Chapter 123: Finished

Inside the gazebo, two figures sat facing each other, the silence punctuated only by the crisp sound of chess pieces landing on the board. Ye Yiting was also there, standing to the side with an uncharacteristically obedient demeanor.

Her eyes were filled with helplessness. Chess, always chess—every time she came here, they were playing chess. She truly could not understand what was so fascinating about it.

"Grandfather, did you hear what I said earlier?"

Thinking that Shen Yi and the others should be arriving soon, and seeing no sign of the game ending, Ye Yiting could not help but speak up. Seeing the gray-robed elder before her holding a piece and staring at the board in deep thought, she pouted, crouched down, and grabbed the elder's arm, shaking it incessantly. "Grandfather~"

He had intended to tease her, but under such relentless shaking, his composure crumbled. He laughed helplessly, "Alright, alright, I heard you, I heard you."

"Stop shaking! If you keep at it, this old man's bones are going to fall apart!"

"Hmph, you’re one of the pinnacle experts of this continent, Grandfather. You wouldn't fall apart so easily," Ye Yiting pouted, though she did release Ye Zhong's arm.

"You girl, watch your tongue," Ye Zhong rolled his eyes, though the indulgence in his gaze was unmistakable.

Pausing, Ye Zhong looked up and said, "They're here."

Hearing this, Ye Yiting’s expression shifted. She spoke urgently to Ye Zhong, "Grandfather, I’m counting on you. Please, you must not punish Mentor Shen!"

Seeing Ye Zhong’s reluctance, she prepared to crouch down again. Ye Zhong’s white beard twitched, and he hurriedly said, "I know, I know!"

Satisfied, Ye Yiting turned around, summoned her flight spirit tool, and called back, "I’m off then! Grandfather, Grandfather Cheng, I’ll come see you both next time." With that, she stepped onto the tool and departed.

Ye Zhong sighed and shook his head, his expression full of resignation. Opposite him, Cheng Feng smiled. "You’re the one who spoils her so much."

Glancing at him, Ye Zhong replied helplessly, "I have no choice; she is my only granddaughter."

"It’s a pity, but a girl eventually leaves the nest."

"A girl has to marry someday; you can't keep her by your side forever," Cheng Feng placed a black piece on the board and added, "I think that Shen Yi is quite decent. He has looks and cultivation. He is perfectly worthy of little Ting."

"Worthy, my foot," Ye Zhong retorted, placing a white piece with indignation. "That boy’s eyes are always darting around; he’s full of cunning. Who knows what he’s plotting? If my precious granddaughter marries him, who knows how much she’ll suffer."

Cheng Feng chuckled and continued to play. In his eyes, Ye Zhong looked like a man whose prized cabbage had been rooted up by a pig. After a moment, he asked, "So, what do you plan to do now? Shen Yi has brought the people, and you’ve promised not to punish him."

"I promised not to punish Shen Yi, but I never promised not to punish the two little ones he brought," Ye Zhong said with a straight face.

"Suit yourself," Cheng Feng shook his head. You are the Dean; who would dare to object to whatever you do?

***

Shen Yi and his two companions arrived before the gazebo. Seeing the two Deans still focused on their game, they dared not interrupt. Shen Yi bowed and said softly, "Shen Yi pays his respects to the two Deans."

Because Cheng Feng had his back to them, his expression was hidden, and he gave no acknowledgment. Only Ye Zhong cast a faint glance at him before returning his gaze to the board, contemplating his next move.

For a moment, Shen Yi felt awkward. He turned to Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun and whispered, "Let's wait."

Feng Chuxun nodded; there was nothing else he could say. Shen Qingyun, however, squinted at the board, his eyes flickering with thought as if contemplating something. But he remained silent and stood still.

The gazebo remained quiet, save for the crisp clicking of chess pieces. Gradually, Shen Yi realized that the two Deans were doing this on purpose—they were deliberately leaving the three of them out in the cold.

Cold-shouldering them.

Since he was the one who brought them, Shen Yi didn't want to waste their time. He steeled himself and spoke up, "Deans, I have discovered two youths with excellent natural talent and wish to recruit them into our Zixiao Academy. That is why I have brought them to meet you."

Ye Zhong glanced at him again, looked down at his game, and said coolly, "One at the early stage of the Spirit Phase, the other at the early stage of Foundation Building. If this counts as 'excellent talent,' then what are the students we have carefully screened for Zixiao Academy? Mentor Shen, are you so idle at the Five Palaces that you have nothing better to do?"

