Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Emerging from the Punishment Hall, Lin Yun returned to his room and finally burst out laughing. This had truly solved his most pressing problem.

He had received all of the teacher’s belongings, but the main prize was the Merit Points. Teachers naturally had more Merit Points than students, and this one had a whopping two thousand.

To the average student, two thousand Merit Points was already a staggering figure, enough to be exchanged for many useful items.

For Lin Yun, however, it was merely twenty days’ worth of food for Little Ape. Nowadays, Little Ape needed at least one Earth Level Three-Stars Elixir per day. This was only because Lin Yun was too poor; otherwise, Little Ape could have refined even one more.

Little Ape’s body was like a bottomless pit, with absolutely no risk of his body bursting from the energy. If an ordinary person were to consume two Earth Level Three-Stars Elixirs in a single day, they would likely explode on the spot.

Of course, this wasn’t referring to Healing Elixirs, but a special Cultivation Elixir made by Yanhuang Academy called the Qi Essence Pill. Its only function was to provide Martial Artists with immense energy, allowing them to achieve rapid breakthroughs.

However, this elixir was only intended for Qi Sea Realm Martial Artists. An Opening Realm Martial Artist who took one had a very high chance of being overwhelmed by the immense energy, causing their body to burst.

With the Merit Points secured, Lin Yun didn’t linger in his room and headed directly to the Merit Hall. At the same time, in a courtyard deep within the Punishment Hall...

The Qi Sea Realm Elder who had previously presided over Lin Yun’s case was standing with the utmost respect. Before him, an old man sat on a bamboo chair.

The old man looked so frail that a gust of wind could have knocked him over. Slowly, he opened his previously closed eyes and asked, "Is everything taken care of?"

Upon hearing this, the Elder replied reverently, "Yes. I have handled everything as you instructed, Dean. However, there is one thing I don’t understand."

"You’re wondering why I didn’t deal with the mastermind as well, since I already know who it is. Is that it?" the old man asked, his voice calm.

At these words, the Qi Sea Realm Elder remained silent, clearly affirming the old man’s speculation.

"This boy, Lin Shan, is quite promising. As for Tang Wushuang, I’m keeping him around merely to temper the lad. I’m getting old, so old... I must find someone to inherit my legacy," the old man sighed. As his voice faded, the man who had been sitting in the bamboo chair vanished into thin air.

The Qi Sea Realm Elder’s eyes filled with envy. ’Don’t the old man’s words mean he wants to take Lin Shan as his student?’

In the century-long history of Yanhuang Academy, the old man had never once accepted a student. As the Dean of the Punishment Hall and Vice Dean of Yanhuang Academy, his power and status were far beyond anything someone like Tang Wushuang’s teacher could hope to match.

Throughout the entire Yanhuang Country, if the old man so much as stomped his foot, even the Royal Family could not afford to ignore his existence.

Lin Yun, for his part, was completely unaware that he had caught the eye of the Punishment Hall’s Dean. With his two thousand Merit Points, he was in the Merit Hall, unhesitatingly exchanging them for twenty Qi Essence Pills.

The Steward assisting Lin Yun was stunned. Not only was he surprised that a student at the Sixth Layer of Opening possessed so many Merit Points, but he was also baffled as to why he was exchanging them for twenty Qi Essence Pills.

After all, the Elemental Power contained within a Qi Essence Pill was more than enough to cause any Opening Realm Martial Artist’s body to burst. Even a student at the Ninth Layer of Opening wouldn’t dare consume one without first breaking through to the Qi Sea Realm.

Even students in the Qi Sea Realm could only take one Qi Essence Pill a month; it took an average student at that level at least a month to digest all the energy.

"Let me give you some advice: an Opening Realm student taking a Qi Essence Pill is just asking to die," the Steward said, feeling the need to warn him as Lin Yun turned to leave.

Lin Yun knew the Steward’s warning was well-intentioned, so he simply smiled without saying anything. ’I can’t very well tell him these aren’t for me, but for the little guy on my shoulder, can I?’

Once outside the Merit Hall, Lin Yun casually tossed a Qi Essence Pill to Little Ape, who promptly swallowed it in a single gulp.

"I really have no idea where you absorb all that energy," Lin Yun muttered, stowing the remaining Qi Essence Pills. He then led Little Ape toward the Battle Arena.

The Battle Arena was a place the Academy used to awaken the students’ fighting spirit and hone their combat skills. Everyone understood the principle that a sheltered upbringing creates a useless person.

Thus, the Academy was quite direct about it: they built a Battle Arena and let the students fight savagely within its walls to sharpen their skills.

The Battle Arena was not on Academy grounds but just outside, in its own separate area. The Academy’s Primordial Ocean Realm experts guarded it year-round, working in shifts.

Leaving the Academy grounds, Lin Yun followed a path up to the summit of Imperial City Mountain. The Academy itself was built halfway up the mountain, while the Battle Arena was constructed at the very peak.

Along the way, Lin Yun saw numerous students from the Academy—from the general classes, the smaller classes, and the Elite Class. He had yet to see a single student from the Genius Class, which was understandable; after all, the entire Academy had only twenty of them.

Upon reaching the Battle Arena, he saw that it was an imposing structure. It was surrounded by high walls and featured a massive building that resembled an ancient fortress.

"One hundred Merit Points to enter the Battle Arena," the Steward at the gate told Lin Yun.

Lin Yun already knew about the fee, so he wasn’t surprised. He simply paid the one hundred Merit Points and entered the Battle Arena.

He passed through the outer wall and entered the fortress. Inside, towering walls encircled a central Martial Arts Arena, and seated on chairs all around were no fewer than a thousand students.

Some of them were spectators, while others were here to fight.

"I’d like to sign up," Lin Yun said, having found the registration desk and the Steward managing it.

The Steward responded in an almost mechanical tone, "A fight within the same realm is worth one hundred Merit Points. Add one hundred for every small realm you cross, and two thousand for crossing a great realm. Add one hundred for each additional opponent. And so on."

Hearing the Steward’s explanation, Lin Yun quickly did the math.

’So, if I challenge someone one small realm higher than myself and win, I’ll get two hundred Merit Points. And every additional person is another hundred points.’

With little hesitation, Lin Yun chose to challenge a death row inmate at the Seventh Layer of Opening Realm. Since it was his first time, he decided to play it safe and gauge the strength of these condemned prisoners.

He gave his name and class to the Steward, and then all he had to do was wait. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Bored, he watched the ongoing matches. Most students who came here fought opponents who were, at most, three small realms above them. It was extremely rare to see anyone cross four.

The exception, of course, was the Genius Class. Almost every one of them could fight across a great realm. But since they already had access to more than half of the Academy’s resources, they rarely visited places like this, and if they did, it was only for sport.

(Author’s Note: We’re heading into a ranking competition tomorrow, and it’s a make-or-break moment. I hope you all can show your support! Add this novel to your library, vote for it—Wufeng needs all the help he can get! Have faith in me and in *Divine Emperor Demon Emperor*. I’m counting on all of you!)