Chapter 0649: Conflict Within The Gilded Palace

Astral Sage College, Gilded Palace.

Vice Principal Su Xin was tiredly massaging her eyebrows with one hand and holding a letter of resignation in the other.

"Vice Principal, Mentor Chi Chan's actions have been too rash. Even though she has handed in her resignation, how can that wash away all traces of her association with the Astral Sage College? Once she participates in House Luolan's business, how will the other factions of the Xia Kingdom take us as a neutral party any longer?" An angry voice rang out from one end of the Gilded Palace's long table.

The Violet Vibrance mentors turned to the source and found out it was a stern-faced Shen Jinxiao who had made that comment.

His words quickly elicited approval amongst the mentors, and they nodded deeply. His words had hit the situation right on the nail. Mentor Chi Chan might have given up her faculty position, but her association with the college was not so easily erased.

Additionally, how could she simply resign and immediately go to battle on behalf of House Luolan?

Everyone would require a clear explanation from the college!

Vice Principal Su Xin remained impassive as she replied, her refreshing voice snapping people out of their thoughts, "Then how does Mentor Shen Jinxiao propose we act?"

Shen Jinxiao respectfully replied, "I recommend we dispatch a few Violet Vibrance mentors to capture and return her to the college. If she wants to resign, it will be after House Luolan's Housemeet."

His declaration caused whispers to erupt throughout the Gilded Palace. Some agreed, some objected, and debate raged for a while.

"Bullshit. Once someone resigns, they naturally no longer have any affiliation with the college. What do you think a college is? A den of infamous bandits? One can only join but never leave?" At this point an irritable voice spoke out. It was Mentor Huo Xu who had directly refuted Mentor Shen Jinxiao's point.

Shen Jinxiao frowned. "Mentor Huo Xu, I know that Jiang Qing'e is your student, but the current situation is about maintaining order and calm! Our personal relationships cannot influence the actions we take."

"The college has its own sets of rules. That's to be expected. However, I'm just saying that everyone here has the right to resign. You don't have to use such a nonsensical answer to cover up your true intentions." Mentor Huo Xu coldly snorted as she glared towards Vice Principal Su Xin. At the same time, she tossed a letter of resignation in her direction.

"Vice Principal Su Xin, I QUIT!"

This scene left the other Violet Vibrance mentors completely dumbfounded. Two mentors had chosen to resign on the same day. Even a single resignation was rarely seen in the college.

Shen Jinxiao immediately turned gloomy. "Mentor Huo Xu, the way I see it, you're just an annoying troublemaker!"

"Mind your own business, you craven fool!" Huo Xu immediately thundered.

"Not my business? The way you're acting, you're trampling all over the good name of our college! As an esteemed member of the faculty, how could I not speak out!?" Shen Jinxiao argued back.

"Aren't you just targeting Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e, hoping to watch House Luolan fall into ruin?" Huo Xu retorted.

"You and Chi Chan are only doing this because you value their potential. Perhaps you think they might reach the King Stage and you want to first sow seeds?" Shen Jinxiao continued to pointedly accuse.

Of course, his words were met with a furious comeback. "I do what I WANT!"

The numerous Violet Vibrance mentors seeing the two bicker helplessly shook their heads.

"Enough! Silence!" At this point in time, Vice Principal Su Xin could no longer handle this, slamming her palm onto the table with a gaze cold enough to freeze someone.

Seeing the usually benign vice principal go into a rage caused even the frenzied Huo Xu to quiet down and take a seat.

Shen Jinxiao similarly had an aggrieved expression.

"Mentor Huo Xu, I will not accept your resignation. Although you have the right to do so and I cannot stop you, if news of this were to spread, how will anyone ever believe that our college is neutral," Vice Principal Su Xin asked in a low tone.

Huo Xu listened, but before she could speak her mind, she was dragged back by one of the Violet Vibrance mentors she was on good terms with.

Shen Jinxiao heaved a sigh of relief before asking, "What about the issue with Mentor Chi Chan? How are we dealing with it?"

