The Hammer

The burly man obviously couldn't talk aloud, so he could only make sounds with his broken jaw in hopes that Xue Bai would understand him.

However, Xue Bai had long had enough of this arrogant muscle-brained man, so he didn't attempt to decipher the man's pleas but instead made it hard for him.

"Liu Mei, this man thinks he's so high and mighty that he can ignore my commands. Smack some sense into him!" Xue Bai said as he pointed at the man's face.

After he slapped his dad a few years ago, Xue Bai long learned the lesson that Domain Lord realm cultivators had thick skin. So this time, he stopped himself from being hurt and instead asked Liu Mei to do it.

Of course, this would take away the fun, but it still was better than hurting his still-healing hand muscles.

Xue Bai didn't think such a situation would be the only time. So he knew that he could always slap a Domain Lord another day.

Hearing the request, Liu Mei felt ecstatic and loved being with Xue Bai more and more. She had only left the cave for a few days, and he had taken her around the Mountain Province and stolen countless natural treasures before taking her to an empire and having her beat up three of their most influential people!

Such an experience was exhilarating to the barbaric Liu Mei. And without hesitation smacked Old Ling a few times. However, each slap was at more than 40% of her strength, leaving the man nauseous and dizzy.

But at the same time, she also rearranged his jaw, allowing him to speak.

"You two demons! How dare you sever my hand!" Yet even as he regained his speaking ability, Old Ling still had no plans to answer Xue Bai's questions and instead started raging.

"Because you spoke for me, idiot." Xue Bai said as he put on a boot on the immobilized man's head.

"You have been arrogant for too long and have lost your worldview. Your words earlier were right. I have secrets, and I am not a member of your empire, but you were foolish and thought that I was someone you could knead at will like a piece of dough. I'm joining this Academy by my own decision. Whether you like it or not is none of my business." Xue Bai harrumphed.

People who lived without contest for too long had a hard time adjusting to change.

This old thing thought because of his previous experiences, with being in control of almost all of the Academy and that he had Long Tian at his back, he could use any living being in the Empire as a chess piece and manipulate them to his liking. However, in his arrogance and conceit, he forgot a core detail. There was still a sky above the sky!

Continuing to use the chess example, Long Tian and Feng Fei would be the players of the game, controlling the many pieces, while Old Ling and Feng Hai would be their queens. And Old Lin thought that Xue Bai was just another pawn of Feng Fei he could capture at ease.

But Xue Bai wasn't a pawn, king, or even a queen. Instead, he was a hammer that swung down at the board, messing up the whole game!

All of the plans, plotting, scheming, sacrifices, and work that Long Tian had done over the past decade was sent flying into the air along with the rest of the board!

Sure, the game could still be played, but nothing was in order anymore, and it was anyone's game now.

"There will be no plotting or any of these stupid games where you think you can dictate my entire life with just a word. I am here to cultivate using your Empire's resources. And since I am polite, I plan to join your Academy and get them righteously. However, my opinion can change easily. After all, I am known as a fickle fellow. So either that or I get Liu Mei over there to steal them for me." Xue Bai said as he gave the man a few light slaps on the cheek, "So I'll give you a choice Old Ling. Which would you like?"

Hearing and feeling Xue Bai treat him like a courtesan at a brothel, there were so many emotions running throughout the body of Old Ling. However, after being beaten so many times, losing a hand, having his most prized defensive treasure stolen from him, and being slapped in the face by a kid, he became smarter.

And this time, instead of raging once more, Old Ling gritted his teeth in anger, forced down his rising blood pressure, and answered Xue Bai's question obediently.

"The former!"

"Good man!" Xue Bai proudly nodded as he praised the man himself. And after giving the man, a few more light slaps of praise got his foot off his back.

"Head Instructor Li, Old Ling had a sudden enlightenment and withdrew from the bet he made with the Academy Head and has given me permission to take the exam with no strings attached!" Xue Bai announced, not caring for the many floored looks he was receiving.

'Who the hell would believe that!' Everyone roared in their minds, but the terror that Liu Mei made and the purple sword slash that Xue Bai sent off made their thoughts stay thoughts.

"Stupid bird! How dare you sneak attack me!" Then, finally, when everyone's mind was screaming, Long Tian managed to get his head out of the wall. But as he did, he suddenly realized that the situation that he had thought was happening was no longer, but rather a completely different one.

