Chapter 55: Slaying Demons in Qizhou
Song Yueyao shook her head slightly but did not answer.
She herself had no clear answer.
The Fengshan River of Death was extraordinarily difficult. If someone from the Black and White Hall had succeeded, it might be plausible. But for an Outer Court disciple? That would be almost impossible unless they had already reached the Soul Fusion Realm.
That black-robed scholar was a genuine Soul Fusion Realm cultivator with an extremely ferocious soul aspect, making it feel like facing two Soul Fusion Realm experts simultaneously.
The assessment for Outer Court disciples didn’t require killing the black-robed scholar. Reaching a completion rate of 50% was sufficient.
Slaughtering nearly half of the villagers would count as passing.
This test already involved aspects like stealth, concealment, raw strength, and movement techniques, making it exceptionally challenging.
After all, slaughtering nearly half the villagers would easily alert the black-robed scholar. Once that person acted, even disciples of the Black Hall would have to flee.
“I heard two members of the Imperial Clan came. Could it have been one of them? If one of them has reached Peak Zhoutian Realm, then with their unrivaled Meridian Opening Technique and fortune-based techniques, they might stand a chance against the Soul Fusion Realm,” guessed Lin Feifei.
This was the only possibility she could think of. If even the Imperial Clan couldn’t accomplish it, no one else could.
“We’ll find out when we take a look,” Song Yueyao said.
The two, led by Huang Licai, made their way to the Outer Court.
By then, Su Yehua had already gathered the crowd in advance.
When the two women arrived with Huang Licai, a slight commotion stirred among the crowd, and many people stood on tiptoes to get a better view.
“It’s Song Yueyao!”
In the crowd, Du Qiuyue immediately recognized Song Yueyao and Lin Feifei, her eyes showing a hint of admiration.
“Who are they?” someone asked.
“The one in white is Song Yueyao, the granddaughter of the Sacred Palace Master. She’s one of the most monstrous geniuses in the Black and White Hall. Rumor has it that she’s not even twenty yet but has already reached the Spiritual Wandering Realm…” Du Qiuyue whispered enviously.
This was a true prodigy—a Ninth-Class Battle Body and a first-rate genius.
Li Yuanzhao understood but wasn’t particularly surprised.
Reaching the Soul Realm at twenty? His mother had told him that his Ninth Uncle had reached the Soul Realm at thirteen, became a Grandmaster at seventeen, and had already achieved the Seventh Realm and the Three Immortals Realm by nineteen, when he died heroically in battle.
Now that was a one-in-a-million prodigy through the ages!
Compared to his Ninth Uncle’s achievements, other so-called geniuses seemed unremarkable to Li Yuanzhao.
“Where’s that Brother Hao of yours? Why isn’t he here?” Du Qiuyue asked softly, glancing around.
Li Yuanzhao shook his head. “Brother Hao has probably run off to play chess with someone.”
“Chess…” Du Qiuyue’s mouth twitched.
At this moment, Song Yueyao and Lin Feifei were already scanning the crowd.
“The granddaughter of the Sacred Palace Master, huh…”
Among the crowd, Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes at the two graceful figures, a peculiar gleam flashing in his gaze. He thought to himself:
“Not bad-looking. If I could take her as my imperial consort, Song Yufeng would owe me a favor for the sake of his granddaughter. That could be an asset for my future. It’s a pity she’s a few years older than me. Oh well, with Tangong Academy as my bride price, I can make a small concession…”
As he schemed internally, Song Yueyao’s gaze swept over the crowd and landed on him.
Although everyone wore the same academy uniform, the overwhelming aura radiating from him suggested he was likely one of the Imperial Clan.
No ordinary Zhoutian Realm cultivator had such a dragon-like presence.
Noticing her gaze, Jiang Ye smiled faintly, revealing gleaming white teeth as he nodded slightly in greeting.
But Song Yueyao’s gaze remained indifferent as she shifted her focus. He wasn’t the one.
She continued to scrutinize the crowd. One by one, she scanned each face, but her brows furrowed.
None of them.
“No one,” Song Yueyao said to Uncle Huang beside her.
Huang Licai paused, then quickly asked, “Did you look carefully?”
“Mm.” Song Yueyao nodded.
Huang Licai turned to Lin Feifei, who also shook her head slightly, showing a helpless expression.
“Could it be that it wasn’t someone from the A Courtyard?” Huang Licai muttered in confusion and asked Su Yehua, “Are all the disciples from the A Courtyard here?”
Su Yehua, who knew what he was searching for, glanced at the crowd and noticed a few absentees. She replied, “Almost all of them are here.”
The ones missing were the idle rich kid who slept all day and two other disciples from noble families who weren’t particularly strong. She figured it couldn’t possibly be them.
“How strange…” Huang Licai thought for a moment, then whispered a few instructions to Su Yehua. She nodded slightly and immediately directed the crowd:
“Turn around and face the other way.”
The crowd hesitated, looking at her in confusion.
Without explaining, Su Yehua exuded the authority of an instructor, her willow-like brows slightly furrowed. The crowd obediently complied.
They had all experienced her strict methods before.
Forced to look again, Song Yueyao and Lin Feifei scanned each person anew. The two women wore puzzled expressions. Everyone looked vaguely familiar because of the uniform, but upon closer inspection, none matched.
