Chapter 656 - 420: Emergence
Chapter 656: Chapter 420: Emergence
Shen Lian’s eyes turned cold. Although he had only struck out casually, his Cultivation had long since reached the Celestial Essence Fourth Layer, nearing Perfection. Yet, his blow had only forced Xu Yang back a single step. His opponent’s physical body was much stronger than he had imagined.
Just as he was about to launch another attack, Xu Yang’s words made his expression change. "Bullshit! I wasn’t trying to rob you; I just wanted to take a look at it."
If he were labeled with the serious accusation of using martial force to rob a fellow student, even as a Master of Weapon Forging, he wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.
He had been a little too anxious, impatient to see how badly Xu Yang had ruined the Celestial Star Tungsten Steel, so he reached out to grab it. Little did he expect Xu Yang to react so swiftly, retaliating with a backhand Palm strike that escalated the situation into an attempted robbery of a classmate’s belongings.
Celestial Strategy Academy’s rules were extremely strict. Since every student was a genius, if they weren’t properly restrained and anyone could strike out at will, the Academy would have long been reduced to ruins by its own students. If this accusation were officially pinned on him, even if he wasn’t expelled from Celestial Strategy Academy, he would still be subjected to months of solitary confinement.
"Just wanted to take a look? Did I give you permission to look at my belongings before you made your move? You forced me back a step with a Palm strike, and you call that ’just taking a look’?" Xu Yang sneered.
Shen Lian’s face darkened. He had genuinely only wanted to see it and had no intention of robbing him, but the fact remained that he had made the first move.
Once a move was made, whether it was out of curiosity or an attempt at armed robbery, the outcome didn’t make much of a difference.
"Xu Yang, Brother Shen was just curious about what you forged the Celestial Star Tungsten Steel into. There’s no need to blow things out of proportion," someone spoke up.
"Have you made enough of a scene, Xu Yang? Brother Shen is just showing concern for you. Let him see what the Celestial Star Tungsten Steel looks like now. If it can still be salvaged, Brother Shen definitely won’t just stand by and watch. Will you only be happy if you completely destroy the Celestial Star Tungsten Steel?" Lu Ren said self-righteously.
Xu Yang couldn’t help but marvel at how this guy’s skill at being a lapdog was getting stronger and stronger; his proficiency was nearly catching up to Luo Dehu’s back in the day.
Shen Lian had forcefully tried to look at his belongings without permission, yet coming from Lu Ren’s mouth, it was somehow Xu Yang who was making a scene.
"My things, even if they turn into scrap metal, have nothing to do with him. What right does he have to snatch them?" Xu Yang shifted his gaze to Lu Ren. "You have the numbers, and your Cultivation is stronger than mine. I can’t afford to provoke you all. I’ll ask Teacher Jin Yu to judge this matter. Whether it was out of goodwill or an outright robbery, you can explain it to Teacher Jin Yu and the Law Enforcement Hall."
"Don’t!" Shen Lian hastily stopped him. "I admit I acted impulsively. Let’s not escalate this to the Law Enforcement Hall and the teachers. I apologize to you, Brother Xu, and I’ll compensate you with some academic credits. How about that?"
He forcefully suppressed the surging anger in his heart. He had struck out under the watchful eyes of the crowd; taking the matter to the teachers wouldn’t change the outcome much in his favor.
With that, he turned around and entered the stone chamber, quickly returning with thirty academic credits. "Please forgive me, Brother Xu."
Xu Yang knew when to stop while he was ahead.
If he reported this to Jin Yu, Shen Lian would certainly be thrown into solitary confinement, but Xu Yang wouldn’t gain any tangible benefits from it. Now that there were academic credits to be had, why not take them? If Shen Lian was dissatisfied and wanted revenge later, Xu Yang would gladly oblige. The grudge had already been formed, and it wasn’t going to simply vanish just because Shen Lian bowed his head now.
"Alright, I’ll pretend this never happened."
Taking the academic credits, Xu Yang left with a smile.
The moment he turned his back, the smile on Shen Lian’s face entirely morphed into an icy glare.
"Xu Yang has gone too far! To think he actually blackmailed Brother Shen for academic credits," Lu Ren said, adding fuel to the fire. Though his mouth complained of injustice on Shen Lian’s behalf, his heart was blooming with joy.
"He probably forged the Celestial Star Tungsten Steel into scrap metal, which is why he flew into a rage out of humiliation and took it out on Brother Shen," someone remarked.
Shen Lian narrowed his eyes and remained silent. He didn’t even get to see the item, yet he had been extorted out of thirty academic credits by Xu Yang just to settle the matter. A monstrous inferno of rage was already roaring in his heart.
Upon returning to his courtyard, Xu Yang didn’t immediately begin nurturing his saber.
He hadn’t rested for many consecutive days, so he planned to take a two-day break. He would wait until his Essence, Qi, and Spirit returned to their peak state before he started nurturing his saber.
He thought, "Once the process of Nurturing Soldiers is complete, I’ll take a trip back to the Purple Sun Sect."
The Starlight Grass needed to be delivered to Xu Qing as soon as possible. Even though the medicinal properties wouldn’t dissipate while in his possession, he still needed to send it quickly to enhance her talent, allowing her to break through to the Celestial Essence Realm as soon as possible.
Setting his things down, he made his way to the dining hall, having not eaten a proper meal in days.
"If it isn’t our very own Weapon Forger Xu Yang! I heard you couldn’t bear to spend the money to hire a master and forged Weapons yourself instead. Hurry up and take it out so we can broaden our horizons."
He had just entered the dining hall when he coincidentally bumped into Wan He. The man immediately spoke in a sarcastic and mocking tone.
The news of Xu Yang attempting to create a Forged Soldier himself had long since spread thanks to the deliberate publicity from Lu Ren, Shen Lian, and the others. Hearing Wan He’s words, everyone in the dining hall turned their attention over.
The fact that Xu Yang was creating a Forged Soldier himself had truly shocked quite a few people.
"Idiot. If you don’t know what a Forged Soldier is, then stop spouting bullshit and displaying your own ignorance," Xu Yang said coldly.
Wan He laughed. "It’s true that I don’t understand Forged Soldiers, but I do know how to appreciate one. If you have the guts, take it out and let everyone see what kind of garbage you managed to forge using top-tier materials like the Celestial Star Tungsten Steel."
"That’s right, take it out and show everyone!"
"It’s already turned into scrap metal. How could he possibly have the nerve to bring it out and embarrass himself?"
"I heard Master Shen Lian wanted to take a look just now, but Xu Yang flew into a rage from humiliation and extorted thirty academic credits from him."
Du Ziming, Fang Xu, and several others joined in the jeering, backed up by the rest of the crowd. They all wanted to see exactly what kind of Weapons Xu Yang could whip up from an item he had refused to sell for two thousand academic credits and twenty thousand Spirit Coins.
"You’ll have your chance to see it," Xu Yang said, his gaze sweeping over the jeering crowd one by one.
"Then take it out for us to see right now!" Wan He continued to pester him relentlessly, determined to make a fool out of Xu Yang.
"You idiot. From the start of forging to the finished product, a Spiritual Soldier has to go through multiple procedures. It takes at least a month or two. The item isn’t even fully forged yet, so how can he show it to you?" Sun Tao said as he strode over.