Chapter 190

Just like that, as Second Uncle explained bit by bit, the few headed toward the location of the academy.

Second Uncle now changed his name to Si Yunya. Because of his special performance, it only took him a few short years to win the favor of Lin Daochen and be accepted as an inner courtyard student, carefully teaching him about formations.

Now, Second Uncle had been able to condense thirty-seven spirit seals and was steadily moving toward becoming a second-level formation master.

That Lin Daochen was in the late stage of Divine Transformation. According to Second Uncle, he was not far from condensing three thousand spirit seals and becoming a third-level formation master.

Once successful, he would become the third formation master to reach such a realm in the entire fourth-level cultivation country.

"Now that the academy's enrollment period has passed, if you want to enter the academy, you can only be recommended by people inside, which is me!"

Second Uncle said proudly.

The three immediately offered a round of flattery.

But in their hearts, they couldn't help but mutter.

You say you are a legendary Soul Severance expert. As long as you show your cultivation, you can be brothers with the Dean in minutes, enjoying endless reverence and resources.

But you insist on apprenticing under a Divine Transformation expert and pretend to be young every day, enjoying it tirelessly. This mentality is truly unique.

However, considering Second Uncle's various mind-boggling behaviors before, they gradually became accustomed to it.

"You don't need to change your names; no one cares." Second Uncle exhorted again.

Even if Zhou Qing was famous in the Eastern Region, it wouldn't spread to Haomiao Prefecture. Even the other three regions of Lingyun Prefecture probably didn't know at all.

After all, everyone is very busy; who cares who you are.

The three nodded repeatedly, keeping Second Uncle's words firmly in mind.

Not long after, at the end of a valley shrouded in clouds and mist, a towering, huge building loomed.

Zhou Qing and the three were full of excitement. As they approached, they saw a huge archway standing in front, with the five ancient and vigorous characters "Bai Yu Taixu Academy" engraved on it.

Passing through the archway, a wide white jade stone staircase wound upward, with no end in sight.

Second Uncle took out his academy token. As ripples appeared, the few went out.

When they reached the mountainside, the outline of the academy became clearer. They saw magnificent palaces scattered among the lush mountains and forests, making people yearn for them.

Moreover, the mountains were shrouded in clouds and mist, spiritual energy was dense, and light flickered from time to time.

That was the academy disciples cultivating in seclusion in the mountains, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Even vaguely, there were many secret caves distributed among them.

These caves were exclusive cultivation places prepared for those students with high strength and great potential.

Just like Second Uncle, he had his own unique residence, with no one disturbing him for ten miles, and he could do whatever he wanted.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Just then, several rays of light flew past. Zhou Qing immediately stopped, his eyes full of disbelief.

Although he didn't see clearly who the other party was, one of them had a golden tag note on his head, but it flashed by, and he didn't have time to see it clearly.

"What's wrong?"

Yan Xiao and Lu Yaoyao noticed Zhou Qing's strangeness and looked confused.

Zhou Qing quickly excluded the people bound by 【Heart Mirror Vision】 in his mind.

Several figures actually drew an arc in the air and turned back.

"Little Six, Zhou Shidi, Yan Shidi!" The other party's surprised voice came from above, and then he laughed loudly and descended.

"Da Shixiong!"

"Li Shixiong!"

When they saw the face of the person coming, the three immediately ran up excitedly.

One of the three great joys in life is meeting an old friend in a foreign land, not to mention the person in front of them was their own Shixiong, who was as close as a brother.

The three never thought they would meet Li Daoxuan here so dramatically.

Last time they came back, the few had a small gathering at Yushan Hall. During the meal, Li Daoxuan also shared with everyone the valuable experience he accumulated while fighting against the Chiyan Longshi and the Tianji Sect, and later talked about the regret and emotion for Luo Xue's fall.

After that, he went out again to comprehend his own realm of understanding.

He probably didn't know about Zhou Qing's subsequent beheading of Sima Yaoji, Yu Ziqi, and Li Hanshan.

And the Five Sects War had long since ended, and the pattern of the entire Eastern Region had undergone earth-shaking changes.

