Chapter 28: Beat He Chang'an to Death!

Half an hour later, He Chang'an rose to his feet, silent, and began to retaliate.

No, it was more of a lesson.

A seventh-level practitioner of the Qi Absorption Technique, in the eyes of Master Ma Dai and the other ranked scholars, was hardly worth mentioning. Yet, ever since He Chang'an had cultivated the Righteous Qi, his strength had soared unexpectedly...

Barehanded, he beat the scholars until they scattered, clutching their heads, faces bruised and swollen.

The worst off were Ma Dai and Shen Yan.

These two were the strongest and talked the most, announcing a sage's quote with every move, which only frustrated and annoyed He Chang'an.

Thus, in less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, over a dozen scholars lay sprawled before the lecture hall and beside the pond, groaning and unable to rise.

A disgrace to the scholarly class, a disgrace indeed!

Among the fallen, several were ninth- and eighth-ranked scholars—figures of some standing in Great Tang—yet they had been thrashed by a coarse martial artist...

"Nine out of ten are worthy of disdain, scholars are useless to a man."

He Chang'an casually tossed out a famous saying, turned, and entered the lecture hall, grabbing the teapot and gulping down several mouthfuls to quench his thirst.

Fighting the scholars had consumed much of his Righteous Qi, and his body felt feverish and restless...

Outside, the scholars were provoked.

Damn it, nine out of ten worthy of disdain? Scholars are useless? Who was he insulting?

Sorry, he meant all of you.

Master Ma Dai shakily climbed to his feet, wiped the blood from his face, pressed two fingers together, and pointed at the lecture hall door, his hair and beard bristling: "Today, it's either your death or mine!

To survive, one must first face death;

Junior brother, you've gone too far!"

With that, he spat a mouthful of old blood.

Immediately, clear light erupted around him, dazzling white radiance bursting forth, and the pressure of an eighth-ranked scholar rapidly climbed...

A cracking sound, as if something had shattered.

Ma Dai's aura continued to rise, soon breaking through to the seventh, then sixth rank.

Then the old man trembled a few times, shivered, and steadied himself.

"Is this... a breakthrough?"

"Heavens, sixth rank scholar! Truly, a sixth rank!"

"Master Ma Dai has become the first sixth-rank scholar in our academy's lineage, heavens, you finally open your eyes..."

Song and tears mingled.

The scholars were beside themselves with excitement, then, remembering He Chang'an, grew even more resentful: after a beating and a casual 'scholars are useless,' look at what state Master Ma Dai was driven to...

"He Chang'an, you scoundrel, illiterate brute, today our academy will never stand with you again!"

"Beat He Chang'an to death, avenge Master Ma Dai!"

...

Inside, He Chang'an sat sipping tea, listening to the commotion outside, a bit puzzled.

Damn it, he’d helped Ma Dai break through his bottleneck, advancing to sixth rank, yet they still sought revenge?

Hmph, these scholars hadn’t been beaten or scolded enough...

So, from within the hall came a faint sneer, and He Chang'an casually remarked, "Those who act with righteousness are often mere butchers, while the heartless are mostly scholars.

You lot are truly the fighting cocks among chickens..."

"Those who act with righteousness are often butchers, the heartless are mostly scholars..."

Who could swallow such words?

Thus, the scholars were enraged once more, cursing and quoting classics, fiercely denouncing 'that scoundrel He Chang'an.'

Ma Dai, hearing the sarcasm, seemed thoughtful, withdrew to the side, sat cross-legged, and slowly cultivated, stabilizing his new realm.

Shen Yan had been ready to curse and even storm into the hall to dismember He Chang'an.

But seeing Ma Dai's state, he too seemed to gain some insight, dazed and muttering, "Is it true, then, that scholars are useless?

True, those who act with righteousness are often butchers, the heartless are mostly scholars?

He Chang'an, you scoundrel!

These are words that pierce the soul, you bastard!"

Shen Yan wanted to mimic Ma Dai—finger as sword, cursing aloud—but found He Chang'an's words not entirely without merit...

Great Tang was founded on martial prowess, enduring for over a thousand years; the fate of scholars had been neither good nor bad, but at least there had been Li Taibai, Du Gongbu, Wang Shaobo, and other greats;

Standing atop city walls, sword in hand, facing endless armies of demons and monsters, striking sword and singing, a single phrase, "The commander can be taken from the army, but not the will from a man," would stir the ranks, echoing with countless responses.

Another, "Though thousands stand against me, I shall go forth," brought tears to the eyes of countless men, their blood boiling!

And again: "Life and death are fated, wealth and honor in heaven," "If this can be endured, what cannot?"—thousands of men of Tang charged forward, fighting to the death;

Bodies wrapped in horse hides under the setting sun, blood staining the yellow sands as letters are written!

Shen Yan, full of passion, knew only how to search for words and chase elegance, truly unworthy of a man!

Who said scholars are sour, only able to compose poems and loiter in brothels? Who said scholars are useless? Who said scholars lack spirit, and are mostly heartless?

I, Shen Yan!

A faint crack sounded.

He too had broken through.

From mere tenth rank, suddenly advancing to ninth.

His aura surged, Righteous Qi condensed swiftly, turning into clear radiance that flowed into his head and shoulders...

Eighth rank.

Seventh rank.

...

Seven and a half...

Trembling, shivering, Shen Yan slowly opened his eyes, incredulous as he stretched out his hands, tears streaming with excitement: "I... have broken through as well."

"This... is a breakthrough? Damn, seventh rank... and a half!"

"Brother Shen Yan, how did you break through?"

"I get it, it’s all thanks to that scoundrel He Chang'an infuriating us! Beat He Chang'an to death!"

Thus, as they cursed 'that scoundrel He Chang'an,' the scholars began breaking through their bottlenecks one after another...

The more who broke through, the more fiercely they cursed; their choice of words became sharper, more precise, and ingenious...

...

"Damn it, these scholars are shameless!"

Hearing the commotion outside, He Chang'an, hiding in the hall sipping tea, twitched at the corner of his mouth, unable to help but want to curse back.

Ma Dai and Shen Yan had broken through their bottlenecks, reaching sixth rank and seven and a half, respectively. They’d gained enormous benefits, yet these scholars, eyes wide open, declared they would beat that scoundrel He Chang'an to death...

Truly, that's so scholar-like.

And their hearts were truly black.

All scholars, even if slow-witted, at this moment saw clearly—

He Chang'an’s "reasoning" was incredibly effective!

First, he pinned them to the ground, saying, "Stop whining, show your strength;" then "scholars are useless," meant, "If you won’t admit you’re trash, then prove yourself;" and "those who act with righteousness are often butchers, the heartless are mostly scholars," meant, "You still claim you’re not trash? Show your strength, prove you can be a butcher..."

In short: show your strength!

At the same time, most cutting of all, He Chang'an's insults were truly well-crafted, directly poking at the scholars’ hearts...

What was most lacking among Tang’s scholars? Was it "sacrifice for righteousness," "concern for the nation and people"?

No—it was spirit.

He Chang'an, a coarse martial artist, used the most brutal, unreasonable means to ignite the scholars' spirit, causing them to break through their bottlenecks one after another...

...

While the scholars cursed He Chang'an and broke through their bottlenecks, in the Sacred Hall of Weiyang Academy, a statue suddenly cracked.

A beam of clear light shot straight into the sky.

In Chang'an City, someone could no longer sit still.