Chapter 95: Arrogant Because of Talent? What Does It Mean to Be Overbearing?
A clear breeze passed by, making the leaves of the hibiscus tree sway. Around the Meditation Stele, silence reigned.
Moments later, the place erupted with waves of astonishment and disbelief.
The students from various institutes who had rushed over stared at Elder Tang Ya—who had just been struck flying with blood spraying from his mouth—and could hardly believe their eyes.
Even an elder of the Dragon-Tiger Institute was no match for Shen Yanzhou? Beaten to the point of spitting blood—had he not been wearing some life-saving soft armor, he might have lost his life on the spot.
Had Shen Yanzhou become this powerful already?
“How is this possible…”
“Elder Tang Ya was about to step into the realm of Martial Grandmaster, yet he was so easily defeated by Shen Yanzhou…”
Liu Zi’an and the others felt as though they were losing their minds, utterly unable to accept what they were seeing.
Cui Ruifeng, who had been pretending to be unconscious, finally felt much better now—not because he wasn’t strong, but because Shen Yanzhou’s current strength had reached a terrifyingly unfathomable level. Even an elder of the Martial Institute could not stand against him.
“To defeat Elder Tang Ya so effortlessly… Shen Yanzhou’s true strength must already rival that of a Martial Grandmaster.”
“And he’s still so young.”
Zhao Qingchan’s eyes gleamed with dazzling brilliance. Then, as if realizing something, she murmured in her heart, “He must be hiding some secret that no one knows.”
“Wah…”
Elder Tang Ya, who had been sent flying, crashed heavily to the ground. His blood and Qi churned violently, and he barely clung to life. One of his hands was nearly destroyed—a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
He trembled with horror as he looked at Shen Yanzhou walking toward him expressionlessly. Unable to suppress his fear, he shouted, “Where are the elders and disciples of the Dragon-Tiger Institute’s Judicial Court?”
“Seize this insolent brat who defies his elders and ignores the rules!”
Shen Yanzhou’s moon-white robe was spotless, his bearing ethereal, yet his presence was filled with an awe-inspiring pressure. He strode forward unhurriedly, his tone cold.
“I think the one who should be seized is you—one who distorts right and wrong, joins hands with outside forces to harm academy disciples, and shakes the very foundation of Great Qian’s future.”
“Come! Someone come quickly!”
Elder Tang Ya could feel the killing intent radiating from Shen Yanzhou. He could no longer maintain his earlier composure. His trembling voice was filled with fear. “Shen Yanzhou, what are you trying to do? Do you intend to kill an elder of the Dragon-Tiger Institute? Do you even understand Great Qian’s laws? Even the Demon Suppression King won’t be able to save you!”
“Even if I killed you today,” Shen Yanzhou replied indifferently, “do you think anything would happen to me?”
“With my talent, it’s only a matter of time before I stand at the pinnacle of the Martial Path—shattering the shackles of the First Rank and achieving the legendary realm of the Martial God. With a Martial God like me guarding Great Qian, the dynasty’s glory will endure for thousands of years.”
“And you, a mere minor elder of the Martial Institute, think you can shout before me?”
His words were cold and proud.
At that moment, Shen Yanzhou fully embodied an overbearing and unrestrained demeanor. Stepping up to Elder Tang Ya, he kicked him like one would a dead dog.
Elder Tang Ya tried to resist, but his injuries were too severe. He could no longer summon any strength. He spat out another mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his organs and was sent flying once again.
The surrounding students and several elders who had just arrived trembled at the sight. Some wanted to intervene but were stopped by their companions.
Even the few elders present dared not step forward. The strength Shen Yanzhou displayed made their hearts quake.
Even if they intervened, they would not be able to stop him.
Moreover, his words were far too arrogant. Did he really think that just because of his current strength and talent, he could disregard the laws of Great Qian?
A future Martial God? Who gave him that confidence?
Even the most gifted prodigies could still fall from grace.
“Enough…”
“This farce should end now.”
Just as the students near the Meditation Stele burned with indignation at Shen Yanzhou’s arrogance, a calm yet commanding voice drifted through the air. It was gentle like a breeze, yet carried the oppressive weight of thunderclouds. The sky dimmed.
An invisible martial will descended, pressing heavily upon the hearts of everyone present—students and elders alike.
A middle-aged man in a blue long robe appeared in the arena. No one saw when he arrived.