"Da Shixiong, why are you here?" Lu Yaoyao couldn't suppress the excitement in her heart and asked first.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao also hurriedly looked over.

Looking at the familiar and kind Shidi and Shimei in front of him, the smile on Li Daoxuan's face didn't fade, so he had to explain patiently.

It turned out that since he left last time, he seemed to have touched a bottleneck, but there were too many things to worry about in the Eastern Region.

After thinking it over, he simply left, looking for a completely strange place, casting aside all distracting thoughts, and re-sorting his cultivation path from the very bottom.

By chance, he came to Bai Yu Taixu Academy. Coupled with the fact that they were just enrolling students those few days, he entered after passing the assessment.

Now he was a student in the inner courtyard. In fact, he came to the right place. One of the mentors became very interested in his realm of understanding, which was still in a state of ignorance, and carefully guided him. Now he has gained a lot.

And today, it was according to the mentor's requirements to go to a place to temper himself and deepen his understanding.

After hearing this, the three finally understood.

"What about you?" Li Daoxuan asked with anticipation, his eyes burning.

Lu Yaoyao was about to speak when several figures fell from the sky.

They all exuded the cultivation of the mid-stage Soul Formation. At this moment, their eyes were firmly attracted by the beautiful Lu Yaoyao. Their eyes lit up suddenly, and an enthusiastic smile appeared on their faces unconsciously.

"Li Shidi, is this fairy your Shimei?"

"Shimei, hello, I am an inner courtyard disciple, Geng You. You can call me Geng Shixiong."

"My name is Tan Yan, everyone calls me Old Tan."

Several people appeared extremely enthusiastic. Out of politeness, Lu Yaoyao could only force a smile and nod slightly to indicate.

Seeing this, Li Daoxuan felt dissatisfied. After all, he knew the nature of these people.

He immediately said, "Several Shixiong, let's go quickly. The task given by the mentor is time-sensitive and cannot be delayed."

Afterward, he quickly transmitted his voice to the few: "Let's talk later!"

After speaking, he pulled the reluctant few and left.

"Li Shixiong also hid his cultivation at the early Soul Formation stage. No wonder he called those people Shixiong!" Zhou Qing thought thoughtfully.

Yan Xiao teased, "You say, are the three of us his nemesis? He specifically chose a place where he was unfamiliar with the place and people to start from scratch, not wanting to have too many entanglements, and in the blink of an eye, the three of us popped out."

"Let's go quickly!" Second Uncle's gaze stayed briefly on Li Daoxuan's departing back, then stepped forward and urged.

The three had no choice but to follow Second Uncle and continue walking forward.

However, the anxiety of coming to a strange place for the first time gradually dissipated after seeing an acquaintance, and there was even a bit of relaxation and anticipation.

At this time, Second Uncle, who was walking in front, paused slightly, and the spiritual power around his body surged quietly.

In the blink of an eye, the slightly old clothes on his body faded, replaced by a brand-new red dress.

The three then remembered the academy rules Second Uncle mentioned before.

In order to better encourage disciples to forge ahead and clearly distinguish student levels, Bai Yu Taixu Academy stipulated that inner courtyard disciples uniformly wore red clothes, while outer courtyard disciples wore white clothes.

As the few continued to walk up the winding mountain road, the scene in front of them gradually became lively.

Everywhere they looked were outer courtyard disciples in white clothes. When they saw inner courtyard disciples in red clothes like Second Uncle, the other party was full of respect.

The academy is different from the sect. For those who can enter the inner courtyard, cultivation is secondary. Only those who are outstanding in a certain subject field will be valued by mentors, given corresponding status, and focused on cultivation.

And Zhou Qing and the three looked at the huge square, ancient buildings, flying eaves and bucket arches that exuded a strong ancient charm, carved beams and painted buildings, and were overwhelmed.

"Do you remember what I exhorted you? Suppress your cultivation to the early Soul Formation stage. With the 【Void Realm Dharma Image】 you have mastered, Lin Lao shouldn't be able to see it."

Second Uncle exhorted again.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, indicating he understood.

"By the way, just show one mark when the time comes. You should know your own Four Flowers Gathering at the Top; don't act high-profile."

