Punish the Heavens and Punish the Gods - Chapter 06

“Damn it,” Bai Ningtian muttered as he walked away, dragging Lu Peng behind him. “Only one caught. Unlucky… but there’s always time. I’ll let the other brat live a few more days.”

Meanwhile, I rode Xiao Hei hard through the night, tears streaming down my face.

“Hyah! Go, Xiao Hei! Go!” I shouted hoarsely. “I’ll train until I’m strong enough to avenge Lu Peng! Bai Ningtian, you filthy beast—wash your neck and wait for me! Once I master the Fallen Angel form, I’ll come for you, no matter where you hide! I swear it on the name of my comrade!”

Fueled by rage and grief, I didn’t stop once that night. Xiao Hei galloped at full speed, his breath hot and heavy, his muscles trembling with exhaustion—but he didn’t slow down. At dawn, we finally arrived before the grand gates of Shaoyang Academy.

Above the entrance were four bold, majestic characters carved in stone: Shaoyang Academy.

A sheet of paper fluttered against the gate, reading: “Shaoyang Academy Now Enrolling New Students!”

My heart leapt. “Perfect timing,” I said under my breath and strode inside.

Since it was still early and the first day of enrollment, there weren’t many people around. I happened to be the very first to register.

I walked up to the registration desk and said coolly, “I want to sign up.”

The admissions teacher, a young woman who had clearly been dozing off, jolted awake, startled by my voice.

So I repeated louder, “I said I want to sign up!”

She blinked rapidly and said, “O-oh, right. Please show me your ID.”

Without a word, I handed it over.

She glanced at it and said softly, “Your name is Yan Jie Lie Xia… orphaned since childhood?”

I gave a curt grunt.

She frowned slightly at my tone but continued, “Alright. You’ll take the entrance exam tomorrow. If you pass, you’ll officially become a student here. Got it? Also, since you registered at my desk, you’ll be assigned to my class if you’re accepted. My name is Lin—Teacher Lin.”

Her tone was much kinder now. I nodded faintly.

Teacher Lin smiled and extended her hand. I hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly reached out and shook it.

Wow… so soft.

It was the first time I’d ever held a human woman’s hand. My ears burned.

Teacher Lin chuckled. “Since we’ve shaken hands, you’re half my student now. Once you pass the exam, you’ll be my student completely.”

“Half?” I asked, puzzled.

She nodded. “That’s right. Pass the test tomorrow, and we’ll make it official.”

I gave a small nod, turned, and left the academy.

As I walked away, I heard her murmur to herself, “He’s tall and handsome enough, but that temper… What an odd kid. I wonder how strong he actually is.”

Outside the gate, I suddenly stopped. Wait… where am I supposed to go now? I didn’t have a home in the Lanwu Kingdom.

My stomach growled loudly. Right. First things first—food.

I found a street vendor selling beef skewers and said calmly, “Give me fifty.”

The vendor looked at me in surprise. “Fifty? You’ve got quite an appetite!” he said, quickly grilling and bagging them up. “Two copper coins each—that’s a hundred copper in total!”

I raised an eyebrow. That cheap? For this much work?

Feeling a little sorry for him, I tossed him a silver coin and said, “Keep the change.”

The vendor blinked in shock, then grinned ear to ear. “Thank you, sir! Are you… a nobleman?”

“No,” I said coldly, and walked off, munching on skewers as I went to find an inn.

The next morning

After a night’s rest at the hotel, I rushed back to Shaoyang Academy early. The courtyard was already packed—at least three thousand people, all waiting for the entrance exam.

A loudspeaker crackled to life, and the voice of an elderly man echoed:

“Please don’t push! Line up in seven rows, fifty people in each column! First name in line: Yan Jie Lie Xia! Second: Bing Wen Bin Lun…”

The list went on for ages.

Then the old man’s voice boomed again: “The first test—endurance! From this moment on, you are to maintain a single position. If you move, even blink, you’re out!”

The crowd erupted in disbelief. “What? That’s too strict!” “Blinking disqualifies us?!”

But despite the complaints, no one left.

I smirked. Too harsh? This’ll be a piece of cake.

Everyone froze in place like wooden statues.

The guy behind me had bad luck—some dust blew into his eye. He blinked once and was immediately disqualified.

An hour passed. One by one, more contestants collapsed from exhaustion or lost focus.

Then a fly landed on my nose. I almost sneezed.

Damn it… hold it in!

At the last second, I had an idea. I quietly channeled my dark magic to suppress the tickle. A cool energy spread through me, calming both my body and mind.

Perfect. I can even train like this while waiting.

I continued cultivating my magic while standing motionless.

Two full days later, a familiar voice called out, “Yan Jie Lie Xia! You passed!”

My eyes snapped open. It was Teacher Lin.

I glanced around—the crowd had thinned drastically. Out of three thousand, only about a thousand remained.

Teacher Lin smiled. “Congratulations. You passed the first test. Tomorrow at noon, we’ll begin the second and third trials.”

I nodded and was about to leave when I realized two things.

The good news: after two days of immobile cultivation, my dark magic had advanced to Level Two.

The bad news: after two days of standing still, my whole body was stiff as a board. I couldn’t move.

“Uh… Teacher Lin,” I said awkwardly. “My body’s gone stiff. What should I do?”

She gave me a sharp look. “That’s Teacher Lin to you. So rude! Hmph.”

I sighed inwardly. This woman’s supposed to be my teacher? Doesn’t seem very reliable…

But fine. I’d rely on myself if I had to. I’d wait it out until I could move again.

Teacher Lin rolled her eyes and muttered, “Hopeless,” before waving over a few assistants. “Come on, help carry this block of wood to the dorms!”

And just like that, I was hauled away like a statue.