Chapter 485: Causing a Sensation

"Isn’t that obvious? That fellow, Crazy Battle, is a complete madman. You can tell just by looking at his track record. In my opinion, we should secretly hand Xuan Ye over to the Profound Mystery Sect. He’s a criminal they’re hunting, so Gale Light Academy wouldn’t technically be breaking any rules."

A hook-nosed, middle-aged expert remarked with casual indifference.

"Instructor Cheng Guang, you can’t put it that way," a teacher with flowing hair said coldly. "Xuan Ye is a student of our Gale Light Academy, after all. If we casually hand him over to the Profound Mystery Sect, what will the major powers of the Dream Realm Plain think of us?"

"Instructor Wang Feng, since when does Gale Light Academy need to care what others think? Besides, it’s an undeniable fact that Xuan Ye has long been a wanted man by the Profound Mystery Sect. A wanted criminal actually dared to take our academy’s entrance exam—he was probably just looking for a place to hide. If that’s the case, what happens when every criminal on the Dream Realm Plain starts running to our academy for refuge? Will Gale Light Academy become a haven for villains?" Cheng Guang sneered.

"A criminal?" Wang Feng roared. "Xuan Ye is only wanted by the Profound Mystery Sect. What has that got to do with Gale Light Academy? As far as we’re concerned, he is a student, not a criminal."

"Heh." Cheng Guang laughed coldly. "Alright, let’s put aside whether he’s a criminal or not. He has brought trouble to our Gale Light Academy, and our academy has always remained detached from worldly affairs. Are we really going to become enemies with the Profound Mystery Sect over a single student?"

"A single student? In your eyes, Instructor Cheng Guang, is Ye Xuan—the one who took first place in this year’s entrance exam and left his name at the eighty-eight-meter mark on the Memorial Stele—nothing more than a ’single student’?" A mocking expression appeared on Wang Feng’s face.

Cheng Guang shook his head. "Instructor Wang Feng, you’re right, Xuan Ye did leave his name at the eighty-eight-meter mark on the Memorial Stele. But so what? The Memorial Stele is just a reference. A higher mark doesn’t guarantee greater achievements in the future. If a genius doesn’t fully develop, they’ll always be just a genius, not a powerhouse. Besides, Gale Light Academy only nurtures geniuses. When they become powerhouses, they return to their own factions. How many will actually stay with our academy? Furthermore, I’m sure you are all well aware of the academy’s recent situation. Making an enemy of the Profound Mystery Sect would be extremely unwise."

Hearing this, many instructors nodded silently.

Gale Light Academy’s situation had indeed been rather precarious lately.

"Alright, stop arguing." The elderly man in the lead waved his hand and looked at an old man on his left. "Elder Dong, what are your thoughts?"

The old man looked ancient and doddering, his face covered in wrinkles like old tree bark and his eyes cloudy. He waved his hand and said, "Vice Director Ge, you’re the one presiding over the academy’s major affairs now. My Soul Refining Element has never involved itself in the academy’s internal matters. It’s better for you to make the decision. Whatever the outcome, the Soul Refining Element will support your choice."

Vice Director Ge then looked to an old man on his right. "Elder Yao, and you?"

"Heh heh." The old man, who had a head of white hair and a rosy complexion, smiled slightly. "Vice Director Ge, my view is the same as Elder Dong’s. Whatever you decide, our Alchemy Element will support it wholeheartedly."

’These two...’

Vice Director Ge knew that the two of them always preferred to bury themselves in their own fields, paying no mind to the academy’s affairs, so he could only shake his head.

"Qingfeng, you were the chief examiner for this batch. What do you think?"

Finally, he looked at Qingfeng.

"I believe that Ye Xuan is destined for greatness." Qingfeng paused in thought for a moment before making a shocking statement: "If he doesn’t die prematurely, he will one day become a pivotal figure who can shape the balance of power on the Dream Realm Plain."

"Qingfeng, isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?" Cheng Guang frowned.

The others also stared at him intently.

As high-ranking members of Gale Light Academy, they knew very well that a so-called pivotal figure who could shape the balance of power on the Dream Realm Plain was not something a Tier Seven Martial King could ever be. It had to be a—Tier Eight Martial Emperor.

For Qingfeng to declare that a youth who was currently only a Tier Five Martial Sect would become a Tier Eight Martial Emperor in the future, no matter how talented, was still somewhat hard for everyone to believe.

"Believe it or not, that’s my feeling." Qingfeng shook his head and said no more.

"Vice Director Ge, it’s up to you to decide."

In the end, all eyes fell on Vice Director Ge.

"I have only one thing to say. Though Gale Light Academy has faced some difficulties recently, in our history we have endured many hardships, even periods of decline. The one thing we have never done—is yield!"

"Now is no different."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just then, a sudden knock came from the doors of the meeting room.

Vice Director Ge couldn’t help but frown. This high-level meeting was extremely important. Under normal circumstances, they would never be disturbed unless it was for something particularly urgent.

