Rules Are a Good Thing

Up on the arena stage, Su Yu's voice had grown completely numb from shouting his surrenders. There were just too many of them! Alas, not a single person had offered to bring him a cup of tea. "I surren—" Just as the words left his mouth, Su Yu glanced at the student stepping forward and blurted out, "Wait, didn't you already go once?" Beneath the stage, a young girl piped up timidly, "Nobody said I wasn't allowed to win twice! I paid three merit points! I still have one more turn after this!" "..." *Are you Xia Huyou's sister? You definitely are! Stop trying to hide it!* Su Yu could not help but caution her, "One is plenty. You won't even get one copy, let alone two. Throwing away one merit point just to gamble on whether a certain someone has any shame is fine, classmate, but don't waste too much!" The girl replied in the same meek voice, "I know. Thank you for the warning, Student Su Yu! But I'm not afraid. I'll get it back. My dad is the director of the Yuqiang Department. If he refuses to give it to me, I'll have my dad strip him of his senior researcher title!" "..." Su Yu was dumbstruck! *Holy crap!* The director of the Yuqiang Department was a genuine heavyweight. The academy's researcher titles indeed required official approval from the Yuqiang Department. Would Zhou Mingren give it to her or not? If he refused, her father really might revoke his accreditation. Under normal circumstances, nobody would needlessly antagonize a Shanhai Realm expert, but right now... she wasn't the only one! With this blowing up to such a scale, if Zhou Mingren failed to give a satisfactory answer, he was going to suffer dearly. At a loss for words, Su Yu stopped trying to dissuade her. After a moment of thought, he suggested, "How about you pay ten points instead?" "..." The girl stared at him, ignored the offer entirely, spun on her heel, and scampered off to rejoin the queue. No way. Three times was plenty. She only wanted three copies. One copy of the *War God Art*, one of the *Sky-Breaking Slash*, and one of the *Myriad Characters Scripture*. A person shouldn't be too greedy! On the perimeter, several researchers watching the commotion were utterly flabbergasted. This affair had grown completely out of hand, and resolving it would be a nightmare. The daughter of the director of the Yuqiang Department, the grandson of a deputy commander of the Longwu Guards, the grandson of the War Academy's principal, members of the Xia family, children of chiliarchs and myriarchs in the Demon Suppression Army, scions of general-commanders... Those without prominent backgrounds could be brushed aside, but those with real status truly didn't care all that much about Zhou Mingren. *You promised it yourself!* *It's not like we forced you!* In any case, it was worth a shot. For a single merit point, with so many people banded together, Zhou Mingren would have to bleed at least a little, wouldn't he? A handful of people were bound to walk away with something! Those without backings stood aside. As for those who had power behind them—if you stiffed them, they would make you pay sooner or later. More and more people gathered. As word spread, students from across the academy surged toward the arena. A few experts from the Single Divine Character Faction finally could not hold back and barked, "Disperse! Surrendering like this is completely invalid!" From the stage, Su Yu projected his voice loudly, "Does this academy still possess any sense of justice? I am in the middle of official spars, yet cultivators above the Tengkong Realm are openly threatening a participating student! Is this what the academy calls not bullying the weak with superior strength?" "Elder Zheng's cautionary tale—has everyone already forgotten it?" "Do Principal Wan's rules still carry any weight at all?" "Researchers threatening students—what audacity! Does this Great Xia Prefecture still belong to the Xia family or not?!" "..." His sharp reprimands rang out one after another! The faces of several researchers turned pale. Off to the side, Chen Yong roared, "Any researcher who interferes in a student duel shall be executed on the spot as an All-Races Sect cultist! Where is the Academy Guard? Does this academy still have laws?!" The moment he shouted, a hundred-man squad of the Academy Guard arrived at high speed from the distance. The centurion leading them possessed Lingyun-level combat strength! At that moment, the centurion's expression shifted erratically. Chen Yong snapped coldly, "What are you staring at? People just interfered in a student duel! Can you simply ignore that, or is the Academy Guard planning to rebel as well?" The centurion's face darkened further as he ordered, "Arrest them! In student duels, no one except the referee may interfere! Seize them!" "How dare you—" "Kill!" A Tengkong Realm assistant instructor had just begun to vent his fury when, mid-sentence, a blade struck his chest, sending him flying backward while coughing up blood! More guards swiftly rushed over. A commander at the seventh layer of the Lingyun Realm arrived, his expression twisting repeatedly as he cursed inwardly. *Dammit, in broad daylight, even if I wanted to shield you, I couldn't!