Chapter 32: Serious Consequences

“What is this… what is everyone laughing at?”

Seeing the people around laughing as they looked at Yuanzhi, Elder Zhong Yue felt something was off. He hadn’t told any jokes, so why was everyone amused? Especially seeing Yuanzhi’s face flushed red and deeply ashamed made him even more surprised. He was clearly praising him here, yet why did Yuanzhi look so embarrassed, like he had been slapped in public by him?

Meng Xueci on the side had a faint smile on her face. Seeing that Elder Zhong Yue was confused, she quietly leaned in and explained a few things to him. As Elder Zhong Yue listened, his expression turned worse and worse. He looked at Yuanzhi and frowned slightly.

“Is this true?”

He sat up straight and stared coldly at Yuanzhi, his face very serious.

Naturally, Yuanzhi knew what he was asking about. He straightened his back, stayed quiet for a while, and then said, “Yes!”

When he spoke, he still looked sure of himself in his heart. Because he didn’t think there was any problem with this matter. From the start, he had told Fang Cun that if he was unhappy, he could go to the Academy Head. Since he wasn’t worried about the Academy Head knowing, he certainly wasn’t afraid of this old Elder Mentor finding out. In truth, if this hadn’t been brought up at such an awkward moment, he wouldn’t have paid attention to it. As an Instructor, deciding who to teach and who not to teach was his own business.

But Elder Zhong Yue’s face now had a layer of anger on it.

“Nonsense!”

He suddenly shouted harshly. The laughter and noise in the room vanished instantly, becoming so silent that not even a crow could be heard. Elder Zhong Yue clenched his eyebrows, his face full of fury, and he yelled at Yuanzhi’s head, “As an Instructor of this Academy, you are responsible for helping Great Qian train Immortal Seedlings. Since when can you kick out Disciples on your own? If you dislike this one, don’t teach him; dislike that one, don’t teach him—should you just kick out all Disciples then? What’s the point of having an Instructor like you? What’s the point of the Academy?”

His words in such a stern tone shocked everyone around.

For a moment, whether it was Disciples or Qi Refiners from Willow Lake City, all turned their eyes to Yuanzhi’s face.

Elder Zhong Yue’s anger was a bit unexpected to everyone. If he had learned about this at another time, he might have just scolded Yuanzhi privately—Yuanzhi could listen if he wanted, and if not, nothing much would happen. He would have just arranged for Fang Cun to train under another Instructor. But the key point was: this was happening during the Elder Mentor’s discourse. All the Disciples from the entire Academy were here, and many nobles and Qi Refiners from Willow Lake City had come. So this matter couldn’t be quietly ignored.

After all, he was one of the four great Elder Mentors of the Academy. Since he knew about this, he had to take a stand.

Being scolded by the Elder Mentor in front of all these people, and feeling everyone’s eyes on him now, Instructor Yuanzhi’s face turned dark red, and a vein stood out on his forehead. He clenched his fists tightly; deep inside, he might have been burning with anger. But at a time like this, he just had to hold it back. After a while, he said, “Yes, Elder Mentor, I know I was wrong!”

As he spoke, he glanced slightly at Fang Cun.

Fang Cun could feel the hatred in his look. Instead of dodging his gaze, Fang Cun looked back at him.

Even his usually kind and smiling face now showed a bit of cold smile.

Why agree to show up in public like this? Wasn’t it to prove this point?

Still think about not teaching you Fang family members—before saying that, why not think: did you even have the qualification to teach Fang family members?

“Assigning you to teach the Disciples of Feiyun Pavilion showed the Academy’s trust in you. But look at what you produced: a bunch who couldn’t even grasp the most basic Art of Object Manipulation properly. What exactly have you been teaching them all this time?” Elder Mentor Zhong Yue was still scolding with a frown. “If they learned poorly, maybe you weren’t careful enough. But actually expelling a Disciple? That’s totally lacking an Instructor’s virtue!”

Yuanzhi felt like he wanted to kill someone inside, but he could only hold it in: “I’ll change my ways when I go back!”

“Don’t go back yet!”

The old Elder Mentor Zhong Yue snorted coldly and said, “In this state, how can the Academy trust you with Disciples? First, go back properly and think over your actions. I’ll talk to the Academy Head about this. When you’ve changed, you can return to Feiyun Pavilion.”

Yuanzhi was stunned by this. He looked up in shock at Zhong Yue.

But Elder Zhong Yue faced his stare directly. Around him, it felt like strong energies stirred, giving an intimidating presence.

“… Yes!”

Yuanzhi really didn’t dare to argue with this great Elder Mentor. In the end, all he could do was agree.

At this point, he couldn’t bear to stay any longer. Stiffly, he bowed to Elder Zhong Yue, lowered his head, turned around, and walked out. He could feel all the eyes on him and sense that they all held mockery. This awkward and shameful scene even made his mind go blank, like stepping on cotton.

Had he become a joke in the Academy now?

No, if these people spread the word to Willow Lake City, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock of the whole city?

“I wouldn’t have known you hadn’t had any Instructor guidance if others hadn’t told me…”

After scolding Yuanzhi away, Elder Zhong Yue turned back to Fang Cun. His expression seemed thoughtful, and he let out a soft sigh. Then he said, “So that means, your current cultivation level resulted entirely from your own understanding?”

“Not all of it!”

Fang Cun quickly stepped forward and said, “I learned some things before and got guidance from Master Lan Shuang!”

On a nearby rock, Master Lan Shuang hurriedly said with a smile, “I only touched on the path of cultivation a little with you—I dare not claim any credit.”

“Ah, to have risen to the mid-stage Qi Refining level in just a month after joining the Academy, without any Instructor guidance, and even to have found your way in the Art of Object Manipulation—that kind of talent, I’ve only seen a handful in my life…”

Elder Zhong Yue shook his head gently as he looked at Fang Cun, his gaze showing deep thought. With a hint of admiration, he said, “Your talent isn’t weaker than your older brother’s. The Fang Family of Willow Lake sure produces geniuses…”

Fang Cun had to respond politely with a humble tone: “You’re overpraising me, sir!”

“This is not overpraise—it’s the praise you’ve earned!”

Elder Zhong Yue shook his head and added, “A good seedling like you mustn’t be ruined. Training matters can’t be taken lightly for a moment. Walking slowly isn’t scary; the scary part is taking the wrong path. You absolutely cannot keep figuring it out on your own. We have to find a place for you…”

After thinking for a moment, he said, “You’re already at the mid-stage Qi Refining level and don’t need to go to Feiyun Pavilion. Well then…”

At this point, his eyes already moved towards Master Lan Shuang.