Stepping into the academy’s main entrance, Guan Heng followed the spacious vermilion door all the way to the library in the depths of the secluded path.

He was a nobody here. Other than Xie Ziyou and Wu Cong, logically speaking, he had no acquaintance at all.

But along the way, he received a lot of strange looks. With Guan Heng’s excellent hearing, he could even hear people whispering and pointing at him from time to time.

What were they talking about?

Had he become famous now?

Just as Guan Heng was puzzled, a youth with a high nose, thick eyebrows, and big eyes walked up to him. His back was straight, and he held a roll of papyrus loosely in his hand.

Seeing Guan Heng from afar, he furrowed his brows and unfolded the papyrus to look at it. Then he compared it to Guan Heng’s face, and a sliver of disdain flashed through his eyes. He moved sideways to put some distance between himself and Guan Heng. Then he tilted his head and spat on the ground — as if there was a large garbage dump in front of him.

Guan Heng: “…”

He had been holed up in a valley for two years and knew that he was probably not at the peak of his looks.

But he was, after all, the face that the Guan family had nurtured to form a marriage alliance. Even if he didn’t take care of it, he would still be a wild and handsome young man. There was no reason for him to be so ugly that people would spit on him when he walked.

Guan Heng took a few quick steps forward and caught up to the youth. He raised his hand and patted the youth’s shoulder. “Wait, student. I think … I haven’t offended you, have I?”

Smack!

The thick-browed youth slapped Guan Heng’s hand away with his palm. His eyes were wide open. “Don’t touch me!”

His reaction was so intense that it was unexpected. Guan Heng was stunned for a moment. His outstretched hand stretched out in the air for a few seconds before he helplessly dropped it.

The back of his hand was completely red.

“I don’t know how you managed to sneak into the academy.” The youth’s voice was filled with uncontrollable anger, and his face was completely red. “We cultivate according to our duties, and we walk the right path. Every bit of profound strength is obtained through our own hard work. No matter how high or low our cultivation is, we have a clear conscience.”

“But you, you cultivate devil arts, and rely on some evil ways — — don’t you feel ashamed at all?!”

Devil arts?

Guan Heng stood rooted to the ground in shock. He said in disbelief, “Who told you that I cultivated devil arts?”

“Does that even need to be said?” The youth gnashed his teeth. “In two years, an ordinary person who can’t cultivate has leapt to the fifth stage. If you didn’t cultivate devil arts, could it be that your profound strength was blown by the wind?”

Guan Heng stared blankly at the youth, his eyes completely blank.

In the past, he had heard of things like mo skills.

But there were no true immortals in this world, nor were there true devils. There were only people who cultivated different cultivation methods. Guan Heng knew that some cultivation methods that were excessively cruel and tyrannical were called devil arts by the people of the world when they were exposed, but he couldn’t understand why this accusation would fall on him out of thin air.

Was it just because he had improved too quickly, like he had taken a shortcut?

The scorching sun was scorching hot, scorching the earth. Even his scalp felt numb after being exposed to such light for too long.

Hearing the two of them quarreling, the other students who were passing by gradually gathered around them, forming a human wall around the two of them.

“What are you arguing about? Who is this person? ”

“Guan Heng! Haven’t you heard, he’s the one who cultivates the devil arts? ”

“Oh, Guan Heng! I just heard someone say … … is that him? It doesn’t look like he cultivates the devil arts. ”

“Idiot, would a devil write on their forehead that they are a devil? Think about it with your toes, how can a normal person reach level five in two years? ”

“Maybe they signed a contract with some devil, selling their young and tender body and soul … …”

“Soga, I understand now. No wonder everyone says that a guy who looks like a dog has a very bad heart … … ”

Everyone’s mouths are like gold, and mosquitoes are like thunder.

A large amount of unwarranted suspicions and accusations surrounded Guan Heng. More and more people gathered around him, and the sound of their discussions gradually grew from whispers to loud and clear voices in front of a large crowd.

