"You!"
Cang Zhong glared at Ye Xuan, his face turning purple with rage.
If Ye Xuan wasn't on the Nine Palaces platform, he would have already attacked him. Cangmu Academy had a rule: once someone stepped onto the Nine Palaces platform, no one was allowed to interfere, especially members of Cangmu Academy. Simply put, this assessment was created by the founder of Cangmu Academy to prevent elders or instructors from abusing their power and missing out on true prodigies.
Thus, even though Cang Zhong was about to explode with anger, he dared not make a move!
On the Nine Palaces platform, Ye Xuan ignored Cang Zhong, sweeping his gaze around. Seeing that the wooden figures were no longer moving, he thought for a moment before saying, "So, have I passed?"
"Passed?"
Below the platform, Cang Zhong sneered, "You destroyed those wooden swords through cheating, and you call this passing? You—"
Ye Xuan coldly glanced at Cang Zhong, interrupting him, "Cheating? Do you have any proof?"
Cang Zhong roared, "Proof? How could someone in the Qi Transformation Realm like you make those wooden swords disappear instantly without cheating?"
Ye Xuan looked around, sighing softly, "Now I understand why this array hasn't been broken for so many years. Turns out, breaking the array is considered cheating. How enlightening!"
The crowd erupted into discussion.
At this moment, a Cangmu Academy student approached Ye Xuan, eyeing him, "You're only in the Qi Transformation Realm. How could you possibly break the Nine Palaces Array?"
Ye Xuan looked straight at the student, "But I did break it."
The student shook his head, "There must be something fishy about this, just as Elder Cang Zhong said. You must have used some special method."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding students of Cangmu Academy all nodded.
They certainly didn't believe anyone could break the Nine Palaces Array, especially not with such ease. When they joined Cangmu Academy, they didn't dare even dream of challenging the Nine Palaces Array!
Even the top prodigies of the academy's inner circle hadn't succeeded back then. Why should this man be any different?
Cheating!
Almost everyone believed Ye Xuan had cheated!
Ye Xuan glanced at the wooden figures, now standing motionless. After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked internally, "Senior, did I cheat?"
"Are you an idiot?"
The mysterious woman's voice suddenly sounded, "Though you haven't grasped sword intent, your heart is pure, and you've cultivated the Invincible Sword Body Art. By forging your body with the sword, though not yet perfected, you have made considerable progress. These wooden figures are low-level sword cultivators at best. Despite the formation enhancing their strength, you are a genuine sword cultivator—almost a half-step sword master. Add in your Invincible Sword Body Art, which allows you to absorb swords. If they weren't sword cultivators, you might have struggled a bit, but against them, you're their natural enemy."
Ye Xuan smiled wryly. The reason he asked was that it had been too easy. But now, after hearing the mysterious woman's explanation, he finally understood.
He looked at Cang Zhong and was about to speak when a middle-aged man suddenly appeared on the scene. Seeing this man, some Cangmu Academy students nearby immediately bowed deeply, saying in unison, "Greetings, Vice Principal Li Xiu!"
Even Cang Zhong quickly bowed.
Vice Principal!
In Cangmu Academy, there were three vice principals, and each of them wielded significant authority!
Li Xiu!
Ye Xuan glanced at Li Xiu, his heart trembling slightly.
Unfathomable strength!
This man's power was perhaps only slightly lower than that of the ninth elder aboard the cloud ship!
A true powerhouse had appeared!
This was exactly Ye Xuan's intention—to challenge the Nine Palaces Array in hopes of drawing out one of Cangmu Academy's leaders.
Li Xiu glanced at Cang Zhong beside him, "Public duty is public duty, private matters are private matters. Abusing public authority for personal reasons is intolerable. From now on, you are relieved of your duties related to admissions. Report to the logistics department in the academy's back mountains."
Upon hearing this, Cang Zhong's face turned pale. He hurriedly bowed, "Vice Principal, this person hasn't reached the Qi Condensation Realm, and I stopped him for this reason. I did nothing wrong, I…"
Li Xiu cut him off, "I don't know what personal grudge you have with him, but recruiting new students affects the future prosperity of Cangmu Academy. How can personal grievances be mixed in? Enough, no more arguments!"
Cang Zhong's face looked extremely unpleasant, but he dared not say more and stepped aside, glaring at Ye Xuan all the while.
Li Xiu then turned to Ye Xuan, who bowed slightly, "Greetings, Vice Principal!"
Li Xiu scrutinized Ye Xuan, "Though I do not know what method you used to destroy those wooden swords, your foundational skills and combat prowess are indeed enough to qualify you to join Cangmu Academy."
Suddenly, Li Xiu's expression shifted as he discovered something. He quickly stepped forward and placed a hand on Ye Xuan's shoulder.
