Volume 1, Chapter 26: You Have Great Courage
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“Oh? So you’re the seventh-ranked figure on the Mountain and River Ranking.”
Mu Yi looked at the man before him, Ximen Jianfei, and smiled. “Judging by your appearance, are you planning to stop me from entering the third level?”
“It isn’t I who will stop you. Every disciple here will.”
Ximen Jianfei’s eyes were filled with provocation. “Mu Yi, I know you killed He Wendao, who was at the eighth level of the Divine Transformation Realm, yesterday. But if you think that means you can act with impunity here, then all I can say is that you’re a fool.”
“The thousand-year-old rules of the Hidden God Academy have never changed for the sake of any one person. Until you are formally promoted to a core disciple, this third level will remain forbidden ground to you!”
“That’s right, Mu Yi! This is a place only core disciples of the inner academy may enter. Get down there at once!”
Behind Ximen Jianfei, the other core disciples who had been cultivating on the third level were also alerted. One after another, they gathered behind him.
In an instant, the passage leading to the third level was packed so tightly that not even water could pass through. There were at least forty or fifty people.
They were all deeply displeased that Mu Yi was attempting to defy the rules and force his way onto the third level.
“Hahahaha! What utter nonsense these rules are!”
Facing the crowd’s shouting, Mu Yi suddenly burst into laughter. His voice rolled out like thunder, shaking the entire passage.
The disciples below the Divine Transformation Realm felt dizzy and saw stars. Their chests seemed to have been struck by lightning, and they stumbled backward one after another.
“Let me teach you a lesson. In this world, rules are nothing more than toys in the hands of the strong!”
Mu Yi continued forward.
His body was like a mountain. Wherever he went, the core disciples blocking the entrance were knocked sprawling, some of them even coughing up great mouthfuls of blood.
They were not ordinary disciples. They were core disciples of the inner academy, each possessing at least the cultivation of the Divine Transformation Realm.
“How terrifying! Is Mu Yi truly this powerful? No wonder he was able to kill He Wendao!”
Below, the area was filled with disciples from both the outer and inner academies.
The third level of the Hidden God Martial Realm was normally a place they could only look up to.
This was the first time they had ever witnessed someone force his way onto the third level.
Most astonishing of all, Mu Yi was doing so with forty or fifty core disciples blocking the entrance before him.
“Mu Yi! Aren’t you afraid of violating the academy regulations—”
Ximen Jianfei was enraged. Pointing angrily at Mu Yi, he roared.
But before he could finish speaking, Mu Yi’s palm had already settled on his shoulder.
“Ah!”
Ximen Jianfei immediately let out a terrible scream.
As the seventh-ranked figure on the Mountain and River Ranking, he possessed the cultivation of the eighth level of the Divine Transformation Realm.
Yet Mu Yi’s palm carried the weight of a mountain. It pressed him down with overwhelming force, forcing him onto both knees.
Most importantly, no matter how desperately Ximen Jianfei struggled, he remained utterly motionless.
“This…”
The people who had been filled with righteous indignation moments before, shouting that Mu Yi was violating the academy’s rules, instantly fell silent.
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Using one victim to intimidate the rest had always been the most effective method.
“Ximen Jianfei, you truly have courage. Knowing that I killed He Wendao with a single punch yesterday, you still dared to bring people here to provoke me?”
“Do you believe me when I say that if you dare speak one more word, I will blow your head apart with a single punch?”
Mu Yi looked at Ximen Jianfei, who was kneeling before him, his expression astonishingly calm.
Ximen Jianfei had been on the verge of exploding in fury.
But the moment his eyes met Mu Yi’s, he abruptly fell silent. His entire body turned cold, as though even his soul were about to freeze.
Because in the depths of Mu Yi’s eyes, he understood the truth about him.
This man truly dared to kill him right here.
It was not an empty threat.
A new disciple had dared to kill a recruitment elder during the admission assembly.
In this world, what was there that Mu Yi would not dare to do?
Overwhelmed by fear, Ximen Jianfei shut his mouth.
“Hm? What happened? Ximen Jianfei actually backed down?”
“Does he really believe that Mu Yi would dare kill him in front of everyone?”
