by Feng Yise
As long as Ye Yuan was in the Dan Wu Academy, Jiang Yunhe need not worry about this genius running away.
Since Ye Yuan chose the Dan Wu Academy, it was impossible for Wu Daofeng to come to the Dan Wu Academy personally to headhunt people.
After making it through the initial shock and having thought through this part, Jiang Yunhe naturally had to get busy with his own matters. There was no way he would wait here specifically for Ye Yuan to exit seclusion.
Yet at this time, Lu-er welcomed an unexpected guest. Someone who claimed to be a student from the academy's General Affairs Department was looking for her.
"This Junior Apprentice Sister is Lu-er?" The student's attitude was very haughty.
Lu-er was a little perplexed, but she still responded, "Yes. May I ask who this Senior Apprentice Brother is?"
"I'm a student manager from the General Affairs Departments; the name's Zhang Heng."
"So it's Senior Apprentice Brother Zhang Heng. I wonder if you are looking for Lu-er for something?"
Although Lu-er was innocent, she was not dumb. This Zhang Heng would not find her for no reason, and looking at his attitude it did not seem to be friendly.
As expected, Zhang Heng opened his mouth and said, "Of course I'm finding you for something! Since you already passed the Entry Advancement test and became the academy's Yellow Rank student, why didn't you report to the General Affairs Department?"
Lu-er was at a loss. She never knew there was such a rule. One still had to report to the General Affairs Department after becoming the academy's student?
"Please overlook it, Senior Apprentice Brother. Lu-er has just been admitted, and there are still many things that I don't know. It's just, why must I report to the department after becoming a Yellow Rank student?" Lu-er asked neither haughtily nor humbly.
Zheng Heng gave a cold smile and said, "Such a large Dan Wu Academy is accommodating for so many students. Are we just going to sit idle and eat? Since we became the academy's students, we naturally have to help out in the academy. Hence, all Yellow Rank students who passed the Entry Advancement test have to do one month of miscellaneous tasks. This is the academy's rule. You became the academy's student, but instead of learning the academy's rules properly, you even want other people to help you complete your miscellaneous jobs. Simply shameless!"
This Zhang Heng did not lie. There was really such a rule in the Dan Wu Academy. But it was a little too much to speak to a girl like this.
Furthermore, Lu-er did not neglect work on purpose. She really did not know anything. She had only arrived at the academy for several days, so even if she was absent from work, it was not a big deal.
Zhang Heng was obviously here to find fault.
Lu-er did not feel anything about doing a month of chores. Except, Ye Yuan was currently in a closed-door seclusion. If he exited seclusion and could not find her, he would definitely be worried.
"Can Senior Apprentice Brother allow me to wait for a few days? My young master is currently in a closed-door seclusion, and if he can't find me when he exits, he will definitely get worried. After my young master leaves seclusion, I will definitely report to the general affairs," Lu-er requested cautiously.
Who would have thought that Zhang Heng would rage after hearing that. "What a joke! Who do you think your young master is? Is he bigger than the academy's rules? You've already delayed for several days. How many more days do you want to delay? Every new student will be recorded in the books, and they would have the initiative to do their job. Are you the only exception?"
Hearing Zhang Heng verbally insulted her Young Master, Lu-er was so angry that tears were pooling in her eyes. But she knew that Young Master still had Wan Yuan, an opponent in the academy, and so she did not want to cause trouble for him. Hence, she held back her tears and said, "Lu-er requests Senior Apprentice Brother to allow a few days' grace. I will definitely report there. At that time, even if you arrange two months of chores for me, I won't mind."
However, Zhang Heng did not seem to have any intention of being tender towards women. He smiled coldly and said, "Anyway, I've already informed you. It's your call whether you go or not. But I will say the nasty things first. If I don't see you report at the general affairs today, then don't blame me for reporting this matter to the instructor. In accordance with the academy's rules, you can just wait to be expelled!"
Hearing the word 'expelled,' Lu-er shuddered.
Young Master was currently like the noon sun, if she were expelled, then would it not make Young Master a laughing stock?
