Chapter 125: The Inner Court of Zixiao

"What did you say!"

Most of those gathered here were students of the Third Zixiao Palace. Hearing Shen Qingyun speak in such a manner, their hearts were instantly ignited with rage. The fury in their eyes seemed to materialize, piercing toward Shen Qingyun as if they would not rest until they had incinerated him.

The disdain on the corner of Shen Qingyun’s mouth deepened. "Am I wrong? The Zixiao Academy holds the title of being one of the three most powerful academies in the Southern Territory, and it is no exaggeration to call it a holy land in the hearts of all practitioners in the South. Yet look at you—bearing the name of Southern Territory prodigies, but being so weak. Is it that you are truly weak, or is the Zixiao Academy actually overrated?"

"Audacious! You are not permitted to slander the Zixiao Academy!"

Shen Qingyun swept his gaze toward the source of the voice, his demeanor flippant. "So, that means it is actually you, the Third Zixiao Palace, that is weak?"

"You!"

The students of the Third Zixiao Palace felt their eyes burning with fire, yet they were helpless. The person lying at his feet was the fifth-ranked student of their palace. He was also one of those who had recently boasted that he would beat Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun until they fled in disgrace. As for the Third Zixiao Palace, the top four students had all left the academy for examinations and were not currently on campus. Thus, the responsibility to challenge him naturally fell to the fifth-ranked student.

Seeing his current miserable state perfectly illustrated the old saying: the more arrogant one is beforehand, the more pathetic one becomes later. This phrase suited him perfectly.

"Although I am not a member of the Third Palace, I cannot stand by while you slander Zixiao’s reputation as being undeserved. Let me be the one to face you!" A person stepped out from the crowd wearing a bright, flame-red robe. An air of arrogance emanated from him as he looked at Shen Qingyun.

"Fourth-ranked of the Second Zixiao Palace, Huo Chi, a practitioner of flame arts. Please, enlighten me." Huo Chi spoke calmly, his tone laced with cold arrogance.

As Huo Chi’s voice faded, whispers rippled through the crowd of spectators. Their exact words were indistinguishable, but their awe was palpable. Evidently, this Huo Chi was also quite renowned within the Zixiao Academy.

"With pleasure," Shen Qingyun replied with a faint smile.

However, this response only served to further incite the rage of the onlookers; he was simply too arrogant.

"You are too rampant! Senior Brother Huo is fourth in the Second Palace, but if he were in the Third Palace, he would be on par with the second!"

"That’s right, Senior Brother Huo, teach him a lesson!"

...

Listening to the insults directed at Shen Qingyun mixed with the cheers of support for himself, a faint smile curled on Huo Chi’s lips. He had a feeling that by beating Shen Qingyun into the dirt, his own reputation within the Zixiao Academy would climb to a new level.

"It seems your reputation in the academy is already all but ruined," Huo Chi said to Shen Qingyun with cold pride.

"Reputation doesn't matter." Shen Qingyun appeared completely indifferent to his own standing. He watched Huo Chi with keen interest, as if observing his prey.

"A fine 'doesn't matter'." Huo Chi’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Watch how I beat you into the ground." With that, the spiritual energy around his body burst forth. Invisible energy released a surge of intense heat; his entire being was saturated with fire-attribute energy, which not only generated heat upon release but also formed a natural protective layer around him.

"Taste my fire and see if it is fierce enough!" Huo Chi reached out, his fingers curling, and a visible crimson-red sphere of fire condensed. Inside, one could almost see a giant bird bathing in flames, dancing.

Huo Chi launched the fireball, and it struck toward Shen Qingyun like a bolt of lightning.

Spiritual energy gathered around Shen Qingyun’s body as well, but he did not channel it into his hands; instead, he funneled it to the tip of his halberd. When the energy reached a certain threshold, Shen Qingyun thrust the weapon out, striking at the fireball.

The fireball was ferocious, but Shen Qingyun’s halberd moved like a dragon. The halberd and the fireball collided in mid-air. An intense light erupted from the tip of the spear, engulfing the fireball, and when the light dissipated, the fireball had vanished into nothingness. Subsequently, the halberd left his hand, hurtling toward Huo Chi.

Huo Chi’s expression changed. He sensed danger in the lingering light at the tip of the spear. His body retreated involuntarily, but the halberd’s speed suddenly surged, closing in with the momentum of something that could break through all obstacles and deliver a fatal blow. Seeing that he could not dodge, Huo Chi frantically gathered fireballs in his hands, throwing them at the halberd, but each one was shattered the moment it touched the weapon.

Despair took root in Huo Chi’s heart. How could he be this strong? It was practically a crushing defeat, leaving him unable to even display his true strength. He closed his eyes and poured his spiritual energy out wildly, forming a crimson barrier bathed in flames to block the incoming attack.

The tip of the halberd seemed to hum as it struck the flame barrier. In an instant, both the halberd and the barrier dissolved into a sky full of light particles. Shen Qingyun appeared before Huo Chi; his figure now looked as towering as a mountain. Even though they were eye-level, he seemed to be looking down upon Huo Chi. "Too weak."

Following this, Shen Qingyun swept his gaze over the crowd and said calmly, "Is this your so-called fourth-ranked of the Second Palace, or second-ranked of the Third? Is this the extent of the Zixiao Academy's strength?"

The students gathered there felt their faces burning with shame. The strongest students of the other palaces had stepped out one after another, yet the result remained largely the same. With their discernment, they could naturally tell that Shen Qingyun’s halberd was formed from spiritual energy, yet its power was in no way inferior to a high-grade spiritual weapon!

The jeering grew quieter. Shen Qingyun was arrogant, even insufferable and annoying, but he possessed the capital to be so. He had also chosen his timing well; the top students of each palace had all left the academy to sit for examinations.

"Is this all you have?" Another halberd condensed at Shen Qingyun’s side. He surveyed them, but by now, no one dared to step forward to challenge him.

"If only the senior brothers from the Inner Court were here, they would surely be able to defeat this arrogant fellow!" someone among the onlookers whispered.

Those who had left the academy were all aiming to enter the Inner Court to continue their cultivation. If someone from the Inner Court appeared, Shen Qingyun would definitely be defeated! That was what they believed.

"The Zixiao Academy has an Inner Court?" Shen Qingyun’s eyes flickered as he looked toward the source of the voice and asked.

The person who spoke was momentarily stunned—how could his hearing be so sharp?

"That's right, the Zixiao Academy has an Inner Court. The senior brothers in the Inner Court are truly powerful!"

"How strong are they?" Shen Qingyun asked again.

"They could defeat you with a single move!" the person replied, full of confidence in the Inner Court disciples.

"That strong?" Shen Qingyun raised an eyebrow. "Then go and fetch someone from the Inner Court for me." His tone was indifferent, as if he were giving an order.

This scene struck everyone as bizarre. Had Shen Qingyun lost his mind? Or was he just blindly overconfident?

The person who had been "ordered" by Shen Qingyun looked sheepish. The Inner Court was hardly a place he could just walk into. For a moment, he actually regretted opening his mouth.

Just as he was struggling, a calm voice rang out from the sky, sounding like a thunderclap on a clear day: "The Inner Court is not a place you can challenge just because you want to."

Hearing this, Shen Qingyun raised an eyebrow. *That came a bit quickly, didn't it?* But it was within his expectations.