Inside Ye Xuan's body, the Lingxiao Sword vanished without a trace.
Li Xiu withdrew his hand, looking at Ye Xuan with a deep gaze, "You have no dantian!"
These words left everyone around stunned.
Even Cang Zhong was taken aback, but his shock quickly turned into elation, barely suppressing his urge to laugh.
Ye Xuan remained silent, and internally he asked, "Senior, why retract the Lingxiao Sword? Can't I reveal my special dantian?"
"Absolutely not!"
The mysterious woman replied, "The method is too shocking. If they knew you used a sword as your dantian, given your current strength, you would be in great danger. This is a brand-new cultivation method and system!"
After a moment of thought, Ye Xuan nodded, "I indeed do not have a dantian. I…"
"Hahaha..."
At that moment, Cang Zhong burst into laughter, "No dantian? That means you, Ye Xuan, can only ever be a low-level warrior. What qualifications do you have to join Cangmu Academy?"
Ye Xuan ignored Cang Zhong and looked at Li Xiu.
After a moment of silence, Li Xiu said, "Without a dantian, you will never reach the Innate Realm. The academy cannot allocate resources to a student without a dantian. Therefore, you cannot be a student of Cangmu Academy... However, your foundation is decent, so you may stay as a martial servant."
Martial servants were essentially low-level laborers, assigned to assist students and instructors with menial tasks.
A martial servant?
Ye Xuan's face darkened. He certainly wouldn't settle for being a martial servant—he was here to join Cangmu Academy as a student. Just as he was about to release his fighting spirit, a frantic voice called out from nearby, "Ye Xiaoyou..."
Ye Xuan turned to see Lu Xiaoran, but what caught his eye was the state of Ye Ling beside him, and his expression changed immediately!
At that moment, Ye Ling's entire body was covered in white frost, exuding waves of cold air, her whole form resembling an ice statue!
Ye Xuan's heart filled with dread as he rushed to Lu Xiaoran and picked Ye Ling up. The moment he touched her, the cold emanating from her body made him shiver uncontrollably!
"What is this?"
Ye Xuan was overwhelmed and panicking.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he looked at Li Xiu not far away, pleading, "Vice Principal, please let a Cangmu Academy healer examine my sister!"
Li Xiu glanced at Ye Ling and shook his head, "There are only three master healers at Cangmu Academy, and they cannot be easily summoned."
Healers of that caliber were rare throughout Jiang Country—Cangmu Academy had three, and they were all considered national treasures. To ask one of them to treat someone was nearly impossible. Even Li Xiu himself couldn't guarantee he could persuade one to come. Even if he could, there would be a price to pay. The boy before him had no value; why would Li Xiu pay that price?
Ye Xuan wanted to speak further, but Li Xiu shook his head, "With your shattered dantian, you will never progress beyond the Qi Transformation Realm. If you wish, you may stay as a martial servant; otherwise, leave immediately."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
Ye Xuan, with his shattered dantian, held no value to Cangmu Academy anymore.
Suddenly, Ye Xuan, holding Ye Ling, whose condition was growing increasingly dire, blocked Li Xiu's path. He knelt on one knee, his eyes bloodshot as he looked at Li Xiu, "If Cangmu Academy saves my sister, I, Ye Xuan, will serve the academy with my life, no matter the cost!"
Li Xiu looked at Ye Xuan, his gaze turning cold after a moment, "You are not qualified!"
With that, he turned and walked up the mountain.
Ye Xuan tried to say more, but then—
"Brother..."
In his arms, Ye Ling spoke weakly, "Don't... don't ask anymore. Brother, just... get up..."
Tears streamed from Ye Ling's eyes, the tears themselves an icy blue.
Ye Ling clung tightly to Ye Xuan, feeling wronged, but not for herself—she felt wronged for her brother. When had her brother ever knelt to anyone? She no longer wanted treatment. She truly didn't.
Ye Xuan slumped to the ground, holding Ye Ling tightly, his whole body trembling. Tears flowed down his cheeks like a broken dam as he sobbed like a child, "I'm sorry... I'm useless... I'm so sorry..."
Ye Ling, cradled in his arms, pressed her head tightly against Ye Xuan's chest. The cold around her intensified while her life force faded away.
She looked up at Ye Xuan, managing a smile, "Brother, don't... don't cry... Dying in your arms... I'm already so happy..."
Ye Xuan held her close, his heart breaking. Inside him, the Lingxiao Sword trembled constantly, while he himself was on the verge of collapse.
Ye Ling gently held Ye Xuan's face, looking deeply into his eyes. Her voice softened as she smiled, "Brother, after I die, keep my ashes with you. I want to stay by your side forever... And, live well, promise me... live well..."
With that, her eyes slowly closed, her breath weakening, "Brother... in the next life, I'll still be your sister..."
…