"Fifth Elder, you…" The Third Elder was obviously in pain as he said those words. His facial features were contorted as he tried to struggle out of the vines holding him in place.
He then dropped onto the ground with a loud thud.
"Third brother, I know what you want to say. However, I can no longer watch as you get humiliated by this brat. Even if it costs my t.i.tle, I will make sure he dies!" The Fifth Elder stared at the fallen Third Elder as he said.
After speaking, he cast his gaze at the Pavilion Leader Mu Qingfeng, who was sitting on directly beneath the stone tablet within the Heaven Academic Altar. He then knelt down on one knee.
A series of sighs echoed through the room.
Mu Qingfeng swept his glance across the four Majesties and the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples before fixing his gaze upon the Fifth Elder.
"Fifth Elder, are you really do this?"
"Please accept my decision!" The Fifth Elder nodded as he said.
"Alright then. From now, you will be stripped of your status as the Fifth Elder and rendered as an ordinary disciple. You will guard the Heaven Dao tablet for ten years as punishment!" Mu Qingfeng said after staring hard into the eyes of the Fifth Elder.
"I thank the Pavilion Leader for his graciousness. I, Li Lingyu, will follow your orders!" The Fifth Elder bowed slightly towards Mu Qingfeng before he stood up.
The surrounding Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples and the four Majesties also cast their glance at the Fifth Elder as no one spoke.
A sneak attack.
No one had any qualms about Mu Qingfeng"s decision. After all, being stripped of the t.i.tle and ten years of guarding the Heaven Dao tablet was a fitting punishment.
When the Fifth Elder stood up. His gaze once again fell onto Fang Zhengzhi. His white robe fluttered menacingly even without the aid of the wind as he eyes shone with a bladed resolve.
"Young lad, you should feel honored that I am giving up my t.i.tle in exchange for your life!" The Fifth Elder slowly walked towards Fang Zhengzhi after he said those words.
"Honored?" Fang Zhengzhi stared at the incoming Fifth Elder and naturally understood his intentions.
Just how important and precious was the t.i.tle of a Heaven Dao Pavilion Elder?
The Fifth Elder simply made a sneak attack. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi was someone of no importance and background.
To be demoted to an ordinary disciple after such a small mistake was truly a testament to the strict discipline elders in the Heaven Dao Pavilion had to follow.
Should Fang Zhengzhi then really feel honored?
All of a sudden, Fang Zhengzhi started laughing. He glanced around him and stared into the countless indignant gazes from the disciples. He also stared into the calm faces of Mu Qingfeng and the four Majesties.
The survival of the fittest?
It seemed like the Sage Realm played by the same rules as the Empires.
It was survival of the fittest through and through.
However, the empire placed more emphasis on ident.i.ty, background, and factions, while within the Sage Realm, more emphasis was placed on individual worth. One could have a strong ident.i.ty in the Sage Realm, though your potential and prowess often played a more important role.
"It seems like I will not be walking out of the Heavenly Pavilion today?" Fang Zhengzhi slowly rose from the ground and wiped the blood at the sides of his mouth, revealing a radiant smile.
"That"s right!" The Fifth Elder nodded his head and cast his glance on Fang Zhengzhi while the character on his forehead glowed brighter.
"Let"s go!" Fang Zhengzhi did not say anything else, nor did he care about the gazes around him. Nothing mattered now.
"Die!" The Fifth Elder moved as he said.
The emerald brilliance flowed from his body and turned into countless thorn vines. It went straight towards Fang Zhengzhi with lightning speed.
However, the moment Fifth Elder launched his attack…
A crimson brilliance appeared behind him. It had a cold and chilling presence that reminded one of the abysses. Even the air became exceptionally cold.
"Hm?" The Fifth Elder stopped in his tracks as a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes. However, he reacted quickly and send his palm flying in that direction immediately.
Boom! A loud explosion could be heard.
Following which, a figure flew backward. Countless crimson crystal-like objects shattered in the air, raining down in the Heaven Academic Altar.
"Yan Xiu?"
"Why would he attack the Fifth Elder?"
"What is going on?"
If the Fifth Elder had attacked Fang Zhengzhi, the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples could understand Yan Xiu"s actions. However, Yan Xiu seemed to be attacking the Fifth Elder without any reason. This was preposterous.
The reason?
Why was Yan Xiu doing this?
Not only could the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples not understand this, even the candidates, who took part in this examination together with him, was confounded. They stared at Yan Xiu, who had taken five steps backward in disbelief.
"Yan Xiu, what are you doing?" Lin Mubai swiftly stood up as he said. Apart from being surprised, he was also perplexed.
As the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.
