Chapter 320: Chapter 275: Participating in the Competition
The pale red glow confirmed that Li Ang’s Qi Sea had indeed reached the Rain Listening Realm.
"Bian Chenpei is narrow-minded and quick to anger," Li Ang spoke earnestly. "That day in the arena, he tried to kill Ashina Galuo, partly because he was nearly defeated and felt ashamed and furious, and possibly also because Ashina Galuo had piloted a human-powered aircraft, making him lose face. Old grudges and new hatreds combined. No matter what, the human-powered aircraft is related to me, so if you get to the bottom of it, it’s a case of ’I didn’t kill the innocent, but the innocent died because of me.’"
Li Ang paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Moreover, personally, I really want to beat the crap out of Bian Chenpei in the arena."
An Initial Stage cultivator in the Rain Listening Realm wanting to severely beat a High Order cultivator of the same realm, and both were majoring in Mind Study.
If it were someone else, Xue Che would definitely advise the person to think it over carefully and weigh the options.
The competition arena was empty, with no cover or room to maneuver, greatly reducing the Telekinesis Master’s performance limit.
Even if Bian Chenpei couldn’t use the Starfall Mind Artifact, the difference in the total amount of Telekinetic power would be enough to set the odds of victory at one to nine.
"..."
Xue Che smacked his lips. "Are you sure about this? How confident are you?"
Li Ang’s expression remained calm as he answered, "About fifty percent."
"Good."
Xue Che said no more, holding a lamb leg in one hand and pulling out a registration form from beneath the desk with the other.
Li Ang filled out the registration form, placed it on top of all the other papers, and left the Martial Arts Arena.
At the Academic Palace cafeteria, Bian Chenpei and a group of Taihao Mountain disciples were using Telekinesis to carry their trays, heading towards the corner.
All along the way, students from various countries cast unusual glances at them, with some Turkic students even having a flash of hatred in their eyes.
"Heh."
Bian Chenpei’s face remained unchanged. He kept smiling, gracefully passing through the crowd to settle down in the corner, and casually said to his companions, "Day and night, it’s as if they could kill with their gazes alone."
None of the surrounding Taihao Mountain disciples made a sound. Bian Chenpei continued indifferently, "If it were just the Turkic people who were hostile toward me, that would be fine. But these Academic Palace disciples from Yu Country are also indignant, which is really quite laughable. The two countries’ troops have been stationed at the border, with ongoing conflicts, and the severed heads of Turkic horse thieves are still considered ’hard currency’ in the Northern border towns of Yu Country. And now they suddenly play the part of the humbly courteous gentlemen."
The Taihao Mountain disciples around him collectively fell silent. In fact, everyone understood that the Academic Palace disciples were angry, firstly because Bian Chenpei had broken rules on Academic Palace grounds, damaging the Academic Palace’s reputation. Secondly, because Ashina Galuo was not a Turkic soldier and had no blood feud with Yu Country. If it hadn’t been for Li Ang’s healing, she might have been dead by now. It was hard enough to save her, and it was said that she also lost the right to become a mother in the future.
As for the third reason... Bian Chenpei had yet to apologize or even show a hint of remorse.
Yes, by stepping onto the arena, they had agreed to a life-and-death contract. But the Starfall Mind Artifact skirted the edge of the rules. Whether it was compliant or not was hard to say, and Ashina Galuo had such severe after-effects.
It carried an air of relying on his father being the future Judicial Cardinal, believing the Turkics wouldn’t dare to seek revenge.
Bian Chenpei, seeing his companions silent, said indifferently, "What happens in the arena, stays in the arena. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can take it back on the arena floor..."
TAP TAP TAP.
The sound of rapid footsteps approached quickly, and a Taihao Mountain disciple hurried over, speaking in a low voice, "Someone saw that Li Ang come out of the Martial Arts Arena. It looks like he just registered."
"Registered?"
Bian Chenpei slightly raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Has he reached the Rain Listening Realm?"
"It appears so."
The disciple nodded. "Otherwise, he couldn’t participate."
"Interesting."
Bian Chenpei’s eyes twinkled, as if contemplating something.
"Chenpei, aren’t you worried?"
Unable to hold back, a companion asked, "After all, he is the Academic Palace Top Scholar."
"Worried? Why should I be worried? What counts in the arena isn’t Natural Science. No matter how high his reputation or how great his achievements, they’re all useless."