"As long as you can be accepted into the inner courtyard by Lin Lao, with this identity, you will have a strong endorsement in the future, and your ability will be more easily recognized. In this world, origin and background can sometimes play an unexpected role."

This time, Second Uncle was transmitting his voice.

Afterward, he cast his gaze toward Lu Yaoyao and Yan Xiao, his expression eased slightly, and said, "I can only recommend one person at the moment, so you two are afraid you have to stay in the outer courtyard."

"However, with your situation, there is actually no big difference between the inner and outer courtyards for you. After all, you are only staying here for a short time, just consider it accompanying the prince to study."

Hearing Second Uncle say this, the two nodded repeatedly.

In fact, they followed Zhou Qing to this place with the mentality of going out for a stroll. They really didn't care whether they were in the inner or outer courtyard.

"Alright, you two stay on the corridor bridge over there for a while, I'll take Zhou Qing to the inner courtyard!"

Second Uncle said, waved his big hand, and took Zhou Qing to stride toward the deeper part of the academy.

The two looked at a magnificent corridor bridge not far away, spanning the sparkling spirit lake, appearing quite leisurely.

After looking at each other, they lifted their feet and walked toward the corridor bridge.

Just after walking two steps, a figure suddenly passed by in the air, but quickly turned back, then fluttered down, and let out a light "Eh" sound.

The two stopped immediately, looked up, and found that this beautiful woman was wearing a light blue ice-patterned robe, like a flowing glacier, exuding wisps of chill.

Her black hair was like a waterfall, casually tucked up, and an ice-prism-shaped hairpin was inserted obliquely, adding a bit of cold and glamorous temperament.

Her face was even more beautiful, but the coldness exuded from her whole body that kept people thousands of miles away made people shrink back.

Not white clothes, nor red clothes.

And the pressure the beautiful woman gave the two was extremely great, even more terrifying than Sect Master Cao Zhengyang.

The two felt a chill in their hearts. This is a mentor at the Great Perfection of Divine Transformation!

Not daring to be the slightest bit negligent, the two hurriedly saluted respectfully: "Greetings, Senior!"

And the beautiful woman's gaze kept looking at Lu Yaoyao, and soon it froze suddenly, as if she had discovered a rare treasure.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, the spiritual power around her body surged quietly, and a faint ice-blue light spread toward Lu Yaoyao like a silk thread.

Lu Yaoyao only felt a bone-chilling cold covering her whole body. Soon, an ice-lotus-shaped phantom projected from her body instinctively.

The ice lotus petals were crystal clear, each one flickering with cold light. It opened rapidly, directly contending with that ice-blue light.

Seeing this, the ice-blue light on the beautiful woman's body instantly withdrew, and the surprise in her eyes became more intense.

"What is your name?" The beautiful woman asked. Although her voice still carried coldness, it added a bit of excitement that was hard to hide.

Lu Yaoyao answered hurriedly: "Junior Lu Yaoyao."

"Lu Yaoyao? Good name. It looks like you are not a student of the academy?"

The beautiful woman's gaze was sharp, and she looked at Lu Yaoyao's dress again and asked.

Lu Yaoyao said respectfully: "Returning to Senior, Junior came with my Shixiong and is not yet a student."

Lu Yuanzhi heard this and immediately cast her gaze toward Yan Xiao.

Yan Xiao blinked his small eyes and immediately said: "Not me, it's my Shidi. He has already been taken in by an inner courtyard disciple to recommend him to Lin Lao."

"Lin Lao? Lin Shi Daochen?" The beautiful woman asked.

The two nodded.

The beautiful woman didn't entangle here, but looked at Lu Yaoyao again and said: "Are you interested in learning ice-type cultivation techniques with me?"

Lu Yaoyao was stunned for a moment, a little at a loss.

The beautiful woman said: "Forgot to introduce, my name is Lu Yuanzhi, an inner courtyard mentor. Your bone structure is very good. If you learn with me, I guarantee you will break through to the mid-stage Soul Formation within half a year."

Lu Yaoyao's eyes lit up immediately, but after thinking about it, she still shook her head.

