Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 151 - Conflict

“Does worrying solve anything?” Liu Wuxie responded with a smile, appreciative of Chen Leyao’s warning.

The three fell into silence. What Liu Wuxie said was right: worrying wouldn’t resolve the issue. He had to rely on himself to navigate this crisis. If the Xue Clan dared to make a move against him in the academy, he would just kill whoever came at him.

He made a declaration that he would eradicate every member of the Xue Clan within a year, and it would commence on that day. Once he finished, he walked through the crowd towards the martial arts field, where everyone was gathered. Apart from the arenas, there were several unusual setups on the field that Liu Wuxie had never encountered before.

“That’s the Solitary Pillar meant for practicing movement techniques. Many students who are confident in their movement techniques love to challenge themselves there,” Li Shengsheng introduced as they walked, soon arriving at where the Advanced Class Seven was.

“This is our region. Who do you all think you are to occupy it?!” Before they even squeezed in, there was a commotion up ahead coming from the Advanced Class Seven’s region.

Liu Wuxie and Li Shengsheng quickened their pace to see two groups confronting each other, a fight seeming imminent.

“Advanced Class Seven only has a few people, and you all want to occupy such a large area? Our Advanced Class Six has fifty-odd people. So what if we’re taking up your area?” The one confronting Advanced Class Seven was from Advanced Class Six, whose numbers far exceeded that of Advanced Class Seven.

The number of students in each class typically ranged from fifty to seventy, but Advanced Class Seven was an exception.

“We have already given up a small portion of the space to you all. You all are pushing it, wanting to occupy all of Advanced Class Seven’s region!” a student belonging to Advanced Class Seven said furiously. Even though they had already given up a significant amount of space to Advanced Class Six, the latter was unsatisfied and wanted more.

“Your Advanced Class Seven doesn’t seem to care about this space anyway. Why not let us have it? You all can make do with a single table.” As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of laughter swept through the crowd. Advanced Class Seven was notorious for its lack of organization. Their teacher might not even make an appearance for months at a time.

Most of those who opted for Advanced Class Seven, like Liu Wuxie, did so in pursuit of freedom.

“Dan Zhong, you’re pushing it too far!” Zhao Cheng stood up, his tall figure visible from a distance.

Li Shengsheng and Zhao Cheng were responsible for most of the affairs of Advanced Class Seven. As seniors in the class, both at the pinnacle of the Xiantian Realm, they held high positions.

Dan Zhong was an outstanding student from Advanced Class Six. In recent years, the ranking of Advanced Class Six had been on the rise, nearly rivaling the elite class.

“You’re right. So what if I’m pushing it? Leave, or don’t blame me for being rude!” A powerful Spirit Cleansing Realm aura swept out, suppressing the eight students from Advanced Class Seven.

“Get lost! You all are an embarrassment in the academy, wasting the academy’s resources.” Students from ordinary classes stepped forward to back up Dan Zhong.

Advanced Class Three students enjoyed seeing Advanced Class Seven in distress. They hadn’t even stepped in, and Advanced Class Six had already helped them deal with Advanced Class Seven.

“Want a fight? You think I’m scared?” A burly man from Advanced Class Seven stepped forward, brandishing a large hammer in his right hand. His towering physique and fiery temper were evident. As he stepped forward, his classmates from Advanced Class Seven followed suit. They were prepared for a confrontation with Advanced Class Six, and there wasn’t a single coward among them.

“Chen Qilin, do you think your innate divine strength is enough to face me? Since you’ve dared to step forward, be prepared to meet your end!” Dan Zhong retorted, launching a punch at Chen Qilin.

Chen Qilin was a giant of a man, standing three meters tall and weighing one hundred fifty kilograms. He had been able to lift two hundred fifty kilograms since he was three years old. His birth was a laborious process that took his mother three days and nights due to his massive size.

His enormous appetite was such that his family couldn’t afford to feed him. This was the reason he was sent to the Imperial Academy to cultivate at the age of eighteen.

The large hammer in his hand weighed five hundred kilograms and would produce a whooshing sound just from swinging it. If the hammer landed on someone, it would turn them into minced meat. With his formidable physique, those at the lower levels of the Spirit Cleansing Realm were powerless against him.

Zhao Cheng wanted to stop Chen Qilin, but it was too late as he knew Chen Qilin’s fiery temper. The overbearing attitude of Advanced Class Six was intolerable, prompting Chen Qilin to step forward and swing his hammer.

“Everyone, let’s go!” Although Advanced Class Seven had fewer members, they were united. Despite their infrequent interactions, they shared a strong bond. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

With a swing of his hammer, Chen Qilin sent Dan Zhong flying backward. The confrontation was evenly matched, considering one was at the ninth level of the Xiantian Realm and the other at the first level of the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

Everyone from Advanced Class Six stood up and surrounded the eight from Advanced Class Seven. They rubbed their hands together in anticipation of the impending fight.

Being forced back by someone in the Xiantian Realm made Dan Zhong feel humiliated and enraged. He stepped forth, unleashing an even more powerful shockwave at Chen Qilin. A blade also appeared in his hand as he roared, “I want you dead!”

His blade was directed at Chen Qilin’s neck. He was vicious, wanting to kill Chen Qilin.

When Li Shengsheng and Liu Wuxie tried to squeeze their way through the crowd, the roar startled the entire field.

