Chapter 24: The Student Council’s Reckoning

The student council’s primary responsibility lay in upholding school discipline, fostering unity among students and between students and faculty, and assisting the academy in cultivating an excellent environment for teaching, learning, and daily life.

Yet, Zhang Liang emerged as the very villain who sought to undermine these foundational principles.

Leveraging his formidable power and immense wealth, he had brazenly corrupted two of the Ten Elites: Fan Sha and Lin Na.

Possessing authority on par with that of the academy’s teachers, the student council was steadfast in its commitment to upholding regulations and ensuring a fair learning environment for new students, thus absolutely forbidding any attempts at gaining entry through illicit means.

Truly, he was the proverbial single drop of poison that threatened to spoil the entire pot, an odious presence threatening to corrupt the very integrity of the institution.

With an amplification staff clutched in one hand and a stack of documents in the other, the student council leader delivered an impassioned address before the assembled examinees.

This individual, Que Xinyan, a second-year student at Holy Spirit Academy, had distinguished herself among the previous year’s newcomers through her exceptional academic achievements and an unyielding, righteous character.

She had been recruited into the student council immediately upon advancing to her second year.

Prior to her arrival, she had meticulously verified Zhang Liang’s recent transgressions, and the documents she now held served as irrefutable proof of his actions over the past few days.

Furthermore, the informant who had provided these crucial leads had already affixed their signature, lending an exceptionally high degree of credibility to the claims.

With this compelling body of evidence, Que Xinyan remained unwavering in her conviction that Zhang Liang had undeniably attempted to secure his entry through illicit means.

“Therefore,” she declared, “on behalf of the student council, I formally reject this individual’s admission to Holy Spirit Academy!”

Zhang Liang’s jaw dropped, his entire being struck dumbfounded.

‘Damn it all! We’ve come so far, only for a female ‘Cheng Yaojin’ to suddenly emerge and disrupt everything?’

Upon hearing Que Xinyan’s impassioned speech, the new students found her arguments profoundly compelling.

How could an individual who had failed both examinations utterly possibly defeat two of the Ten Elites?

Especially two of them.

They surmised he must have secured his entry through illicit influence and connections, perhaps even coercing the Ten Elites into participating in a staged performance.

A surge of indignation swept through the assembled examinees, their outrage escalating with each passing moment.

‘Why should the wealthy be permitted to act with impunity? Why should those in positions of power be allowed to flaunt their arrogance and dominance?’

Their sole purpose in coming to Holy Spirit Academy was to acquire formidable abilities, to break free from the tyranny of capitalists, and to forge a path toward a better life.

Yet, despite their own decade or more of arduous study, and even risking their lives to participate in the entrance examination, this man had shamelessly exploited his connections to gain an unfair advantage, brazenly putting on a performance before thousands.

‘This is a calculated psychological assault! A profound humiliation!’

Zhang Liang’s inherently sinister appearance, compounded by this egregious series of events, caused the examinees’ hatred for him to fester to the very core of their beings.

They branded him a philandering scoundrel, a depraved wretch who would even harm his own women, and a vile capitalist who shamelessly exploited power and wealth to forge illicit connections.

He was nothing less than a public enemy!

Driven by an incandescent rage, the examinees raised their fists and bellowed:

“Down with the capitalists!”

“Proletariat, unite!”

The cries spread like wildfire, from one to ten, then to hundreds, and soon the roars of thousands drew the attention of those beyond the academy walls.

Even the ever-perceptive bards hurried to the scene, their expressions tense as they keenly observed the unfolding situation.

Before long, a myriad of embellished accounts would undoubtedly permeate every street and alley.

The teachers, however, wore expressions etched with dismay, for they had never before witnessed such a tumultuous scene and were utterly at a loss as to how to manage it.

While an Imperial Domain cultivator might have been able to quell the commotion, the teachers present were, at best, peak Spirit Realm practitioners, entirely incapable of suppressing such a fervent uprising.

Furthermore, they remained unaware of any agreement Teacher Fan might have struck with Zhang Liang, and acting without proper authorization risked severe repercussions.

While the examinees might have been oblivious, the teachers were unequivocally certain that Zhang Liang’s displayed strength was unquestionably authentic.

The Ten Elites represented the pinnacle of martial prowess within the empire.

Yet, Zhang Liang had emerged utterly unscathed after defeating two of them, each falling to his single, decisive strikes.

Such a feat, if merely recounted, would be utterly unbelievable, defying all common sense.

Nevertheless, it had undeniably unfolded right before their very eyes.

Should he truly unleash his full fury, he possessed the power to topple the very foundations of the empire.

