32: Chapter 32 Arrogance Comes with Success?!

The room was deathly silent, the drop of a pin could be heard!

Upon seeing the paper in Chen An's hand, Instructor Liu Zhixing's pupils contracted violently, his heart sank with a boom, and a bone-chilling cold instantly swept through his entire body.

How is this possible?!

Weren't those voluntary withdrawal agreements always in his possession before?!

How did they end up in Chen An's hands?!

How did a kid at Condensing Qi Stage 2 like Chen An manage to bypass the perception of a Acquired Realm expert like him and get hold of that paper?!

Beside him, Liu Qingyun's breathing also suddenly became rapid. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh without him even feeling it, and a flash of panic swept across his eyes.

Both of them knew that paper all too well; it was the very document they had meticulously prepared to make these ten Geng Class students voluntarily withdraw from the County Exam and join the Jubao Trading Firm as hired guards.

Neither of them had expected that Chen An, at some unknown point, had actually managed to get his hands on one of the documents and had even handed it over to the Head Elder.

Head Elder Wei Linyuan raised his hand to take the thin document. As his fingertips brushed over the neat text on the page and his gaze slowly swept over the withdrawal clauses and the trading firm's hiring terms, his aged, murky eyes instantly turned completely grave.

As an old man who had lived for nearly a hundred years and had been the Head Elder of the County Academy for decades, how could he fail to see the trickery in this agreement document?!

The previously calm Void Realm suddenly trembled. A biting pressure belonging to a Acquired Realm Perfection expert silently enveloped the entire classroom, countless times heavier and more terrifying than the Aura of Instructor Liu Zhixing's rage just moments ago.

He raised his eyes, his gaze indifferent yet sharp as a knife, looking directly at the pale-faced, mentally distraught Instructor Liu Zhixing, and said indifferently, "Good, Instructor Liu, you have done well!"

Hearing Head Elder Wei Linyuan's words, and with the ironclad evidence right before his eyes, Instructor Liu Zhixing trembled all over, his face drained of all color.

Facing the fury of Head Elder Wei Linyuan, Instructor Liu Zhixing could no longer maintain the dignity of an Instructor he had displayed before the students. He stumbled forward, bowing repeatedly to Head Elder Wei Linyuan, his voice trembling as he said, "Elder, please forgive me! This subordinate, this subordinate was wrong!"

"It was this subordinate who was possessed by greed, momentarily driven by selfishness, coveting some petty external benefits, and fearing that the Geng Class's County Exam results would be too poor and drag down my own performance review, that I foolishly drafted this document, wanting to persuade a few students with mediocre Aptitude to give up on the County Exam and go to the trading firm to make a living..."

"This subordinate did not intend to oppress the students, nor did I have any intention to corrupt the academic atmosphere; it was just a moment of foolishness, a moment of foolishness, Elder!"

Facing the ironclad evidence and the usually impartial Head Elder Wei Linyuan, Instructor Liu Zhixing dared not twist the truth again, nor did he dare to slander Chen An further. He could only lower his posture, repeatedly admitting his fault and begging for mercy, hoping that by bowing his head and admitting his mistake, he could beg Head Elder Wei Linyuan for leniency.

Beside him, Liu Qingyun felt a chill in his heart. His father bowing his head and admitting his mistake in public was equivalent to completely confirming all the charges. His face turned pale and then green, his arrogant Aura completely gone, and he could only glare viciously at Chen An before lowering his head and standing quietly to the side.

The surrounding Geng Class students were secretly shocked, cheering inwardly and cursing him, saying he deserved it.

No one had expected that Instructor Liu, who was usually high and mighty, putting on the airs of a solemn Instructor, and constantly scolding and pressuring everyone, would be so humbly begging for mercy before the Head Elder, without a shred of the character and demeanor befitting an Instructor.

Watching Instructor Liu Zhixing bow his head, and then glancing at the mix of curiosity and disdain in the eyes of the surrounding students, Head Elder Wei Linyuan frowned slightly.

He turned his head to look at Chen An, then swept his gaze over everyone present, his tone calm and filled with an indisputable authority: "I will handle this matter impartially and will certainly give everyone a fair explanation. The County Exam is tomorrow; you should all disperse for now and return to rest and prepare for the exam."

