A World Worth Protecting

A night passed.

When Wang Baole finished his reflection and meditation, he received a notification from the Chancellor informing him that the mystic realm of the four great Dao Colleges would open a month later and that he should make preparations as soon as possible.

There was only one month for him to prepare himself.

I’m going to each the True Breath realm! Wang Baole was determined and immediately contacted Xie Haiyang. Regardless of the consequences, he threw out numerous Spirit Stones in exchange for pills and materials to refine Dharmic artifacts.

Wang Baole was hell-bent on grabbing hold of this opportunity.

Xie Haiyang had been incredibly busy recently. After all, regardless of whether it was a major examination or the upcoming mystic realm, countless people wanted to trade. In Ethereal Dao College, the name ‘Xie Haiyang’ was famous and reliable. No matter how busy he was, however, Xie Haiyang perked up the moment he received Wang Baole’s voice transmission.

Wang Baole had always been generous, and Xie Haiyang had long placed his bets on Wang Baole as he thought that Wang Baole would definitely make it to the Upper Academy Island. If he maintained a good relationship with him, his business could be expanded in the Upper Academy Island as well.

Therefore, he promised that he would be able to deliver everything that Wang Baole needed and even gave him a discount.

“Schoolmate Baole, so long as it’s me, Xie Haiyang, handling it, you can rest assured that you’ll get everything you need in no more than seven days!”

Wang Baole was surprised hearing Xie Haiyang’s promise. Not only was the number of items he ordered large, they were also superior goods. The fact that Xie Haiyang could deliver his request heartened Wang Baole, for he felt that Xie Haiyang’s existence in the Dao College definitely made things easier.

Just like that, as Wang Baole waited, days went by. Finally, the one thousand individuals who had made it to the mystic realm of the four Dao Colleges were confirmed, and their names were announced on the Spirit Intranet.

To most people, the ranking list was no mystery. However, that did not stop people from looking it up the moment it was announced. At first glance, nothing seemed unexpected, but very quickly, their eyes widened as they shrieked and hyperventilated with surprise.

“Wang Baole’s actually not in the list!”

“Gosh! How is that even possible?”

“Wang Baole won five out of five matches and demonstrated such amazing techniques. How is he not in the list?”

As everyone felt incredulous, the Spirit Intranet was heated with discussion. After seeing the list, Liu Daobin was severely taken aback and contacted Wang Baole immediately.

Wang Baole, who was meditating, did not look at the ranking list at all. The moment he received Liu Daobin’s voice transmission, he froze. Even before he could open the Spirit Intranet, he began to receive innumerable voice transmissions continuously, all telling him that his name was nowhere to be seen on the rankings.

“Impossible!” Wang Baole could not believe it. His heart pounding, he immediately looked it up on the Spirit Intranet. After a brief moment, his expression turned awful. On that ranking list, his name really was nowhere to be found.

The very moment that the matter caused a commotion, the College Discipline Department of the Dao College sent out a notification.

That notification specifically addressed the reasons and explanations as to why Wang Baole was not on the list.

“After investigations, it was found that in the first match, Wang Baole made use of his official authority and colluded with Wu Haisen so that Wu Haisen would concede. This is against the rules of the Collage, and therefore, Wang Baole’s eligibility is revoked!”

Without excessive explanation or effort to hide anything, the announcement was made with a couple of simple sentences. However, there was a clip that followed, which showed the student named Wu Haisen maligning Wang Baole and admitting that he conceded defeat under the threat and request of Wang Baole.

There were definitely people who believed in the truth of the matter, but most of the people who came to know of the news all thought that it was too absurd.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“A ploy, it must be a ploy!”

“The Vice-Chancellor Gao Quan bears a grudge against Head Prefect Wang Baole, so this must be his doing!”

“It’s not fair!”

Witnessing everything unfolding before his eyes, Wang Baole, who was sitting in the cave abode, was fuming with anger. His breathing intensified, and blue veins bulged prominently on his forehead. His eyes were full of rage, and his first instinct was to open his voice transmission ring to send a voice transmission to the Chancellor, but he stopped himself.

I cannot be rash. I must calm down. Wang Baole took a deep breath. Even though he was angry, he was not worried about his position in the ranking list as the explanation given by the College Discipline Department was not legitimate.

What he needed to focus on now was to find out who the mastermind behind this whole incident was. He was well versed in the high officials’ autobiographies, and he instinctively felt that the entire matter was too suspicious.

