# Chapter 146: From the End of the Alley to the Beginning
"Grandmaster my ass!"
Yue Qinghong stepped on the wolf slave's shoulder, sneering coldly. The wolf slave strode toward Qin Mu, both hands gripping two demon blades, swinging them up and down. Meanwhile, Yue Qinghong's body shook, and dozens of swords from the sword case on her back flew out in unison. She sneered, "On a narrow path, the brave wins! On this narrow path, the wolf slave and I joining forces are invincible! Junior Brother Qin, your weakness has already been exposed. Just roll back to the Great Wasteland obediently!"
The two of them, one above and one below, charged forward. The wolf slave's two demon blades danced like a black wind rushing toward his face, while behind Yue Qinghong, thirty-one swords pointed outward—one in front, two behind, then four, then eight, then sixteen—forming a massive drill sword technique!
The swords spun and stabbed toward Qin Mu.
"Sister Yue's sword technique is not bad!"
Qin Mu praised with a smile, then said, "But I've already cultivated my qi into threads. You're no match for me!"
"Qi into threads?"
Yue Qinghong was furious. "Are you trying to humiliate me?"
Qin Mu pointed a finger, and strands of primordial qi burst from his fingertip. Hundreds of these qi threads formed the shape of swords linked end to end, also in a drill sword technique, but much thicker—like a sword pillar as wide as a water vat, with a sharp tip at the front and growing thicker behind. It stabbed straight toward the wolf slave!
The wolf slave's twin demon blades flashed like black light and black lightning, weaving and clashing against Qin Mu's drill sword technique. Sparks flew everywhere in the alley, crackling and scattering. Though the wolf slave possessed immense strength, his arms went numb, and he lost control of the two demon blades, leaving his center wide open.
Yue Qinghong was startled. She aimed her drill sword technique at Qin Mu's shoulder, attacking where he had to defend to relieve the wolf slave's predicament.
Qin Mu chuckled softly. With a light flick of his fingertip, he transformed it into a lifting sword technique. The drill sword technique that had just been aimed at the wolf slave suddenly changed—countless sword lights shifted from the drill sword technique directly into a winding sword technique. Yet he was still executing the lifting sword technique.
The two sword techniques were perfectly fused together without any hindrance.
His countless qi threads wound into Yue Qinghong's drill sword technique. A series of sharp clangs rang out without end, and the drill sword technique formed by those flying swords was instantly broken. In a flash, the thirty-one swords were pierced through by countless qi swords, riddled with holes like a sieve.
Yue Qinghong shouted, and the wolf slave beneath her immediately dropped his swords and kicked toward Qin Mu. Qin Mu met the kick with one of his own. With a thunderous boom, the wolf slave's massive body flew backward. Yue Qinghong seized the opportunity to leap up from the wolf slave's back, using her finger as a sword, and stabbed toward Qin Mu's shoulder.
Primordial qi burst from her fingertip, forming a sword aura about to strike Qin Mu's shoulder. Suddenly, a demonic sound rang out: "Moyesa!"
Yue Qinghong's mind shook violently, and then her focus shattered. Music filled the air, causing her to disperse her sword aura, giggling as she danced and sang before Qin Mu.
But Yue Qinghong had deep cultivation. She quickly regained her senses, steadied her mind, and retreated backward. Then she felt a warmth at her back and thought to herself, *Damn it.*
Boom.
Qin Mu stood back-to-back with her and suddenly pushed backward with force, slamming her into the wall beside them.
Behind that wall was the residence of Monk Yun Que. Suddenly, the wall collapsed. Monk Yun Que's body blazed with Buddhist light, knocking Yue Qinghong out of the wall. He laughed heartily, "Sister Yue, let me handle this!"
Yue Qinghong flew through the air, annoyed. "Monk, you can't do it. You'll just go up there and get beaten!"
"I can't do it?"
Monk Yun Que was furious. His techniques were fierce and domineering, like a dragon-elephant charging, as he attacked Qin Mu. Broken stones flew under his feet, shattered into dust by his violent power!
"Sister, don't say the monk can't do it. The monk can!"
A dull, shocking rumble came from where Qin Mu and Yun Que's four palms collided. Monk Yun Que laughed, "Surprised, Qin? I've already integrated the national teacher's sword techniques into my palm strength! My Great Five Terraces Seal..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a tidal wave of power crushed down on him—wild, unstoppable, smashing through his primordial qi and his Great Five Terraces Seal like kindling.
Monk Yun Que grunted, staggered backward, and executed the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Demon Seal. With another thunderous boom, his robes flew apart, scattering like white butterflies in the air.
He stood completely naked, with nothing to cover his body except a tattered white pair of shorts.
When Monk Yun Que saw Qin Mu throwing another punch, the fist broke through the air, producing a deafening thunderclap. The fist carried electric light, like lightning itself. As it came, a ball of white mist burst around the fist, spreading outward in a perfect circle.
*Damn it...*
That was the only thought left in his mind. He braced himself for Qin Mu's punch, and sure enough, his white shorts shattered into pieces as he had expected, flying off like white butterflies. He was now completely bare.
Monk Yun Que was sent flying backward by the overwhelming force. But the monk had deep cultivation. Mid-air, he quickly turned around to face the wall.
Smack—
He stuck to the wall face-first, his buttocks exposed outside.
"At least I'm not stuck with my back to the wall..." Monk Yun Que thought with relief, then happily passed out.
Qin Mu shook his clothes, dusting off the dirt. Then a timid voice came from behind him, trembling: "Brother Qin..."