That was definitely not a result that Lu-er wanted to see!
Without question, this word struck Lu-er's weak point.
Seeing Lu-er's restless look, a ruminating look could be seen in Zhang Heng's eyes.
Hur hur. What has it got to do with me after your Young Master comes out? It's because I know that he's in a closed-door seclusion; that's why I came to look for you and cause trouble! Zhang Heng was laughing coldly in his heart.
Zhang Heng pretended to have lost his patience, turned around, and was about to leave.
Looking at the situation, Lu-er did not dare to delay. She quickly called out, "Wait, Senior Apprentice Brother. I . . . I will go with you to the general affairs. It's just . . . can you let me leave a note for my young master?"
One had to acknowledge that Lu-er was overly innocent. She even thought that this Zhang Heng was an upright and outspoken person, which was why he came to find her. Who would have known that he was scheming and came to find trouble!
If Lu-er secretly left a token or note, then Ye Yuan would know what happened.
But now that she told Zhang Heng she wanted to leave a note, how could Zhang Heng allow her to do that?
Zhang Heng said impatiently, "If you are leaving, then just go. Why are there so many things? I'm leaving. Handle it by yourself!"
Finishing, he really turned around and left.
Lu-er hesitated for a moment and returned to the house to leave a note before going.
Of course, Lu-er was not aware that Ye Yuan would not see her note.
. . . . . .
Ye Yuan was completely unaware of everything happening in the outside world. He was currently at the critical juncture of assaulting the Fifth Level Essence Qi Realm.
He threw transcendent-grade Essence Qi Pills into his mouth like they were sweets, and continuously refined the medicinal strength with the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art.
The essence energy within his dantian became increasingly abundant, and he got closer and closer to the Fifth Level Essence Qi Realm.
Finally, Ye Yuan burst through the barrier in one shot, and he broke through to the Fifth Level Essence Qi Realm!
"Huuu . . . At this rate, these Essence Qi Pills aren't even enough! This stupid cultivation law is too voracious. This is still the Essence Qi Realm, and the consumption is already multiple times greater than the average person's. Won't it be hell at the Spirit Condensation Realm? Old Dad might be rich, but even he can't sustain this torment!"
Ye Yuan watched the transcendent-grade Essence Qi Pills being massively depleted. He could not resist criticizing the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art.
Chapter 72 - Lin Tiancheng’s Plan
Two days later, in a medicine garden behind the mountain, a young lady dressed in green was currently weeding.
There were many dirt stains on the young lady's face, and her hair was also disordered. Sweat beads dripped down her forehead, and her clothing also was somewhat in tatters. She looked very pitiful.
However, this young lady's face gave out a stubborn expression, as she continued to grit her teeth and persevere.
This young lady was precisely Lu-er who was forced to come here by Zhang Heng. She had basically been slogging in the medicine garden for the past two days without stopping.
The formerly dainty and exquisite Lu-er was gone, and what replaced it was a haggard face full of exhaustion.
Weeding was not a very t
iring job for martial artists. Even if they did not rest or sleep for several days, they would not end up like this.
However, weeding in the medicine garden was not such a relaxing job. The weeds in the spiritual fields were very deeply rooted because of nourishment from the thick heaven and earth essence energy.
One had to utilize essence energy to remove them.
Like this, weeding became hard labor.
There was no one willing to do this job in the academy. Hence, they would let those newbies who just entered the academy do this sort of things.
In reality, the majority of those doing these chores were commoners. The aristocrats just have to bribe a little, and they would be easily exempted.
Zhang Heng used Lu-er avoiding her tasks as an excuse to arrange a much heavier workload for her compared to the others.
Lu-er had virtually zero rest during these two days, but she only finished less than half of her workload.
Due to her continuously expending her essence energy these two days, Lu-er's stamina was already depleted. That was why she appeared so fatigued.
Two youths were currently sipping tea and chatting in the small pavilion overlooking the medicine garden. They looked very pleased.
"Senior Apprentice Brother Lin, this Junior Apprentice Brother can't bear to torment such a dainty and cute beauty like this!" Zhang Heng shook his head and sighed. However, there was no trace of unwillingness on his facial expression.
