Translator: AnubisTL
"Hahaha, Old Ye, come have some tea!"
Upon seeing Elder Ye, Prefect Chu didn't even look up as he greeted him. On the table in front of him was a tea tray, with the Spirit Spring boiling and emitting a fragrant, pleasant mist.
Elder Ye immediately recognized that Prefect Chu had brought out his treasured Ancient Spirit Tea, a rare delicacy he usually couldn't bear to drink himself!
Seeing Elder Ye standing there in a daze, Prefect Chu extended a hand and called out again.
"Old Ye, what are you waiting for? The Prefect has already prepared the finest tea and has been waiting for a while. We're lucky to be here because of you!" Ouyang Qi walked over with a smile, pushing Elder Ye into a chair.
At this moment, Elder Ye's mood could only be described as chaotic, as if a thousand wild horses were galloping through his mind.
He opened his mouth, wanting to tell the truth, but seeing Prefect Chu's excited expression, he couldn't muster the courage to speak.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he pretended to be calm, sitting upright like an ancient Buddha.
"Come, have some tea!"
Prefect Chu was in high spirits today and personally served tea to Elder Ye and all the deputy prefects.
"Ah—finally, some good news after a whole month!" He took a small sip of the Spirit Tea and sighed with relief.
"Yes, these past few days, that kid Gu Feng has been driving us crazy. It's finally a relief!" Ouyang Qi also chimed in with a laugh.
"Old Ye, drink up!"
"Oh... oh!"
Elder Ye had no mood for tea. In his heart, he had already cursed Gu Feng a thousand times.
He barely touched the tea to his lips before setting the cup down. Taking a deep breath, he spoke softly:
"Prefect, this time, the number of records broken is more than ever before, and the corresponding rewards..."
"Hahaha, Elder Ye, you're overthinking it. Although Grand Harmony Academy is poor and short on Spirit Stones, I've never been stingy with rewards. As long as nothing like the last major exam happens, I'm more than willing to give out as many rewards as needed, and I'll do it gladly!" Prefect Chu still hadn't realized the severity of the situation, his smile unwavering.
"Even if we have to empty the Trial Tower's reward pool, I wouldn't blame anyone. This is a sign of Grand Harmony Academy's prosperity, and I couldn't be happier!"
"Yes, the Prefect is absolutely generous in this regard!"
"If we can empty the Trial Tower's reward pool, Grand Harmony Academy isn't just prosperous—it's soaring to new heights!"
"Over 120 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones? That would require breaking the Nightmare Level Stage records over a thousand times. How is that even possible?"
"The Trial Tower is indeed great. It's one of the few profitable projects at Grand Harmony Academy. This year's bonuses are counting on you, Old Ye!"
"..."
The atmosphere was extremely lively, and the deputy prefects were also in high spirits.
Hearing Prefect Chu's words, Elder Ye felt a bit of the weight lift from his chest. After all, the records were genuinely broken without any cheating, and this incident had little to do with him.
"Old Ye, tell us, which Heaven's Chosen ones broke the records?"
Elder Ye hadn't seen the complete projection footage and assumed that the Heaven's Chosen from the five major sects had also broken records, though their achievements were quickly surpassed by Gu Feng.
"There's Sword Gate..."
Elder Ye began recounting from memory and speculation.
"Good, the disciples of the five major sects are still holding strong, but it's a bit of a pity that no peerless prodigies have emerged from the other sects!" Prefect Chu expressed his joy but also a slight regret. The strength of the various sects in the Great Chu Dynasty was extremely unbalanced, essentially forming a situation where the five strongest sects dominated.
"Reporting to the Prefect, this time a disciple from outside the five major sects has broken a record!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits were lifted.
"Who?"
"Gu Feng!"
It's him!
Ouyang Qi and the others were not surprised. Given Gu Feng's combat prowess, he indeed had the qualifications to set a record in the Trial Tower.
"If this kid doesn't mess up, he can definitely be considered a peerless prodigy!" Prefect Chu praised without hesitation.
"Indeed, indeed!" Several deputy prefects also expressed their agreement.
"Prefect, there's something I need to tell you!" Elder Ye felt it was necessary to speak up, so he braced himself and spoke.
"What is it?"
"This time, multiple people have broken records multiple times, and the prize pool has been significantly reduced!"
"It's fine. Wait until the end of the month when the funds are replenished, and I'll top it up for you. The Trial Tower prize pool must always be maintained at over 100 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to keep the students motivated!" Prefect Chu waved his hand decisively, then turned the conversation back, asking, "How much do you need to replenish the prize pool? I need to allocate the Spirit Stones in advance!"
"One billion!"
Upon hearing this, the room fell into a deathly silence, even the boiling kettle went quiet.
"One billion? Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?" Prefect Chu felt his head spinning and confirmed with Elder Ye.
"Yes!"
After receiving the confirmation, Ouyang Qi and the others were also shocked, their minds in a daze.
"What do you mean?" Prefect Chu asked in confusion.
"The prize pool has been emptied!" Elder Ye shrank his neck and spoke in a voice softer than a mosquito's.
"Emptied? How could it be emptied?" Ouyang Qi stood up abruptly, asking in astonishment.
Suddenly, it seemed like he had thought of something!
"It's Gu Feng!"
"Probably, I haven't seen the other projection footage!"
"Then hurry up and retrieve the projection footage from the past few days!" Prefect Chu, who had just reacted, shouted loudly.
"Alright!"
Not long after, Elder Ye brought up the footage, and everyone gathered around to watch.
In the footage, Gu Feng fought fiercely, his combat style was exquisite, and his speed in clearing levels was as if he had cheated.