"I need to wait a moment. If my Shixiong can become an inner courtyard disciple, Junior is willing to learn with Senior." Lu Yaoyao said.

In case Zhou Qing wasn't chosen, it would be useless for her to stay here. She naturally couldn't easily agree to others about things that couldn't be determined.

Didn't expect Lu Yuanzhi to hear this, a flash of surprise in her eyes, and she looked at her with interest.

How many people wanted to apprentice under her but couldn't find a way? Now that she rarely took the initiative to throw an olive branch, she was actually rejected by this little girl.

It seems that her Shixiong should be very important to her.

For a moment, Lu Yuanzhi seemed to understand something.

But if such a piece of unpolished jade was missed by her, she would probably regret it.

"Understood, you wait here for a moment, I'll go to Lin Shi's place to see!"

Lu Yuanzhi said, the spiritual power around her body surged, turned into a blue stream of light, and instantly disappeared in place.

And as Lu Yuanzhi left, the outer courtyard disciples who were holding their breath because of awe suddenly burst into a burst of exclamation.

"My God, what did I just see? Mentor Lu actually took the initiative to recruit students, it's incredible!"

"Yeah, Mentor Lu has always been cold as frost. Not to mention talking to students, she doesn't even bother to pay attention to other mentors. What's going on today?"

"The ice-type cultivation technique that Mentor Lu specializes in has long been superb. I heard that she has even helped two legendary Soul Severance experts."

"I also heard that Mentor Lu has an extraordinary status in the Imperial Capital and has a great background."

"That little girl's temperament is very similar to Mentor Lu, but the person next to her has a round face and small eyes, looking like a thief."

Everyone talked about it, and the eyes looking at Lu Yaoyao were full of curiosity, envy, and exclamation.

Lu Yaoyao was stunned. She never thought that the cold and glamorous beautiful woman just now had such a big background.

But then again, she had always stayed at Taiqingmen before, and even her master didn't notice her special constitution.

Instead, Third Mama had a unique eye and was the first to see her difference, and gave her the advanced mental method "Ice Cleansing Technique," allowing her to break through to the Soul Formation stage in one go.

And with deeper cultivation, the cultivation of the magical power "Ice Lotus" became more and more handy.

At this moment, Yan Xiao was holding the old hen, looking around with his head up.

"Yan Shixiong, what's wrong?" Lu Yaoyao asked.

Yan Xiao said: "I am such a handsome and dashing swordsman, why didn't a mentor come over and beg me to learn with him?"

Lu Yaoyao: "..."

"Old Fourth can become an inner courtyard disciple even with his eyes closed, but don't throw me into the outer courtyard alone, that would be awkward." Yan Xiao smiled bitterly.

At the same time, inner courtyard!

Zhou Qing followed closely behind Second Uncle. Every red-clothed disciple who passed by here greeted Second Uncle enthusiastically after seeing him.

Have to admit, no matter how Second Uncle changes his appearance, that good popularity seems to be innate.

In the process of moving forward, Second Uncle was not idle, continuing to popularize the situation of the academy to Zhou Qing.

The academy is divided into three echelons.

First, it is the Dean who sees the head but not the tail. No one knows what he is busy with or when he will show up.

Even Second Uncle only saw him from afar by chance two years ago, and only then confirmed that the other party was a Soul Severance expert.

Of course, if someone knew that the Dean of Bai Yu Taixu Academy was such a terrifying big shot, I am afraid that countless sect people under the jurisdiction of Long Yuanjun would swarm here.

And the reason why this Dean hides his cultivation is probably because he doesn't want to be disturbed.

The second echelon is eight mentors. Except for Lin Daochen, the other seven are all at the Great Perfection of Divine Transformation, and they have extraordinary attainments in their respective fields of cultivation.

Of course, don't look at Lin Daochen as the late stage of Divine Transformation. The moment he condenses three thousand spirit seals and is promoted to a third-level formation master, it is the day of his breakthrough.

Next is the third echelon. People like various law enforcement envoys and other service personnel basically come from people from several major sects around Haomiao Prefecture, and they are all in the Soul Formation stage.

These law enforcement envoys are usually responsible for maintaining the order of the academy and dealing with various trivial matters. Although their cultivation is not as good as the first two echelons, they are also an indispensable part of the normal operation of the academy.