Saliva gathered into an ocean, and the fingertips of their fingers condensed into waves that covered the sky and covered the earth, almost drowning the youth who was squeezed in the middle.

Blinding light shrouded his head, as if there was a furnace above his head. Layers of human walls blocked the flow of wind. Guan Heng’s head was slightly lowered, and his bangs gently slid down, blocking his eyes.

His right hand, which was hanging by his side, was slightly trembling. The back of his hand had been hit hard, and the back of his hand was swollen like a vine.

After listening for a long time, Guan Heng slowly and softly smiled.

“Do you have any proof that I cultivate a mo skill?”

The clamorous clamoring of mosquitoes and flies suddenly paused.

The crowd looked at each other, and were at a loss for words.

But the crowd had always come after hearing the news. How could they care about the true cause of the matter? As long as jealousy and suspicion were still rooted in everyone’s heart, Guan Heng would not be able to easily escape today.

As expected, not long after, someone in the crowd shouted, “Then tell me, if you didn’t cultivate a mo skill, how could your cultivation increase so quickly?”

Guan Heng felt that the voice was slightly familiar.

His ears trembled slightly, and his mind quickly recalled. From the depths of his memory, he pulled out a figure, a person’s name.

He said hesitantly, “… … Zhao Youcai?”

The crowd was silent.

A few seconds later, someone pushed through the crowd and walked in front of Guan Heng.

It was a youth with red lips and white teeth. His appearance was delicate and handsome, and his eyes were clear and bright. He wore a blue brocade robe embroidered with silver thread, and the fine lines were like dragons swaying their tails. Under the sunlight, they reflected the silver light. His lips were red and his teeth were white, and his expression was open and pure.

“It’s me,” the youth replied, his eyes filled with anger. He said in a low voice, “Guan Heng, I really didn’t think that after not seeing you for two years, you would still end up on this evil path.”

Guan Heng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What evil path?”

“It’s what you told me back then!”

Zhao Youcai’s eyes were bright, and his voice was clear. “Cultivation and whatnot is so annoying. If you can’t break through the Heaven and Man Barrier at sixteen, you might as well find some demonic skills to play around with. Who cares about the Xie and Guan families?

“… … Can’t you hear that it’s angry?”

“Angry words are the truth!”

Zhao Youcai’s hands were on his hips, and his eyebrows were furrowed. His posture was originally that of a shrew cursing the street, but it forced him to assume the temperament of a handsome youth. Rather than cursing, it was more accurate to say that he was indignant and pained that his friend had met an unkind person.

The youth looked at Guan Heng and said bitterly, “I still don’t understand you?”

“Our families are only separated by one street. Two years ago, you couldn’t break the barrier between heaven and man, and you ran around the city every day with a big rock on your back. I remember it clearly!”

“Guan Heng, tell me the truth. Where have you been these past two years? Did the Guan family chase you away? Did you bear a grudge against them? Did you cultivate demonic arts and plan to go back and take revenge? ”

What kind of nonsense was this?

Guan Heng looked at the youth’s confident expression and felt a terrible headache.

This guy in front of him was from the Zhao family, and he was indeed his childhood playmate.

At that time, the Guan family had not yet developed to its current size, and they had to rely on the local tyrant Zhao family for many areas.

The Zhao family saw the potential of the Guan family, and wanted to nurture a subsidiary family. The two families had a honeymoon period. The patriarch took the lead in calling each other brothers, and Guan Heng was often dragged to play with Zhao Youcai.

At that time, he discovered that although Zhao Youcai had the appearance of a smart person, he was actually muddleheaded and honest on the inside. He was easy to coax and believed anything he said.

But later on, as the Guan family rapidly developed, they gradually showed signs of surpassing the Zhao family.

The Zhao family felt threatened, and their attitude towards the Guan family gradually grew cold. The two were restricted by their families, and they gradually stopped interacting.

“Zhao Youcai, oh Zhao Youcai,” Guan Heng murmured in a low voice, “It’s been so many years, and you haven’t made any progress at all. If you had more brains, you wouldn’t be used as a spear today.”

