Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 1730 - Gimmick

Liu Wuxie looked completely unfazed in front of Ye Linghan. She had tricked him first, so now they were even.

"You bastard!" Ye Linghan felt so aggrieved that tears nearly welled up in her eyes. Although she had tricked Liu Wuxie into joining the Azure Flame Dao Hall, she had genuinely intended to cooperate with him from the very beginning.

Seeing that Ye Linghan was on the verge of tears, even Liu Wuxie began to panic. After all, he was the worst at dealing with women crying.

"Stop crying and listen to my explanation first," Liu Wuxie said after getting dressed and climbing out of bed.

"It's written there in black and white. How are you going to explain it?" Ye Linghan asked, sobbing. The more she spoke, the more wronged she felt, and she nearly sent Liu Wuxie flying with a slap.

"Since I dared to boast about it, that means I'm certain no one in the Azure Flame Dao Hall can break through my spiritual array. It's just a gimmick. Don't tell me you don't know what a gimmick is?" Liu Wuxie asked, looking at Ye Linghan with furrowed brows.

Most people in the Azure Flame Dao Hall were young, and Ye Linghan was an unrivaled beauty. If Liu Wuxie wanted to attract attention, he had to take an unconventional approach, using a gimmick to draw people in.

"Are you sure no one can break through the spiritual array?" Ye Linghan asked as she wiped away her tears and gradually calmed down. She had been emotional earlier, but after hearing Liu Wuxie's explanation, her anger subsided considerably.

"I'm certain," Liu Wuxie replied with a nod.

"But what if someone actually breaks through the spiritual array?" Ye Linghan still asked uneasily.

"There are no ifs," Liu Wuxie replied. He couldn't be bothered to explain further. Even if he did, she still wouldn't understand, so he walked outside.

Ye Linghan could only stomp her foot in frustration before following after him. She wanted to see exactly what he was planning. If someone truly managed to break through the spiritual array, she would have no choice but to resign as a mentor and leave the Azure Flame Dao Hall.

Even more people had gathered outside the courtyard, including students from the advanced classes. Most had come to watch the spectacle after hearing that anyone who broke through the spiritual array would earn a chance to watch Mentor Ye bathe. Faced with such temptation, how could they resist?

"Someone's coming out!"

The noisy crowd instantly fell silent when they saw Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan walking out together.

Everyone's gaze landed on Ye Linghan's face while completely ignoring Liu Wuxie. Although Liu Wuxie had displayed extraordinary talent in spiritual arrays yesterday, his cultivation remained too low. Even with his gifted attainments in spiritual arrays, they still didn't think he was worthy of becoming their mentor.

Looking at the massive crowd, Liu Wuxie realized he had underestimated the impact of his gimmick. Even he hadn't expected to attract so many students.

"Everyone, quiet down!" Liu Wuxie shouted. Although the noise lessened somewhat, whispers still spread throughout the crowd.

"Mentor Ye, is what's written on the wall true? Can anyone who breaks through the spiritual array watch you bathe?" a student at True Immortal Realm asked, seeking confirmation from Ye Linghan.

Ye Linghan's face alternated between red and pale as she found herself unable to answer.

"Of course it's true. But did you all see the condition written below that? Anyone who fails to break through the spiritual array must join our class and become our student," Liu Wuxie replied.

Earlier, Ye Linghan had only read the first half before getting furious, so she hadn't continued reading.

Liu Wuxie had no time to recruit students one by one, so he resorted to this method instead. This was the fastest way to fill their class with students in a single day and save everyone time.

Many mentors stood at a distance, watching.

"What is that brat trying to do now?" Tu Zhengbao had also arrived. He still harbored deep resentment toward Liu Wuxie after being humiliated publicly yesterday.

Classes had already started, and many students were absent. Naturally, this drew the mentors' attention.

"Let's go take a look," Yu Yong said as he stepped forward. He also wanted to see what Liu Wuxie was trying to accomplish.

"Cultivation must not exceed the High Immortal Realm, and participants must not be older than twenty-two."

More students arrived after reading the notice and were calculating their chances of succeeding.

Liu Wuxie didn't intend to recruit students with overly high cultivation or those who were too old. The former would be difficult to control, while the latter had already settled into fixed cultivation paths. Trying to reshape and retrain them would be far more difficult than teaching someone with a blank slate.

Although a huge crowd had gathered nearby, no one dared to challenge the spiritual array immediately.

"Liu Wuxie, what exactly are you trying to do? Classes have already begun, yet you're here making a spectacle of yourself!" Tu Zhengbao glanced at the notice on the wall before subconsciously looking toward Ye Linghan, his eyes lighting up.

"Mentor Tu, was yesterday's humiliation not enough for you?" Liu Wuxie asked. He held no favorable impression of Tu Zhengbao whatsoever.

Although Liu Wuxie preferred not to stir up trouble in the Azure Flame Dao Hall, he also knew he had to make an example out of someone so no one would dare provoke him casually in the future.

At the mention of the previous day's events, Tu Zhengbao's face darkened, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Tu Zhengbao demanded, "These students already have mentors, yet you dare to openly poach them?" Having learned from yesterday's lesson, he immediately threw accusations at Liu Wuxie instead.

All these students were already under different mentors, so Liu Wuxie's actions could indeed be considered a violation of mentor ethics.

