The eighth day of the first lunar month.
Noon.
Fifty scholars from both parties had entered the Small Secret Realm for the contest, and one day and one night had passed since the beginning of the struggle for a position in the Literary Arena.
During this day and night, due to the Haqi River in the sky transforming into a Qi Shield enveloping the entire Academy, the sky above Mountain River Academy was as bright as day, as it was inside the Small Secret Realm.
Those waiting on the scene, much like the scholars who had entered the Small Secret Realm, did not close their eyes in sleep for a whole day and night and kept waiting.
Suddenly, the rift in the sky opened again, and through the hazy break, those still alive leaped out.
From Mountain River Academy, nine people. Two were seriously injured, three were propped up by others; their handling of them looked very much like the capture of criminals. And there were... Lin Chenfeng and another scholar who were squinting their eyes, these two didn’t look like they were heavily injured and unconscious, but were... dead. Among nine who ca out, in truth, it could be said there were only seven.
The severely injured two were Qing Yu, as well as one of the two who were seriously injured while fighting against the people of Daqian in the Small Secret Realm. Now, only one remained. The other, after being involved in the crossfire of Lin Chenfeng and Chen Yan’s battle, suffered additional injuries on top of their previous wounds, and died.
The three who were captured, needless to say, were the three fellows Chen Yan had intended to play tricks with.
Daqian philosophy, six people.
Wait, six people... Ming Rui and Luo Feng both frowned at the count; clearly, Mountain River Academy had the upper hand, but that wasn’t right, it shouldn’t be this way.
And the four people who ca out with Brother Wu also felt sothing was amiss. Why were there six people?
Then, in the next instant, Luo Yan shouted loudly, "Sir, these four are traitors! They killed the others and gave the Emperor Martial Art to Mountain River Academy."
"Sir..." The group of four, including Brother Wu, anxiously tried to defend themselves. If this matter were fully revealed, even if the forces behind them reached the heavens, they could not protect themselves. After all, the greatest in Daqian was still the Emperor, and to fight against the Emperor over such four insignificant people was not worth it.
"Shut up." Ming Rui shouted loudly, and the tangible Qi chanism he released made it hard for the five to even breathe.
The reasons for the failure weren’t important at the mont. Ming Rui only knew that they had failed to acquire the Emperor Martial Art. What was most important now was...
Ming Rui exhaled a breath of stale air and smiled at Dean Zhuge opposite him, "Dean Zhuge, congratulations. Mountain River Academy is still the authentic Confucian orthodoxy. We, the philosophers, have lost this Literary Arena contest."
"Philosophy... Hmph." Zhuge Longsu sneered coldly. Luo Yan and the other four, in order to resist the Qi issued by Ming Rui, could no longer hide their true Martial Arts skills. Under such circumstances, if he, Zhuge Longsu, could not see through the true nature of these five, he would have wasted his discerning eyes.
"Ming Sacrificial Officer, there’s no need to ntion this ti. You, claiming to be of the Confucian school, yet resorted to such despicable and unorthodox thods. Mountain River Academy is ashad to compete with you. This is the last Literary Arena contest; there will be no next ti. After all, your philosophy is nothing but pseudo-Confucianism. You don’t deserve to be called Confucian scholars."
Dean Zhuge’s words, though devoid of crude language, were nearly the equivalent of cursing at soone’s ancestors for a person of the Confucian school, indicating the fury in his heart.
However, Ming Rui was completely indifferent to this. He kept his smiling face, "No problem, if the contest for position in the Literary Arena is to be canceled, then let it be canceled. As long as Dean Zhuge hands over the Emperor Martial Art..."
Having failed in his attempt to win the Literary Arena, Ming Rui was ready to resort to outright robbery.
"You..." Ning Ling, upon hearing these words, beca furious and exclaid, "Ming Rui, you...!"
Zhuge Longsu cut off Ning Ling’s impending words, and stared coldly at Ming Rui, "Have you completely abandoned all decency, Ming Sacrificial Officer?"
"Dean Zhuge, there is no point in dragging on with these irrelevant matters," Ming Rui replied with a shrug. "Let’s be straightforward, will you give it or not? Don’t threaten with mutual destruction. I think that if I and Divine Marquis wish to escape, the odds are quite good. As for the others, if they are dead, so be it.
"On the other hand, for you, heh, the core scholars of the Academy are all here, aren’t they? If they all die, then Mountain River Academy too... is gone, isn’t it?
"So make the decision, Zhuge Longsu. The Academy, or the Emperor Martial Art?"
"Ming Rui, you truly wasted your years studying saintly books, you faithless beast!" Ning Ling cursed indignantly.
Ning Ling’s furious cursing was like a light breeze to Ming Rui, who responded with a cold laugh, "Saintly books, are they useful? Back in the Academy days, in terms of learning, I was the top, and in Martial Arts as well. But in the end, didn’t the position of dean still fall upon Zhuge Longsu, who’s inferior to ?
"All of you must have been made stupid by practicing ’Vast Righteous Qi’. Cultivation Techniques are dead, people are alive. You all blindly follow the path set out by the Cultivation Techniques, nothing more than puppets to Martial Arts.
"Zhuge Longsu, make your choice. The Emperor Martial Art, will you hand it over, or not?"
Ming Rui’s words were an outright accusation that those who cultivated ’Vast Righteous Qi’ lacked self-will. Upon hearing this, the Academy lecturers were extrely angry. The core scholars observing were also angry, but still, a few of them were provoked into deep reflection by Ming Rui’s words.
Zhuge Longsu, upon hearing Ming Rui’s words, was neither angry nor did he say whether he would hand out the Emperor Martial Art, but replied very calmly, "You are right, Cultivation Techniques are dead, people are alive."
"Dean..." one of the lecturers next to Zhuge Longsu exclaid in shock. Even the dean acknowledged Ming Rui’s words, negating the very foundation that Mountain River Academy stood on?
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