Blocking the Way

Seeing Chen Kong's indifferent response, Mo Qingkuang also realized that this was all part of Principal Fu's plan. 

With this thought, Mo Qingkuang stopped worrying. Whatever, could these students really block them from entering the academy? That would be utterly ridiculous. 

However, they didn't have to wait long before the student who had gone inside returned, bringing along a dozen or so students in blue uniforms. 

These blue-uniformed students were much stronger, at least first-rank grandmasters, with even a seventh-rank grandmaster among them. 

Mo Qingkuang understood immediately: the students in red uniforms were at the martial master level, while those in blue uniforms were at the grandmaster level. 

A dozen grandmasters were indeed a formidable presence, obviously representing just a small part of the Blue Flame Royal Academy. 

After all, the Blue Flame Royal Academy gathered nearly all the top talents from the entire Blue Flame Empire, unlike the Imperial Academy, which was filled with the leftovers from the four major sects. 

"It's them, senior," the student who had gone to report pointed at Mo Qingkuang and the others, addressing the blue-uniformed students. 

From among the blue-uniformed students, a young man with triangular eyes and a blade of grass in his mouth stepped forward. He appeared to be in his early twenties and was a third-rank grandmaster. 

He swept a disdainful gaze over Mo Qingkuang and the others, saying, "You are the exchange students from the Tianxuan Empire?" 

"Indeed," Han Shu nodded. 

Since Chen Kong wasn't good with words and Mo Qingkuang was a secret weapon, the task of negotiating fell to Han Shu. After all, if he wasn't needed for fighting, he should at least contribute in other ways. 

"Just you lot?" The triangular-eyed student chewed on his grass disdainfully, "You must be imposters. The Tianxuan Empire, one of the two great empires alongside ours, would send people of this caliber?" 

"The exchange students we sent to the Imperial Academy were at least third-rank grandmasters. Look at you lot, some even without cultivation? You must be imposters!" The triangular-eyed student pointed at the Imperial Academy group and then, with a magnanimous air, said, "I'm in a good mood today, so I won't bother with you. Get lost." 

Hearing this, the students from the Imperial Academy were infuriated. 

It was clear to everyone that this guy was deliberately causing trouble. His words were hostile, and the Blue Flame Royal Academy had no intention of welcoming them. 

Han Shu's face darkened, and he said in a stern voice, "Fellow student, we truly are from the Tianxuan Empire. If you don't believe us, you can have your teachers come out to verify." 

The triangular-eyed student laughed exaggeratedly upon hearing this. "You? Talk to our teachers? Even if you are from the Tianxuan Empire, with your garbage skills, do you think you deserve to study at our Blue Flame Royal Academy? Get lost!" 

As he spoke, the triangular-eyed student raised his hand, releasing a burst of true qi that exploded into flames in front of Han Shu, making him step back in fright. 

"Hahaha, scared you, didn't I? Trash with no cultivation, get lost, or the next flame will burn you!" The triangular-eyed student was extremely arrogant. 

"Hahaha…" The students of the Blue Flame Royal Academy laughed along, "Yeah, get out of here, this place isn't for you." 

From the beginning, they had been informed that the Tianxuan Empire's people would arrive today, so they had been waiting at the gate, ready to give them a hard time. 

When they saw that the highest cultivation among the Tianxuan group was Chen Kong, a third-rank grandmaster, the triangular-eyed student had no reservations about causing trouble. 

Seeing the actions of these Blue Flame Royal Academy students, the Imperial Academy students knew for sure that they were deliberately causing trouble. 

Chen Kong stepped forward, standing in front of Han Shu. Though not very muscular, his presence was as imposing as a mountain, exerting a heavy pressure on the triangular-eyed student. 

He still didn't speak, only stared silently, his almost pure white eyes making the triangular-eyed student feel uneasy. 

"I suggest you apologize and then have your teachers come out," Mo Qingkuang said, anger rising within him. 

Han Shu was someone Mo Qingkuang was quite close to, not just because Han Shu was from the Han family, related to Han Yan, but also because Han Shu had once given him a high-grade spirit stone. 

The triangular-eyed student's expression changed, and he sneered, "Apologize? Why should I apologize?" 

"Who do you think you are, daring to demand an apology from me?" 

"Yeah, little brat, when adults are talking, kids should stay out of it," the students of the Blue Flame Royal Academy mocked Mo Qingkuang. 

They were generally over twenty years old, with some having grown thick beards, while Mo Qingkuang, at seventeen, still had a boyish look, appearing much younger than them. 

Mo Qingkuang's face darkened, ready to slap each of them to shut their arrogant mouths, but Chen Kong raised his hand to stop him. 

Chen Kong finally spoke, "What would it take for you to apologize?" 

The triangular-eyed student felt a bit intimidated when Chen Kong spoke. Although they were at the same cultivation level, Chen Kong seemed different, exuding an aura that made him seem unbeatable. 

Hesitant, the triangular-eyed student glanced back at his group, receiving a subtle signal from the seventh-rank grandmaster among them. 

Reassured, he arrogantly said, "Apologize? Not a chance! Unless—" 

"Unless what?" 

"Unless you beat me! If one of you beats me, I'll apologize once. If ten of you beat me, I'll apologize ten times," the triangular-eyed student sneered. "But looking at you lot, I doubt you'll ever hear me apologize in your lifetime." 

"You!" Li Sheng and the others were furious. If they had the strength, they would have already started fighting. 

Chen Kong coldly said, "What if I beat you ten times?" 

"You? Big words!" The triangular-eyed student tried to shake off his uneasy feeling, raising his hand to unleash a palm strike of blazing true qi. 

The scorching current ignited like flames before Chen Kong. 

He wasn't stupid. Among the Imperial Academy students, he saw Chen Kong as the only real threat. Striking first, he thought, would eliminate any uncertainties. 

This was one of his most proud techniques, a high-level mystic martial skill called Blazing Sky Palm. Combined with his fire-attribute true qi, its power was close to that of an earth-rank martial skill. 

As the flames surged forward, Chen Kong neither dodged nor used any martial skills. He simply raised his hand and delivered a slap. 

Golden light flickered on his palm, expanding into a huge golden palm print. 

The flames in the air before him were snuffed out like weak candles in a strong wind. 

The golden palm continued its momentum, slamming the triangular-eyed student into the ground, creating a deep, one-foot impression in the shape of a hand. 

The triangular-eyed student lay embedded in the earth, forming a human-shaped crater with his awkwardly contorted body.