A World Worth Protecting

As Wang Baole sped off, an uproar exploded outside the Dao Mountain Mist Academy’s school gates. Not only were the students engaging in a heated debate, but the teachers also started discussing amongst themselves as well. The dean stood at his office’s window and observed the commotion with interest for a long while.

Li Yi was growing mad with rage. She sorely regretted her actions, but her mind was determined. Once she had made up her mind, she wouldn’t change it easily. The challenge inherent in her mission seemed to have exceeded her expectations, but Wang Baole’s stare at her didn’t escape her notice. She was confident she would succeed.

That disgusting fatty. I, Li Yi, am going to use you to cultivate my mystic art!

At present, Wang Baole was standing in his cruiser and heading towards the Battle-axe Hotel at full speed. He was equally furious and marveling at his own charms.

Hah, she got so excited just with a hug from me, and became so agitated when I said I was going to give her a chance to prove herself… Wang Baole sniggered as a cold glint flashed across his eyes.

There’s something wrong with this Li Yi. She used to dislike me intensely, but just a moment ago, she was actually willing to tolerate my embrace and taunting words… she must be plotting something nefarious. Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. What he had done earlier might have seemed like harassment on his part, but, in reality, he had been testing her.

He had found Li Yi’s request for reconciliation and her sudden appearance at the school suspicious. After his little test earlier, he had confirmed his suspicions, though he had kept them to himself.

Wang Baole set the matter aside and steeled himself. The cruiser dashed at top speed towards the Battle-axe Hotel, drawing nearer and nearer the hotel.

At the same time, outside the Battle-axe Hotel, many students from both the Fire Spirit Academy and the Dao Mountain Mist Academy stood in confrontation against each other. There was tension in the air. It felt as if a fight could break out anytime.

“Jin Duozhi ¹ , your name doesn’t fit you at all. You should be called Piglet ² Jin!”

“Sun Chao, you dare fight me for a cruiser I had my eyes on. I’ll kill you today!”

“Li He, you’re all words and no action. My brother kicked your brother’s ass a few days ago. Today, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

There were more than a hundred students gathered outside the hotel. Most of them were from the Fire Spirit Academy, and there were about two dozen students from the Dao Mountain Mist Academy. The latter group was all bruised and beaten up.

Despite being cornered and trapped, they remained brave. Curses and insults continued flying. The competitive nature of the two academies had influenced the attitudes of their students as well, and both groups developed an intense dislike towards the other.

Many students amongst both groups might come from the same political force. However, even within a single political force, there existed multiple factions. The conflicts within the groups were endless.

Jin Duozhi and his group of friends hadn’t come to the hotel with the intention of stirring up trouble. They had originally wanted to take a look at the battle-axes. Their bumping into the students from the Fire Spirit Academy was pure coincidence and highly unfortunate. What had started as an exchange of insults spiraled into a fight.

With the Fire Spirit Academy located just across the road, more than a hundred students from said academy had soon rushed over. The hotel staff had observed the escalating tensions and were about to step in and appease both parties, but that was when Li Wuchen had seen his opportunity and exploited the chaotic situation between the two groups of students. He had stepped in and immediately destroyed three battle-axes!

This had resulted in a further escalation of the conflict. There was no end in sight.

Before Li Wuchen had realized the hotel had changed hands, he might have been concerned about the backlash from the Trilunaris Corporation when he destroyed the battle-axes. However, since he had found out that the hotel was no longer under the name of the Trilunaris Corporation, he no longer feared the consequences of his actions. He decimated the battle-axes fearlessly.

He continued his attacks during the entire confrontation, and deafening explosions thundered in the air as all ten newly minted battle-axes were destroyed.

He continued striking the last standing battle-axe—the original battle-axe that the Battle-axe Hotel had erected. It seemed to be made from a different material, as it withstood his attacks without immediately being blown apart. However, the cracks on its surface grew with each new blow.

The hotel’s security guards were mostly True Breath realm cultivators. They were no match for Li Wuchen at all. They could not stop him and could only watch and fret at the sidelines.

“All hail the mighty Dean Li. Let’s tear down this Battle-axe Hotel!”

“All hail the powerful Dean Li. Haha!”

Shattered stone bits exploded in the air as Li Wuchen continued his onslaught. More cracks appeared on the battle-axe. Jin Duozhi and his friends started panicking.

“You guys are too much. Our dean is Wang Baole. He’ll be here anytime soon!”

“Haven’t you heard of Wang Baole!?”

The students from the Fire Spirit Academy burst out laughing. They stared at Jin Duozhi and his friends with scorn, and a few even taunted them.

“Of course we have. Do you mean that fatty? Our Dean Li will kick his ass if he dares turn up today. He’ll swell to twice his size!”

