"Fang Yuan didn't come to class today. Look guys, his seat is empty."
"He's so bold! Today's lesson is taught by the academy elder, yet he dared to not show up."
"This is bad, the elder's expression is ugly, it seems that Fang Yuan is in trouble. Hehehe."
Whispers spread quietly among the students in the academy.
Several cast glances at Fang Yuan's empty seat, then at the academy elder's increasingly grim expression.
Ever since Fang Yuan began extorting his classmates, he had isolated himself from the rest. Now, with trouble brewing, the other students were eager to see what would happen.
While the academy elder continued lecturing on the key principles of nurturing the aperture, his gaze kept drifting toward Fang Yuan's vacant seat, his face rigid with displeasure.
He laughed coldly in his heart, "Fang Yuan, oh Fang Yuan. I was still worried about not being able to catch your weak point yesterday, and here you give it to me today. You are after all a fifteen year old teenager, I have overestimated you."
The stern look on the academy elder's face was mostly an act. He intended to use this chance to make an example of Fang Yuan, hoping to curb his growing influence in the class. Without a doubt, Fang Yuan's overwhelming strength was becoming more apparent by the day, leaving the other students struggling to keep up.
Such unbalanced dominance was far from what the academy elder wished for—he wanted every student to have their moment to shine, not to be overshadowed by one.
"Men!" The academy elder raised a finger and knocked lightly on the table.
"Elder, your subjects are here." The two guards standing outside at the door entered.
The academy elder snorted in public, "This Fang Yuan is getting out of hand, being so lazy and skipping classes right under my nose. Go to the hostel and bring him here for me."
"Yes, elder." The guards went on their way. Seeing the guards disappear outside the door, the academy burst into discussion noises.
Numerous students joined in the conversation.
"Fang Yuan is in deep shit now," someone said with his eyes shining brightly.
"Hehe, we have a show to watch later." Another laughed in pleasure towards Fang Yuan's misery.
"Big brother, you are too arrogant. This is challenging the elder's authority. No matter what punishment it is, you had it coming." Gu Yue Fang Zheng looked at the empty seat, sighing internally.
Bam, bam, bam!
The academy elder with a strict expression, slammed the desk thrice, "Silence, no talking in class!"
His presence at that moment was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, sending waves of unease through the room.
Silence fell over the academy like a heavy curtain. The students quickly quieted down and took their positions, afraid to stir any more trouble. Yet, despite their obedient appearances, their minds were preoccupied with what had just happened.
The lesson resumed, but none of the youngsters were truly paying attention.
A few students seated near the windows kept glancing outside, distracted.
Time ticked by, and before long, the sound of footsteps echoed from the doorway. In an instant, every ear perked up, and dozens of eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Arriving…" The academy elder heard the footsteps too and narrowed his eyes as a result.
He had already decided how to deal with Fang Yuan—he would make him stand outside the classroom for three hours as punishment.
While the penalty wasn't harsh, it would be enough to humiliate him.
Students coming and going during class would see Fang Yuan standing out there.
This public embarrassment would damage his image of invincibility. Once the other students saw that Fang Yuan wasn't untouchable, their fear of him would lessen, and their confidence would rise, reigniting their competitive drive.
The best part was that since the punishment came directly from the academy, it would help restore the institution's authority and reputation.
After all, only when students held the academy in reverence would they truly follow its rules.
So, while simple on the surface, the plan carried a deeper purpose.
The footsteps outside drew closer until someone stopped at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
A few raps echoed through the room.
"Hehe, I will open it!" said the student nearest the door, quickly rushing to open it.
The classroom fell silent as dozens of curious eyes locked onto the entrance.
Crack.
The student pushed the door slightly open, and a shaft of sunlight slipped in through the narrow gap.
Suddenly, the student froze in place, his body trembling violently.
"AHH!!!" he screamed, stumbling back and crashing into a desk. He lost his balance and tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.
His face turned pale, eyes filled with terror, limbs shaking uncontrollably. He tried to get up, but kept slipping, falling again and again.
"What's wrong?!" Gasps filled the room as everyone's attention snapped toward the door.
A hand came into view—
A teenager's hand.
Dripping with blood.
A bloody left hand.
Several girls shrieked at the sight, covering their mouths in shock.
The door slowly creaked open further.
Sunlight spilled into the room, blinding at first. But then, standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the light, was a thin figure—
A boy, covered in blood.
"It's Fang Yuan!" Someone screamed out loudly.
Gasps rippled through the room.
In his left hand, blood still dripped. In his right, he gripped a clump of hair, dragging the limp body of another student.
The person was unconscious, his left arm completely severed, blood still oozing from the shoulder.
"It's one of the guards who went to look for Fang Yuan!" Someone recognised the person's identity.
"What exactly happened?" Someone was going berserk.
"He murdered again, this time he killed the guards!" Someone pointed at Fang Yuan, screaming in horror, getting louder and louder, as if it would purge the terror and fear in his heart.
At once, the academy was rowdy.
Many students completely forgot classroom etiquette and rose from their seats, their eyes filled with fear, shock, and unease as they stared at Fang Yuan.
They had all imagined that Fang Yuan would be dragged in by guards, struggling between them.
But reality was far from their expectations—Fang Yuan stood there, soaked in blood, his expression calm and cold like a demon walking through the gates of hell. Of the two guards sent to retrieve him, one was missing, and the other lay motionless on the ground, blood pouring from his wounds and pooling beneath him.
The sharp, metallic scent of blood spread through the academy like a choking fog.
The elder stood frozen, utterly caught off guard by the sight before him.
But once the shock wore off, fury surged through him.
The two guards were only external martial artists. Their deaths, in themselves, weren't of great consequence. He didn't truly care about their lives.
What enraged him was what they represented. As guards of the academy, they symbolized its authority—and by extension, his own dignity as the academy elder.
Fang Yuan had not only killed Gao Wan but now dared to strike down the academy's own guards.
This wasn't mere arrogance—it was outright defiance, a direct slap in the face to the academy's authority.
The academy elder flew into a rage, pointing at Fang Yuan, screaming, "Fang Yuan! What is this? You have to give me an explanation, a good reason to spare you. If not, with the crime of murdering the guards, you will be thrown in jail, awaiting the clan verdict!"
The students all shuddered.
Even the windows trembled, the entire academy reverbing with the academy elder's screams.
Only Fang Yuan remained composed, his gaze shadowed with a cold, unreadable depth, his expression as calm and indifferent as ever—showing no sign of emotion.
He swept his eyes across the room, then released his grip.
With a dull thud, the guard's head dropped into the pool of blood below, splashing crimson droplets onto Fang Yuan's trousers.
He cupped his fists towards the academy elder, his calm voice echoing throughout the silent academy, "Academy Elder, I truly have something to report."
"Speak." The academy elder spoke with both arms behind his back, arching his head as he looked at Fang Yuan, his expression ice cold.
Laughing coldly in his heart, he thought, "Fang Yuan, you're making more and more mistakes, increasing the severity. I'll see how you're going to explain yourself!"
Everyone's attention was on Fang Yuan.