Chapter 15: The Forbidden Zone

Wuying frowned, hunched over his desk. His fingers tapped unconsciously, while his thoughts surged like stormy waves. "Weaponry division... artificers... What must be done to cultivate a group capable of forging soldiers? The current dilemma is the lack of specialized artificer guidance and insufficient ore resources for practice..."

"I do recall that a descendant from an artificer lineage has been at the academy for a term already, but unfortunately, he has no interest in this field whatsoever, and he's certainly not going to share his family's artificer expertise with the academy... Alas..."

"As for ore resources, the academy's vault actually holds plenty—so much that it could be squandered at will. Yet, ever since that upheaval within the academy, it has been sealed away... Should I petition the Queen to reopen it? And... the library..."

Bang!

Wuying was lost in contemplation when the door suddenly swung open with force. Someone stormed in, brimming with aggression. Wuying frowned, about to rebuke, but then recognized the intruder and couldn't help but smile wryly. In an instant, his expression shifted to that of a benevolent elder, and he asked kindly, "What has happened this time to ignite your fiery temper? Today is the first lesson for the newly admitted first-level students; it seems you've forgotten your own responsibilities."

The visitor was none other than Mentor Lengsha.

Handpicked by Wuying himself, Lengsha was absolutely committed to his duties despite his problematic disposition. He always placed his work above all else, and the students he trained invariably had exceptionally solid foundations. For this reason, Wuying tolerated his outbursts.

Lengsha seemed accustomed to their way of interaction and showed no fear. Instead, he stiffened his neck and demanded loudly, "What's going on here? Just because you're a Seer, you think you can abuse your authority, sending a Commander to the first-level students? I demand an explanation, or else... hmmph..."

What "or else" remained unsaid, likely because he hadn't thought it through. Lengsha plopped down in a chair, stubbornly glaring at Wuying.

Wuying was puzzled, blinking several times, and asked in surprise, "What Commander among the first-level students? Can you be clearer? If you keep slandering me, I'll teach you a lesson about respect and manners."

"Oh, still so obstinate?" Lengsha shot up, undeterred by threats, and shouted, "That brat—what's his name... Du Gu Bieli—from Skylight City. He's clearly a Commander, so why is he mingling with the Brave cohort? With his level, he doesn't meet the academy's criteria for first-level students at all..."

"What?" Wuying was stunned, exclaiming in disbelief, "Du Gu Bieli has become a Commander?"

"This must be reported to the Grand Dean for adjudication, the root cause investigated, and this kind of precedent squashed. Otherwise, what's the point of the academy's rules?" Lengsha grew increasingly agitated, ignoring Wuying's confusion, and continued, "Take the Kuang family's Kuang Zhan, for instance—his background is formidable, yet he had to suppress his abilities, maintain himself at the peak of Brave status, and only after passing the academy's selection did he begin his breakthrough to the second-level. But this Du Gu Bieli doesn't even bother to conceal it—such audacity! Clearly, with the Deputy Dean supporting him, things are different..."

"Enough, enough," Wuying interrupted, wary that Lengsha's words might implicate himself, potentially making him believe he was truly at fault. He hurriedly waved his hand, "Don't rush to conclusions. I actually know this new student, Du Gu Bieli, quite well. When he participated in the selection, I paid special attention—at that time, he was just a Brave, having opened only two springs. Not long ago, due to a lack of tuition money, he went to the arena and challenged a Commander above his level..."

After recounting the events, Wuying paused, then concluded, "So, his breakthrough must have happened right under your nose. Unfortunately, you didn't notice, leading to this misunderstanding."

"Really?" Lengsha was skeptical, pondering for a moment before saying, "Regardless, a Commander mixing with my students is a violation. I know, with you as Dean, he won't be expelled. But if you want me to drop the matter, he must be punished."

"Fine, fine, punishment it is," Wuying felt a headache coming on. He very much wanted to pin Lengsha to the ground and give him a good thrashing to vent his frustration, but he couldn't. He had to heed Lengsha's demands, not wanting the issue escalated to the Grand Dean. Thus, he had no choice but to acquiesce. Yet, the question remained—how to punish him?

At this moment, Lengsha seemed inspired, his mind lively, and said immediately, "You oversee the enforcement of all academy rules. If the punishment is ordinary, a hint from you and it will be brushed off, barely appeasing me. So you must decide now how to punish him, and if I'm satisfied, I'll drop the issue."

