Yefutidaolu

Chapter 251 Killing Helun
At the gate of the Imperial Academy, facing a group of about a hundred students and their entourage who had come to study in the Academy's Sutra Repository, Shui Cangcang solemnly stated her judgment.

He felt that, given Gao Jian's character, it was definitely not something like challenging Helen; in fact, Helen Sabau was very likely never even considered an opponent by him.

But this assertion drew laughter.

"Challenging the entire Imperial Academy? That's a bit of a joke."

"Seriously? A freshman, and from a poor family in Cangzhou at that? Is he serious?"

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! He doesn't have any proper lineage, and the magical treasures he carries seem quite ordinary. I imagine his swordsmanship is also average. He dares to challenge the entire Imperial Academy?"

"Shui Cangcang, I heard you are the best in Cangzhou. How did it go when you sparred with your classmates last time?" someone asked.

Clearly, these people asked the question on purpose.

The vast expanse of water is the best in Cangzhou.

But the last time he sparred with his classmates, he was knocked to the ground by two punches from his senior, and he couldn't even feel 'humiliated' or 'defeated'.

Because he realized that if he wasn't the best in Cangzhou, he wouldn't even be qualified to take those two punches.

That wasn't humiliation; you could even say it was acceptance.

"I lost," Shui Cangcang said.

“You’re the best in Cangzhou, and you still lost like this. How reckless must he be to do this? The Imperial Academy isn’t Cangzhou,” someone else reminded him.

The people around laughed.

But Shui Cangcang couldn't laugh. He just looked at Gao Jian, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

Back in Cangzhou, he thought he was better than Gao Jian.

Later, he was impressed by Gao Jian's rapid promotion, and even after arriving in Yangjing, he felt that Gao Jian was even more impressive.

But... after taking those two punches, he put all of that behind him.

Because the gap is too big.

The gap had widened to the point where Shui Cangcang felt he needed to abandon all pride and humbly study hard; all his reserve in Cangzhou was meaningless.

Two punches were enough for him to understand the difference between Cangzhou and the capital.

The gap between him and Gao Jian...

The gap between him and the capital city...

He admitted defeat twice in his life: once to Gao Jian and once to Shen Du.

And now, Gao Jian... is challenging the capital city.

Who can win?
Shui Cangcang didn't know.

He just felt that the two things that had defeated him had somehow come together here, as if fate had cruelly brought them together.

At this moment, Shui Cangcang's attitude was also being observed by others.

“Wow, that looks like—” Canghai seemed to realize something.

However, at this moment...

The true dragon landed at the entrance of the Imperial Academy.

Then, he suddenly spewed a bolt of lightning into the sky!
Thunder roared, and a fierce wind suddenly swept in!
The two xiezhi (mythical beasts) painted at the entrance of the Imperial Academy were startled and hid in the gaps, trembling and afraid to come out, only muttering in a low voice, "How...how dare you! This is the Imperial Academy..."

However, the more he spoke, the softer his voice became, and eventually he stopped talking altogether, hiding the two painted xiezhi (mythical beasts) in the crack of the door.

But this thunderclap couldn't frighten everyone.

Those with profound cultivation are not easily affected by clouds and mist, nor by thunder and lightning, nor by beauty or ugliness.

But then the real gatekeeper of the Imperial Academy stepped forward.

That was a cultivator at the sixth realm, a gatekeeper of the Imperial Academy. Gao Jian had investigated beforehand and knew the other party's background.

This was a true disciple of a minor immortal sect. The sect went to great lengths to pull strings with the Ministry of Personnel to arrange a gatekeeper job for him, allowing him to infiltrate the Imperial Academy.

Although he wasn't qualified to enter the Scripture Pavilion, he could still observe many students from the Imperial Academy practicing their skills, which was a good job. Moreover, as a true disciple of a minor immortal sect from another region, he was qualified to come to the capital and get a paid job, which was a great achievement for him in this lifetime.

Therefore, he has always been loyal to his duties and conscientious, never daring to slack off in the slightest.

Seeing Gao Jian blocking the door and making a ruckus at the entrance, he immediately flew into a rage, walked towards Gao Jian, and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you disturb the peace here?!"

"Gatekeeper," Gao Jian bowed respectfully, "please look up at the sky."

The word "阍" (hún) refers to the palace gate, and "阍者" (húnzhě) means "gatekeeper".

Then the true master looked up at the sky.

But then they saw that the lightning in the sky, like dragons and snakes writing, transformed into a letter, shining brightly in the sky, displaying itself to everyone with the power of wind and clouds.

