Ninth class citizen

Chapter 332 The Ruthless Rules of the Academy
A low growl rang out outside the library: "The enforcement team is here!"

"Since Senior Jiang Cheng is personally leading the team, this must be a big deal!"

"Are those freshmen? How unlucky they were to run into him?"

"I don't agree with that—Senior Jiang Cheng was just a bit too strict with the law. Who told them to cause trouble in a place like the library?"

"Everyone is a top figure in their own world. When they first entered the academy, they were all full of vigor and ambition—but that's no excuse for breaking the rules!"

"I bet most of them are new here and haven't seriously studied the college rules yet, right?"

"Shh~~ Keep your voices down, Senior Jiang Cheng is looking over here!"

Jiang Cheng coldly surveyed the surroundings. Wherever his gaze swept, the students who had been buzzing earlier all lowered their heads, shut up, and fled.

Before long, more than half of the students in front of the library had left.

Most of the remaining trainees were quite powerful, and they retreated to watch the commotion from a distance. At the same time, the librarian also rushed out.

"Are they the ones causing trouble?" Jiang Cheng didn't look directly at Nan Rong, but only nodded slightly to the old man.

"It's them!" The old man glared, pointing a finger directly at Nan Rong: "They used evil magic to control me, trying to steal high-level information!"

Jiang Cheng's gaze finally fell upon them, a faint pressure enveloping the four. Nan Rong was alright, but the three catgirls behind her let out a soft groan, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, on the verge of collapsing.

Nan Rong waved her hand lightly, and the invisible and intangible pressure disappeared without a trace.

“It has nothing to do with them,” she said. “Besides, I haven’t violated any of the college rules.”

Jiang Cheng was surprised that a freshman could so easily defuse his oppressive aura, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

As the captain of the academy's law enforcement team, he had the right to view all students' personal information, but Nan Rong's information was far too brief. Apart from a name, all that could be seen was the enrollment date, and nothing else was registered.

This is not an isolated case; he has encountered it before, but it is definitely not a freshman who just enrolled yesterday.

In that instant, a myriad of possibilities surged through Jiang Cheng's mind, ultimately culminating in a cold smile on his thin lips:
"No wonder you're so arrogant, you must have something to rely on. Too bad, you've run into me." As he spoke, he spread his right hand, and a long black whip crackling with icy blue lightning fell into his palm.

"Whether there's a violation or not is not for you to decide," he said indifferently. "Surrender and accept punishment, and you'll have a sliver of hope. If you dare to resist, don't blame the academy rules for being ruthless."

"Heh." Nan Rong let out a light scoff: "I wonder what you plan to do with me?"

"Student Nan Rong used evil magic against his teachers and illegally accessed the academy's advanced materials. He is punished for both crimes and must receive two hundred lashes of the Heart-Purifying Thunder Whip and be locked on the Shattered Jade Peak to endure the fierce winds for ten days. As for the other three, they were unable to distinguish right from wrong and made friends carelessly. They will receive fifty lashes of the Heart-Purifying Thunder Whip and be punished by copying the academy rules one hundred times."

"Hiss!" The students not far away exclaimed in surprise.

"That punishment is too harsh!"

"One hundred Whips of Purifying Heart can disintegrate a person's body; how could a newcomer withstand that?"

"And what about the Shattered Jade Peak? Isn't that a place to punish students who have committed serious offenses? Blowing on it for ten days would probably wear down their souls completely—it can't be that bad, can it?"

"No wonder he's called Jiang the King of Hell; he clearly doesn't want to give this person a path to a new life!"

"But to commit such a serious offense so soon after enrolling shows that this person has a bad character. Although Jiang Cheng's punishment was a bit harsh, it serves as a warning to others!"

Nan Rong's expression remained unchanged, but the catwoman holding her was trembling slightly.

"Captain Jiang!" Her voice trembled. "Student Nan made a mistake because she didn't understand the rules. They say ignorance is no excuse. Please, consider that this is her first offense and be lenient with her!"

“Yes,” the octopus-man stepped forward. “We’re all from different planes and aren’t used to the rules here, so we used our usual spells—we can stop using them in the future, there’s no need to take lives directly, is there?”

Jiang Cheng glanced at his file, his gaze sharpening slightly: "You're the new student Enski picked?"

“It’s me. Do you know Senior Enski?” “In that case, I’ll have to discipline you properly on his behalf.” Jiang Cheng said calmly, “In addition to the punishment I just mentioned, you will spend an extra ten days cultivating in Qianxue Valley.”

The murmurs around them rose again: "Did I hear that right? It really is Qianxuehe?"

"This is punishment? I want to go but I can't!"

"Although the conditions inside are harsh, if you can stay for ten days, your soul strength can be significantly improved, equivalent to the effect of a low-grade Qi-enhancing pill!"

"So, what happened between Captain Jiang and Senior Enski must be true?"

"Clap clap clap." Nan Rong clapped her hands lightly.

"I never knew that a law enforcement captain could have such great authority—to put a newborn to death without even asking about the cause of the matter or explaining the basis for the punishment?"

“My word is law,” Jiang Cheng said calmly.

Before he finished speaking, his long whip transformed into streaks of icy blue lightning, which swept towards the four of them.

Catwoman and the others did not want to resist, but firstly, their abilities were inexplicably restricted within Jade Mountain, and secondly, the icy blue lightning circle was powerful and seemed to contain a special, soul-stirring force, causing people to unconsciously feel fear and guilt, and involuntarily freeze in place, surrendering without resistance.

But the icy blue lightning rings didn't land on the four of them. Instead, they landed one after another on Nan Rong's raised right index finger, and then nothing happened.

Her finger was like a lightning rod.

Upon seeing this, everyone present fell silent.

After a long while, the sound of extremely low-pitched discussion could be heard from afar.

"Am I seeing things? Am I really not seeing things?"

"Was the Star-Splitting Lightning Whip that Senior Jiang just used?"

"That's it, the prize for third place in last year's departmental competition—I heard even the young instructors are afraid of this whip. How could it be that a newcomer can't even take it?"

"Hey, I suddenly realize that this newcomer is something else!"

Jiang Cheng's expression grew increasingly cold and sharp, and a lightning-shaped silver mark slowly appeared between his brows.

"Oh no, Senior Jiang Cheng is angry!"

"Now, those three freshmen are going to be implicated because of this woman!"

As he spoke, a vast and powerful force emanated from Jiang Cheng.

Apart from a few highly skilled and daring senior students, the rest of them all retreated into the library.

There was a protective barrier set up by a powerful being within the courtyard, so an attack of this level couldn't possibly harm it in the slightest.

Jiang Cheng's eyes were filled with a dark, inky light, and his voice was cold and sharp: "Take those three away first."

The law enforcement officers, who were prepared, rushed forward immediately, only to be repelled by an invisible energy barrier.

Those who can enter the enforcement team have physical and spiritual strength of at least Grade C. Their combat energy and understanding of the rules are far superior to those of the new trainees.

But the fact that so many of them together couldn't break through the energy barrier set up by a freshman was an utter disgrace.

The girl who did all this remained completely calm and composed, saying indifferently:
"I've already said it. It's none of their business."

Jiang Cheng forced a cold smile and looked at the octopus-man Tafa: "Have you three thought this through? Do you want to join her in opposing the academy?"