freenovelworld Chapter 194 Returning a Favor
Chapter 194 Returning a Favor
Chapter 194 Returning a Kindness
"Hmm, this classmate is a complete stranger, and his aura is as solid as a mountain. He's clearly a master among masters, at least two realms stronger than me. I wonder who he is?"
The infatuated female student who recently joined the Longhua Dan Society humbly sought advice from her seniors.
"He is a freshman at Tianxin Academy, the only male heir of the Helian family for generations, and is said to be very likely to be the next head of the family."
The knowledgeable and experienced fangirl answered casually.
"So impressive? Then why is he sweeping the floor here? Does he have some kind of peculiar habit? I've heard that many scions of noble families do some strange things."
The new female trainee found it hard to understand the sweeper's thoughts and continued to inquire in a gossipy manner.
"Don't you know? He lost a duel with Master Xiao and volunteered to sweep the floors of the Longhua Pill Society for a month."
Since the new female student's thirst for knowledge is commendable, as a senior, I should naturally answer her questions.
"Oh, sweeping can be done voluntarily? The behavior of these scions of noble families really can't be judged by common sense."
After satisfying her gossip-loving desires, the new infatuated female student pushed open the door and entered, never glancing at the sweeper again.
This happens almost every day in front of the Longhua Danshe Temple, sometimes once a day, sometimes several times a day.
The new students always humbly asked for advice, and the seniors always answered their questions with great patience.
At such times, Helian Tieshu was so ashamed that he wanted to bury his face in the broom.
He wanted to walk away in a huff, but the pride befitting a scion of a prominent family wouldn't allow him to.
Who told me to lose to my opponent in the duel? Since I made a promise before the competition, I must keep it without fail.
If you lose in terms of martial arts and then lose in terms of character, then you'll have nothing left.
Therefore, Helian Tieshu could only silently endure it, even though he had reached his limit.
Fortunately, a month isn't too long, and it passed quickly.
On the day the sweeping work was finished, Helian Tieshu hugged the broom and secretly vowed in his heart: I will not be a gentleman if I do not avenge this grudge. Xiao Chong, one day I will make you pay!
Helian Tieshu's departure saddened Xiao Chong for several days.
Where can you find such a good sweeper? Even if you do find one, wouldn't you have to pay extra for her?
But he quickly put the matter out of his mind, because he had to continue his alchemical endeavors.
The situation is somewhat different now. With the support of the Sheng family, represented by the City Lord's Mansion, there is no longer any need for Xiao Chong to painstakingly search for various minerals and medicinal materials needed for alchemy. As long as Xiao Chong provides a list, the Sheng family will send people to deliver everything without any shortage.
Not only that, but because he defeated the challengers from Tianxin Academy, the dean of Qingfeng Academy completely changed his attitude towards Xiao Chong.
What? Lack of funds for developing a new elixir? The academy will provide it!
What? They're short-handed for alchemy? The academy will provide!
What? You want to overcome technical difficulties? The academy has set up a special task force to assist you!
What? You're missing a dedicated space for you to have in-depth interactions with the female students? Uh, there really isn't one!
Except for the last point, the dean always gave Xiao Chong the green light as long as he asked.
With such generous treatment and support, Xiao Chong was able to refine elixirs with ease.
One batch of pills after another flowed from Xiao Chong's hands like a continuous stream, transforming into a huge amount of spirit stones, which then flowed into Xiao Chong's pockets like a continuous stream.
Driven by the enormous profits, Xiao Chong led Long Wu to work with great enthusiasm, striving for excellence and carrying out the alchemy project to the end in the best possible way.
The types of pills produced were also diverse and innovative. With the support of the "Dan Jing" left by Lü Daka, many pills that had never appeared in the Tianyun Continent before were produced.
Some of these pills can increase vital energy and improve cultivation level, some can improve martial arts realm within a certain range, some can beautify the skin and protect the complexion, and as for invigorating qi and blood, nourishing yin and strengthening yang, that goes without saying.
