Chapter 544: A Sudden Turn of Events

The students’ hearts tightened as they watched Celestial Wheel approach Ye Xuan, especially right after Ye Xuan had surpassed him on the ranking stele.

"You... are very interesting. Care for a match?"

Celestial Wheel spoke indifferently. His expression was calm and his gaze wasn’t particularly sharp, but even so, the aura he exuded made many students’ faces change.

Everyone looked to Ye Xuan, wondering how he would respond.

"Sorry, I’m not interested."

Ye Xuan spared Celestial Wheel a glance and said flatly.

Celestial Wheel’s brow twitched, and a wicked smile suddenly appeared. "If I’m not mistaken, Lv Feng’s disappearance during the inner academy assessment had something to do with you, right?"

Before Ye Xuan could even react to this, the other students present jumped in fright.

’What does Celestial Wheel mean by that?’

’Could it be that Lv Feng disappeared during the survival assessment because this Xuan Ye killed him?’

’What a joke. Although Ye Xuan just showed astonishing talent in the Trial Tower, many knew that when he first joined the academy, he was only at the Third Layer of Tier Five.’

’Lv Feng, on the other hand, was a powerhouse ranked seventh in the inner academy. His true strength was not inferior to some Martial Kings. No matter how heaven-defying Xuan Ye was back then, it should have been impossible for him to kill Lv Feng.’

’But now?’

The crowd was starting to believe that Ye Xuan might just have that kind of strength.

"If you don’t have any evidence, I suggest you don’t make baseless accusations. Otherwise, the consequences could be severe."

A sharp glint shot from Ye Xuan’s eyes as he stared coldly at Celestial Wheel.

He didn’t know what Celestial Wheel was playing at, but if he wanted to avenge Lv Feng, Ye Xuan wouldn’t mind teaching him a lesson.

"Heh heh, no need to be so tense."

But then Celestial Wheel suddenly laughed. "I mean you no harm. Lv Feng was a disciple of the Profound Mystery Sect. I couldn’t stand how arrogant they were in our Gale Light Academy not long ago. Even if you hadn’t dealt with him, I would have found an opportunity to teach him a lesson myself."

At this, a fierce light shot from Celestial Wheel’s eyes. "Of course, if I find out anyone else wishes to harm Gale Light Academy, I, Celestial Wheel, will make sure they know what the consequences are!"

Celestial Wheel’s sharp gaze swept across the crowd.

But Ye Xuan had the distinct feeling that these words were meant for him.

’What surprises me,’ Ye Xuan thought, ’is that his words are filled with a sense of protectiveness toward Gale Light Academy. Could his purpose simply be to warn me? Is he afraid I’ll harm the academy?’

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Ye Xuan.

Ignoring Celestial Wheel, Ye Xuan walked out of the Trial Tower hall. Celestial Wheel made no move to stop him.

After Ye Xuan left, Hua Xiuhong approached. "Celestial Wheel, why didn’t you make a move? That doesn’t seem like your style."

Celestial Wheel said coldly, "The man was unwilling. What would be the point of winning?"

Soon, news of Ye Xuan reaching the seventh floor of the Trial Tower spread through the academy like wildfire, causing a huge sensation.

Not only were the students shocked, but even Vice Director Ge Puzi and the others who received the news were startled.

However, had it been before, they would have been utterly astonished. Now, after learning that Ye Xuan came from the Profound Domain and had received guidance from Director Huangfu Xiuming, they weren’t quite so surprised.

In their eyes, it wasn’t too shocking for a genius personally guided by Director Huangfu Xiuming to reach the seventh floor.

After Ye Xuan left, Celestial Wheel and the other top-ranked students also attempted the Trial Tower, but they all ended up stopping at the sixth floor, unable to make a breakthrough.

As for all this, Ye Xuan was no longer paying any attention. He focused more of his energy on increasing his strength.

This improvement wasn’t just for himself, but for those around him as well.

He had refined a total of ten Gumo Menglan Pills. After giving one to Dongfang Zisi and taking one himself, he still had six left.

He found a way to send four of these six to Luo Cheng, Zhang Lie, Yun Aoxue, and Xia Qixi, who were outside the academy.

During this month of cultivation at Gale Light Academy and under Ye Xuan’s guidance, their strengths had all changed astonishingly. Both Luo Cheng and Zhang Lie had broken through to the Second Layer of Tier Five.

Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi, meanwhile, had reached the Peak of Tier Five Second Layer. They were just a step away from the Third Layer and would likely break through very soon.

Once they broke through to the Third Layer of Tier Five, they would only need to take the Gumo Menglan Pills he had given them to step into the realm of Tier Six Martial Venerables. For them, this would undoubtedly save countless hours of cultivation time.

Besides this, Ye Xuan spent every day with Elder Yao and Elder Dong.

To face their common enemy, the Profound Mystery Sect, Ye Xuan knew very well that the stronger Elder Yao and Elder Dong were, the greater their hope. Thus, he secretly gave them a great deal of guidance.

As their exchanges deepened, Elder Yao and Elder Dong became utterly shocked by the depth of Ye Xuan’s attainments.

Later on, even Vice Director Ge Puzi would occasionally come to exchange insights with Ye Xuan.

However, for powerhouses like Elder Yao and Elder Dong, simple epiphanies weren’t enough to bring about a significant increase in their strength. More than anything, they needed slow accumulation over time.

「Time passed.」

Gradually, the buzz around Ye Xuan reaching the seventh floor of the Trial Tower began to die down.

