The afterparty entertainment at the Will Star Banquet consisted of society battles.
If any leader disagreed with the reassigned society rankings, they could initiate a society battle and reclaim their interests through sheer strength.
However, successes were exceedingly rare.
The reason rankings dropped in the first place was the poor battle records of their members. Unless they broke through after a defeat, launching a society battle was just asking for more abuse.
In the script, Zi Xunyi had volunteered to step up, calling it a welcoming gift for him as she pierced straight through three opponents.
But now, with Zi Xunyi pregnant, Yan Zhen didn’t want her fighting anyone.
Yet Zi Xunyi had seen the memories from her previous life. She naturally wouldn’t pass up the chance to lend him a hand. She insisted on facing off against Black Horn’s members, revealing her true strength before all the General Star List experts and shocking those who had dismissed her as nothing more than a pretty flower.
A Mystic King powerhouse!
Back then, the single palm that had repelled No. 2 on the General Star List, Wen Canglan, wasn’t because he liked her and held back. No, it was because her cultivation had always surpassed every student in the Inner Academy!
A Mystic King powerhouse, no less—and one who had dual-cultivated both divine and Mystic powers. Against opponents in the Mystic General Realm, she pierced through all three without a shred of suspense.
Black Horn lost all face and retreated in disgrace, heads bowed low.
Zi Xunyi returned gracefully to her seat.
Yan Zhen quickly placed Long Ying on Huangfu Wenqing’s lap and rose to support his pregnant wife.
Zi Xunyi felt both amused and exasperated by his overly cautious fussing. She whispered, “You don’t need to be so tense. I’m not about to give birth.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Yan Zhen said righteously. “I told you not to go up there, but you wouldn’t listen.”
“That Wu Tie was trying to provoke you into fighting. He planned to have his underlings wear down your mystic power first, then swoop in to defeat you while you were weakened and restore his confidence. How could I let him have his way?”
“Wifey, you’re the best~”
“Don’t call me that. What if someone hears?”
“Then I’ll transmit it… Wifey, you’re the best~”
Zi Xunyi’s cheeks flushed red at her irreverent husband’s antics. She lowered her head slightly and ignored him.
In the distance, Wen Canglan watched their intimate exchange, jealousy gnawing at him until his teeth nearly shattered.
Why was Zi Ji getting so close to Yan Zhen even after knowing he had a fiancée?
Why did Yan Zhen’s fiancée show no reaction to it?
Could it be—no!!!
The possibility of “two women serving one husband” flashed through his mind, but Wen Canglan immediately rejected it.
Zi Xunyi was the daughter of the Heavenly God Clan chief, her status more noble than even the Saint Son or Saintesses of the Holy Land. Her standards were sky-high—how could she share her husband with another woman?
Perhaps Huangfu Wenqing wasn’t really Yan Zhen’s fiancée. Even if she was, maybe they shared no feelings!
Having convinced himself otherwise, Wen Canglan grew even more furious at the sight of Yan Zhen.
He had always gotten whatever he wanted growing up, which gradually eroded his passion for everything. That all changed when he met Zi Xunyi. He fell for her at first sight, igniting a burning desire in his heart for the first time. He swore he would make her his—no one else would touch her!
“‘Black Horn’ drops to eleventh place, and ‘Yan Huang’ rises to seventh. Does anyone else have objections?”
Wen Canglan stood up and said calmly, “I disagree.”
All eyes in the venue turned to this No. 2 on the General Star List. The beauty spokesperson from Seven-Star said solemnly, “Young Master Wen, please state your reason.”
“Surely everyone remembers when the Two Extremes Secret Realm first opened. We entered the Yang Pole Secret Realm and teamed up against a Fifth-Tier Magma Ape. After we finally slew it and obtained a Fire Spirit Crystal along with a pile of crystal ore, two little thieves suddenly burst out. One snatched the Fire Spirit Crystal, and the other grabbed the crystal ore.”
“So what?”
