Chapter 33 Graduation 5 Xu Xing's aptitude is ridiculously poor!
“Chen Du, you have already reached the Golden Core stage. I intend to take you as my disciple. If you cultivate with me, you will surely attain the Great Dao.”
At the main peak, Jiang Feichen took a sip of tea, his tone casual, clearly not expecting the sword cultivator with no foundation in front of him to refuse.
He had already found out about Shen Du. He was a penniless cultivator who owed the Thousand Machine Academy several thousand spirit stones. Jiang Feichen would not have looked down on such a person.
However, he possessed exceptional talent and actually managed to cultivate to the Golden Core stage by himself and his sword. The Golden Core stage itself wasn't unusual, as there were countless Golden Core cultivators in the Jade Cloud Sect. But he had also attracted the Heavenly Lightning of the Nine Heavens! This made Jiang Feichen take a second look at him.
"I apologize, Elder Jiang, for your kindness, but I have no intention of becoming your disciple."
The teacup was slammed onto the table, spilling a few drops of tea. Jiang Feichen narrowed his eyes. "What did you say? I didn't hear you."
Shen Du paused, raised his voice slightly, and said in a deep voice, "When my master passed away unexpectedly, I vowed to avenge him. Before the revenge is completed, I have no intention of becoming a disciple of anyone else. Please forgive me, Elder."
"So it's because of his previous master. In that case, Brother Feichen, why force yourself?"
Seeing that Jiang Feichen's expression was not right, another elder, Ning Wenbin, offered a word of advice.
When newly promoted Golden Core cultivators come to the main peak to pay their respects, they are usually given some rewards and a few words of encouragement.
However, Jiang Feichen was stubborn and insisted on accepting a disciple on this occasion. Now that many elders were watching, he was offended and would definitely not let it go.
Jiang Feichen snorted lightly, "But I heard that... you died before you could complete the apprenticeship ceremony and be granted the title of master. If that's the case, then he can't be considered your master."
Chen Du lowered his head. "In my heart, he is my master. Please don't take offense, Elder Jiang."
"What if I insist on blaming you?!"
Jiang Feichen slammed his fist on the table. Clearly, Shen Du's words could not convince him. Was he, a dignified inner sect elder of the Jade Cloud Sect, not even as good as a dead man?
The atmosphere became tense for a moment.
Suddenly, a cultivator strode in from outside and whispered a few words in Ning Wenbin's ear.
Zhai Yuzhi was possessed?!
Ning Wenbin stood up. "Something's happened at the trial platform. I'll go check it out."
A testing ground?
Shen Du's heart skipped a beat, and he said in a low voice, "If Elder Jiang has nothing else, this junior will take his leave first!"
Before Jiang Feichen could speak, he saw Shen Du run after Ning Wenbin, as if afraid that he would try to keep him there!
"This brat doesn't know what's good for him! It's just the Heavenly Thunder from the Nine Heavens, and he's already so arrogant!"
"Forget it. Feng Xinghuai's daughter still holds a grudge against Feng Zhun. If you take Chen Du as your disciple, won't you offend Feng Xinghuai?"
"So what? If I really want to take on a disciple, does Old Man Feng dare to stop me?" Jiang Feichen flicked his sleeve. "Shen Du is so ungrateful, unwilling to become a disciple? Fine! I'll see who dares to take him as a disciple in the future!"
Jiang Feichen stormed off. The elders who were watching exchanged glances and shook their heads. Shen Du's disciple was indeed unlucky, having run into Jiang Feichen.
Originally, after the Nine Heavens Thunder appeared, many high-level cultivators began to inquire about Shen Du. It wasn't that no one else wanted to take him as a disciple, but after Jiang Feichen made his announcement, no one competed with him for it.
If Shen Du had agreed to become a disciple, that would have been fine, but he was unwilling. Jiang Feichen was also stingy, so no one would dare to risk angering Jiang Feichen by taking him as a disciple.
Even if Shen Du becomes a Golden Core cultivator, his future days probably won't be much better...
"Xu Xu, you're awake? How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"
Wen Yao looked at Xu Xing, who was slowly waking up in Wen Lu's arms, with a worried expression. Zuo Qiuxu, Xiang Yuquan, Zhao Linglan, and Wang Lianhua were all gathered around.