He had striking features, slightly high cheekbones, and a long, narrow beard. With his hands clasped behind his back, simply standing there exuded an undeniable, commanding aura.
“Greetings, Vice Dean Lin Qi.”
Many elders who recognized him cupped their hands respectfully.
The students too bowed, eyes filled with reverence.
A vice dean of the Martial Institute had appeared in person—a figure so elusive that students usually only glimpsed him atop the grand platform during academy assemblies.
To meet him at such close range was normally impossible.
To sit in the position of a vice dean required not only great merit but also strength at least equivalent to the Third Rank—Diamond Realm.
Such an individual was undoubtedly one of the world’s true powerhouses.
“Vice Dean Lin Qi, please save me! This man wants to kill me!”
Seeing the vice dean, Elder Tang Ya clutched at this last straw of hope and shouted desperately.
Shen Yanzhou stopped in his tracks, looking at the vice dean.
Someone at the Third Rank of the Martial Path—he still couldn’t contend with that level.
Unless he summoned someone like Lin Qingcang or Tantai Yuxian to intervene.
As Vice Dean Lin Qi appeared, several elders of the Judicial Court also arrived with students in tow to restore order.
“You brought this upon yourself.”
Vice Dean Lin Qi glanced at Elder Tang Ya’s miserable state and shook his head slightly, his tone indifferent.
Elder Tang Ya’s bloodied body trembled. Hearing this, shame flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his head.
“This farce in the Martial Institute today must have made everyone laugh.”
Lin Qi turned toward the other branch elders, then looked deeply at the newly arrived members of the Judicial Court.
The disturbance had been so great that the Judicial Court couldn’t possibly have been unaware. Yet they hadn’t come at once—they had clearly been waiting to see the spectacle.
In the end, they had forced the vice dean himself to appear.
“To become an elder of the Martial Institute, every one of you has fought and bled at the borders of Great Qian. Some have lost arms, some legs, some even their lives. The very land beneath your feet is stained with the blood of our forebears.”
“Since Great Qian’s founding, the court has valued prodigies and talent—but that doesn’t mean we can ignore law and order. If everyone acted arrogantly as you do, how could the nation be governed?”
Lin Qi’s gaze shifted toward Shen Yanzhou, his tone cool.
His meaning was clear—Shen Yanzhou had no right to look down on elders, nor to trample upon the laws of Great Qian because of his talent.
“I do admire those who shed blood for Great Qian,” Shen Yanzhou said evenly, “but as far as I know, Elder Tang Ya here, during his service in the Southern Border, was close with Elder Shen Zhigao and others. He never truly fought at the frontlines, never once faced the demons. Instead, he spent his days consorting with courtesans, swapping mistresses, and drinking and gambling his life away…”
“By chance, I’ve even heard a few amusing stories about Elder Tang Ya from the girls at Yuxian Pavilion.”
“If such a false, reputation-seeking elder deserves the respect and reverence of us juniors, then this Martial Institute is hardly worthy of being called the cradle of Great Qian.”
Shen Yanzhou let out a faint, mocking laugh.
After all, a rumor only required a mouth to spread.
He didn’t know Tang Ya’s true character, but since he knew the likes of Shen Zhigao, he could imagine it wasn’t anything good.
Otherwise, Tang Ya wouldn’t have targeted him so relentlessly at their request.
And as everyone in the capital knew, the practice of Dragon-Tiger Institute elders being sent to “gain merits” at the wild borders was often nothing but a show.
Since Lin Qi had brought it up, Shen Yanzhou didn’t mind tearing the veil away.
Lin Qi’s brows furrowed.
Around them, the students erupted in murmurs of shock—they hadn’t expected the seemingly upright Elder Tang Ya to have been so debauched in the Southern Border.
“You—you slanderous brat! Spouting nonsense—”
Elder Tang Ya almost spat blood again. Shen Yanzhou was outright defaming him!
Sure, he had gone to the brothels with Shen Zhigao and others occasionally, but that was always done discreetly!
He was still an elder with a reputation—did Shen Yanzhou think he had no sense of propriety?
“Silence!”
Lin Qi frowned and scolded. He had hoped to downplay the incident, but with Shen Yanzhou’s words spreading, the damage to the Martial Institute’s reputation was already done.
Especially with the Dragon-Tiger Institute’s deanship soon up for rotation—it would surely give the Confucian Courtyard scholars, who excelled at manipulating public opinion, an opening.
Elder Tang Ya’s face flushed red with humiliation, his hatred for Shen Yanzhou surging to the heavens.
