Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 165 Eve of the Trial
Ye Tinglan was falsely hired by Dan Academy this year, so Meng Li naturally arranged an office for her, but she didn't come often, as she only taught a few classes a month.

Thankfully, I arrived today.

Anuo quickly pushed Lu Xingzhou to the office. Ye Tinglan looked up from a pile of alchemy research materials and looked at the pale-faced Lu Xingzhou with some curiosity: "What's wrong with him? He usually seems so arrogant. Did he take laxatives today?"

Ah Nuo said anxiously, "I don't know! Master has been in pain all morning, and I couldn't find anything wrong even when I took his pulse. Please help me take a look, sir..."

Ye Tinglan glanced at her sideways: "Not calling me 'old woman' anymore?"

Ah Nuo smiled apologetically: "Sir, you are the only teacher I have ever recognized at the Dan Academy!"

Ye Tinglan continued scanning Lu Xingzhou: "Why don't you let the teacher who gave you the lecture see it in person?"

Ah Nuo said, "Because my master only recognizes you as his teacher!"

"I still prefer the arrogant and domineering way you were back then." Ye Tinglan slowly reached out and took Lu Xingzhou's wrist to check his pulse.

After a moment, his expression changed: "There's nothing wrong with him."

Ah Nuo hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Just bear with it. If she still can't explain herself clearly, then it's not too late to scold the old woman.

Ye Tinglan asked, "How much pain are you in? Tell me about it."

Lu Xingzhou had no way to say it directly, so he could only say carefully, "It feels like I've been cursed remotely, and someone is attacking me from a distance."

“No, there are no signs of casting a spell.” Ye Tinglan thought for a moment: “I’ll try to temporarily isolate you from the influence of the substances that were once separated from your body.”

After speaking, she flicked her slender fingers, and a soft light seemed to flash across her face. Lu Xingzhou blinked and suddenly sat up straight.

"never mind?"

"It's alright now." Lu Xingzhou was overjoyed: "Madam is truly a top-tier master, she did it all so effortlessly!"

"..." Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, her eyes full of suspicion: "If you're just making an excuse to see me, then you're quite pathetic."

Lu Xingzhou was indeed not under a spell. Ye Tinglan never imagined that the other party had fallen victim to her own trick, and that it was caused by her obedient disciple practicing repeatedly in the room...

“Making excuses…” Lu Xingzhou was taken aback: “Why would Madam think that?”

What Sheng Yuanyao said... Ye Tinglan didn't say that, she just sneered: "Everyone else knows to call me 'Sir,' why are you still calling me 'Madam'?"

"Don't you women all hate being called 'Mr'?"

"What kind of ignorant person is that?"

"There's no way to explain this to you..."

Ye Tinglan said coldly, "Alright, since you're alright, go back to your class."

“Um…” Lu Xingzhou hesitated.

"how?"

"Since you're already here, could you please do something to help treat my leg, Madam?"

Ye Tinglan said, "Are you finally tired of sitting in the wheelchair?"

"In class today, the teacher mentioned that he intends to organize a trial in a while. I always feel that being in the public eye at such a time carries the risk of revealing that my leg has healed, so I need to plan ahead."

Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "You may seem unreliable, but you are actually quite meticulous and cautious in your thinking. Your previous achievements are understandable. Just try to focus your energy on the right path..."

"Why is my mind wandering? I was reading the elixir book until midnight last night." Actually, I was so distracted that I couldn't sleep.

"But before that, weren't you on a date with the Pei family girl? Dugu Qingli caught you red-handed during her challenge, and many people saw it."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Ye Tinglan spoke of this with genuine disappointment: "With your talent and promising future, how could you do such messy things so soon after starting school? You're so young and already infatuated with women, what kind of future do you have!"

Despite being scolded, Lu Xingzhou felt no resentment; instead, he felt a rare sense of gratitude.

This truly gives you the feeling of an elder grieving for you... I've never experienced this before.

He finally sighed: "Sir..."

Ye Tinglan was taken aback. Wasn't he unwilling to call me "Teacher"? How come he suddenly started calling me that after being criticized a few times?
But Lu Xingzhou continued, "Anuo and I both want you to be our mentor, sir. I wonder if you would be willing to accept us?"

"I won't take it, get out."

The master and apprentice were completely baffled.

Didn't this gentleman offer to take them in before? Why is he being kicked out now that he brought it up? Is this some kind of ploy?

Ye Tinglan coldly said, "I am a first-grade alchemist. There are countless people who want to choose me as their mentor. Do you think it has to be you? If you want to study under me, then perform well in this trial, and I will consider hiring you."

Of course, it's a case of playing hard to get. They came to us wanting to take us on as apprentices, and these two were so arrogant. So we turned around and asked them to take us on as well. They suddenly realized how much they valued us, right?

Lu Xingzhou asked, "Could you tell me what the nature of this trial is?"

"Most alchemists sit in meditation and refine pills without much experience, which is quite unbalanced," Ye Tinglan said. "It's alright if they haven't reached the top three ranks, as they only lack control, flame temperature, and understanding of medicinal properties... But the higher they go, the more unique each one becomes. For example, some pills are refined when inner demons arise; or evil spirits gather to open the furnace and steal the pills; or poisonous insects and ferocious beasts are attracted to attack the alchemist... There are countless examples of this."

Lu Xingzhou understood: "So some environmental trials are needed to allow alchemists to familiarize themselves with these kinds of situations in advance?"

