Chapter 145: Overturning the Scholar's Residence
Qin Mu's heart trembled slightly. The Imperial Academy Doctor was meant to solve the problem of geniuses being difficult to teach according to their aptitude!
If Banshan Sacrificial Official and the Young Patriarch could truly solve this, then when encountering the problem of the Dao Child and Buddha Child blocking the gates again, there would be no need to borrow the power of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
This time, repelling the Dao Sect's Dao Child and the Great Thunderclap Monastery's Buddha Child relied entirely on the Heavenly Demon Sect's strength. Qin Mu was the Young Patriarch of the Heavenly Demon Sect, and Si Yunxiang was most likely Granny Si, who was the previous Saintess and the previous Sect Leader's wife. The Imperial Academy could be said to have suffered a complete defeat.
Shen Wanyun listened to the two of them going back and forth, feeling extremely awkward. Every time he mustered the courage to ask about the doubts in his heart, he would hesitate and stop.
Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Banshan, what's this about a senior and junior brother you mentioned?"
"Are you talking about that?"
Banshan Sacrificial Official said casually, "He and I share the same master; he is my junior brother. You should call him Master-Uncle."
"Master-Uncle..."
Shen Wanyun fell silent. After a long while, he said, "If my cultivation and strength surpass his, do I still need to call him Master-Uncle?"
Banshan Sacrificial Official chuckled, "What are you thinking? You're no match for him. His skill is a cut above yours. Do you know what 'a cut above' means? It means he's a chopstick higher than you. 'A hair's breadth above' means a single strand of hair higher, and 'a cut above' is dozens of times that, understand? Besides, not only can you not defeat him, even if you did, you'd still have to call him Master-Uncle."
Shen Wanyun grunted, muttering, "How would I know without fighting..."
"Don't fight; you'll lose."
Banshan Sacrificial Official laughed, "His skill is on the level of the Dao Child and Buddha Child..."
Qin Mu tugged at his sleeve, and Banshan Sacrificial Official quickly shut his mouth.
He was known throughout the Imperial Academy for his loud voice and inability to keep secrets. He would blurt out anything without thinking, and just now he had revealed the location of the flaw in Qin Mu's technique, and now he had almost spilled the fact that Qin Mu had defeated Lin Xuan, the Dao Child.
Banshan Sacrificial Official looked at Qin Mu, stood up, and said, "The Grand Sacrificial Official ordered me to stick close to you, which also means you should follow me. But since you're my junior brother, don't call me teacher anymore. My teaching method is simple: we go out and train together. But I can't take too many people; a large group is too conspicuous, and I can't look after everyone. Last time I went out, I only took Shen Wanyun. Since I must take you this time, I can only bring one more scholar."
Shen Wanyun showed an expectant look.
Banshan Sacrificial Official knew his thoughts, stood up, and walked outside, shaking his head, "Not this time. I need to select a few scholars with good foundations and aptitude, letting them study and cultivate with me on the road to test whether the Grand Sacrificial Official's proposed Doctor system is feasible. These few will serve as candidates for the Imperial Academy Doctor. Junior Brother, go to the Heavenly Record Tower and pick a few scripture scrolls to bring along. I'll teach you on the road."
He left the courtyard, presumably to find a few exceptionally talented scholars.
Qin Mu looked at Shen Wanyun and smiled, "Nephew Shen..."
Shen Wanyun's face darkened. He stood up and said, "Until I have been defeated by you, I will not call you Master-Uncle!" With that, he walked out of Qin Mu's courtyard.
Qin Mu didn't mind. He looked at the little fox and the green ox and said, "Pack your bags. I'm going to the Heavenly Record Tower to choose a few techniques."
Those two were drunk and bickering about swearing brotherhood, probably not paying attention.
Qin Mu took his book token and walked out of the courtyard. A few servants came over, planning to repair his courtyard and door.
He went outside the courtyard and headed out of the Scholar's Residence. Just then, he saw the doors of the various courtyards in the Scholar's Residence open one by one. Scholars emerged from their rooms, standing in the middle of the path, facing him, all silent.
Qin Mu looked back and saw that the doors of the courtyards behind him had also opened. More scholars came out of their respective courtyards and stood in the middle of the path.
Most of these scholars were people he had beaten before. Some had their sword cases standing by their feet, while others had them strapped to their backs.
Besides them, there were a few he hadn't fought, including Qin Yu, who had taken the exams with him, and a few other children from major aristocratic families. Throughout the entire Scholar's Residence, probably only Wei Yong, Si Yunxiang, and about five or six others hadn't come out.
"Want to fight again?"
Qin Mu chuckled and walked forward. Behind him, a scholar sneered, "Outcast, don't you dare start from the end of the alley? Are you afraid?"
Qin Mu stopped and looked back at the scholar who had spoken. He seemed to be the one who had been beaten three times. The others he had only beaten twice, but this one talked too much, always calling him "outcast." Qin Mu had grabbed him and used his face to write on the ground, then planted him in the earth, counting as three beatings.
That scholar couldn't hide his excitement. "Outcast, your weakness has been pointed out by Banshan Sacrificial Official. This time, you'll lose from the end of the alley to the beginning!"
Qin Mu turned around and said seriously, "Senior Brother, what is your name? If I lose, I'd like to know who defeated me."
The scholar slowly broke into a smile. "Let me tell you, my surname is Yan, and my given name is Qinghe."
