I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 136 Using Public Funds for Dining and Drinking

"Teacher Ye, is it really okay for you to eat and take things like this?"

"What do you know? This is called social interaction."

"But, Master Ye, you only take in and don't give out."

"You're so good at talking, do you need me to sew your mouth shut?"

"No...no need."

Ye Qingzhou glared at him, and Leon immediately lowered his head and admitted defeat.

"Take it."

Ye Qingzhou handed the bottle filled with spiritual spring water to Leon, asking him to carry it.

"Why should I be the one to get it?"

"Haven't you heard the saying 'A disciple should serve his teacher when there's trouble'? You have no respect for your teacher whatsoever. Do you want me to teach you a lesson in how to be a decent human being?"

"Absolutely not!"

Leon quickly took the water bottle and held it in his hand.

He knew that Ye Qingzhou always liked to persuade people with virtue and believed in strange mottos such as "might makes right" and "whoever can beat you is virtuous".

I don't know which bastard taught Master Ye these twisted theories, he deserves to die!

Leon cursed incessantly in his mind.

Huang Liwen, who was daydreaming in class at Linjiang No. 1 Middle School, suddenly sneezed loudly. He rubbed his nose and looked puzzled: "Who's thinking about me?"

After a full day of sightseeing, Ye Qingzhou and his group only managed to visit five areas in a whirlwind fashion.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zeng Jixia suggested, "There are only three areas left, we can only wait until tomorrow. How about we go eat first?"

"Great! I've heard that Nanjing University's cafeterias receive government subsidies, so not only are there free meals, but they also feature some high-quality rare birds and animals and exotic flowers and fruits."

Many people in the group had expectant expressions on their faces, especially the young martial artist from a commoner background, who usually could only eat relatively cheap Iron Feather Chicken.

As for other rare and exotic ingredients, most of them have only been seen in books. In reality, they have no chance to even smell them, let alone eat them.

A short while later, Yuan Zhiyi handed out the temporary meal cards he had just processed: "There is no limit to the spending limit for each card. You can eat whatever you want, but you can't waste food. As for the Wu Canteen, you can only receive one serving at a time."

"Thank you, senior!"

Everyone happily accepted their meal cards and followed Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi into the second floor of Nanjing University's cafeteria. The wide variety of dishes was clearly much better than what they had at No. 1 High School.

"Wow, there are arrowhead ducks and dragon eye fish here!"

"Look over here! Those are Shield-skinned Boars and Golden-horned Bulls. I heard that the meat of these two exotic beasts is worth fifty or sixty thousand per kilogram!"

"Hiss, this fragrance, I only smelled it a few times, and I feel my cultivation level rising rapidly."

Many inexperienced martial arts newcomers were making a fuss over rare and precious ingredients, showing no restraint or composure whatsoever, unlike Ye Qingzhou, who remained remarkably calm.

"Senior Zeng, Senior Yuan, I'd like to order one of each."

Ye Qingzhou looked earnestly at Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi and made his request.

The two looked at each other speechlessly; reasoning with this was definitely not going to work! In the end, Zeng Jixia could only grit her teeth and look at Ye Qingzhou: "In principle, each person can only order one martial arts meal."

"I have a big appetite, so it's reasonable for me to eat several portions, right?"

Ye Qingzhou began to present the facts and reason with them. When he got to the point, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing two fists the size of clay pots, to show his two senior classmates his profound and dignified "virtue".

Seeing Ye Qingzhou's strong and powerful arms, and recalling his feat of destroying a force measuring instrument with a single punch, Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi were quickly convinced.

In the end, they went along with the suggestion and brought Ye Qingzhou a whole table full of dishes.

In this way, everyone is naturally happy.

At the dinner table, Leon looked at the several large bowls of food piled high in front of Ye Qingzhou, then glanced at the small plate of lunch in front of him, and felt resentful: "Teacher Ye, why do you have a whole table of dishes, while I only have one?"

"You can ask Senior Zeng and Senior Yuan for it. As long as you present the facts and reason with them, they will definitely listen."

"No, I'm afraid of getting beaten up."

Leon glanced at Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi, who were gritting their teeth, and decided that silence was golden, so as not to provoke them.

If the two senior students couldn't handle Ye Qingzhou, surely they could handle him?