"You..." Wuying slapped the back of his head in frustration, racking his brains. If the punishment was too light, Lengsha would never let it go; too harsh, and it would be unfair to Du Gu Bieli. How should he proceed... Ah, that's it!

Wuying had just been pondering the weaponry division's problems, considering the vault, and now he devised a suitable plan. He looked at Lengsha and chuckled, "I've got it. Listen, and see if you approve."

Lengsha focused, waiting as Wuying spoke, "Send him to the Forbidden Zone!"

"What?" Lengsha, long accustomed to the academy, was shaken at the mention of the Forbidden Zone, memories flooding back and leaving him caught between recollection and shock.

The Forbidden Zone was a unique place within the academy, so peculiar that no one wished to mention it—a near-taboo topic. It was directly tied to a historical upheaval at Butterfly Academy!

Decades ago, Wuying became Vice Dean. Back then, the academy was headed not by the current Grand Dean, but by the Queen’s First Seer—Linyi.

Linyi, along with Wuying, Yan Xiang, and others, made up the Queen’s four Seers. Linyi’s abilities were unfathomable.

At that time, the academy already admitted many descendants from prominent families. These students formed alliances, effectively consolidating their families’ influence—so powerful that even the Queen had to tread carefully.

The rest of the students were of humble birth, mostly guardians from various villages.

This created two distinct strata, with severe polarization.

Linyi’s disposition led him to favor the noble students, and in disputes he would invariably side with them, suppressing the ordinary students while forging connections with the families.

When Wuying entered the academy, this was the situation. Coming from a poor background himself, he found Linyi’s conduct intolerable and often attempted to intervene, resulting in growing discord between them, eventually escalating to open hostility. Only the Queen’s presence kept things civil.

Yet, their conflict was like a dormant volcano—bound to erupt eventually, needing only a spark.

In those days, there was no weaponry division; all students focused solely on cultivation. The academy provided resources, but due to favoritism, distribution was highly uneven, creating vast disparities.

Seeing the problem, Wuying devised a solution—he required all students to document their cultivation methods, insights, and knowledge, submitting them to the academy and establishing a library open to all, so students could choose suitable materials.

Ordinary students readily agreed, but those from noble families clung to their secrets and refused to contribute. However, after Wuying consulted the Queen, the initiative went ahead, and the noble students, under pressure, reluctantly offered some basic material.

This alone greatly displeased Linyi.

Wuying, loyal to the Queen, was unconcerned, having no selfish motives. He then organized a grand collection effort, deploying students at the Walker level and above to explore the Star River World and gather treasures, while ordinary students traversed Eastern Wastes to collect ores and materials. Whenever Five Element Essences were found, they were sealed and awarded according to a set reward system to those whose progress was stalled for lack of such essences.

This move produced a number of Walkers over time, laying a foundation for a future army of Lords. The Queen herself praised the effort.

Sadly, some harbored narrow-minded motives, and, incited by the families, Linyi manipulated the distribution, using his authority as Grand Dean to forcibly decide everything. All resources flowed toward the noble students.

This deepened divisions, intensifying conflict until large-scale confrontation broke out.

Seeing the severity, Wuying stepped in to stop it, only to draw Linyi’s accusation that he was inciting ordinary students to rebel and destroy the academy’s foundation. Wuying had restrained himself for a long time, but his anger was at the breaking point, and unable to hold back, he and Linyi came to blows. The students below them likewise began a brutal struggle.

This was the only upheaval in Butterfly Academy’s history!

Countless students died or were wounded—only one in ten survived.

The Queen was alarmed, suppressed the situation, and after understanding the causes, severely punished both Linyi and Wuying. Linyi, convinced he was right and being the Queen’s longest-serving follower, argued forcefully against Wuying, claiming that if he was not punished, all the families in Eastern Wastes would abandon the Queen and join other powers. But the Queen was not one to be threatened; in her fury, she destroyed Linyi.

Wuying’s actions were correct in principle, but his measures had accelerated the conflict, so he too was punished. The library and vault he established were sealed and never reopened, designated as the Forbidden Zone. From then on, Butterfly Academy entered a period of decline; its overall quality diminished, and it never regained its former glory.

Over the years, many wished to reopen the library and vault, but the Queen’s heart remained troubled—Linyi was her protégé, and in the end, it was her own hand that ended his life...

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