Zhao Youcai had been staring at Guan Heng. Seeing his lips move, he immediately said nervously, “What did you say? Speak louder, I can’t hear you clearly. ”

“…… I’m praising you for being smart.”

Guan Heng smiled helplessly, his mind spinning.

Reasoning with these people was useless.

What’s more, there had to be someone behind the scenes pushing for today’s matter. It was easy to discredit someone, but hard to explain. No matter how much Guan Heng talked, he might only get a “no” from the crowd, a “no”.

What Central Academy students, when they ate melons, they were no different from the aunties selling melon seeds in the neighborhood.

Thinking like this, Guan Heng’s eyes turned. He raised his head and said sincerely to the students, “Come, since you’ve come to find me today, I’ll talk to you about this so called” mo skill “.”

“In your mind, what is the definition of mo skill?”

“Is it because the cultivation process is bloody and cruel, causing harm to other people or things, and using unconscionable methods to rapidly increase your cultivation in a short time?”

Zhao Youcai thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.

The whispers in the surroundings became much quieter, and many people nodded thoughtfully.

Guan Heng smiled, his voice softening as he said earnestly, “So, if my cultivation process does not cause the above consequences, and it can be popularized and applied to everyone here, then what I cultivate is not a mo skill. Is that right? ”

— — To deal with this group of people who just wanted to watch the show, the first step was to drag them into the water, and make the situation closely related to them.

As expected, as soon as Guan Heng’s words left his mouth, the surrounding people gasped in unison, and their expressions changed abruptly.

There was no xiuzhe that didn’t desire to become stronger.

“Can we popularize it?”

“Really? I can jump five levels in two years? ”

“Yes.” Guan Heng nodded.

The crowd surrounded him, and under their covetous gazes, he very easily patted the hem of his clothes, and with a casual pinch of his fingertips, he created a gust of wind.

Xuan Qi vibrated, and like a long sword, a clean and empty space was instantly cleared on the ground.

Those who were close to him felt their cheeks turn cold, as if a gust of wind had swept past them.

When they lowered their heads, a small layer of stone had been shaved off under their feet. The stone fragments scattered with the wind, revealing a clean cut. Their clothes and shoes were not damaged at all.

Amateurs watched the show, while experts watched the way.

When this precise control of Xuan Qi was displayed, the expressions of many people in the crowd abruptly changed.

Due to their superior numbers, they momentarily forgot that Guan Heng, whom they had cursed and threatened, was not an ordinary person, but a young, promising, and extremely talented expert.

Seeing this, Guan Heng casually smiled and sat down cross-legged.

“Come,” he said in a relaxed manner, “Before I talk about my cultivation method, I’ll first tell everyone a story.”

… …

Xie Ziyou lifted the corner of his skirt, channeled his Xuan Qi, and hurried towards the entrance of the academy like a gust of wind.

When he had just left the academy, he had heard that the Duty Hall had given Guan Heng a mission token, requiring him to pluck a thousand Crafty Butterfly Orchids within seven days.

What bullsh * t!

The Crafty Butterfly Orchids at the back of the mountain were the Dean’s treasures. Raising them was troublesome, and plucking them was even more difficult and thankless. With Guan Heng’s current status as the Dean’s disciple, why would he need to do those complicated tasks?

This was clearly another attempt to trip up the main character.

There was no need to guess who was behind the scenes. Apart from a certain fellow with the surname Wu, Guan Heng didn’t know anyone else in the academy.

Xie Ziyou suppressed his anger and hurried back to the academy to find You Qin. He asked her to bring Liu Shu and the others to pluck the Crafty Butterfly Orchids at the back of the mountain.

After everything was settled, Xie Ziyou walked out of the academy and heard another piece of unbelievable news. Guan Heng was stopped at the entrance of the academy and forced to give an explanation about his demonic skills.

Xie Ziyou: “…”

What kind of main character was this? Was it a troublemaker?