Upon opening her eyes and seeing her familiar friends, Xu Xing relaxed considerably. Unable to move, she forced a smile and whispered, "I'm fine. How did the assessment go?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Xing gasped for breath, feeling pain all over her body. Her protective magic artifact had saved her life, but the power of the lightning was too great, and she was inevitably seriously injured, and the little spiritual power she had left was completely exhausted.
"The graduation assessment has been cancelled. It turns out that Dean Zhai was possessed by a demonic cultivator long ago. Hall Master Jin has already gone to capture him, but..."
Wen Yao moved to the side, allowing Xu Xing to see the scene behind her.
Most of the disciples from Tian Shu Academy and Yu Heng Academy were controlled. They were all in a state of madness, with bloodshot eyes, and their condition was extremely terrifying.
"It seems there's something wrong with the pills issued by the Immortal Academy these past few years; they... they've all been poisoned..."
Wen Yao's tone was low. Although she herself was not unusual, she was also very saddened to see her fellow disciples encounter such a thing. No wonder the opponents on the arena seemed to be fighting to the death for no apparent reason; it turned out they had been harmed by the pills.
Demons are what human cultivators, whose foundation is spiritual energy, fear most. They devour spiritual energy, affect the mind, and once tainted, are extremely difficult to eradicate. These disciples hadn't even left the Immortal Academy yet, they were so young, just embarking on the path of immortality, and their lives were ruined just like that...
Di Nian's face was grim. He stared at Jia Xinhong and asked suspiciously, "Why is only Yaoguang Courtyard unharmed? How do you explain that?!"
Although he was only at the Nascent Soul stage, he had served as an instructor at the Tian Shu Academy for many years. These talented disciples remembered his kindness after joining the sect, and Di Nian had lived a rather comfortable life over the years. But now, seeing that most of the Tian Shu Academy disciples had also fallen victim to the scheme, regardless of whether it was "Zhai Yuzhi" who was responsible, he had no chance of keeping his position as instructor!
Ironically, the disciple of Yaoguang Academy, who had the lowest aptitude, was unharmed. How could Di Nian possibly swallow this insult?!
Xie Qianyan also questioned, "The pills are all distributed uniformly by the academy. Jia Xinhong, if you can't give a reasonable explanation, I can only suspect that you and Zhai Yuzhi are colluding in some way!"
Jia Xinhong himself didn't know the reason, but when his two colleagues couldn't help but try to drag him into it, he was not going to back down.
"Fan Sutan from Tian Shu Academy, and several disciples from Yu Heng Academy, are all fine. Why don't you ask them?"
"Seniors, since I began cultivating, I have rarely taken any pills. All the pills and supplements that the academy has distributed over the years are here. Please take a look."
Fan Sutan withdrew her gaze from her frenzied fellow disciples and took out her storage bag to show it off.
"I haven't taken any of the Spirit Gathering Pills provided by the hospital; I've bought them separately..."
Shu Wenshi of Yuheng Academy also explained somewhat flusteredly.
"That's right! We buy all our pills!" The disciples of Yaoguang Academy echoed, and the pills distributed by the academy were resold to the disciples of Yuheng Academy and Tianshu Academy. Of course, they dared not mention this at this moment.
"Bought? You don't use the ones the academy gives you, but instead spend more spirit stones to buy them? Do you think that's believable?"
Di Nian relentlessly pursued Yuheng Courtyard and Yaoguang Courtyard.
"What's all the noise about?"
When Jin Chu brought "Zhai Yuzhi" back, he saw a group of cultivators from the Immortal Academy making a ruckus.
Di Nian was the first to speak, his words earnest: "Hall Master Jin! This was all the work of this demon; I knew nothing about it!"
"Whether you knew or not will soon be clear," Jin Chu said coldly. "Wei Ze, bring all the instructors of the Immortal Dao Academy to the Punishment Hall for interrogation!"
"yes!"
Wei Ze responded immediately.
"Master Jin, aren't you showing too little respect for the Thousand Machines Academy?"
After observing for a long time, Yuan Chengzhou, the vice dean of the Thousand Machines Academy, finally spoke up, "Although the Thousand Machines Academy has no jurisdiction over the affairs of the Immortal Dao Academy's dean, it still supervises all matters of the Immortal Dao Academy. If you lock them all up, things will get out of hand and it won't sound good."
Jin Chu stared at him, his tone chilling, and said, "Naturally, it's not just about locking them up; all the cultivators in the Thousand Machines Academy involved in handling affairs of the Immortal Dao Academy will also be taken away!"
"you!"