"What is happening here? Why is Brother Ling missing a hand?" Long Tian's poor old brain couldn't grasp the new situation, so he could only mutter stupid questions in hopes that someone could answer him.

Sadly this would never happen, as before anyone could warn him, another white fist sent him flying into the same wall just a few feet away.

Content with her artistic talents, Liu Mei, dusted off her fist and nodded.

"I'm getting better at this greeting stuff. Maybe I should practice with others." Liu Mei thought aloud. But as she surveyed the crowd in hopes of volunteers, everyone jumped back dozens of meters away in freight.

'Even the peak stage Domain Lord realm Long Tian was sent flying like a ragdoll from her fists! If they were punched by her, heaven knows if they would even survive!

"Liu Mei, stop scaring everyone." Xue Bai said after he saw the effect Liu Mei's presence had on the nobles.

And while he did seem like he was chastising her, in his heart, he was happy at her actions.

This was the effect he wanted!

The more desperate and scared the people of this empire were of Liu Mei, the faster Long Tian's backer would appear!

Even until now, Liu Mei hadn't bothered to conceal her 'cultivation base,' and her 2nd stage Spirit Awakening realm cultivation base was out in full glory.

Of course, Xue Bai didn't know how strong Long Tian's backer was or if maybe the mysterious puppet master was even in the Xiantian Great Realm, but he had a gut feeling that the mystery man was a lot stronger than Liu Mei was showing.

And through this event, Xue Bai hoped that Long Tian and his faction would go out and plead with the man to enact vengeance for them.

This way, the puppet master would be cleaned up early, and Xue Bai would be able to start phase two of his Northern Continent pillaging.

Until then, Xue Bai would continue to terrorize the Grand Duke's faction!

'There are no hard feelings. It was just fate that you were against me from the beginning.'

Liu Mei was obedient, and after being told to stop, she did. And to everyone's surprise, her body erupted with a white flash. Soon after, she swapped forms and returned to her demonic beast form.

However, this time, Liu Mei was much smaller than she was when they first entered.

Shrinking to just about the size of a normal eagle, Liu Mei flew over to Xue Bai and landed peacefully on his shoulder.

"Alright, Head Instructor Li, lead the way. I can't wait to see the inside of the Academy I had heard so much about." Giving the eagle a few pets on the head, Xue Bai looked back at the dazed old man and spoke elegantly.

Head Instructor Li and the many students behind him who were chosen to take the entrance exam were all terrified at the purple-robed Xue Bai. So every step Xue Bai took toward them, they would also take one backward.

The strange phenomenon happened to the point where one of the students backed up into the very wall that Long Tian was still stuck in.

"Damn bird! Let me out!" Thinking the person who bumped into him was Liu Mei, Long Tian angrily shouted.

"Grand Duke, it's me, Tian Yan, not Prince Consort Xue's companion." The scared boy awkwardly said as he tried to calm the Grand Duke down.

"Tian Yan? You're Marquis Tian's son?" Long Tian subconsciously asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Then let me out! Have you come to me just to kick me down some more?!" Long Tian raged.

The walls of the Academy were so thick that Long Tian couldn't use his arms to pull himself out. Coupled with the many defensive arrays that were scattered throughout the wall, Long Tian didn't dare to use too much force lest he gets blasted by one of the arrays inside the walls.

That was why he took so long to get out and couldn't even sense or hear much of the events happening around him.

If not for Tian Yan being so close, Long Tian would've still been oblivious to his existence and continued to try and flail himself out of the wall.

"Ah, yes!" Tian Yan quickly went to help the Grand Duke.

And after a few pulls of combined effort, the old man was pulled out.

There he saw Head Instructor Li and the five other students who came to take the exam huddled up in fear of Xue Bai. However, once he looked at Xue Bai, he was confused about what the people were so scared of.

"What are you fools so afraid of? That gigolo is only in the Bone Strengthening realm. Have you all lost your guts?" Long Tian snorted in disdain, but he didn't attack.

'Old man, how about you try and not be afraid! Who are you fooling? We can still see your apprehensive eyes!'historical

Of course, Long Tian didn't know the thoughts of the people he just insulted, but if he did, he would agree. Since he didn't know where Liu Mei was currently, Long Tian was scared that the eagle was hiding somewhere to send him flying again.

However, after a few seconds of scanning his surroundings and seeing nothing, he deemed the coast to be clear, so with a snort and a wave of his sleeve, he left.

Leaving his vegetable-cosplaying son and terrified grandson behind.

'I need to speak with Master about this!'