Dashing Student Chapter 1358: Breaking the Rules

Chen Nan and Lin Didi stood within the grand hall, one radiating composure while the other burned with indignation.

Alliance Hierarch, do you intend to protect Jue Mingzi? If that is the case, I have no more to say. It simply means there is no place for my master and me within the Righteous Alliance, and our lives are worth nothing to anyone!

Lin Didi’s scathing remarks caused Jiang Wuyue to knit his brows in concern.

He had not anticipated that Chen Nan would actually have the courage to slay Yi Mingzi. However, reflecting on how Chen Nan had insisted on Yi Mingzi accompanying him, it became clear the whole affair had been meticulously orchestrated.

With a sigh of resignation, Jiang Wuyue turned toward Master Canglan to ask, Canglan, is this truly your stance?

Master Canglan remained mute; sometimes, silence carries more weight than any declaration.

Fine, fine, I understand. Jiang Wuyue felt a deep-seated frustration; it was no secret that Master Canglan had always held him in contempt, regardless of his cultivation level.

This time, he was determined to shield his people, no matter whether it was Chen Nan or another.

Unexpectedly, Chen Nan interrupted before Jiang Wuyue could speak further. Alliance Hierarch, I have successfully returned with the response from the Demon Sect Master, Tu Wanshan.

Furthermore, I do not wish to burden you; I accept full responsibility for my actions—I was the one who killed Yi Mingzi!

Master Canglan’s beard prickled with pure fury as he glared at Chen Nan as if he wished to tear him limb from limb.

Jiang Wuyue’s eyes widened in disbelief. Cough, cough, you must have been ambushed by the Demon Sect, right? Was it some genius of their sect who struck down Yi Mingzi?

It was no Demon Sect prodigy; it was I who dealt the blow! Chen Nan remained entirely unruffled.

Jiang Wuyue cursed Master Canglan under his breath, then cursed Chen Nan next. How could the boy not realize he was being handed a lifeline?

Jue Mingzi, watch your tongue carefully.

My words are calculated, but Yi Mingzi chose his own end. What was I to do?

Master Canglan trembled with raw rage. How could my apprentice seek his own death? You must have conspired with the Demon Sect! According to our laws, you are to be executed!

He aimed to corner Chen Nan with such overt manipulation, leaving him no path for retreat.

Either Chen Nan would fall victim to Master Canglan’s wrath, or he would be forced to admit to colluding with the enemy.

Regardless of the path chosen, death was intended to be the only outcome for Chen Nan.

However, having returned to the Righteous Alliance, Chen Nan was far from unprepared.

He produced a spirit talisman and tossed it into the air; it hovered quietly before erupting into a thick, swirling mist.

Within the haze, a crystalline image manifested, much like a mirror.

This relic, a 'Memory Talisman', was capable of archiving events for a brief duration. The recording captured the moment Chen Nan and Yi Mingzi first descended upon Inverted Mountain.

In the projection, Yi Mingzi displayed extreme arrogance, planning to execute Chen Nan and even explicitly admitting to an alliance with an evil cultivator, all while Wu Hong stood by without raising a single objection.

The vision ceased, yet the implications were obvious to all present.

After the display, Lin Didi immediately pointed a shaking finger at Chen Nan and shrieked, Impossible! It is absolutely impossible! How could my junior apprentice brother conspire with a Demon Cultivator? This is nothing but slander!

However, the other Elders, including Jiang Wuyue, now wore expressions of grim realization.

Canglan, what do you have to say for yourself?

Master Canglan never imagined his apprentice’s betrayal would be laid bare before the entire Sect. Engulfed in sudden rage, he stuttered, his lips moving without sound.

Even Yi Mingzi’s corruption had been quietly sanctioned by him; in truth, had he not been the one to lead his own apprentice to such a ruinous end?

Yi Mingzi deserved his fate. Today, I strike his name from the sect records!

