I Cultivate 10,000 Times Faster-Chapter 144: [142] Barnishment!

Then, just as suddenly as he'd moved to defend Levi, the seventh elder returned to his seat. His walking stick tapped against the floor three times as he settled back into his throne, each tap echoing through the hall like a gong being struck.

Levi stood frozen for several seconds, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. The favor? What favor? When had the seventh elder ever owed him anything? They'd never even spoken before this trial!

Levi sighed in relief as he wiped the sweat and blood from his face with trembling hands. The blood wasn't from any external injury, he'd actually bitten through his own tongue during that confrontation, the stress and fear causing him to clench his jaw with such force that he'd drawn blood. The metallic taste filled his mouth, but he was too shaken to care.

He'd been one hundredth of a second away from death. If the seventh elder hadn't reacted with such incredible speed, if the old man had hesitated even for a moment, Levi's head would have exploded like a watermelon being struck by a sledgehammer. He would have died no doubt.

The first elder, who had remained silent throughout the confrontation, now spoke. His voice carried absolute authority, brooking no argument or dissent. "We shall now deliberate on the appropriate punishment for Levi Borne's actions. The facts are clear, he killed two fellow students during the dimensional zone operation. Regardless of the circumstances or justifications, such actions cannot go unpunished. The academy's rules must be upheld, or we descend into chaos."

The elders began to discuss among themselves, their voices creating a low murmur that filled the hall. Some argued for leniency, pointing out the self-defense aspect and Chris's clear malicious intent. Others demanded harsh punishment, citing the need to maintain discipline and order. The third elder, unsurprisingly, called for execution, though his suggestion was quickly shot down by the majority.

After what felt like an eternity but was probably only ten minutes, the first elder raised his hand. The discussions immediately ceased, all eyes turning toward the head of the council.

"We have reached a decision," the first elder declared, his voice echoing through the suddenly silent hall. "Levi Borne, you are hereby judged for the killing of two academy students, Chris Valor and Tomkin Greaves. While we acknowledge that elements of self-defense existed in these incidents, the academy cannot simply overlook such actions without consequence. To do so would set a dangerous precedent and undermine the very foundations of our institution."

Levi's heart sank as he heard his fate being pronounced. He'd known punishment was inevitable, but hearing it spoken aloud made it feel suddenly, terrifyingly real.

"Your rewards for achieving first place in the trial examination will not be given to you," the first elder continued, each word falling like a hammer blow. "Instead, these resources will be used to compensate the academy for the disruption you've caused and to provide reparations to the families of the deceased students. This includes the Chaos Points, the techniques, the relics, and all other prizes that were promised to the first-place finisher."

Levi felt felt that it was unfair but didn't say anything.

But the first elder wasn't finished.

"That's not all," the ancient cultivator continued, his expression grave. "You will not be permitted to attend lectures for six months. During this period, you will receive no instruction from academy teachers, no guidance from experienced cultivators, no access to the knowledge that other students take for granted. Furthermore, you will not receive any resources from the academy during this time. No Chaos Points, no cultivation materials, no access to special training facilities. You will be entirely on your own."

Six months without resources or instruction was essentially academic death for a student. While others would be advancing their cultivation, learning new techniques, and receiving guidance from masters, Levi would be stagnant, falling further and further behind his peers. By the time his punishment ended, students who had been weaker than him would have likely surpassed him completely.

But still the first elder continued, and his next words made Levi's blood run cold.

"Finally, you will be cast into the Hellfrozen Abyss for six months. During your imprisonment, you will be fed only once per month. These are the terms of your punishment, non-negotiable and absolute."

The hall erupted into shocked murmurs. Even some of the elders seemed surprised by the harshness of this final element of the punishment. The Hellfrozen Abyss, they were actually sending him to that cursed place?

Levi's face went even paler. The Hellfrozen Abyss wasn't a prison in the traditional sense. It was a small-world prison, an artificial dimensional space created specifically to contain the academy's worst criminals and traitors. It was where they sent the absolutely irredeemable, the cultivators who had committed crimes so heinous that execution would have been too merciful.

