Chapter 32: Reward Received

Gao Qingyu was beginning to feel the onset of a headache.

He had thrown a fit and done so much deflecting in order to protect these two, yet they had clearly come here to resign before traveling to the front lines!

Why are all of them like this?!

Gao Qingyu was very well-versed with the personalities of his instructors, and he knew that something drastic had to be done.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" he roared as he released his aura in full force, exerting tremendous pressure upon the two instructors.

He was going to render them unable to speak, then launch into a tirade and dismiss them by force before they had a chance to say anything.

He already had a script drafted up in his mind.

"You have some nerve showing your faces here after what you did! Assistant Dean Huang, teach them a lesson and throw them out of here!"

He was certain that Huang Yifan would catch on and play along, dismissing the two instructors with a beating.

After that, the two of them could lay in bed for a few days, telling everyone that their bones had been broken as punishment, and that would be the end of the matter.

However, to his surprise, Gao Yunqi and Zhou Yi were able to withstand the pressure, and the former said, "Dean Gao, we have something to say!"

Shit! When did these two bastards make a breakthrough?!

Before Gao Qingyu had a chance to talk over him, Gao Yunqi declared, "We accept culpability, and we accept any punishment, but we implore you not to fire us from our teaching roles at the academy! We want to continue teaching!" Gao Yunqi was sweating profusely as he spoke, displaying immense physical strain.

Zhou Yi also wanted to speak, but his cultivation base was inferior to Gao Yunqi, and in the end, he was only able to force out the words: "Same for me!"

Gao Qingyu was very relieved to see this, and his aura immediately subsided.

However, he couldn't let his relief show, and he slammed the table once again as he yelled, "Get out of my sight! The academy will do with you two as it sees fit! There's no place for you to decide your own punishment! You think you can just come butting into high-level meetings as you please? Huang Yifan!"

"Here!"

Huang Yifan rose to his feet in a reluctant manner.

"Kick these two lawless ruffians out of here! Not only are they not displaying any repentance for their transgressions, they have no respect for the rules or their superiors! They must be punished! From this day forth, Instructors Gao Yunqi and Zhou Yi will work overtime without pay until they recognize the errors in their ways! Any objections? No? Good!"

Even though he was asking for objections, he gave no time for anyone to raise any before making the decision himself.

A punishment like this may as well have been a reward!

Both of these instructors were Emperor tier warriors, so the pay that they received at the academy was nothing to them!

The benefits that they received from the academy were far more important, yet they hadn't been deprived of any of those benefits!

Furthermore, the duration of their punishment was completely arbitrary. What if they were to "recognize the errors in their ways" the very next day? Would the punishment be rescinded?

Having said that, this also came as quite a relief to everyone.

Their dean could be a little frustrating to deal with, but it was really encouraging to see his ardent support for his staff.

Outside, the sound of a pummeling was already ringing out as Huang Yifan yelled, "Get out of here! I've been reduced to a hired thug ever since I came to this shitty place!"

***

Upon returning home at night, Fang Che was greeted by the sight of Sun Yuan sitting in the courtyard, sipping on some tea.

"Your reward has arrived!" he declared in an ecstatic manner. "You've completed both your missions in claiming the top spot among the new students of White Cloud Warrior Academy while simultaneously crushing the seeded prodigies of the other three churches, and Pope Yin is very pleased with you! He specifically asked me to relay that to you!"

Sun Yuan was grinning ear to ear as he spoke.

Fang Che didn't care in the slightest about what Yin Shengong thought. All he was concerned about was his reward.

"Pope Yin has granted you the Blood Incineration Technique that you requested," Sun Yuan declared with a smile as he pulled out a jade slip. "This jade slip also contains some of Pope Yin's cultivation insights pertaining to the Blood Incineration Technique, but it'll be destroyed after just a single use."

"Got it."

An immense weight had been lifted from Fang Che's shoulders.

The Blood Incineration Technique allowed one to increase their speed by tenfold at a relatively minor cost.

Not only would it not harm one's cultivation foundation, there weren't even any negative after-effects, and it was one of the Church of the Self-Righteous's most closely guarded secrets.

The average person could enhance their speed by tenfold using the technique, but Fang Che was certain that the enhancement would be even greater for him as he could use the Blood Incineration Technique in conjunction with his Boundless Sutra.

