CHAPTER 309: CHAPTER 309: DEAN, IT’S SHOWTIME...

"Xinyu, you must accept reality. The seventh floor has gone dark. If he were alive, he would have come out the day before yesterday. Every year, people are forever lost in the Nine-layer Pagoda... You are a Star Martial Warrior; don’t let your emotions get the better of you."

"I’m not being emotional. Although I’m scared and unwilling to believe it, my intuition tells me he must still be alive. My intuition has never failed me, especially concerning him. I refuse to believe he’s dead! Teacher, is there any way for me to enter the Nine-layer Pagoda? I want to go find him."

"You’d be seeking death! With your strength, you wouldn’t even make it to the third floor. Regardless, you need time to cool off. Wang Lan is my student, and I don’t want anything to happen to him either. Moreover, he has made great contributions to humanity. But... I really hope you can pull yourself together soon. I’ll come to see you again tomorrow."

Sun Li sighed, shook her head, opened the door, and walked out. Her footsteps, clad in high heels, echoed in the silent corridor.

Inside the academy’s Conference Room Number One, the atmosphere was even more deathly still and oppressive than in Jiang Xinyu’s dormitory.

The impact of Yu Ruoyun and Wang Lan’s deaths was far more severe than the students of the Star Martial Academy could imagine.

Yu Ruoyun was not merely a princess of the Jade Country’s royal family; her death meant that the imperial restorationist forces, suppressed for seventy years, now had a catalyst.

Once, they were the high and mighty nobility. Even during the decades after the end of the imperial era and the establishment of the republic, they still held the largest share of power in Jade Country. The war of the century shattered the land and, with it, their ruling status. When the nation finally recovered its old territories, they were dismayed to find that the people once beneath them had quietly climbed over their heads.

Regaining their lofty positions through normal processes was no longer possible. Furthermore, to prevent the old nobility from influencing national politics again, the state had been actively suppressing their power. But, as they say, a starving camel is still larger than a horse. Even with their strength greatly weakened, the power they wielded could still contend with the state machinery.

However, this contention depended on championing a cause of great national importance. Otherwise, if they were accused of destabilizing national security and stability, or of treason, they would not only face public condemnation, but even their dependents would abandon them. They had waited seventy years for such a cause.

Most of the noble families’ power was tied to the Qing Emperor’s faction; or rather, the so-called Qing Emperor’s faction *was* the nobles’ faction. This was because the strongest among these powers was, in fact, the imperial family. When the Benevolent Emperor abdicated, ending the imperial rule of the Great Jade Empire, not everyone supported the decision; in fact, the opposition formed the vast majority. The power of the other Four Emperors revolved entirely around each respective emperor, but the Qing Emperor was merely a figurehead for the imperial family’s interests.

Now, the second princess of the direct royal lineage was dead, and her death was likely no accident. If it wasn’t an accident, then it was deliberate. The identity of the mastermind wasn’t important; what mattered was who it *could* be, who it *should* be.

Eld Di is 102 years old this year. He gained fame in his youth, achieved mastery in his middle age, and only at fifty did he attain a profound understanding of the world. It wasn’t until his late eighties that he nurtured Wang Ling, a disciple capable of inheriting his mantle. He was a revered and respected elder. Even though those present were eager to vent their anger and cause a scene, as long as Eld Di was there, no one dared to speak, nor would they even try.

"Does everyone understand what happened?"

To Eld Di’s left sat a refined-looking man of nearly fifty, dressed in a black suit that exuded an air of nobility.

"We only have a rough understanding of the events; we still don’t know the precise cause. Eld Di, you are a guiding light for us all. Tell us, what exactly happened to Her Highness, the Princess? Why did she suddenly go to the seventh floor? The Nine-layer Pagoda has always been under the control of the Modu City Star Martial Academy, hasn’t it?"

"What do you mean by that, King Ning?" Nangong Meng snorted coldly. "Are you suggesting Yu Ruoyun’s incident is related to the academy? Do you actually think the academy would harm its own student?"

"A regular student isn’t worth the academy’s effort to harm. To be targeted, they’d have to be valuable. The power balance of the Five Old Emperors has persisted for twenty years. Controlling the world of Star Martial Warriors... I fear some are discontented and wish to bring all Star Martial Warriors under their thumb. Such cunning, such tactics. Not content with just the second princess, they even plotted against the Flame Emperor’s son, who had just come into prominence. No wonder the Flame Emperor kept his child so well-hidden. If he hadn’t, the boy might have been killed by a ’runaway carriage’ long before his talents could awaken."

"Yu Huailong, watch your tongue," Zuo Ming, his expression grim, snapped from across the table.

"General Zuo, don’t you think the same? I’m merely voicing what you’re thinking but daren’t say. Why did it have to be Princess Yu Ruoyun and Wang Lan? Why not sooner, why not later? Why did it have to happen at the academy, of all places?"

"Have you said enough?" Eld Di quietly exhaled a plume of smoke and asked coldly.

Facing Eld Di, Yu Huailong still didn’t dare to be too insolent.

"Yu Qing, what are your thoughts?" Eld Di turned his head to ask the Qing Emperor, Yu Qing.

"The matter must be thoroughly investigated, but the turmoil must be stabilized as quickly as possible. Jade Country cannot afford chaos, especially not at this time."

"Qing Emperor, your niece has been murdered!" Yu Huailong stated coldly.

