Myriad Immortals

"The hearts of parents are always full of love and concern."

Zhong Xuan walked out of the Zhang residence.

Three thousand taels of silver and three thousand books are enough to make a clean break.

"Our Lao Zhong never holds grudges."

Let's just assume that the second young master of the Zhang family is ignorant of the rules of the martial arts world.

"Zhang Lie has truly gone to great lengths for his son."

Zhong Xuan smiled and shook his head.

Zhang Lie's high regard for him was not entirely out of indulgence.

Who told him to be the only son in the Zhang family?

Of Zhang Lie's sons, only Zhang Linchun was truly talented. After all, if Zhang Linchun could pass the imperial examination, the Zhang family would have the potential to become powerful and wealthy.

Merchants alone cannot build a great family that has lasted for thousands of years, so it is not an exaggeration for the whole family to pave the way for Zhang Linchun.

Zhang Lie was extremely efficient.

Almost at the same time that Zhong Xuan returned to Xiahe Village, Pei Yong arrived at the Riverside Academy with three thousand taels of silver and seven or eight carriages.

Besides the silver, there was also the book collection that Zhang Lie had promised.

They didn't even go to the bookstore in the city to buy it; instead, they moved it directly from the Zhang family's library.

Such a grand display.

This naturally attracted many villagers.

When Xu Mao arrived, he saw the men in the village carrying stacks of books.

"Good boy/girl."

"That must be several thousand books, right?!"

Xu Mao prided himself on being a man who had seen the world.

It is unheard of for a village private school to have a collection of over a thousand books.

I only found out after asking around.

It was donated by the Zhang family patriarch from the city.

I had heard before that some wealthy families with a taste for elegance would donate books and silver to the academy, and Zhang Lie had donated a lot of silver to the county and prefectural schools over the years.

However, Xiahe Village has no connection with Zhang Lie, so such generosity could only be due to Zhong Xuan alone.

"To be old and not die is truly to be a demon."

Xu Mao was amazed.

Zhong Xuan now truly possesses extraordinary influence and connections.

Even a great figure like Zhang Lie valued Zhong Xuan so much that a village academy one day received the same treatment as a county school.

Nothing!

For a full half hour.

Three thousand books were finally moved into the library.

The air is filled with the rich scent of books.

Zhong Xuan's lips curled up slightly: "It's finally starting to look like a library."

......

......

Time flies.

Before we knew it, the year was drawing to a close.

Zhong Xuan was practicing his martial arts inside when he heard the sounds of children playing in Xiahe Village, accompanied by the crackling of firecrackers, adding a touch of lively activity to the chilly morning.

"It's almost time."

Zhong Xuan put on a thick coat, turned around, and mounted his brown horse.

"Ce!"

With a squeeze of the legs against the horse's flanks, a rapid thumping sound rang out.

They weren't there to buy New Year's goods; in less than half an incense stick's time, they arrived at the entrance of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School in the center of White Sand City.

Upon seeing that it was Zhong Xuan, the gatekeeper apprentice hurriedly and respectfully took the reins and led the brown horse to the martial arts school's stable.

"Mr. Chung."

along the way.

The disciples at the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School all bowed in greeting.

Although Zhong Xuan is no longer an instructor at the martial arts school, and has even separated from the school according to the rules, it is obvious to everyone that his status has actually risen significantly compared to before. Several vice masters of the martial arts school are quite dissatisfied with this.

Zhong Xuan gave a faint "hmm" and soon arrived at Zheng Yue's shop.

"Junior brother, you're here."

Zheng Yue greeted Zhong Xuan with a smile, "Can't wait, can you?"

talking.

He then took a longsword from its sheath from the counter.

"It's finished forging, take a look."

Zhong Xuan hadn't even grasped the sword yet, and Chapter 72 of the high-energy chapter, "Another Year Has Passed [Second Update]," was already updated! Read it now: Just looking at the scabbard was enough to make one secretly gasp.