“But this is the academy. Unless the two of them voluntarily stand upon the Life-and-Death Platform, not even a Holy Son would dare kill someone publicly. He could even be sentenced to death by the Hall of Punishment!”
The crowd did not witness the scene they had expected.
When Mu Yi had forced Ximen Jianfei to his knees with one hand, the humiliation had been immense. Yet Ximen Jianfei had unexpectedly submitted.
The sight left everyone dumbfounded.
“You’re not completely stupid.”
Mu Yi released his hand.
He continued forward.
This time, the people blocking the passage did not dare utter another word. They all retreated, opening a broad path like a tide drawing back.
Mu Yi strode into the domain reserved for core disciples, carrying himself like an ancient sovereign descended into the mortal world, looking down upon all beneath heaven.
Behind him, silence prevailed.
It was all because of the tremendous psychological shock caused by Ximen Jianfei, still kneeling ahead of them.
If Mu Yi’s killing of He Wendao the previous day had caused an uproar, with many still believing that Mu Yi had won through nothing more than luck, then no one could possibly maintain that belief now.
“Of the six caves to the east, the sixth possesses the richest spiritual energy. It will be ideal for cultivation.”
After entering the Hidden God Martial Realm, Mu Yi had only needed to focus his senses briefly to determine the relative strength of the spiritual energy within the dozens of surrounding caves.
One cave in particular satisfied him most.
“Look! Mu Yi is actually heading toward Senior Brother Qi Chao’s cultivation cave!”
“Is he planning to enter Senior Brother Qi Chao’s cave to cultivate? Does he even know who its owner is?”
Before the crowd had recovered from their astonishment—
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—they saw Mu Yi perform yet another astonishing act.
“Mu Yi, you cannot enter that cave!”
Just as Mu Yi was about to step inside, someone finally shouted from behind him.
“Why can’t I enter? Is there another set of absurd rules?”
Mu Yi did not turn around. His voice was cold.
“The cave before you belongs exclusively to Senior Brother Qi Chao, the fourth-ranked figure on the Mountain and River Ranking. No one dares enter his cave.”
“There is even a stone tablet left behind by Senior Brother Qi Chao at your right hand.”
Someone spoke cautiously.
Clearly, they were afraid of Mu Yi as well.
“Hmph. According to the academy’s rules, the cultivation grounds on the third level of the Hidden God Martial Realm have always followed the principle of first come, first served. Since when did any cave belong exclusively to someone?”
Mu Yi gave a cold laugh, expressing utter disdain for these unspoken rules.
At the same time, his gaze shifted to the right.
Sure enough, a stone tablet stood there, bearing two large characters:
Qi Chao!
Those two words alone had transformed the cave before them into Qi Chao’s private domain. Other than Qi Chao himself, no one dared enter.
“A mere core disciple actually dares erect a stone tablet bearing his name and seize a cave for himself. He truly has no idea how close he is to death.”
Mu Yi flicked his sleeve.
The stone tablet personally carved by Qi Chao instantly disintegrated into dust.
“Go and tell Qi Chao that I, Mu Yi, have claimed his cave. If he wants revenge, I will await him here at any time.”
Mu Yi had already entered the cave.
But his voice rang out like a great bell, carrying far into the distance.
“This Mu Yi is truly lawless. He isn’t even afraid of Senior Brother Qi Chao!”
“Senior Brother Qi Chao is one of the Four Kings of the inner academy, and his cultivation has reached the peak of the tenth level of the Divine Transformation Realm! He is vastly more powerful than either He Wendao or Ximen Jianfei!”
“I think Mu Yi is genuinely seeking death. He doesn’t even take Senior Brother Qi Chao seriously. I really wonder what expression Senior Brother Qi Chao will wear when he hears about this.”
“Let’s go! We’ll inform Senior Brother Qi Chao at once! I want to see whether this newcomer Mu Yi can truly turn the world upside down!”
Seeing Mu Yi’s arrogance and his complete disregard for every rule, the people present were furious but did not dare speak.
They scattered like birds and beasts, with many of them heading directly to find Qi Chao.
They wanted to witness the enraged Qi Chao appear, beat Mu Yi senseless, and perhaps even kill him on the spot.
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