Alchemy is actually a demanding and arduous task, far from being as simple as just throwing in ingredients and lighting a couple of firewood. The last time Xiao Chong competed with Nangong Li in alchemy at the Sacred Pill Pavilion, it was all a show for others. Secretly, he had expended a great deal of mental energy.
However, all of this was done inside the Purple Cloud Cauldron, and outsiders had no way of knowing about it, which created the illusion that it was very easy.
However, the high level of mental exertion was not entirely without its benefits. Its greatest benefit was that during the alchemy process, Xiao Chong's mental power cultivation also increased rapidly, like a rocket.
His current cultivation level has reached the peak of the third rank. With a little more training, he can enter the fourth rank at any time.
There is no qualitative difference between the skills of a fourth-rank mental master and a third-rank mental master; the only difference is that the mental attacks are more powerful, and the mental energy beams emitted are no longer just one, but can be divided into several. According to Xiao Chong's understanding, it means that a single attack has become a multi-target attack.
Although there is no qualitative difference, its power has increased considerably, especially in terms of control over the [Soul Arrow].
The Soul Arrow that Xiao Chong used to conjure was only the thickness of a chopstick, but now it is half an inch thick and two feet long.
However, Xiao Chong wasn't entirely sure how much power such a large Soul Arrow could generate when combined with the Heaven-Shaking Bow, because he couldn't find a suitable target to test it on.
Everything was progressing well, except for one thing that made Xiao Chong uneasy. That was, as his cultivation level increased, the purple lotus mark on his chest became clearer and clearer.
The eerie purple lotus seal was so lifelike that it resembled a devil's eye on Xiao Chong's chest, constantly reminding him that he had one or more mysterious and powerful enemies.
Time passed day by day, and before they knew it, spring had turned to summer, and then summer to autumn. Half a year had passed since Xiao Chong and his group of five arrived in Lianxin City.
One early autumn morning, Xiao Chong was summoned to the dean's office, where his teacher, Master Xu, was also present.
Master Xu looked very haggard, completely lacking the radiance he had when they first met.
Upon seeing Master Xu, Xiao Chong finally realized that he hadn't seen his teacher since the competition at the Sacred Pill Pavilion, and had no idea what the other was busy with.
Just as he was about to ask, he heard the dean say, "Xiao Chong, you have been at Qingfeng Academy for half a year now, and you have brought a lot of honor to the academy. I am very pleased with that."
You may not know this, but every year around this time, the various academies in Lianxin City hold an exchange program to increase interaction among their students, and this year is no exception.
This time, Qingfeng Academy drew a very favorable lot, and was able to exchange students with Shangtianxin Academy, the highest institution of learning in Lianxin City.
Your teacher, Mr. Xu, went to great lengths to secure this only exchange student spot for you, hoping to send you to Tianxin Academy for further studies for a period of time. What do you think?
Of course, personally, I wouldn't want you to leave Qingfeng Academy.
"Why me? Wouldn't it be better for me to refine pills here?"
Xiao Chong looked at Master Xu and asked, puzzled.
Master Xu smoothed his gray hair and sighed, "Xiao Chong, although we are master and disciple in name, your level in alchemy has long surpassed mine. Even if you follow me, you won't learn anything."
But now that I've become your teacher, I can't leave you with nothing in return. Therefore, I made this decision for your future development.
"Can I not go?" Xiao Chong was deeply moved and felt a pang of reluctance as he looked at Master Xu's gray hair.
"Yes, Elder Xu, with Xiao Chong's intelligence, it's the same no matter where he studies." Hearing that Xiao Chong seemed somewhat reluctant, the dean chimed in.
"You two are so foolish!"
Master Xu looked at Xiao Chong with a face full of anger and said, "What's the point of you staying here? I know you're highly skilled in alchemy and have made quite a bit of money these days. But have you ever thought about it? In the end, the Tianyun Continent values martial arts above all else, and the way of martial arts is the foundation."
