Chapter 191: Holy Shit, Are You Crazy or What?! (6k)

Entering the small courtyard, Second Uncle first bowed, then said: "Master, this student returned home to visit family and happened upon an old acquaintance who possesses great talent in array formation."

"He once picked up a fragmented book on arrays at a street stall—no one could have imagined that, with just this incomplete text, he devoted himself to self-study and achieved mastery."

Second Uncle's tone was filled with emotion, and he continued: "Such a raw gem—I couldn't bear to see him wasted—so I boldly brought him here, hoping Master might give him a chance."

As Second Uncle finished, Zhou Qing immediately bowed respectfully: "Disciple Zhou Qing, pays his respects to Master."

Lin Daochen, upon hearing this, was slightly surprised, then carefully examined Zhou Qing.

"Such a young age, and already at the early Nascent Soul realm—impressive, very impressive, especially since Yunya speaks so highly of you."

Lin Daochen chuckled warmly, his eyes brimming with admiration and curiosity.

Zhou Qing hurriedly replied humbly: "Master overstates my worth."

With that, he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and under Second Uncle's encouraging gaze, activated his internal spiritual energy.

Immediately, a seal emitted a soft glow, slowly emerging; its runes flowed and faintly resonated with the surrounding spiritual energy.

Seeing this, Lin Daochen's eyes suddenly brightened; his previously calm expression instantly filled with astonishment.

"You've already formed a spiritual seal? Did you truly deduce this from just a fragmented book?" Lin Daochen exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Zhou Qing could only nod.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable!" Lin Daochen praised repeatedly, then asked eagerly: "Would you be willing to study array formations and forbidden seals under me?"

Hearing this, Zhou Qing's heart surged with joy—he had no reason to refuse.

He immediately knelt and performed a deep, reverent bow: "Disciple Zhou Qing, pays his respects to Master!"

Seeing this, Lin Daochen burst into loud laughter; his earlier fatigue vanished completely.

He swiftly stepped forward, grasped Zhou Qing's arms, and lifted him up, his eyes alight with delight.

The next moment, he suddenly looked toward the courtyard's entrance and saw Lu Yuanzhi arriving, her aura cold and crisp.

"Master Lin, congratulations—you've taken on another disciple who shares your passion!"

Lu Yuanzhi bowed slightly; though her expression remained icy, her words carried genuine congratulations.

Lin Daochen beamed and laughed heartily: "At my age, seeing a gifted youth walk the same path as I do brings me great comfort."

"If I can become a lamp, helping them dispel the fog along this path, then my life has not been in vain. Lu Shi, you didn't come here just to congratulate me, did you?"

Lu Yuanzhi's expression remained cool as she replied calmly: "This time, I truly came only to congratulate you."

With that, she turned and left.

Lin Daochen was momentarily stunned, then ignored everything else, immediately pulling out several array flags, forming hand seals as he infused them with spiritual energy—suddenly, brilliant light erupted, engulfing Zhou Qing entirely.

"You have time to break through it!" Lin Daochen's voice echoed within the array.

Inside the array, Zhou Qing instantly felt as if he stood amid scorching lava—but such heat meant nothing to a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator, or even the sparks of his Four Flowers Crowned peak.

He quickly located the array's core, but to avoid appearing too exceptional, he feigned deep concentration, deliberately slowing his pace as he began dismantling the array piece by piece.

Meanwhile, on the outer courtyard's corridor bridge, two figures waited listlessly; Yan Xiao Hu had somehow found several stones and was skipping them across the water.

Around them, outer courtyard disciples whispered among themselves, glancing occasionally at the pair, curious about their identities.

At that moment, Lu Yuanzhi reappeared, her gaze cold as she fixed it on Lu Yaoyao and spoke calmly: "Your senior brother has been taken in as an inner courtyard disciple by Master Lin."

Lu Yaoyao, upon hearing this, immediately grew excited.

"Can you come with me now?" Lu Yuanzhi asked, her expression unchanged.

Lu Yaoyao nodded vigorously, then stepped back and performed a formal, respectful bow: "Disciple Lu Yaoyao, pays her respects to Lu Shi."

"What about me?" Yan Xiao Hu rushed forward, his face anxious.

Lu Yuanzhi glanced at Yan Xiao Hu, her expression indifferent; she spoke plainly: "You're not suited for me."

Seeing this, Lu Yaoyao quickly comforted: "Yan Senior Brother, don't worry—your talent will easily get you into the inner courtyard."

"Come, I'll process your enrollment," Lu Yuanzhi said to Lu Yaoyao, her tone slightly softened.

Lu Yaoyao hurried after her, her steps light and her heart full of joy.

On the corridor bridge, only Yan Xiao Hu remained, standing frozen.

