachers could activate the Testing Pillar by injecting their true essence into it to play back the earlier happenings around it.

As for Liu Wuxie’s killing of Feng Bingquan, the details were already mentioned in the book that Chen Leyao recorded. It was due to Feng Bingquan, who was bribed by the Heavenly Govern Academy, intending to kill Liu Wuxie. As a result, Liu Wuxie could only act in self-defense and killed Feng Bingquan.

The incidents of that day were hard to explain, and only replaying the memory crystal could prove Liu Wuxie’s innocence. This was why he was calm and composed, looking confident.

He had forged countless Testing Pillars in the Celestial Realm but discarded them as trash. They were mainly used to record the information of geniuses during the tests. There were many drawbacks to the Testing Pillar, but it was impressive that the Imperial Academy managed to forge such a Testing Pillar in this resource-scarce world.

“There’s a memory crystal? How come we don’t know about it?” Many participants discussed this among themselves, surprised at the revelation of a memory crystal embedded in the Testing Pillar.

“That brat must be bullshitting!” Memory crystals were scarce, with even the Great Yan Dynasty possessing only a few. It was a rare crystal found ten thousand meters deep in the sea and forged by inscribing memory runes into the crystals. If activated through a secret technique, the memory runes would appear and replay the memories stored inside.

“Teacher Zhao, please activate the memory crystal!” Given the circumstances, they needed evidence if they were to punish Liu Wuxie. The Imperial Academy had always tried to win people over with virtue. Since Liu Wuxie claimed to be innocent, everything would be clear by activating the memory crystal.

“Yes, headmaster!” Zhao Enzhi, who was aware of the memory crystal, responded. He moved swiftly, like a celestial crane spreading its wings, landing on the Testing Pillar. He then began to pour his true essence into a transparent crystal embedded in the Testing Pillar.

An unusual scene unfolded, resembling a painting being unrolled and suspended in mid-air. The scroll, about ten meters long and five meters wide, began to replay the assessment. Everyone’s expressions and conversations, as well as their testing results, were clearly visible.

This immediately caused an uproar among the crowd, particularly among those who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier with their expressions captured.

Simultaneously, the faces of the teachers and three headmasters gradually became ugly, especially when Zhang Qing’s group provoked Liu Wuxie. Fan Yeping not only failed to intervene but even subtly encouraged Zhang Qing to cripple Liu Wuxie. Upon witnessing this, Fan Zhen’s expression turned incredibly grim.

After all, the teacher did nothing to stop the matter from escalating and fueled the flames instead. The Imperial Academy’s reputation would be tarnished if this news got out.

Fan Yeping had been anxiously observing the headmaster’s expression. Seeing the headmaster’s face darken, he felt a jolt of fear and quickly stepped forward, “Headmaster, I was wrong!”

His panic was evident. As a low-ranking teacher, overseeing the assessment was a significant opportunity for him. If he had managed it well, he might have been promoted. But with this incident, he faced the risk of losing his status as a teacher.

A teacher’s role is to guide and educate. Not only did Fan Yeping violate this principle, but also the dignity of a teacher.

“From today onwards, your status as a teacher is stripped, and you will be demoted to an elder of the Miscellaneous Hall.” Fan Zhen declared Fan Yeping’s punishment, his face devoid of emotion.

For a teacher, being stripped of their status and demoted to an elder of the Miscellaneous Hall was akin to a death sentence. Teachers were respected wherever they went, while the duty of the Miscellaneous Hall was to serve the students, handling their accommodations and meals.

“Yes!” Fan Yeping replied with clenched fists and gritted teeth. He knew that he couldn’t argue with the headmaster right now. As long as he stayed in the Imperial Academy, he would always have a chance to regain his status as a teacher, and he could only endure for now. But when he lowered his head, he glanced at Liu Wuxie from the corner of his eyes as if he was responsible for the loss of his status as a teacher.

Xue Pinzhi showed a hint of panic as he stepped back. But the headmaster turned to look at him, saying, “I hope you can conduct yourself well!”

The headmaster’s words covered Xue Pinzhi in a cold sweat. The group of individuals kneeling on the ground fell into despair as they watched the scenes replayed by the memory crystal.

“How did it come to this...” Zhang Qing muttered to himself. The participants who had earlier mocked Liu Wuxie collectively fell silent, not daring to utter another word. They feared provoking the headmaster’s anger, realizing they had gone too far.

Bai Yu and Yu Yifan clenched their fists together as the limelight of today’s assessment should’ve belonged to them. After all, they had managed to light up three columns, far exceeding the other students that the Imperial Academy had recruited.

But despite their performance, no one would remember them, as the Nine Stars Illumination overshadowed them. They harbored resentment but dared not show it.

However, upon recalling Liu Wuxie’s unique constitution, they unclenched their fists, a smile creeping onto their faces. What did it matter if Liu Wuxie had high talent? Given his constitution, it was already determined that he wouldn’t progress far in his cultivation. They believed that it wouldn’t be long before Liu Wuxie would be forgotten by history, as the Xue Clan would do everything in their power to eliminate him. Therefore, they didn’t see the point in harboring anger towards someone who was destined to meet such a fate.

When the replay from the memory crystal ended, Zhao Enzhu descended from the Testing Pillar. As he ceased injecting his true essence, the memory crystal shut down and resumed its recording of the surrounding events.

“You people have lost your bet. Do you all have anything else to say?” The headmaster turned his gaze towards Zhang Qing’s group. The Imperial Academy was known for its fairness—it wouldn’t falsely accuse an innocent person, nor would it let a guilty person go unpunished. The actions of Zhang Qing’s group were utterly reprehensible.

“We...admit defeat!” The ten-odd people gritted their teeth. They understood that any further provocation at this point would be a direct affront to the Imperial Academy. Their only option was to plan for a future opportunity to deal with Liu Wuxie.

“Teacher Zhao, you handle the remaining assessment!” Fan Zhen said to Zhao Enzhu. After stripping Fan Yeping of his status as a teacher, he naturally had to assign someone else to conduct the last round of assessments.

“Yes, headmaster!” Zhao Enzhu bowed.