Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 454: Chapter 454: Old Yang Protecting His Calves

Ye Qingchen hadn’t been angered by the slander against him, but the moment he heard Liu Feng vilify Qin Yue, he exploded with rage. Whether Liu Feng had meant it or not was irrelevant. To Ye Qingchen, it was unforgivable.

An overwhelming murderous intent made Liu Feng instinctively recoil two steps. But those two steps felt like a grave insult to his pride. How could I be intimidated by a mere low-level Martial King? If word of this got out, wouldn’t I become a laughingstock?

Just as Liu Feng prepared to confront Ye Qingchen, Dean Liu waved his hand, dispersing the murderous aura. He walked toward Ye Qingchen step by step, the pressure radiating from him so intense it nearly suffocated him. To become a dean of any school within the Central Celestial Academy, one had to be at the Martial Emperor Realm at the very least. All that pressure was now focused on Ye Qingchen alone. The force he had to endure was terrifying.

As Dean Liu walked, he spoke, ”Ye Qingchen, you’ve only just joined the academy, yet you harbor ill intentions toward your senior sister and have now unleashed your killing intent on a senior brother. If I don’t punish you, I will not be able to command respect. Kneel, kowtow to admit your mistake, and get out of the Central Celestial Academy. Do this, and I might spare your life! Kneel!”

With the dean’s shout, the pressure—which Ye Qingchen already found unbearable—intensified. Under the immense force, he could clearly hear his own bones creaking. At this rate, they could break at any moment.

But Ye Qingchen gritted his teeth and held on.

A man’s knees are precious; they bend for some, but not for others. If he knelt before Dean Liu, he would be nailed to a pillar of shame for the rest of his life, never to recover. While it wasn’t wrong for a student to kneel before a teacher, kneeling now would be an admission of guilt. It would mean he accepted the accusation of having designs on his senior sister, and no future explanation could ever clear his name.

Therefore, Ye Qingchen resolved not to kneel, even if it meant every bone in his body shattered. This was a matter of self-respect, a fight to prove his innocence.

A bitter thought crossed his mind. I’ve only been at the Central Celestial Academy for just over ten days, and now this so-called Dean Liu is about to expel me. I’ll probably set the record for being the fastest student ever expelled in the academy’s history. But none of that matters anymore. Since he refuses to listen to my explanation, nothing I say will be accepted. The one who frames you always knows better than you yourself how truly wronged you are. Rather than begging to be allowed to stay and live, it’s better to die with dignity.

”Kid, you’ve surprised me,” Dean Liu said with a cold smirk, whispering like a demon in Ye Qingchen’s ear. ”To think you could withstand my pressure for this long... you have some backbone. But rest assured, you won’t escape punishment for your mistake. Even if I have to crush every bone in your body, I’ll have someone prop you up to kowtow and apologize!”

Ye Qingchen glared viciously at Dean Liu. If he really does that, I would rather die to prove my innocence!

”You old fool! You’ve wasted your entire life to become this? So old, yet you bully a child. Have you no shame?”

The furious rebuke echoed through the air, and the oppressive pressure crushing Ye Qingchen instantly vanished. A disheveled figure appeared before his eyes.

”Elder Yang?” Ye Qingchen stared at the newcomer in shock. He never expected Elder Yang to appear at a time like this.

Elder Yang looked at Ye Qingchen with approval. ”Good lad, you haven’t disgraced me.”

Elder Yang had grown worried. Ye Qingchen had been in the Training Mountain Range for a long time without returning. Fearing he might have carelessly wandered too deep into the mountains, Elder Yang had decided to come and check on him. He had only just set foot in the Training Mountain Range when he found Ye Qingchen surrounded by a group of the academy’s teachers and students.

He had seen the entire scene of Dean Liu bullying Ye Qingchen. He hadn’t intervened immediately because he wanted to test Ye Qingchen’s mettle. Ye Qingchen’s willingness to face having his bones crushed rather than submit had deeply pleased him. Furthermore, after being subjected to such immense pressure from Dean Liu, most people would have collapsed the moment it was lifted. Yet Ye Qingchen was still standing firm, gritting his teeth against the pain.

With such a resilient spirit, the boy was destined for greatness. My judgment in choosing him was flawless!

Hearing Elder Yang’s praise, Ye Qingchen managed a grin, but the intense pain racking his body made the expression look more painful than a sob.

Elder Yang waved a hand at Ye Qingchen, gesturing for him to regulate his breathing, then turned his gaze to Dean Liu.

Dean Liu’s expression was awkward. Attacking a student, especially one from another school, was tantamount to bullying. Although he didn’t know the depths of Elder Yang’s power, he knew Elder Yang was the official Dean of the Godwood Academy. This was like an adult hitting another family’s child, only for that child’s parent to show up at his door.

Elder Yang looked at Dean Liu with a cold sneer and said, ”You’re the Vice Dean of the Ferocious Fire Academy?”

Dean Liu nodded. Despite his embarrassment, considering the Ferocious Fire Academy’s high standing, he, a Vice Dean, wasn’t particularly afraid of Elder Yang, the Dean-in-name-only of a practically defunct school.

Upon receiving Dean Liu’s acknowledgment, Elder Yang unleashed an incomparably powerful aura that instantly enveloped the Vice Dean. His control was so masterful, so inhumanly precise, that no one else felt a thing. Only Ye Qingchen, with his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, could perceive a fraction of what was happening.

The once-disdainful Dean Liu’s face was now twisted in a grimace. Large beads of sweat dripped from his brow, and his knees buckled, looking as if they would give way at any second.

Elder Yang shot Dean Liu a contemptuous look. ”A mere high-level Martial Emperor, and you dare lay a hand on my student? Kneel. Apologize!”

Elder Yang’s words seemed to possess some kind of Magic Power. Dean Liu could no longer resist and collapsed to his knees before Ye Qingchen in utter humiliation.

Contempt filled Elder Yang’s face. ”You didn’t even last as long as my student. For a Vice Dean of your age to be so pathetic... you’ve truly wasted all your years.”

The pressure on Dean Liu vanished. He struggled to his feet, fear and resentment warring in his eyes. ”Dean Yang,” he spat, ”humiliating me with your superior cultivation... are you declaring war on the Ferocious Fire Academy?”

Elder Yang waved his hand dismissively. ”You’re just a Vice Dean. If I were to kill you right here, no one would say a word. As for declaring war? Go back and ask your Dean. See if he has the nerve.”