Chapter Ten: Impulse Is the Original Sin

After that, Zixia refused to discuss the matter any further. No matter how persistently Phoebe pressed her, Zixia simply shook her head with a faint indifference.

Meanwhile, the battle between Kuangchi and Bier grew ever more intense, drawing an increasing crowd of onlookers. Strangely, despite the ferocity and duration of the fight, not a single person stepped forward to intervene. Most merely watched from a distance with amused, mischievous smiles, enjoying the spectacle.

Seeing that he couldn’t gain the upper hand, Kuangchi finally summoned his long whip. Instantly, Bier Hyde called forth his own divine beast—a lion-shaped creature wreathed in half-meter-long flames.

Kuangchi had hoped to catch Bier off guard, but in the end, he nearly found himself ensnared by Bier Hyde’s beast instead. His frustration only mounted.

With a thunderous shout, he declared, “Fine! But remember, you were the first to use your divine beast!”

As his words fell, dozens of strange, dark green vine-like trees—each nearly ten meters tall and bristling with thorns—erupted from the ground in a circle of several meters around Kuangchi. Though not especially thick, each was about the size of his whip.

The sudden transformation drew gasps from the crowd. Even Zixia was taken aback, and Kuangchi himself was startled—this was the first time in his life that he had summoned his divine beast for battle. Who could have imagined that the inconspicuous little flower he usually ignored would reveal such a form in combat?

Before anyone could recover from their amazement, the mass of vines sprang to life. Some lashed, some coiled, all reaching for Bier and his beast. The fiery lion was unfazed by the flames; in the blink of an eye, the vines had wrapped it into an egg-shaped cocoon. For the moment, Bier was at a loss. He drew his massive energy sword.

Just then, a voice boomed from outside the ring: “Are you unaware that fighting is forbidden within the Academy? Stop this at once!”

Kuangchi sneered inwardly: Stop just because you say so? Who do you think you are? He ignored the warning and continued his assault on Bier.

Half an hour later, by the time the Academy’s professors finally arrived, a stretch of nearly a hundred meters lay in ruins.

In the end, it was Kuangchi and his divine beast alone against five opponents and nearly five divine beasts, yet with the help of his little flower, he managed to hold them all at bay. No one had anticipated that his plant-type divine beast would prove so formidable.

With the intervention of five professors, the fight was at last brought to a halt, and the six combatants were separated.

Kuangchi glared at the five across from him, especially the four who had joined in midway. His eyes seemed ready to blaze with fire. If not for their interference, he would have given that pretty boy another sound thrashing.

Among the professors were two guest lecturers of imperial blood whom Kuangchi had seen before. One fixed Kuangchi with a deep, searching gaze before turning to the five, saying, “What did you think you were doing? Dissatisfied with the Academy’s facilities, planning to tear it down?”

Kuangchi cared nothing for courtesy. He immediately retorted, “I didn’t plan anything. I was just sparring with that pretty boy. But I’d like to ask those four what they wanted. This was between me and him—what business was it of theirs?”

One of the four who had joined late quickly bowed to the professors and said, “Professors, we only stepped in because the destruction caused by Kuangchi and Bier was far too serious. The Academy has clear rules against fighting. We tried to stop them, but Kuangchi attacked us indiscriminately, forcing us to defend ourselves.”

The five professors obviously knew perfectly well what had transpired. The Academy was large, but the fight had raged for so long that these elders had undoubtedly been watching the spectacle until the situation grew dire.

Their gazes turned disapprovingly toward Kuangchi. The guest professor, whose name Kuangchi still didn’t know, asked sternly, “Is this true, Student Kuangchi?”

Kuangchi snorted coldly, ignoring Zixia’s whispered warning as she came up behind him, and replied, “No, it isn’t. They attacked me as soon as they arrived. I was merely defending myself.”

The guest professor, seeing Kuangchi’s stubbornness, snorted as well. “The truth will come out. There are plenty of witnesses. The Academy will look into it. But you disregarded a ban that has stood for millennia and caused such destruction. The Academy will deal with you according to its rules. You will remain here and await the investigation.”

One of the four latecomers quickly added, “Professor Xiang’er, we only wanted to stop them.”

Professor Xiang’er replied coldly, “Whether your claims are true or not, the Academy will find out. If you are telling the truth, I can guarantee you will not be punished. You will even be rewarded.”

Seeing Kuangchi’s darkening expression and fearing he might say more, Zixia hurriedly pulled him behind her and addressed the professors, “Professor Xiang’er, the consequences of this fight are not irreparable. Could you perhaps be lenient? My family will take full responsibility for any damages. Might we resolve this without reporting it to the Academy authorities?”

Professor Xiang’er gave a cold snort. “Student Zixia, look around you. Never in the Academy’s thousands of years has there been such widespread destruction. Are these not serious consequences? And do you not recall the very first rule: fighting is strictly forbidden in public areas? If everyone followed Kuangchi’s example, how could the Academy maintain order?”

Kuangchi’s anger had not abated, especially when he saw Bier Hyde and his companions standing silently across from him—Phoebe Karaki among them, which only made him more furious.

He said icily from behind Zixia, “Let the Academy handle it however they wish. I’m not afraid.”

Zixia, exasperated, led Kuangchi back to their quarters. As soon as they entered, she rounded on him, “Fatty, why wouldn’t you listen when I told you to stop? Don’t you know fighting in the Imperial Academy is a crime? If this is reported, do you have any idea what the consequences will be?”

Kuangchi replied with indifference, “It’s just expulsion, isn’t it? I don’t want to stay here anyway. It’s stifling!”

Zixia sighed helplessly, forcing a bitter smile. “If only it were that simple. Expulsion is just for breaking the rules. But fighting here is a crime, especially with the level of destruction you caused. Don’t you realize the Imperial Academy was founded by His Majesty Carol I himself? You could be charged with disrespecting the founder. Do you understand?”

Kuangchi was stunned; he had never imagined things could be so serious. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

Alas... too few recommendations... my motivation is running out... Nearly two thousand readers have bookmarked this, yet after several days, so few recommendations... too, too, too few...

Some readers have said the time span in this story is too great, but I can only say there’s no helping it—this is just the beginning. The main plot hasn’t even started yet... Next volume, we’ll get to the heart of the story...

Thank you to everyone who’s recommended and bookmarked this book—thank you!