The youth sitting opposite him was precisely Lin Tiancheng. And finding trouble for Lu-er was something he single-handed engineered.
In the Dan Wu Academy, there were very few Heaven Rank students, and their status was extremely aloof. Generally speaking, the academy would not arrange for them to do anything specific. They just had to cultivate diligently.
All of the chores in the academy were mostly handled by the Earth rank students.
Just like Zhao Chunyang, he was sent out by the General Affairs Department to stand guard over the Scripture Library. Hence, the authority of the department was actually quite significant. There were plenty of ways to mess with people.
What Ye Yuan did not know was that the head student of the General Affairs Department was Lin Tiancheng.
Apart from an instructor who did not involve himself too much, Lin Tiancheng's authority was the highest.
Ever since he was humiliated by Ye Yuan at the Illusionary Spirit Tower, and with Liu Ruoshui inciting things by the side, Lin Tiancheng started to resent Ye Yuan.
Ye Yuan was currently like the noon sun in the academy, so naturally, he did not dare to seek Ye Yuan out. But it was not hard to find trouble with Lu-er.
Two days ago, he heard that Ye Yuan happened to enter a closed-door seclusion, so he found a reason to send Zhang Heng over to find trouble with Lu-er and instructed her to remove weeds in the medicine garden.
Lin Tiancheng sipped his tea and smiled as he said, "Don't pretend to be a bodhisattva with me as if I don't know you. I let you take charge of this medicine garden, and God knows how many girls you have harmed. Would you pity this young lass?"
Hearing this, Zhang Heng laughed and said, "This is all thanks to Senior Apprentice Brother Lin's care! That's why when Senior Apprentice Brother Lin came to look for me, I didn't say a word and just did it."
Lin Tiancheng nodded approvingly and said, "At least you are sensible, punk! I'm very pleased with the way this matter was dealt with. You can do whatever you want with that chick, no need to give me any face!"
When Zhang Heng heard this, a trace of wickedness flickered across his eyes, and he asked, "Really?"
"Of course it's real! I really want to see what kind of expression Ye Yuan would have after he exits seclusion only to see that his maidservant was violated!" Lin Tiancheng's eyes filled with hatred when he mentioned Ye Yuan.
That day at the Illusionary Spirit Tower, Ye Yuan made him completely lose face.
Afterward, many students secretly spread about what happened that day, which greatly diminished his prestige among the Earth Rank students. This was the reason why he wanted to take revenge so badly!
Zhang Heng was thrilled. "Since that's the case, then I, Junior Apprentice Brother, won't stand on ceremony. Senior Apprentice Brother Lin really gave this Little Brother a huge gift! Even though this girl is young, in terms of appearance, she is outstanding! It's just . . . I'm afraid that Ye Yuan would come to find me after exiting seclusion."
Lin Tiancheng looked at Zhang Heng calmly and said with a cold smile, "No matter how powerful that Ye Yuan is, he's only at the Fourth Level Essence Qi Realm. You are at any rate a Ninth Level Essence Qi Realm. Are you still scared of him? If he confronts you, then just let him come. When that happens, give him a brutal beating. You can help me vent this frustration at the same time! By the time he grows up, you would have graduated already. Why be scared of him?"
Zhang Heng gave heavy praises when he heard it. "Haha. It's still Senior Apprentice Brother Lin who have great foresight. You've already considered everything! I'm somewhat looking forward to Ye Yuan's furious and exasperated expression now."
Finishing, Lin Tiancheng and Zhang Heng exchanged glances and started laughing in unison.
Lin Tiancheng was naturally unaware of Ye Yuan's performance in the Illusionary Spirit Tower. He thought that he overconfidently challenged the Earth Rank Advancement test and ended up being instantly killed.
He also thought that Ye Yuan had just barely made it past the Black Rank Advancement test. Hence, the way he saw it, Ye Yuan at most had the strength of an Eighth Level Essence Qi Realm.
