76: Chapter 76 Immortal Stele

Arriving at the Martial Arts Arena, the circular stands surrounding it were already packed.

It was a sea of people, filled with academy students dressed in various colored uniforms.

Chen Shanzhi swaggered ahead, his hand tightly clutching Tang Xiaowu's soft, boneless little hand.

Tang Xiaowu followed closely behind with her head lowered, keeping pace step by step.

The moment the two appeared, they instantly attracted countless gazes.

Amidst a series of looks mixed with shock, envy, and jealousy,

the two arrived at the exclusive area for the Heaven Class and found two seats near the front to sit down.

Before they could even get comfortable, the uncontrollable whispers from their surroundings drifted over like the buzzing of flies.

"Holy crap! Am I seeing things? Our commoner goddess, Tang Xiaowu—"

"When was she taken by Chen Shanzhi, the capital's number one playboy?"

"It shouldn't be! Didn't she used to despise these noble scions who bully others using their family's power?"

"Exactly, where's her inseparable sworn brother Tang Liu? Why isn't he following? Has he been cuckolded?"

"Tch, what does Tang Liu count for? How can a commoner kid compare to the Heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo?"

"One of his leg hairs is thicker than Tang Liu's waist!"

"People strive for higher ground. If it were me, I'd choose Chen Shanzhi too. Isn't it better to skip decades of struggle?"

"You're a damn man, stop dreaming."

...

The gossip-loving souls of the onlookers burned fiercely, and their words became increasingly unpleasant.

Hearing these harsh remarks, Tang Xiaowu's pretty face turned pale, and she buried her head even lower.

Her pearly teeth bit down hard on her lower lip, and her eyes reddened with grievance.

Chen Shanzhi's brow twitched, and he suddenly turned his head, his sharp gaze sweeping across the back rows like a knife.

"Which one of you was just spewing filth and wagging your tongues?"

"If you have the guts, stand up and try saying another word in front of This Heir."

His voice wasn't loud, but combined with the arrogant and domineering demeanor of the Heir of the Marquis of Zhenguo, it instantly suppressed the entire crowd.

The few students who had been whispering just now shuddered violently and quickly shut their mouths.

They didn't even dare to let out a peep, fearing they would be targeted by this playboy.

The world was finally quiet.

Chen Shanzhi turned back, reached out to pinch Tang Xiaowu's delicate little face, and gave a light chuckle:

"Why bother with these idiots? They're just a bunch of sour-grapes-eating single dogs."

Tang Xiaowu was momentarily stunned by his crude yet protective words.

The grievance in her heart mysteriously dissipated by half, and she gave a soft "mm" with a blushing face.

...

Two hours later.

*Dong—*

A melodious bell chime echoed throughout the academy.

In the center of the Martial Arts Arena, on the massive white jade plaza, a White-robed Elder slowly stepped forward.

Half a step behind the elder followed a woman in blue.

The moment this woman appeared, the vast Martial Arts Arena instantly fell silent.

Everyone's eyes were involuntarily drawn to her.

That figure was simply exquisite!

A water-blue long dress was tightly cinched by a silver waistband, outlining a slender willow waist that could be held in one hand.

The majesty of her chest was even more exaggerated to the extreme.

It looked as if it might burst through the fabric at any moment; as she walked, one could even see heart-stopping, breathtaking curves.

Further down were two straight, long, and perfectly rounded beautiful legs.

Even through the fabric, they sparked endless imagination.

She was a fully ripened, top-tier siren.

The woman wore a blue veil over her face.

This veil was clearly no ordinary item; though it looked as thin as a cicada's wing and fluttered in the wind,

an invisible force circulated within it, making it impossible for anyone to see her true appearance through it.

However, just looking at her exposed eyes, which shimmered like autumn waters,

and the skin of her neck, which was as white as frost or snow,

one could guess with their toes that a world-toppling beauty was hidden beneath the veil.

Yet at this moment, within those charming eyes,

there was a barely perceptible trace of helplessness and impatience.

She seemed extremely resistant to appearing in such a public setting.

The White-robed Elder walked to the center of the plaza and stood still, clearing his throat.

Then, using his aged yet exceptionally loud voice infused with thick true essence, he spoke:

"Students..."

For the next half-hour, the elder blathered on with a pile of dry and tedious official nonsense about the academy's history and opening remarks.

It made the students in the stands feel drowsy.

"...Next, please welcome the Palace Master of our Four Seas Academy,"

"to introduce the rules of this opening Martial Arts Demonstration and the details of the Heaven Class expansion in detail!"

After finishing his last sentence, the elder licked his lips as if he hadn't said enough, then respectfully stepped aside.

The blue-clad woman standing behind him heard that it was finally her turn to work.

Her beautiful brows furrowed imperceptibly.

A flash of "why do I still have to speak" helplessness flickered in the depths of her eyes.

She sighed softly and slowly walked forward.

Her red lips parted, and an extremely pleasant yet dignified voice that commanded respect

instantly spread to every corner of the Martial Arts Arena:

"Thank you for the speech, Vice Palace Master Feng."

"I won't waste words; I'll get straight to the rules."

"This opening Martial Arts Demonstration will be divided into four venues—Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow—based on your original class Rank."

"The order of the demonstration will also strictly follow the sequence of Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow."

"After the demonstration ends, the academy will officially launch the quadrennial 'academy wind and cloud ranking'!"

"Your combat results will be weighted alongside your rankings on the immortal stele hidden dragon ranking."

"Ultimately, each student will be included in the wind and cloud ranking and ranked individually."

"The wind and cloud ranking will change in real-time."

"The higher your Rank, the more cultivation resources such as Cultivation Techniques and Medicinal Pills you can exchange for in the academy treasury."

"Furthermore, the resources from the wind and cloud ranking do not conflict with your class resources; they are additional rewards."

At this point, the blue-clad woman paused, her gaze sweeping over the Earth Class area, and her voice suddenly rose a few notches:

"And one last point!"

"This demonstration will feature the first expansion of the Heaven Class for this final semester!"

"The top ten Martial Artists from the Earth Class demonstration will be promoted directly to the Heaven Class after the demonstration."

"They will simultaneously enjoy the top-tier treatment of the Heaven Class and gain the qualification to compete for a spot in the Academy Secret Realm at the end of the year!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Earth Class area instantly boiled over!

Countless students from humble backgrounds and noble scions who considered themselves geniuses had bloodshot eyes, breathing heavily as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Entering the Heaven Class was a meteoric rise!

The blue-clad woman ignored everyone's frenzy and waved her slender hand:

"Now, I shall draw the match list for the first round of tomorrow's Heaven Class demonstration."

The moment her voice fell,

she slowly raised a fair, jade-like hand and lightly tapped the Void Realm with her slender finger.

*Buzz—*

A faint pressure instantly enveloped the entire field!

Instead of feeling uncomfortable, the students present

actually felt a sense of comfort.

Immediately after, the sky above the Martial Arts Arena suddenly darkened.

A massive phantom of a stone tablet, spanning most of the horizon and emitting an ancient, desolate aura, boomed into existence within the Void Realm!

This was the only truly confirmed Immortal Artifact in the entire Great Jiang Dynasty: the immortal stele!