* What was the Academy Guard? They were the ones who maintained order within the academy! They were the ones who protected the academy's security! They took orders directly from the principal and the Xia family, answering to no one else. If anyone violated order, the guards held the authority to execute them on the spot. *You should have kept your damn mouth shut instead of whining!* Interfering in a student match might seem minor on the surface, but blown up, it could be treated as a capital offense! And did they not see who had called them out? The Master of Cangshu Pavilion—a member of the academy's senior echelon! Did they really dare to talk back? Several Lingyun Realm researchers quickly shut their mouths, their faces turning ashen. They were in deep trouble! They had acted without thinking, and Su Yu's side had instantly seized upon the opening. If they were truly saddled with the charge of violating academy regulations and bullying students, even if they escaped death, they would still be penalized and shipped off to the All-Heavens Battlefield! Being punished and sent there was vastly different from enlisting normally. That meant being thrown straight into the vanguard battalion! "Take them away!" The Lingyun commander roared. Every researcher who had raised their voice to berate the students—whether Tengkong or Lingyun—was detained in an instant! Not one resisted! Even the assistant instructor who had been knocked flying and lay coughing blood on the ground came to his senses. Elder Zheng's fate was still fresh in everyone's minds! How many days had it been? To openly defy the academy's rules again so soon—did they have a death wish? On the stage, Su Yu looked entirely serene. Rules... rules existed to be exploited. Only the rules that protected you were truly rules! He had anticipated that the Single Divine Character Faction would try to interfere. The Academy Guard was the best weapon against them. Because this was the rule! In battles between students, you had no right to meddle! "The challenges continue!" Su Yu called out clearly. "Make haste while there is still time! The rules are on our side! If someone refuses to honor their debt, sue them! If all else fails, the academy will step in to settle the matter. Perhaps they'll grant you merit points, free entry to secret realms, or a chance to view a text of will. In any case, they won't let you students walk away empty-handed!" "The Single Divine Character Faction has nearly a hundred researchers. Even if each of them only writes one Tengkong-level text of will, that's still a hundred copies!" "If you can't get a Shanhai-level one, a Tengkong-level one will do!" "At the very worst, they can offer free public lectures. A single lecture usually costs at least five merit points, doesn't it? That shouldn't be hard, right? No matter what, you won't lose out!" Right then, someone in the crowd shouted, "If anyone can't redeem their text of will, transfer the chance to me! Write me an IOU stating they owe me one text of will, and I'll buy it off you with merit points! How about that?" "..." Many turned in surprise toward the speaker! He was unfamiliar! It wasn't Xia Huyou, but a student few recognized. Yet the young man seemed completely unbothered, calling out loudly, "Seriously, I'm buying with cash! Don't worry about me skipping out on the bill—my dad is a chiliarch in the Longwu Guards!" Hearing that, many expressions shifted. A chiliarch in the Longwu Guards! This wasn't the Demon Suppression Army, but the Great Xia Prefecture's personal guard. The weakest chiliarch was at the seventh layer of the Tengkong Realm, and most were in the Lingyun Realm. While not Shanhai experts, they belonged to the personal guard! Instantly, many hearts stirred, and the queue in front of Wu Jia grew even longer. Su Yu glanced over at Xia Huyou. Seeing him smiling without saying a word, Su Yu cursed inwardly. *This guy is truly crafty.