Chapter 106: From Where I Stand...You’re Nothing.
Bo Qiang stood frozen.
The air around him seemed to tighten, pressing against his chest like an iron vice.
The smug smile that had previously lit up his face faltered, replaced by a flicker of unease.
Jun Wu’s question was simple.
Almost too simple.
Yet, everyone present understood the weight behind it.
The implication was sharp, dangerous, and filled with consequences that Bo Qiang had not prepared for.
He suddenly realized that words spoken carelessly on this stage were no different from stepping into a battlefield without armor.
He swallowed hard.
His false bravado, which had carried him until now, threatened to collapse under the crushing silence that followed Jun Wu’s words.
One wrong response, one misplaced answer, and no one... not the Gong clan, not the Frostwind Academy, not even the heavens themselves... would be able to shield him.
Around him, tens of thousands of eyes burned into his back.
Every student from Frostwind Academy had their gaze locked on him, their expressions a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
Most could not understand why one of their own professors would publicly challenge Jun Wu, especially on such a monumental stage.
It made no sense.
Jun Wu had no known enmity with Frostwind Academy.
He had never even set foot in Frostwind City before this gathering.
Why, then, would Bo Qiang, a respected teacher, choose such blatant provocation unless there was more to it?
Inside the VIP chambers, the atmosphere grew tense, as though the air itself had thickened.
One by one, people subtly distanced themselves from the Frostwind academy Vice dean as if she were a raging volcano on the verge of eruption.
The academies had long prided themselves on maintaining neutrality in the region’s delicate political landscape.
And yet here, before countless people, a professor of Frostwind Academy was openly undermining that neutrality.
The pressure of the situation crushed down on Bo Qiang like a mountain.
His throat grew dry, and he forcefully swallowed the lump that refused to move.
He knew he had already crossed a line.
His allegiance was no longer to his academy but to the Gong clan, and now, before this sea of eyes, there was no turning back.
"I... I am not speaking for the academy," Bo Qiang finally managed, his voice carrying a false confidence that even he did not believe.
He knew what this meant.
From today onward, his career, his influence, and even his position within Frostwind Academy were finished.
But he told himself it was worth it.
As long as he could fulfill the Gong clan’s orders and tarnish Jun Wu’s name, everything else could be sacrificed.
The crowd erupted into murmurs.
A professor in the robes of Frostwind Academy openly declaring that he acted without the authority of his academy.
It was unheard of.
Many students frowned deeply, their expressions sour.
Their pride as members of the Frostwind academy had just been dragged through the mud.
Jun Wu remained calm, his demeanor unchanged.
"Alright," he said lightly, nodding as though Bo Qiang’s confession confirmed what he already knew.
"Then tell me... are you speaking for the Array Association of Frostwind City?"
Once again, the crowd drew in sharp breaths.
The tension tightened.
Jun Wu’s words were simple, but every question he asked was like a blade with two edges, cutting no matter how one responded.
Anyone could see it.
Bo Qiang had stepped into a trap laid out in plain sight.
If Jun Wu had been rattled, if he had been lured into an argument, Bo Qiang might have stood a chance to redirect the narrative.
But now, Jun Wu held all the power.
On this stage, before tens of thousands of people, the difference in their standing was clear.
In the audience, array masters from Frostwind City all turned their gazes toward Bo Qiang.
Their expressions were unfriendly, their eyes sharp as knives.
He felt each glance pierce into his skin, cold and merciless.
One wrong word and their wrath would consume him whole.
Bo Qiang’s entire body shuddered.
His skin crawled, his hair stood on end.
This was not how it was supposed to be.
He had expected Jun Wu to lash out, to lose control, to reveal himself as immature.
Instead, Jun Wu remained composed, noble, untouchable.
"This... this isn’t supposed to happen," he whispered to himself, gripping the hem of his robe tightly.
His knuckles turned white as he fought the tremor in his hands.
Forcing himself to breathe, he finally managed to squeeze out the words.
"No... I am not speaking for them either. I am alone." His voice trembled despite his best efforts to steady it.
The moment the words left his lips, his face twisted with bitterness.
He hated himself.
He knew he had just sealed his fate.
With that single response, the curtain had closed on his little performance.
Jun Wu shook his head slowly, as though already losing interest.
His voice remained calm, but his words carried the weight of thunder. "If you represented Frostwind Academy, I would have answered you seriously. If you had the backing of the Array Association, I would have considered your words out of respect for the array masters."
He paused, letting the silence stretch unbearably before continuing.
"But you are not. You have neither authority nor standing. So tell me, what are you?"
Bo Qiang’s lips trembled. "W-What..."
"You are nothing," Jun Wu cut him off coldly, his tone like a blade slicing through the man’s last defenses.
"From where I stand, you are nothing."
The crowd erupted in gasps.
Jun Wu ignored the broken professor and swept his calm gaze across the stunned audience.
"If you wish to question me or anyone else, then prove yourself equal. For me, create something as powerful as the Array Plates, and then we will speak as equal. Until then..."
His voice rose like a wave crashing over the audience. "What right do ants have to question humans for stepping on them?"
Hiss!
The crude analogy was simple, even brutal, yet its meaning struck deep.
The crowd understood it perfectly.
Inside the VIP chamber, the Vice Dean of Mystic Path Academy leaned back in his chair, a small smile tugging at his lips.
He nodded approvingly.
"Indeed," he murmured. "What right does an ant have to question the footsteps of those above them?"
All around the chamber, people shared similar thoughts.
Whether they liked Jun Wu or not, his authority in this moment was undeniable.
His aura was noble, his words overbearing, and his presence alone made many hesitate before daring to even think of opposing him.
Bo Qiang realized it too late.
His bravado had been nothing but a clown.
The audience had already abandoned him.
Students, teachers, and array masters alike shifted away, leaving him isolated.
He shuddered, the weight of regret eating him alive.
But no one pitied him.
He brought this disgrace upon himself.
On the stage, Jun Wu did not spare him another glance.
He stood tall, commanding, and with an air of complete composure, he began.
"What is array formation?"
The question rolled out across the auditorium like a bell chime.
Instantly, tens of thousands straightened their backs, their breaths held in anticipation.
This was what they had come for.
This was the moment that would prove whether Jun Wu truly deserved to stand at the pinnacle.