A World Worth Protecting

1

That was the first time that Wang Baole had received a call for help from a Dao College schoolmate ever since entering the Spirit Breath Village. There was, after all, a limit to the range of the jade slip when it was used as a helpline. Unless it was close by, it would not be transmitted successfully due to magnetic interference in the area.

That was not only unique to Ethereal Dao College. It was the same case for the other three Dao Colleges as well, but regardless of that shortcoming, the jade slip had a certain usefulness. Right now, Wang Baole had his head lowered as he stared at the jade slip with his full attention. As spiritual energy surged into the jade slip, he managed to ascertain the location of the other party and made his way there at breakneck speed.

Previously, Wang Baole had rendered helped to all his schoolmates whom he met on the way to the best of his abilities. As the Three Rolls Head Prefect of Ethereal Dao College’s Dharmic Armament faculty, he felt that he could not ignore others when they needed help.

It was partially his own nature to act this way, but he was also driven by the high officials’ autobiographies that he had read the past, where he saw the importance of building connections, which hinged on making more friends.

<em>Helping others is one of the fastest ways to make an impression and develop friendships. </em>Therefore, Wang Baole felt that helping others was something that he delighted himself in and it aligned with the principles that he had read about in the high officials’ autobiographies. He took the initiative and closed in on the location that the jade slip pointed to.

Before Wang Baole was a valley located in the area that the jade slip was pointing toward. In the valley, Zhuo Yifan was like a kite whose string had been severed as he tumbled in the air and slammed heavily into the ground.

As fresh blood seeped out from his mouth, the emergency communication jade slip that he was clutching in his hands also rolled away.

The injured Zhuo Yifan knelt on the ground with his hand supporting him. He was disheveled and extremely beaten. His body was wounded in many areas and his eyes were crimson red, filled with indignation and mania. He growled and threw a death stare at the figure in front of him… the figure of a youth that looked extremely similar to him!

“Zhuo Yixian!”

That youth was Zhuo Yixian, a handsome chap dressed in a white robe. He looked immensely floaty. He stood there, retracting the leg that he had used to kick Zhuo Yifan, and looked smilingly at him.

“Indignant, huh, my younger brother?”

When Zhuo Yixian spoke, waves of laughter emerged from behind him. Not far away were six students from White Deer Dao College who were dressed in white Daoist robes. Each of them was advanced in their combat capabilities, with most of them already possessing the six-inch Spirit Root. They all looked relaxed and supercilious as they surrounded a seven-inch Spirit Root that had been severely injured.

That seven-inch Spirit Root was not faceless but had instead already morphed into Zhuo Yifan’s appearance!

In this scenario, it seemed apparent that Zhuo Yixian had led the students from his college to stop Zhuo Yifan from absorbing the seven-inch True Breath so that they could get the Spirit Root instead!

“Head Prefect Yixian, so this is the useless younger brother that keeps trying to challenge you, the one you’ve been talking about all the time?”

“Someone who couldn’t get admitted into White Deer Dao College and had to enter Ethereal Dao College instead… What capabilities would he have?”

The people who were surrounding Zhuo Yifan’s seven-inch Spirit Root jeered.

“I’ve embarrassed myself in front of all of you. When everything is concluded, I’ll give everyone a treat as a celebration for all of you in successfully gaining admission to the Upper Academy of White Deer Dao College.” Zhuo Yixian’s smile was like the spring winds, courteous in its own right.

All six students from White Deer Dao College laughed heartily. They adored Zhuo Yixian’s forthrightness. At the same time, they were more than willing to be acquainted with this exceptional Head Prefect who was the cream of the crop of all the students in White Deer Dao College.

Seeing that the entire situation has progressed beyond the point of possible redemption, Zhuo Yifan pitifully spurted fresh blood from his mouth. He was indignant but also helpless. Even if the seven-inch Spirit Root was right before his eyes, it was beyond his reach, and everything was simply pitiful.

Even though he was the Head Prefect of the Combat faculty and had worked extremely diligently for the past year, when faced with his elder brother who had outperformed him in every possible way since they were young, he was no match for him at all.

Not to mention the fact that he had six other helpers. They did not even need to attack him, for the simple act of them surrounding the seven-inch Spirit Root was sufficient to land him in despair.

“My dear younger brother, as the illegitimate son of the family, the fact that you could gain admission into Ethereal Dao College shows the magnanimity of our dear father. As the bastard child of that unworthy wife, attaining the six-inch state is the best you can do.” Zhuo Yixian’s smile remained on his face as he squatted down in front of Zhuo Yifan and patted his face.

“As for the seven-inch Spirit Root, don’t you even think about it.”

The green veins on Zhuo Yifan’s face twitched as he was being insulted. His eyes grew more bloodshot, and he tightened his clenched fist even more forcefully, to the point where the blood vessels on the back of his hand were about to burst.

Just as he wanted to retaliate, his elder brother threw him a cold look before punching him directly on the chest, causing fresh blood to spew from his mouth once again. The energy that he had strained to muster was dispersed by Zhuo Yixian’s attack.

“Why, bother? You’ve been this way since you were young. Do you know how much I want to gouge your eyeballs out? Your gaze, it’s so annoying.” Zhuo Yixian spoke softly as he looked at his younger brother with a smile.