The letter reads: "The emperors of the Divine Dynasty have been blessed by Heaven since ancient times. They have established the world through military prowess and brought peace through civil virtue. Although we are now in a time of rest and recuperation, we have not forgotten the importance of practicing martial arts to defend against the barbarians. Therefore, the four barbarians have submitted and the country is at peace."

"To govern the world, one must combine both civil virtue and military preparedness. In terms of military preparedness, nothing is more important than generals, and in terms of civil virtue, nothing is more important than scholars. Students of the Imperial Academy may become scholars or generals. They will cultivate their military preparedness and develop their civil virtue on their own. Therefore, their prestige will be greatly awe-inspiring, and they can subdue the barbarians and eliminate traitors."

"The court has the students of the Imperial Academy as reserves, so it always has a well-trained army of strategists and warriors, and is good at both offense and defense. Therefore, there will never be any major troubles. Thus, the Imperial Academy can be said to be the key to the safety of the country. If it is well-trained, the barbarians will be afraid and the country will be safe. If it is not well-trained, the barbarians will run rampant and the country will be in danger. Therefore, since ancient times, those who wish to secure China and subdue foreign barbarians have always regarded this as their primary task."

"However, I believe that as a student of the Imperial Academy, I was advised to withdraw due to suspicion of my character. Therefore, I am confident in my abilities, but my conduct is hindered by the conflict between theory and practice. I dare not accept the order lightly. I am willing to use my own strength to examine the Imperial Academy in both literature and martial arts, to rectify the atmosphere of the Imperial Academy, to cleanse myself of my own corruption, to refute the wrong judgments of the treacherous, and to prove the clarity of the nation!"

Your insightful comments are very clear and understandable.

He began by explaining the theme, arguing that the Divine Dynasty needed talented individuals for both its civil and military achievements.

The greatest talent pool, naturally, lies in the Imperial Academy. They began praising its students, calling them the dynasty's greatest treasure, predicting they would become generals and officials, skilled in both martial arts and literature. It was precisely because of these...
If that's the case, then it's only natural that the students of the Imperial Academy would be assessed. So, Gao Jian is saying that it's only natural that he would be assessed by the Ministry of Rites.

The Ministry of Rites' assessment was a matter of course, as it acknowledged the authority of the Divine Dynasty.

But then, Gao Jian changed the subject.

However, this time, the expert opinion was not recognized!
Your assessment of this official is inaccurate, flawed, and unconvincing! Therefore, I dare not accept this order blindly and am willing to use my own strength to examine the Imperial Academy in both civil and military fields!
Obviously, once those words were spoken, the rest followed a logical progression.

Either Gao Jian single-handedly convinced all the students of the Imperial Academy, proving that what he said was true.

Either the brilliant idea lost, and they completely lost everything.

A big gamble.

It could even be described as a high-stakes gamble that risked one's life. Anyone who knows the inside story would find this gamble reasonable, and the motives behind the insightful analysis are plausible.

Gao Jian was born into a poor family. He was promoted by the Demon Suppression Bureau and, thanks to his talent, qualified for the Imperial Academy. However, due to some personal conflicts, he ended up in the current situation.

Therefore, his motivation for adopting the "style of young boys" can be considered as "youthful arrogance".

How can one demonstrate their abilities while being young and impetuous?

If he succeeds, then it would be 'being framed, which is understandable.'

Of course, conversely, failure would be considered 'overestimating one's abilities and courting disaster.'

Which ending will it be?
Then we'll have to rely on the ability to offer insightful opinions.

"Brilliant insight—!" At this moment, Helunsabao, who had just arrived at the Imperial Academy from home, witnessed this scene.

Clearly, this was aimed at him.

He truly hadn't expected Gao Jian to be so courageous. Challenging Helensa alone wouldn't be enough to save Gao Jian, so he challenged the entire Imperial Academy, everyone.

Helensabao looked around.

Clearly, Gao Jian's provocation did not have much impact on these students of the Imperial Academy; they were more interested in watching the spectacle.

After all, Gao Jian just says he'll take on a challenge? Who is Gao Jian anyway?

If you have time, why not go to the Imperial Academy to study and learn more? Why bother to fight against an unknown nobody?
The commotion and trouble that Gao Jian caused are actually of no importance to these people.

What's with this talk of "the trend of young boys"? Who is he? Just because he comes to challenge us, does that mean we have to accept? Are you kidding me? What's wrong with letting him stand at the door for a couple of days with his brilliant ideas? Who will be affected?

right?

So, most people are still here just to watch the show.

Everyone has the right to 'watch the show' and can leave their opinions aside.

Only Helensabao is not allowed.

Otherwise, Helensabao would lose face completely.

