Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 136 - 127: The Bet Between East Campus and West Courtyard
Xu Fang was taken aback, he had already figured it out.
The Seventh Prince did not come with good intentions this time.
"So, Seventh Prince, what do you mean?" Xu Fang’s voice turned several degrees colder, and his eyes became more piercing.
"My meaning is quite simple. The Great Qian Martial Institute has no need to remain divided into the East Campus and West Courtyard... there was never a distinction between East and West from the beginning. Continuing to fight with this division does no one any good, especially the disciples who suffer losses without cause!"
The Seventh Prince glanced at Xu Fang and said indifferently.
"Of course, the Seventh Prince’s words are reasonable!"
Xu Fang’s response, however, caught the Seventh Prince off guard.
Then Xu Fang continued, "But if the Martial Institute is not divided into the West Courtyard and East Campus, how can we ensure that each disciple enjoys their rightful entitlements? And how can we make sure that the disciples from the local state prefectures are not bullied by those from noble families?"
"Moreover, the most important point is, if the division between the East and West of the Great Qian Martial Institute is abolished, how should it be managed, and how should the previous doctrines be established?"
"Heh..." Qin Chang looked at Xu Fang with a mocking smile and said, "Dean Xu seems to be overthinking it, don’t you think? Our idea is to directly abolish the West Courtyard, incorporate all the elders into the East Campus, including you, Xu Fang. You could continue to serve at the Great Qian Martial Institute, even as a vice-dean, or if Dean Xu is too busy with cultivation and has no desire to manage the Martial Institute, you could take up the position of honorary dean and explain cultivation insights to the disciples when you have time..."
Qin Chang’s words were quite overt.
This was a direct power grab.
They were asking Xu Fang to relinquish his authority as the head of the West Courtyard, and to offer him the position of vice-dean was just lip service. If Xu Fang actually took up that position, he would likely be sidelined.
As for honorary dean, it was nothing more than a title.
Qin Chang’s words made Xu Fang snort coldly.
"It seems that Dean Xu is not pleased with this decision? However, this is also the Seventh Prince’s idea!" Jun Tiance, seated next to Qin Chang, sneered tauntingly.
"The Seventh Prince’s idea? So what!" Xu Fang laughed coldly, "Is the royal palace intending to intervene in the affairs of the Great Qian Martial Institute now? Since the founding Emperor established Great Qian, there has never been a rule for royal supervision over the Martial Institute. Is the Seventh Prince willing to commit a great taboo, breaking the rules set by generations of Emperors?"
"How dare you!"
The white-browed, clean-faced elder next to the Seventh Prince screeched, pointing his orchid-fingered hand at Xu Fang.
"Xu Fang, how dare you speak to the Seventh Prince like that, who do you think you are?"
The Seventh Prince also smiled coldly, his lips curling slightly, "Xu Fang, times have changed. The current situation has greatly changed from the past. That the Great Qian Martial Institute is not managed by the royal family is not an officially law-codified rule. Some old things, if they no longer fit the times, should indeed be changed!"
"Dean Xu, I’ve heard that you recently broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Let me congratulate you here."
As he spoke, the Seventh Prince waved his hand, and a dazzling light flew out towards Dean Xu, hovering in the air before him.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that this was a pill emitting the power of heaven and earth.
A pill that could emanate the power of heaven and earth was definitely a Fifth Rank elixir, most suitable for cultivation by Martial Ancestors in the Nascent Soul Realm!
Such an elixir, each one exceedingly precious, was worth a fortune.
"This is a small token of goodwill, Dean Xu. If you are willing to serve under me and help me achieve great things, this pill is only a meeting gift... and you’ll definitely not lack benefits in the future!"
Xu Fang’s eyelids twitched, and Qin Chang next to him similarly had shining eyes.
The Fifth Rank Heavenly Earth Pill!
Martial Arts Ancestors in the Nascent Soul Realm, through comprehending the power of heaven and earth and using it for the Tempering of the Nascent Soul, continually enhanced the power of their Nascent Soul and improved their own Cultivation.
The Heavenly Earth Pill was the most suitable elixir for cultivation, every single one incredibly precious, and it was extremely difficult to obtain with money not always being able to buy them.
The fact that the Seventh Prince could directly present such a pill showed his sincere intentions.
If Xu Fang nodded, this pill would be his.
Xu Fang’s eyelids flickered slightly.
To be honest, it was impossible not to be tempted...
But—
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Seventh Prince! This pill is indeed a treasure, but I’m afraid I, Xu Fang, am not fortunate enough to enjoy it!"
Xu Fang gently pushed, and the Heavenly Earth Pill hovering in the air flew back in front of the Seventh Prince.
"Heh! "
The Seventh Prince smiled coldly, retrieving the pill into his Spirit Ring.
"Xu Fang! You choose not to eat the toast and instead face the penalty drink! The Seventh Prince intends to recruit you, and yet you act so unappreciative?" the clean-faced, white-browed elder pointed at Xu Fang and rebuke.
"Heh, an eunuch, of course, wouldn’t understand why I do this!"
Xu Fang retorted coldly.