"I, too, am deeply grieved by Ruoyun’s death. Therefore, whoever is behind this, I will see them reduced to ashes. However, right now, the overall situation must take precedence."

"Hmph, not his own flesh and blood, after all..." a disdainful sneer was heard.

The Qing Emperor’s expression immediately became strained.

"Enough. You are all people of status; stop this bickering. I hereby announce that I take full responsibility for what happened to Ruoyun and Wang Lan in the Nine-layer Pagoda."

Eld Di’s voice was soft, yet it carried immense weight. For a long while after he spoke, the conference room remained deathly silent.

"What? How can this be?" Yu Huailong leaped up agitatedly. "Eld Di, you are the guiding light of Jade Country, a spiritual symbol! How can you take full responsibility? Besides, this incident definitely has nothing to do with you! How can you take the blame for the mastermind behind the scenes? Aren’t you shielding the real culprit by doing this?"

"The mastermind must be thoroughly investigated. But until the full truth is uncovered, I will bear this responsibility. Due to my negligent management, an accident occurred in the Nine-layer Pagoda. Ruoyun and Wang Lan were teleported into its seventh layer and perished there. Effective today, I resign from my position as Dean of the Modu City Star Martial Academy and will be exiled to lifelong imprisonment in the Nine-layer Pagoda."

"Eld Di, you mustn’t..." Zuo Ming also stood up excitedly to dissuade him.

Eld Di raised his hand, silencing Zuo Ming. "If you truly wish to show me respect, then uncover the truth of this matter swiftly and bring them justice. One is my great-granddaughter; the other, a young man who made outstanding contributions to humanity. They should not become sacrifices in a power struggle, nor should they be victims of hostile forces."

Eld Di’s words were unchallengeable.

The atmosphere in the conference room was as taut as a high-pressure cooker.

By doing this, Eld Di was staking his entire life’s reputation. Throughout his life, he had been beyond reproach—to heaven and earth, to his nation, and to the world. In his youth, he defended and expanded the nation’s territory. In his prime, he participated in the most heroic battle of the war between humans and demons. In his old age, he dedicated himself to teaching, nurturing generations of outstanding students. He was one of the few remaining founding elders of Jade Country, the only living legend who had participated in the great war of the century.

Silently, Eld Di stood up and left the conference room.

The moment Eld Di’s figure disappeared, the expressions of everyone in the room became complicated. A heated debate erupted. Whether they were loyal patriots or individuals with ulterior motives, their scheming had to pause for that moment. Eld Di, by staking his lifelong reputation, had extinguished the lit fuse, catching everyone off guard.

「The Nine-layer Pagoda, Valley of Death.」

Suddenly, a crack tore open in the sky, and two figures tumbled out.

Ghost-eye had been peeking out from a crevice, ready to reclaim the Valley of Death. But when it saw the two figures in the sky, it instantly whisked itself back into the crevice.

Good heavens! To corner me, you’ve actually waited for two whole days and nights? I can’t mess with that. I’ll just hide out for another ten days or half a month.

Wang Lan suddenly found he could control his body. He quickly mobilized his Star Power to stabilize himself and then landed steadily on the ground.

Seeing the familiar surroundings, Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun’s faces lit up with wild joy.

"The Valley of Death? We’re back?"

"Hahaha... We cheated death and escaped! We made it out alive! Quick, let’s hurry and regroup with the main party. I’ve never been so desperate to see our dear classmates and respected teachers... GAG!"

Wang Lan’s cheesy words didn’t make Yu Ruoyun cringe; he ended up cringing at himself.

"PFFT—"

"Stop laughing, let’s go!"

However, when the two of them walked out of the Valley of Death area, they couldn’t see a single one of their fourth-year classmates. Instead, the Exotic Beasts, who had been senselessly thrashed by the fourth-year students, seemed particularly irritable. Unable to vent their frustration on humans, they took it out by brutally attacking Exotic Beasts from other tribes.

"How long were we on that other layer? Are you sure it wasn’t three days?" Wang Lan asked, puzzled.

"It should be less than three days. Even without a time reference, my sense of time wouldn’t be off by that much in such a short period. Three days, four at the absolute most."

Yu Ruoyun also frowned. "Could the trial have ended early? Oh, right, I remember now."

"What?"

"When we were teleported to an upper layer, it must have registered on the displays outside, so the academy probably ended the trial early."

"So, now that we’re on the fourth layer, can they sense us outside?"

"If there are people on duty at the back mountain, the fourth layer’s plaque will light up. Someone should notice."

It wasn’t a matter of "should"; they *had* to. Never mind just being on duty. Ever since the incident, the Nine-layer Pagoda on the back mountain had been heavily guarded around the clock. Countless people were staring intently at the seventh layer, desperately hoping for a miracle, praying it would light up again. After all, many more people hoped for Yu Ruoyun’s safety, and an even greater number wished for Wang Lan to be unharmed. The true conspirators were but a tiny minority.

Yet, the seventh layer’s plaque remained dark, while the fourth layer’s plaque suddenly lit up. The students from the fourth layer had all departed, and their plaques had long since gone dark. Besides, the plaques only go dark when no foreign life signatures are detected. So how could one suddenly light up again?

After a brief moment of astonishment, a tactical instructor suddenly turned and sprinted away as if in a frenzy.

"Dean, it’s lit up! It’s lit up—"