Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 177 Fighting
Actually, if they hadn't come knocking on his door, Lu Xingzhou would have liked to explore the rest of the second floor more. This area is brimming with treasures; it would have been a real shame to have only searched the volcanic region. Even that volcano wasn't thoroughly searched; there might still be things missed.

Unfortunately, neither the Dan Academy nor the Demon Suppression Division would allow anyone to undergo trials indefinitely. The trial was originally scheduled for one day, but now that a death has been discovered, they can't even stay for one day and have come to stop it immediately.

They returned to the small hill they had come from, where Qin Zhiyu, the headmaster of the Dan Academy, and Meng Li, the instructor, were both present, surrounded by students of the Dan Academy and guards from the Demon Suppression Division.

On the ground lay the corpse of Wang Yueshen, and a mangled mass of flesh, headless and all. According to the guards of the Demon Suppression Division who were secretly protecting Xuanqing Daoist, this was Xuanqing. They witnessed Xuanqing being smashed to pieces by the tortoise and having half of his body devoured.

Seeing Lu Xingzhou and the other two return, Qin Zhiyu finally spoke: "Now that everyone is here, let's talk about Wang Yueshen's situation."

"I killed him." Dugu Qingli said calmly, "In the middle of the sandstorm, the tortoise tried to extinguish the fire, and Lu Xingzhou took advantage of the chaos to seize the fire. At this time, Wang Yueshen tried to launch a sneak attack on Lu Xingzhou with his flying sword from a distance, but I stopped him. After that, we fought and I killed him."

The entire audience remained silent.

Dugu Qingli had already confessed to the Demon Suppression Division that she was the one who killed him, so the people in the Demon Suppression Division were at least somewhat prepared.

The others were stunned for a few moments.

Kill a third-rank enemy who is of a higher level!

Is it possible to be killed by someone three ranks higher than you? And without taking any damage...? And wouldn't the opponent run away? What gives you the right to kill them?

Qin Zhiyu remained silent for a long while before saying, "Miss Dugu is a direct descendant of the Holy Land, and we shouldn't question her words. However, Wang Yueshen is also an instructor in our academy, and this matter must be clarified before we can explain it to our superiors. I wonder if Miss Dugu has any evidence to support her claim that she attempted to ambush one of her students?"

Dugu Qingli remained expressionless: "He made a move, and that's it. He didn't hide anything from me when we talked. If you really don't believe me, go to my master and use the Rewind Technique to see for yourself."

These words were perfectly reasonable to Dugu Qingli, but to others they might sound like she was using the Imperial Advisor to bully others.

If what Dugu Qingli said is true, this matter is also a major scandal for Dan Academy, and Qin Zhiyu's reputation will also be damaged.

Qin Zhiyu frowned slightly, about to say something, when Lu Xingzhou raised his hand like a good student: "Dean, I have a way to prove it."

"Oh?" Qin Zhiyu looked at Lu Xingzhou. To be honest, because of the marrow-changing method Lu Xingzhou had offered, he had a pretty good impression of him personally. However, from the academy's perspective, he was somewhat resistant, because Lu Xingzhou was involved in very complicated matters, wasn't an academic, and could easily cause trouble for the academy. Sure enough, not long after the start of the semester, the first "ice-breaking" trial had already gone wrong…

He sighed: "If you were far away in the desert when it happened, how could you prove it?"

"It's very simple. Qing... Miss Dugu obviously didn't take any spoils of war. Look at the rings he's still wearing. I bet if the headmaster were to search his rings right now, there would definitely be treasures or huge resources inside that don't belong to his salary."

Qin Zhiyu reached out and took off Wang Yueshen's ring, then pulled it all out in front of everyone.

Gold, silver, spirit stones, medicinal herbs, finished pills, magical artifacts, and talismans—at first glance, they all seemed normal, but some discerning individuals couldn't help but exclaim in unison, "Mysterious Nether Grass..."

Among the medicinal herbs is a Xuanming Grass, a top-grade herb, priceless in value.

“Whether it’s his salary or what Mr. Wang earns on his own, this item shouldn’t be something he could have obtained,” Lu Xingzhou said calmly. “If the Dean were to look through the items bestowed by the Huo family over the years, he might still find traces of this item.”

Qin Zhiyu remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "I will consult the Imperial Advisor again and ask her to perform the Rewind Technique."