"Yes, Head Elder Wei!"

The students answered in unison. Although they were all bursting with curiosity and wanted to stay to see how Instructor Liu Zhixing's embarrassing end would play out, Head Elder Wei Linyuan had already spoken, so no one dared to linger. They had to suppress their thoughts and, in twos and threes, walked out of the classroom while whispering to each other.

"Your name is Chen An, right?!" Just as Chen An was walking to the door with the others to leave, Head Elder Wei Linyuan suddenly spoke up.

"Yes, Head Elder Wei, student Chen An!" Chen An stopped, turned around, and nodded slightly with a calm expression.

"You did well; do your best in the exam tomorrow!" Looking at Chen An, who had remained calm and indifferent, a flash of appreciation crossed Head Elder Wei Linyuan's face.

"Yes, thank you, Elder!" Chen An nodded and said.

"Mm, go back!" Head Elder Wei Linyuan nodded slightly and waved his hand.

Chen An bowed slightly before turning and walking out.

"Chen An, you were so bold just now!"

"Chen An, I didn't expect you to be so brave, you even dared to stand up to Liu the Skinner!"

"Thanks for just now, Chen An. If it weren't for you, we might not have even been able to participate in the County Exam!"

Just after stepping out the door, the surrounding Geng Class students immediately swarmed around him, each looking at Chen An with admiration and gratitude on their faces.

"Mm, I have something to do, I'm heading back first!"

Facing these people's flattery, Chen An only nodded indifferently, then pushed through the students and strode towards the main gate of the County Academy.

Just now, when facing the coercion of Instructor Liu Zhixing and his son, these people were all like quails, and even when he stepped forward, they didn't utter a single word of resistance.

What he despised the most was that earlier, when Liu Qingyun was twisting the truth before Head Elder Wei Linyuan and claimed they could testify, these people still hung their heads, all adopting a "none of my business" attitude, fearing they would get into trouble or bring fire upon themselves.

Yet now that he had overturned the schemes of Instructor Liu Zhixing and his son and secured their qualifications for the County Exam, this group immediately swarmed around with fawning praise and gratitude.

This kind of fawning behavior, where they were arrogant before and servile now, only seeking to avoid harm, truly made him have no desire to deal with them at all.

"Pfft! What is he acting all high and mighty for?!"

"Right, exactly. His cultivation is even lower than mine, what kind of airs is he putting on?!"

"Right, if Head Elder Wei hadn't just happened to be nearby, with his meager cultivation, who knows how Liu the Skinner would have dealt with him in the end?!"

"Such a petty person, arrogant once successful!!!"

Watching Chen An's retreating back, the few of them first looked at each other, then immediately lowered their voices and began to mutter sourly, their faces full of contempt and disdain.

As for the bit of gratitude they felt just moments ago, it had naturally long been thrown to the nine heavens.

Although they deliberately lowered their voices, with Chen An's current martial arts cultivation, not even the slightest sound around him could escape his ears, and these sour words fell into his ears without missing a single syllable.

Hearing these backhanded criticisms, Chen An felt no surprise at all; instead, a cold sneer curled onto his lips.

Who knows how Liu the Skinner would have dealt with him?!

The Liu father and son should be most grateful that he just happened to comprehend a Concept today and enhanced his Divine Soul, so he was no longer as impulsive and irritable as before.

Otherwise, if the Liu father and son really dared to make a move, if he didn't beat the Liu father and son until they shit themselves, it would be considered them being lucky!

This group of people were timid and afraid of trouble, shrinking back when things happened, not knowing how to be grateful after benefiting, and instead hiding behind his back to gossip and be sour; they were truly not worth him sparing even a glance or wasting any more thought on.

Chen An couldn't be bothered to turn back and pay attention to them. However, after thinking for a moment, he didn't immediately leave the County Academy, but instead walked towards the direction of the County Academy's Library.

"Chen An?!!!" However, just as Chen An walked past a few classrooms and passed by one of them, suddenly, a familiar, crisp voice pierced through the Void Realm and came over...