The System was also very helpless. “You You, your Golden Finger Mission is over. You don’t need to care about this anymore …”

“What do you know,” Xie Ziyou explained as he dashed between the buildings. “Good after-sales service is a prerequisite for a company to gain market share.”

“Oh,” The System was amused. “You You, you just did a part-time mission and now you want to steal the jobs of your Golden Finger employees?”

Xie Ziyou’s ears turned red. He pursed his lips and pretended not to hear anything.

The wind blew under his feet. In a few leaps, he leaped dozens of meters. Not long after, the bright red gates of the academy came into view.

… Eh?

Xie Ziyou suddenly felt that something wasn’t right.

The crowd in front of him formed several rows and sat neatly in a circle. It was like the stars surrounding the moon, surrounding the handsome youth in the center.

It didn’t seem like he was gathering a crowd to attack him.

It seemed like … he was playing with his handkerchief?

“Woo woo woo woo woo …”

“Oh my god, this is too tragic!”

“A true warrior, daring to face the bleak life, daring to face the dripping blood, I finally understand the meaning of this sentence …”

The sun moved to the west and the shadows of the trees swayed.

The hottest part of the day had already passed. The cool breeze brought the unique refreshing feeling of the evening. The blue sky was deep, and a trace of red clouds appeared in the distant horizon.

The circle of people sitting on the ground raised their hands to shield themselves from the sun, while secretly rubbing their heads and wiping their tears.

Most of them were born in wealth and had focused on cultivation since young. Large amounts of resources were given to them by others, but they still had to choose and use them. Every time they ate a portion of spirit herbs and pills, they would lose another portion.

How could they know how poor people lived their days outside of the aristocratic families?

Guan Heng filtered and adapted his own experiences and narrated them in an increasingly exaggerated tone.

His eloquence was excellent. His cadence was at his fingertips, and he naturally knew how to lay out and exaggerate. He made up a simple story that was full of twists and turns, filled with suspense, and intoxicating people.

He had a strong sense of substitution.

As Xie Ziyou listened from afar, he was also astonished.

He blinked his beautiful peach blossom eyes and said to the System in surprise, “How come I never knew that Guan Heng had this skill?”

“How come I didn’t know?” The System reminded him. “He told you that he had learned to sing and tell stories.”

Xie Ziyou thought hard for a long time and finally pulled out a few words from the depths of his memories. Back when he had attached the jade bracelet to get close to Guan Heng, the youth had indeed said something similar, but …

“Wasn’t that used to extract information from me?”

Xie Ziyou was puzzled. “He even said that he knew how to butcher a pig.”

The System indicated that it could only help Xie Ziyou recall, but it could not help Xie Ziyou analyze.

Xie Ziyou bit his lower lip and leaped onto the roof of a nearby building.

Beside the building, there was an old tree that trembled and stretched out its branches and leaves.

The green leaves swayed gently and gathered together to form a fresh umbrella, covering for the youth who was carefully lying down on the roof and secretly pricking up his ears.

Xie Ziyou gazed at Guan Heng in the distance.

The bridge of his nose was straight and his eyes were like stars. The corners of the youth’s mouth were slightly raised, as if he was constantly smiling.

The golden sunlight dyed his shiny black hair with a layer of light. The light was reflected in his eyes, as if they were burning with a flame that would never be extinguished.

“… That’s great.”

The System asked, “What’s great?”

Xie Ziyou propped up his chin with the back of his fair hand and used his slender left index finger to point at Guan Heng.

“You see, if he’s willing to tell us about his past, doesn’t that mean he’s coming out of that experience?”

It was the same with his storytelling.

For the past two years, the youth had been trying to separate the past from reality.

He was unwilling to show these skills in front of You You, because they were skills that he had specially learned to please Fairy Xie. It was his history as a tool of the Guan Family’s marriage alliance.

“He should have let it go by now.”

Xie Ziyou said softly, his brows gradually curved, and his peach blossom eyes overflowed with a gratified smile.