"If you want to succeed in the future, you can only rely on martial arts, and in the entire Refining Heart City, only the Heavenly Heart Academy has the highest level of martial arts instruction. Unlike me, you don't have the talent to cultivate martial arts; your talent in martial arts is well-known to everyone."
“You can still learn martial arts at Qingfeng Academy,” the dean interjected awkwardly.
Master Xu became even angrier and turned to the dean, saying, "I understand your little scheme. Aren't you just afraid that once Xiao Chong leaves, the reputation of Qingfeng Academy will fall again?"
But have you ever thought about it? Even if Xiao Chong becomes an exchange student, his student status will still belong to Qingfeng Academy, and the fact that he comes from Qingfeng Academy can never be changed.
Furthermore, I'll be blunt: Qingfeng Academy has declined significantly and is far from its former glory. However, Xiao Chong's appearance presents an opportunity. If he achieves something in the future, Qingfeng Academy's reputation can certainly be restored to its former glory.
"Alright, forget I said that. As long as Xiao Chong is willing, that's fine." The dean smiled awkwardly and fell silent.
"Teacher, could we discuss this again?" Xiao Chong asked timidly.
"There's nothing to discuss. You have to go on this exchange program! Do you know how much effort I put into making this happen? Do you want all that effort to go to waste? Or do you think I'm not qualified to be your teacher and don't need to consider my opinion at all?"
Master Xu was so angry that he was panting heavily, as if he was about to turn on you on the spot if you didn't agree.
Seeing Master Xu's good intentions, Xiao Chong didn't want to disappoint him any longer: "Teacher, please don't be angry anymore. I will follow your arrangements."
Master Xu then turned his anger into joy.
After the three reached a consensus, out of concern, Xiao Chong suddenly remembered something and asked Master Xu, "I haven't seen you for many days, teacher. I wonder what you've been busy with lately?"
When Xiao Chong asked about his recent situation, Master Xu suddenly looked much older and replied, "I have not made any progress in my alchemy skills, so I have been focusing my energy on the study of the Dao of Combinations these days."
"How is the teacher's progress?" Xiao Chong's heart stirred, and he decided that he would repay the teacher for his kindness.
"It's been quite unsuccessful! Although I've made some progress, I'm always stuck on the Five Elements and can't make any further progress. I always feel that the Way of the Five Elements is far more complex than it seems."
Master Xu sighed again, shook his head and said, "Forget it, I won't talk to you anymore. You wouldn't understand anyway."
How do you know I don't understand? Xiao Chong chuckled inwardly, then tentatively asked, "Is the problem you're facing related to the principles of the Five Elements?"
"You've heard of the Five Elements Transformation? That doesn't make sense. Such profound knowledge has always been passed down only among the top elite families. How could it have spread to the outside world?"
Master Xu stared wide-eyed, his face showing disbelief.
"This disciple knows a little bit about it." Xiao Chong was not modest at all: "Actually, it's not just the Five Elements, I also know a little about other formations, such as Tai Chi Yin Yang, the Three Powers and Eight Trigrams, etc."
"I know about the Five Elements, but what are the theories of Tai Chi Yin Yang, the Three Powers and the Eight Trigrams?"
Master Xu was somewhat puzzled.
But no amount of confusion could stop his thirst for knowledge. So Master Xu was only slightly taken aback before rushing over and grabbing Xiao Chong, saying, "Come on, let's have a good discussion about what you just said."
"Yes, tell me in detail, so I can broaden my horizons." The dean also joined in.
That won't do, you haven't paid your tuition yet!
Xiao Chong glanced at the dean, then turned to Master Xu and said, "What I have learned is somewhat disorganized and I can't finish explaining it in a short time. I will organize it properly when I get back, write it down, and then give it to you for guidance."
After saying that, he never looked at the dean again.
"It's better to be early than late. How can we wait for something like this? Come on, let's go to my place. There's paper and pen ready there!"
Master Xu was refreshed and all his fatigue disappeared. He grabbed Xiao Chong and rushed out the door.
"That's so unfair! Don't I have paper and pen here?"
The dean's disordered voice came from afar behind him, sounding so heartbreaking.