This was going to be his biggest life-saving trump card!

"You can only use the Blood Incineration Technique once you become a Grandmaster," Sun Yuan cautioned. "Prior to reaching the General tier, you are not to use the Blood Incineration Technique more than five times a year.

“Even after you reach the General tier, you are not to use the Blood Incineration Technique more than ten times a year before reaching the Emperor tier. The technique has relatively minor aftereffects, but excessive usage will still add up."

"I understand."

"Also, you can begin using your codename of Night Demon from this day forth. Additionally, Pope Yin has granted you a communication jade. I'll teach you how to use it in a bit."

"Who am I able to contact?"

"You can contact me and Elder Qian Sanjiang. If you encounter a perilous situation, but I'm around, you can directly contact Elder Qian Sanjiang."

"Is that it?"

"You can contact Pope Yin as well. However, even though Pope Yin is very pleased with you, I suggest you don't directly contact him. If you contact him too much, he'll become annoyed by you, and that's not something you want."

"I understand."

"Also, Pope Yin has appointed you the captain of White Cloud Warrior Academy. From this day forth, all seeded prodigies of our One Heart Church that enter the academy will be under your leadership."

"How am I supposed to get into contact with them?"

"Our church has secret signals and symbols that you can use to track them down and find the gathering place. However, everyone will have their appearances concealed or disguised during gatherings, so you have to do the same."

Fang Che nodded in response.

"Your next mission is to secure as much resources from White Cloud Warrior Academy as possible. Ideally, you'll catch the eye of the Guardians so you can infiltrate their ranks after graduation. You can report any progress that you make in this regard to Pope Yin at anytime."

Sun Yuan couldn't help but feel a little envious of his disciple.

It was only through his connections and countless tireless efforts that he was able to secure the right to contact the pope, and that privilege was only granted to him after he became an elder.

By then, he had already been toiling away for the One Heart Church for several decades, yet Fang Che had been given the same privilege within mere weeks of joining the church.

"Doesn't that put me in a very difficult predicament, Master?" Fang Che asked with furrowed brows. "The only way for us academy students to secure resources and catch the eyes of the higher-ups is to complete missions. All of the missions will be targeting our church, so wouldn't I be forced to turn traitor?"

"Not all members of our church are allies. There are some... disobedient ones that we need to get rid of from time to time," Sun Yuan said with a meaningful smile. "Sacrificing some unimportant small fry to ensure your smooth ascension up the ranks is not a heavy price to pay. Besides, there are other competing churches that you can target, particularly the three other churches in our southern path."

"That's true," Fang Che replied with a nod.

"That's about it for now. Oh, before I forget, Pope Yin also rewarded you with a Divine Spirit Pill, which can stabilize your spirit sense, and it'll prevent your soul from being searched if you're ever captured."

Sun Yuan pulled out a jade vial as he spoke.

Fang Che accepted the vial, then said in a hesitant manner, "Master, there's something I have to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"You know how I killed Ximen Xuri not too long ago? In order to protect myself, I leaked the information that the Ximen Clan is a subsidiary clan of the Divine Heavenly Church."

Sun Yuan: "......"

So you're already beginning to screw over the other churches!

"Why didn't you discuss this with me?"

"I was worried that you would turn down the idea..."

Sun Yuan didn't know what to say.

"I don't think this is a big deal, Master. Just as you told me, our own lives are more important than anything else in this world. So what if the Divine Heavenly Church loses one of its subsidiary clans for my sake? Besides, it's not like the clan has been eradicated yet."

"I have to report this matter to Pope Yin."

"Allow me, Master! I made the decision to do this myself, so it wouldn't be fair for you to take the blame for me!"

A hint of warmth welled up in Sun Yuan's heart upon hearing this, but he said, "I'm worried that you won't be able to handle Pope Yin's wrath."

"But the fact of the matter is that I did this, and I'm going to continue to sell out more people for my own future development. I can't have you taking the fall for me every time, Master."

After some thought, Sun Yuan acquiesced, "Alright, you can report directly to Pope Yin then. I've been in the church for several decades, yet you're even more cruel and decisive than I am! Having said that, it pleases me greatly to see that you're so capable of fending for yourself."