“You!” Zhuo Yifan panted heavily as excruciating pain spread through his body. However, he was helpless. His memories were evoked by Zhuo Yixian’s words, and they were replaying in his mind. To his schoolmates from Ethereal Dao College, he was someone with a mysterious family background, but he was also someone with extraordinary combat capabilities that made him famous. However, in reality, his childhood years were bitter. As the illegitimate son, his mother had died a long time ago, and his father was cold and unfeeling to him.

His childhood was cold and lonely. His elder brother had tortured and pressured him continuously throughout the years. He had originally thought that once he entered Ethereal Dao College, he could control his own future and distance himself from the family clan. He never would have thought that he would still be hampered by his elder brother in his journey to attain the seven-inch Spirit Root.

“Don’t give up, okay? As your elder brother, I have already planned out your future for you.” Zhuo Yixian patted Zhuo Yifan’s face again, revealing a look of excitement in his eyes.

“Next, I’ll strip you of all the healing pills you have so that you will enter a coma from your severe injuries. Then I’ll lock you up in a place that you can’t escape from, but don’t worry, you won’t die. You’ll regain consciousness a few days later, but your injuries will become even more severe.

“You’ll realize that the only way you can save yourself will be to break through the Ancient Martial Arts as a six-inch Spirit Root and ascend into the True Breath realm. Only when you reach True Breath can you use the expulsive force to send yourself out of the mystic realm using the power of your injuries.

“What do you think about it? Your elder brother treats you well, huh?”

Zhuo Yixian words entered Zhuo Yifan’s ears clearly. They were vicious and evil, causing blood to gush into Zhuo Yifan’s eyes and forcing him to the brink of mania. However, he could not retaliate. In his despair, he looked at the jade slip that had rolled away from him, for it was his only chance.

“Don’t bother looking at it. Whoever comes to your help will be implicated by you.” Zhuo Yixian laughed as he picked Zhuo Yifan up, throwing him to where the jade slip had landed before stepping on the jade slip to break it into pieces with his feet, as if to extinguish the last glimmer of hope in Zhuo Yifan, before he turned to leave.

Seeing the broken jade slip, Zhuo Yifan seemed to have lost all physical strength as he shut his eyes in despair.

However, just as the jade slip was being broken, at the very moment Zhuo Yifan shut his eyes, a ruffling sound of someone running from afar was heard. It was an angry growl that sounded familiar to Zhuo Yifan. It sounded like a clap of thunder, exploding loudly!

“Zhuo Yixian, how dare you?”

As the voice appeared, Wang Baole’s figure was like a bolt of lightning that appeared instantly with breathtaking speed. He arrived in front of Zhuo Yixian, punching him immediately.

The sudden turn of events happened too suddenly. Be it Zhuo Yixian or his six schoolmates, before they could react, Wang Baole’s fist had already landed, breaking the sound barrier with the loud, impactful bang spreading in all directions.

Zhuo Yixian’s expression dropped. At this critical juncture, he picked up Zhuo Yifan with his hands, attempting to use him as a shield. His ring also flashed brightly, opening his protective shield to block Wang Baole’s punch.

Loud booms erupted instantly. Zhuo Yixian felt an intense force tumbling at him as if he had been hit by a train traveling at high speed.

His entire body trembled, and he lost his hold on Zhuo Yifan. He was hurled into the air by the huge force, and while he was in midair, the glow that emanated from the Dharma treasure broke down layer by layer. Eventually, with a loud plonk, it completely disintegrated, and Zhuo Yixian’s body was thrown more than a hundred feet away. As he landed, blood trickled out the corner of his mouth, and upon raising his head, he was surprised to see that the person who had appeared beside Zhuo Yifan was none other than… Wang Baole!

“Wang Baole!” Zhuo Yixian’s breathing was rapid as he immediately recognized Wang Baole. At the same time, his six schoolmates were also shocked breathless, looking at Wang Baole, extremely taken aback.

Wang Baole’s speed was so fast, and the force of his punch so powerful, that it exceeded their understanding of Pulse Enrichment. To a certain extent, they were astonished by the power of his punch.

“What kind of cultivation does he have?”

“The Dharmic artifact protective shield of Head Prefect Yixian broke down so easily!”

As these people reeled in shock, Zhuo Yifan opened his eyes, staring dazedly at Wang Baole, who was standing beside him. He was also frozen with surprise. Even though he had called for help, he never would have thought that it would be Wang Baole who would come to his rescue since they had a somewhat unpleasant history.

Despite the unfriendliness between them, Wang Baole was still willing to render his assistance. This touched Zhuo Yifan significantly, and complex feelings welled up in his heart, including even a hint of guilt.

Not noticing Zhuo Yifan’s complex emotions, Wang Baole turned, his back facing Zhuo Yifan as he looked at Zhuo Yixian. His face was unfriendly, and rage was obvious from his eyes.

He might have gotten there late, but looking at the situation before him, he could guess what had happened. He did not understand why it became this way between Zhuo Yifan and Zhuo Yixian, who were brothers, but it was clear that Zhuo Yixian was extremely evil and vicious in his actions.

“It wouldn’t matter if you’re merely snatching, for I’ve done it myself. However, that’s the most you should do. Not only did you snatch away one’s opportunity, you also extinguished other people’s hopes. That… is too much!”

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