* Instead of stepping forward himself, he had gotten someone else to do it. Evidently, Xia Huyou didn't want the Xia family to jump directly into the water. By using an intermediary, even if the Xia family went to collect the debt later, they could simply claim it had been used to settle a debt owed to them. Su Yu had already anticipated their excuse! The Xia family hadn't stepped in directly because they were the rulers of the Great Xia Prefecture. Showing blatant favoritism would make them seem unjust. Su Yu felt a trace of regret. He had actually hoped the Xia family would openly intervene, which would signal to everyone that they backed the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. But clearly, no one in the Xia family was an idiot; they had no intention of openly taking sides at this stage. ... The surrenders continued! Meanwhile, in the Xiuxin Pavilion area. Several experts from the Single Divine Character Faction rushed over, only to be stopped outside the building. A Lingyun expert pleaded frantically, "Is Dean Zhou inside? Please tell Dean Zhou that an emergency has occurred!" The Academy Guard expert stationed at Xiuxin Pavilion frowned slightly, his voice deep and solemn. "The elders have initiated a Level-Three Strategic Conference. Unless a life-or-death crisis threatens the academy, no one may disturb them!" The researcher pleaded anxiously, "It's urgent, extremely urgent! If you won't report it, I'll shout from out here—" "Insolence!" the guard commander barked. "This is Xiuxin Pavilion! How dare you cause a scene here? The elders are holding a critical conference—did you not hear me?" The researcher was frantic! The others beside him were equally desperate. In the next moment, one of them gritted his teeth, struck his own chest with a palm until he coughed up blood, and yelled, "Go report it! A life is on the line!" "You..." The guard commander's face changed! *What ruthlessness!* That was a severe self-inflicted injury! "Do you insist on watching me die here?" the injured expert snarled. "If I die on this doorstep, can you bear the responsibility?" With that, he struck himself with another palm! *Spurt!* Blood sprayed into the air. Around them, the other researchers from the Single Divine Character Faction felt a wave of desolation wash over them! *Bastards!* They didn't hold meetings earlier, nor did they hold them later; they just had to pick this exact moment. There was definitely a conspiracy! None of the Shanhai Realm experts were around! Without the elders present, they had no way to stop this madness. Worse still, it wasn't just one elder missing—they were all absent. Otherwise, if elders from other factions saw such chaos, they would have stepped in to halt it. Yet none of them were available! Every single one was in a meeting, and a strategic one at that! That meant no one was allowed to report or disrupt the proceedings; doing so carried the suspicion of espionage and would result in severe punishment. Seeing that the researcher truly intended to batter himself to death, the guard commander's expression shifted back and forth. He quickly said, "Enough! Go ahead and make your scene. I will report everything to the principal! You will bear full responsibility for your self-harm!" With those words, he turned and headed upstairs. This matter had to be reported. If the man truly died here—a Lingyun expert dying at the entrance of Xiuxin Pavilion—it would cause monumental trouble. ... Inside the vast conference hall, silence still reigned. To ensure everyone could deliberate in peace, Elder Qi had activated a soundproof barrier. At that moment, Zhou Mingren sat with a deep furrow in his brow. He glanced out the window several times. The window was open, but he couldn't see much, nor could he hear anything. He only noticed numerous figures walking back and forth below. *Going to watch the commotion?* He knew Su Yu was participating in matches. Were they heading over to watch? There were so many of them! Why did he feel so uneasy? Wan Tiansheng had noticed the bustling foot traffic long ago. Right now, he sat with his eyes closed, dozing off, though waves of surprise stirred within his mind. *What... what are you people doing?* Opening his eyes slightly, he cast a sideways glance at Elder Qi. How strange. This old fellow wasn't from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. What kind of medicine had he taken today to set up Zhou Mingren like this? *Did the Xia family get involved?* A vague suspicion formed in his mind. Elder Qi seemed to have a good relationship with Fatty Xia. Could Fatty Xia have stuck his hand in? What a nuisance! *That fat bastard couldn't be trying to take advantage, could he?* No matter what happened to the Single Divine Character Faction, even if they had to bleed, they couldn't let Fatty Xia reap the benefits! Wan Tiansheng tapped his fingers on the table and shot another glance at Zhou Mingren. Zhou Mingren's brow was tightly knit. A strange thought crossed Wan Tiansheng's mind. *Does he have hope of reaching the Sun and Moon Realm?* Danger premonition... Zhou Mingren possessed a faint trace of it. But to sense it clearly, one had to reach the Sun and Moon Realm. Wan Tiansheng said nothing, though his thoughts fluctuated. *The Multiple Divine Characters Faction... those few fellows haven't even emerged, yet a single Su Yu has already stirred up such waves.