Bian Chenpei shook his head and sneered, "I just hope that he advances quickly. Otherwise, he won’t encounter me."
"Hmm?"
The Taihao Mountain companion, sensing the emotion in his words, exclaimed in astonishment, "Chenpei, could it be that you..."
"Hmm."
Bian Chenpei couldn’t hide the pride in his voice. "I’ve already begun to glimpse the threshold of the Cloud Patrol Realm."
"Rain Listening, Cloud Patrol, Candle Cloud."
In East City, at the Cultivation Workshop, in the garrison dungeon.
A middle-aged man with a goatee beard calmly took a slender bamboo stick from a low shelf.
He was wearing the recently available, expensive glasses on his nose and donned gloves and arm covers, dressed in a dark black robe.
There were no extra decorations on the robe, not even the emblem of the garrison—this attire, within the Garrison, symbolized an interrogator.
And the man with the goatee was the most outstanding among all interrogators, solving the most cases.
This usually also meant the highest efficiency, and most adept... at torture.
"Every Candle Cloud Cultivator has overcome challenges beyond common imagination. Their willpower, wisdom, and opportunities are among the finest of all."
The man with the goatee, whose glasses reflected the flickering light from a corner oil lamp, said hoarsely, "But having a strong will doesn’t mean being completely unaffected by torture. On the contrary, powerful cultivators who once had fearsome powers and moved through the mortal world like tigers among sheep, after having their scapulae pierced, shackled, and their abilities completely stripped away, become as fragile and helpless as any ordinary person. They will suffer, cry, and even... despair."
The man with the goatee tapped lightly on the shelf with the bamboo stick. "When bamboo sticks are inserted into the spaces between their fingers and toes, and the fine bamboo splinters sink into the flesh, their cries are not much more pleasant than those of regular criminals."
"Is that so?"
A Gu Master named Situ Zhi said with a smile.
A huge iron hook pierced his scapula, and his neck, hands, and feet were bound by heavy punishment tools, locked firmly onto a cross-shaped iron frame with iron chains.
On the bit of skin exposed to the air, one could clearly see numerous scars and wounds—marks even Gu worms could not heal.
"Burned by fire, drenched in water, sliced by knives. Now, we have someone who stabs with bamboo sticks. Stabbing me won’t be any more effective."
Situ Zhi said with a faint smile, "Your predecessor might have mentioned, I can’t feel pain. No matter how ingenious your punishments, to me, they feel as though a breeze is brushing against my face. You can’t bear to truly kill me. You want to extract more information. For example, how I got past the Prohibitions to come to Yu Country, and how I evaded the garrison’s patrols. You’re afraid of me—afraid that I still have hidden trump cards, plans, and even accomplices. Aren’t you?"
The interrogator fell silent.
Those people underground at the Academic Palace East Lord Tower had used Mutated Objects not long ago, and still couldn’t extract any useful information from Situ Zhi’s brain—he must have accomplices, and that accomplice was very familiar with the Academic Palace’s techniques, having set up a Prohibition in Situ Zhi’s mind beforehand that could only be lifted by death, able to resist all actions of probing into the mind.
Coupled with Situ Zhi’s body full of Gu Worms and an inability to feel pain, conventional interrogation methods were utterly useless.
"... The Academic Palace symbolizes the brightness and future of Yu Country."
After a long silence, the interrogator spoke slowly, "The garrison is different. We are fighting against demon and monsters of the utmost cruelty and evil. Any kindness, goodness, or hesitation could bring disaster upon ourselves and our comrades. Any method is acceptable if it is effective. Deep within our dungeon, there is a facility known as the Stone Coffin Forest. Criminals who have committed unforgivable crimes are sealed within narrow and isolated human-shaped stone coffins, unable to stand or sit, unable to seek death. A tube will be inserted into their throats. Food and water will be injected directly into their stomachs at random. They can’t see any light, hear any sound, and can’t even feel the passage of time—one person who was lucky enough to come out alive told me that the only feeling after lying in the stone coffin was loneliness. Eternal loneliness. Even the smell of urine and feces, the discomfort of insects crawling across one’s face, and the pain of flesh being cut by blades in the interrogation room, compared to that loneliness, seem so sweet and pleasurable."
The interrogator looked at Situ Zhi and continued slowly, "Over this period, you have proven your resilience. If it is confirmed that no useful information can be extracted from you, then the only option left for us is to seal you into the stone coffin."