Zhang Heng might be older, but he was already a veteran Ninth Level Essence Qi Realm who similarly had the ability to jump ranks and battle. So it was obvious he could not lose to Ye Yuan.
. . . . . .
This seclusion of Ye Yuan lasted four days.
Presently, the essence energy in Ye Yuan's dantian was surging as he impacted the Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm bottleneck repeatedly.
Ye Yuan had already broken through to the Fifth Level Essence Qi Realm three days ago. After consolidating his cultivation realm a little, Ye Yuan continued eating transcendent-grade Essence Qi Pills to impact the Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm!
To him, there was not much difference between the Fifth Level Essence Qi Realm and the Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm. It was just how many transcendent-grade Essence Qi Pills he needed to consume.
Ye Yuan consumed transcendent-grade Essence Qi Pills non-stop and repeatedly tempered the essence energy using the Spirit Bristle Nine Yang Divine Art.
Finally, after consuming several hundred transcendent-grade Essence Qi Pills, Ye Yuan broke through to the Sixth Level Essence Qi Realm in one stroke!
Ye Yuan felt like his entire body was bursting with strength after breaking through two cultivation realms consecutively. A feeling of discomfort had arisen unless he used his strength!
Revolving his essence energy, Ye Yuan struck out a palm. The air in the training room was compressed to its limits by the power of his palm and gave off a 'puff puff' explosive sound.
Boom!
A large hole was dented into the wall of the training room.
This big hole was way larger than the first time he used the Stacking Waves Layered Palm. It was an attack on an entirely different level.
The walls of the training room were special. It could perfectly withstand a peak level Spirit Condensation Realm martial artist's full blow.
It could be seen just how terrifying Ye Yuan's attack power was to be able to smash such a large hole in the wall.
"Ooo. If I enter the Illusionary Spirit Tower again and use the Eighth Layer Wave, I should be able to kill three black-robed martial artists, right? Hehe. After I breakthrough to the Seventh Level Essence Qi Realm, I will go to the Illusionary Spirit Tower to try it out," Ye Yuan looked at the big hole in the wall and muttered to himself.
"It should have already been four or five days? I wonder what happened outside. If I still don't go
out, Lu-er will be worried. Time to exit seclusion!"
Chapter 73 - Lu-er in Danger!
Lu-er bent down to pull out the weeds beneath the herbs.
These weeds were incredibly stubborn. Each one would make Lu-er expend a great deal of strength to remove.
Even so, Lu-er did not make any complaint these past few days.
She did not wish to cause trouble for Young Master and did not want to smear dirt on Young Master's face anymore.
The first two days, Lu-er's weeding speed was still very fast. But the next two days, her speed suddenly fell. It was because the essence energy in her body was drained.
Every now and then, Lu-er had to meditate for a while to recover essence energy. But this essence energy was used up again very quickly.
Like this, her weeding speed became drastically slower.
Two days ago, she had already completed nearly half of it, but the next two days, she only finished 70%, and she was getting increasingly slower.
Lu-er's stamina had already been over exhausted far too much. Her upper eyelid and lower eyelid had been trembling all these while. Only an obsessive thought compelled her forward.
All of a sudden, a pair of feet appeared in Lu-er's sight. Lu-er's face lit up, and she could not resist lifting her head up to see.
But she was greatly disappointed after looking up. The person who came was not Young Master but that hateful Senior Apprentice Brother Zhang!
Zhang Heng saw Lu-er's disappointed expression and smiled coldly as he said, "Why? Didn't see the person you wished to see?"
Lu-er kept silent.
Zhang Heng was very displeased with Lu-er's attitude and flew into a rage. " Humph! I assigned you the task to get rid of the weeds, but you only completed 70% of it until now. Did you leave so much for me to help you do?"
Lu-er wiped the sweat from her forehead, and she said weakly, "I . . . I'm already working very hard. Just give me one more day, Senior Apprentice Brother. I can definitely complete it."
"One day? I think even if I gave you three days, you also can't complete it. Such a small task and you can't even complete it in four or five days. You must be slacking off!" Zhang Heng snorted coldly.