Chapter 608: Gone Mad, Gone Mad

“You damn fatty, you’re courting death!”

After smashing the wooden plaque and damaging the wall, the tall, skinny student fixed his venomous gaze on Chen Yuan.

“What’s going on?”

Luo Tian, Hu Chao, and a few students came out.

Luo Tian’s face darkened as he looked at the gash in the wall.

‘Is this guy trying to demolish my classroom?!’

“That’s Lu Ruofan from Zhengyang Palace. He’s one of Ye Shuiyun’s students!” Hu Chao recognized him.

Junior Tutors were responsible for teaching the students of Chuyang Tower.

Students of Zhengyang Palace were under the guidance of Middle Level Tutors, so it was generally inappropriate for Junior Tutors to interfere.

“Lu Ruofan! What are you doing?”

Luo Xiaoting shouted.

Lu Ruofan had been in the same cohort as her, and his initial assessment scores had been higher. Now, he had even advanced to Zhengyang Palace.

Not long ago, Luo Xiaoting was still at the Earth Element Realm Eighth Layer.

Lu Ruofan, however, was already at the Half-step Celestial Pool Realm, a testament to his exceptional talent.

Lu Ruofan glanced at Luo Xiaoting with disdain, yet he was also somewhat wary of her identity as a member of one of the Five Ancient Clans.

“Which one of you is Master Luo Tian?”

Lu Ruofan ignored Luo Xiaoting, his gaze shifting between Luo Tian and Hu Chao.

“I am.”

Luo Tian said, his voice low.

Lu Ruofan immediately shot Luo Tian a hostile glare.

He had originally come to find Luo Tian and confirm whether the rumors were true.

But the moment he arrived, he saw Chen Yuan writing on the wooden plaque: “Master Luo and Ye Shuiyun…”

Lu Ruofan was certain Chen Yuan was about to write something like ‘Master Luo and Ye Shuiyun are together!’

“You’ve got some nerve, letting your student scribble nonsense on a plaque outside the classroom and ruin Teacher Ye’s reputation!”

Lu Ruofan showed not a shred of respect for a mentor, his tone aggressive.

“I’m simply stating a fact. I’m announcing it publicly to prevent any further speculation.”

Luo Tian’s expression was cold.

But what Lu Ruofan heard was: ‘Ye Shuiyun and I are together. That’s a fact, and I’m announcing it to make everyone else give up any ideas they might have!’

“Utter nonsense!”

Lu Ruofan clenched his fists and roared.

‘In what way is Luo Tian worthy of Ye Shuiyun?’

‘There’s no way Ye Shuiyun could ever fall for someone like Luo Tian!’

“Hm?”

Luo Tian was confused.

‘I just wanted to clear up a rumor. This student is being completely unreasonable.’

“You’re from the Broken Ring! Don’t think you’re hot stuff just because you managed to become a mentor at the Wuji Saint Institute!”

“The Saint Institute purges incompetent mentors every year. You probably won’t be here next year!”

Lu Ruofan had an awful temper and hurled insults at Luo Tian without restraint.

“That has nothing to do with you. All I know is you damaged my classroom. Pay up!”

Luo Tian’s expression turned cold, his tone no longer courteous.

“Hmph! I’ve got more than enough money. It’s just a wall!”

Lu Ruofan scoffed disdainfully.

“Two hundred thousand!”

“You… Is this a robbery?”

The moment Luo Tian spoke, Lu Ruofan began to grit his teeth.

‘Two hundred thousand Spiritual Essence Coins for a single wall!’

‘Besides, it’s not even Luo Tian’s wall.’

“In that case, I’ll have no choice but to report this to the Law Enforcement Institute as per the regulations. You’ve disrupted another mentor’s class and destroyed public property. That should cost you a fair number of Academic Credits and will likely affect your advancement, won’t it?”

Luo Tian said calmly.

