Chapter 67: A Pillow Delivered for My Nap

“Stop right there!!”

As Xu Shen strolled leisurely, admiring the scenery, a loud roar suddenly erupted from behind him.

Xu Shen paused midstep and turned around.

The crowd behind him parted like a wave, revealing a towering, muscular man striding forward. This man stood over two meters tall, his short hair bristling like steel wires, and his eyes burned with fury as they locked onto Xu Shen.

“You brat! I haven’t even come looking for you after you hit my sister, and yet you dare show your face at this school!” the man bellowed, his voice low and menacing. Ghostly energy began to ripple around him.

“Who are you?” Xu Shen asked with a frown. Hit his sister?

“My name is Men Ji! My sister is Men Zhi!” the man growled.

“Men Zhi? Never heard of her,” Xu Shen replied with a shrug. He was about to turn and leave when something clicked in his mind.

“Wait… that girl who was hanging around with that Li… whatever his name was? That’s your sister?” Xu Shen asked uncertainly, glancing at the hulking man.

The difference between these siblings is ridiculous.

“So you do remember!” Men Ji sneered. “Then I won’t hold back anymore.”

Ghostly energy surged around him as rune patterns resembling jagged rocks appeared on his arms. His skin began to harden, forming a layer of black stonelike armor. Flames flickered within the runes, dancing ominously.

Flame Mastery Realm—one flame ignited.

“Men Ji! Have you forgotten the school rules? No private fights allowed!” someone shouted from the crowd.

“Or are you about to graduate and just don’t care anymore?”

Men Ji froze for a moment, realizing he had almost forgotten about the school regulations. But the thought of his sister crying for two days straight reignited his suppressed anger.

Xu Shen stood silently, hands clasped behind his back, watching Men Ji without moving an inch.

The calm gaze from behind Xu Shen’s mask sent an inexplicable chill down Men Ji’s spine. Realizing he had flinched, Men Ji’s anger flared even hotter.

I’m a Flame Mastery cultivator—how could I be intimidated by someone at Core Solidification latestage?!

“What do you think you’re doing, Men Ji?” a low voice suddenly called out from the distance.

Xiao Yun appeared, flames surging around him. Even his hair seemed to burn like fire as he strode forward to stand between Xu Shen and Men Ji.

“Xiao Yun, I haven’t settled things with you yet,” Men Ji snarled. “Get out of my way. Once I’m done with him, I’ll deal with you.”

Despite his words, a flicker of apprehension crossed Men Ji’s eyes. Rumor had it that ever since Xiao Yun’s rune was repaired by Ming, his strength had skyrocketed. He had even defeated a senior who had just entered Flame Mastery.

Men Ji had witnessed that fight himself.

“If you can’t even get past me,” Xiao Yun said calmly, “you’ll stand no chance against him.”

His words sent ripples of shock through the crowd.

That graymasked man only seems to be at Core Solidification latestage—maybe not even peak. How could Xiao Yun say something like that? Is he hiding his true cultivation level?

But who would deliberately suppress their cultivation to Core Solidification latestage? That’s just dumb.

As expected, Men Ji burst into laughter. “Do you take me for an idiot? That guy’s just at Core Solidification latestage—what’s he got to act all high and mighty about?”

“I won’t bully him. Whichever hand he used to hit my sister, I’ll break it,” Men Ji declared coldly.

Xiao Yun’s expression darkened as black flames began to replace the red ones around him.

Seeing this, the students watching nearby instinctively backed away. It was clear this was about to escalate into a real fight.

Some couldn’t help but glance curiously at the graymasked man still standing silently with his hands behind his back. His head was slightly lowered, making it impossible to see his eyes.

As tension built and ghostly energy swirled in the air, a loud voice suddenly rang out from behind Xu Shen:

“STOP!”

Both Xiao Yun and Men Ji froze midmotion, their ghostly energy and runes dissipating as they turned toward the source of the voice.

An elderly man with a stern expression approached them—Professor Chen Gui.

“You’ve got some nerve,” Chen Gui said coldly, glaring at both of them. “Fighting on school grounds?”

“And right in front of the engraving department? Do you think this old man doesn’t exist?”

Hearing this, both Xiao Yun and Men Ji lowered their heads in unison.

“We wouldn’t dare,” they muttered.

Chen Gui’s status in the academy was on par with the principal’s. Even the principal couldn’t interfere with him. As a Silent Realm rune engraver, who would be foolish enough to offend him?