"What happened? Isn't this the graduation assessment? And what's going on with these disciples?"
As soon as Ning Wenbin appeared, Yuan Chengzhou, who had been glaring angrily, also calmed down.
Jin Chu was quite polite to this inner sect elder, and said in a deep voice, "It is the Boiling Blood Inducing Technique. As for when the demon that possessed Zhai Yuzhi began its scheme and how many accomplices it had, we will have to wait until after the interrogation to find out."
With one hand on a disciple's wrist, Ning Wenbin sensed the demonic blood within the disciple's body and remained silent for a long time.
"Cheng Zhou, give the order to send all the innocent victims to the Alchemy Academy for treatment. Make sure they are healed! As for the disciples who are not showing any abnormalities, let them continue to stay at the Immortal Academy. Send a physician to examine them."
"Master Jin, I'm entrusting the task of finding out the truth to you. Go ahead and investigate, and make sure you give everyone an explanation."
"Replace all the instructors; regardless of whether they have problems or not, they can no longer remain in the Immortal Dao Academy."
"As for the graduation assessment... there's no need to hold it again. All disciples in this year's class will be considered as having passed, and the graduation gifts will be doubled. I will inform the sect leader to postpone the recruitment of new disciples this year."
Ning Wenbin was a core elder who had once served as the dean of the Thousand Machine Academy. With just a few words, he properly arranged the follow-up matters. Not only did Yuan Chengzhou agree repeatedly, but even the usually arrogant Jin Chu had no objections.
"Remember! Before the truth is clear, no one is allowed to speculate! And no one is allowed to spread this information! I don't want to hear about this from anyone outside the Jade Cloud Sect."
Ning Wenbin looked around, his gaze stern, causing everyone to lower their heads and avoid eye contact.
...
"Let's go back first."
Having witnessed her fellow disciples descend into madness and seen all the instructors and cultivators taken away by the Punishment Hall, Zhao Linglan was still shaken and couldn't help but urge them on.
Wen Yao helped Xu Xing up, but then saw her friend suddenly look into the distance and reveal a surprised smile.
The man standing at the back of the crowd was tall and handsome; it was none other than Shen Du, whom we hadn't seen for many years!
After hearing the whole story, Shen Du had a guess in his mind. He was afraid that the sudden lightning on the arena where Xu Xing was was not an accident. He quietly looked at Xu Xing and saw that she was pale and clearly had no strength left, but she still smiled at him and was genuinely happy for him to come out of seclusion at this time.
Four years had passed, and she had grown much taller, though her appearance hadn't changed much, except that she had lost some of her childishness. Despite being very weak, her eyes still shone brightly when she looked at me.
But Shen Du never expected that the first time he saw her after so many years, she would be covered in blood and seriously injured.
Why do you always...?
A strange feeling suddenly welled up in Shen Du's heart. He finally moved, slowly walking through the chaotic crowd towards Xu Xing, looking down at her.
"Master Chen..."
Seeing Shen Du come up to him without saying a word, Xu Xing was about to ask a question when Shen Du quickly stuffed a pill into his mouth.
"Hmm..."
As soon as the pill entered her mouth, Xu Xing swallowed it subconsciously. After finishing, she asked in surprise, "Senior Brother Chen, what did you give me?"
The next moment, Xu Xing felt a heat rising from his body. A warm spiritual energy rose from his abdomen, circulating through his limbs and bones, repairing his hidden injuries and bringing vitality.
His injuries healed instantly, and his life force grew stronger and stronger. Xu Xing realized something, sat down to meditate, and immediately rose to the seventh level of Qi Refining!
"The Hundred-Turn Spirit-Stabilizing Pill?" Wen Lu recognized the pill and asked in surprise, "You've been to the main peak?"
The Hundred-Turn Spirit-Strengthening Pill is one of the rewards given by the main peak of the Jade Cloud Sect to every cultivator who advances to the Golden Core stage. It not only has the effect of repairing meridians and strengthening the foundation and nourishing the spirit, but also greatly improves cultivation level.
Each bottle contains only two pills, making it extremely precious. Cultivators in the early stages of the Golden Core realm typically only consume this item when they advance to the middle stage.
Isn't it a bit of a waste to use this elixir to heal Xu Xing's injuries?