* *"Su Yu..."* *"A Lingyun expert?"* In his memories, there were several hazy visions. Had he reached the Lingyun Realm? How many years later would that be? Thirty years? Twenty? There was no clear concept of time, only the knowledge that the boy would reach the Lingyun Realm and possess terrifying strength, using a human divine character as his core to battle Shanhai Realm experts. Wan Tiansheng rubbed his forehead. His glimpse of Su Yu had been brief and fleeting, but a Lingyun battling a Shanhai was simply too dazzling, leaving a lasting impression. The geniuses of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction were truly astonishing. However, how many years into the future that would happen remained unclear. Moreover, Lingyun and Shanhai combatants were not the main focus of what he had seen; his sights were set on the Sun and Moon, on the Eternal! While he was still lost in thought, Elder Qi suddenly called out, "Principal, don't space out!" Wan Tiansheng snapped back to attention. Elder Qi said with a touch of dissatisfaction, "Principal, do you disagree with my assessment?" Speechless, Wan Tiansheng replied mildly, "No, I was pondering it. Your point is that the divine characters of the god and demon races display greater power in their hands than in ours, correct? You're suggesting that perhaps from the very beginning, the divine characters of those powerful races carried a curse?" "Precisely!" Elder Qi stated earnestly. "I suspect the inability of Civilization Masters to advance to the Eternal Realm isn't something that started in recent decades, but existed long before! The god and demon races cursed us through cultural invasion ages ago! I even suspect that the problem doesn't lie with their divine characters, but with the human race's own divine characters!" Elder Qi continued solemnly, "I believe they may have cursed human divine characters rather than their own. It's just that when we cultivate their divine characters, we are inherently weaker than them and barred from reaching the Eternal Realm!" Wan Tiansheng looked pensive. He hadn't given it much thought before, but now he remarked, "Your theory isn't impossible. Human divine characters... the human race is also a major power. There's no reason human divine characters should be inferior to those of minor races. Perhaps you're right." "However, this cannot be confirmed right now. We need further exchanges with the Quest Realm to verify it..." Elder Qi nodded. "That is why I gathered everyone to discuss this matter! As for the earlier proposal to have certain people cultivate human divine characters, I believe we shouldn't rush. We must first determine whether there is an issue with human divine characters..." Just as he spoke, a knock rattled the door! It was no ordinary knock—it was the signal for an urgent crisis. Elder Qi frowned. "What is this nonsense?" He glanced out the window; peace reigned outside. Where could an emergency possibly have come from? Wan Tiansheng looked at him and said, "If it's urgent, let them in to report." The doors swung open immediately. The guard commander said hurriedly, "Reporting to the principal and elders! Several researchers stormed the building below. When denied entry, they threatened self-harm, and one is already severely wounded..." The elders instantly projected their willpower downward. Zhou Mingren and his associates changed color, vanishing from their seats in a flash. Not far off, Wu Yuehua sneered and scoffed softly, "Growing more undisciplined by the day!" With that, she followed them outside. The other elders wore peculiar expressions. One elder swept his willpower toward other areas of the academy, but upon reaching the arena district, an eruption of willpower blocked him! The elder's expression shifted slightly, and he retracted his willpower without a word. Yet he had already formed a guess! Something had likely happened at the arena. Had Su Yu battered another genius from the Single Divine Character Faction? *Is this Su Yu... really that ferocious?