Qin Mu turned around and saw Wei Yong walking shakily from the end of the alley, his legs still trembling, carrying a sword case on his back.
"Brother Wei, what's wrong?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled.
Wei Yong opened the sword case and said with a quivering voice, almost crying: "You're going against the natural order. I must uphold justice and spar with you, to teach you the immensity of heaven and earth... That's too harsh, I didn't dare say it..."
Qin Mu was amused. "Brother Wei, you want to spar with me? Sparring between fellow disciples is common, especially since we've shared life-and-death experiences. How about this—we'll stop at the point of contact."
Wei Yong finally relaxed. His flying swords left their sheaths one by one. He steadied himself and said, "Brother Qin, just don't beat me up like that monk."
His swords began to intertwine, executing the winding sword technique taught by the Yánkāng national teacher. Since the national teacher's lecture on swordsmanship, many scholars had been practicing the three basic sword techniques he taught, and Wei Yong had clearly gained some insight.
The scholars of the Imperial Academy were no fools. Most could grasp some of the subtleties. Though Wei Yong was a bit chubby, his comprehension and talent were not low, and his understanding of the three sword techniques was quite deep.
His family's teachings were profound, and his own strength was considerable—not inferior to Qin Yu. Qin Mu wanted to see his skill, so instead of brutally beating him like he did Qin Yu, he engaged him with the same winding sword technique.
The two tangled their sword techniques, each changing and executing the exquisite sword arts they had comprehended. The nearby scholars, ignoring their own injuries, watched intently, their eyes fixed on the two swordsmen.
Wei Yong's sword technique was already remarkable. He came from the Wei family of Jiangling, which boasted a great master—the current first-rank official, Duke Wei of the State.
Duke Wei was a sect master-level existence with brilliant military achievements. He had once destroyed a nation in a single battle, annihilating the northern border state of Tianyu and incorporating it into Yánkāng's territory, earning him the title of duke.
Wei Yong's status in the Wei family was not high, but he had worked hard since childhood. The Wei family's teachings were profound, and his skills ranked among the top of the family's younger generation.
With the same winding sword technique, Qin Mu's swordplay had more variations—not just pure swordsmanship, but also the subtleties of fist techniques mixed in.
As Qin Mu sparred with him, it was like a senior brother guiding a junior, pointing out the mysteries in the sword techniques. When Wei Yong had grasped enough, Qin Mu would switch to the next move.
After a while, they exchanged three moves. Wei Yong breathed a sigh of relief, his confidence soaring. He laughed, "Brother Qin, you can go all out now. I want to see how big the gap between us is!"
Qin Mu smiled faintly. Suddenly, he changed his technique. As he thrust his sword, he simultaneously executed "Sunlight Illuminates the Yang Soul in the Sky," shaking Wei Yong's soul and making him lose focus.
Wei Yong quickly steadied his mind.
Qin Mu countered with a "Heavenly Demon Free and Easy Seal," and Wei Yong's soul was immediately lost. Qin Mu knocked him to the ground with a single sword strike.
Qin Mu dispersed his primordial qi, helped Wei Yong up, and smiled, "Brother Wei, forgive me."
Wei Yong got up and looked around. Half of the scholars in the Scholars' Residence had been defeated, and the other half dared not step forward. He laughed, "Compared to the others, my situation is pretty good. By the way, I heard someone say you have a weakness at your shoulder. Since they knew your weakness, why couldn't they hurt you?"
"Knowing a weakness is one thing; exploiting it is another."
Qin Mu said, "If we're talking about fighting at the same cultivation level, there are only two or three people in the entire Imperial Academy, including the National Academy, who could find an opportunity to hit my weakness."
Wei Yong was stunned.
Qin Mu looked around. The Scholars' Residence was in ruins again. The few servants glared at him angrily.
He quickly apologized to the servants and said, "Brother Wei, I still need to go to the Tianlu Tower. Fellow senior and junior disciples, I can't continue with you. Farewell." With that, he walked out.
In the Scholars' Residence, no one dared to stop him anymore.
Yue Qinghong rose from the rubble, watching Qin Mu leave the residence. She sighed softly, "He is the true senior brother of our Scholars' Residence..."
Crash.
A wall suddenly collapsed, filling the air with dust. In the dust, Monk Yun Que ran for his life, one hand covering his front and the other covering his backside, dashing back to his courtyard, rushing into his room, and slamming the door shut.
Many scholars wanted to laugh but didn't dare. After a moment, Monk Yun Que's voice came from inside: "Um, fellow disciples outside, this poor monk has no spare clothes here. The only set I had was taken by that fox and never returned. Does anyone have spare clothes to lend me? I'd be eternally grateful."
Wei Yong laughed, "Brother Yun, wait a moment. I have some spare clothes in my room, though they might be a bit loose."
Monk Yun Que said, "No matter. For a monk, clothes are just external possessions anyway."
Bashan the Sacrificial Wine walked out of Wei Yong's room, calculating in his mind: "Wan Yun counts as one, Junior Brother Qin is one, plus Qin Yu from the Qin family, and the little fatty is pretty good too. Yue Qinghong and Yun Que are also skilled. That makes six candidates for the preparatory Imperial Academy doctoral candidates. Guiding their cultivation shouldn't be difficult. But besides the Scholars' Residence, there are also scholars in the Prince's Garden who have reached the Five Luminaries realm. I can't play favorites. I need to select a few scholars from the Prince's Garden too, or the emperor will give me trouble."
He chose to teach only those who hadn't yet reached the Six Harmonies realm. Once someone reached the Six Harmonies realm, they became a divine ability user, and their path was basically set, making individualized teaching impossible.
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