Ignoring Leon's mournful expression, Ye Qingzhou picked up a piece of stir-fried beef with scallions with her chopsticks. Judging from the color, it was cooked perfectly, and the beef was very tender and delicious.

After smelling it, Ye Qingzhou felt refreshed: "It contains at least three rare immortal herbs to harmonize the medicinal power. Not only does it have a perfect color, aroma, and taste, but it can also nourish the body and blood after consumption. Not bad at all."

Then I started eating heartily. The beef, brimming with vitality, was not just delicious, but also gave me a sense of spiritual satisfaction.

If it weren't for the fact that vital energy is "toxic," this versatile energy would be truly perfect.

Ye Qingzhou ate with great relish. This table of dishes alone would have cost at least 200,000 yuan, not to mention that it was a meal paid for with public funds, so he didn't have to pay a single penny himself. Naturally, Ye Qingzhou was in a good mood and had a great appetite.

At the same time, Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi also received a call from the school: "What? The Changjun High School team is here too? Okay, we'll be right there."

The two had to say goodbye to Xu Lan: "Sorry, the Changjun High School team arrived a day early for some reason, and we need to go and greet them."

"Please go ahead."

The two then got up, hurriedly cleared their plates, and headed to the school's main gate.

After leaving the cafeteria and getting away from Ye Qingzhou, the great demon king, Yuan Zhiyi finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then became nervous again: "It is said that Changjun High School will also have a martial arts prodigy who is among the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Ranking coming to participate in the trial training this time."

"Yes, she's ranked even higher than Ye Qingzhou."

"Hiss~"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhiyi gasped in shock: "This kid is terrifying! Ye Qingzhou was already a monster enough, but I never expected there to be another expert like him."

Both of them had unwavering faith in the ranking of martial arts, after all, it was the authoritative institution in the martial arts world of the Eastern Pole Kingdom, and it couldn't be fake, could it?

呲~

The doors of the luxury bus opened, and Fang Liang, the teacher in charge of the team from Changjun Middle School, led twelve young martial arts novice students out in single file. Among them, two people stood out the most.

One of them was an old acquaintance of Ye Qingzhou, Liu Dingjian, the third young master of the Mingjian Group and the third runner-up of the sword fighting competition.

The other one, whose name is also familiar, is Qin Haoyu, the current sixth-ranked on the Hidden Dragon List and a rising martial arts prodigy who has emerged from Changjun High School.

He had a gentle and refined demeanor, and a tall and slender figure, resembling a learned scholar more than a powerful martial artist.

Yet this very same refined young man recently defeated Liu Dingjian, the former top student of Changjun High School, with an overwhelming advantage, and won the title of "Changjun's Strongest".

It's important to know that Changjun High School is the top-ranked school in Changsha, and its strength is universally acknowledged.

Therefore, Qin Haoyu's status as "Changjun's strongest" also means that he is "Xingcheng's strongest" among high school students. Looking across the country, there are few who can compare to him.

At this time, Fang Liang had also learned from Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi that Linjiang No.1 Middle School and Zhicheng Middle School had come to Yuelu Mountain for a visit and trial training.

Fang Liang was no stranger to the name "Ye Qingzhou".

He had previously tried to recruit Ye Qingzhou to Changjun High School as the director of the admissions office, but Fang Liang refused because Ye Qingzhou was asking for an exorbitant amount.

Now that the Hidden Dragon Ranking has been released, Ye Qingzhou is among the top ten.

It has to be said that Fang Liang felt some regret.

Given the conditions Ye Qingzhou offered at the time, poaching a champion from the Qinglan Sword Fighting Tournament would definitely not be worthwhile for Changjun.

However, making it into the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List is a different story.

"Unfortunately, it's too late to regret it now. That bastard Zhao Dezhu is definitely keeping a close watch on things now, and it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven to poach him again."

Although he felt a little regretful, Fang Liang's mood improved considerably when he looked at Qin Haoyu: "Fortunately, Changjun also has its own hidden talents. Qin Haoyu's ranking is still above Ye Qingzhou's. Sixth place is definitely stronger than seventh place. In this provincial competition, the advantage is in our hands."

Welcome to Nanjing University.

Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi first greeted Fang Liang, and then couldn't help but curiously look at Qin Haoyu.

