Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Inner Court Disciple
Luo Feng glanced at Lin XiaoXiao, then looked away. The two punches he had thrown earlier had vented the resentment in his heart. His current goal was to enter the sacred land of Martial Arts as soon as possible and pursue the pinnacle of Martial Arts. After today, he and Lin XiaoXiao would be strangers. There was no need to dwell on her further.
The Sky Slayer Saber Technique at the fifth level has such immense power. The Three Thousand Raging Suns Sword is also a top-tier Yellow Grade martial art, but its power is far inferior...
On the grandstands, watching the black-haired teenager on the fighting stage, Zi Yuan covered her enticing red lips with a slender, jade-like hand, her gem-like eyes filled with astonishment.
The Assessment Elder beside her exhaled and said, "That’s natural. In terms of power, the Sky Slayer Saber Technique is not inferior to Profound Level martial arts. It’s only because its cultivation conditions are too demanding that it was classified as a top-tier Yellow Grade art. If one could cultivate the Sky Slayer Saber Technique to the sixth level of completion, its power might even surpass that of an ordinary low-tier Profound Level martial art."
"Above a low-tier Profound Level martial art?"
Her youthful chest rose and fell slightly. Zi Yuan, her large eyes filled with surprise, twirled one of her pigtails with her slender fingers.
Seeing Zi Yuan’s expression, the Assessment Elder smiled. "However, that’s impossible. Back then, even ’Ghost Spirit Saber’ Duan Yuntian only cultivated the Sky Slayer Saber Technique to the fifth level. You can see how difficult it is. Although I hold Luo Feng in high regard, his aptitude is unlikely to surpass Duan Yuntian’s from that era."
"Is that so?"
Zi Yuan gazed at the young man on the fighting stage, a flicker deep within her eyes, her thoughts unreadable.
At this moment, an angry roar suddenly echoed across the martial arts training ground.
"Luo Feng, you dare to sever my arm! Do you know who my elder brother is?!"
Duanmu Yu glared at Luo Feng.
Due to his serious injuries and the side effects of the Red Blood Technique, his face was as pale as paper, and he had completely lost his former dashing, gentlemanly demeanor.
This furious roar drew everyone’s attention to Duanmu Yu.
Looking at the infuriated Duanmu Yu, everyone was reminded of his extraordinary background. Many gasped. The Duanmu Family was a renowned clan in the Flowing Cloud Region. Now that Duanmu Yu’s arm had been crippled, the Duanmu Family would surely not let this matter rest.
For a moment, all eyes turned to Luo Feng, waiting to see how he would respond.
"Duanmu Yu, are you trying to flaunt your family status at me?" Luo Feng stood on the fighting stage, looking at Duanmu Yu and sneering. "We had a fair duel. Was I supposed to have reservations? Your skills were inferior, so you lost to me. Even if I had killed you, it would have been justified. I spared your life and only severed one of your arms. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?"
A wave of suppressed chuckles rippled through the training ground.
"And by the way, don’t forget our agreement," Luo Feng stared coldly at Duanmu Yu as he continued, "From this moment on, you are to get out of Purple Sun School immediately. And whenever you see the name ’Luo Feng,’ you are to give me a wide berth!"
"You!" Duanmu Yu’s face flushed crimson from Luo Feng’s barrage of accusations, rendering him speechless. He knew he was in the wrong.
His gaze fell upon the grandstands, and Duanmu Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up. He looked towards the Assessment Elder and said, "Elder Hua, expel Luo Feng from the school immediately!"
The Assessment Elder frowned slightly and said calmly, "Duanmu Yu, what right do you have to demand this of me?"
"By virtue of my status as the Second Young Master of the Duanmu Family!" Duanmu Yu struggled to stand straight, speaking arrogantly. "Luo Feng severed my arm today. If the school doesn’t deal with this, it won’t just be you; the entire Purple Sun School will have a hard time answering for it!"
All the students in the martial arts training ground stared at Duanmu Yu in astonishment, shocked that he would utter such words.
"Duanmu Yu, you dare threaten me?" The Assessment Elder’s expression turned icy. He rose abruptly, and the terrifying pressure of a peak Eighth Stage Hell Realm expert swept out, making the students in the martial arts training ground feel as if they couldn’t breathe.
Duanmu Yu’s face paled, but he gritted his teeth and endured, pointing at Luo Feng. "Choose for yourselves! Expel Luo Feng, or offend the Duanmu Family! Don’t forget, one-third of the school’s funding comes from our Duanmu Family!"
The Assessment Elder’s face turned as grim as water, but he remained silent. As Duanmu Yu had said, the Duanmu Family provided one-third of the school’s funding. If they offended the Duanmu Family, the school’s situation would become extremely awkward.
"There’s no need to consider it."
Just as the Assessment Elder fell silent, a pleasant voice rang out, and a figure in red gracefully landed on the fighting stage.
"It’s Senior Sister Zi Yuan!"
"Senior Sister Zi Yuan is here too!"
"I wonder how Senior Sister Zi Yuan will handle this."
"I don’t think the school will offend the Duanmu Family for an outer court student. Luo Feng is probably in trouble."
Seeing the beautiful girl with two pigtails on the fighting stage, the crowd erupted into a flurry of discussion.
Zi Yuan’s beautiful eyes glanced at Luo Feng, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Luo Feng, we meet again. Your performance today truly surprised me."
Luo Feng smiled but said nothing.
He had no idea how Zi Yuan would handle what came next.
Zi Yuan shifted her gaze to Duanmu Yu, her voice clear and cold. "Duanmu Yu, you and Luo Feng had a fair duel. You lost, yet you make excuses and even dare to threaten the school. Our Purple Sun School has no need for a student like you. Leave!"