"A bird chooses the right tree to nest in, and the same principle applies in the Azure Flame Dao Hall. Students naturally have the right to choose better mentors instead of remaining under incompetent fools," Liu Wuxie mocked, clearly directing the insult at Tu Zhengbao.

No one present was stupid, and everyone understood the hidden meaning behind his words.

"You!" Tu Zhengbao's face turned red with anger, but he couldn't find anything to refute him.

Only Ye Linghan felt inwardly delighted. A year ago, several students had joined her class, only for Tu Zhengbao to forcibly remove them. According to another mentor, what Tu Zhengbao had done back then was far worse than simple poaching, and today Liu Wuxie had finally taken revenge for her.

Then again, Liu Wuxie wasn't truly poaching students either, as he had offered them another choice.

"Mentor Liu, what you're doing violates the rules. If you need students, then recruit them properly yourselves. New students join the Azure Flame Dao Hall every day," Yu Yong said as he stepped forward, clearly displeased by Liu Wuxie's actions.

New students entered the Dao Hall daily, and most had already researched the mentors beforehand. As a result, they usually arrived with clear goals in mind. Veteran mentors especially benefited from this. They had taught many generations of cultivators, and once their students graduated and left, they often sent their own children back to study under the same mentor.

Take Zhongsun Wen, for example. Some of his students already spanned three generations within the same family.

Ye Linghan was too young. She had no reputation within the Dao Hall and had yet to produce any outstanding students, which naturally made recruiting difficult for her.

"The Azure Flame Dao Hall never stated that mentors aren't allowed to compete for students. Besides, I'm not recruiting students. I merely designed a challenge. Didn't you see there's a reward for anyone who completes it?" Liu Wuxie replied. He had deliberately exploited a loophole and had already prepared counterarguments, even if others tried to use the rules against him.

Which one of them had actually seen him recruit students? Strictly speaking, this was simply a game, a challenge issued to the students. And if it were a game, there would naturally be winners and losers. Losers would remain behind as students, while winners would receive rewards. That was all.

They had a choice whether to participate or not. The decision rested entirely in the students' hands, and Liu Wuxie had never forced anyone from the beginning.

Although everyone knew Liu Wuxie was twisting logic in his favor, they still couldn't refute him. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Many students also nodded in agreement after hearing his explanation. After all, Liu Wuxie hadn't lured anyone in from the beginning, so no one could accuse him of poaching students based on that alone.

If Liu Wuxie had used manipulative words to lure students into joining their class, then it would indeed count as malicious competition. But in reality, Liu Wuxie had spoken only three sentences since stepping outside.

Tu Zhengbao's chest burned with rage, yet there was nothing he could do. He couldn't exactly rush over and beat Liu Wuxie in public.

The Azure Flame Dao Hall naturally encouraged competition among classes and often offered rewards in return.

This was the idea Liu Wuxie had come up with after hearing from Ye Linghan about the monthly competitions between classes. He had created this gimmick specifically to attract a large number of students. Once they stepped into his trap, escaping wouldn't be easy.

"I'll give this spiritual array a try!"

Someone finally succumbed to temptation. A reward of ten thousand immortal stones and a chance to watch Ye Linghan bathe was simply too tempting to ignore.

Four array flags stood planted outside the courtyard, looking utterly ordinary. In fact, they even appeared inferior to the Great Thousand-Catties Array. Many people assumed such a simple spiritual array couldn't possibly stop them.

Most of the students were from the nearby spiritual array classes, which was why they had gathered so quickly. Students from other disciplines still hadn't received the news yet.

"Sign the agreement before entering," Liu Wuxie said. He had already prepared agreements in advance to prevent anyone from backing out afterward.

The student reviewed the agreement and signed it after finding no issues. His name was Zhang Hua, and he possessed fairly decent talent. He was an intermediate-class student with considerable talent in spiritual arrays, which explained his confidence.

"We have our first student now," Liu Wuxie said with a faint smile as he tossed the agreement over to Ye Linghan.

Ye Linghan could only glare at Liu Wuxie furiously. If the spiritual array failed, the first thing she would do afterward was kill him.

All eyes gathered on Zhang Hua. The four array flags began fluttering in the wind the moment he stepped inside.

Those outside couldn't sense much, but after Zhang Hua entered, the surroundings transformed into a foggy world. It resembled an illusion array, but not entirely, because there were no actual illusions within it.

Ye Linghan observed, yet she soon looked confused, unable to understand the spiritual array. She no longer knew how much knowledge Liu Wuxie truly possessed. Although he appeared to be only in his twenties, at times he resembled an ancient monster that had lived for centuries.

"Zhang Hua, why are you walking in circles?" the students outside shouted anxiously.

Unfortunately, their voices vanished the moment they entered the spiritual array, and Zhang Hua couldn't hear them. At first, Zhang Hua remained calm and carefully searched for the array's exit.

However, as time passed, he grew increasingly agitated because he couldn't find the exit or even determine where he was. To break a spiritual array, one had to understand it first.

But Zhang Hua understood nothing. He couldn't even identify what type of spiritual array it was, much less locate its core. Everything he had learned about spiritual arrays in the past suddenly became useless, leaving him to stumble around aimlessly.

The people outside had already shouted themselves hoarse. Zhang Hua had already reached the edge of the array flags several times, and one more step would have allowed him to leave the spiritual array. Yet no matter what, he couldn't take that final step, leaving everyone outside stomping anxiously in frustration.