BTTH: Severing The Heavens

The surface of the this subterranean lake located at the absolute fringes of the Academy rippled with an unnatural stillness. The water was pitch-black, absorbing the pale moonlight rather than reflecting it. This was the primary entrance to the Riverlands Purgatory—a heavily guarded labyrinth submerged beneath millions of gallons of freezing water.

With a low, resonating hum, the dark water began to violently bubble and part. A translucent dome of dark-blue Dou Qi broke through the surface, physically pushing the freezing waves aside.

Commander Wu emerged from within the dome, his heavy armored boots stepping onto the rocky shore. As he reached the land, the translucent barrier dissolved into the night air, leaving his dark uniform perfectly dry despite his submerged walk. He let out a long, heavy breath, looking back at the tranquil surface of the lake. He had just personally escorted the youth into the deepest, most treacherous cavern of the prison, locking the heavy iron gates behind him.

The lakeside was completely empty. The silence of the surrounding forest was absolute.

But as Commander Wu took his third step away from the water, the ambient worldly energy in the clearing violently stagnated.

The space around him didn't just feel heavy; it solidified. Slowly, three distinct, terrifyingly dense auras bled into reality, peeling back the camouflage of the night.

Standing beneath the canopy of a massive weeping willow were three figures. In the center stood Deputy Headmaster Hu Gan, his hands clasped peacefully behind his back. To his left was Zhan Yue, her puple-patterned robes fluttering in an unfelt breeze, her amethyst eyes cold and piercing. To his right stood Elder Long, the Grandmaster Smith, covered in his usual layer of soot and glaring daggers.

Commander Wu stopped in his tracks. Facing three existences that could individually level a city, he maintained his iron discipline. He brought his fists together, offering a crisp, respectful bow.

"Deputy Headmaster. Head Zhan. Elder Long," Wu greeted, his voice steady.

Hu Gan looked at the stern Commander, a complicated sigh escaping his lips. The old man stepped forward, his white hair catching the moonlight.

"Wu," Hu Gan began, his raspy voice gentle but carrying the undeniable weight of the heavens. "Order and discipline are the backbone of this academy. I have always trusted your judgment. But do you not think you were a little too harsh with this boy's punishment? The Riverlands Purgatory... is not a place for a student with a sealed Dantian."

"His physical vessel is exceptionally tough, Deputy Headmaster," Wu replied quietly, his posture rigid. "He will survive."

"Tough my ass!"

Elder Long violently exploded, stomping his heavy boot into the dirt, causing a localized tremor to shake the shoreline. The eccentric blacksmith pointed a blackened, soot-stained finger directly at Wu's face.

"If you have a problem with me, you rigid bastard, then be a man and talk to me directly!" Long roared, his raspy voice echoing over the lake. "Don't go targeting the first genuine, heaven-defying student I've taken in years just one day after he steps into my forge!"

Wu didn't flinch, though his eyes narrowed slightly. "I am not targeting you, you psychic old man. He broke a fundamental law of the commercial district in broad daylight. He publicly extorted the older students. He got exactly what the academy laws dictate he deserves."

Everyone standing in the clearing knew the truth beneath the argument. It was an open secret among the upper echelons. Several years ago, Commander Wu had acquired a heavily damaged, high-tier weapon and sought out Elder Long for repairs. Long, known for his eccentric temper, had flatly refused repeatedly simply because he "didn't like the aura" of the weapon. The petty refusal had forced Wu to secretly travel to the Black-Corner Region and pay an exorbitant, humiliating price to an outside smith. The grudge between the two stubborn men had simmered ever since.

"Wu, personal grievances aside, you should have discussed this with me beforehand," Hu Gan interjected, raising a hand to silence the fuming blacksmith. The Deputy Headmaster's tone grew sterner. "You are giving a near-lethal torture sentence to a talented student whose potential we are still actively trying to measure. Not many have survived that prison intact. We all know its bloody history."

Zhan Yue, who had been completely silent, finally took a slow step forward. The air temperature plummeted as her Dou Huang pressure subtly leaked into the clearing.

"You didn't just seal his cultivation, Wu," Zhan Yue stated mildly, though her voice carried the sharp, cutting edge of a drawn blade. "You also confiscated his newly forged sword. I saw the log. You threw him into a cavern filled with venomous aquatic beasts completely bare-handed."

She tilted her head, her amethyst eyes locking onto the Commander. "You are honestly more insane than this old blacksmith."

Feeling the combined, suffocating pressure of a peak Dou Wang, a Dou Huang, and the Deputy Headmaster bearing down on him, Wu finally let out a heavy, tired sigh. The unyielding mask of the Law Enforcer cracked just a fraction.