That basically concludes the matter. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, surprised that it really was one of the instructors from the Dan Academy who had caused the problem. The instructor leading the group had accepted bribes and targeted his students… The Dan Academy had really lost face this time…

Moreover, this is the Huo family extending their reach into the Dan Academy, bribing teachers and harming students. How could Qin Zhiyu and Mengli tolerate this?
Seeing Qin Zhiyu's ashen face, Meng Li interjected, "And why did you all go up to the second floor?"

Lu Xingzhou felt more wronged than anyone else: "How would I know? We were perfectly fine in that oasis, nothing happened. We've all left, and heaven knows why those tortoises went crazy. What exactly did Xuan Qing do?"

Meng Li's face showed a "Are you kidding me?" expression. He clearly knew that since Lu Xingzhou was involved, who would believe that he had nothing to do with it and that he was a passive, innocent little white flower?

The people from the Demon Suppression Division testified: "That's right. Mr. Lu and his apprentice, along with our Commander Sheng, were surveying the oasis over there, but apparently found nothing, so they left..."

Qin Zhiyu said, "You're following him? How do you know all this so clearly?"

The people from the Demon Suppression Division sighed: "It was Daoist Xuanqing and Mr. Chen Yu who followed Mr. Lu all the way, spying on him. We were secretly following and protecting Daoist Xuanqing and Mr. Chen Yu, so naturally we saw them too."

Sheng Yuanyao: “…”

Damn it, back when Oasis was vomiting and weak, wasn't she sitting in Lu Xingzhou's lap?

The way his subordinates were looking at him now was full of schadenfreude.

The others understood the implication—Xuan Qing had intended to harm Lu Xingzhou first.

Qin Zhiyu looked coldly at Chen Yu: "What do you want to say?"

Chen Yu hurriedly said, "Xuan Qing and I are not on the same team! I just thought Brother Lu was the strongest, and that following him would allow me to pick up the scraps. I just happened to run into Xuan Qing. The Dean can ask everyone. I initially wanted to join Brother Lu's team, but he politely declined..."

A group of classmates nodded in agreement.

Lu Xingzhou asked with a smile, "Then, Brother Chen, do you know why the entrance to the second floor was opened?"

Chen Yu looked bewildered: "I don't know... How could I, a mere new student, know about such a secret as the entrance to the second floor?"

"Did you see anything, Brother Chen?"

"The sandstorm was so thick that we couldn't see anything, but it seemed like there was a very strong swordsman there. I wonder who it was. Was it his accomplice who opened the second door?"

This time, the faces of the people from the Demon Suppression Division all turned ugly.

If outsiders sneak in beforehand, the responsibility of guarding this place as a member of the Demon Suppression Division is not light.

But in other words, Chen Yu directly betrayed this person, which means he wasn't part of the group, and his suspicion was basically cleared. Sheng Yuanyao angrily retorted, "You clearly..."

Lu Xingzhou waved his hand to stop Sheng Yuanyao's outburst, and smiled as he extended his right hand to Chen Yu: "Brother Chen, we can be friends in the future."

This handshake greeting wasn't common, but its meaning was quite clear. Chen Yu understood it and stepped forward with a smile to shake hands: "Brother Lu went to the second floor and stayed there for several hours without getting hurt. Such strength is truly admirable. I will have to learn more from Brother Lu in the future."

"Not at all, not at all." Lu Xingzhou smiled and shook hands. "I have no manners and am a bit of a troublemaker. I've been getting into fights at the academy. Brother Chen, please don't blame me for dragging you down with me."

"Brother Lu, what are you saying? When have you ever been involved in a fight or brawl..."

"Now."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat as he sensed a leg silently kicking straight at his groin.

She tried to back away, but Lu Xingzhou held her hand tightly, preventing her from doing so.

He reacted extremely quickly, slightly twisting his hips so that his thigh would take the kick, while simultaneously using his left hand to cut into Lu Xingzhou's tiger's mouth to free his right hand from being held.

The series of actions were executed flawlessly, and Lu Xingzhou had no choice but to temporarily abandon his attack, declaring that his usually invincible sneak attack had failed.

Chen Yu rapidly retreated: "Lu Xingzhou, you..."

Before he could finish uttering a single word, Lu Xingzhou slapped the armrest and delivered a flying kick.

Chen Yu barely managed to raise his hands in front of him to block the flames, but a terrifying burst of power exploded outwards. Chen Yu spat out a mouthful of blood, and suddenly flames erupted behind him. With a loud "boom," he was engulfed in a sea of ​​fire.

