“Stop!”
Following the sharp reprimand, a slender, elegant figure appeared in the classroom doorway with startling speed.
She had delicate, breathtaking features, and her deep eyes shimmered like a starlit sky.
It was none other than Diana!
“Director Diana?
What are you doing here?” Seeing who had just arrived, Crawford’s face stiffened as he forced a polite smile.
Even though he was a veteran Director at the academy, he held absolutely no advantage over her.
In terms of strength, they were both at Tier Three, Level Nine.
However, Diana was young.
The chances of her breaking through to the Tier Four Transcendent Realm were incredibly high; her potential left him in the dust.
In terms of background, Diana had the backing of the Heartfilia Family—one of Magnolia’s Six Great Families.
And in terms of overall influence, the Heartfilias outranked the Loke Family by a solid margin.
Diana didn’t answer Crawford immediately.
Her gaze swept over the room, finally landing on Asher.
She quickly looked him up and down, and only after confirming he wasn’t injured did she speak in a calm, icy tone.
“Director Crawford, I was merely passing by.
But when I arrived, I saw you about to attack a Level Two Instructor.
Care to explain what is going on here?”
Crawford’s eyebrows twitched frantically.
He couldn’t help but recall how Asher had publicly taken Diana’s two F-Class nieces as his apprentices yesterday.
*Passing by?* This was the thirty-third floor!
Who the hell just ‘passes by’ the most remote corner of the highest floor?
It was blatantly obvious she was here to protect Asher!
“*Ahem*.” Crawford cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.
“Director Diana, you’ve misunderstood.
I am simply enforcing academy regulations.
Instructor Asher publicly assaulted Instructor Drake and stole his class’s cultivation resources!
This is a severe violation of the academy’s rules!”
He pointed an accusatory finger at Asher.
“Furthermore, even after my direct intervention, he refused to return the stolen goods.
Therefore, I was preparing to administer a minor disciplinary correction.”
Asher’s eyes were cold.
*A minor disciplinary correction?* If he hadn’t reached the peak of Tier Three, Level Three, that ‘minor correction’ would have severely injured him before Diana could even intervene.
“Asher assaulted Instructor Drake and stole his resources?” Diana’s perfect brows furrowed in disbelief.
“How is that even possible?”
She knew the power levels of the staff perfectly well.
Drake might have been weak for a Level Two Instructor, but he was still at Tier Three, Level Three.
There was no way Asher—who was stuck at Tier Three, Level One—could have defeated him, let alone beaten him into submission.
“How is it not possible?!
Director Diana, look at what he did to me!” Drake practically threw himself forward, pointing at his heavily bandaged, mummy-like head.
His voice was shrill and pathetic.
“And you are…?” Diana finally noticed the completely gauze-wrapped man standing next to Crawford.
“I’m Drake!”
Hearing his name, a strange expression crossed Diana’s face.
The corners of her elegant lips twitched upward, and it was painfully obvious she was trying desperately to suppress a laugh.
Beneath the bandages, Drake’s face turned completely black.
“Director Diana, the facts are clear.
Asher violated academy rules and stubbornly refuses to correct his mistake.
As the Director of Discipline and Morals, it is my duty to reprimand him.
There is no issue here, correct?” Despite his internal frustration, Crawford explained the situation to Diana with forced patience.
Diana didn’t agree or disagree.
Instead, she turned to Asher.
“Instructor Asher, is this true?”
Looking at the leading lady of his ‘simping scandal,’ Asher felt an inexplicable sense of camaraderie.
“Director Diana, Instructor Drake has repeatedly extorted my resources in the past.
I reported the incidents to Director Crawford, but the investigations have been endlessly delayed.
Left with no other choice, I merely gave him a taste of his own medicine.”
He gestured toward Drake.
“And as I just clearly explained to Director Crawford, as soon as Drake returns the resources he stole from me—which totals 310,000 Jewels—I will gladly return his class’s supplies in full!”