For a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, even someone with poor aptitude and four spiritual roots could directly establish their foundation after consuming it. Yet Xu Xing only managed to increase his cultivation by three levels; it was truly…
Wen Lu, mindful of Xu Xing's pride, didn't show anything on her face. However, Feng Ling, standing to the side, had a look of utter disbelief on his face. Xu Xing's aptitude was ridiculously poor!
"Since there's nothing else, I'll head back to Qingling Peak first."
Having completely given up on the idea of taking on disciples, Feng Ling turned to leave, only to see her disciple glancing at Chen Du and then at Xu Xing, clearly reluctant to go. She said impatiently, "Aren't you coming with me?"
Zuo Qiuxu had wanted to go over and greet Shen Du for a long time, but he was afraid to speak because of his master beside him, and his face turned red from holding it in.
Xiang Yuquan didn't say anything, but quietly nodded to Shen Du.
"Xu Xu, we'll head back now and come see you another day."
Unable to disobey his master's orders, Zuo Qiuxu had no choice but to leave with Xiang Yuquan, turning back every few steps.
"It's such a waste to use such a good elixir to heal my injuries..."
Xu Xing felt a pang of heartache; how much would that elixir cost? Her injury looked frightening, but it wasn't fatal; she would recover with rest.
However, the magical artifact borrowed from Instructor Jia was destroyed, and they have to find a way to compensate him...
Pills are made for human consumption, Shen Du shook his head, "No need to waste them."
While physical injuries can indeed heal slowly, internal wound healing is an excruciatingly painful process. She's just a young girl, and she attracted lightning to destroy the arena in order to prevent pointless deaths and injuries; she shouldn't have to suffer like this.
Having already eaten and benefited, Xu Xing no longer hesitated, "Alright then, thank you, Senior Brother!"
The Hundred-Turn Spirit-Strengthening Pill is a fifth-grade spirit pill!
Xu Xing smacked her lips, wanting to savor the taste of the high-grade pill, but the pill melted in her mouth and she couldn't taste anything.
"No! My brother isn't dead! Please..."
Suddenly, Xu Xing heard Xi Yun crying again. He turned around and saw that the disciples of the Thousand Machine Academy who had rushed over were moving the wounded. Seeing that Xi Feng was on the verge of death and only had one breath left, they did not intend to take him away.
"He's dying, he won't survive if you take him back. You should start preparing for your brother's funeral as soon as possible."
One of the disciples looked somewhat helpless.
Upon seeing this, Xu Xing instinctively stepped forward. She had given Xi Feng a Soul-Sustaining Pill, which could keep him alive. If he received timely treatment, he might not die.
Wen Yao stopped her, "Xu Xu, your injuries have just healed, let me do it."
Wen Yao had always known her friend's personality. She was lazy in her cultivation and always liked to think about strange and unusual things. In the eyes of others, she was an unambitious and hopeless disciple.
It was this disciple, who was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, who blew up the arena and saved everyone; otherwise, who knows how many more disciples would have died before this absurd competition ended.
The fact that Jin Chu was able to send someone to bring the Wind Spirit Deer in time shows that they knew Zhai Yuzhi was wrong all along and intended to expose her, but they were unwilling to act sooner, which led to the deaths of several Yao Guang Academy disciples.
Wen Yao understood what those high-level cultivators were thinking. It was just a matter of a few disciples with four spiritual roots dying; it was nothing.
Xu Xu is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, yet she dared to anger Li Yuan, attracting lightning to save everyone. She has to do something to be worthy of continuing to be Xu Xu's friend.
Wen Yao fed Xi Feng a pill and transferred some spiritual energy to him. Soon, Xi Feng's chest, which was only slightly heaving, began to move. Although his injuries were still serious, at least he no longer seemed to be on his last breath.
"Senior brother, Elder Ning clearly said just now that 'all' injured disciples should be taken to the Alchemy Academy for treatment. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to leave one out?"
Wen Yao crossed her arms and looked at the Thousand Machines Academy disciple. "Elder Ning values this so much. If he knew that his subordinates were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, I wonder what he would think?"
"Alright, alright, it's no big deal to bring one more person."
The disciple from the Thousand Machines Academy took Xi Feng away with a look of displeasure.
Xi Yun was extremely grateful, but Wen Yao waved her hand and looked at Xu Xing, "You should thank her."
Her gaze swept over all the disciples who were safe and sound, and she thought to herself: We should all thank her.
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Author's note: Our Xu Xu is just so, so, so good!
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Thank you Catle and BaiBaiBai for the nutrient solution! [Hugs]
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