"You!" The white-browed, clean-faced elder became furious at these words, stepping forward with surging spiritual power in his hand, he directly moved to attack Xu Fang.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
He struck out with a palm, and the surrounding air suddenly turned extremely frigid; the floor, as well as the several large pillars around them and the beams of the great hall, instantly frosted over.
Xu Fang’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a trace of caution in his pupils. He was about to make a move when suddenly a robust flame aura flew in from the side.
"Whoosh!"
It was another palm.
This palm was starkly different from the palm force of the old man with white eyebrows and a clean face; it was a palm imprint as scorching as fire.
"Bang!"
When the two palm imprints collided, they immediately stirred up a violent gale in the hall.
At the same time, the layer of ice that had just formed on the ground, on the pillars, and on the beams melted into droplets of water instantaneously, which evaporated completely in the following few breaths.
It was at this moment that the crowd saw another young man, dressed in brocade and wearing a Dragon Ring Jade Pendant at his waist, with a gentle, smiling expression, walking in elegantly.
Two people followed closely beside the young man; one of them was clad in a rich red robe, his eyebrows like two swords inching backwards into his hair, the color of his hair and eyebrows as red as fire, and his entire person emitting a scorching heat akin to fierce flames.
On the other side, the middle-aged man in a light blue long robe, with a scarf wrapped around his head, had an elegant demeanor but eyes as sharp as stars.
These two were also Nascent Soul Realm martial ancestors.
Clearly, the one who made the move was the young man surrounded by the fiery aura.
"Third Prince!"
Seeing the newcomer, Qin Chang and the others showed signs of unease on their faces.
The Seventh Prince even stood up: "Third Brother, what wind has brought you here today?"
The Third Prince laughed and said, "Nothing much. I heard that today is the end-of-year battle between the East Campus and the West Courtyard of the Great Qian Martial Institute, so I thought I’d come and enjoy the excitement."
"What happened just now, how did you all start fighting?"
"Third Prince, just in time. You can represent our West Courtyard and uphold justice!"
At this moment, Xu Fang bowed his hand to the Third Prince: "Just now, the Seventh Prince said that he wanted our Great Qian Martial Institute to eliminate the distinction between east and west, but he also wanted to strip me of my power in favor of Qin Chang taking charge of the entire institute. I was thinking that, as a royal, the Seventh Prince seems to have no right to interfere in this matter..."
After hearing this, the Third Prince nodded, "That’s right, Dean Xu is correct. Seventh Brother, here’s where you are wrong..."
The Third Prince looked at the Seventh Prince and continued, "Our royal family should not interfere in the affairs of the Great Qian Martial Institute. This is the rule left by our ancestors, so, Seventh Brother, you must not do something that goes against our ancestors’ wishes!"
"Third Brother, there’s no need to pretend!" the Seventh Prince said with a chuckle, "Isn’t your visit to the martial institute the same as mine? Since we all have the same goal, why not simply tell it as it is? From now on, the Great Qian Martial Institute should either belong to me or to you. How about we make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?" The Third Prince’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bet on the outcome of today’s East Campus versus West Courtyard of the Great Qian Martial Institute! If the East Campus wins, then we do as we said, and from now on, Qin Chang will manage the Great Qian Martial Institute..."
"However, if the East Campus loses, then Xu Fang will take charge of the entire institute. What do you think?"
The words of the Seventh Prince caused the Third Prince to show a hint of hesitation.
It was well-known that the strength of the East Campus vastly surpassed that of the West Courtyard, and not by a small margin either.
Such a bet seemed utterly meaningless.
"Such a bet doesn’t seem fair, does it?" the Third Prince said with some hesitation.
"There’s nothing unfair about it! In fact, the situation is just like this. What, Third Brother, are you too scared to bet?"
"If you’re too scared to bet, it doesn’t matter. After the competition ends, Qin Chang will take control of the entire Great Qian Martial Institute!"
The Seventh Prince was aggressive, leaving no room for negotiation.
The Third Prince let out a cold laugh, about to speak.
But at this moment, Xu Fang suddenly said, "Fine, we’ll go by the bet you propose!"
"Huh?"
All eyes shifted to Xu Fang.
"Hahaha..." The Seventh Prince laughed heartily: "Good, Dean Xu is straightforward. Since we’ve decided, let’s proceed according to the bet."
"Xu Fang, I didn’t expect you would agree to such a bet!" Qin Chang also shook his head with a smile, seemingly certain that the East Campus would win this competition.
The outcome appeared to be predestined!
"Since it’s settled, Seventh Prince, Third Prince, let’s all go witness this year’s end-of-year battle between the East Campus and the West Courtyard. Let’s see which side will win this victory!" The old man with white eyebrows said, half-smiling.
"Ah! Xu Fang, why did you just agree to them?"
As the Seventh Prince and others left, the middle-aged man in the blue shirt beside the Third Prince spoke with regret.
"If not agreeing to them, then what?" Xu Fang gave a helpless smile: "What could I do if I didn’t agree? The situation is already on their side. Even if I refused, the Great Qian Martial Institute would likely end up in their hands. It’s better to take a gamble; there’s at least a glimmer of hope."
However, as he said this, the smile on Xu Fang’s face became even more helpless and bitter.
Is there really still a glimmer of hope?