Lu Xingzhou was aiming to eliminate Qin Zhiyu and the others before they could react! Utterly ruthless!
Unfortunately, Qin Zhiyu, a first-grade alchemist, was no pushover. The next moment, Chen Yu was pulled out of the sea of ​​fire as if riding on clouds and brought to Qin Zhiyu's side, only suffering a slight burn.

Qin Zhiyu angrily said, "Lu Xingzhou, what are you doing?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "As the academy master sees it, I am willing to accept punishment for fighting."

"you!"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "The Dean is highly skilled; he should be able to see through my strength just now?"

Qin Zhiyu had to admit Lu Xingzhou's strength. He looked like a fifth-rank official, but his sneak attack, flying kick, and the calculated preemptive strike of the Annihilation Golden Flame were all things that no one below the fourth rank could defend against.

Even a fourth-ranked person would need extremely experienced combat skills to withstand such a powerful attack; an ordinary student would have been killed long ago by such a series of three blows.

Thinking of this, and looking at Chen Yu beside him who had only suffered minor injuries, a thought struck him.

Chen Yu is just a rising star in alchemy, not even on the list of rising stars. Where does he get such strong strength?

Lu Xingzhou also secretly regretted it. He knew that he hadn't found any evidence against Chen Yu, and he had originally intended to kill this enemy directly, even if it meant being punished. He didn't care about exposing his leg injury.

Unfortunately, her opponent was stronger than she had imagined, and actually managed to block it. Keep in mind that groin kick was something even the inexperienced Pei Chuyun couldn't defend against… This Chen Yu is at least stronger than Pei Chuyun was when they first met!
This was really well hidden...

However, this should have successfully sown suspicion in Qin Zhiyu and Meng Li's hearts, which is enough. Most young people like to show off, and their sects especially need a reputation. What is the purpose of a young person painstakingly hiding such great strength?
By exposing him completely to the public, at least he won't be so easily able to plot against you.

Chen Yu realized he had given himself away, so he could only say, "Brother Lu, you're being too reckless! I just don't like to show off, you..."

Lu Xingzhou cupped his hands in apology: "Sorry, my hands were itching. Anyway, Brother Chen has nothing else to do, so you won't hold it against me, will you?"

Chen Yu swallowed back all his words, his face turning a deep purple.

Qin Zhiyu and Meng Li exchanged a glance, knowing there was something wrong, so they didn't ask any more questions about the case, and they didn't even inquire about Lu Xingzhou's "fight".

Meng Li immediately changed the subject: "The case is basically clear, and the academy will discuss the matter with the Demon Suppression Division and the Holy Land. You all entered the Demon Subduing Domain for trials, so you can show us the pills you've refined and see how your trial results are."

Most of the students, including A Nuo, honestly submitted their pill-making assignments. Only Chen Yu, who wasted a lot of time, had just gathered all the medicinal materials and didn't know if it was enough. Lu Xingzhou also had the medicinal materials but didn't have time to refine them.

Lu Xingzhou raised his hand again: "Instructor, the trial is supposed to last one day, right? The time isn't up yet?"

Meng Li said irritably, "What, are you going to refine a high-grade pill on the spot to get it over with?"

"No, no," Lu Xingzhou said with a smile. "Everyone has already finished their tasks, how could I waste everyone's time waiting? Don't you think so, Brother Chen Yu?"

Chen Yu almost vomited blood.

He had originally planned to refine pills on the spot to complete the task, but Lu Xingzhou had gained a lot on the second floor while he hadn't gained much on the first! This trial was not only a reference for top masters to select disciples, but also offered resources and rewards from the academy, which he really wanted!
As a result, Lu Xingzhou acted as if he were "noble and virtuous" and wouldn't argue with others. If Chen Yu insisted on arguing, he would offend all his classmates.

Chen Yu gritted his teeth in anger, but had to force a smile: "Yes, we'll both get zero."

"Hey, don't. The trial also tests eyesight and luck. Finding medicinal herbs will at least earn you some points." Lu Xingzhou took out a mushroom: "A third-grade lava mushroom. I'll be second to last, no problem, right?"

Chen Yu: "..."

Being second to last is no problem, because everyone will only remember who is last.

How could Lu Xingzhou be so wicked!

(End of this chapter)