Five thousand points!

Lin Xun felt a headache coming on when he heard he had to meet such a condition alone. 

The points from Qinglu Academy were extremely hard to obtain. For example, he only accumulated one thousand points after teaching for one month. 

That included even the points he had received as a reward for repairing the Sword of Apocalypse for the empress! 

Imaginably, it would be extremely difficult to obtain five thousand points within a short period. 

Additionally, there was the Sky Stairs Assessment!

Although he didn’t know exactly what the Sky Stairs Assessment entailed, it had to be terrifying since five thousand points was the minimum requirement required to be eligible to participate in it.  

“The horn of the Kui Ox isn’t just a divine rune material as it was born in ancient times. It has long disappeared from the world, but I heard that the principal encountered one when he had accidentally stumbled into a secret realm during his travels to the Spirit Burial Sea.” 

Shen Tuo suddenly said, “But because it was such a special treasure, the principal has issued an order that only the person able to pass the Sky Stairs Assessment can receive the treasure.” 

Lin Xun couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly is the Sky Stairs Assessment?” 

“A test for cultivators,” stated Shen Tuo. “I don’t know much about the specifics but I heard that disciples from the Dao Martial Department will participate. In thousands of years, only a very small number of people have passed the assessment.” 

“Simply speaking, only the most talented and marvelous geniuses will be able to participate and pass the Sky Stairs Assessment. Any other people are doomed to fail.”

“I remember that only two people have successfully passed the assessment in the past hundred years. One was Qin Zihuan and the other was Che Qingyu. They are both peerless figures of the world.” 

“I heard that Che Qingyu is training in a mysterious sacred land, and Qin Zihuan is now studying in the True Martial Department. I heard that he will soon leave for a mysterious sect outside our domain.”

……

After a long discussion, Shen Tuo left with ten stalks of silver frost sword grass to exchange for rune materials for Lin Xun.  

Moreover, he had promised Lin Xun that he wouldn’t expose to anyone that Lin Xun had intended to make a rune armament before he acquired the rune materials. This was to prevent any problems from arising. 

Lin Xun pondered silently for a long moment by himself before he let out a soft sigh. 

“The horn of the Kui Ox is irreplaceable. If I can’t acquire one, I won’t be able to create the rune armament that I have planned out.” 

“It seems that I have to make good use of time and earn points.” Lin Xun bore a look of determination. 

Before Shen Tuo left, he suggested various ways for Lin Xun to earn points such as lectures, tutorials, outdoor training, assessments and tests. Anyone who contributed to the academy would receive corresponding points as rewards.

After contemplating for a while, Lin Xun decided to make a trip to the Great Affairs Hall. 

The Great Affairs Hall was dedicated to assigning various missions and coordinating tasks within the academy. Simply speaking, it was a place to manage tasks.

“Little Instructor Lin, you’re back!”

“Great, we have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time.”

Just as Lin Xun stepped out of the teacher's dormitory, he saw a group of boys and girls waiting outside. They exclaimed and cheered when they saw Lin Xun. 

Lin Xun was taken aback at first, but then he quickly recognized that many were students from Class 9C. He saw Little Fatty Liu Hui, Fan Zhiqiu, Yang Jingyao and others among them. 

“Little Instructor Lin, are you going to stay around this time?”

“Little Instructor Lin, I heard that you have angered the imperial family and many people plan to take action against you. But don’t worry, Instructor Shen Tuo said that no one can do anything to you as long as you are in Qinglu Academy.”

“Little Instructor Lin, when will you resume class? We all are looking forward to your return.” 

The students chattered nonstop about mundane things, but their heartfelt concern for Lin Xun warmed his heart. 

At that moment, he couldn’t help but imagine the peaceful life of being a teacher if it weren’t for the fact that he had so many matters to deal with. 

“Hurry up and go to class! Don’t you see that Little Instructor Lin has a lot of things to do?” Little Fatty Liu Hai shouted. 

“You should all go to class. I won’t be leaving the academy any time soon,” Lin Xun urged. 

A sharp voice resounded in the distance like a broken gong. 

“Lin Xun? Where is Lin Xun? Get out here now!”

“Who the hell is being so rude?!” Little Fatty Liu Hui fumed, but when he turned around, he saw a group of figures aggressively coming their way.  

It was a group of men and women in pale azure uniforms with a symbol of a deer riding on clouds embroidered on the shoulders—the symbol of the Martial Dao Department!  

“Oh, it’s you guys.” Little Fatty Liu Hui sounded a little puzzled. 

The expressions on the others’ faces changed when they recognized the people were a group of students from the Dao Martial Department!

In Qinglu Academy, the Hidden Dragon Department held the most students, especially new students. This was obvious from its name, Hidden Dragon.  

The Martial Dao Department was different in that students who were able to train there had to be elites who had passed several selection processes. They were all top geniuses and heroes of the Spirit Sea Stage. 

For example, the top one hundred students on the Spirit Sea Gold Ranking were all training within the Martial Dao Department! 

As for the True Martial Department, it was more transcendental and mysterious as it was a cultivation place for Heaven Ascension cultivators. Rarely were True Martial Department students seen around the academy. 

The Rune Department and Godly Stratagems were cultivation places specially prepared for rune masters and tacticians.  