A cool breeze blew against his face, like a gentle and holy feather, slowly drifting in the air, landing on his instantly softened heart.

“… But I don’t think so,” the System said softly.

Xie Ziyou was immediately stunned by the doubt.

“Why?”

The System asked, “Didn’t you notice? Guan Heng’s story has always been told in a tragic direction. Many parts of it have been exaggerated to the point of exaggeration. ”

“But there’s one part that should have been the most tragic part, but he’s deliberately avoiding it.”

“Is there?” Xie Ziyou was suspicious. “It’s already very tragic?”

“You You!”

The System said helplessly, “Think about it carefully.”

“About the part where his father, the patriarch of the Guan Family, asked Youqin to silence him … Did he mention anything at all?”

On the wall, Xie Ziyou’s expression was confused. He propped up his chin and fell into deep thought.

As a bystander of the banishment incident, Xie Ziyou naturally knew the whole story.

But in the hearts of the audience in front of Guan Heng, the story was the same as what Guan Heng told it.

Especially for Zhao Youcai, who was sitting closest to him. Every brick, every tile, every street, and every alley Guan Heng spoke of was the place where he lived in his hometown.

As the youth listened to Guan Heng’s narration, he felt as if he was there. He couldn’t help but imagine everything that Guan Heng had told him had happened to him. His father didn’t love him, his grandfather didn’t love him, the maidservant who had taken care of him for many years poisoned the food, and he was chased for thousands of miles …

As he thought about it, Zhao Youcai’s eyes turned red.

He carefully moved to Guan Heng’s side and examined Guan Heng’s face, which was as if it had been carved by a knife. He said bitterly, “Big Brother Guan, I’m sorry. I didn’t even know that you were in such a miserable state …”

Guan Heng smiled casually and didn’t respond.

Miserable was indeed miserable, but there was more to the exaggeration. At least the part about wandering was completely cut off — he wouldn’t reveal all the secrets that were hidden in his heart.

“If I had known that the Guan family treated you this way, I would have definitely brought you to my home.”

Zhao Youcai blinked his bright and round almond-shaped eyes and said sincerely, “Who does the Guan family think they are? Big Brother Guan, why don’t you come home with me? I’ll call some servants and we’ll go to the Guan family to seek justice! ”

“… No need.”

Guan Heng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

This guy was really easy to coax.

How had the Zhao family trained their heir all these years? Weren’t they afraid that he would be abducted while walking on the streets?

Guan Heng patted the youth’s shoulder comfortingly, then lowered his head and whispered in the youth’s ear,

“There’s no need to go home. All you have to do is tell me who told you that I cultivate a demonic art. That’s a great help. ”

“Alright!”

Zhao Youcai didn’t hesitate and immediately said, “It’s Wu Cong, Senior Brother Wu!”

Guan Heng nodded in understanding. His eyes gradually darkened like dark waves surging in the deep sea, rising and falling under the curtain of night.

As expected, it was him.

His guess was right. Wu Cong did have a backup plan.

If he hadn’t returned to the Academy today and had instead spent seven days picking grass on the deserted back mountain, who knew how many people would have heard the rumors seven days later, and who knew how they would have spread the rumors.

Today, it could be said that Guan Heng cultivated a demonic art. The day after that, it could be said that he ate human flesh. The day after that, it could be said that he was a demonic child.

After all, xiuzhe were just special mortals. They also had seven emotions and six desires. Rumors and slander always killed invisibly. No matter how high one’s cultivation was, as long as one was mixed in with the world of mortals, it was inevitable that one would be tormented by these things.

Guan Heng closed his eyes slightly, his mind working rapidly.

Wu Cong had been in the Central Academy for a long time. It could be said that he could cover the sky with one hand.

He probably wouldn’t be able to match the rumors he had purposely spread by relying on a few stories of bitterness.

Moreover, not everyone was a fan of inspirational stories, and not everyone liked to hear stories.

