Chapter 265: Chapter 257: Oh, Master! (Part 2)

A fall from glory to rock bottom is something many people can’t endure. And now, all of this was mercilessly happening to Wang Meng.

It wasn’t unheard of in the Cultivation Academy for a disciple to barely scrape past the first threshold and then fail to progress even a few feet. Without exception, however, all such disciples were dead by their second year.

A record of total or near-total failure meant you only had one more year to live.

In everyone’s eyes, Wang Meng was a dead man walking.

Meanwhile, Ma Tian’Er had become the star of the new class. Among the Five Elements Attributes, Metal, Fire, and Water were the most common. Earth was much rarer, and someone with a Wood Attribute as outstanding as hers was an even greater rarity. In recent years, Ma Tian’Er was the only one.

The so-called factions were small groups formed by the powerful disciples within the Cultivation Academy. The Star Alliance forbade any Sect from interfering and actually encouraged this behavior, as it fundamentally weakened the disciples’ sense of belonging to their original Sects.

One’s Sect was merely a starting point; the Star Alliance was the future.

There were many factions, some weak and some strong, but Ma Tian’Er had already received invitations from several of the most powerful ones.

With a faction’s protection, it was an alliance of the strong, and Ma Tian’Er’s growth would be much smoother.

Moreover, the factions didn’t demand anything in return. They didn’t need to. All they wanted was to establish these alliances among the powerful.

The future struggle for dominance in the Great Yuan Realm was simply too fierce. The relationships forged within the Cultivation Academy would become even more important after graduation, potentially eclipsing the bonds of one’s Sect.

Mingyue, who was affiliated with the Fire Gate, had extended an invitation to Ma Tian’Er. Ma Tian’Er accepted, and she also passed the Empress’s muster.

This meant Ma Tian’Er was the first newcomer in years to join the Empress Faction, and as a full-fledged member at that.

With the Empress Faction’s protection, Ma Tian’Er’s future was dazzlingly bright. Upon hearing the news, He Zui and Mu Ziqing immediately started sucking up to her. They seemed desperate to become her lackeys, as factions were notoriously protective of their members. And Ma Tian’Er was clearly someone the Empress favored; her status was now on a completely different level.

"Senior Brothers, there’s really no need for this. I can go by myself." Despite the sudden change in how everyone was treating her—even her soul mentor had contacted her personally—Ma Tian’Er was still Ma Tian’Er.

"Junior Sister Ma, you’re the future and pride of our Holy Hall! As your senior brothers, we might not be that talented, but we at least have experience. We should help where we can."

"That’s right, Junior Sister Ma. You’re not looking down on us, are you? Because that would really hurt our feelings."

"Of course not, Senior Brothers... In that case, we’ll do as you say."

Ma Tian’Er nodded helplessly, feeling she had no choice but to accept their "kindness."

She had chosen to join the Empress Faction because they could genuinely help her. ’I want to become stronger, so that one day, I can stand confidently by his side...’

"Hey, punk! Scram! Don’t you know this Magic Array is ours?"

A group of disciples surrounded Wang Meng. The Dharma Hall had many instructional Array Techniques available, but there were always good spots and bad spots. Wang Meng had arrived very early, but that didn’t guarantee he would get a good one.

It really didn’t matter to Wang Meng, but he was a strange one. If they had asked him politely, he might have given them the spot. But the more they acted like this...

"Scram? What’s that? I don’t know how. Why don’t you show me how it’s done?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The four disciples, who also looked like newcomers, burst out laughing. "This is the guy who could barely take a single step forward, and he’s still acting so high and mighty? Looks like if we don’t teach him a lesson, he’ll never learn his place!"

A brawl?

As long as no one was killed and no academy rules were broken, no one would intervene.

Ma Tian’Er had just arrived and grew anxious the moment she saw the confrontation. She started to step forward but then hesitated. She had already heard what happened to Wang Meng, but she believed that something like aptitude wouldn’t be an obstacle for him. Just as he had created miracles in the past, he would do the same here.

There weren’t many people who believed in Wang Meng, but Ma Tian’Er, like Zhang Xiaojiang, was one of the blindly faithful.

But Ma Tian’Er was growing up. She had to consider Wang Meng’s pride.

"Senior Brothers, please help Senior Brother Wang Meng."

He Zui and Mu Ziqing were taken aback. ’Why should we help a good-for-nothing like him?’ they thought. But seeing Ma Tian’Er’s anxious expression, they knew they had to curry favor with her. ’This Wang Meng has some damn good luck,’ they mused. ’It seems Junior Sister Ma really likes him.’

"You four have some nerve, bullying a disciple of our Holy Hall right in front of us."

He Zui and Mu Ziqing were certainly stronger than new disciples. The moment they flared their auras, it was clear they were seniors.

When the four heard "Holy Hall," they laughed. "Damn, no wonder we’ve never heard of it. Such a trash Sect. What, you want to stick up for your junior brother? Do you have any idea what Sect we’re from?"

The leader pointed to the Blood Dragon insignia on his chest. "You can’t afford to mess with us. Scram, now!"

He Zui and Mu Ziqing were furious, but the Blood Dragon Sect was ranked dozens of places higher than the Holy Hall. They weren’t afraid of these rookies, but if they laid a hand on them, there was no way their seniors wouldn’t come looking for trouble.

But Ma Tian’Er was watching.

He Zui smiled faintly. He suddenly grabbed the Blood Dragon Sect disciple and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Kid, this is someone the Empress Faction is protecting. Get lost before we really get angry!"

"What, you don’t believe me?"

The Blood Dragon Sect disciple was both shocked and suspicious. He suddenly recalled a recent rumor: a girl from a low-ranked Sect had displayed extraordinary Wood Attribute talent and been accepted into the Empress Faction.

The Blood Dragon Sect disciple shot a look at Wang Meng, then gritted his teeth. "You’ve got balls. We’re leaving!"

Wang Meng had been expecting a fight and was surprised it ended so quickly. "Thanks, Senior Brothers."