"Yes, alchemists generally need protectors for this purpose, not just to defend against external enemies. But we believe that we cannot rely entirely on others for protection; we also need to have our own ability to cope."

"understood."

"Furthermore, low-grade alchemists can refine pills using ordinary fire techniques, and if that's not enough, they can use earth fire. But the higher the grade, the harder it is to find suitable earth fire. If you rely on your own, what power do your flames have? They probably can't even neutralize the medicinal effects. Therefore, it is necessary to learn special fire techniques or seek out special fire sources to refine one's own unique flames."

"Can this trial ground be obtained?"

"Perhaps there is, perhaps not, it depends on fate and wisdom," Ye Tinglan said calmly. "Even the training provided by various sects will have trials and benefits. Now that you have entered the Royal Academy, you will certainly not just listen to lectures. But since it is a royal possession, it will not be given away for free, nor will it be divided equally. Whether you can obtain it depends entirely on your abilities."

"Understood, thank you for your guidance, sir." Lu Xingzhou bowed.

Madam Ye was being stubborn, saying "I won't accept it, get out," but in reality, she was quite hopeful. These are the kinds of things a mentor would say to their student; who would say so much and in such detail to an ordinary person?

Anyway, what trial? It doesn't hurt anymore, so I'm fearless.

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "I need to inform you in advance that there will be no instructors accompanying you during this trial, so as not to make you dependent and lose sight of the original purpose of the training. At most, there will be some secret guards, drawn from the Demon Suppression Division or the Holy Land. They may not be able to fully protect your safety, and it would not be surprising if something unexpected happened."

Lu Xingzhou smiled nonchalantly: "I am more than just an alchemist."

Ye Tinglan gave Lu Xingzhou a deep look. A few days ago, when he killed Ye Wufeng, he had just broken through to the fifth rank, and now the lower fifth rank was extremely stable, almost ready to break through to the middle fifth rank. And it's only been a few days?

Even someone as knowledgeable as Ye Tinglan had never seen such efficient cultivation. It must be due to the practice of taking pills, but Lu Xingzhou clearly did not take pills. His foundation was very solid. Where did this efficiency come from?

Lu Xingzhou was well aware of how he acquired his cultivation.

First, the energy reserves of the Water and Fire Legs gradually increase as the cultivation limit rises; second, the shameless result of the dual cultivation with Pei Chuyun, although the effect of that kind of dual cultivation is generally average, it still benefits both parties after a lot of times.

Otherwise, even if Pei Chuyun was burning up, she wouldn't have just had a tryst at the pond at noon and then gone for a wheelchair stroll along the tree-lined path in the evening...

Aside from the pleasant feeling of tasting the marrow, it's of course for spiritual practice.

…………

"The Pill Academy is about to conduct its first trial." In a secret chamber, Huo Qi, the eldest son of the Huo family, was asking Xuanqing Daoist in front of him, "Do you have confidence?"

Xuanqing Daoist looked somewhat defeated: "These past few days I've been studying Lu Xingzhou and his disciple's answer sheets and the pills they refined that day... I am indeed no match for them."

"Fool, the trial isn't about alchemy skills! It's about the ability to handle various special situations, finding opportunities like the Fire Seed, and maybe even other rare treasures! That's the Demon-Slaying Domain!" Huo Qi sneered, "If you were to ensure that Lu Xingzhou gains nothing in the trial, even if you yourself gain nothing, are you confident?"

Xuanqing Daoist's face twisted into a grimace: "I don't know how successful I am, but I like this mission."

Huo Qi glanced at him, somewhat amused.

Jealousy can distort a person beyond recognition; it is indeed true.

Xuanqing Daoist continued, "However, the Fifth Young Master's attempt to hire someone to kill Lu Xingzhou failed last time, and His Majesty was furious. Would the Young Master still dare to plot against him? Moreover, what about your father..."

“Of course I wouldn’t dare under normal circumstances,” Huo Qi said leisurely. “But the trial grounds are full of unexpected events, and whatever happens is none of our business. As for my father…”

He paused, then sneered, "They've finally abandoned their unrealistic fantasies."

From Huo Liancheng and Huo Xingyuan's perspective, there was still a possibility that Huo Shang would be recognized as a member of the clan. Coupled with Shen Tang's influence, they hesitated to go all the way. Only Huo Qi and his brothers had absolutely no desire for Huo Shang's return; the last time they hired someone to kill someone was something Huo Qi and Huo Jin did behind their elders' backs.

However, after one blow after another, the Huo family realized that Lu Xingzhou would not compromise. This time, it wasn't Huo Qi acting recklessly in private; the entire family had a consensus behind him.

Xuanqing Daoist said in a low voice, "Since this is your father's wish, then..."

Huo Qi knew what he wanted to ask: "Of course you won't be fighting alone. There will be others to cooperate. Making Lu Xingzhou gain nothing is just the minimum goal. If possible..."

He then made a chopping gesture.

Daoist Xuanqing took a deep breath. Murder during the Pill Academy trials—this was a serious political incident; just thinking about it made one's heart pound.

Huo Qi added, "There won't be any teachers or elders present during the trial. Even if there are, we'll take care of it. As for the rest, do you dare to do it?"

Xuanqing Daoist's originally handsome face was twisted into a terrifying grimace by jealousy: "Of course I dare."

(End of this chapter)