He used his connections to target others, and then others came here to challenge him. Of course, he could just turn around and leave, regardless of their wisdom, but that would be very embarrassing.

Herren himself was clearly aware of this, and that was precisely why he came.

So, Herren arrived at the door.

Beneath that ancient, mysterious ice, Helun chuckled and said, "Brilliant insight, you really are... reckless. If you had gone back and begged your family for help, things wouldn't have come to this. But now you've cut off your own escape route."

"Reckless? Perhaps. Well then, Helensabao, do you intend to accept the challenge?" Gao Jian asked calmly.

From his arrival in the capital to the present, Gao Jian has always remained calm and quiet, without showing any signs of excitement.

Helensabao was somewhat displeased.

Gao Jian's nonchalant attitude really displeased him.

Helensabao then said, "Why shouldn't we? You scoundrel, openly questioning the Ministry of Rites' judgment, I think you are—"

The words have not yet finished...

Just as he uttered the words "Why shouldn't we?", Gao Jian struck.

The usually calm and insightful person suddenly stirred.

At that moment, Helensabao felt as if he were a watermelon soaking in cold water on a hot summer day, and his head was about to explode!

Madness, riots!
Towering and steep, suddenly, the sky collapsed and the earth crumbled.

He felt cold all over, sneezing, his throat was dry, his hands were cracked, and his skin was dry. He was terrified and his muscles convulsed. His limbs suddenly became uncontrollable, and he developed a sudden fever, which turned into a stagnation of heat. He even had blood coming out of his nose!
What appeared before him...

Is it an illusion?

do not know.

But he saw many things.

He seemed to have reverted to his childhood self, fighting against some kind of monster, with them tearing each other apart.

Helensabao felt a sharp pain.

As he began to struggle, the stinging sensation intensified, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Darkness... devouring each other, monsters, blades constantly moving behind him, blood gushing from his body, it was so painful... his skin began to tremble whenever he thought of it.

A monster dwells on his skin.

The monster started fighting him again.

The monster on the skin, and the Helenzabo beneath it, in an endless battle.

Gasping and howling could be heard continuously.

The never-ending wail.

He felt as if he were locked in a small drawer, because his real self was under his skin, and the monster was under his skin. His skin formed a cage, and he was trapped in the cage. Various sounds filled this small space, constantly flooding his brain and nerves.

I was inside a sealed container, and those sounds were like strong acid and poison being poured into the container.

It's always like this, it's terrifying.

He sat alone in the darkness, his fingers and toes cold and stiff, listening to the ugly sounds that kept coming, feeling the bitter taste of raw melon in his mouth.

The sounds of collisions and shouts continued. He always felt there was nowhere to hide in front of the monster. He was terrified, so... after the monster appeared on his skin, he would wrap himself in a blanket and sneak off the bed every night, lying barefoot on the cold floor. The chill made his hands and feet even stiffer.

He crouched on the ground, biting his right thumb tightly with his teeth.

The monster's voice... could still be heard.

I dare not listen, yet I cannot help but listen.

He couldn't even remember the faces from that time; everyone in front of him had such distorted and ferocious expressions.

This condition spread like cancer, and everyone's face contorted before him. Everything was so irresistible.

It was as if his nerves were beginning to twist and tear. He felt lonely, fearful, and vulnerable. He knew he shouldn't have so many strange and unusual thoughts.
Only one kind of intense fear and horror was deeply rooted in his mind—

The monster on his body... is a Taotie.

The Taotie tribe requires children to have the Taotie pattern tattooed on their bodies from a young age. This means they have to endure the pressure of the Taotie from childhood, which is an extremely terrifying torment for a child and a shadow over Helunsabao's entire life.

But by now, he should have gotten used to this oppression, and even... he can now control the Taotie pattern, so he shouldn't be afraid of Taotie anymore.

But at this moment, in this instant.

All the fears of the past surged forth like a tidal wave, engulfing Helensabao.

He dared not move an inch, terrified by the suppressed groans and howls that escaped between his teeth and the sounds of his joints moving.

In the midst of this fear, in this dreamlike oppression, he suddenly realized—

The knife is here.

The blade sliced ​​through his flesh, but Helensabao made no reaction.

Can't move.

Fear still dominated him.

He could only watch helplessly as he was cut open, while his supernatural powers remained completely unaffected.

On the other side, Takami flicked his blade.

Helensabao has been split open.

He was already dead, only his remnant soul remained.

There was no sign of resistance; it was as if he were committing suicide standing up.

"Below the Fifth Realm, I am invincible. In the Imperial Academy... no, in the Divine Capital, who else is willing to give it a try?" Gao Jian raised his voice and said.

(End of this chapter)