Ye Xian rose to his feet, dusting off his robes. "You should reflect on this moment," he continued lazily.
"Maybe next time, you'll think twice before throwing your weight around. Or better yet—maybe you'll finally understand that strength isn't just about having numbers on your side."
Fatty, though whimpering in pain, suddenly sneered through his tears.
"You… you have no idea what you've done," he stammered. "These Ki Stones aren't just mine. They belong to students from the Sky Class. When they find out, you'll be in serious trouble! Hahaha!"
Ye Xian's eyes turned ice-cold.
"You dare to threaten me?"
Before Fatty could react, Ye Xian raised his free hand and delivered another ruthless slap across the other side of his face.
Smack!
The sound echoed like a thunderclap. Fatty's head jerked sideways, and a buzzing sensation filled his skull as his vision blurred.
He felt like his brain had just been rattled.
Ye Xian then grabbed Fatty's storage pouch and emptied its contents into his own. His eyes gleamed as he counted the 2261 Ki Stones.
"Not bad. Looks like you've robbed plenty of students already."
Fatty grimaced, biting down his anger and grief, knowing full well that resisting would only bring him more pain.
Satisfied, Ye Xian gave him a final kick to the side, sending him tumbling away.
"Consider this a taste of your own medicine—or rather, a fair collection of the 'protection fee' you love so much." Ye Xian said.
" Next time, don't bite off more than you can chew."
With that, he stored the Ki Stones in his spatial ring and walked off leisurely, leaving Fatty groaning in the dirt.
Ye Xian wondered if Fatty was telling the truth—that the person above them belonged to the Sky Class. If that person was only in the Ki Warrior Realm, Ye Xian could handle them easily. But if they were at the Element Disciple Realm, things could get complicated. Still, what was done was done. For some benefits, risks had to be taken.
Ye Xian had already helped the boy he intended to, but since that person had gotten scared and run away, he decided to head back to class. The break had ended some time ago, and when Ye Xian slipped back into the classroom, he did so quietly, avoiding attention. He took his seat beside Riener, who was slumped over his desk, fast asleep.
The current lecture was on agriculture, but the lecturer was merely reciting information in a monotonous tone, showing little interest in engaging the students. Because of this, the atmosphere in the classroom was lax—some students were whispering amongst themselves, while others, like Riener, had fully given in to drowsiness.
As the lecture dragged on, time seemed to stretch endlessly. Eventually, the class ended, and Ye Xian, feeling mischievous, leaned toward Riener and whispered.
"Riener, Principal is here!"
Startled, Riener jolted awake with a loud gasp. "Agh! I wasn't sleeping!" he blurted out before rubbing his eyes blearily. He turned to Ye Xian, still half-dazed.
"Brother Ye, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
The sudden outburst caused other drowsy students to wake up as well. Some groaned in annoyance, while others cursed Ye Xian for disturbing their precious nap.
"The last lecture was about… what again?" one of them mumbled, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.
"I think it's was ...Cartography or catography?" another answered dully.
Before long, the next teacher entered the classroom. Unlike the previous lecturer, this one exuded a sense of grace and precision. With practiced ease, he lifted a brush and, in smooth, controlled strokes, wrote a single word on the board. The fluidity of his movements alone demonstrated his mastery over calligraphy.
With a calm yet authoritative voice, he began explaining the fundamentals—how to hold the brush, the correct way to move one's wrist, and the importance of control in each stroke.
To Ye Xian's surprise, Riener, who had been dozing just moments ago, was now sitting upright, fully focused on the lesson. He was absorbing every word, his eyes filled with newfound interest.
Curious, Ye Xian leaned over and whispered, "You're quite attentive in this lecture… why?"
Riener grinned. "Well, my cousin was really good at calligraphy. He used to write poetry for the girl he liked, and she was so impressed that they became a couple," he explained with a nostalgic chuckle.
"For guys like us, who have low talent in cultivation, we need something else to impress the girls we fancy. And mastering the brush is one way to do it."
Ye Xian smirked. "Well, I wouldn't know about that. I don't have such struggles."
Riener gasped dramatically, clutching his chest as if he had been stabbed.
"Tch! You really just leaped past all of us and went straight for a beautiful woman, huh? I'm jealous!" He suddenly leaned closer, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Hey, I have an idea!"
Ye Xian gave him a wary look. "What idea?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Riener pouted before rubbing his hands together.
"You know how stunning Ye ling'er is, right? Well… you're close to her! Can you introduce me to one of her friends?"
His breath grew heavier with excitement, his imagination running wild.
Ye Xian scoffed. "Dream on."
"Why not?!" Riener protested.
"Because if one of her friends fell for me instead, I'd feel bad for you," Ye Xian said with a smug grin.
Riener groaned in frustration. "You really are a rascal!"
The class eventually came to an end, and students began making their way toward the academy's gates.
As Ye Xian and Riener walked along the academy path, heading toward the gate to leave for a short break, they overheard a conversation between a few students walking nearby.
"Hey, did you see those disciples from the Moonlight Sect at the market?" one student said.
Another replied quickly, "Yeah, I saw them too! One of them even talked to me."
The first student laughed loudly. "Talked to you? Please! With your weak talent? hahahaha!"
The second student frowned and muttered, "Shut up. I know my talent isn't great, but it's true. One of them asked me some strange questions. Like… if I had seen something I shouldn't have. Like maybe I heard or saw something strange."
That made the first student pause. "Really? That's weird…"
The second one nodded. "Yeah. And I also heard from my elder that some high-ranking people from the Moonlight Sect are coming to the academy tomorrow. Maybe even a senior disciple or an elder."
"Huh? For real?" the first student asked, now clearly interested.
"Yeah," the second student continued. "They might be here to personally pick out the most talented students from the academy."
Ye Xian and Riener, who were walking just behind them, heard everything clearly. They exchanged surprised glances.
"Did you hear that?" Riener whispered.
Ye Xian nodded, deep in thought.
The Moonlight Sect—one of the top orthodox sects in Silver Moon empire. Almost every young cultivator dreamed of joining it. But getting in was no joke. You needed real talent and had to pass incredibly difficult tests.
As they walked further, they saw two people standing ahead, blocking their path. One of them was the chubby student Ye Xian had taught a painful lesson to earlier.
The other was a younger student with golden-blond hair, a well-built body, and an arrogant posture. His eyes gleamed with superiority, and from the way he carried himself, it was obvious he thought highly of himself—most likely someone from the prestigious Sky Class.
As soon as the chubby student saw Ye Xian, he pointed and shouted loudly, "Brother Steve! That's him! He's the one who beat me up and took my Ki Stones—Your Ki Stones!"
Hearing this, Steve's expression turned cold. He stared at Ye Xian with narrowed eyes, sizing him up with disdain.
"So, you're Ye Xian?" he said in a slow, deliberate voice. "I've heard quite a bit about you."
A slight smirk played on Ye Xian lips. He decided to play with this dude.
"Oh? And what have you heard?" Ye xian asked casually.
Steve's expression darkened slightly. "That you're arrogant. That you don't know your place. That you humiliated my junior brother and took all of my ki stones from him."
"I'll let you off," Steve said, his voice smooth and falsely kind, as if he were being generous.
"Just return the Ki Stones you snatch from Brother Fatty. I'll pretend you didn't do anything . All you have to do is get on your knees, apologize, and give back the ki stones—plus whatever you and your friend have on you."