"You do not need to worry to this extent," Wu confessed, his voice dropping to a low, serious murmur. "I am not a butcher, Zhan Yue. I actually planned to check the inner monitoring arrays regularly. I specifically ordered my inner hall elders to rotate guard duty. If the boy were to fall into a genuine, inescapable life-or-death situation where his vessel was about to break, we would pull him out immediately."

Hu Gan's expression softened slightly upon hearing this safety net, though he remained cautious.

"What did the boy say when you gave him the sentence?" Hu Gan asked, his ancient eyes filled with curiosity. "Was he adamant? Did he panic when facing the descent into this place?"

Wu shook his head, a look of profound, lingering disbelief crossing his stern face.

"No," Wu answered truthfully. "He accepted it entirely calmly. Eerily so. There was no fear in his eyes, not even when I sealed his Dantian. And..." Wu paused, looking back at the dark lake. "My instincts as a martial artist told me something strange. Even powerless, I felt he would survive down there, one way or another. While his Dou Qi is sealed, his Soul Power is abnormally high. His perception of the world around him is sharper than most Da Dou Shis."

Zhan Yue's eyes narrowed further, the tension in her shoulders not fading.

"That does not mean you can just do whatever you please with my sparring partner," Zhan Yue countered coldly. The air between her and Wu crackled with invisible, volatile energy.

Sensing that a physical altercation between his top faculty members could break out at any second, Hu Gan let out a soft, echoing cough. The ambient worldly energy instantly smoothed out, forcing the hostile auras to recede.

"Enough," Hu Gan declared, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Since the Law Enforcement Unit has used its authority and pushed the boundaries of its limits without prior consultation, there must be accountability."

He looked directly at Wu. "Commander Wu, you will be suspended from your active duties for one month. I hope you can use this time to reflect on the balance between absolute law and necessary mercy."

All of their eyes widened slightly. Suspending the Head of Law Enforcement was a massive political move.

Wu stood in silence for a moment, processing the decree. He understood the situation perfectly; Hu Gan had to appease the furious Dou Huang and the Emperor Smith while maintaining the facade of academy rules.

Wu nodded slowly, accepting the judgment. "I understand, Deputy Headmaster. Then I shall use this month to enter closed-door cultivation. However... if I am suspended, and my hall elders are managing the outer sectors, who will guard the Riverlands array in my stead to ensure no outside interference?"

Zhan Yue stepped forward immediately, her silver robes shimmering.

"Do not worry about that, Wu," Zhan Yue said coolly, a faint, dangerous smirk touching her lips. "I will guard the lake."

Wu frowned. "You?"

"Yes. It has been a while since I stretched my legs," she continued nonchalantly, inspecting her manicured nails. "I can search for a few beast cores and explore this specific region in the meantime. Consider the entrance absolutely secure."

Hu Gan nodded, seeing a perfect resolution to the conflict.

"Then it is settled," the Deputy Headmaster stated. He looked at the three powerful figures before him. "I hope this matter does not escalate any further in the future. We are the pillars of this academy; if we fracture, the students suffer."

He then turned his gaze to the soot-covered blacksmith. "And please, Elder Long. Try not to stubbornly refuse the requests of your fellow elders out of spite. If you have any problems or grievances with the faculty, come to my office and we can discuss them over tea, rather than letting grudges fester."

Elder Long clicked his tongue loudly, crossing his arms and looking away like a petulant child. "Fine..." he muttered under his breath, though he was clearly satisfied that Wu had been suspended.

Hu Gan clapped his hands together, the crisp sound signaling the end of the meeting.

"Alright, let us part ways," Hu Gan smiled warmly. "We all have our respective works to do. Farewell."

"Farewell, Deputy Headmaster," Wu and Long chorused.

With a slight distortion of space, Hu Gan vanished from the clearing. Elder Long shot one last, victorious glare at Commander Wu before turning and bounding away through the forest, heading back to his beloved forge. Wu offered Zhan Yue a brief, stiff nod before utilizing a wind technique to launch himself toward the central administrative sector to begin his suspension.

Within moments, the lakeside was quiet once more.

Zhan Yue was the only one left.

She slowly walked to the very edge of the rocky shore. The night wind rustled the weeping willow above her, casting dancing shadows over her purple robes. She gracefully sat down on a large, flat boulder, her legs crossed, her amethyst eyes gazing deeply into the pitch-black, freezing water of the lake.

She knew the absolute hell that awaited the boy beneath those depths.

"Do not die down there, Xiao Ning," Zhan Yue whispered into the silent night, her voice carrying a profound, quiet faith. "Forge yourself."