Jiang Chen was calm in the face of Zhuang Fanâs disdain. It wasnât a result of restraint, but because he didnât think it was a big deal.
Mo Sir didnât seem to have a good temper. He said unhappily, âSo what do you think we should do? Open a class for him only?â
âAnyway, class eleven wonât accept a piece of trash like this. All of our classmates are in the late stage of the Mental Wander State. Heâll drag us down.â
Zhuang Fan didnât dare argue with Mo Sir. He just complained in a helpless and angry tone, as if he had received unfair treatment.
âApprentice brother,â Jiang Chen said with smile.
âWhat?â Zhuang Fan replied impatiently. He thought Jiang Chen was going to try to get in his good graces.
So did the others. They thought he was spineless, since Zhuang Fan had been so rude to him, but Princess Crimson Moon and the others knew what kind of aggression there could be behind that gentle smile.
âTell me. Why are there so many flies in the world?â Jiang Chen asked seriously.
âWhat?â Zhuang Fan was as confused as the others.
âFull of crap, like the buzz of flies in a sh*thouse. If you ignore it, the fly will only buzz louder and keep flying around you. Tell me. Itâs courting death, isnât it?â Jiang Chen said.
All of the people around reacted the same way. They opened their eyes wide first. After confirming what Jiang Chen had meant, they were all shocked.
So was Zhuang Fan. He closed his hand and said coldly, âWhat did you just say?â
âI called you a piece of crap. Are you angry?â Jiang Chen said.
âSay it again!!â Zhuang Fan said, in a rage.
âWell, if you know what bad language is, whatâs wrong with me calling you a fly?â Jiang Chen smiled coldly.
âYouâre asking for death!â
Zhuang Fan couldnât put up with him anymore. He manipulated his holy yuan and dashed towards Jiang Chen.
âEnough.â
Mo Sir didnât allow the disciples to fight in his presence. He stood between them to stop them and said to Jiang Chen, âYouâre too sharp-tongued to be welcome at the Sacred Institute.â
âIs Mo Sir teaching me a lesson?â Jiang Chen was surprised, as if he thought a teacher of the Sacred Institute shouldnât have failed to distinguish right from wrong.
âWas it not obvious enough?â
Jiang Chenâs words made Mo Sir unhappy. He lapsed into a sullen silence. His sharp look was scary.
Zhuang Fan and the other disciples of the Sacred Institute were surprised to see Jiang Chen talking back to Mo Sir. They gloated.
âNo matter where you are, no matter what kind of achievements you have, your disposition will always be the same.â
Jiang Chen said, âI thought the Sacred Institute was different, but itâs all the same.â
âHow dare you! Youâve talked rudely and paid no respect to your teacher! Do you know thatâs a serious offense?!â
Mo Sir was not only unhappy, but also angry. Jiang Chen could experience the power of a Reaching Heaven State at any moment.
âIf Iâm not a disciple of the Sacred Institute, of course it wonât be a serious offense. I donât think Mo Sir will attack me just because of some criticism.â
People were surprised by Jiang Chen again. The other short-term disciples were all dumbfounded.
What they were most afraid of was being sent back, but it seemed that Jiang Chen didnât care. It even seemed like the Sacred Institute wasnât good enough for him.
Mo Sirâs face became more sullen. What Jiang Chen had meant was clear. You canât bully me just because youâre a Reaching Heaven State. In the worst case, I would leave.
The most irritating part was, only the dean of each courtyard and the Dean of Students could decide who to expel. He didnât have the right to do so.
âWell, as you wish.â
But it didnât mean Mo Sir couldnât add fuel to the fire so that Jiang Chen would be expelled in the end. He didnât believe he couldnât bring a short-term disciple under his control.
Then he turned around to visit the dean.
At this point, the other disciples were wondering what Jiang Chen was thinking about after they confirmed he didnât regret his actions.
âCouldnât he just have stayed in the Sacred Institute without causing trouble?â the short-term disciples wondered.
âI got it.â
Zhuang Fan wasnât angry. He laughed instead. He said, âYou found yourself too weak after arriving at the Sacred Institute. You donât have the confidence to stay here, so you want an excuse to leave. Am I right? I understand you.â
It was a different angle, but convincing.
âYou think Iâm here only for short-term study and Iâm only in the completed middle stage, but Iâve seen many disciples at the Sacred Institute in this state. And they werenât older than me.â
Jiang Chenâs words reminded the others that he was the youngest among the short-term disciples.
âHa, you must be from a poor area.â
âFirst of all, age is barely a measure anymore, since practitioners normally live a longer life than average people. The first twenty years can hardly decide oneâs achievements. So, when weâre comparing two people, no matter how many years apart in age, the weaker one is just weaker!
âSecond of all, do you think the same state means anything? Donât you know two people in the same state could have a huge gap between them due to secret methods, number of holy points, martial arts techniques, and so on?â
Zhuang Fan was amused by Jiang Chen. He laughed at his ignorance.
He looked at Jiang Chen with interest and said, âLooks like youâre really proud of your age. How funny, but itâs normal. There are also tough eggs in other courtyards, but your state is lower.â
Jiang Chen didnât answer. No one knew what was on his mind.
âWhat? Has the cat got your tongue?â
Zhuang Fanâs arrogant look was back. He was as proud as a peacock.
âIâm waiting,â said Jiang Chen.
âFor what?â Zhuang Fan asked subconsciously.
âWaiting for your attack. Then Iâll beat your brains out. Then Iâll go home. Your Sacred Instituteâs rules are too strict. Iâll take a beating if I attack you first,â Jiang Chen said.
Now that Mo Sir had gone, no one could stop Zhuang Fan anymore. Jiang Chen had seen how hot-tempered he was, but he still dared talk to him like this. Was he only bragging or did he have the skill to back it up?
âWell, well, well. The fact that you can come to the Sacred Institute means youâre a first-class genius. Youâre proud of yourself for that! So, let me teach you what ignorance and humbleness are.â
Hardly had his voice faded away when he manipulated his holy yuan. This time, no one could stop him. His holy yuan quickly soared to a formidable extent.
âAngry Mustang in the Pass!â
He overlapped his hands and manipulated yin and yang. The energies of his palms were two lights, one red and one blue. When he threw his palms out, they became one and moved forward violently.
Jiang Chen took a step back and drew out his knife. It was completely black, eye-catching. The knife hit against the energy of the palms.
The two formidable forces met in the air and started a fierce wind. Both Jiang Chen and Zhuang Fan took several steps back.
âOh? He was able to take a palm strike from Zhuang Fan?â
The other eleven disciples of the Sacred Institute were shocked. Even the short-term disciples were surprised to see that Jiang Chen wasnât at a disadvantage.
Only the five from the Fire Field knew that if Jiang Chen was using a knife, it meant he wasnât being serious.
No one else around could imagine Jiang Chen was actually a left-handed swordsman. The five from the Fire Field chose to stay silent. They wanted to see whether these peopleâs shocked faces were as funny as theirs.
âDarn.â
Zhuang Fan couldnât accept the result. He was in the completed late stage. According to the theory he had just said, it meant he was inferior to Jiang Chen in some respect, but it was hard to say whether he had only lost this attack or the whole fight.
He hadnât defeated Jiang Chen in one attack. It was already shameful to him. He was determined to wash it away.