Huang Licai, out of options, said to Su Yehua, “Have the absent ones report to me later so Yueyao and the others can check them.”
“Understood,” Su Yehua agreed.
...
Huang Licai left with the two women and headed toward the B Courtyard.
On the way, they encountered a figure casually carrying a wild rabbit—Li Hao.
“Which courtyard are you from?” Huang Licai immediately called out.
Li Hao looked up, surprised. After briefly sizing them up, he said, “The A Courtyard. Who are you?”
“The A Courtyard?” Huang Licai’s heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at the two women.
Song Yueyao and Lin Feifei also examined Li Hao. He had rosy lips, white teeth, and fair skin—a strikingly handsome young man.
However, the wild rabbit in his hand and the grass stuck to his academy uniform gave him a slightly disheveled appearance.
The two women scrutinized him closely, then shook their heads.
“Not him.”
Huang Licai waved at Li Hao dismissively. “Never mind, go on.”
Li Hao, baffled, carried the rabbit and walked away, brushing past them.
Suddenly, he felt their aura was somewhat familiar, as though they had met in the Fengshan River of Death cave earlier.
When he returned to the A Courtyard, Su Yehua spotted him immediately and called him over to report to Huang Licai.
After inquiring about the situation, Li Hao explained what had happened during their earlier encounter. Su Yehua didn’t doubt his honesty—she also believed it was unlikely that Li Hao could have been the one. If he weren’t from the Li family, and if she hadn’t seen him sleeping and slacking off for half a month, she would have reprimanded him harshly long ago.
“Brother Hao, where have you been?”
After returning to his seat, Li Yuanzhao recounted the recent events to Li Hao in one go.
Li Hao nodded in realization, feeling a bit uneasy. Fortunately, it seemed the academy didn’t intend to hold him accountable.
As for any potential rewards?
The Crimson Sky Sword was indeed a fine weapon—capable of injuring Divine Souls and a rare treasure suitable for those in the Spiritual Wandering Realm.
But in the Divine General Mansion, there were tens of thousands of such weapons.
A pity.
He had already reached Fifteen Li, rendering it useless to him.
...
Atop a waterfall, Shen Yunqing and Zhao Zongyuan had also received the news and were both surprised.
“Who could have done it?”
“Could it be that boy? He did head toward the Fengshan River of Death earlier,” Zhao Zongyuan speculated, still uncertain.
Shen Yunqing shook his head slightly. “The river’s location also connects back to the academy, though it requires taking a detour. He might have simply gotten lost.”
“It’s hard to say. That kid comprehended your movement techniques so quickly that I can’t see through him. He might not even be a Zhoutian Realm cultivator.”
“Even if he were at the Soul Fusion Realm, it wouldn’t be easy.”
Shen Yunqing shook his head again. “The test isn’t about outright destruction, but meeting specific conditions. Besides, word just came that Yueyao herself witnessed it. Old Huang took her to the Outer Court to look but didn’t find anyone. That means it wasn’t him.”
“Strange. Could it be someone from the Black and White Hall?”
“Who knows? Either way, this matter will be resolved soon. It can’t be kept under wraps for long,” Shen Yunqing said.
“True.” Zhao Zongyuan thought for a moment, then sighed. “The Fengshan River of Death was a perfect testing ground for newcomers. Now that it’s gone, they’ll have to use the other River of Death, but that one is far more challenging.”
“It’s just bad luck for them,” Shen Yunqing replied.
...
...
A few days later.
The disciples of the A Courtyard were gathered in the courtyard. Li Hao, who had been planning to sneak away to slack off, was called back by Su Yehua and obediently returned to his seat.
“Tomorrow will mark your first academy trial: a live demon-slaying mission,” Su Yehua said, her calm gaze sweeping over the group.
“Martial artists must experience combat, bloodshed, and fire to grow. We’ve arranged everything for you. You only need to report to your assigned location and personally participate. This will help you understand the flaws in your martial techniques and how to truly fight against demons.”
Hearing this, many disciples’ eyes lit up, and some were visibly eager.
Demon-slaying?
It was the dream of many here.
Traveling the world with sword in hand, slaying demons and banishing evil—how thrilling!
“These missions vary in difficulty. You’d best act within your abilities,” Su Yehua cautioned.
She produced a stack of papers. “Each mission comes with a difficulty rating, and successful completion will earn you academy points. These points can be exchanged in the Black and White Hall’s Martial Canon Pavilion for weapons, elixirs, techniques, or supreme skills.”
“But be sure to assess your own capabilities carefully. Greed will lead to failure and is itself a test for martial artists.”
As she spoke, she summoned an older student, who distributed the papers among the group.
Li Hao received a sheet and began to read it casually.
The list consisted entirely of demon-slaying missions, each located in a different state or city.
The ability of Tangong Academy to establish connections across states and cities was a testament to its extensive network.
It was essentially like sending students to large companies for field internships.
Suddenly, Li Hao’s eyes narrowed as they fell upon one particular mission on the list.
Demon-Slaying Mission 23:
Qizhou. Join the Demon Subduing Division and assist the local demon-slaying team in hunting demons. Evaluation to be conducted by the local supervisor.
Maximum Points: 10.
Qizhou!