Master! Lin Didi’s eyes widened, shattered by the revelation.

But the matter was finalized. Since Chen Nan had killed Yi Mingzi, he was not only innocent but had rendered a service to the Righteous Alliance. Under the collective gaze of the Sect, Master Canglan could no longer bury the truth.

He stood up and departed with a sharp flick of his sleeves, though none noticed his hands balled into tightly clenched fists hidden beneath the fabric.

Phew, that was close. Chen Nan exhaled a silent breath of relief.

This ploy with the Memory Talisman had been Tu Susu’s idea; she hadn’t even tipped off Chen Nan until his return, simply handed him the tool once he arrived.

It appeared that Tu Susu’s tenure within the Demon Sect had granted her a sharp, tactical edge in such power struggles.

Jue Mingzi, you have rendered a great service once more. What reward do you seek? Jiang Wuyue looked toward Chen Nan with a faint, appreciative smile.

Chen Nan deliberated for a moment before his face lit up. Alliance Hierarch, I would request the Xuanyuan Immortal Embryo Fruit.

The Xuanyuan Immortal Embryo Fruit was a Fifth Grade Spiritual Medicine, a vital component for concocting the Breaking Infant Pill. Ever since learning he would require this pill to breach the threshold of the Nascent Soul Realm, he had been seeking the necessary ingredients.

Regrettably, the required components were of such heavenly rarity—especially the three core ingredients—that he hadn't even heard of them previously.

Jiang Wuyue’s expression shifted, offering a helpless shrug. We do not possess it.

Then... perhaps Enlightenment Dew? Chen Nan pressed.

We lack that as well, and we also do not have the Breakthrough Flower.

The Xuanyuan Immortal Embryo Fruit, Enlightenment Dew, and Breakthrough Flower constituted the trio of main ingredients needed for the pill.

Chen Nan had anticipated as much; the rarity of the Breaking Infant Pill was the reason Nascent Soul Realm experts were so sparse. Had the Righteous Alliance held a store of them, they would likely have fostered far more of such powerhouse cultivators.

If that is the case, please review this list. If there is anything from it you can provide, I would be most grateful.

He presented a document to Jiang Wuyue, outlining the auxiliary spiritual materials needed for the refinement, all of which were highly sought-after spiritual herbs.

Very well, I shall grant you these. Jiang Wuyue agreed with surprising haste, perhaps harboring hopes that assisting Chen Nan would pave the road to his own Nascent Soul breakthrough soon.

Should Chen Nan reach that level, their Alliance would gain yet another formidable combatant.

From now on, remain at peace within the Righteous Alliance. I am aware Canglan will not let this slight go; he will likely disregard all Sect protocols from this point forward. Jiang Wuyue issued this warning with genuine concern.

Chen Nan’s heart sank; a Ninth Layer Nascent Soul Realm expert discarding the rules was a terrifying prospect, especially one sitting at the pinnacle of the Nine Provinces.

I understand, Your Excellency.

He bowed and retreated to secure a small, secluded cave dwelling on Immortal Dome Island.

High above, Lin Didi stood beside Master Canglan, her voice trembling with indignation. Master, will you really let this slide? Ignoring my junior apprentice brother’s errors, does Jue Mingzi not bear any blame at all?

If he hadn't provoked him, this never would have happened! Ultimately, this is all his doing!

Master Canglan maintained a stoic facade, but the killing intent radiating from him was palpable.

Heh, does the Righteous Alliance truly think they can protect him? Today, I will claim his life to avenge my son!

As they plotted, they failed to notice a shadow gliding silently toward the cottage, where Chen Nan was lost in his meditative training.

Just as darkness blanketed the island, Master Canglan descended from the sky. He unleashed a staggering surge of mana, condensing it into a titanic palm that crashed down upon the dwelling.

Rumble!

The structure disintegrated instantly, and the figure within was pulverized beneath the immense force of the strike.