"No way—four of us came, and three are already in the inner courtyard. I, Yan Xiao Hu, won't be outdone!"

At that moment, Yan Xiao Hu's competitive spirit flared again, just as it had when facing the Kill List of Cangyan Dao Palace.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his icy-cold great blade.

As the blade emerged, his entire body radiated intense sword intent—solid as substance, transforming into sharp, whistling blades that spun through the air.

He then struck a formidable pose, majestic and imposing.

He refused to believe the academy's instructors were blind—how could they overlook such a genius?

Whoosh!

At that instant, a white-robed figure suddenly landed atop the corridor bridge; his robes fluttered in the wind. He turned slightly, revealing half his face—clearly very young.

Yan Xiao Hu's face lit up.

I knew this academy couldn't lack a connoisseur!

But seeing the white robes, his heart sank halfway.

Disappointed, he muttered under his breath: "So it's just an outer courtyard disciple—I thought an instructor had come."

The figure, still facing away from Yan Xiao Hu, spoke calmly: "Gold will always shine—but you're just scrap iron."

Yan Xiao Hu froze, frowned, and snapped: "What did you say?"

The other continued: "Even though I was wrong, refusing to forgive me is your fault."

Yan Xiao Hu's annoyance boiled over: "Are you fucking insane?"

The other seemed not to hear his curse, continuing: "Don't be nervous—I'm not a good person."

Yan Xiao Hu stepped forward, determined to see who this person was—but as he neared, the figure leapt lightly, landing atop the opposite tree canopy, steady on the branch.

Even so, he still faced away, speaking lazily: "I examine myself thrice daily—I am not wrong."

Yan Xiao Hu could no longer contain himself. Gripping his great blade, he pointed forward and roared from the bridge: "Fuck you, come down and fight me properly!"

The other seemed utterly unfazed: "I love how you hate me but can't touch me."

Yan Xiao Hu's fury erupted—he stomped the ground, spiritual energy surging, his body shooting forward like lightning toward the white-robed figure.

But the other had anticipated his move; the instant Yan Xiao Hu launched, the figure lightly tapped the canopy, leaping several times before vanishing among the dense branches.

"Life's hard enough—blame others, not yourself."

The voice still reached him, making Yan Xiao Hu tremble with rage, yet unable to catch up.

"If you've got guts, don't run!" Yan Xiao Hu screamed hoarsely.

But the figure moved like a phantom—each time Yan Xiao Hu thought he was closing in, the distance widened instantly.

"What you can't solve today, you won't solve tomorrow either!"

Hearing the taunting words, Yan Xiao Hu's eyes turned bloodshot—he'd never felt so humiliated. He roared to the heavens, unleashing a terrifying slash of sword energy toward the sky…

…

"How's that? I told you it'd be fine—your clothes fit perfectly!"

After leaving Lin Daochen's residence, Second Uncle, holding the permit, led Zhou Qing to collect his inner courtyard disciple's crimson robes; next came selecting a cave dwelling.

Zhou Qing examined the robes and nodded in satisfaction, then asked: "Uncle, how long must I stay here?"

Second Uncle paused, then replied: "That's up to you—but no less than half a year."

"Don't think your Fifth-Rank Array Master heritage means you can advance alone—self-study alone won't take you far. Master Lin has his own unique insights into arrays—you'll understand soon."

Hearing Second Uncle's advice, Zhou Qing nodded thoughtfully.

"Zhou Senior Brother!"

At that moment, Lu Yaoyao's delighted voice rang out.

Turning, they saw Lu Yaoyao also dressed in crimson robes, with the cold-faced Lu Yuanzhi behind her.

Zhou Qing was startled, then immediately understood.

Lu Yaoyao rushed over, eager to introduce him.

Zhou Qing immediately bowed in greeting.

Lu Yuanzhi gave a slight nod: "You two can chat later—I'll take Yaoyao to choose her cave dwelling."

"Zhou Senior Brother, I'll go first!" Lu Yaoyao said.

Watching them leave, Second Uncle clicked his tongue.

"Lu Shi is an ice queen—and she's close to Cutting Spirit. Sometimes I think she's deliberately suppressing herself," Second Uncle said.

Zhou Qing, upon hearing this, was stunned.

Countless cultivators dream of breaking into Cutting Spirit, yet spend lifetimes failing—yet she's suppressing herself?

"Come on, everyone has secrets—I'm not the type to pry," Second Uncle chuckled, clapping Zhou Qing on the shoulder before leading him away.

Soon after, after careful selection, Zhou Qing chose a well-situated cave dwelling.

The cave lay in a quiet valley within the academy, surrounded by lush trees, fragrant flowers, and birdsong, with a clear stream gently flowing before its entrance.