He knew that Yan Xiu was not a rash person. If one were to say Yan Xiu acted on grounds of justice and fairness, it would be a stretch, After all, this place is the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
And Yan Xiu was currently taking part in its examination.
"Yan Xiu?" The Fifth Elder also turned to stare at the figure behind him as he frowned and suppressed his urge to deal another blow. He then said, "Stand aside, this has nothing to do with you!"
"I have to save him!" Yan Xiu"s face displayed no emotions, though he seemed extremely determined. After stabilizing himself, he once again walked towards the Fifth Elder.
"Save him?" The Fifth Elder frowned as he subconsciously stared at Fang Zhengzhi. Following which, he stared at Yan Xiu and said, "You know his true ident.i.ty?"
"I do not," Yan Xiu shook his head as he said.
"You are protecting him even though you don"t know who he is?" The Fifth Elder was startled at Yan Xiu"s reply. He could not fathom his actions.
"That"s right," Yan Xiu nodded.
"Give me a good reason," The Fifth Elder stared at Yan Xiu with a cold gaze.
"He is very similar to a friend I have."
Similar? How similar?"
"His back view."
"Simply the back view? Yan Xiu, you are now the revered Prince Yan of the Great Xia Dynasty, the ruler of an area. You should learn how to weigh the pros and cons of a situation. There are many people with similar back views in this world. Are you going to give up your chance at being a Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple based on this alone?" The Fifth Elder said in an intrigued tone.
"Yes!" Yan Xiu nodded once again.
"Yan Xiu, you have to consider this properly. If you stand back now, I can still overlook your previous actions and allow you to enter the third stage of the examination!"
"I have already made my decision. Even if the possibility is one in a million, I have to save him. That is because he is the most important friend I have in my life!" Yan Xiu stood still with his eyes glowing crimson red.
Crimson ripples could be seen rising from the ground beneath his feet, enveloping his entire body in a b.l.o.o.d.y brilliance.
"It"s the Asura Dao!"
"It seems like Yan Xiu is close to a breakthrough. He is just one step away!"
"Although he has yet to achieve a breakthrough, his strength is comparable to that of a Rebirth State individual in the middle stages of his development. He is only 18 years old this year!"
The disciples of the Heaven Dao Pavilion stared at this scene in awe. However, they still could not understand why Yan Xiu would go against the Fifth Elder simply based on a baseless a.s.sumption.
Furthermore, he went as far as attacking the Fifth Elder.
Was the one in a million possibility really more important than his chance of entering the Heaven Dao Pavilion?
A friend? Does such a friend really exist in the world?
"Yan Xiu, do not act rashly. He is not Fang Zhengzhi. I have received news that Fang Zhengzhi was still in Northern Mountain Village half a month ago. He could not have reached here on time. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi is only at the Supernatural State. You know that it is impossible to reach the Rebirth State and master the Heaven Dao in a span of only two months!" Lin Mubai said anxiously. He naturally knew the ident.i.ty of this friend Yan Xiu was talking about.
That was exactly why he would not allow Yan Xiu to make the Heaven Dao Pavilion his enemy for a person who could not be Fang Zhengzhi. This was so even if the Fifth Elder no longer held the elder position.
This was because he was the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty. He knew exactly how politics and power structure worked. Stripping of t.i.tles was always temporary.
"He is right, I am not your friend. I do not recognize you at all, scram!" Fang Zhengzhi shouted as well.
"I don"t care who you are. My decision will not change!" Yan Xiu did not seem affected by Fang Zhengzhi"s denial. He acted as if he did not hear Fang Zhengzhi"s words.
"Are you mentally sound?" Fang Zhengzhi shouted quizzically.
"I simply do not want to leave any regrets. He is my first friend and will be the most important friend in my entire life," Yan Xiu stared at Fang Zhengzhi while deep in thought. He then continued, "My grandfather had once told me to make as many friends as possible. However, I feel that it would be sufficient to just have him in my life!"
"One friend?"
"One friend for a lifetime? What kind of reasoning is that?"
The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples exchanged glances upon hearing those words. Their eyes were filled with confusion.
Yan Xiu completely ignored the commotion that he caused in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. He continued, "He is the friend I am referring to. In fact, the both of you are quite similar. You are not big on details and would often deceive others. You are both stubborn and like to cause trouble for others."
"But he has never deceived me, not even once. Even when I told him I am loaded on our first meeting!"
"He loves money, but when we were at the Seven Stars Lane, I followed his bets and placed 50000 silver ingots on the seven stars. I know that if I have not placed my bets, the seven stars would not have come together!"
"That time, I won."
"I believed that he would lead me to victory. This time, I would also bet on his ident.i.ty. Even if the chances are one in a million, I have to do so!"
"Quoting my friend, I can let down anyone in the world but him!"