Chaoter 23: Pitiful Wang Guozhi!

Gulp!

"Principal.. are you going to.. "

Ling Yu's expression was that of horrified, while Xiahou Yu ran to hide at the back of Wang Guozhi, her head poking out from his sides with a terrified face. As if understanding what their expression was all about, the principal's veins popped out as he shouted;

"Of course not! What do you people take me for!"

To admit, he does like whipping, but he isn't someone with an extreme fetish to it!

Thus, when he saw their terrified faces, he blew up in a rage as it were too much for him!

And that little girl hiding there, are you seven years old?!

Hmph!!

Come out lest I whip you instead!!

Hearing the principal's answer, Wang Guozhi and Ling Yu sighed in relief. If the principal had decided to abuse Duan Li to vent his pent up frustration, there was nothing that they could do about it.

"Alright principal, we will be leaving now to convey your message!" said Wang Guozhi as he pulled both Ling Yu and Xiahou Yu out of the room like avoiding a plague.

He was afraid that the principal decided to change his mind and whip them instead!

Bang!

The door was closed forcefully.

"That.. Wang Guozhi!" said the principal in a hoarse voice as he clenched his teeth, evidently furious by that fella's antics.

What is up with his reaction?!

People would misunderstand him to be someone lunatic if he acted like that!!

Ahem!

But first things first!

He cleared his throat as he stood up, his hands clasped behind his back as he tried to regain his dignity as the principal.

"Duan Li, I've looked at your student profile and found out that your mother is Meng Yue?" he asked directly.

"Yes.." replied Duan Li in a small voice, still scared to be left on the same room with the principal alone.

"Good! Could you convince her to somehow rejoin the subjugation squad? We have spread our knights thin these past few years. According to our statistics, the number of monsters per season have increased to ten times than the last few years!"

The principal said with a solemn voice as he look outside the window, his expression serious.

"At first, we didn't know what caused these monsters to multiply at such a rapid pace and becoming more violent at that. But perhaps.. now that I've seen that footage.. hais.. maybe it is somehow connected to these.. abominations.." he sighed as he shook his head.

"From what I saw in that footage, it seems like you will be the hope for us.. But you do know that, once this gets out.. you will be hunted down by some people?" he asked Duan Li without looking back.

"Yes.. I know.." replied Duan Li as he looked at the floor, realizing this matter as well.

"Are you prepared?" asked the principal once more, but this time, his voice sounded more firm and solemn.

Recalling the whole lifetime memories of his future self, the fall of the empire and the death of his own mother to those wretched abomination, Duan Li's eyes gleamed with extreme determination as the air around him heated up vividly.

"I am!" he answered.

Boom!

His answer is but a single, simple sentence. Yet, the moment he uttered that single sentence with his full conviction, the lands seemed to quake and the seas were rattled. The conviction and confidence in that single sentence of his, had unknowingly changed something within his body.

A change brought forth by the mysterious pearl!

...

After a few more talks with the principal regarding the memories of his future self and the state of the empire before the incident, the door was suddenly opened as Wang Guozhi strolled in with Ling Yu and Xiahou Yu in tow.

His expression still looked apprehensive towards the principal as he threw side glances towards the body of Duan Li, seeming to try and find if there are any marks of the latter being whipped.

At the sight of this, the principal's veins popped out as he barked;

"How now, becoming more brazen eh? Do you even know how to knock properly?! And that face of yours!"

Flash!

A black whip materialized on his right hand. He then swiftly flicked it creating that 'pak!' whipping sound as it hit the table.

Seeing this, Wang Guozhi jumped up in a fright as he tried to escape using the door.

However, before he could even turn the door knob, he already found his body to be unable to move at all!

"T-this! spatial locking!" he shrieked out in a horrified manner as he sweated profusely and his heart palpitated in fear.

The principal then moved his hands to perform a series of incantation gestures.

'Space magic: Third-tier space dimensional transfer magic!'

Wongggg!

Both Wang Guozhi and the principal suddenly disappeared from the room.

"..." everyone.

They have been relocated into another dimension!

Silence..

"Whe-where are they?" asked Xiahou Yu whom was hiding behind Ling Yu at the moment with her head poking out as she look left and right with extreme alertness.

If a whip were to suddenly strike at her, she had resolved herself to bite at it!

"Hais... It seems that.. Wang Guozhi is done for.."

Ling Yu sighed as she shook her head looking towards that empty space where Wang Guozhi once stood with an expression full of pity.

That fella would definitely be in for a round of whipping by the principal for sure!

...

After some time..

Wonggg!

The two people returned from the other dimension.

Padah!

"..." everyone.

Wang Guozhi fell to the floor with his body covered in many streaks of peculiar bruises as he convulsed and twitched on the floor. That long streak marks on his clothes and the butt region of his pants..

Hais.. how tragic!

Ling Yu, Xiahou Yu nd Duan Li shook their heads looking at the pitiful state Wang Guozhi was in.

Ahem!

The principal cleared his throat as he gestured for them to sit down on the sofa, ignoring the convulsing Wang Guozhi on the floor.

"You guys should have heard about the fourth and the fifth trial right?" the principal asked.

The rest of them nodded.

"Then, as the principal, I announced hereby that you two are qualified for it!"

When Duan Li and Xiahou Yu heard this, both each have a differing expression.

