Strongest War Emperor

Compared to the usual ”group brawls,” the Thorn Valley trial was a bit more formal.

Tutors were not allowed to participate in the trial, and the students from both academies were divided into many small teams of five.

Although, to put it bluntly, it was still a group brawl, it was at least an organized, disciplined, and prepared one.

Thorn Valley was scenic, but it was teeming with Demon Beasts and extremely dangerous.

Acting recklessly without a plan could lead to injuries within a team, and quite possibly a total wipeout—which, in this case, meant all five team members being crippled, not killed.

This was because while Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy fought constantly, they were in a state of perpetual conflict, not a state of war.

Therefore, killing was forbidden during the trial.

Those entering the Thorn Valley trial only needed to do three things: first, hunt Demon Beasts; second, gather Spirit Grass; and third, seize the Demon Beasts and Spirit Grass hunted and gathered by any student from the opposing academy.

By turning in the Demon Beasts and Spirit Grass they had acquired, they could not only exchange them for Contribution Points but also receive a considerable reward in Spirit Stones.

Furthermore, the top twenty teams would receive rewards of powerful Spiritual Artifacts and Elixir Pills, enough to make any student go wild with excitement.

The students from both academies had been champing at the bit for some time, so when they found out they had to wait for one more person to arrive before starting, they all grew restless.

Waiting for some important figure would have been one thing, but they were waiting for the notoriously useless Shen Lang!

As a result, the entire area erupted in a clamor.

However, Xue Dangdang’s intimidating presence was simply too great. Forget the students; even the old-timers from Celestial God Academy didn’t dare to cross her. They had all learned their lesson: whoever provoked her was asking for trouble. Thus, the resentment of most students from both sides was still suppressed, not yet fully erupting.

A single furious shout from Xue Dangdang suppressed the students from both sides, and no one dared to yell out again.

But the atmosphere only grew more tense. As the saying goes, it’s unwise to provoke the wrath of a crowd, and the scene now felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Just as the field was in an uproar...

Over on the Tayun Academy side, Qin Hun Tutor, feeling that things hadn’t escalated enough, frowned and walked over to Vice-Dean Zhou Feng.

With a long, mournful look on his face, he said, ”Sir, delaying the trial for Shen Lang alone seems a bit inappropriate. He doesn’t have the qualifications, nor does he have the standing. Look at the situation now. It’s not just Celestial God Academy causing a ruckus; even our own Tayun Academy students are getting restless. If this continues, the impact will be too great.”

Zhou Feng glanced at him, his own brow tightly furrowed. ”I understand, but there’s nothing I can do. Elder Sima mentioned to me earlier that we absolutely must wait for Shen Lang before we begin, and I didn’t refuse him... You go and try to calm the students down first. I’ll have someone ask Elder Mo about this.”

”Understood.”

Qin Hun replied respectfully and walked up to the side of the arena where the Tayun Academy members were gathered.

But while he had agreed to calm the students, once he was there, he started sighing and instead began to agitate them into expressing their dissatisfaction.

The group of students, already grumbling about Shen Lang’s tardiness, saw that the Vice-Dean still wasn’t making a move and immediately became more agitated.

”What’s the deal with that waste, Shen Lang? Why do the academy’s higher-ups seem to think so highly of him? Is our time worthless? Why should we have to waste it for him?”

”I really don’t get it. The most he did was defeat Shen Jianfeng a few days ago. Could he really have caught the Deans’ attention just for that?”

”So what if they think highly of him? He just beat Shen Jianfeng, what’s the big deal? Is that enough to make this huge crowd wait for him? Who the hell does he think he is?”

”That waste. It was bad enough he never accomplished anything in past trials, but now he’s making all of us wait for him? This is outrageous! Hmph, he’s just a good-for-nothing who relies on a woman to back him up! Without Xue Dangdang, he’s nothing!”

A triumphant, sinister smirk appeared on Qin Hun’s lips.

’Once all the students are dissatisfied, they will inevitably vent their frustrations on Shen Lang, which will also influence the decisions of Tayun Academy’s leadership!’

’At that point, Shen Lang will be in for a world of hurt!’

He and Shen Lang went way back...

A few years ago, during a ”sparring session,” Shen Lang realized they had walked into an ambush set by Celestial God Academy and insisted that Qin Hun turn back.

Qin Hun didn’t buy it. He led twenty men and charged forward, only for more than forty people to emerge from the jungle. They beat the group from Tayun Academy so badly they were sent running and screaming for their parents.

Shen Lang, being a fast runner, had accidentally stepped on Qin Hun’s shoe and knocked it off in the process. From that moment on, Qin Hun held a grudge against him.

In the years that followed, Qin Hun would find opportunities to make trouble for Shen Lang, tormenting him whenever he could.

As for Shen Lang, he retaliated by throwing firecrackers into Qin Hun’s room in the middle of the night. He also, with the help of Han Feng and Su Hen, would occasionally feed Qin Hun’s few Demon Beasts croton beans, giving them such severe diarrhea that they were reduced to skin and bones. This sent Qin Hun into a thunderous rage.

More recently, Shen Lang had used a refined Talisman to trick Qin Hun again, causing him to crash into the walls of Celestial Phoenix City. Afterward, he used the ”Ghost Moon Cross Sword” to cripple two Swordsmen from the Xu Family right in front of him and even threatened him.

Now, with Shen Lang absent, it was the perfect opportunity for him to stir up some trouble.