Then, the two headed to the outer courtyard—after all, Yan Xiao Hu was still waiting.

But after less than two hours, when they returned, they found Yan Xiao Hu already subdued.

His body was bound tightly by several spiritual energy ropes, lying face-down, unable to move, his face flushed with rage.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing's heart tightened; without hesitation, he sprinted toward Yan Xiao Hu.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Qing shouted angrily at the three men clad in enforcement robes.

The three restraining Yan Xiao Hu were middle-aged men at late Nascent Soul—part of Second Uncle's third-tier group, from various sects.

Their expressions were stern and cold; upon seeing Zhou Qing and Second Uncle, they nodded slightly. One spoke: "Do you know him?"

Their faces were stern, their expressions cold; upon seeing Zhou Qing and Second Uncle, they gave a slight nod, and one of them asked, "Do you know each other?"

Zhou Qing had no time for pleasantries; he urgently asked, "What happened to him?"

The man said without expression, "This individual is not a student of our academy, yet he openly hunts down others—utterly disregarding our rules."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's heart jolted; he immediately turned to Yan Xiao Hu and asked anxiously, "Third Senior Brother, what exactly happened?"

Though bound, Yan Xiao Hu still wore a face full of rage and defiance; he thrust his neck forward and shouted, "You say I killed someone? Who? Bring that person here to face me in court!"

The three enforcers exchanged glances, a flicker of embarrassment crossing their expressions.

To be honest, they hadn't even clearly seen who the other person was.

They'd only spotted him chasing a white-robed outer sect disciple and, with no choice, had moved to subdue him first.

The one being chased, likely frightened, had vanished somewhere.

Er Dadie sauntered up with a grin and, while others weren't looking, slipped a few high-grade spirit stones into their hands without a trace.

He smiled and said, "Thank you, enforcers, for your hard work. This is surely a misunderstanding—he's one of our two recommended candidates, preparing to join the academy."

The three looked at Er Dadie and Zhou Qing's red robes, especially Er Dadie—who was deeply favored by Master Lin Daochen and often greeted them warmly whenever they met.

With two inner sect students vouching for him and no victim appearing, they weighed their options and released Yan Xiao Hu.

The lead enforcer then cleared his throat and said, "Since it's a misunderstanding, we'll let it go—but don't let it happen again. The academy's rules are strict; even with sponsors, no one may act recklessly."

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you so much!" Er Dadie beamed, bowing politely.

The enforcers then unbound Yan Xiao Hu's spirit rope, exchanged a few brief words, and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing hurried forward, his face filled with concern: "Third Senior Brother, are you alright?"

Yan Xiao Hu rubbed his aching wrists, stifled his fury, and grunted.

"Don't let me catch that bastard—if I do, I'll kill him!" Yan Xiao Hu snarled.

After seeing off the enforcers, Er Dadie turned to Yan Xiao Hu, his face full of confusion: "What exactly happened?"

Yan Xiao Hu, with no choice, explained the whole story in detail.

Er Dadie couldn't help laughing, then teased Yan Xiao Hu, who was still fuming: "There are only eight instructors in the academy—all of them swamped with duties. No one's got time to pull something like this."

"Looks like just an outer sect disciple—got insulted and still couldn't catch him? You really are…"

Er Dadie couldn't find the right word; Yan Xiao Hu's face flushed crimson, yet he had no retort.

Zhou Qing stepped in to defuse the tension: "Enough, enough—let's talk about this later. Er Dadie, my third senior brother's talent isn't bad—he developed embryonic fire before even forming a Nascent Soul, and he built his Foundation on a geothermal vein. Did any other instructors ever…?"

"Fourth!" Yan Xiao Hu cut him off urgently.

He declared firmly: "I'm not entering the inner sect. Screw this—I've been tricked like this. I won't let it go so easily. I'm staying in the outer sect until I find him."

Er Dadie nodded with a smile: "Fall where you fell, rise where you fell—I support this fool tiger. Now that both me and Zhou kid are inner sect students, either of us can vouch for you to stay."

"Thank you, Er Dadie!" Yan Xiao Hu said gratefully.

Then the three headed toward the academy's enrollment office.

Along the way, Yan Xiao Hu kept muttering about the white-robed man's vile actions, his voice thick with anger and resentment.

Zhou Qing could only smile and comfort him, even speculating the man might be some old enemy who'd deliberately provoked him, as if trying to lure him into breaking rules.

Yan Xiao Hu didn't know—he'd never once seen the man's face; he'd been facing away the entire time.

Soon, after completing the formalities, Yan Xiao Hu was officially enrolled as an outer sect student.

He looked at the outer sect student token and robe in his hand and snorted.

"You wait, you bastard!"