Lin Tianhao? Gao Quan? The Chancellor? Wang Baole thought, furrowing his brows as he put away his voice transmission ring. His gaze shimmered, and he decided to wait and see.

He did not have to wait for long as within the time needed to burn an incense, the Chancellor’s peak released another notice to announce that Wang Baole had not broken the rules, and his eligibility was restored!

Furthermore, the tone of the notice was harsh as it reprimanded those in charge of the College Discipline Department strictly.

The speed with which the matter was resolved and the harsh criticism immediately excited the students within the Dao College. On the Spirit Intranet, everyone was exhilarated as the highly suspicious incident that angered the masses was quickly resolved, and the Chancellor’s mighty impression and authority was showcased once again.

“The Chancellor is so mighty!”

“Haha, this is Ethereal Dao College for me!”

“Peace, clarity, and justice are presented right before our eyes!”

Liu Daobin and company all heaved a sigh of relief. Only Wang Baole remained solemn, with his head lowered as he looked at the voice transmission ring. When the second notice was being sent out, he received a message from the Chancellor, which contained a name.

Gao Quan! Wang Baole rage intensified. Even if the matter had been resolved, it was obvious that he had been made use of, and he had experienced a significant threat.

Lin Tianhao has already been expelled; therefore, it is unlikely that he would be the one behind this as it would be meaningless. The most it would do is incite disgust within me. As for the Chancellor, he didn’t need to make use of me to showcase his power and authority. Following this argument, it is highly likely that Gao Quan is the one behind all these!

Damn this Gao Quan, using this matter to disgust me and at the same time giving the Chancellor an opportunity to show off his prowess. Other than that, I believe that he has other motives. No matter what, he had been trying to harm me time and again, that despicable fella!

Wang Baole punched the floor. As he adjusted his breathing slowly, he clenched his fist tight.

The first time, he wanted to expel me for cheating… that I can bear. The second time, he spread fake news that almost sent me to death, but I swallowed it for he was the Vice-Chancellor. Twice is pushing it, but thrice is too much!

Wang Baole found it hard to swallow his anger but was unable to release it, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

In reality, there were people in the Dao College who could deduce exactly what happened. It was just that the matter had nothing to do with them, and they did not need to boast about their understanding either. After all, people understood the matter all had positions in the various departments and would not create trouble for themselves in order to show off.

Now, Wang Baole was extremely troubled. Based on his usual temperament, he would have long taken action. However, he had gained some understanding of the Vice-Chancellor’s cultivation after the incident in the Pond Cloud Rainforest, and he knew that the Vice-Chancellor was in the True Breath realm.

Wang Baole felt that he was no match for a True Breath expert. With his anger becoming increasingly unbearable, Wang Baole shook his head strongly as he retrieved the secret mask and headed directly into the hallucination realm.

On the ice plains of the hallucination realm, Wang Baole began speaking to the mask while trying to suppress the anger that was threatening to explode within him.

“Little Missy, a True Breath realm expert is trying to go against me. Do you have any means for me to break through to the True Breath realm right now?”

The mask flashed, revealing the answer instantly.

“No!”

“Then… is there a way for Ancient Martial Arts warriors to defeat True Breath experts?”

“No!”

The mask gave the same answer. Wang Baole was despondent, looking at the replies. He shook his head, suppressing his disappointment, as he prepared himself to swallow the indignation. He had wanted to wait till he acquired True Breath before taking revenge on Gao Quan.

However, just as he was about to give up and leave the hallucination realm, the secret mask flashed indiscernibly. If a Little Missy really lived in the mask as Wang Baole had hypothesized, the flash by the mask would be akin to her gaze—a sly one to be specific—as if an opportunity for a prank has arisen.

Very quickly, a sentence surfaced on the surface of the mask. A bolt of lightning accompanied it in order to catch Wang Baole’s attention and to serve as a reminder for him.

The disappointed Wang Baole was mumbling in his heart and was frightened by the sudden bolt of lightning. The moment he lowered his head, he saw the words on the mask and immediately stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he quickly grew excited.

“Ancient Martial Arts is a process of refinement, and the epitome of this refinement is known as the Golden Body. If you are able to achieve a Golden Body, you would stand a chance against a True Breath expert!”

As if the seduction was not strong enough, a second sentence immediately appeared on the mask.

“What’s more, if you reach the True Breath realm with a Golden Body, you will reap unexpected benefits!”