The scabbard is made of tanned red-tailed wolf skin, and you can smell its wild and ferocious aura from three feet away.

Generous!

I was amazed.

Their hands moved just as quickly.

"Clang—!"

Zhong Xuan gently pushed the hilt of the sword with his thumb, and a cold light flashed as he smoothly drew the longsword out completely.

This sword is three feet and seven inches long. It is not the silvery white of ordinary fine steel, but a peculiar bone white color. It is deep and restrained, and its texture is neither gold nor jade, yet it contains the cold and hard luster of metal.

Along the spine of the sword, faint, natural, pale gold patterns can be seen, which at first glance resemble wolf eyes.

"It weighs at least twenty pounds."

Such a heavy sword would be difficult for an ordinary person to even wield, let alone use.

This was Zhong Xuan's deliberate request.

After breaking through the bone training, one must be heavy enough to fully unleash their strength.

"What a fine sword!"

Zhong Xuan shouted.

Zheng Yue, behind the counter, smiled and asked, "Satisfied?"

"Satisfied, of course I'm satisfied."

Zhong Xuan nodded, stroking the longsword with obvious affection.

Zheng Yue: "My little brother's hands were almost numb from hammering away in front of the furnace. It took him seven days and seven nights just to melt away the impurities in this demon bone. How could it not be good?"

"By the way, the wages are two hundred taels."

Zhong Xuan's pockets were now quite bulging, and he easily took out a silver note from his pocket.

"Here are three hundred taels. Consider the extra as money for your senior brother to buy cigarettes."

Zheng Yue laughed: "Junior brother certainly knows how to make money."

He had naturally heard that Zhang Lie had donated three thousand books and three thousand taels of silver to the Riverside Academy.

Zhong Xuan is the dean.

The money from the academy is essentially my own money.

They are even richer than him.

They are even richer than him.

Zheng Yue unceremoniously stuffed the silver note into his pocket.

He's put in so much effort; it's time to reap the rewards.

Seeing that Zhong Xuan had already hung the sword at his waist, Zheng Yue smiled and said, "This sword can be used until you reach the peak of Bone Refinement. According to the rules of the martial world, you should give it a name."

"Should we name it?"

Zhong Xuan pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's call it... Ten Miles of Cold."

"When wolves howl for ten miles, all things feel cold."

"It's a good name."

Zheng Yue nodded: "The provincial examination is approaching. With the help of this Ten-Mile Cold Sword, who knows, a scholar might even emerge from the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School."

Zhong Xuan shook his head: "Becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examinations) is extremely difficult; it's just a matter of trying randomly."

It's not modesty.

The requirements for the martial arts examination are too high, and there are even many martial arts practitioners who have trained in physical strength. He has not been practicing martial arts for long enough, so it is impossible for him to take the examination next autumn.

As for Wenju.

His literary talent was only average; he could only rank in the middle in the provincial examination. In the provincial examination, where many talented people gathered, he would probably be even more mediocre. Only if he excelled in the two military examinations would he have a chance.

Zhong Xuan took the sword and discussed swordsmanship with Zheng Yue for a while.

Then he rode away from the Flying Eagle Martial Arts School.

Just as they were about to leave the city.

A commotion broke out on the street.

"The Sha Gang welcomes the Dragon King; all bystanders, please make way immediately."

He turned his head to look while riding on horseback.

Then they saw a group of shirtless, burly men slowly carrying a huge dragon king statue, huffing and puffing.

The scene was spectacular.

"It's time to worship the Dragon King again."

Zhong Xuan sighed.

But then, my mind went blank.

"A demonic aura?!"

Zhong Xuan frowned, staring intently at the Dragon King statue, his chest rising and falling as he subtly began practicing the Eagle Seven Breathing Technique.

This further confirms that the Dragon King statue of the Sand Gang is imbued with demonic energy.

He narrowed his eyes slightly:

"Is the Sand Gang really just performing a ritual to appease the Dragon King?"