Witnessing Zhang Liang’s chilling, malevolent smile, the teachers collectively swallowed hard, their bodies trembling as they exerted every ounce of their will to subtly distance themselves from him.

The examinees’ vocal condemnation intensified, transforming into a deafening, overwhelming torrent of outrage.

An ordinary individual would undoubtedly have been terrified to their very core by such a spectacle, desperate to burrow into the earth and vanish from sight.

Yet, Zhang Liang, with an air of defiant confidence, strode purposefully towards the examinees, brazenly slinging his wooden sword over his shoulder.

“Silence!” A colossal wave of killing intent, potent enough to taint the very air, emanated from Zhang Liang, spreading outwards.

His voice, imbued with an undeniable aura of majesty, seemed to pierce directly into their souls, and those two simple words instantly silenced the examinees, leaving them too terrified to utter a sound.

“Heh, indeed, I did use a backdoor,” Zhang Liang sneered, “What precisely do you pathetic fools intend to do about it, huh?!”

Zhang Liang harbored an innate disdain for scenes where individuals, emboldened by their sheer numbers, ganged up to bully others.

Having been abandoned by his parents at a tender age, he had frequently endured the mockery and torment of groups of three or five.

He had sworn that once he possessed true strength, he would never again suffer such humiliation!

This very scene awakened harrowing memories from his previous life.

Where once he had been powerless to retaliate against his tormentors, in this life, he gripped his sword hilt with resolute determination, vowing that no matter who dared to cross him, he would retaliate in kind!

At that moment, as Zhang Liang confronted thousands, his imposing aura remained undiminished, even by a hair’s breadth.

Zhang Liang’s palpable killing intent caused the teachers to gasp sharply; its sheer density far exceeded anything a peak Mortal Domain cultivator could unleash.

Even a pinnacle Imperial Domain expert would likely fall short of his terrifying presence.

To possess such an intense killing intent, this individual must have undoubtedly taken innumerable lives, likely numbering in the tens of thousands.

‘If this continues,’ the teachers mused grimly, ‘it will end disastrously.

Should he decide to unleash a massacre here, there is no one who can possibly stop him.’

A teacher swiftly snatched the amplification staff from Que Xinyan, and with a voice betraying a slight tremor, declared loudly, “Regarding this matter, the academy will handle it appropriately.

As for examinee Zhang Liang’s situation, we will verify all facts with Teacher Fan upon his return.”

The teachers were desperate to quell the burgeoning unrest, yet the examinees remained unconvinced.

“He has already admitted to using a backdoor,” one shouted, “What more is there to verify?”

“Have you been bribed as well? We refuse to accept this!”

The clamor of the examinees’ dissent swelled, their unified shouts echoing: “Justice! Fairness! Equality!”

Witnessing the escalating chaos, the teachers began to seriously contemplate resignation.

‘If we truly displease him, we’ll all be utterly ruined!’

“Fairness? Equality?” Zhang Liang scoffed, throwing his head back in a peal of derisive laughter.

“You fools! This world fundamentally knows no such concepts as fairness or equality!”

Upon his arrival in this world, Zhang Liang had once harbored similar aspirations, yet reality had brutally disabused him of such naive fantasies.

Suddenly, his killing intent surged severalfold, and Zhang Liang bellowed, “Justice? Only the powerful dictate what is just!”

Witnessing Zhang Liang descend into a state of barely contained frenzy, a flicker of unease began to stir within the examinees.

“You are questioning my abilities, are you not?”

“N-no… that’s right!” one stammered.

While an ordinary person would have cowered in abject terror before Zhang Liang’s demonic visage, the thousands present, emboldened by their collective presence, still found the courage to defy him.

“Hahahaha!” Zhang Liang threw his head back once more, his laughter echoing, then fixed them with a contemptuous gaze.

“Hmph, a pathetic rabble.”

The very next second, Zhang Liang’s eyes sharpened, and he pointed his sword directly at the multitude.

His gaze, laced with disdain, swept menacingly across the thousands of examinees as he declared in a contemptuous tone, “I! Zhang Liang! Hereby declare war upon every single one of you! Do you! Dare to accept my challenge?!”

His proclamation instantly widened the eyes of all present, leaving them to doubt the very evidence of their own ears.

‘He, alone, declares war upon thousands of us?’

‘Is he actively seeking death?’

‘A single collective spit could drown him.’

‘Does he truly believe himself to be one of the Ten Elites?’

“Those who are prepared to face the consequences! Step forward!” Zhang Liang challenged, his gaze filled with scorn as he made a provocative gesture with his hand.