* A single freshman had maimed several top talents from the Single Divine Character Faction. He was... remarkably formidable! The elders remained composed, not paying it too much mind. Clearly, it was nothing catastrophic, or the academy's alarms would have sounded already. The Academy Guard was no mere ornament! If a real crisis had occurred, general alerts would have gone out long ago. There would be no need for the Single Divine Character Faction to deliver reports. This clearly concerned only them. The elders strolled downstairs leisurely, enjoying the spectacle. They were just going to watch the fun! Aside from the elders of the Single Divine Character Faction, who were on edge, the rest didn't care. In student spars, injuries were commonplace. At worst, someone ended up like Huang Qifeng. With the referee present, no one was going to die. ... At the arena. Jia Mingzhen and his companions were still watching. Jia Mingzhen marveled, "This kid is brilliant! Thinking three steps ahead. Look, if those messengers had left a moment later, they would have been arrested too, and then not a single person would have been left to deliver the message!" They had indeed come close to losing every last messenger! Everyone else had been rounded up. The Academy Guard was helpless as well. With so many people present, they could only act as security to prevent further incidents. As for the researchers who had tried to chase the students away earlier, they had all been hauled off, likely to be detained until this whole affair blew over. A few experts from the Single Divine Character Faction remained in the area, but they were utterly powerless! They couldn't intervene, nor could they drive the students away! The moment they tried, Su Yu, who had mastered the rules, would accuse them of tampering with student duels, and they would be arrested on the spot! They could only fret in vain! At this moment, the researchers of the Single Divine Character Faction were choking on their own fury. To be outplayed by a mere student! A large group of Tengkong and Lingyun cultivators could only stand by and watch helplessly! They watched person after person register. They watched student after student gleefully record how many times they had won. They watched them whisper among themselves, wondering if they would actually receive a text of will. *Receive one? In your dreams!* Jia Mingzhen sighed in amazement, then chuckled, "Let's go challenge him too and see if we can snag a few texts of will. We're the students of elders, after all. Maybe Old Zhou will give us face? If he doesn't, he'll be slapping those old fellows' faces..." They were, after all, disciples of several elders! Even though those old masters couldn't be bothered with them and found them embarrassing, in name, they were still master and disciples, weren't they? Beside him, an elder caught between laughter and tears said, "You're joining in too? Just watching the show is enough. If our real identities are exposed, Old Zhou will probably want to skin us alive!" "What does that have to do with us? Besides... aren't we students right now?" Jia Mingzhen dismissed the concern breezily. "Go on, hurry up before Old Zhou and the others get here! This time, Old Zhou and his crowd will probably weep. Running into someone this shameless... sigh, if it were me, I'd cry too! I thought he would keep fighting to the bitter end—even if he lost, he'd lose with honor, with tragic dignity... and yet... how did it end up like this?" He shook his head, thoroughly impressed. Who knew a person could be this shameless! So what if he was a genius? Who said a genius had to care about saving face! You couldn't judge modern freshmen by old standards. Every single one of them was as slick as an old fox, ready to throw their dignity on the ground anytime to trade for merit points. What was face worth anyway? Just as they were preparing to sign up, someone suddenly shouted, "Su Yu, I challenge you—" Su Yu glanced up and snapped, "Zhai Feng, are you sick in the head? I'm not a Top 100 student! Are you trying to forcibly challenge me? Is the referee instructor here? How is a Top 100 student punished for forcibly challenging an unranked student?" "..." Zhao Ming scratched his head, feeling a massive headache coming on. He barked, "Zhai Feng, stop making trouble! If you keep acting up, don't blame me if you get arrested too!" "..." Zhai Feng was so suffocated he felt ready to explode! This was infuriating beyond belief! Su Yu had already fallen off the Top 100 Rankings! Su Yu suddenly piped up, "Did you challenge me just to win and get a text of will too? You should have said so earlier! If you'd said so, I would have surrendered right away. Seriously, count yourself down for one copy. I'll treat it as having lost to you once earlier. Remember to go to your grandmaster to collect your text of will!" "You..." Zhai Feng snarled, "Do you not have a shred of shame?!" Su Yu chuckled and shouted, "I surrender, next! Zhai Feng, don't give me that nonsense... I surrender, next! Zhai Feng, if you have the guts, go challenge every student in the academy, and I'll... I surrender, next!" He chatted with Zhai Feng while continuing to accept challenges. Zhai Feng truly couldn't take it anymore. Consumed by rage, he spun around and stormed off. Hearing that ceaseless "I surrender, next" made his heart ache with fury! Right at that moment, several powerful auras surged into the sky! Chen Yong instantly reined in his willpower, turned toward Wu Jia, who was still registering students, and asked in a low voice, "How much is it now?" Wu Jia answered in a daze, "Huh?" "How much have you collected?" "Let me see... 8,523 points..." Chen Yong felt a twinge of pain in his heart! *That much?!