"Why is Sima Feibai bringing up the 'Platform of Life and Death'? Has he been reading too many storybooks?"
"...Wait, I've only just arrived. Did I miss something? Can someone tell me what happened? How did Fang Ming and Sima Feibai suddenly get into a conflict?"
Many students were discussing amongst themselves. Those who arrived late and were curious about the sudden commotion were intensely interested in the cause, progression, and outcome of the event.
With such keen interest, they could only inquire from those who had arrived earlier.
Thus, many late-arriving students learned the story.
The origin of the matter was Fang Ming's unparalleled, incredibly handsome, and extremely charming appearance. Many students had confessed their feelings to him.
Naturally, Fang Ming had rejected all of them. He didn't even pay much attention to these confessions because the sheer number of them made it impossible to know every student who had confessed – nor was it necessary.
Among all these confessing students was one who was originally Sima Feibai's girlfriend.
Upon seeing Fang Ming's peerless beauty, she immediately discarded Sima Feibai, declared their breakup, and pursued Fang Ming, becoming one of the many rejected students.
A normal person in this situation would not harbor resentment towards Fang Ming – Fang Ming had not accepted her; he had rejected her on the spot.
However, Sima Feibai, accustomed to arrogance, seeing his girlfriend still infatuated with Fang Ming even after being rejected, became enraged. In a fit of anger, he decided to challenge Fang Ming to a duel.
He even seemed to intend for it to be a fight to the death, hence mentioning the "Platform of Life and Death."
If the academy had such a platform, lives might actually have been lost.
The students sympathized with Fang Ming's side in this farce.
After all, both in terms of looks and reason, Fang Ming was on the right side.
The principle that beauty is justice was a very significant one.
Moreover, among the students present, many were admirers of Fang Ming.
However, they did not hold much hope for the outcome of a fight between Fang Ming and Sima Feibai.
Although Sima Feibai was somewhat overbearing, he was indeed the son of a third-rank general in the capital.
Compared to Fang Ming, who was suspected of coming from a remote city, Sima Feibai clearly had greater influence in the capital.
As the foremost academy in the capital, even though Sima family's third-rank general could not truly interfere with the academy's operations, and Sima Feibai had not had his family members infiltrate the academy, the academy itself would not allow the son of a third-rank general to truly cross that line.
However, among the students, some had indeed pledged allegiance to Sima Feibai – it was one thing for his family to be unable to interfere within the academy, and another for students to voluntarily pledge their support.
Even if Sima Feibai were enraged, he could not directly kill a student within the academy, nor could he do so outside.
But once a student graduated from Ziyun Academy and permanently left its premises, the academy's instructors would naturally no longer concern themselves with their fate.
Therefore, students from remote cities and ordinary noble families in the capital still harbored some fear of Sima Feibai.
This fear stemmed from their inferior status.
Sima Feibai's father, a third-rank general, was already at the peak of the辟宫境 (Pì Gōng Jìng - Palace Opening Realm), infinitely close to the 斩命境 (Zhǎn Mìng Jìng - Fate Severing Realm).
With such a background, over ninety-nine percent of students could not afford to offend him. As for the remaining zero-point-one percent of students with equally noble backgrounds, Sima Feibai, despite his arrogance, was only a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong; he would not provoke those he could not afford to offend.
Coupled with his status and economic power, Sima Feibai's own strength surpassed many students of the same age – because he had access to abundant cultivation resources, which other ordinary students lacked.
At a young age, he had already reached the sixteenth stage of the 气元 (Qì Yuán - Qi Origin) realm. This level of cultivation was considered formidable, at least for most of the students present of the same age.
This comparison of inherent strength led others to believe that although Fang Ming was exceptionally handsome and beautiful, like a celestial being, his strength would be inferior to Sima Feibai's if they were to truly fight.
The academy did not have a Platform of Life and Death and did not permit fatalities, but to cultivate combat capabilities, it absolutely did not prohibit fighting. At this moment, if Sima Feibai were to directly attack and beat Fang Ming, as long as it didn't result in severe consequences, such as permanent injury or damage to his foundation, and only superficial wounds, he would face no repercussions.
Upon thinking this, some students who admired Fang Ming felt their minds buzzing. In their perception, someone as beautiful as Fang Ming might cry for a long time after just one punch.
How could such a beautiful young man possibly have any combat power? Wouldn't he be as fragile as the wind, toppling over with a single gust?
No, Fang Ming must not be harmed.
Some students who admired Fang Ming did not have much faith in him. Some of them ran off to report to the instructors. Generally, instructors wouldn't intervene even if they knew about a fight, as Ziyun Academy advocated for the cultivation of combat abilities. However, Fang Ming was different.
Many female instructors felt considerable pity for Fang Ming. While academy rules were rules, people were people. If an instructor truly wished to prevent Sima Feibai and Fang Ming from fighting, they could do so if they had the will.
What others couldn't do was entirely different when it came to Fang Ming.
Others decided to help Fang Ming resist Sima Feibai's attacks if he were to be beaten.
Although their cultivation levels were not very high, they believed that if so many of them acted together, they could help Fang Ming withstand some of the blows.
Of course, the Qi Origin realm had thirty stages, and each higher stage represented a linear increase in cultivation. Generally, a hundred students at the fifth stage of Qi Origin could not defeat a single student at the eleventh stage.
These individuals did not particularly believe that they, as a group, could withstand the attacks of Sima Feibai, who was at the sixteenth stage of Qi Origin. However, they were very willing and eager to help their male idol by enduring some of the damage and protecting him.
Some even felt joy, believing this was their opportunity – by protecting their male idol from harm, wouldn't he notice their existence? This would then lay the initial foundation for building a friendship, or even something more, with the male idol, Fang Ming.
The students who admired Fang Ming divided into two factions: one group was responsible for getting the instructors to intervene, and the other was present to stall Sima Feibai from directly attacking Fang Ming. In essence, they were more concerned about this impending fight than Fang Ming himself.
Fang Ming himself was not paying this minor incident much attention.
He merely found it unusual that Sima Feibai, on the verge of action, had such an enraged expression.