This fellow rarely left Tayun Academy, so while the ruckus Shen Lang had caused at the Treasure Pavilion in Celestial Phoenix City was already the talk of the town, he was completely unaware.

As for what Shen Lang had done at the Shen Family’s martial competition, the Shen Family had suppressed the news, so few outsiders knew about it.

If he had known about these two events, it’s uncertain whether he would still have the guts to be fanning the flames at a time like this.

Zhou Feng knew a little, but not the full picture. Besides, he had always maintained a ”none-of-my-business” attitude, so he didn’t have strong feelings about Shen Lang one way or another.

Meanwhile, Sima Yan and the other elders hadn’t announced the matter of the Giant Potion Formula and had been busy studying it. Therefore, the only ones in the arena who could support Shen Lang at this moment were Xue Dangdang and Chu Qingcheng.

Just as the elders on Tayun Academy’s side were also feeling the pressure of the public outrage and were about to give in...

Suddenly, a middle-aged man on a Griffin came soaring through the sky.

While the Griffin was still in the air, the middle-aged man on its back leaped off. A pair of faint wings of light appeared behind him as he glided gracefully down to Vice-Dean Zhou Feng and whispered something in his ear.

”What?!” Zhou Feng nearly jumped to his feet. ”The Dean is out of seclusion? He said so himself? This... how is this possible? Damn it, and I thought the stories about the Treasure Pavilion were just exaggerated rumors...”

Zhou Feng stood up, circulated his Power, and announced in a clear voice, ”By order of the Dean of Tayun Academy, this Thorn Valley trial must wait for Shen Lang’s arrival! If Celestial God Academy has any objections, then it’s simple. We’ll cancel the trial, pack up, and go home. You can play by yourselves!”

An uproar exploded through the crowd.

The entire arena boiled over. Not only did Celestial God Academy react fiercely, but even the students from Tayun Academy went crazy.

How could the notoriously useless Shen Lang have alarmed the Dean, a man as mysterious and elusive as a divine dragon?

The Dean hadn’t shown his face in years, had he?

And now he suddenly issued such a command, and for that kid Shen Lang of all people?

Was this meant to drive the people from Celestial God Academy insane with rage?

This was the largest trial of the year, one that everyone had been preparing for an entire year. And now he was talking about ”packing up and going home”?

It’s not that I don’t get it, it’s just that this world is changing way too fast!

In the crowd, Qin Hun Tutor’s mouth hung open, and he couldn’t close it for a long time.

Just moments ago, he had been putting on an act in front of the students with a worried frown, having finally succeeded in stirring up their emotions. Hearing this news so suddenly, he was utterly dumbfounded.

’So, after all his hard work, after putting in a herculean effort and wasting so much breath, it was all for nothing?’

But what could he do even if it wasn’t for nothing?

It was an order from the Dean!

An order from the Dean, the man as elusive as a divine dragon!

Who in Tayun Academy would dare to defy it?

Qin Hun Tutor couldn’t recover from the shock for a long while. He sat on his chair, gasping for breath...

”I condemn you! I vehemently condemn you!”

Over at the Celestial God Academy’s area, an old man was stamping his feet, his beard twitching up and down in a comical fashion.

Xue Dangdang chuckled. ”Condemnation denied! You can either wait here obediently, or you can scram! Hmph, you’d better think carefully. The ones providing the Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Artifacts as prizes are Jialan Academy! If you back out, the trial can’t proceed, which means you won’t get a single thing!”

The old man looked like he was about to cry. ”How is this us backing out? It’s clearly you who are backing out! This old man has already been waiting for two hours, my back is aching all over, and you still want me to wait? Is that junior really so important? Dingdang, look at me, I’m already so old...”

”So old? Your cultivation is at the Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven. Your body is much stronger than most people here. Besides, everyone else is standing while you few old-timers are sitting. You have the nerve to complain?”

Xue Dangdang crossed her arms, casting a sidelong glance at the Celestial God Academy’s section with an air of imperious arrogance.

Just then, another old man from Celestial God Academy, who had been silent until now, walked up to the one who had just been cornered by Xue Dangdang and whispered something to him.

The old man’s jaw dropped wide enough to swallow an egg. After a long moment, he said dejectedly, ”He’s that incredible? Are you sure?... Fine, we’ll wait a bit longer then!”

...

While everyone waited for Shen Lang, each lost in their own thoughts, he didn’t appear on the main road. Instead, he climbed up from the cliff at the edge of the arena.

”Everyone’s still here. Damn, I finally made it. I’m fucking exhausted!”

Shen Lang lay sprawled on the edge of the cliff. Seeing the crowd fifty or sixty meters away, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a very familiar voice reached Shen Lang’s ears.

”Wooden Zither Tutor, we’re all people of status... I can understand you opening with a Black Tiger Heart Stealing; I’ve heard you practice that kind of Cultivation Technique. But to follow it up with a Monkey Stealing Peaches? I really can’t condone that. I originally wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine, but you have no ’peaches’ to steal. Left with no choice, I had to use my secret skill—a special version of the Dragon Claw Hand! You really shouldn’t blame me for that. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame your ’Monkey Stealing Peaches’ for being so vicious and accurate. I nearly became a eunuch destined for the Imperial Palace, and you know how much I hate the Imperial Palace...”

”You see, I, Chu Qingcheng, am a very reasonable person, and you, Wooden Zither Tutor, are very understanding. You’d surely disdain doing something as crude as drawing a sword, right? So what’s the meaning of you waving such a long sword around? Heh, feeling lonely, are we...?”