The moment Asher finished his sentence, Drake completely lost his mind.
“Asher!
Have you gone completely insane?!
It was 300,000 a minute ago!
How did it magically turn into 310,000?!”
Without batting an eye or dropping a single bead of sweat, Asher pointed at the splintered wood scattered across the floor.
“You kicked the door to my classroom off its hinges.
Charging you 10,000 Jewels to replace it is incredibly reasonable.”
“What kind of garbage door costs 10,000 Jewels?!
You could buy a hundred of these cheap doors for that much!”
“The door itself isn’t expensive, but the paint I *just* applied is custom.
Add in the manual labor fees, and—”
“Enough!” Crawford roared, cutting Asher off.
“I already told you that your complaints will be handled later!
Did you not understand me?!
I am giving you one last chance!
Return the—”
“Hold on.” Diana’s icy voice cut right through Crawford’s shouting.
“Director Crawford, is what Asher said true?”
“Director Diana.” Crawford’s face was exceedingly ugly.
“Is it true?” Diana’s voice didn’t rise in volume, but the sheer, undeniable authority in her tone was suffocating.
Crawford’s expression shifted uncomfortably.
“It is true that he filed complaints.
But his claims are still under investigation.
These are two separate issues.”
“I see.” Diana nodded in understanding.
She turned back to Asher.
“Instructor Asher, even if Instructor Drake has repeatedly stolen your resources, you cannot be this unreasonable.
A simple classroom door is not worth 10,000 Jewels.”
Hearing her reprimand Asher, Drake’s eyes lit up with hope, and Crawford let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But a second later, Diana turned her piercing gaze onto Drake.
“I will make the final decision here.
Instructor Drake, you only need to pay Instructor Asher 300,000 Jewels.
The door will be forgiven.”
The hopeful smile on Drake’s face froze completely.
He almost dug a finger into his ear to check if his hearing was failing him.
*Wait…
what?!*
He came here to seek justice and get his stuff back, and somehow, the final verdict was that he owed Asher 300,000 Jewels?!
Licking his suddenly dry lips, Drake shot Crawford a desperate, pleading look.
Crawford clenched his jaw, his tone thick with displeasure.
“Director Diana, I find your handling of this situation highly inappropriate!
These two matters cannot be conflated!
Asher’s claims remain entirely unverified and require further investigation!”
“Oh?
Director Crawford takes issue with my ruling?” Diana’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
“Then why don’t we bring this matter directly to Vice Principal Makarov and let him decide who is in the right?”
Hearing Makarov’s name, Crawford’s face instantly lost its color.
Vice Principal Makarov was notoriously blunt and had a terrifying temper.
If this petty squabble reached his desk—especially with Crawford blatantly playing favorites—Crawford would be the one getting absolutely roasted.
After a few tense seconds of calculation, Crawford forced an incredibly awkward, strained laugh.
“No, no…
I think Director Diana’s handling of the situation is perfectly fine.
We will proceed exactly as you’ve outlined.”
*Boom!*
Though Crawford’s voice wasn’t loud, it hit Drake’s ears like a terrifying thunderclap.
“Director Crawford!” Drake panicked.
“Director Crawford, this isn’t what we agreed—”
“Shut your mouth!” Crawford glared at him viciously.
“The matter is settled!”
Drake’s mouth flapped open and shut, but no words came out.
He felt completely paralyzed.
His base salary was just over 10,000 Jewels a month.
Even with the ‘gifts’ and bribes he squeezed from his students’ parents, he barely pulled in 15,000.
After deducting his living expenses, food, and his own cultivation resources, he practically lived paycheck to paycheck.
Demanding he hand over 300,000 Jewels to Asher was essentially asking him to sell his own organs!
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, an idea struck him.
The thought quickly took root, spiraling rapidly until it consumed his entire mind.
The next moment, Drake snapped his head up, locking his gaze onto Asher.
“Asher!
Do you dare make a bet with me?!”