“This is bad. Chen Qilin is in danger!” Li Shengsheng, realizing the gravity of the situation, tried to push his way through the crowd. He was well aware of Chen Qilin’s capabilities. While Chen Qilin could easily handle an opponent at the ninth level of the Xiantian Realm, he would be at a disadvantage against someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

The students of Advanced Class Seven seemed like a solitary raft about to be swallowed by a wave known as Advanced Class Six.

Suddenly, a figure leaped into the air, stepping on the heads of the crowd, and charged towards Advanced Class Seven.

“Who stepped on my head!” The spectators began to grumble as they felt the pressure of someone stepping on their heads.

As Dan Zhong’s blade neared Chen Qilin, the tension escalated. Such confrontations were commonplace in the academy, often serving as the main event of the banquet. However, a clash between these two specific classes was unprecedented.

Chen Qilin found himself cornered, unable to evade the incoming attack due to the surrounding crowd. If he retreated, he risked colliding with another student from Advanced Class Seven while Dan Zhong was closing in on him.

Even if the blade couldn’t pierce through Chen Qilin’s neck, it was enough to inflict heavy injuries. But in the critical moment, a figure descended from the sky just when the blade was about to reach him.

Sparks flew as Dan Zhong was sent flying away, drawing an arc in the sky before smashing into the Advanced Class Six region. Dan Zhong’s body crackled with energy, a sign that Liu Wuxie had held back his full strength, or else Dan Zhong would have been reduced to a lifeless form.

In the critical moment, Liu Wuxie had made his move. He couldn’t stand idle and watch fellow students of Advanced Class Seven being bullied. As a member of this class, his duty was to uphold their honor.

Chen Qilin was dumbfounded. He was prepared to suffer injury, but someone unexpectedly blocked Dan Zhong’s attack.

As Liu Wuxie touched down, the faces around him were mostly unfamiliar, with the exceptions of Song Ling and Zhao Cheng. Li Shengsheng managed to squeeze through the crowd, sighing in relief upon seeing that no one was injured.

“Junior Brother Liu, allow me to introduce you. These are fellow students of our Advanced Class Seven.” Liu Wuxie had just joined the Imperial Academy and hadn’t even attended Advanced Class Seven.

When everyone heard that Liu Wuxie was also a student of Advanced Class Seven, they gathered around curiously. They were already familiar with Song Ling, but they weren’t familiar with Liu Wuxie.

“I heard that a formidable figure joined our Advanced Class Seven, who killed twenty people from Advanced Class Three. We haven’t had a chance to meet until today, and I must say, you’re quite impressive!” Wang Yonghao stepped forth. He had a lazy personality, and it was no wonder he chose Advanced Class Seven.

Liu Wuxie’s forehead creased with wrinkles. He hadn’t expected that his reputation had already begun to spread within Advanced Class Seven.

“Meet Wang Yonghao, Shi Tiansheng, Shangguan Liang, Yu Chijing, Feng Linlin, and Chen Qilin!” Li Shengsheng introduced the group.

In addition to Liu Wuxie, Zhao Cheng, Li Shengsheng, and Song Ling, all members of Advanced Class Seven were present. Feng Linlin was the only female student of the same age as Chen Leyao.

Those whose names were called out stepped forward and greeted Liu Wuxie by cupping their fists. There was no need to introduce Liu Wuxie as they had already heard about him.

“Thank you for helping earlier!” Chen Qilin thanked Liu Wuxie in a booming voice, gently patting his shoulder. Given Chen Qilin’s towering stature of over three meters, Liu Wuxie appeared childlike in comparison.

“You’re welcome. Greetings, fellow senior brothers and sisters!” Liu Wuxie cupped his fists together politely while he greeted everyone.

Despite his initial concerns about fitting in with the other students of Advanced Class Seven, Liu Wuxie found that his worries were unfounded. His interactions with everyone were smooth, and he had a positive impression of them all, as there was no deceit among them. This was one of the advantages of Advanced Class Seven—the absence of internal disputes.

Students of other classes often had internal disputes over resources, but Advanced Class Seven didn’t have that issue.

“Who attacked me earlier? Step out!” Dan Zhong rose from the ground. His face twisted into a fierce snarl as he bellowed at Advanced Class Seven. He hadn’t seen who had sent him flying. His lips bore traces of blood, and he had accidentally lost two teeth in the fall.

The students of Advanced Class Seven ceased their chatter and formed a line, arranging themselves in a semi-circle with Liu Wuxie at the forefront. Unbeknownst to all, Liu Wuxie had become the core of Advanced Class Seven due to his formidable reputation, and everyone had been eager to meet him for quite some time.

This was particularly true after Liu Wuxie had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and sent Dan Zhong flying with a single strike of his blade. This act had only served to increase the admiration of the students of Advanced Class Seven towards him.

When had Advanced Class Six ever suffered such a humiliation? The fifty or so students began to press closer to Advanced Class Seven, showing no signs of backing down today.

“Dan Zhong, the banquet hasn’t begun yet. Do you want to make a move now?” Li Shengsheng stepped forward. He wasn’t afraid of Dan Zhong but knew now wasn’t the time to fight.

“You think you can attack me and get away with it? Brat, I’ll make sure you die slowly!” Unaware of Liu Wuxie’s identity, Dan Zhong slowly advanced, brandishing his blade.