There were few chances for interactions between students of the different departments because of their different paths even though all of them  were training in Qinglu Academy. 

However, today was different. A group of elites from the Martial Dao Department stormed toward the Rune Department in an aggressive and threatening manner and made a huge fuss to see Lin Xun. They came to start trouble! 

Regardless of how slow Little Fatty Liu Hui and the others were, they would know that many people in the academy had threatened to teach Lin Xun a lesson to wash away the humiliation that the imperial family had suffered.  

“That way!”

The broken-gong-like voice rang again. It was from a youngster with sunken cheeks, small eyes, and a black mole on the corner of his lips. 

He was Li Xiaofei, a pretty famous figure in the Dao Martial Department. His fame wasn’t attributed to his strength or powerful cultivation, but to the distinctive mole on the corner of his lips. He was nicknamed Mole because of that. 

As his voice sounded, the Martial Dao students cast their gazes in their direction and their eyes immediately locked on Lin Xun. 

“You’re Lin Xun? You’ve finally shown yourself. We have been waiting for you for a long time.”

Li Xiaofei rushed ahead, raised his chin, and studied Lin Xun closely. Suddenly, he smiled coldly, making the mole on his lips even more noticeable. 

Based on his tone of voice, they were no doubt there to start trouble, and it made Little Fatty Liu Hui and other Rune Department students scrunch their brows. 

“What do you want? This is the Rune Department and not a place for students of the Dao Martial Department to run wild!” Liu Hui thundered. 

“Little fat thing, what are you talking about? Get lost, it’s none of your business. I suggest you not talk so much and not get involved. Be careful of getting yourself into trouble!”  

Li Xiaofei shot Liu Hui a disdainful glance and then looked at Lin Xun and said threateningly, “Lin Xun, you should know what we came for. If you know what’s good for you then you should quickly come with us!”  

His overbearing arrogance infuriated Liu Hui and the others. Lin Xun is a teacher. That guy is too arrogant! How can a student yell at and order a teacher about!? 

“Mole, don’t be so arrogant. If you don’t stop now, I’m going to report to the higher-ups of the academy so you will be properly dealt with!” Yang Jingyao shouted.

She looked gentle and delicate, but she suddenly became very fierce and glowered at Li Xiaofei viciously. 

She seemed familiar with Li Xiaofei as she addressed him by his nickname. 

“Oh...the ninth miss of the Yang Family…” 

As expected, Li Xiaofei’s expression stiffened and he stuttered, looking rather afraid. 

Lin Xun couldn’t help but feel surprised because he had never thought that Yang Jingyao had such an impressive background. 

However, after a thought, it made a lot of sense. He was in the best academy in the empire, so any person able to study there wouldn’t be an ordinary person. 

Suddenly, a woman from the Martial Dao Department said aloud, “Little Ninth Yang, stand aside. We are not here to cause trouble. We specifically came for Lin Xun.” 

Her eyes were bright like stars, her lips were cherry-red, her skin was delicate and soft, and her black hair flowed down her back like a waterfall, revealing her beautiful fair neck.  

However, she donned an extremely cold expression and her brows were scrunched up condescendingly. She was like the ice on a mountain peak that mustn’t be disturbed. 

“Xue Yun, are you also here to start trouble for Little Instructor Lin?” Yang Jingyao wrinkled her brows, seemingly apprehensive of the beautiful woman called Xue Yun.

Xue Yun!

Everyone shuddered at her name as they knew that she was a genius maiden of the Martial Dao Department!

She was from a noble family, enjoyed a respectful status, and had a remarkable talent. She was ranked 19th on the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings. 

It fell silent for a moment. 

Xue Yun swept a cold glance over Yang Jingyao and ignored her. She turned to Lin Xun. “Come with us, since you showed up, you should pay a price for the wrong things you have done.”

From the start, she sounded icily arrogant. Her voice and words were not aggressive, but oozing with superiority.  

Lin Xun hadn’t said a word but he vaguely guessed what they wanted. But there was one thing he was puzzled about. 

“What wrong things have I done?” he asked. 

“Hey, Lin Xun, are you still trying to deny it? Who doesn’t know now that you disrespectfully forced the Marquis of Rising Sky to kneel, insulted the dignity of the imperial family, and committed a heinous crime!” Li Xiaofei snorted coldly. 

Lin Xun suddenly smiled. “What does that have to do with you? Are you a member of the royal family? Look at you—your mouth sticks out and your chin is like an ape’s. You have shifty eyes and such an ugly face. If you are a member of the imperial family, the heavens are blind to allow you to be born like that.” 

Fatty Liu Hui and the others burst into laughter. Lin Xun’s description of Mole was too fitting.

“Little Instructor Lin, isn’t it impolite to call other people ugly?” Yang Jingyao asked in a whisper.

“Who cares! He started it first! Little Instructor Lin is just telling the truth. How can he be rude for stating what everyone knows?” refuted Liu Hui.

Everyone else agreed. Mole was too arrogant and he was also unusually…ugly. 

“You—you—how dare you!”

Li Xiaofei raged. He could endure jokes about his ugliness behind his back because he knew he was ugly, but he couldn’t tolerate Lin Xun making fun of his weak point in front of everyone!