"This..." Shen Yi stalled, his mouth opening and closing. He dared not reveal what Shen Qingyun and the other had done within the academy; if he did, it would be even harder for them to gain entry.

"Mentor Shen, don't bother."

At that moment, Shen Qingyun’s calm voice cut through the air, causing Shen Yi to turn toward him.

Shen Qingyun said, "Mentor Shen, haven't you noticed? The two Deans don't want us to enter Zixiao Academy at all."

"You little one, your insight is quite sharp," Ye Zhong shifted his gaze to Shen Qingyun, offering a rare word of praise. "Indeed. If I nodded and accepted everyone every mentor brought here, what would become of Zixiao Academy? However, considering this is Mentor Shen's first offense, I didn't want to make a scene; I intended to leave you all waiting so that Mentor Shen would understand on his own."

"I didn't expect that while Mentor Shen remained oblivious, you, a mere Foundation Building initiate, would see through it first. What is your name?"

"Shen Qingyun," he replied, meeting Ye Zhong's gaze directly.

"Shen Qingyun... you share a surname with Mentor Shen," Ye Zhong noted. "Very well, Shen Qingyun, I will say it plainly: Zixiao Academy will not accept you, nor will it accept the Spirit Phase youth with you."

"Why?" Shen Qingyun asked, his demeanor suddenly exuding an extraordinary presence.

Ye Zhong looked at him in surprise. Was it just an illusion?

"There is no 'why.' Your cultivation is weak, and you have no right to speak to us here. Your presence is only due to Mentor Shen's recklessness. That I have not punished you already is an act of great mercy. Instead of being grateful and leaving, you ask why? Do you truly believe I will not hold you accountable?"

Ye Zhong then looked at Feng Chuxun and asked, "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," Feng Chuxun replied. He had left the Feng family at seven and the Cangyun Sect at nineteen; he had spent twelve years in the sect.

"Nineteen years old, and only at the early stage of the Spirit Phase. Your cultivation is barely passable, but at your age, you have the nerve to call yourself talented? Any student in this academy, at your age, is at the very least at the peak of the early Spirit Phase, ready to cross into the mid-stage. And you? You have just entered the Spirit Phase. Is there any comparison? They are what you call truly talented!"

Ye Zhong’s words were sharp as daggers, demeaning Feng Chuxun completely. Feng Chuxun lowered his head, his trembling body and clenched fists showing that he was struggling to suppress his rage.

Seeing Feng Chuxun’s state, Shen Qingyun produced the recommendation letter given by Qin Haotian. "Dean, we may be 'unworthy' in your eyes, but we possess a recommendation from the ruler of a nation. Do the other students in your academy have one?"

"They entered through the academy's standard admissions process; they have no need for recommendations. But that you two managed to obtain one... I cannot believe the person who gave it to you has such poor judgment. Or perhaps, the recommendation in your hand is a fake."

"It is not fake!"

Shen Qingyun did not speak; it was Feng Chuxun. He seemed to have regained his composure. His eyes devoid of warmth, he looked at Ye Zhong and said, "Do you dare to look at it?"

"If that is the case, then bring it here," Cheng Feng said without turning around. Once he spoke, Ye Zhong could not object, so he nodded. "Bring it here then. If it is fake, you will be punished."

"If it is fake, I will bear the punishment alone!" Feng Chuxun said coldly.

Shen Qingyun’s lips curled into a smile. As he walked past Shen Yi to place the letter on the stone table, he heard Shen Yi whisper a plea for respect.

Shen Qingyun chuckled softly. Respect? What a joke.

He placed the letter on the stone table and, with his right hand, casually picked up a chess piece from beside Cheng Feng and placed it on the board. Simultaneously, he whispered, "I have left the letter here. But frankly, I no longer wish to join your Zixiao Academy." As he spoke, he quietly channeled his Imperial Will, suppressing Ye Zhong and Cheng Feng.

"You!" Shock flooded the eyes of both Deans. A Foundation Building youth—someone they could crush with a single finger—had just made them feel a tremor from the depths of their very souls.

Shen Qingyun smiled, turned around, and strode toward Feng Chuxun. "Chuxun, let’s go finish what we started!"

Feng Chuxun was startled, wondering what he meant, but Shen Qingyun was already walking away, and he had no choice but to follow.