“I will not argue with you any further.”
“This Martial Institute’s temple is too small to contain one as unruly as you. If the Demon Suppression King himself comes to question me, I will explain it personally.” Lin Qi’s tone was cold.
He intended to expel Shen Yanzhou. As vice dean, he had the authority to do so.
“Which rule of the Martial Institute have I broken?” Shen Yanzhou chuckled before asking.
“Insubordination, harming fellow students, and assaulting an elder,” Lin Qi replied indifferently.
The students around them were shaken—they hadn’t expected the punishment to be this severe.
Generally, once admitted to the Dragon-Tiger Institute, no student was ever expelled—unless they committed grave immoral acts or violated the laws of Great Qian.
Such punishment was heavy indeed.
Many Martial Institute students’ eyes gleamed with schadenfreude.
Cui Ruifeng, still pretending to be fainted, could barely hold back his joy. Such an arrogant wastrel, abusing his strength as he pleased—he didn’t deserve to cultivate alongside them.
Even Zhao Qingchan was slightly surprised. She thought for a moment, wanting to speak up for Shen Yanzhou, but finally shook her head.
If it had merely been offending an elder, her influence might have helped.
But this was a vice dean—her status meant little here, unless her father, the Divine Martial Marquis, came in person.
“In that case,” Shen Yanzhou said softly, a trace of regret in his voice, “I suppose there’s no need to remain in this Martial Institute.”
In truth, he had never cared much for the Martial Institute’s techniques or arts. His only reason for entering had been to get close to the Martial Abyss and locate the Mad Martial Saint’s true dwelling.
Leaving suited him just fine.
Lin Qi’s expression remained cold.
He knew the full story and understood that Shen Yanzhou wasn’t truly at fault—but a rebellious, uncontrollable factor like him would only disrupt their order.
One who could defy elders and disregard rules today might defy even him tomorrow.
The Martial Institute didn’t need such a student.
“Pack your belongings and leave immediately.”
Lin Qi waved his hand, preparing to turn away.
However, Shen Yanzhou ignored him and instead turned toward a young Daoist nun among the crowd, who had been watching silently, and asked:
“Does the Daoist Institute have such strict requirements for its students?”
The young nun had bright red lips, clear eyes, and wore a wide robe embroidered with celestial cranes. Her hair was tied in a Daoist bun with a simple wooden hairpin. He didn’t know her, but she looked pure and kind.
She stood alone, no attendants by her side. Apart from the Daoist Institute insignia on her robe, she seemed almost solitary.
At that moment, she hadn’t even realized Shen Yanzhou was addressing her.
Her fine brows furrowed slightly. After confirming that he was indeed speaking to her, she thought for a moment and nodded, replying coolly, “No.”
The Daoist Institute had few students, and even fewer came to watch the commotion.
Still, some recognized the young Daoist nun and showed slight surprise. From afar, they clasped their hands and saluted her.
Even Vice Dean Lin Qi, who had been about to leave, stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the nun, his expression revealing surprise—as if he hadn’t expected her to have come out of seclusion, let alone to witness this scene.
At the same time, visible annoyance flickered across his face.
Did Shen Yanzhou plan to leave only to immediately apply to another institute?
But the Daoist Institute wasn’t like the Martial one—its threshold was much higher.
Daoist cultivation valued innate spiritual roots, and those possessing them were rare. Meeting the Daoist Institute’s requirements was a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
“It’s actually her…”
Zhao Qingchan’s lips parted slightly—she recognized the Daoist nun.
Her identity was extraordinary—not only a direct disciple of the Three Pure Immortal Sects’ founder but also someone whom even many elders of the Daoist Institute addressed respectfully as “Little Ancestor.”
She was also the youngest elder in the Daoist Institute.
Shen Yanzhou noticed the astonishment in everyone’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected that the random Daoist nun he had spoken to would be someone special in the Daoist Institute.
Still, he didn’t mind. He continued to ask, “For someone in their early twenties, at what realm can one enter the Daoist Institute?”
The young nun’s bright eyes studied him seriously, as if trying to see through him—but even she found him difficult to read.
Her tone remained cool as she replied, “Eighth Rank, Talisman Drawing Realm.”
At twenty years old, a Daoist of the Eighth Rank would already be eligible to serve as an Immortal Officer in the Bureau of Immortal Inspection.
That was also the minimum qualification to become a student of the Daoist Institute.