Qin Mu said solemnly, "I wish to be the first to lose at Senior Brother Yan's hands. Please, Senior Brother Yan, do not hesitate to instruct me."
Yan Qinghe was overjoyed and laughed, "Though you come from a barbaric land, you know when to advance and retreat. Fine, I won't make you lose too badly. Draw your sword!"
Boom!
Qin Mu lifted his foot and took a step. His powerful body slammed into the air in front of him, forming a wall of compressed air. In the next instant, the air wall shattered. Qin Mu threw a punch, his fist breaking through the air and sending a round, white shockwave scattering in all directions.
"Why didn't you draw your sword..."
Yan Qinghe couldn't bother to use his qi to control his sword. He hurriedly raised both arms to block the punch with his forearms. He had no time to use his qi to control his sword now. If he tried to draw his flying sword at this moment, he would be beaten to death before the sword even left its sheath!
Whoosh—
The sound of a heavy object breaking through the air came. The scholars behind Yan Qinghe's face changed drastically as they quickly sidestepped. Yan Qinghe's figure flew backward from beside Qin Mu, reaching the end of the alley in an instant!
At the end of the alley, Wei Yong was about to open his door when a black shadow flashed by, followed by a loud bang. A person slammed into the wall at the end of the alley in a spread-eagle position, his body deeply embedded in the wall. The wall around him was sunken, with cracked stones covered in spiderweb-like patterns.
Wei Yong was startled. He quickly poked his head out, caught a glimpse of the scene in the Scholar's Residence alley, and grinned, "Senior Brothers, don't misunderstand! I saw nothing, and I won't say a word!"
He was about to retreat into his room when a figure appeared behind him. Wei Yong quickly turned around and saw Banshan Sacrificial Official standing behind him.
"Don't speak."
Banshan Sacrificial Official whispered, "Let him fight."
Wei Yong was puzzled and asked, "Sacrificial Official, what are you planning?"
Banshan Sacrificial Official glanced at him and said, "I plan to select a few scholars from the Scholar's Residence who are worth teaching and personally impart divine techniques and Dao methods to them."
Wei Yong was still confused. Banshan Sacrificial Official said smugly, "I deliberately acted like a big mouth and revealed Scholar Qin's shoulder weakness, provoking these scholars. Now that they know his weakness, they will definitely attack him, and he will defeat them. This way, I can gauge their strength. Those who can only withstand one or two moves are no good. They need to be able to take at least three to five moves from Scholar Qin to be worthy of my personal instruction."
Wei Yong praised, "What a brilliant idea! Sacrificial Official, you're so clever! By the way, Sacrificial Official, what about me..."
Banshan Sacrificial Official looked him up and down and asked, "How many moves can you withstand from Scholar Qin?"
Wei Yong's head ached. "Do I have to go out and spar with Scholar Qin too?"
Banshan Sacrificial Official showed a kind smile.
Wei Yong's scalp tingled.
Bang.
Another loud noise came from outside. Another scholar was slapped to the ground by Qin Mu, shattering dozens of blue bricks!
The servants repairing Qin Mu's door and wall were also startled, their brows furrowed in worry. An old servant said slowly, "Young masters, keep the noise down a bit. Don't make us repair things every day."
Qin Mu bowed and said, "I apologize for the trouble."
He stepped forward, heading out of the alley. As he passed a scholar, the scholar's eyelid twitched, but he didn't move.
He continued forward. Another scholar was about to raise his hand and draw his sword when there was a loud crash. That scholar was directly slapped into the ground by Qin Mu, leaving only his head exposed.
"Keep the damage small!" the old servant couldn't help but shout.
Qin Mu quickly turned around, apologized carefully, and then continued outward.
Another scholar couldn't resist attacking. A series of twanging sounds rang out, like bowstrings vibrating. That scholar's body flew up and hung on the wall. The wind from Qin Mu's finger strikes punched several holes in the wall.
The old servant was about to get angry, but Qin Mu quickly turned and apologized again.
Whoosh—
A scholar flew into the air, flailing as he fell, landing headfirst on the roof, half his body stuck inside.
Boom! Another tremor came as another scholar was slammed into the wall by Qin Mu. Seeing this, the servants sighed and stopped telling them to keep it down.
"My turn!"
Suddenly, Qin Mu felt a fierce wind at his back. He quickly turned around and saw dozens of sword lights swirling like swimming dragons, flying up and down around him.
"Swimming Sword Style?"
Qin Mu was surprised. Not many scholars could cultivate the Swimming Sword Style to this level, and to infuse dragon intent into the sword with such high proficiency—it must be Qin Yu.
Qin Mu pressed his fingers together, using his primal qi as a sword. His fingers danced as he executed basic sword forms like the Thrusting Sword Style, the Lifting Sword Style, the Cloud Sword Style, and the Wiping Sword Style, cutting through the dragon-like sword lights. The lights dissipated, turning into swords that stuck into the wall, humming.
Qin Yu's sword case was now empty, and panic showed on his face. He was about to retreat with a dragon-like movement when Qin Mu flicked his fingers. Five sharp, thunderous snaps rang out, sending Qin Yu flying.
"Not bad strength. I'd like to see the sword technique of that young dragon." Qin Mu praised, speaking to Qin Yu.
The servants repairing the wall saw Qin Mu's swordsmanship and cheered, praising, "Young master, you have the bearing of a grandmaster!"