…………

In his cave dwelling, Zhou Qing held several purified dust talismans, murmuring incantations.

As the talismans glowed faintly, they transformed into invisible currents that swiftly swept through the cave.

Wherever they passed, dust fell in fine showers; soon, the entire cave was spotless, filled with a fresh, clean scent.

Zhou Qing surveyed the surroundings with satisfaction, then took out his bedding from his storage pouch, laid it out carefully, and lay down comfortably, savoring the long-missed peace.

The old hen, after eating powdered spirit stones, was unusually energetic; she clucked and leapt onto the bed.

Then she stood beside it, tilting her head, staring intently at Zhou Qing—her eyes briefly flickered with something almost human, then vanished.

Zhou Qing stretched, then looked at a jade slip in his hand—something Lin Daochen had given him on the spot after dismantling the array.

It detailed Lin Daochen's insights on seals, a kind of personal journal, meant for Zhou Qing to study thoroughly so he could keep up with the upcoming lessons.

As Zhou Qing gently infused spiritual power into the jade slip, instantly, intricate array diagrams and dense script flooded his mind.

After examining them, he had to admit—Master Lin truly had unique insights into arrays.

Certain original ideas and novel solutions suddenly unlocked his understanding.

He became so absorbed he lost himself completely.

At that moment, he began to understand Er Dadie.

Meanwhile, in a dormitory in the outer sect, all was silent.

Yan Xiao Hu, who had been asleep, suddenly sat upright, his chest heaving.

"What the hell is wrong with him?!"

The more he thought, the angrier he got—in his dream, he'd seen that cowardly back again, and now, inexplicably, a blister had formed on his lip.

At that moment, a knock came at the door; Yan Xiao Hu froze.

Who the hell is knocking at this hour?

Senior Brother Li? Fourth? Or Lu Yaoyao?

After a brief hesitation, he got up and opened the door—under the bright moon, atop a distant tree canopy, that nightmare figure appeared again.

He still faced away, slightly turning his head: "It's not that I look down on you—it's that I didn't even see you."

"Aaaahhhhh!"

Yan Xiao Hu roared in fury, his great blade flying from his hand as he charged after him…

The next day, still immersed in Master Lin's journal, Zhou Qing received word from the academy's enforcers and hurried outside.

At the outer sect, he met Lu Yaoyao, who'd received the same message; they exchanged a glance, said nothing, and rushed toward the Enforcement Hall.

Soon, they saw Yan Xiao Hu tied to a stone pillar, his face twisted with humiliation.

"Third Senior Brother, what now?" Zhou Qing rushed forward, spiritual power surging as he tore the ropes apart.

Yan Xiao Hu opened his mouth to speak, but several enforcers stepped forward, their expressions darkening.

The lead enforcer frowned, his gaze stern and commanding: "Zhou Qing, even as an inner sect student, you show utter disrespect to the Enforcement Hall. You unbound a prisoner without permission—what is the meaning of this?"

His voice was low and powerful, a crushing pressure of Nascent Soul peak spiritual might bearing down on Zhou Qing.

But Zhou Qing acted as if nothing had happened, calmly checking his senior brother's injuries—thankfully, none were serious—and exhaled softly in relief.

Then Zhou Qing slowly raised his head, his gaze cold as blades: "All I know is you bound my senior brother and made him suffer humiliation here. What is your meaning?"

Without knowing why, the enforcers met his gaze and felt a chill crawl up their spines.

Even stranger—they suddenly felt an urge to kneel and surrender.

Yan Xiao Hu didn't want his fourth brother to fight them: "I'm fine. They're just doing their duty. Last night I ran too far and disturbed others."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing withdrew his imperial aura.

The enforcers, now back to normal, felt their backs drenched in sweat—clothes soaked through.

So sinister!

This Zhou Qing was just promoted to inner sect yesterday—another wolf in sheep's clothing.

"What exactly happened?" Zhou Qing asked.

Yan Xiao Hu sighed deeply, helplessly recounting last night's events.

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao exchanged glances.

Who the hell is this guy?

Why target only him and not anyone else?

After a brief pause, Zhou Qing grinned and turned to the enforcers, mimicking Er Dadie—he produced several high-grade spirit stones in his palm and, hidden by his sleeve, slipped them over.

"My apologies, my lords—I panicked. But you heard it: my senior brother was provoked. He's never like this normally."

As he spoke, Zhou Qing bowed repeatedly, smiling warmly, his eyes pleading.

The enforcers hesitated, glanced around instinctively, confirmed no one was watching, then subtly turned aside, using their wide sleeves to sweep the spirit stones into their storage pouches—smooth, practiced, invisible.

After all, who turns down money? Especially when it might offend two inner sect students.

(End of Chapter)