Students needed Academic Credits for the vast majority of activities within the Saint Institute, such as borrowing cultivation facilities or exchanging for Cultivation and Martial Skills and the Elixirs of Life.

And indeed, a record of bad conduct would make advancement more difficult.

There was once a supremely talented genius from a great Noble Family who, due to his arrogance and domineering nature, caused endless trouble within the Saint Institute.

His strength met the requirements to advance to Jiaoyang Hall, yet he remained stuck in Chuyang Tower.

“Don’t even think about threatening me!”

Lu Ruofan said through gritted teeth.

“So what if I am threatening you?”

Luo Tian’s expression grew cold, and a terrifying aura surged from him like a monstrous wave.

Lu Ruofan stumbled, his body swaying. The True Essence within him trembled, and he felt as if he were lost in a raging sea—small, helpless, and on the verge of being swallowed by the waves at any moment.

He had forgotten that Luo Tian was, after all, a mentor. His cultivation had to be at least at the Celestial Pool Realm Third Layer!

If someone at the Celestial Pool Realm Third Layer truly wanted to kill him, a single slap would likely be enough.

“You’re a mentor of the Wuji Saint Institute! How can you bully a student?!”

Lu Ruofan’s bravado instantly vanished, replaced by a sense of indignation and injustice.

Luo Tian found this ridiculous.

‘The student is insolent and insults a mentor, so why can’t the mentor put him in his place?’

‘This guy’s logic is truly something to behold.’

“Fine, I’ll pay. But if you’ve got the guts, have one of your students face me!”

“If your student can win, I’ll not only pay for the wall… I’ll pay five hundred thousand Spiritual Essence Coins!”

Lu Ruofan was creating a way to save face.

“Alright. My student will face you in one month on the Wuji Battle Platform to settle this!”

After a moment’s thought, Luo Tian agreed.

“Huh?”

Lu Ruofan was stunned.

He had only made the offer as an excuse to back down gracefully.

He never expected Luo Tian to actually take him up on it!

“Hahahaha! It’s a deal!”

A look of triumph instantly spread across Lu Ruofan’s face as he threw his head back and laughed.

Luo Tian was a new Junior Tutor, and his students were all freshmen in Chuyang Tower.

Only Luo Xiaoting was from the previous year’s cohort.

But everyone knew about Luo Xiaoting’s situation. The girl had a volatile temper, was lazy with her Martial Arts training, and her cultivation progressed at a snail’s pace.

Lu Ruofan and Luo Xiaoting had started in the same year.

‘He had already advanced to Zhengyang Palace, while Luo Xiaoting was still stuck in Chuyang Tower!’

So what was there to fear from Luo Tian’s students?

‘There isn’t even a single opponent among them who could pique my interest!’

“Master Luo, in one month, I shall return to see for myself just how brilliant these students you’ve taught truly are!”

Lu Ruofan left with a booming laugh.

“Hold on. If my student is challenging you, there must be a reward for winning.”

Luo Tian called out to stop Lu Ruofan.

“What reward?”

Lu Ruofan asked dismissively. After all, this was a duel he couldn’t possibly lose.

“If my student wins, you’ll not only pay for the wall, but you’ll also have to give my students a reward of five hundred thousand Spiritual Essence Coins. Then, you’ll make a public apology and serve as a training partner for all of my students for three months.”

Luo Tian had made quite a few demands.

Lu Ruofan was about to object, but on second thought, he decided against it.

‘I’m not going to lose, so is there any point in arguing over the details?’

“If I win, you will stay away from Teacher Ye from now on!”

Lu Ruofan immediately shot back, but then, copying Luo Tian, he added another condition. “And your students will have to give me a reward of five hundred thousand Spiritual Essence Coins.”

“No problem.”

Luo Tian agreed without hesitation.

‘There’s nothing going on between me and Ye Shuiyun anyway,’ he thought.

“I hope Master Luo’s students can offer some sort of surprise. Otherwise, it’ll be no fun at all when I win.”