Xiahou Yu seemed to be ecstatic as her eyes glowed, while Duan Li showed an expression of anxiety and nervousness.

"May I ask.. what is the fourth and fifth trial would be?"

Duan Li hoped that it wouldn't be anything crazy. After all, these two are special levels that no one actually knew what it was all about.

Furthermore, the first and second trial was already filled with bizarre events that shocked himself time and again. So now, he was quite afraid that his little heart wouldn't be able to take it anymore.

"It isn't difficult, the fourth trial would be entering the 'Eternal Maze' beneath this academy." said the principal casually as he stroked his short beard.

The eternal maze?!

Ling Yu was startled as she knew about this eternal maze beneath the academy!

Basically, two thousand years ago, the empire was found out after the first ancestor or the founder, Jiu Zhentian, managed to emerge out of the eternal maze after being trapped inside it for a whole 30 years!

The first ancestor obtained many treasures that allowed him to reach the immortal ascension realm in that maze, and one of this treasure, is called the 'Celestial Saint Platform'!

Rumor has it that, whoever obtained this celestial saint platform would be able to ascend one realm higher than their limits!

Could it be that the principal wanted them to enter the eternal maze for such a treasure?

That would be a suicide!

Not even senior teachers with nascent soul realm dared to venture into it, what more of a student who has yet to even properly form their Qi condensation realm!

Noticing Ling Yu's changed expression, the principal chuckled in realization.

"Don't worry! The eternal maze wouldn't be dangerous to them!" he explained.

"Not dangerous to them? What do you mean principal?" she asked with her brows creased, confused.

"It is like this.. " the principal explained out.

It turns out that the eternal maze will adjusted its difficulty according to the realm of the one who entered it. The higher one's realm are, the more dangerous and difficult it will be.

But, for someone who has yet to even enter the Qi condensation realm, the challenges that they will face will be similar to that of mere mortals.

When he read Duan Li's student profile previously, he found out that this boy had already learned a staggering amount of stances and combination!

At first he had suspected this student to be one of those scammers and was about to whip him as punishment, but recalling the report came from senior teacher Ling Yu herself, it is impossible for the information to be false.

Xiahou Yu had also learnt them as well, although compared to what Duan Li had learnt, it was miniscule and isn't worth a mention at all.

Of course, the principal had assume that Duan Li's achievement in learning such astounding amount of stances and masteries in them was due to his mother, Meng Yue.

After all, who hadn't heard of that woman's savage title back in the past?

Even he from the headquarters had heard about her exploit back then.

Looking at Duan Li, the principal shook his head gently.

Hais!

This boy must have been through a lot of tough times because of the tyranny of his mother.

"So.. because I have learnt quite a lot of stances and combinations, it should be quite safe for me to enter it?" said Duan Li after hearing what the principal had to say with quivering lips.

To hell with that!

I had only learnt all those stances to the adept level overnight!

Furthermore, I only knew how to perform their proper form and have zero experience in using them in battle!

Just as Duan Li wanted to voice out his own opinion, the principal raised his palm to stop him as he continued speaking.

"I know that you must be thinking how did I know about it? Heh, senior teacher Ling Yu here had added the details onto your student report through the blue jade slips meant for communication!"

"The blue jade slips?" said Duan Li feeling interested, but remembering his original intention to oppose the principal, he was interjected again and this time by Wang Guozhi who had recovered from his previous pitiful state.

"There are many types of jade slips used by martial artists and cultivators alike.." he started off as he joined them to sat on the sofa with his appearance still unkempt.

He then materialized many different types of jade slips with different colors from his spatial ring as he laid them out nicely on the table.

He then began to explain..

...

From Wang Guozhi's explanation, the most commonly used jade slips according to their functions are;

Blue jade slips, used for communication over long distances. Although not rare, they are quite expensive and have different sizes and brands imprinted on it. The most expensive one could cover the distance of several million kilometers!

With it, you can reach your loved ones with no problem at all!

Next, is the Red jade slips, oftenly used to record a visual footage for any purposes. At the academy, teachers would often record the method to practice stances with the proper form on this jade slips for their students to study. Also comes in different memory sizes and brands, the expensive ones even comes with sound recording function as well!

Then is the yellow jade slips. This is used to record one's thoughts and is fairly cheap. They are mass produced by the General Stores company and is useful for almost everyone. Students use them as a method to write mental notes during lesson conducted by their teachers.

However, some knock-offs jade slips that made it to the market would often lose part of the data that was recorded in it when used, and the General Stores company along with other big shot companies had numerous time conducted campaign and raids to arrest those irresponsible people who made these immitation products!

"..." everyone.

Why does he sound like someone who is part of the marketing team?

Duan Li had also remembered another type of jade slips, which is the green jade slips in his memories. It would seems that one is used to store one's own unique spiritual Qi signature that is connected to the owners. If it cracked, it meant that the owner is in extreme danger and if it turned to ashes immediately afterwards, it meant that they had already died..

"There are also numerous more types of jade slips which you will know eventually, but for now, take this blue jade slips, it will be convenient for us to communicate once you enter the eternal maze."

The principal then handed them a medium sized blue jade slips each, about the size of a thumb.

"The cost will be deducted from senior teacher Wang Guozhi's salary later on, so for now let me explain further.."

"....." everyone.

...