Shen Wanyun turned to look, seeing a young woman in azure attire arriving at Scholar's Hall.
She was dressed in practical combat attire, her elegant hair pinned up and secured with a silk net, with a small golden sword hairpin inserted through it. She had also traveled a great distance, having likely disembarked not long ago. Behind her followed a burly man, exceptionally tall—twice the height of an ordinary person—muscular and powerful, with formidable sinew and muscle.
This man carried the young woman's luggage, following her every step as they arrived at Scholar's Hall.
Yue Qinghong walked toward them with the burly man in tow, ignoring the scholars who came to greet them, her gaze fixed directly on Shen Wanyun as she approached.
When they were still about ten feet apart, Yue Qinghong stopped, and the burly man behind her also halted.
"Senior Brother." Yue Qinghong greeted with a bow.
Shen Wanyun returned the courtesy: "Junior Sister Yue. Where have you returned from after your training?"
Yue Qinghong smiled: "I've just returned from the battlefield of the Langjuxu Kingdom. I heard that Senior Brother also went to a battlefield for training?"
Shen Wanyun nodded: "Yes, I went to the battlefield of the Mandi Kingdom and fought the barbarian tribes several times. You've made considerable progress."
Yue Qinghong laughed: "So have you. I'm actually worried that I still can't beat you now. However, fortunately, I managed to subdue a wolf slave in the Langjuxu Kingdom. Wolf slave, come pay respects to Senior Brother!"
The burly man behind her set down his luggage with a thud, then suddenly reached out with his hand, grasping toward Shen Wanyun!
His aura was fierce like fire, and as his hand reached out, the air became incredibly dry, even filled with swirling sand and dust—giving the sensation of a vast desert under a scorching sun bearing down on them!
On the wolf slave's bare chest, dragon wolf patterns suddenly appeared, causing all the scholars to feel a chill. These dragon wolf patterns were actually a variant of the Green Dragon spirit body from the Four Great Spirit Bodies, known as the Dragon Wolf spirit body—the totem of the Langjuxu Kingdom!
Shen Wanyun remained composed, raising his palm to meet the wolf slave's large hand. With a thunderous boom, Shen Wanyun's clothes fluttered violently in the wind. The burly wolf slave's massive body also swayed slightly, and his gaze toward Shen Wanyun changed somewhat as he spoke with a slightly rolled tongue: "You are quite strong."
"As are you."
Shen Wanyun smiled: "Junior Sister Yue has managed to subdue a wolf slave, which truly shows how rapidly your strength has grown."
Suddenly, an ethereal voice laughed: "Senior Sister Yue, Senior Brother, you're praising each other again. When will you learn to be as humble and patient as I am?"
Another young man walked over, with a shaved head like a Buddhist monk in white robes, but notably without the burn marks on his crown.
"Junior Brother Yun Que." Shen Wanyun said politely.
This young monk appeared to practice the Buddhist path, but clearly did not have the temperament of a Buddhist monk—rather competitive and eager to test himself: "I went to the rebellious region of Li Jiang. The Li River Sword Sect was destroyed, and other sects there rebelled. I accompanied the army to suppress the rebellion. These past few days, I've had some insights, and I wish to ask for Senior Brother Shen and Senior Sister Yue's guidance."
Yue Qinghong's eyes flashed: "The three of us have been fighting since we entered the academy, and we've always been a step weaker than Senior Brother. That's why you've been our Senior Brother at Scholar's Hall. However, after our training experiences, I'm afraid Scholar's Hall will no longer have a Senior Brother, but a Senior Sister!"
Shen Wanyun replied calmly: "I've been killing barbarian tribes at the border, bringing a murderous aura with me. I fear that if I strike, I might cause death or injury. However, our Scholar's Hall has indeed welcomed a fierce individual—extremely formidable. Most of the scholars here have been beaten by him. If any of you can defeat him, I'll gladly hand over the position of Senior Brother to you!"
Yue Qinghong's eyes lit up: "You won't go back on your word?"
Shen Wanyun smiled: "When have I, Shen Wanyun, ever gone back on my word? This person is named Qin Mu. He wears brocade robes and is accompanied by a white fox, making him quite easy to recognize. I just saw him coming down the mountain, so he should be returning soon."
Yue Que hurriedly leaped away, laughing: "This Qin Mu—this humble monk will go and enlighten him. Senior Sister Yue, don't fight me for this. Let me enjoy being Senior Brother first!"
Yue Qinghong watched him leave, sneering: "This bald monk usually pretends to be a dignified monk, but he's actually the most impatient one. Even Senior Brother Shen finds him troublesome, so he's certainly not someone easy to deal with. Senior Sister Qu, have all of you been beaten by this Qin Mu?"
Senior Sister Qu and the others looked embarrassed.
Yue Qinghong's eyes flashed as she asked: "Could you tell me what moves this Qin Mu used?"
Her mind was meticulous as she questioned everyone about the techniques Qin Mu had used to defeat them. After a while, Yue Qinghong had formed her judgment: "He has used both spells and palm techniques, but not sword techniques. His swordsmanship likely isn't very advanced..."
