In the main hall of the academy, an elderly man with graying hair asked, “Master Zuoqiu, are you certain that the child was affected by Star Zheng Hall’s Tianyin Yanling technique?”
The main hall of the academy was unusually crowded with several founders. Due to the involvement of a prestigious sect like Star Zheng Hall, everyone was being very cautious.
Master Zuoqiu replied calmly, “I’ve removed the Yanling imprint. Judging by the power, it should be from an immortal at the Elder level.”
Another man with an extremely youthful appearance pondered, “If that’s the case, it must have been Zhengyunzi who did it. Did the child say anything?”
Master Zuoqiu sighed lightly, “This child is quite resilient and intelligent. I suspect he knows everything but refuses to speak. He probably understands that speaking out would be futile.”
The gray-haired elder shook his head, “It’s unlikely to be sect conflict. Zhengyunzi has been stuck at a bottleneck for over fifty years, so he probably doesn’t have the energy to cause trouble. It’s more likely to be a personal grudge. If we intervene, it might cause a stir among the sects. Let’s set it aside for now, though it’s unfair to those children.”
Another founder asked, “You sent a message yesterday mentioning the East Sea Wanxian Assembly. What’s that about? Although the Mountain Sect and Sea Sect have no enmity, they usually don’t interfere with each other. You’ve done a favor for the Wanxian Assembly, do you have some plan in mind?”
Master Zuoqiu smiled, “The Sea Calamity occurs every 500 years. In the past, both the Sea Sect and Mountain Sect suffered great losses because of it. Now that the Sea Calamity is approaching, why shouldn’t the two sects join forces? Although their cultivation methods differ, there might be opportunities for collaboration.”
The youthful-looking man exclaimed in surprise, “This matter is too grand. The Mountain and Sea sects have countless immortals. How can the academy’s power alone bring this about?”
“Everything needs a beginning. It just needs a gentle push to start, and the subsequent development is beyond anyone’s control. We can only observe heaven’s will. Why shouldn’t the academy be that initial push?” Master Zuoqiu replied.
After a moment of silence, one person said, “Let’s see how this year’s new disciple selection goes. If the Wanxian Assembly accepts this favor, they will surely show some gesture. We’ll observe the situation.”
Another person sighed, “The Sea Calamity every 500 years is indeed a disaster. In the past, various immortal sects sent people to investigate the overseas situation, but after so many years, there’s been no news.”
Master Zuoqiu also sighed, “Well, there’s no use in further discussion. Let’s leave it at that. The academy’s spiritual energy network will take two more days to set up. I request two more founders to stay at the academy, just in case. Tomorrow, the new teacher will arrive at the academy, and I’ll arrange for the subsequent cultivation matters.”
The spiritual energy network of Zhufeng Academy took a full three days to complete. As a result, the disciples had three days off, which was unprecedented since they came to the academy. Although they still practiced cultivation daily, they inevitably slacked off a bit compared to before.
The impact of the sword-riding accident gradually faded. The academy provided new stone swords to the disciples, with the internal spiritual energy pathways verified by three academy founders to ensure absolute safety before distribution.
It was said that Mo Yanfan had rescued Lin You and brought her back to Fire Lotus Temple. It’s unclear what methods Jiao used to hide her, but she was eventually found in an inn in a bustling city. True to Jiao’s words, Lin You had been well-fed and housed, even gaining weight. She seemed to have no memory of coming to the academy as a teacher, nor did she know why she had stayed at the inn for so long or who had brought her there.
Given that Lin You was unharmed and had even gained weight, and the academy couldn’t provide any clues about the culprit, Fire Lotus Temple had no choice but to downplay the incident and let it pass.
However, this meant that Lin You’s appointment as an academy teacher had to be canceled. This time, another female disciple from the Fire Lotus Temple was invited to teach water techniques. She was gentle in speech and shy in personality, a stark contrast to the impersonator of Lin You.
After a three-day break, cultivation training finally resumed. Hu Jiaping, while flipping through the disciple roster in front of him, said, “The previous Lin You teacher was an impersonator, so the spirit root attribute tests are invalid. We’ve retested you all, and two disciples’ spirit root attributes have changed. Unfortunately, the single earth attribute spirit root was an illusion. Everyone, please forget about it.”
Behind him, Luo Chengji and Miao Lanxin shook their heads and sighed. They had thought a rare single earth attribute spirit root had appeared, but it turned out to be a mistake. The fake Lin You had truly caused much trouble.
Hu Jiaping continued, “Except for water techniques, the basic immortal techniques for metal, fire, earth, and wood have all been taught. From today, we’ll officially form new groups. You’ll be in groups of four, with each teacher leading one group for targeted training. Two months later, after the water techniques are taught, there will be a test on the Five Elements’ basic immortal techniques. To avoid the trouble of regrouping again and to save me some effort, you little brats had better pass the test. Those who don’t pass don’t need to leave, I’ll throw you down there directly.”
This regrouping was quite different from the casual three-person groups formed by dormitories before. Besides matching the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, they also had to consider each disciple’s aptitude. For example, the weakest couldn’t be paired with the strongest group, as it would be difficult for both sides. They tried their best to form four-person groups based on aptitude and five elements of matching. As a result, Li Fei was still grouped with Ji Tongzhou and Lei Xiuyuan, but this time, Baili Gelin joined their group.
Among the four of them, Ji Tongzhou had a single fire attribute, Lei Xiuyuan had a single metal attribute, Li Fei had a primary water and secondary earth attribute, and Baili Gelin had a primary wood and secondary water attribute, perfectly matching the five elements.