After all, Qin Haoyu is now famous throughout the country. In their eyes, he is a ruthless person who ranks higher than Ye Qingzhou on the Hidden Dragon List, so they can't help but pay attention to him.

It happened to be lunchtime, and the group from Changjun High School was taken to the second floor of Nanjing University's cafeteria.

"Liu Dingjian! Over here! Over here!"

"Leon?"

Liu Dingjian recognized the man he had defeated in the sword fighting competition. After consulting with Fang Liang, he went over to greet him.

"Haha, our top four fencing champions have gathered once again."

Then Leon looked intently at Liu Dingjian: "I've gotten quite a bit stronger lately. How about we spar after we finish eating?"

In this year's Qinglan Sword Fighting Tournament, Ye Qingzhou came in first, Zhu Jinfeng came in second, Liu Dingjian came in third, and Lei Ang came in fourth, making it a true reunion of the top four.

Liu Dingjian was not one to back down from a fight, so he nodded and accepted Leon's challenge: "Okay."

However, in Liu Dingjian's heart, the opponent he most wanted to defeat was Ye Qingzhou.

Leon seemed to see through Liu Dingjian's thoughts and clicked his tongue, saying, "If you want to challenge Master Ye, you'd better not eat first, or you'll have to throw it all up later."

Liu Dingjian remained calm and composed upon hearing this.

Ye Qingzhou then asked Liu Dingjian about Qin Haoyu: "I heard that your Changjun High School also produced a promising young talent. Could you tell me about him?"

"..."

Liu Dingjian was speechless. What kind of person was he? Did he even spy on others so openly?

However, there was no need to conceal some ordinary information, so Liu Dingjian directly revealed what he could say: "Qin Haoyu was originally a disciple of the divine physician Zhang Shuhua and a member of the Jishi Medical Association, specializing in the field of medicine. His original role was support. However, after leaving Yanling Cave, his strength has improved by leaps and bounds, and he now possesses professional-level combat power."

"So, you lost to him?"

Ye Qingzhou pinched his chin and began to analyze.

Liu Dingjian clenched his fists, seething with anger: "When did I ever say I lost to Qin Haoyu?! Can you stop making things up?!"

As the saying goes, you shouldn't hit someone in the face.

If I weren't weaker than you, I'd make you understand why flowers are so red!

But no matter how indignant Liu Dingjian was about this, he could only keep it to himself.

After all, he was a noble person, someone who had transcended vulgar interests, and he wouldn't stoop to the level of an impudent person like Ye Qingzhou.

…………

The arrival of Changjun High School did not cause much of a stir.

Although we come from different cities and will be rivals in the upcoming Phoenix Cup, we are still decent people in private. We greet each other with smiles when we meet, and there is no need to make things tense or hostile because of the upcoming competition.

After all, competition is competition, and unity is unity; they should not be confused.

The next day, due to a shortage of manpower, Nanjing University simply arranged for all the students and teachers from Changjun High School, Zhicheng High School, and Linjiang No.1 High School to visit several areas of the Yuelu Mountain Secret Realm together.

The first place we visited was Yuelu Academy. As one of the oldest schools on Earth, the academy is located halfway up Yuelu Mountain and has a history of over a thousand years, earning it the reputation of a millennium-old academy.

The academy covers an area of ​​over 21,000 square meters, and its buildings include the main gate, the second gate, the lecture hall, the Banxue Study, the Jiaoxue Study, the Baiquan Pavilion, the Imperial Library, the Scripture Study, and the Confucian Temple. It is magnificent and has a proud spirit that reflects the literati's ambition to serve the world.

The rich vitality and the scholarly atmosphere of the academy created a subtle interaction between them.

The spiritual treasures left behind by ancient literati have now been transformed into paper figures with physical forms, pacing back and forth in the academy, reciting different timeless masterpieces, as if those popular verses have all come to life.

"Everyone be careful. These paper figures are called 'White Paper Scholars.' They are born with literary spirit, wielding books as swords and pens as knives. With each move, they recite a poem. Slaying them can help you refine your martial arts will."

"Such a good thing? I'll go first!"

Leon was eager to try. Last night after dinner, he wanted to have a showdown with Liu Dingjian, but Fang Liang stopped them from fighting, so he had to give up.

Now that he had excess energy with nowhere to vent, he heard that killing paper figures could refine one's martial will, and he was immediately tempted to be the first to try it.