“From my investigation, those two thieves were none other than Yan Zhen and Long Ying from ‘Yan Huang.’ They swooped in midway and stole the fruits of our hard labor! A society that acts so dishonorably doesn’t deserve a spot in the Top Ten Societies or to serve as a role model. The Inner Academy encourages competition, yes—but underhanded theft like this is utterly unacceptable!”
Wen Canglan made his accusation with righteous indignation before all his fellow students!
Three or four months had passed, and most people had nearly forgotten the incident. His reminder reignited their frustration, and questioning gazes turned toward Yan Zhen—and Long Ying on his lap.
Even the leaders of Pill King and Artifact Spirit looked utterly speechless, as if to say, “You thick-browed, big-eyed Yan Zhen actually screwed us over without a peep!”
Vice Dean Wen Qingshan interjected in a timely manner. “Sneaking around isn’t the act of a true man. Our academy’s students should be upright and bold in their pursuits… However, we can’t settle this on one side’s word alone. Canglan, do you have evidence proving those thieves were the two from ‘Yan Huang’?”
Wen Canglan’s lips curved slightly as he cupped his hands. “Reporting to the Vice Dean, I do indeed have evidence. Behold the Reflecting Light Mirror. The thieves moved at extreme speed—we could barely react. They used an exceedingly Mystic movement technique with one distinct feature: starlight flashing at each landing point, identical to the one used by Junior Brother Yan Zhen. I’ve checked—the academy has no such Starlight movement technique on record. In the entire Inner Academy, only Junior Brother Yan Zhen possesses it!”
Vice Dean Wen Qingshan nodded. “Movement mystic techniques are rare to begin with, and the Inner Academy has no starlight-type ones in its collection. It would seem they are indeed the culprits… Student Yan Zhen, what do you have to say for yourself?”
With grandfather and grandson singing from the same hymnbook, they pushed Yan Zhen straight onto the “defendant’s stand” for a public trial of his crimes!
Half the Top Ten Societies had already been looped in by Wen Canglan. They now chimed in one after another, demanding Yan Zhen explain himself.
The members of Seven-Star, Transformation Butterfly, Artifact Spirit, and Pill King all frowned.
Ling Fei hated being played the most. He’d completely forgotten about it until now, but Wen Canglan’s words stoked his rage. “Kid named Yan, give us an explanation. Was it you?”
Yan Zhen was munching on melon while feeding seeds to Long Ying, listening to their denunciations with a look of utter bafflement. “Yeah, it was me. So what? You lot were the ones hunting the Fifth-Tier Magma Ape, sure—but you also cordoned off the area with warning lines, barring other societies from joining because you Top Ten Societies wanted to keep the Fire Spirit Crystal and treasures for yourselves. You pulled the first of the month; how could I not pull the fifteenth? So I made my move, I succeeded—got a problem with that? A bunch of Mystic Generals couldn’t even guard your loot, letting a mere Mystic Master like me snatch it away, and you’re yelling about it? Aren’t you embarrassed?”
The students were instantly speechless.
They had poured in the effort to slay the Fifth-Tier Magma Ape and gotten nothing, while the freeloader Yan Zhen walked off with the spoils. Naturally, they saw him as dishonorable. Yet they failed to realize their own exclusionary tactics were dishonorable in the first place.
Barring other societies from the hunt, then claiming only contributors could share the loot—it was strong-arming of another sort.
After all, a Fifth-Tier Magma Ape wasn’t some unparalleled fiend beast.
The venue fell deathly silent. Someone weakly countered, “…You can’t just take everything, though. At least leave us a little.”
Yan Zhen scoffed. “You and I that close? Leave you some? If I’d asked for a share back then, would you have given me any? Huh?”
The man shrank back, looking all aggrieved as he clamped his mouth shut.
Yan Zhen snorted coldly. “Cut the useless crap. Yeah, I took the stuff, and I’ve already forged it into a sword. If you want it back, come and take it anytime—I’ll be waiting!”
