Chapter 384: Mo Hongyi Falls into the Cesspit

Chapter 367: Mo Hongyi Falls into a Septic Tank

“How did it go?” Master Dan Hongyun couldn't help but ask as he approached.

“It was a success…” Mu Yangfeng looked exhausted, but his eyes glowed with intense excitement, especially as he looked at President Liu not far away, filled with admiration. Only after truly refining pills with him did he realize the depth of President Liu’s understanding of alchemy. It was certainly not something that could be achieved merely by understanding the properties of medicinal herbs.

Although they strictly followed the steps, several crises still arose midway. It wasn’t that Mu Yangfeng made mistakes, but rather that his own strength was simply too low. While acceptable in Tianwu Kingdom, it was barely sufficient for refining Grade-4 pills. Refining pills required true qi to maintain the pill fire and control the temperature of the cauldron. Several times, due to the depletion of his true qi, he nearly collapsed. If not for the qi-replenishing pills he had refined over the years, which proved useful at critical moments, he might have collapsed from exhaustion on the spot.

Each time his true qi was insufficient and a crisis emerged, President Liu would provide guidance. The methods he used were inconceivable, yet they yielded the greatest results. Even when it seemed like control was about to be lost, he could forcefully recover the situation and create miracles. It was as if he could see the true conditions inside the pill furnace and knew exactly what to do to prevent an explosion. Mu Yangfeng truly wondered how someone his age could possess such profound knowledge and alchemy skills!

Just as Master Dan Hongyun had speculated, Mu Yangfeng had indeed learned a great deal through this pill refinement, experiencing significant growth in both knowledge and mental fortitude. It was foreseeable that, even without further guidance, refining early-stage or even mid-stage Grade-3 pills would only be a matter of time!

“It was a success?” Seeing Master Dan Mu’s worshipping gaze, Hongyun and Jiang Chen also looked at President Liu not far away, completely stunned. They hadn't expected him to truly create a miracle—an achievement so astonishing that it was hard to believe even when witnessed firsthand!

With the Cold Yin Pill successfully refined, there wasn’t much else to do. After resting for a while to regain some strength, Zhang Xuan began helping Mu Xueqing activate the residual medicinal power within her body. The medicinal fluid had already been prepared in advance by Master Dan Mu, and Mu Xueqing had also adjusted herself to her peak condition. Using silver needles, Zhang Xuan channeled his Heaven’s Path True Qi into her body.

Under the pure true qi, the accumulated medicinal power within Mu Xueqing’s body immediately flared up like gasoline ignited by a spark. A vast amount of energy surged along her meridians, circulating throughout her entire body. Crackling sounds erupted from her body like firecrackers, a series of crisp snaps as numerous acupoints burst open.

After observing for a while and knowing that the medicinal fluid would protect her from any danger, Zhang Xuan immediately bid farewell to Mu Yangfeng and left the guild. He found a deserted place, transformed back into Yang Xuan’s appearance, and headed back to the mansion. By the time he returned to the mansion, it was very late. Fortunately, Zhao Ya and the others hadn't gone to sleep. He handed the refined Cold Yin Pill to Zhao Ya, instructing her to take it as soon as possible. He also gave her the longsword that Master Beast Wang had gifted him at the Beast Hall. This sword was of a much higher grade than the one he had snapped, and it suited Zhao Ya well.

After handling all of this, Zhang Xuan finally felt utterly exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. To be honest, he had underestimated the difficulty of refining the Cold Yin Pill. If not for the Heaven’s Path Library constantly updating information and revealing the flaws in the refining process, the cauldron would have exploded long ago. Even so, the intense mental strain and excessive expenditure of energy left him pale and completely drained. It seemed he should do fewer things that were so far beyond his current level in the future; otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he died.

When he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. Feeling well-rested, Zhang Xuan once again felt full of energy. He asked and learned that Zhao Ya was still in secluded cultivation. After instructing Sun Qiang, he left the mansion and headed to Tianwu Academy. He hadn't checked on Lu Chong for two days and wasn't sure if he had been cultivating diligently. Now that he had free time, it was a good opportunity to go and see him.

“Teacher, you’re here…” Just as he arrived outside the classroom, Meng Tao rushed up to greet him.

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan asked, looking at him. Meng Tao was usually calm; he wouldn’t be waiting outside unless something was wrong.

“Teacher, Teacher Sun came looking for you early this morning and has been waiting for over an hour!” Meng Tao quickly said.

“Sun Cheng?” Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned. Isn’t that Mo Hongyi? Why is he looking for me now? Pushing the door open and entering the room, he indeed saw Mo Hongyi quietly sitting on a stool by the classroom, calmly drinking tea.

“You’re finally here. You’ve kept me waiting…” Seeing him enter, Mo Hongyi gave a wry smile. This guy was truly infuriating. To pass the 2-star Master Teacher examination, Mo Hongyi had practically lived in the classroom every day, not daring to leave, teaching at least four or five hours a day, painstakingly building trust with his students. Meanwhile, Zhang Xuan—or rather, Yang Xuan—would show up intermittently, barely half an hour a day, yet his students were utterly devoted to him and completely admired him! They even fought with “Master Zhang’s” students for his reputation… Truly, comparing people was enough to drive one mad! It was impossible not to be impressed.

“Let’s go inside and talk!” With students outside, it was inconvenient to speak freely, so Zhang Xuan gestured, and he and Mo Hongyi walked into the small room.