While Guan Heng was thinking carefully, a voice in the crowd said impatiently,

“Hey, Guan Heng, have you finished your story? Where is the cultivation method you spoke of? ”

The surrounding people immediately echoed.

Guan Heng raised his head slightly, took a deep breath, and let it out.

The second step to dealing with the melon eaters was to change the topic, change the concept, use a new question to replace the original focus, and use pressure to lure them with benefits.

The corner of the youth’s mouth rose bit by bit, forming a faint and confident smile. His right hand was raised straight, and he pointed three fingers at the sky.

“There are a total of three points to my cultivation technique.”

“The first is to train in the remote mountains. Dig out the ling plants that have grown from absorbing the essence energy of heaven and earth. Cook them with special methods and absorb them into your body.”

Someone immediately said unhappily, “My family sells ling plants. I’ve eaten more ling plants since I was young than all of you. Why can’t I jump five levels in two years?”

Guan Heng shook his head.

“I’m talking about natural ling plants. Don’t use the things you’ve grown to make up the numbers.”

“Even if your family sells ling plants under the guise of natural ling plants, how many of them are natural ling plants? Is it even ten percent? ”

“You!” That person said angrily, “Don’t slander …”

“You can go home and ask your parents if I’ve slandered you.” Guan Heng said in a low voice. His tone was unyielding, “This student, in front of all the potential customers, don’t ask such questions that expose the quality of your products.”

“…”

That person choked, his face flushed red. He stared at Guan Heng and silently opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn’t say anything like “My family doesn’t sell fake products”.

His lips trembled, and he sat back down.

“Let me continue.” Guan Heng said.

“Second, fight with wild Xuan Beasts with real weapons and spears, regardless of the consequences, regardless of life or death. The location I recommend is deep in the mountains and forests, like the Luo Ridge.”

The surrounding people sucked in a breath of cold air. This time, there were even more people who couldn’t accept this.

Someone yelled in disbelief, “How is this training? You’re sending us to die!”

“You can’t say that.” Guan Heng smiled and patted his chest. “Look at me, haven’t I survived?”

“… You’re different from us!”

Guan Heng raised his eyebrows. “What’s different?”

“Both have two eyes, one mouth, two arms and two legs. If I can do it, why can’t you do it?”

“…”

The indignant voices in the crowd had just started, but they couldn’t think of a way to respond, so they slumped back down.

Guan Heng let out a long sigh.

“But what you said is right.” The youth said righteously. “We are indeed different.”

“I was born stupid. I only broke through the Deva Barrier two years ago.”

“As soon as all of you were born, someone helped you unblock your meridians. You started to condense your Xuan Core at the age of three or five, you broke through the first level at the age of six or seven, and you broke through the second level at the age of ten. At my age, I was at least a third level practitioner. Am I right?”

Guan Heng laughed lightly and touched his nose in self-mockery.

“Your starting line is already further than the end of most people in the world. But why are you now inferior to me? ”

The entire crowd was silent.

After a few seconds, someone carefully opened their mouth. “… Why?”

The corner of Guan Heng’s mouth slightly raised, and his eyes shone brightly.

An invisible pressure suddenly erupted from Xin’s long and thin body, spreading throughout the entire arena.

In an instant, everyone felt as if they had been swept by a strong wind of ten. Everyone was shocked, and their faces were scratched by the aura.

“Because you are not, not, ruthless enough to yourselves.”

The youth enunciated each word with a powerful voice.

The entire crowd was silent.

“Is there anyone else who has any questions about this?”

Guan Heng propped himself up with one hand, and slowly stood up. His ridiculously long legs were propped up casually, and his skinny calves were the color of wheat. Their lines were smooth, and they did not have any obvious muscles, but they faintly contained an extremely strong explosive power.

This time, no one questioned his words.

“If not, I will say the last one.”

The corner of Guan Heng’s mouth curled up into a smile. His voice was calm, but it was like a ringing bell.

“If you want to become stronger, then leave the clan first.”

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