* Were the students this wealthy? Well, it was only one point per person, though some had signed up multiple times. Around six thousand students had registered! There were tens of thousands of Yangxing Realm cultivators in the academy! It wasn't an absurdly high number; fortunately, not everyone had shown up. "Leave first. Quickly, go wait in Cangshu Pavilion!" "Teacher..." "Hurry! Someone's coming to rob us!" Although this scheme followed the rules, it hovered in a gray area. It was better to be cautious. Over eight thousand merit points! His martial nephew truly had an extraordinary knack for making money! And he had made it without a single person cursing him. It was only one point, and Su Yu had explicitly stated they might not get anything—it was just a gamble! They had chosen to take the risk themselves! He had earned the points without drawing any blame, and he had dumped a colossal mess straight into the Single Divine Character Faction's lap! Over eight thousand points—that was ten years' worth of salary for a Lingyun Ninth Layer expert like him! He was the Master of Cangshu Pavilion! One of the academy's top figures, second only to the elders. Every month, he drew fifty merit points, totaling six hundred a year. With annual bonuses and benefits, it came to around eight or nine hundred points annually. Without side income, that was a decade of wages! And Su Yu had gathered it in barely over an hour! Last time was the same: after a single fight, he had raked in tens of thousands of merit points! *Ever since this kid arrived at the academy, why does it feel like the Multiple Divine Characters Faction never lacks money?* Chen Yong was beginning to question his entire life! Was earning merit points truly this simple? Why had their teacher been so desperate over a few thousand points that he had run off to the All-Heavens Battlefield to hunt great demons?! As he was lost in thought, a furious shout echoed across the sky! "Silence!" "The matches are terminated!" Accompanied by the shout, several figures descended from the air. Zhou Mingren stood with a furrowed brow, looking down at Su Yu, then at Chen Yong, his expression dark. "Dean!" "Grandmaster!" "Principal!" "..." The experts of the Single Divine Character Faction looked as if their savior had arrived, frantically greeting him one after another. Su Yu, however, remained entirely calm! He looked up at Zhou Mingren. This was the first time he had seen the man in person. When Zheng Yuming had been injured last time, Su Yu had only caught a silhouette from afar, never seeing him clearly. He had an impressive presence! He looked cultured and refined. Provided he wasn't scowling, he would be considered an attractive older gentleman! He carried the air of an immortal, appearing even more scholarly than Liu Wenyan. *So this is Zhou Mingren?* *The one who has been targeting us all this time?* Su Yu watched him, and Zhou Mingren studied Su Yu in turn. It was the first time he had paid such close attention to a student who hadn't even reached the Tengkong Realm! *He looks scholarly enough...* That was Zhou Mingren's impression. In a fleeting trance, he seemed to see the Liu Wenyan of decades ago! Back then, Liu Wenyan had been just like this. Neither servile nor overbearing, poised and elegant, possessing extraordinary talent! After a moment of silence between them, Su Yu suddenly announced, "The matches are over! In total, I seem to have lost 8,120 times. For those who registered but didn't get to win, I will issue refunds later!" "..." Silence. Utter stillness! Thousands of students fell completely quiet! Su Yu said placidly, "I lost. If anyone requires proof, I will issue certificates! The referee will serve as the notary. I indeed lost due to inferior skill!" *8,120 times!* At that moment, Zhou Mingren's heart nearly stopped beating! He fixed his eyes on Su Yu and spoke slowly, "Su Yu, my words were meant to encourage students to strive for progress. For you to cause such a farce goes against the academy's original intent..." Su Yu responded calmly, "I don't understand what you mean, Teacher! I was injured. Is it forbidden for me to surrender? My fellow students were powerful, and I was no match for them, so I could only concede! As for anything else, it has nothing to do with me!" *I was only responsible for surrendering!* *I'm not the one collecting the debts!* *Why bother explaining it to me?* If you owed me, you could simply refuse to pay, since everyone knows we're enemies. *But right now, you don't owe me!