Qu Ting quickly said: "Senior Sister, during the grand examination, he defeated Daoist Lingyun of Pure Yang Hall with a wooden sword."
"Defeated Daoist Lingyun?"
Yue Qinghong was surprised: "How many moves did it take?"
"One move!"
Yue Qinghong's heart trembled slightly: "Defeating Daoist Lingyun at the same cultivation level isn't that difficult—I could manage it too. But defeating him in one move is something I couldn't do. He defeats these junior brothers and sisters all with a single move, whether fists or spells. He's achieved mastery in three arts—could there be no weakness to exploit? No, there must be a weakness! When I went to the Langjuxu Kingdom battlefield, even those renowned elders had flaws, let alone a newly enrolled scholar. If Yun Que fights him, I can observe the truth!"
She set down her luggage and immediately left with the wolf slave.
Qin Mu led Hu Ling'er to a high-end restaurant in the capital, ordering a table of exquisite delicacies, and feasted heartily. Qin Mu was in a rare generous mood and ordered a pot of fine wine for Hu Ling'er, drinking two cups himself. The human and fox ate until their bellies were round.
Hu Ling'er, dazed and tipsy, floated in the air on demon wind, returning with Qin Mu to the Imperial Academy. The little fox, after getting drunk, became remarkably dignified—sitting motionless on the wind with her front legs stretched straight, staring unblinkingly ahead, only her fluffy belly had grown several sizes larger.
Qin Mu, who had only drunk a little, was unaffected and enjoyed the cultural scenery of the capital along the way. The capital was prosperous beyond compare, making one reluctant to leave.
The human and fox walked through the mountain gate. Qin Mu waved his hand in front of the little fox, but found that Hu Ling'er's eyes were still staring wide open, though a purring sound like a cat's snoring came from her throat. She had fallen asleep while drunk, yet this fox demon was still riding the demon wind forward.
Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He lifted the white fox from the demon wind and draped her around his neck. Hu Ling'er's body went limp, half-wrapping around his neck with her tail hanging down from his chest. She shifted twice to find a comfortable position and continued sleeping soundly.
"Can't hold your liquor, yet you still like to drink."
Qin Mu shook his head and walked up the mountain. Hu Ling'er slept in a daze, feeling very comfortable lying on Qin Mu's neck.
When they arrived at the cliff's edge, Qin Mu suddenly slowed his steps. Hu Ling'er felt as if needles had sprouted from Qin Mu's neck, pricking her uncomfortably. She quickly shifted to a different position, but the pricking sensation remained.
The little fox tried several positions but still felt uncomfortable, as if Qin Mu had turned into a large hedgehog. She squinted her drowsy eyes and extended a fluffy paw to pat the back of Qin Mu's neck. Finding no thorns, the pricking sensation was nonetheless very real.
"Could the young master be about to reveal his true form?"
The white fox was puzzled when Qin Mu suddenly stopped walking.
Hu Ling'er then noticed someone standing on the cliff—a Buddhist monk in white robes, his long garments fluttering, standing on the precipice and looking toward them.
"Qin Mu?" the white-robed monk asked.
Qin Mu nodded: "Yes. And you are?"
The white-robed monk held one palm before him, a gentle smile on his face with a profound Buddhist aura, his voice ethereal and containing the essence of dharma: "Your wild nature is difficult to tame. This humble monk has come especially to enlighten you and subdue your wild nature. Draw your weapons!"
Qin Mu was puzzled: "Senior Brother, you haven't yet told me your name."
The white-robed monk's face lit up with excitement, his earlier Buddhist demeanor vanishing instantly. He leaped from the cliff's peak, descending headfirst toward Qin Mu, laughing: "After I enlighten you, you'll naturally know my name!"
While still in midair, dragon roars and elephant trumpets suddenly resounded. Qin Mu looked up to see a magnificent display of Buddhist light in the sky—a great Buddha wrapped in dragons, riding a white elephant, pressing down toward him!
This was an illusion created by the white-robed monk's vital energy. His qi was remarkably abundant, surpassing other scholars—even when compared to Daoist Lingyun, he was not far behind!
This attack appeared to be a type of fist technique, infused with dharani. The true words targeted the soul, while the dragon-wrapping, elephant-riding fist technique attacked the physical body.
These two types of attacks combined to create the illusion of dragon roars and elephant trumpets with the dragon-wrapping, elephant-riding form—nearly approaching supernatural powers, demonstrating the white-robed monk's remarkable skill.
Qin Mu felt his spirit soar, unable to contain his excitement.
Finally, a worthy opponent!
Since arriving in the capital, he had only encountered scholars like Qu Ting. Even someone like Daoist Lingyun from the National Academy had been defeated by a single sword strike, making it difficult to have a proper fight.
This unnamed white-robed monk was clearly strong, igniting his fighting spirit.
Since stepping into the State of Yankang, he had been pretending to be a civilized person—a pretense that was truly exhausting. But in his bones, Qin Mu was still the God-abandoned outcast from the Great Ruins, a savage and untamed land. He was a descendant abandoned by the gods, a fierce man who dared to descend into rivers to slay dragons and ascend mountains to battle monstrous beasts with nothing but a blade!