’Could something major have happened at the academy?’

"Come in," Vice Director Ge barked in a low voice.

A staff member hurried in and said in a rush, "Vice Director Ge, esteemed instructors, please forgive my intrusion, but I have urgent news to report. A number of new students were just taking the Trial Tower assessment, and two of them achieved incredible results."

"The Trial Tower assessment?"

Everyone frowned. They had thought something major had happened at the academy, but it was just the new students’ Trial Tower assessment.

The fact that this staff member had disturbed their important meeting over such a trivial matter immediately displeased many of them.

The staff member, head bowed, couldn’t see their expressions and continued, "One of them is Hou Fei, who reached the third floor on his very first attempt at the Trial Tower assessment. The second is Xuan Ye, he..."

Before the staff member could finish, someone said impatiently, "I’m aware of this. You may leave now. And yes, the academy did issue an order that any geniuses discovered during the Trial Tower assessment should be reported immediately. But we are in the middle of an important academy meeting. Do you really think a new student reaching the third floor on their first try is more important than a major academy meeting?"

The speaker was a middle-aged Martial King, none other than Lu Jun, who was in charge of the academy’s various assessments. Seeing the instructors from every department frowning, he immediately began to criticize the staff member in front of everyone.

’Is this guy an idiot? Doesn’t he know there’s a time and a place for making reports?’

Being criticized by Lu Jun like that, the words the staff member was about to say got stuck in his throat. He didn’t know whether to speak or not, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

"Alright," Vice Director Ge said with a smile. "Don’t be nervous. The academy does have that rule, so you didn’t do anything wrong, but you should be mindful of the situation next time. We understand that Hou Fei and Xuan Ye reached the third floor on their first Trial Tower assessment. You may leave now."

Vice Director Ge waved his hand, letting him off the hook.

"That’s not it, Vice Director Ge. Xuan Ye..." The staff member didn’t leave right away and tried to continue.

"Didn’t you hear the Vice Director tell you to leave? Do we need to tell you a second time?"

Lu Jun was truly furious. ’This guy is so clueless. Is his brain full of shit?’

"That’s not..." the staff member said anxiously.

Lu Jun roared, "’That’s not’ what? Shut up and get out."

The staff member was sweating profusely with anxiety but was helpless. He could only stand up and start walking out.

At the critical moment, Vice Director Ge stopped him. "Never mind. Let him finish. You said ’that’s not’ just now. What’s not what?"

Only then did the staff member say, "Vice Director Ge, what I meant was, Xuan Ye didn’t stop at the third floor. He went all the way to the fourth floor of the Trial Tower, and he even surpassed many of the inner-division disciples."

After all that, the staff member finally managed to get his full sentence out.

The moment he said this, the entire room fell instantly silent.

What?

The fourth floor?

Vice Director Ge shot to his feet, a look of shock on his face. "You’re saying that Xuan Ye reached the fourth floor on his very first Trial Tower assessment?"

His eyes were filled with astonishment, and a sharp glint of light flashed in their depths.

The others had the same expression. Even the two elders from the Soul Refining and Alchemy Elements, who were usually indifferent to worldly affairs, found their once-cloudy eyes suddenly sharpened.

Under everyone’s gaze, the staff member immediately recounted everything that had happened in the Trial Tower from beginning to end.

"My heavens, reaching the fourth floor of the Trial Tower on the very first attempt... this must be a first in the nearly thousand-year history of our Gale Light Academy, right?"

Everyone was utterly shocked.

The Trial Tower was different from the Memorial Stele. The Memorial Stele had only been established by Director Huangfu Xiuming within the last century.

Therefore, some instructors took the rankings on it very seriously, while others didn’t pay it much mind.

But the Trial Tower was established by the very first director of Gale Light Academy. It had a thousand-year history and had long since become a benchmark.

Nearly everyone present had attempted the Trial Tower in their youth, so they naturally understood its extraordinary difficulty. Moreover, it tested a Martial Artist’s most crucial combat talent, leaving no room for deception.

It could be said that anyone who achieved a good result in the Trial Tower was absolutely guaranteed to become an influential figure on the Dream Realm Plain, provided they didn’t meet an untimely end. There were no exceptions.

Ye Xuan reaching the fourth floor on his first assessment had already broken the Trial Tower’s thousand-year-old record, shocking everyone.

"Heh heh, everyone, are you still thinking of giving up on Xuan Ye now?"

At this moment, Instructor Wang Feng could no longer hold back and burst into hearty laughter.

A faint smile also touched the corners of Qingfeng’s lips. ’Xuan Ye... you never cease to amaze.’

"How interesting."

The two great elders of the Soul Refining and Alchemy Elements also revealed meaningful smiles.

"We must protect this child."

Inside the meeting room, Vice Director Ge suddenly spoke, his tone firm.

The very purpose of establishing Gale Light Academy was to nurture geniuses. If they wouldn’t even protect a genius like this, then what was the point of their academy’s existence?