Under normal circumstances, everyone would have commented on Gu Feng's performance, but now, they had no such mood.
That bastard Gu Feng had cleared the Nurtured Spirit Nightmare level countless times, each time breaking the record, and he only increased the record by a fraction of a second.
Prefect Chu grew angrier and more irritable the more he watched, feeling as if a boulder was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
When Gu Feng regretfully said he hadn't earned enough for two billion, when Gu Feng complained that the prize pool wasn't enough!
Two tangible flames shot out from Prefect Chu's pupils.
A fierce aura erupted, and the table and tea set in front of him turned to ashes. The Array Formation of the entire Prefect Manor was on the verge of exploding.
He was seething with anger, his lips trembling.
"That bastard, treating our Grand Harmony Academy like an ATM!"
"Don't stop me, I'm going to give that kid a good beating!"
"Let go!"
Ouyang Qi and the others reacted quickly, several of them holding onto Prefect Chu to prevent him from acting impulsively.
"Prefect, Gu Feng is just a schemer at heart, he hasn't actually cheated. There's no reason to trouble him!"
"I don't want to hear it! I can't take it anymore. There are so many easy targets in the world, why does he have to keep targeting our Grand Harmony Academy?"
"Doesn't he know that our Grand Harmony Academy is poor?"
"He's swindled over 800 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from us in total. It's absolutely outrageous!"
"..."
Prefect Chu kept cursing for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before finally calming down.
He slumped in his chair, completely drained of energy, feeling as if Gu Feng was sent by the heavens to punish him.
As Ouyang Qi and others had said, there really was no way to trouble Gu Feng. It was utterly frustrating!
Huff, huff, huff—
He took several deep breaths to ease the frustration in his heart, then said in a deep voice, "Bring that rascal Gu Feng to me!"
Ouyang Qi understood that the Prefect was just venting and wouldn't actually do anything to Gu Feng, so he quickly left to summon him.
"You little devil, you're practically a demon!"
"Vice-Prefect Ouyang, Prefect Chu isn't going to kill me, is he?" Gu Feng asked with lingering fear.
Seeing that Ouyang Qi just glared at him without saying a word, Gu Feng's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, I'll bring Senior Sister Chu along for protection!"
"Come with me, you rascal!"
Ouyang Qi didn't indulge him, grabbing him by the collar and instantly arriving at the entrance of the Prefect Manor.
"Come here!" Seeing Gu Feng, Prefect Chu's expression turned even uglier.
"Greetings, Prefect!" Gu Feng bowed respectfully.
"Are you a spy sent by Great Wei or Great Li, specifically here to ruin our Grand Harmony Academy?"
"No, no! I'm loyal and devoted, born a Chu person, and will die a Chu ghost!" Gu Feng shook his head like a rattle drum, patting his chest to assure.
"Do you know that you're about to bring down the Grand Harmony Academy?"
"No way!"
In Gu Feng's view, a mere 100 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones should be a drop in the bucket for the Grand Harmony Academy.
"Come here, let me take a good look at you. What kind of demon reincarnation are you?"
"Okay, okay—" Before Gu Feng could get close, Prefect Chu waved his hand. "Never mind, don't come over. I might not be able to control myself!"
"Okay, okay—" Gu Feng shuddered and retreated to the doorway, his eyes darting outside, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.
Prefect Chu was utterly speechless at this scene.
"Sigh— Gu Feng, I'm begging you, stop causing trouble at our Grand Harmony Academy, alright?
If you want to scheme, go do it somewhere else!"
"Reporting to the Prefect, you've placed so many restrictions on me that I can't fully utilize my talents. That's why I had no choice but to target the Grand Harmony Academy!"
Hearing this, Ouyang Qi and the others rolled their eyes!
Would you die if you didn't scheme?
What kind of bandit logic is this? You're truly a talent!
Prefect Chu was so angry he laughed. "I called you here for one thing. Announce to the outside world that the Trial Tower has encountered issues, and the difficulty of its challenges has significantly decreased, making it easier to break records!"
"Why?" Gu Feng asked, confused.
"Why? You dare ask me why!
With the current records, who can break them? The Trial Tower's appeal will greatly diminish, directly affecting our Grand Harmony Academy's income!" Prefect Chu roared.
"No problem, but what about the Spirit Stone rewards?" Gu Feng cautiously asked.
"That's what you deserve. The remaining 10 million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones will be given to you in two months. Let me catch my breath first!"
From now on, under any circumstances, you are not allowed to enter the Trial Tower!"
"Also, you must report to my Prefect Manor every two days and show your face in front of me to prevent you from disappearing without a reason and causing trouble for Grand Harmony Academy!"
Finally, Prefect Chu added one more sentence.
Even probation only requires reporting once every seven days, but this is stricter than probation!
Gu Feng muttered to himself, feeling a sudden loss of freedom and a bit of frustration.
"Alright, you may leave! Remember to report on time!"
After Gu Feng left, Prefect Chu spoke solemnly to Ouyang Qi, "To prevent Grand Harmony Academy from collapsing, keep an eye on his movements!"
"Understood, Prefect!" Ouyang Qi immediately felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
...
Under the moonlight, Gu Feng walked back home, making a significant decision!
"It seems I can no longer cause trouble for Grand Harmony Academy, or Prefect Chu might go mad!"
Knowing when to stop and understanding the balance between advancing and retreating is the key to longevity!
However, I still need to think about ways to make money.
Just as Gu Feng was deep in thought, he suddenly sensed a wave of danger. He quickly activated Immortal Eye. Void Break, and in a fraction of a breath, his gaze caught sight of the ambusher.
Damn bald monk!!!
(End of the Chapter)
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