With a wave of her slender hand, Zi Yuan’s expression was as cold as snow.
"Zi Yuan, what do you mean?" Duanmu Yu stared at her in disbelief, not having expected such an answer.
Zi Yuan pursed her red lips. "Isn’t my meaning clear? On behalf of my father, I am expelling you from the school! From this moment on, you are no longer a student of Purple Sun School."
An uproar swept through the training ground!
No one had expected Zi Yuan to directly expel Duanmu Yu from the school. With this, the school and the Duanmu Family had completely severed ties.
"Zi Yuan, you’d expel me from the school for an outer court student? You will regret this!" Duanmu Yu’s face turned livid. His gaze, filled with venomous resentment, fixed on the two on the fighting stage. He suddenly snarled through gritted teeth, "Luo Feng, for this severed arm, I will make you pay one day!"
With that, Duanmu Yu turned and strode out of the martial arts training ground, his face cold and set. He had been utterly defeated in today’s duel. Not only had Luo Feng severed his arm, but he had also been publicly expelled from the school. He no longer had the face to remain.
After Duanmu Yu left, Luo Feng looked at Zi Yuan beside him and asked, "Zi Yuan, is this really alright?"
"Are you talking about the Duanmu Family?"
Zi Yuan, her hands clasped behind her back, grinned. "Don’t worry. If any mere family could threaten it, Purple Sun School wouldn’t be one of the four great schools in the Flowing Cloud Region."
Luo Feng nodded.
The four great schools have deep foundations. Although the Duanmu Family is prestigious, it’s not yet powerful enough to pose a threat to them.
"But there will still be some impact, right?" Luo Feng recalled Duanmu Yu’s earlier words and asked. "Didn’t he say that one-third of the school’s funding relies on the Duanmu Family?"
Zi Yuan tapped her delicate chin. "An incident this big will naturally have repercussions. But my father can definitely handle it, no problem."
Luo Feng looked at Zi Yuan’s innocent-looking face, feeling somewhat exasperated. It seemed that when she decided to expel Duanmu Yu from the school, she hadn’t considered the consequences at all.
Zi Yuan sized up Luo Feng, blinked, and then suddenly said, "If you really want to do something for the school, then cultivate diligently. Strive for a good ranking in the New Talent Conference three months from now."
The New Talent Conference was also Luo Feng’s goal, so he asked casually, "What kind of rank?"
"What rank?" Zi Yuan paused for a moment, nibbling on her finger. "Getting into the top twenty would be quite good. Of course, the top ten would be even better. If you could make it into the top three, it would raise our school’s ranking among the four great schools, and the school would gain many benefits..."
"I’ll aim for the top three," Luo Feng nodded, his voice firm with confidence. He felt he bore some responsibility for this situation.
"Top three?" Zi Yuan looked at Luo Feng, her delicate nose wrinkling and a playful smirk on her lips. "Hmph! In that case, I’ll eagerly await your performance!"
Zi Yuan had placed fourth in last year’s New Talent Conference. Luo Feng’s claim to aim for the top three indirectly suggested he thought himself stronger than her. How could she not be a little annoyed?
Luo Feng didn’t notice the change in Zi Yuan’s expression. Just then, a voice suddenly spoke up nearby.
"Luo Feng, congratulations on passing the inner court promotion assessment. From now on, you are an inner court student," the Assessment Elder approached, smiling warmly at Luo Feng.
"Thank you, Elder."
Although Luo Feng had expected this, a hint of joy still flickered in his eyes upon hearing the confirmation.
"I didn’t expect you to have cultivated the Sky Slayer Saber Technique to the fifth level. Truly remarkable for someone so young." The Assessment Elder looked at Luo Feng with approval.
"Come with me to collect your inner court student token and supplies. Your living quarters will also be rearranged; a quiet residence will be chosen for you on Purple Spirit Peak."
Luo Feng nodded. After saying goodbye to Bing Ruolan, he followed the Assessment Elder to the Extreme Sun Great Hall to collect his inner court student items.
Becoming an inner court student meant not only an upgraded uniform—a Purple Sun brocade robe—but also a monthly stipend of ten Condensation Yuan Pills. Furthermore, his lodging would be moved to Purple Spirit Peak, where Yuan Qi was far more abundant. The benefits were immeasurably better than those for outer court students. This was precisely why outer court students desperately vied to enter the inner court.
Luo Feng followed the Assessment Elder into the Extreme Sun Great Hall and received his inner court student items. The Assessment Elder then took out a purple token and handed it to Luo Feng.
"This is your Purple Sun Token; do not lose it carelessly," the Assessment Elder cautioned. "It represents your identity. In the future, mission credits will be recorded on this token. It might even save your life when you’re out gaining experience. Guard it well."
"Yes." Luo Feng nodded, accepting the token with a glimmer of joy in his eyes.
He had finally entered the inner court!
"With this token, you can also select one high-tier Yellow Grade martial art from the Martial Arts Hall. If you wish to learn other martial arts in the future, you’ll need to exchange credits for them," the Assessment Elder added.
"Elder, how many credits does it take to exchange for a supreme-tier Yellow Grade martial art?" Luo Feng was no longer interested in high-tier Yellow Grade martial arts. He recalled a supreme-tier Yellow Grade fist art he had seen in the Martial Arts Hall, the Furious Dragon Fist, which had seemed quite good.
"A supreme-tier Yellow Grade martial art? One hundred credits."
GULP!
Luo Feng swallowed hard, stunned by the number.
Bing Ruolan had only earned three credits for a two-star mission, and that was after facing considerable danger. A single supreme-tier Yellow Grade martial art required one hundred credits! That was equivalent to completing over thirty two-star missions!