The countless disciples of Gale Light Academy, and indeed the major powers of the entire Dream Realm Plain, turned their attention to another matter.

The grudge between Gale Light Academy and the Profound Mystery Sect.

The one-month deadline that Vice Director Ge Puzi had given the Profound Mystery Sect was now down to its final day.

The eyes of every major power in the Dream Realm Plain were focused on the city of Gale Light City.

Gale Light Academy had also shed its previously relaxed atmosphere. The entire academy was now on high alert.

Countless pairs of eyes gathered here, wanting to see just how these two major powers would resolve this.

However, as time ticked by until the day the one-month deadline was up, Sect Master Tang Zhao of the Profound Mystery Sect did not appear with his people. What Vice Director Ge and the others received was merely a notice from the Profound Mystery Sect, proclaimed to the entire Dream Realm Plain.

The notice stated that the Profound Mystery Sect was entirely without fault in the matter from a month ago. The fault, it claimed, lay with Gale Light Academy. Therefore, the Profound Mystery Sect demanded that Vice Director Ge and the various tutors of Gale Light Academy personally escort Xuan Ye to the Profound Mystery Sect to atone for his crimes.

Vice Director Ge and the others were furious when they received the news.

The Profound Mystery Sect had gone too far. They showed a complete lack of respect for Gale Light Academy.

It was clearly the Profound Mystery Sect’s expert who had run rampant in Gale Light Academy, yet the blame was being pinned on them. Who could tolerate such a blatant twisting of the truth?

The countless factions and people watching were also inexplicably shocked. What was the Profound Mystery Sect trying to do? This was clearly not the attitude of a party seeking reconciliation.

Who would have known that on the second day after the notice was issued, another piece of news would shock the entire Dream Realm Plain.

At the same time the notice was sent out yesterday, the Profound Mystery Sect had destroyed several of Gale Light Academy’s strongholds in the vicinity. They proclaimed that if Vice Director Ge and the others did not apologize, they would continue their destruction until Gale Light Academy handed over the "criminal" they wanted.

"This Profound Mystery Sect is simply too audacious!"

Vice Director Ge slammed his hand on the table, his expression livid with rage.

"Vice Director, the Profound Mystery Sect destroyed two of our strongholds. Are we just going to take this?"

"Vice Director Ge, we must inform the Director about this! Let the Director return and preside over justice. Let’s see if the Profound Mystery Sect dares to be so arrogant then."

"Insolent! Utterly insolent! This is lawlessness!"

The countless students and tutors who heard the news were enraged.

The reason Gale Light Academy could be a top power in the Dream Realm Plain wasn’t just because of its countless outstanding students and experts, but also because of its vast industrial network.

The Profound Mystery Sect’s actions had undoubtedly struck at the very foundation of Gale Light Academy.

After his anger subsided, Ge Puzi quickly calmed down. He sensed that for the Profound Mystery Sect to dare to act this way, they must have gotten wind of something.

But if they continued to swallow this humiliation, the reputation Gale Light Academy had spent a hundred years rebuilding in the Dream Realm Plain would plummet once again.

"Issue an academy mission: eliminate the Profound Mystery Sect’s strongholds near our Gale Light Academy."

Ge Puzi quickly made his decision, and his words shocked the numerous tutors.

Gale Light Academy often assigned missions to its students and staff. These missions could be exchanged for academy contribution points, which in turn could be redeemed for various treasures like Pills and Profound Soldiers.

If Vice Director Ge truly issued such a mission, it was foreseeable that Gale Light Academy would inevitably clash violently with the Profound Mystery Sect.

"Vice Director Ge, if we do this, there will be no room for reconciliation between our Gale Light Academy and the Profound Mystery Sect."

Ge Puzi’s gaze was icy. "Do you think the Profound Mystery Sect has any intention of reconciling with us? Since they have no such intention, why should we at Gale Light Academy back down?"

There was another reason Ge Puzi didn’t mention. If Gale Light Academy retreated now, he couldn’t guarantee the Profound Mystery Sect wouldn’t sense that something was amiss.

And so, a clash between the two top powers openly began.

The moment this news broke, it shocked the entire Dream Realm Plain.

When Ye Xuan received the news, he too was astonished. He hadn’t expected things to develop to this point.

And at this moment, Ye Xuan was finally certain that the Profound Mystery Sect’s actions against Gale Light Academy were definitely not because he had killed Gale.

In the Profound Mystery Sect, although Gale was an elder, there were countless elders at the Tier Six Martial Venerable level. Any disciple who broke through to Tier Six Martial Venerable could become an elder after a certain number of years.

The ones who truly held power in the Profound Mystery Sect were the Supreme Elders, like Crazy Battle.

For the Profound Mystery Sect to openly fall out with the equally renowned Gale Light Academy over a mere Tier Six Second Layer elder was simply impossible.

Let alone him killing an elder like Gale, even if he had killed Crazy Battle, it wouldn’t have been enough to make the Profound Mystery Sect make such a decision.

Just as Ye Xuan was pondering what the Profound Mystery Sect’s true objective was...

Dongfang Zisi rushed to find Ye Xuan.

"Xuan Ye, I just received news! Our Divine Walk Commerce Association’s various outposts in the Dream Realm Plain have been attacked by unknown assailants. The shops that cooperate with your Profound Pill Pavilion and our Association have suffered particularly heavy losses."

"What happened?"

Ye Xuan was flabbergasted by the news.