“Can’t you just be honest?” Cha Ming asked.
Demons love embellishment, Huxian said. And dolphins are notoriously lazy. Anyway, I need to run. This is going to take a lot of time. The demonic fox fully flexed his Godbeast muscles and zoomed out the door. He left the city before the City Guard could even register his absence.
“We’ll go now as well,” Ling Dong said. “Will you be fine going to the academy?”
“Of course,” Cha Ming said. “I have a few aces up my sleeve.”
“Then Yue Bing and I will go visit the nobles we know,” Zi Long said. “I’ve been laying formations for many of them, so we’ve developed good relationships. Yue Bing’s healed severe injuries many of them have sustained, so they owe her a blood debt. That’s not something taken lightly in Haijing.”
Cha Ming nodded and looked to Jin Huang.
“I’ll come with you, Master,” Jin Huang said. “I have a few friends at the academy that are willing to help.”
“Then let’s not waste time,” Cha Ming said.
Elder Gan barked instructions as they left. Members of the Alabaster Group immediately began packing up and collecting others around the city while Elder Gan followed after Cha Ming. They arrived at the door of Haijing Academy where guards stood with weapons drawn.
“Please show your identification,” the guards said.
Cha Ming glared at them and walked up to the door. He searched for a flaw in the formation, and after finding one, kicked the door open with a powerful kick. Splinters of wood flew inside as the door was smashed to bits.
“Stop! You’re breaking the peace!” the guards said. They rushed in to attack him, but Cha Ming simply slapped out with both palms and sent them flying into the city streets. The wide-eyed Elder Gan followed him into Haijing Academy, where guards came pouring into the streets to meet him. He dispatched each one with palms that smashed armor and crashed into their chests. One of them was even a qi cultivator, so he went a little lighter—slightly more strength and the guard would have perished.
“What’s going on?” a voice boomed.
Over a hundred figures flew out. They were all elders of the academy, many of whom Cha Ming recognized. At their head stood a tall, skinny man. Headmaster Yan. “Who gave you the courage to barge in here? As headmaster of Haijing Academy, I demand to know what’s going on. Otherwise, prepare to receive my wrath.”
“Some headmaster you are,” Cha Ming said. “You’re just a glorified elder, and you’ve dared to lay hands on members of the Alabaster Group.”
“I’ve done no such thing,” Yao Lan said. “They’ve all refused to disseminate knowledge, and thus, we’ve made room for others who are willing to share.”
“Everyone has secrets,” Cha Ming said. “What you’ve done is abuse your power to kick them out and grow your Obsidian Syndicate. What you’ve done is clear as day. Not only were our members forced to take refuge in the city, but the guard has conveniently been absent while our members have been attacked. They don’t even dare leave the city for fear of being killed.”
Many elders muttered behind Yao Lan, whose eyes narrowed. They’d clearly not been aware of the full situation. “You have no proof,” Yao Lan said. “These are all baseless accusations.”
“The truth is clear for everyone to see,” Cha Ming said. “But I don’t have business with a glorified elder. Using my right as a grand elder, I wish to challenge the Nine Illusions professional trial.”
More muttering.
Yao Lan couldn’t help but grin and then laugh heartily when he heard this. “You want to try and usurp me using the Nine Illusions professional trial? Do you think my position is a joke? You might be a grand elder, but no one has bested the transcendent trial in thousands of years. It’s there only as a carrot, to show the desperate that anything is achievable if you set your mind to it.”
“Nothing is impossible,” Cha Ming said. “And unlike you, I’ve already successfully crafted a transcendent item.”
“And failed,” Yao Lan said. “You couldn’t even defend it against a heavenly tribulation. Do you think you can avoid it by hiding inside the formation? I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it doesn’t work that way. Every single one of those who’ve succeeded had to fight a simulated heavenly tribulation. You failed before, and you’ll fail this time as well.”
“We’ll know if I try,” Cha Ming said. “Now tell me, will you cooperate, or do I have to make you?”
Yao Lan opened then closed his mouth. He looked around and was met with stares from the many elders. They held high respect for Cha Ming as a professional, and the headmaster medallion didn’t change that one bit.
“You can naturally challenge the formation,” Yao Lan said. “I take it you have the requisite fee?”
Cha Ming tossed a hundred top-grade spirit stones to him.
“Then follow me.”
While there were originally one hundred elders gathered, the crowd grew as they made their way to the formation. The grand elder didn’t stand on ceremony and tossed the stones on the formation and gestured toward it. “Go ahead. Don’t cry when you come out.”
Cha Ming nodded and stepped toward the portal. He stepped through it onto a large stone platform. A few runes floated around him: herbology, alchemy, runic arts, talisman arts, and formation arts. “I wish to challenge a transcendent trial. Talisman arts.”
“Are you sure?” a voice said from all directions at once.
“I am,” Cha Ming said.
“You meet the required soul strength and have cleared the elder trial,” the voice said. “The trial will begin momentarily.” His surroundings distorted, and Cha Ming found himself in Elder Ling’s cabin once again. He looked around the comfortable living room and saw the Angels and Devils board as well as Mr. Mao Mao’s perch. Then, he walked over to a table and summoned the Clear Sky Brush.
Cha Ming thought for a moment. He’d already painted a Flow Talisman at transcendent