Lu Ruofan sneered and departed with a confident swagger.

‘In one month, after I defeat his students, we’ll see what Luo Tian has to say for himself!’

“Master Luo? Are you insane?”

Tutor Hu Chao, who was standing nearby, stared dumbfounded at Luo Tian.

‘A student from Chuyang Tower dueling a student from Zhengyang Palace? Isn’t that a guaranteed loss?’

“Besides, that guy is one of Ye Shuiyun’s students. There’s no benefit for you if you lose, and it won’t be good for you if you win, either.”

Hu Chao continued, thinking Luo Tian was being far too reckless.

“So what if he’s Ye Shuiyun’s student? She has too many to manage them all properly. It’s inevitable that a few bad apples get mixed in. I’m just helping her clean house.”

Based on his interactions with Ye Shuiyun, Luo Tian believed she was a reasonable person.

Luo Tian was not in the wrong here.

“Do you all have the confidence to defeat Lu Ruofan?”

Luo Tian looked at his five students.

Chen Yuan frantically shook his head; he had almost been sliced to ribbons moments ago.

Deng Xiaoqian and the stern-faced young man bowed their heads and sighed.

Only Luo Xiaoting and Guan Hongfei had grim expressions, a flicker of fighting spirit in their eyes.

‘He’s insane, completely insane!’

Tutor Hu Chao left the classroom.

A short while later, he told his own students about the incident, as well as several other mentors from the Celestial Blade Institute.

After all, he wasn’t particularly concerned about Luo Tian; he just thought the man was reckless and shared the story for a bit of entertainment.

「At the same time.」

Lu Ruofan, having returned to the War Martial Institute, also spread the news far and wide.

「The next day.」

News of the event had spread through nearly all of the Ten Great Saint Institutes.

Ordinarily, a duel wouldn’t attract much attention unless it involved the prodigies of Jiaoyang Hall.

But this particular incident had plenty of hype.

A student from Chuyang Tower challenging a genius from Zhengyang Palace!

Furthermore, Luo Tian was already a hot topic because of the rumors involving him and Ye Shuiyun.

When someone in the spotlight did anything, people paid attention, let alone something this outrageous.

The moment Luo Tian stepped outside…

…he found several mentors waiting for him.

“Master Luo, can’t you just give it a rest?”

The sallow-faced old woman’s tone was full of exasperation.

Luo Tian had been at the Wuji Saint Institute for less than a month, and look at how much trouble he’d already caused.

This time, Luo Tian had been far too arrogant, actually letting his students challenge a student from Zhengyang Palace!

What chance did they have of winning?

When they lose, it’s the students and mentors of the Celestial Blade Institute who will lose face!

“Master Luo, you’ve been too reckless! Why don’t you go find Lu Ruofan and call off the duel?”

“Can’t you think before you act? You know it’s a losing battle, so why are you rushing headlong into it?”

The veteran mentors of the Celestial Blade Institute lectured Luo Tian, their words dripping with disapproval.

“My fellow mentors, don’t be so quick to judge!”

“If my students win, they will be making a name for the Celestial Blade Institute!”

Luo Tian retorted with a frown.

“Win? If they can win, then I’ll become an Advanced Tutor within ten years!” one mentor said with a sneer.

‘These old-timers are so annoying,’ Luo Tian thought.

‘I’m a mentor for the Celestial Blade Institute, and when I run into trouble, they don’t help—they just get in the way.’

“Step aside. Don’t keep me from instructing my students. If they end up losing, you’ll share in the responsibility.”

Not bothering to waste any more words, Luo Tian quickly departed.

The faces of the old mentors turned grim.

“That young man is arrogant and has no sense of proportion. He acts without thinking. How can someone like that be a mentor?”

“To prevent him from causing more trouble in the future, we should report this to the director after it’s over. We’ll have Master Luo expelled!”

The senior mentors conferred amongst themselves.