“I came to see you for two reasons!” After exchanging a few pleasantries, Mo Hongyi began, “First, the dean asked me to act as a go-between, to arrange for you to meet with Master Zhang, sit down for tea, and have a meal together, so that no conflict arises due from the student disputes!”

“Meet Master Zhang?” Zhang Xuan blinked, finding it both funny and frustrating. “I definitely can’t agree to that…” Arrange a meeting between himself and himself? And have tea and a meal? How would that even work? If he actually agreed, his disguise would immediately be exposed.

“Who told you to be so high-profile…” Seeing the person who had broken many of his records finally put in a difficult spot, Mo Hongyi laughed. “You said you’d pretend to be an ordinary teacher, but then you became the President of the Physician Guild, and your students are even insisting on competing with ‘Master Zhang’s’ students… Being so high-profile makes it hard not to attract attention! This current predicament, where you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, is entirely your own doing.”

“Alright, let’s not talk about that anymore. I knew you definitely wouldn’t agree. However, judging by the dean’s attitude, my persuasion won’t work; he will certainly come in person! At that point, even if you want to decline, it won’t be very convenient!” Mo Hongyi also shook his head, no longer dwelling on that issue. He said, “Let’s talk about the second matter. After these past few days, I think my students’ trust level is nearly forty, and I want to return to the Master Teacher Pavilion for examination to pass the assessment as soon as possible!”

“I see that your students also trust you greatly; their trust level has surely exceeded forty as well. Why don’t we go together? Once we pass, outsiders will know that Teacher Liu is Master Zhang, and you can shed this identity, avoid awkwardness, and also prevent your students from fighting amongst themselves!”

“Mm…” Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The condition given to them by the Master Teacher Pavilion was to gain a student trust level of over forty within ten days while in their disguised identities. This time frame was just a guideline; if they reached the requirement early, they could naturally return to the Master Teacher Pavilion to pass the final test. However, if they failed the test, their students would certainly learn their true identities, making it impossible to continue the disguise. The 2-star Master Teacher assessment would then be considered a failure. After these past few days of guidance, not to mention Mu Xueqing and Lu Chong, even Meng Tao and the others practically hung on his every word. This level of trust, even if it hadn't fully reached forty, was close enough to complete the assessment.

Seeing him agree, Mo Hongyi smiled. “Then it’s settled, we’ll go to the Master Teacher Pavilion together tomorrow morning!”

“Okay!” Zhang Xuan replied.

The matter wasn't complicated to discuss. After their talk, Mo Hongyi didn't linger, turning to leave and continue teaching his class, making his final push.

Returning to the classroom, Zhang Xuan guided Meng Tao and others in their cultivation for a while before asking, “Where’s Lu Chong? Why isn’t he here for class today?”

“He’s probably cultivating. I’ll go get him now…” Meng Tao replied, then turned and walked out. Lu Chong was a student of the academy, so he naturally lived in the student dormitories.

Knowing it would take some time to find him, Zhang Xuan wasn't in a hurry. He sat down, instructed everyone to continue cultivating according to his guidance, poured a cup of water, and picked up the teacup. As he raised the teacup, just as his lips touched it, his brow suddenly furrowed.

“Ground Dried Powder?” Although he hadn't taken the Poison Master examination, having studied all the books in the Poison Hall, he now possessed the abilities of a peak 2-star Poison Master. He hadn’t even touched the tea yet, but he already detected the virulent poison within it. Ground Dried Powder was a peak Grade-2 poison, effective even against peak Zongshi realm experts. While not fatal, it could cause complete loss of strength, severe vomiting, and diarrhea for a short period, leading to immense suffering.

Who would poison his teacup? And what were they trying to achieve? His brow furrowed, and just as he was about to ask who had touched his teaware, Meng Tao, who had just left, rushed back, his face filled with an odd mix of strangeness and panic.

“Teacher Liu, this is bad!”

“What’s wrong? Did something happen to Lu Chong?” Seeing Meng Tao’s expression, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up. He had told him to find Lu Chong, but now Meng Tao had this expression. Could it be that Lu Chong hadn't diligently followed his cultivation methods and had run into trouble? If he were to accidentally cause an incident with a student while in disguise—like causing them to suffer qi deviation or even die… Not only would he be unable to pass the 2-star Master Teacher examination, but he might also be disqualified from ever becoming a Master Teacher.

In the past, with the Heaven’s Path Library, whether he passed the Master Teacher examination or not wouldn’t have made much of a difference to him. But now, if he didn’t reach 9-star Master Teacher before thirty, his Innate Fetal Poison would activate. Not becoming a Master Teacher was certainly not an option! Even if there were other methods, he’d still need to find them… If he couldn’t find them, they were useless! Currently, this was the most reliable path. For others, this goal was simply too difficult, virtually impossible, but for him, as long as he cultivated diligently and quickly found the corresponding cultivation techniques and secret manuals, there was a very good chance of success.

“That shouldn’t be. He has my Heaven’s Path True Qi protecting his heart meridians, and he’s already endured the most difficult hurdle. It’s impossible for something to happen to him!” Before leaving, he had specifically checked; Lu Chong had a strand of his true qi within him, and he had even passed the most difficult initial hurdle, so his life was basically safe. How could a problem arise?

“It’s not Lu Chong!” Meng Tao shook his head, then a strange expression appeared on his face. “It’s Teacher Sun Cheng, he, he…”

“What happened to him?” Zhang Xuan looked over.

Meng Tao’s face was filled with embarrassment. “He… he fell into a septic tank…”