Jiang Chen hadn't slept properly since the Moon-Gazing Tower ambush. So he slept long and deep.
He dreamed of dominating the Sword Dueling Platform. Of cultivation breaking through clouds. Of five streaks of light across the sky, five...
He woke.
He sat up in silence, leaning against the headboard, unsure whether the feeling in his chest was dread or grief.
He shook his head and gathered his focus.
Night had fallen. The dormitory was still empty.
Jiang Chen frowned.
Du Hu could drink for days, but Ling Chuan followed every rule. He would never stay out overnight.
Jiang Chen threw on his robes and stepped out. The Outer Academy dormitories were rows of connected single-story buildings. The opposite door was shut. The neighboring rooms were quiet. The corridor held an unnatural chill.
He stopped a passing figure. "Junior Brother, have you seen Senior Brother Ling Chuan?"
"Ling Chuan? Haven't seen him." The voice was flat, lifeless.
The figure shook its head.
Crack!
The head snapped clean off and hit the ground, rolling several times.
It had shaken off its own head!
Jiang Chen felt ice surge from his tailbone to his skull.
But battle-hardened instinct took over. He stepped back, planning to retreat to his room for a weapon.
The door slammed shut. It wouldn't budge. Someone inside held it closed.
The headless body turned. It spread its arms and charged. The head on the ground bounced, then launched itself through the air, faster than the body. Long hair streaming, face twisted and grotesque, nose crushed, eyes bulging.
A midnight demon. A vengeful spirit.
"Parlor tricks!" Jiang Chen roared, hoping to alert other students. He leaped backward.
This was the Maple City Academy. Dean Dong, a fifth-rank powerhouse, sat at its heart. Any disturbance would draw his attention. No evil creature would dare cause a scene. Escape was the best option.
But the head flew too fast.
Jiang Chen retreated several steps, then launched himself into the air. He channeled one of his two Dao essence pearls into his right leg, twisted his body, and whipped a roundhouse kick.
Dao essence amplified his strength far beyond normal limits.
Ghosts and demons were more than stories. Jiang Chen had seen the supernatural world. He had killed. He had bled. He had forged his courage.
It's just a ball. Not a head. A ball.
Thud!
His boot connected. The head rocketed back and slammed into the charging body, staggering it.
A soccer goal, right into the net.
But agony lanced through his foot. The head had bitten through his boot, tearing away a strip of flesh.
The wound tinged greenish-black.
Poison. Corpse poison.
His objective achieved—buying distance—he ran.
He reached the corridor's end and struck an invisible barrier. Weak but resilient. A trap.
Jiang Chen's mind raced. His last Dao essence pearl detonated, flooding his right shoulder.
He charged, shoulder-first, with everything he had.
"Break!"
The barrier shattered. Normal sounds rushed in—wind, insects, voices.
He turned back. The corridor was empty. The body and head had vanished.
Students were opening doors. "What's going on? Why couldn't I open my door just now?"
Then a terrified scream: "Dead... someone's dead!"
Jiang Chen rushed to the source. The decapitated body lay on the floor, face still twisted in that grotesque mask. In the corner, a roommate trembled.
The attacker had used corpse-driving arts and orthodox water-path techniques. More than one enemy.
Jiang Chen's voice cut through the panic. "A dark cultivator broke in and murdered a disciple. He has supernatural abilities, at least ninth-rank. Everyone form groups of five. Watch each other. Lock down the dormitory area. No one in or out. I'm getting help from the Inner Academy!"
The frightened students found their backbone and obeyed.
Jiang Chen ran toward the Inner Academy.
The eastern district belonged to the Academy and its properties. But strictly speaking, only the walled compound at the center counted as the true Academy. Outer disciples lived scattered around it.
Compared to the Outer Academy's grand archway and jade lion statues, the Inner Academy gate was modest—barely wide enough for four men abreast. But the dragon-and-phoenix plaque above it glowed faintly in the dark.
A small pavilion stood before the gate. Two cloud-pattern lanterns. One ice-grass cushion. A handsome young Daoist in hemp robes sat in meditation. Li Yun, tonight's Inner Academy sentry.
Jiang Chen rushed up and bowed. "Senior Brother Li! A dark cultivator attacked the Outer Academy! A disciple is dead! Please help!"
To Outer disciples, every Inner Academy cultivator was a star. Jiang Chen knew them all by sight. And Li Yun knew Jiang Chen—the disciple who had forced a Dao-Witnessed Deathmatch before the dean himself.
He rose, hand on his sword.
"Unnecessary." A commanding voice made Li Yun sheath his blade and bow.
Dean Dong stood in the Inner Academy gateway, expression hard. "I'll handle this personally."
"Corpse poison." He glanced at Jiang Chen's wounded foot. He extended one finger. A green thorn formed in the air.
Jiang Chen noticed his wound had festered, weeping black blood. Horror gripped him.
"Poison-Devouring Thorn. Grade C Middle-Tier technique. Practical enough to use through the mid-ranks." Dean Dong explained casually as he flicked the thorn into the wound.
Beyond transcendent-grade techniques, Dao arts ranked in four tiers with three grades each. The ocean of Dao arts was infinite. Every cultivator had to find what suited them and build their own combat system.
The thorn turned black, absorbing the toxin. Within moments, the wound ran red again.
Jiang Chen tore cloth from his robe and bandaged it.
Li Yun watched silently, thoughtful.
Dean Dong asked, "What happened?"
Jiang Chen recounted the events briefly. He believed—he had to believe—that the dean would deliver justice.
Dean Dong's lips curved upward. On his severe face, the smile looked terrifying.
"Heretical scum. Daring to attack my Academy. They don't fear the Academy. They don't fear me."
His robes spread wide. He pressed five fingers to the earth.
"Jade Cage!"
Invisible wood-path power exploded outward from his hand.
Every door in the Academy slammed shut. Branches erupted and surged.
Ivy on the walls shot upward, weaving into nets in midair.
Every wooden object in the compound transformed.
Chairs sprouted limbs. Windows grew claws. Trees burst through stone. Thorns danced wild.
In an instant, the Maple City Academy became a jade-green prison.