Zeng Jixia didn't organize anything, but simply warned, "These paper figures are quite powerful, so be careful."

"A paper doll thinks he can beat me? Ridiculous!"

Leon drew his sword and stepped into the Yuelu Academy grounds, immediately feeling a sharp aura rushing towards him.

"Sparse shadows slant across the clear, shallow water; a subtle fragrance drifts in the twilight."

Four paper figures attacked together, uttering words as their swords flashed. From an unbelievable angle, they stabbed diagonally at Leon's vitals. Their sword moves were as cunning as the reflection of trees in water or the subtle fragrance of twilight.

The deception and the ambiguity make it truly impossible to guard against.

However, Leon's expression was extremely contemptuous in the face of his opponent's attack. He took a deep breath and clenched his left hand into a Five Thunder Seal.

The five elements originate from the internal organs: the lungs belong to metal, the liver to wood, the heart to fire, the kidneys to water, and the spleen to earth. When the five elements interact, vitality flourishes, and the power of thunder is born to destroy evil.

"The five elements generate thunder, extinguish it!"

Leon exhaled like thunder, his voice shaking the surrounding area. He unleashed the full power of his inner energy, annihilating all four paper figures that attacked him.

After all the paper figures were destroyed, a pure divine thought was injected into Leon's mind, which invigorated him and made his will seem much more condensed.

"Hahaha, I really am a peerless genius!"

"Congratulations, Leon, on passing the first hurdle. You can continue to explore further."

Leon laughed as he walked through the main gate and entered the second gate.

What followed were new paper figures and new poems.

The second gate is not difficult either. It's just that the number of paper figures has increased. As long as you can master one of the six techniques, you can pass.

The real challenge lies in the lecture hall.

This time, the novice scholar became a scholar with no formal education.

"The river and sky are one color, without a speck of dust; the bright moon hangs alone in the sky."

The Scholar of White Paper possesses professional-level combat skills. With each stroke of his brush, dazzling sword energy appears, like the night sky over the river, the flawless sword light transforming into the bright moon, slashing down from the sky.

Despite using all his strength, Leon was still stunned by the sharpness of the blade and could not move an inch. In the end, he was cleaved out of the academy by the blade.

"Damn, it's a mental martial art! This is cheating!"

The Scholar of the Blank Paper isn't particularly strong; at least if Leon fights seriously, he still has a chance.

The problem is that the opponent's moves are too damn shameless. They directly suppress your mind and control the field, and then while you can't move, they cleave you away with a single slash.

He wasn't seriously injured, but Leon really lost face.

"No, I want to try one more time."

Zeng Jixia quickly stepped forward to stop her: "Each person can only attempt the challenge once, unless you, Leon, get into Nanjing University in the future, then you won't be subject to this restriction."

Clearly, this is an effort to recruit students for Nanjing University, especially martial arts prodigies like Leon who have a strong background, ability, and talent—they are highly sought-after by the university leadership.

Of course, Nanjing University actually wanted to recruit promising talents like Ye Qingzhou, but it knew it couldn't compete with top universities, so it didn't bother with futile efforts.

"I'll give it a try."

Qin Haoyu's words immediately attracted everyone's attention.

After all, he was the sixth-ranked martial arts prodigy on the Hidden Dragon List, and many people were curious about what made him superior to Ye Qingzhou and why he was ranked ahead of Ye Qingzhou.

At the first gate, Qin Haoyu didn't even draw his sword from his waist before smashing the paper figure with his burning fists, successfully passing the test.

Afterwards, he passed through six major checkpoints: the Second Gate, the Lecture Hall, the Half-Study Hall, the Teaching Hall, the Hundred Springs Pavilion, and the Imperial Library. Finally, in front of the Scripture Hall, he was defeated by a paper figure of the Five Classics Doctor level with a single move, "The Great River Flows from Heaven."

"Seven levels passed in a row!"

"Another monster!"

Zeng Jixia and Yuan Zhiyi both looked shocked, because even the two of them had failed to reach the seventh level at Yuelu Academy.

In reality, they barely passed the fifth level of the teaching hall.

Because the entrance exam for Yuelu Academy tests the spirit and will of martial artists, and it's a test of spiritual cultivation; you can't just brute force your way through.

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(End of this chapter)