When Li Fei heard that she was in the same group as Baili Gelin, she was immediately delighted. Baili Gelin ran over with a smile, grabbed Li Fei’s hand, and swung it, saying repeatedly, “That’s great, Li Fei! We’re finally in the same group! I’ve always wanted to be in a group with you!”
She seemed quite happy, without a trace of gloom on her face. Li Fei felt slightly relieved. She liked seeing Gelin so cheerful and hoped that whatever had been troubling her before, she could now shake off those shadows.
Ye Ye and Baili Changyue also came over. Ye Ye smiled and tapped Baili Gelin’s head, saying, “Well, you’re in a group with Li Fei this time. Don’t hold her back.”
Baili Gelin made a face at him and laughed, “I know you’re the happiest! Now that this troublemaker is gone, you can spend time alone with my sister!”
“You little devil,” Ye Ye tapped her again. He was about to say something when suddenly a male disciple came from behind, his face red, and whispered something to Baili Gelin. She immediately said, “Sister, you guys chat first, I have to go.”
The three of them silently watched her walk away arm in arm with the boy. Baili Changyue pondered, “Gelin seems a bit off. When she saw that boy, her heart was beating so fast.”
Ye Ye chuckled and held her hand, saying casually, “The little girl has reached that age. She’s growing up fast.”
Baili Changyue still looked puzzled, “No, I mean… she’s never been like this before.”
Ye Ye smiled, “It’s good for her to make more friends. Don’t worry too much.”
With that, he nodded to Li Fei and walked away with Baili Changyue. Li Fei still didn’t understand their cryptic conversation. She watched Baili Gelin’s retreating figure as she stood in the distance, whispering with the boy, sometimes laughing, pursing her lips. Her expression had never been so lively and animated before. The tears from a few days ago seemed like a dream.
Soon after, Hu Jiaping walked over with a smile, patted Li Fei’s shoulder, and said quietly, “How about it? I’ve arranged for you to be with old friends. Are you happy? You three won’t have any conflicts this time, right?”
So it was indeed his deliberate arrangement. Li Fei felt a bit helpless but also amused. This teacher was always so unpredictable.
“Teacher, thank you for saving me in the forbidden area,” she remembered she hadn’t thanked him yet, and now was a good opportunity.
Hu Jiaping smiled again, “I’ll be leading your four-person group from now on. The tough days are ahead. If any of you don’t work hard in your cultivation, I’ll throw you down there, and this time, no one will save you.”
Li Fei was a bit surprised, “Teacher, what will you be teaching us?”
Hu Jiaping paused for a moment, “I’ll be teaching you… uh, individual guidance on the Five Elements. Why?”
Li Fei let out a small “oh,” her face inevitably showing a slightly distrustful expression. She had thought he only knew how to teach sword-riding and cauldron cultivation, as she hadn’t seen him do anything else before.
Hu Jiaping immediately felt a sense of being looked down upon, “Hey! What’s with that expression? I’m the personal disciple of True Person Guangwei of Wuyue Hall! What are you thinking in that little head of yours? Don’t just stay silent!”
There was no help for it. This teacher had been idle for two months, and she had started to think of him as being like the lizard demoness who cooked in the northern canteen.
“Alright, no more joking,” Hu Jiaping coughed twice, rubbed his nose, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, “By the way, about your master, is there anything more you can tell me?”
At the mention of her master, Li Fei immediately became excited and asked urgently, “Is there any news about my master? Or about Senior Brother?”
“No, it’s not that,” Hu Jiaping quickly denied. He showed a trace of difficulty, “It’s just that there’s too little information about your master. If you could tell me more, it would be easier to ask around in Wuyue Hall.”
She had indeed been too vague last time. Li Fei told him in detail about how she was adopted by her master. Her master was an old codger who loved to drink, always had a pipe in his hand, and was always grinning and joking. He knew a bit of miscellaneous magic and often took her out to swindle people by pretending to be great immortals.
As she spoke, Li Fei suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She had once depended solely on her master; he was her only and unique family.
Hu Jiaping listened intently. Even after she finished, he didn’t speak for a long time. Finally, he said softly, as if talking to himself, “Ten years ago… fished out of the river…”
After saying this, he stared at Li Fei for a while, then smiled, “He raised you because you look like him?”
Li Fei nodded, “Master said that when he first found me, my features hadn’t fully developed, so it wasn’t noticeable. But as I grew older, I started to look more and more like him. He felt that this might be fate, which is why he decided to raise me.”
Hu Jiaping fell into deep thought again. He silently gazed at her, murmuring, “Looks like him… resembles him… I see… No wonder, indeed similar…”
“Teacher, do you remember something?” Li Fei asked anxiously.
Hu Jiaping was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “Have you told anyone else about these things, besides me?”
Well… quite a few people knew about this… Li Fei couldn’t even count how many people knew at this point.
He continued, “I’ve noted down the details about your adoption. I’ll inquire about it as soon as possible. Also…” He hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke again, “Don’t tell these things to others in the future.”
“Why?”
Hu Jiaping said calmly, “I’m afraid your master might have been pursued by enemies, and he left you to protect you from getting involved. If you go around telling people about him, what if someone with ill intentions hears about it and captures you to use as leverage?”
She hadn’t thought of that! Li Fei remembered that she had mentioned her master to many people along the way. Although she hadn’t gone into as much detail as today, it was still inappropriate. She quickly nodded, “You’re right, teacher. I won’t say anything more about it in the future.”
He raised his hand and patted her head, his palm resting on her head for a long time. For some reason, Li Fei thought she saw a fleeting trace of sadness cross his face, so quickly it seemed like an illusion.
“Don’t worry, since your Senior Brother is a prodigy, he’ll surely be able to keep you safe and sound.”
His voice was very low. The hand on her head quickly moved away, and he turned and walked off.