Vice Principal Su Xin shot him a glance. "Mentor Chi Chan has already left the college and thus we will leave her be. We will not be sending teams to arrest her. Do you know how bad that will reflect upon us? Regardless, this matter of resignations will cease right now. Such malignant trends will no longer continue!" Shen Jinxiao frowned, clearly displeased at the final decision. However, this was Vice Principal Su Xin's decision to make, and he could only agree.

"Due to the situation in Xia City, no mentor will be allowed to leave the college," Vice Principal Su Xin warned.

Everyone merely nodded nonchalantly. They already knew the college's rules by heart and were not interested in dipping their toes into the murky situation with House Luolan.

Vice Principal Su Xin's gaze eventually landed upon Shen Jinxiao. Regardless, he could only indifferently nod his head.

After reminding everyone once more, she adjourned the meeting.

When the group of Violet Vibrance mentors left the Gilded Palace, Vice Principal Su Xin looked at the letter of resignation in her hand and felt a sense of helplessness and a headache as she sighed deeply and waved her hand. "Secretly survey and monitor Mentor Shen Jinxiao's lodgings. You must absolutely prevent him from leaving the college."

After she spoke, the void behind her rippled and dispersed.

After which, she heaved a sigh and observed the horizon outside of the Gilded Palace, looking in the direction of Xia City.

To be honest, she had already done the most she could within the rules of the college. It was her being partial towards Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e. Otherwise, Chi Chan could not have left the college so easily without a sound.

Chi Chan being able to leave was a tacit agreement on her part.

Hopefully, those two brats could preserve House Luolan.

She had done her best.

...

After Shen Jinxiao left the Gilded Palace, he made his way back to his abode.

Entering his room, he formed a hand sign and a rune lit up on the wall. It then spread to cover the entire room, isolating it from the world and preventing anyone from surveying what was going on.

After which, he glanced out the window in the direction of several shadows, smirking callously.

He could feel a ripple of spatial movement within the shadows, making it clear that someone was observing him. It must have been an arrangement of Vice Principal Su Xin, worrying that he would scurry off and interfere with House Luolan's Housemeet.

"Vice Principal, oh, Vice Principal... it looks like you've severely underestimated me." Shen Jinxiao sinisterly grinned and shook his head. After which, he made his way underground to a secret room.

This secret room was pitch-black and had quite a depressing atmosphere to it.

Shen Jinxiao made his way to a black altar within the room and sat cross-legged atop a stone platform before it. Raising his palm, the altar seamlessly split into two, and a jade case slowly arose from within. Opening it, one could see a beating heart stored securely inside!

No... it wasn't a complete heart, but rather just half of one.

Shen Jinxiao focused upon the beating half heart as he executed yet another hand sign with both his hands. Saturnine rays of light shot out from his fingertips, directly piercing into the organ.

At this point in time, numerous images flashed past his eyes.

What he saw took him by surprise and made him chuckle. "Li Luo is full of surprises. So this turns out to be his trump card, a form of external power that he borrowed? Looking at how fiendish it is, the source ought to be some sort of spirit beast. In fact, it even seems familiar..."

Shen Jinxiao mused over this for a few seconds before his eyebrows jumped. "This is the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf that was locked up in the Umbra Cave! Is this the workings of the Principal?"

The spirit beast's power could not be borrowed without cost. It required a wondrous technique to transform it into something a human could use, and only the Principal possessed this capability.

"Pei Hao, oh, Pei Hao... you are truly useless. If we had to rely on you, you wouldn't even be able to beat Li Luo nor Jiang Qing'e! Lucky for you, you have my assistance from the shadows."

Shen Jinxiao sneered as a drop of blood essence flew out from his fingertip. The blood essence wriggled, transforming into some sort of blood-red curse mark before sinking right into the half-heart before him.

"Now I'll bestow upon you a little bit of my strength..." Within the depths of the strange room, Shen Jinxiao's cold whisper quietly dispersed into the wind.