* *You owe several thousand students!* Right then, someone chuckled and called out, "Dean Zhou, I want a copy of the *Myriad Characters Scripture* text of will! It must be written by a peak Shanhai expert, or my grandfather will definitely be unhappy!" Zhou Mingren looked at Zheng Yunhui, staring at him for a long moment. Zheng Yunhui put on an innocent face and said sheepishly, "Don't tell me... it's not real? Fine then, I won't ask for it. Seriously, I thought winning actually earned a text of will. Oh well, eighty-eighth place is fine too!" From another corner, someone mumbled, "I want mine! I won too, three times in fact! It wasn't easy beating Su Yu three times!" Su Yu and Zhou Mingren looked over simultaneously! Wu Lan didn't care in the slightest. She really had beaten Su Yu three times. What, was she not allowed to win? Zhou Mingren said nothing. At this moment, a thousand tangled threads tied his thoughts in knots! A headache! A massive, throbbing headache! He suddenly asked, "Where are the others?" Beside him, someone whispered, "Dean, Chen Huan and the others... they were... they were arrested for interfering in student matches!" Nearby, the earlier guard commander bowed and reported, "Principal Zhou, Researcher Chen Huan and several others attempted to drive away participating students. The participating student Su Yu reported them, and we acted strictly according to the rules!" Zhou Mingren remained silent. *Acted strictly according to the rules...* With those words spoken, he had no room to argue. Because the academy still had rules, and the Great Xia Prefecture had rules! If you broke the rules today, someone else would break them against you tomorrow. *Fools!* That was the only curse he could muster, though he didn't even know whom to curse. In the next moment, someone suddenly laughed. "Over eight thousand texts of will! Principal Zhou, writing one a day will only take a little over twenty years. It's nothing at all! The entire academy will be immensely grateful to you!" Wu Yuehua stepped forward! She wore a bright smile, looking thoroughly delighted. Su Yu glanced at her, feeling a brief sense of admiration. *This lady looks quite good!* She appeared to be in her thirties, valiant and spirited, looking stunning even when she smiled... Of course, the primary reason was that she seemed to be mocking Zhou Mingren. Su Yu felt wonderful. Having a heavyweight speak up on his behalf was immensely satisfying! "Great-Aunt, I won three copies!" In the next instant, Su Yu realized who she was! Wu Lan shouted boastfully, bursting with excitement over having won three texts of will! "Hahaha, well done!" Wu Yuehua praised her! Three copies... a minor matter. *Zhou Mingren, you bastard, just you wait to weep!* *Digging graves?* *We'll bury you in one first!* Over eight thousand texts of will—even if you refuse to deliver, you're going to suffer the consequences! Thousands of students watched the confrontation. Hope burned in their hearts: *He has to give them out!* Even if he didn't give one to everyone, handing out even a portion meant they still had a chance to strike gold! Under the gaze of thousands of students, even Zhou Mingren, despite his vast experience, felt a surge of irritation and anxiety. Give out texts of will? *Give out my ass!* Several thousand copies—where on earth was he supposed to get them?! Was he truly expected to write for decades? At the same time, an elderly woman stepped forward and barked, "Children making trouble! How can secret techniques be passed around so lightly?! Everyone disperse..." Over on the side, Chen Yong muttered flatly, "Children making trouble? Elder Yu Hong, there are thousands of students here, representing families from all across the prefecture. Do you want the entire Great Xia Prefecture and the Human Realm to laugh at our academy? It's bad enough to humiliate ourselves at home, but do you want to drag our embarrassment out into the Human Realm and across the myriad worlds?" He added in a lower voice, "The Myriad Races Academy surely knows by now. Once they spread the word... is this how an elder—no, a vice principal—of the Great Xia Civilization Academy conducts himself?" The old woman looked at him and said coldly, "Chen Yong, you know full well this is an internal academy matter. Why push things to such an irreconcilable point..." Chen Yong replied impassively, "Then forget it. It has nothing to do with us anyway! We haven't gained any benefits. As for how the elders decide to handle it, that's entirely up to you!" The elders remained silent. This matter had turned into a colossal joke! They felt helpless as well. When Zhou Mingren had first made that proclamation, none of them had seen any problem with it! And yet... how had it ended up like this?