After hearing this, Zhou Qing already had a rough outline of the academy in his mind.

As the two walked along the winding path, the scenery around them became more and more quiet, flowers, plants, and trees were scattered, and a bamboo forest came into view.

"Does Lin Shi live so quietly?" Zhou Qing couldn't help asking, his eyes full of curiosity and exclamation.

Second Uncle nodded and said: "That's for sure, a master should have a master's style, and Lin Shi's requirements for students are also extremely strict. In his view, formation is a rigorous discipline and cannot tolerate the slightest sloppiness and slackness."

"Coupled with the fact that he is now impacting the third-level formation master, he is almost completely immersed in the research of formations. Living in this place is also to better focus on the cultivation of formations."

They all say live and learn. Don't look at him as a Soul Severance expert. He admires all those who truly concentrate on research that he encountered when stealing techniques in the past from the bottom of his heart.

"Lin Shi only comes out to give a lecture occasionally now. After all, most inner courtyard disciples just want to use this to climb relationships with him and get familiar."

"But in the formation path, talent is crucial. It's not something you can do just by playing some little tricks. For example, your Second Uncle, I am gifted in this regard."

Second Uncle puffed out his chest, with a bit of pride on his face.

Zhou Qing nodded repeatedly, looking full of worship.

Second Uncle suddenly smiled, reached out and hugged him, and said: "Of course, although your talent is not as good as your Uncle, among the people I have seen in my life, it is also top-notch."

Zhou Qing smiled without saying a word.

Isn't this something I have to thank you for? I was plain and unremarkable before. If it weren't for that wisp of mutated Heavenly Dao Qi you didn't even know about, how could I have been reborn and have such an opportunity today.

As the two walked and talked, they arrived at the depths of the bamboo forest without knowing it. An ancient small courtyard sat quietly among them, surrounded by green bamboo, like a paradise.

The courtyard door was half-covered, and there was only a simple stone house inside. Its walls were built with large pieces of blue stone slabs, and the roof was covered with thick thatch, appearing exceptionally ancient.

And in the center of the small courtyard, there was a stone table and several stone stools. A thin old man was sitting on one of the stone stools, fully focused on deducing the formation map on the table.

The old man had the demeanor of an immortal, his hair was neatly tied behind his head, and the wrinkles on his face were as deep as if carved by a carving knife, but his eyes were burning.

Although his expression was focused and serious, his face revealed a kind of kindness, making people want to get close to him.

"Student Si Yunya, pay respects to the teacher!" Second Uncle saluted respectfully to the person inside across the door.

However, Lin Daochen inside the house seemed to have been fully immersed in the formation map, turning a deaf ear to the outside sound, and did not give the slightest response.

Second Uncle did not disturb him again, just waved his hand lightly, signaling Zhou Qing to wait quietly outside the door together.

His expression was as calm as water, without the slightest impatience, as if he had long been accustomed to waiting like this.

At this moment, Zhou Qing's gaze fell on Second Uncle consciously, and he had a brand-new understanding of him.

Speaking of which, he really didn't know much about Second Uncle.

Most of the past deeds about Second Uncle were told by his elders.

Although he had contacted Second Uncle many times, Zhou Qing only felt that he had a completely old urchin personality, his style of doing things was extremely casual, and he always did some unexpected things.

But looking at him now, his face was calm, and his eyes were full of respect and reverence for the person inside the house.

Who would have thought that the person standing outside the courtyard would be a high-ranking Soul Severance expert, and so humble, with such a huge contrast to his usual self.

Time passed slowly, and the sun tilted westward quietly. About two hours later, a long sigh from Lin Daochen came from the quiet small courtyard.

The formation map on the table was also collected by him. It seemed that the deduction just now consumed a lot of his energy, and his expression carried a bit of fatigue.

Just then, Lin Daochen seemed to notice the two waiting outside the door. He raised his head, looked through the half-covered courtyard door, and said gently: "Is that Yunya outside? Come in."

Second Uncle heard this, immediately responded respectfully, and took Zhou Qing into the small courtyard.

(End of chapter)