In the square of Linzhou Immortal Martial Academy, Lin Zixuan, Jiang Wan, and the others waited patiently. Until Horn returned, no one was allowed near.
They knew the murder of Ye Qingtian had to be kept quiet, at least for now.
As time passed, Jiang Wan noticed a dark figure approaching from the sky. "Brother Horn is back."
Horn landed in the square, holding Ye Binglan's severed head in his left hand. Mr. Wei and the others were shocked. How had Horn caught up with Ye Binglan, who had used a teleportation talisman?
Such a talisman causes random teleportation—even Ye Binglan wouldn't have known where she'd end up.
Horn spoke with a calm determination, "What's done cannot be undone. The Changsheng Academy is destined to become the number one academy on Earth. In the future, geniuses from around the world will flock here. But for Changsheng Academy to grow rapidly, it must face and overcome significant challenges."
He then flicked his left hand, sending Ye Binglan's head into the air. It floated there, suspended by a force. Horn traced symbols in the sky with his fingers. Moments later, two large lines of blue text appeared:
"Ye Qingtian and Ye Binglan are dead! The murderer—the dean of the Changsheng Academy!"
The words were bold and undeniable. Lin Zixuan and the others tensed up at the sight.
Horn continued, "Sometimes, avoiding conflict is useless. It's better to face it head-on and let it hit harder. From today on, Linzhou Immortal Martial Academy will officially be renamed Changsheng Academy."
With that, he flicked his fingers again, and a massive boulder, about ten meters high, flew out from his storage ring. This stone, known as Wenxian Stone, came from the Immortal World and contained the true essence of the Dao.
From a distance, Horn waved his arm, and stone chips flew as he carved the four characters "Changsheng Academy" into the Wenxian Stone.
Mr. Wei, Mr. Qiao, and the others approached the stone, trembling with awe. The mysterious energy within the stone gave them an indescribable feeling, and their eyes were drawn to the four characters Horn had inscribed. There was something profound in those words.
As they marveled, Horn spoke again. "Dean Lin, clear out all unrelated individuals from the academy. I'm going to set up a large formation."
Mr. Wei and Mr. Qiao perked up, wondering if Horn was about to set up a seven-star formation. This type of formation requires countless spiritual stones, and the last time one was set up in Xia Kingdom, it took nearly the entire country's resources.
Lin Zixuan and Jiang Wan, both one-star formation mages, also began to speculate. After regaining their composure, Lin Zixuan and Jiang Wan set out to expel any unrelated people from the academy.
At the same time, Lin Zixuan launched the official website of Changsheng Academy, which had been hastily created the night before. The website listed the dean as "Dean Su," with Lin Zixuan and Jiang Wan as vice presidents. Wei Zhong and Qiao Heng were listed as the leaders of the Formation Society, and Nie Jiuxuan as the head of the Alchemy Society. The real names of everyone but Horn were included to create an air of mystery around the academy's leadership.
Their plan was to make the dean of Changsheng Academy appear enigmatic, possibly leading people to believe he was the powerful and mysterious Su Changsheng. This strategy was intended to deter potential threats.
Half an hour later, Lin Zixuan and Jiang Wan returned, having completed their task. Apart from the core members, only 200 students remained at the academy, willing to join Changsheng Academy. These students were temporarily confined to their dormitories and were unaware that Horn was the dean.
Lin Zixuan turned to Horn. "If you're setting up a large formation, you'll need spiritual stones. I've saved some over the years, and I'll get them for you."
Jiang Wan and the others offered to provide their spiritual stones as well, but Horn waved them off. "I have enough spiritual stones here. Don't worry about that."
With a flash of light from his storage ring, dark purple spirit stones began to appear—Supreme Grade spiritual stones worth 100 million each. Mr. Wei, Mr. Qiao, and Nie Jiuxuan gasped in amazement, their eyes widening like lanterns. Jiang Wan and Lin Zixuan held their breath, their eyes sparkling.
Horn took out a total of 100,000 Supreme Grade spiritual stones, worth an astronomical sum. The rarity and value of such stones were unmatched, and no country could produce so many at once.
As Mr. Wei and the others counted the stones, they felt as if they were dreaming. But Horn remained calm. For him, 100,000 Supreme Grade spiritual stones were just a drop in the ocean.
"Now, I'll set up the formation," Horn said. "Although the formations I create are too complex for you to fully understand, if you study them carefully, you will learn something valuable. I'll try to set it up slowly."
His gaze swept over Mr. Wei, Mr. Qiao, Lin Zixuan, and Jiang Wan, and they all nodded solemnly. Nie Jiuxuan, being an Alchemist with little interest in formations, could only watch quietly from the sidelines.
Horn then began moving the Supreme Grade spiritual stones with his spiritual energy, arranging them to create a formation that would both protect and defend the academy.
Meanwhile, news of Ye Qingtian and Ye Binglan's deaths spread rapidly online. When their identities were revealed, the entire Xia Kingdom was shocked, and the news quickly went global. Ye Qingtian, a half-step Heavenly Star Realm expert, was no ordinary person.
As more people became aware of the incident, attention turned to Linzhou. Recently, the mysterious and powerful Su Changsheng had emerged there, and now, a new Changsheng Academy had appeared, with its dean also named Su. This led to widespread speculation: was the dean of Changsheng Academy the same Su Changsheng?
In just a few hours, Changsheng Academy had become famous worldwide.