Volume One, Chapter 18: What Is There to Fear in This Life?

The four great temples of the Hidden Spirit Academy are the Hall of Myriad Phenomena, the Hall of Divine Power, the Hall of the True Dragon, and finally, the Hall of Penal Laws.

The Hall of Myriad Phenomena preserves the vast array of knowledge, housing collections of books, ancient texts, elixirs, and more.

The Hall of Divine Power safeguards all the martial arts of the Hidden Spirit Academy.

The Hall of the True Dragon is where disciples attend daily classes, with teachers arriving each day to instruct them.

As for the Hall of Penal Laws, it oversees the enforcement of discipline; any disciple who violates the academy’s rules will be punished here.

Each of the four halls is led by a hall master, wielding great authority second only to the academy’s dean.

The elderly man before them was Mo Jinghong, the formidable Hall Master of Penal Laws.

At his appearance, the disciples present all shrank back, visibly fearful.

“Dean Shen, this youth is flagrantly rebellious—not only a renegade from the Great Qian Academy but now has openly slain the examining elder. You must not allow him to join our academy; instead, he should be executed on the spot.” Mo Jinghong’s gaze pierced Dean Shen Yushu, his tone aggressive and lacking respect.

“Hall Master Mo, Mu Yi’s duel with Han Xiaofeng was a fair one-on-one contest without coercion. Han Xiaofeng’s defeat and death are nothing extraordinary,” Shen Yushu replied calmly, his eyes serene as water. “Moreover, I have learned the reason behind their life-or-death battle. Han Xiaofeng sought revenge in the examination because Mu Yi had previously killed his younger brother. This vendetta cost him his life; he brought it upon himself.”

“What do you mean, Dean Shen? Are you trying to openly shield this rebellious villain, Mu Yi?” Mo Jinghong’s eyes sharpened instantly.

Mu Yi stood unmoved, watching the scene coldly.

Before arriving here, he had already come to understand the situation at Hidden Spirit Academy.

The current dean, Shen Yushu, barely in his early forties, had only served as dean for five years. His standing was still relatively weak, unable to suppress some of the academy’s influential elder figures—among them Mo Jinghong.

“Hall Master Mo, Mu Yi is my close friend, personally recommended by Ren Yanyu, so no matter what, I will admit him into Hidden Spirit Academy and even promote him directly to an inner disciple. If you disagree, you are welcome to convene the elders’ council to impeach me,” Shen Yushu said bluntly, flicking his sleeve. “Otherwise, this matter is settled. Do not forget, I am the dean of Hidden Spirit Academy, and all decisions rest with me!”

“Hmph! Dean Shen, you truly have a big ego! Han Xiaofeng was under my protection, and this little bastard killed him openly. I will never let this go! You’d better keep him well guarded, or I fear he might soon lose his head,” Mo Jinghong spat out a vicious threat before departing.

“Mu Yi, come with me into the academy,” Shen Yushu said, glancing at Mu Yi.

“Dean, wait.” Mu Yi immediately drew Ye Yuwei out from the crowd. Her condition had worsened—she trembled violently from the cold poison coursing through her.

“Dean, Miss Ren once told me that you have the means to cure my sister’s cold poison.”

“Let me take a look.” Shen Yushu examined Ye Yuwei carefully.

“The cold poison inside her is extraordinary, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. For now, I can suppress it, but to fully heal her, we will need to find a special remedy.”

“First, come with me into the academy.”

Misty clouds and swirling immortal energy surrounded them.

Deep within lay vast jade towers and rare exotic beasts.

As Shen Yushu led Mu Yi and Ye Yuwei to the Reclining Immortal Courtyard, they immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding disciples.

“That’s… Dean Shen! Who are those two people with her?”

“Don’t you know? Just moments ago, at the foot of the mountain, an earth-shattering event occurred during the new student evaluation!”

“What happened?”

“Mu Yi, the renounced disciple from Great Qian Academy, came to take the Hidden Spirit Academy’s new student exam. He shocked everyone by defeating and killing Elder Han Xiaofeng, who was at the second level of the Divine Change Realm, despite Mu Yi only being at the first level of the Heavenly Gang Realm!”

“What? How is that possible?”

…

Whispers spread rapidly as they saw the three approaching.

Shen Yushu had already settled Mu Yi in a quiet courtyard with flowing water and small bridges.

“Mu Yi, this will be your residence from now on. As for the admission procedures, I will have others handle them, so you need not worry.”

“As for your sister, Ye Yuwei, I will first help remove the cold poison inside her.”

Looking at Mu Yi, Shen Yushu continued, “Also, since you have slain Mo Jinghong’s man, be warned: Mo is vengeful and holds great power as an elder of the Hall of Penal Laws. He will undoubtedly seek every opportunity to find faults in you. So, for the near future, it is best to stay indoors as much as possible.”

“Thank you, Dean. I will remember your advice,” Mu Yi nodded respectfully.

Shen Yushu left with Ye Yuwei.

“Hidden Spirit Academy, inner disciple.”

Mu Yi stood alone in the courtyard, gazing up at the blue sky and white jade buildings.

Just a month ago, he was still the pride of the outer academy of Great Qian Academy, dreaming of entering the inner academy.

Who would have thought, in just one short month, he had already become an inner disciple of Hidden Spirit Academy?

For others, a month was brief, but for him, it felt like centuries had passed.

“Hall Master of Penal Laws, Mo Jinghong,” Mu Yi murmured the name, a fierce light flaring in his eyes.

He had already resolved to kill.

Though Mo Jinghong was a supreme powerhouse at the Qianyuan Realm—beyond his reach for now—what did that matter?

A man’s blood! To mend the sky’s rift!

What was there to fear in this life?

“Mo Jinghong, I hope you will not continue to provoke me. Even if you are a Qianyuan Realm giant, II'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.