Long Chen followed Bai Xiaole to the reception hall of Lingxiao Academy. This hall was newly built. Although imposing, it was somewhat crude, with many decorative details yet to be renovated.
Inside the grand hall, hundreds of powerful figures had already gathered, including a dozen peak Immortal King experts, while the rest were all half-step immortal level experts.
These experts all stood inside the main hall, accompanied by experts from Lingxiao Academy. However, all of the academy's experts were at the Celestial Venerable level, and there were no major experts like Bai Zhantang or other major academy experts.
On the way here, Bai Xiaole told him that these people were coming fiercely and arrogantly. They said they were bringing disciples to ask for some guidance from Long Chen, but in reality, they were here to challenge the hall.
The academy's leadership completely ignored these people, only sending some elders to brush things off, saying that everything here was decided by Long Chen and that Dean Long Chen was sleeping, telling them to wait until Dean Long Chen woke up before making any decisions.
And this group waited for three days. In the main hall, there wasn't even a single seat, each one waiting so long it felt like their heads were on fire.
After all, these people were all prominent figures from major powers—half-step immortal-level experts, surrounded by crowds and admired by thousands wherever they went. But here, they were left hanging, not even a bench to sit on.
These people kept scolding the academy's reception elders, while the elders responsible for reception were helpless. They could only tell them to wait a little longer. They had no idea what the higher-ups meant. Leaving such a terrifying group of beings hanging here made them all feel uneasy, as if their backs were pricked by thorns.
"The Director is here."
Seeing Long Chen step into the grand hall, the elders seemed to have seen a savior, waiting for the stars, hoping for the moon—finally, they had been waiting for you, the elder.
Long Chen and Bai Xiaole walked side by side into the main hall, nodded to the academy elders in greeting, and walked straight to the only seat at the front of the hall, as if he hadn't noticed the powerful ones.
When Long Chen sat down, Bai Xiaole stood right beside him. The two of them said nothing, quietly watching the group of powerful figures.
These powerful figures had already been furious, and now that Long Chen had appeared in such a manner, their anger only grew stronger.
What do you mean? I've waited for you for three days, and now you come, but you haven't even made a sound, not even shown any apology.
"The prestigious Lingxiao Academy, known as the number one academy in the Nine Heavens, actually doesn't even understand the most basic hospitality. It's truly surprising." At this moment, an old man could no longer hold back and sneered.
"Guest?" You guys count as guests? A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Long Chen's mouth.
"We have come from afar to visit your reputation with sincerity and admiration for the First Academy of the Nine Heavens. Isn't that a good guest?" If you can't be considered a guest, then respected Dean Long Chen, what does it mean to be a guest? The old man said coldly, though his tone was polite, it carried a tone that was aggressive.
"There are many types of guests, but the most detestable type is called 'evil guest,' meaning someone who comes with ill intent.
The way to treat guests often varies from person to person; how you treat them often depends on how the other party treats them.
You came to my Lingxiao Academy without first submitting your guest certificate, didn't pay respects at the courtyard gate, left your hands empty, didn't bring a gift, and looked at people with your big nostrils all the way—how can you call that being a guest?
You're all getting on in years, you don't know any rules at all. What's wrong? Already on a living dog? You don't know how to be a guest, yet you accuse others of not knowing how to treat guests. You look at your average skills, but your thick skin is quite thick. Long Chen sneered.
As soon as Long Chen spoke, the academy elders almost applauded. They had been mocked a lot these past three days, and these people were so arrogant that they had long disliked them, but they could only endure it.
Long Chen's words left them utterly speechless, as if he had delivered a loud slap in the face. The elders immediately burst into exhilaration.
"You..."
The old man was furious, but didn't know how to retort. After all, what Long Chen said was true—they really hadn't come by the rules, and Long Chen had caught him on the ground.
Long Chen had already suffered losses at Bai Shishi's hands and was upset, coming with a belly full of anger—how could he show them any face?
"Dean Long Chen, good morning, this old ..."
At that moment, an elderly man with a sharp mouth, monkey-like cheeks, and three long strands of beard stepped out from among the Human Sovereigns. He looked shrewd, clearly not a good person.
This person was a strategist among the crowd. Although his strength was average, the position he stood showed he was one of the leaders.
"You're speaking wrong."
Long Chen directly interrupted the old man.
"Oh?" What's wrong with the method? This old man wishes to hear the details. The old man smiled faintly, not angry, and spoke calmly.
"You mean I'm only good in the morning, not at noon, and not good at night?" Good morning, are you cursing me? Long Chen said coldly.
"You..."
At Long Chen's words, the other elders were speechless. This was way too twisted—clearly nitpicking.
Instead, the sharp-faced old man didn't care. Instead, he laughed heartily and said,
"Hahaha, Dean Long Chen, what you're teaching is that I used my wrong words and lacked rigor. I'll start over. Dean Long Chen, hello, I'm from ...."
"What do you mean by 'hello'?" It means I'm the only one who's good, but you're not, they're bad, and besides me, everyone else is bad! Long Chen interrupted the old man again.
At this moment, the old man's expression changed slightly. No matter how good his temper was, he couldn't stand this. As the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling face, but when a smiling face gets hit, it's the most humiliating thing.
"Dean Long Chen, aren't you being a bit arguing now?" The old man couldn't help but shout angrily.
"That's a bit off. What do you mean by 'some'? I'm clearly arguing with you. You used words like 'some' to be uncertain or uncertain—because I wasn't expressing it clearly enough? Long Chen retorted.
"Pfft"
An elder from Lingxiao Academy couldn't help but laugh, realizing something was wrong, quickly covering his mouth, but still let it out.
The other academy elders bit their lips hard, trying hard not to laugh, but their bodies couldn't help but tremble.
Having lived for a long time and seen the world, they had never witnessed such a scene before. Seeing this group of fierce experts choking on Long Chen until they nearly spat blood, they nearly burst out laughing.
They finally understood why the higher-ups didn't show themselves and insisted on waiting for Long Chen to wake up to deal with them. Indeed, evil people have their own troubles, and only Long Chen could deal with such people.
"Dean Long Chen, you're ...," the old man said angrily.
"Shut up!"
Long Chen suddenly let out a furious roar, like the roar of a giant dragon. The entire hall trembled, and even half-step immortal-level experts were stunned by Long Chen's voice.
They were all startled. They hadn't expected Long Chen to suddenly turn hostile. Long Chen had completely shed his previous cynicism, his face darkened, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he shouted sternly:
"Speak, who sent you, and what benefits did he give you?"