“That’s right. I heard that this Dean Wang of yours might look powerful, but he’s actually a coward! You too, Jin Duozhi. You’re another pig head. Who exchanges a hotel for a puppet? Are you stupid?”

“I heard the Deputy Governor doesn’t like him very much. My father works for the Deputy Governor. If he dares to show up today, I’ll report him to my father!”

The quarreling persisted. The taunting of the Fire Spirit Academy students, the raging retorts from the Dao Mountain Mist Academy students, and the sounds of Li Wuchen blasting at the battle-axe continued. Then, suddenly, the piercing shrill of a speeding cruiser approached from the distance.

A furious roar exploded from the cruiser even before the cruiser drew near.

“Li Wuchen, you have a death wish!”

Wang Baole dashed out from the cruiser as his voice rang in the air. He was so fast that he shot past his cruiser. He crossed a hundred yards with a single bound, shocking those who saw him approaching. He took another two steps and appeared right before Li Wuchen. His fist flew forward.

Li Wuchen’s pupils contracted. He retreated immediately, and his fingers formed rapid hand seals. Instantly, a drop of water appeared before him. It was clear and pristine, and it formed a defensive barrier that met Wang Baole’s angry fist head on.

An explosion thundered, sending tremors through the earth and a shudder through the heavens. Li Wuchen was alarmed. The curtain of water before him couldn’t withstand the power of Wang Baole’s blow. It shattered instantly. Li Wuchen watched as Wang Baole charged at him with murder in his eyes. At that precise moment, a snort rang out from the Fire Spirit Academy. Seven to eight figures dashed out towards them.

Amongst them was a man in his middle age. His cultivation was at the late-stage Foundation Establishment realm, clearly considerably higher than the rest. He exuded an aura superior to the rest, one that was fearsome and carried a hint of arrogance.

This man… was the dean of the Fire Spirit Academy. The rest were teachers from the same academy. They were all support Li Wuchen had gathered since Li Wuchen had an idea of how powerful Wang Baole was. Much of what he knew was from hearsay, but while he had never witnessed Wang Baole in actual battle, he knew that Wang Baole was a powerful opponent.

They had agreed to lend a hand because Li Wuchen had requested their help. Another reason was that they found the idea of eleven battle-axes horrifying as well. The most important reason was the conflict and competition that existed between the two schools. They wanted to use this opportunity to establish their superiority.

So what if you were newly appointed? With the Dao Mountain Mist Academy dean advancing in age, the Dao Mountain Mist Academy was no longer performing as well as it had before. The Fire Spirit Academy should not be one of two elites’ academies on Mars, but it should be seen as the only elites’ academy on Mars; It should be recognized as the best academy on the planet!

Their objective was to establish and prove their superiority. They wanted Wang Baole to lower his head in submission whenever he saw anyone from the Fire Spirit Academy in the future. The Fire Spirit Academy dean had asked around for information on Wang Baole’s fighting capabilities. He knew that Wang Baole had avoided late-stage Foundation Establishment realm cultivators in the Mystic Luna Realm and had chosen to teleport them away instead. This boosted his confidence.

As he drew near, the dean of the Fire Spirit Academy thundered.

“Scram!”

The loud roar traveled swiftly through the air and surged towards Wang Baole, who had intended to go after Li Wuchen, in the form of an aural attack.

Li Wuchen burst out in laughter. He stopped retreating and instead, started to charge at Wang Baole instead. They rushed at Wang Baole from two flanks!

“You really think I can’t hold my own against a late-stage Foundation Establishment realm opponent?” Wang Baole thundered as a murderous rage burned in his eyes. He raised his right hand and summoned his seventh-grade Dharmic Armament saber, then, he slashed towards the approaching Fire Spirit Academy dean!

As the blade swept through the air, a black tornado rose around him. It transformed into a black crocodile. As the crocodile howled, the green lotus inside Wang Baole swayed violently. Waves of intense spirit energy erupted inside his body. They augmented Wang Baole’s cultivation and strengthened his physical body to the very limits of its capacity.

Everything culminated in that very moment. Wang Baole’s roar drowned out the Fire Spirit Academy dean’s. His overwhelming presence rose to the sky as his blade descended from the heavens. The heavens changed. Everything came to a standstill!

Li Wuchen reeled back in shock and terror. The other teachers from the Fire Spirit Academy were equally dumbstruck. The Fire Spirit Academy dean’s eyes widened as an overpowering sense of danger exploded in his head. It was like a sudden tsunami that threatened to drag him under!

“That’s impossible!” Amidst the shocked gasps, before everyone’s eyes, Wang Baole descended from the sky in a tornado, the sharp light glimmering off his blade hundreds of feet long. It sliced through the heavens!