The Abyss was home to murderers, rapists, traitors who had sold out the academy to dimensional beasts or dark cultivators, and psychopaths who had used forbidden techniques to slaughter innocents. Some of the prisoners there had been Fiend Warriors or even Fiendgod realm cultivators before they'd been stripped of most of their power and imprisoned. Even weakened, they were incredibly dangerous.

But what made the Hellfrozen Abyss truly terrifying was its fundamental nature. The dimensional space had been specifically designed to suppress all forms of supernatural power. There was no Astra energy within its boundaries, the very air was dead and lifeless, devoid of the spiritual power that cultivators needed to function. Nobody could use their talents or bloodline abilities there. Astra Souls couldn't be manifested. Techniques that relied on external energy would simply fail to activate.

Only the physical body could be used in the Abyss. Raw strength, speed, endurance, these were the only things that mattered within those cursed walls. And for someone like Levi, who was only at the Genetic Soldier realm, being thrown into a prison full of criminals who had once been Fiend Warriors or higher was essentially a death sentence.

This punishment was even harsher than outright execution, because at least execution would be quick. In the Abyss, Levi would suffer for six months, constantly fighting for his life against hardened killers, slowly starving on one meal per month, surrounded by the absolute worst individuals the academy had ever produced. There was a ninety percent chance, probably higher, that he would die within the first week, his body torn apart by prisoners who would see a weak Genetic Soldier as easy prey.

The only reason to choose this punishment over execution was if they wanted him to suffer, if they wanted to send a message that killing fellow students, regardless of justification, would result in a fate worse than death.

Levi gritted his teeth so hard he thought they might crack.

Instead of raging or pleading, Levi simply inhaled deeply, forcing his anger down into the depths of his soul where it could burn cold and patient. He straightened his spine, squared his shoulders, and met the first elder's gaze directly.

"I accept," Levi said, his voice steady despite the anger he was feeling.

The third elder's lips curled into a smirk.

Even if I can't kill you now, I can kill you later!"

He'd lost the opportunity to kill Levi directly, but watching the boy be thrown into the Abyss to be torn apart by prisoners was almost as satisfying.

"Guards!" the third elder barked, his voice filled with barely-contained glee. "Take him to the Abyssal Prison immediately! There's no reason to delay such an important punishment. The sooner he's thrown into that hell, the sooner justice will be served."

Two Fiend Warriors materialized from the shadows at the edges of the hall. They'd been present the entire time, invisible and undetectable, waiting for orders. Now they stepped forward, their forms becoming visible as they approached Levi.

Both guards were massive men, easily over two meters tall, with bodies that looked like they'd been carved from solid steel. They wore the distinctive black armor of the academy's enforcement division, their faces hidden behind expressionless masks that made them seem more like machines than humans. The pressure radiating from their bodies confirmed their cultivation realm, both were at least Level 5 Fiend Warriors, possibly higher.

The guards moved with mechanical precision, positioning themselves on either side of Levi. One of them produced a pair of specialized restraints, metal bands that would seal around his wrists and suppress any attempt to use Astra energy or activate techniques. The restraints clicked into place with an ominous finality.

Then, without ceremony or gentleness, the guards seized Levi by his arms. Their grip was like iron, completely unbreakable. Even if Levi had wanted to resist, even if he'd been at full power with all his techniques available, he couldn't have broken free. The difference in their strength was simply too vast.

***

Elder Chamber Three fell silent after Levi's departure, the weight of their decision hanging heavy in the artificially expanded space. The seven mountains representing elemental law continued their eternal manifestations—fire blazing, water cascading, metal humming—indifferent to mortal concerns.

The First Elder, whose mastery of life and nature was absolute, spoke first. His voice carried the rustling of leaves and the creaking of ancient wood. "The boy accepted his fate without begging. That shows character."