For students, there was an unspoken rule at Capital University: You can offend anyone—but not Chen Xue.

Why? Because Chen Xue was not only one of the most talented engraving students but also Chen Gui’s granddaughter. Offending her meant offending Chen Gui.

And if Chen Gui decided he didn’t like you? Well, good luck getting your rune engraved—or worse, having it engraved poorly on purpose.

Even Men Ji, despite his seething hatred for Xu Shen, didn’t dare act rashly in front of Chen Gui.

But what Chen Gui said next nearly made Men Ji collapse on the spot:

“Professor Ming, are you alright?” Chen Gui asked cautiously, addressing Xu Shen with concern.

Xu Shen remained silent, prompting Chen Gui’s heart to sink further. His expression grew even darker as he turned to glare at Men Ji.

“Well now,” Chen Gui said icily. “You’re about to graduate, and you think you can just attack a professor?”

The surrounding students were stunned into silence.

Did we hear that right? Professor? What professor? Is he talking about Ming?

Men Ji forced an awkward smile. “Professor Chen… surely you’re joking.”

“When did he become a professor?”

“Joking? Do I look like I’m joking?” Chen Gui snapped, his face turning red with anger.

It had taken great effort to recruit such a talented engraver for the school—and now a student had nearly attacked him?

If word got out, what would other schools think?

The more Chen Gui thought about it, the angrier he became. He felt like slapping Men Ji on the spot.

The students watching were equally shocked. Chen Gui was known for being kind and patient—seeing him this furious was unprecedented.

Could Ming really be the new engraving professor?

“Professor Chen,” Xu Shen said suddenly, breaking his silence. “I haven’t officially completed my onboarding paperwork yet, have I?”

Chen Gui’s heart sank further. Is he reconsidering joining because of this incident?

Still, he answered honestly: “Not yet—we’re just waiting for your confirmation.”

“Good,” Xu Shen replied with a nod before stepping forward and gently pushing Xiao Yun aside.

“So,” Xu Shen said calmly, addressing Men Ji directly. “You want revenge for your sister and plan to break one of my hands?”

His tone betrayed no emotion as he stared at Men Ji.

Men Ji froze in place, unsure how to respond. When Xu Shen received no reply, he turned back to Chen Gui.

“Professor Chen,” he asked casually, “does the school have any arenas where students can spar?”

“We do,” Chen Gui replied instinctively before realizing what Xu Shen was implying. His eyes widened in alarm as he turned to Xu Shen in disbelief.

I know exactly how strong you are—you’re only at Core Solidification latestage! How do you plan to fight someone at Flame Mastery?!

“Let’s head to the arena then,” Xu Shen said nonchalantly before turning back to Men Ji. “My hands are feeling itchy anyway.”

In truth, Xu Shen had been simmering with anger ever since Qu Zhixing’s unexpected appearance earlier. Now Men Ji had conveniently delivered himself as a target—a perfect outlet for Xu Shen’s frustration.

A Flame Mastery cultivator with only one flame ignited? Xu Shen had never fought one before.

I wonder how they compare to thirdtier corpse worms, he thought idly.

“You… can’t be serious,” Men Ji stammered before nearly laughing out loud. Is this guy insane?

But when he glanced at Chen Gui’s stern face, his laughter died in his throat.

“Professor Chen,” Xu Shen asked casually, “are there any rules for arena matches? Like restrictions on breaking limbs?”

Chen Gui sighed heavily before replying: “No killing is allowed—everything else is fair game. The school’s medical facilities can handle most injuries.”

Xu Shen nodded before turning back to Men Ji. “Lead the way.”

Men Ji hesitated briefly before sneering. “You’ve got guts—I’ll give you that.”

“But since you hit my sister, I’ll make sure you pay for it. One hand—just like I said.”

“The school’s medical team will fix it up quickly,” he added with a twisted grin before turning and leading the way toward the arena.

Xu Shen followed closely behind him.

“Big news! Men Ji is about to fight one of our new engraving professors!”

“You mean Ming—the graymasked guy everyone’s been talking about?”

“Holy crap! Where is it happening? I’m heading there now!”

“Damn! Men Ji may only have one flame ignited, but his Black Rock Rune is insanely strong! That professor is an engraver—he probably sucks at fighting!”

“Stop talking and let’s go watch!”

Excitement spread like wildfire across campus as students rushed toward the arena. Even some teachers and professors were drawn by the commotion.