Chapter 145: Renovating the Scholar's Residence

Qin Mu felt a slight tremor in his heart. The position of Imperial College Doctor was clearly designed to address the challenge of providing individualized education for geniuses. If Sacrificial Wine Bashan and the Young Grand Master could genuinely solve this issue, then they wouldn't need to rely on the Demonic Cult's power the next time the Daoist Son and Buddhist Son tried to block their way. This time, repelling the Daoist Son from the Dao Sect and the Buddhist Son from Great Thunderclap Temple had relied entirely on the Demonic Cult's strength. Qin Mu was the Young Cult Master of the Demonic Cult, and Si Yunxiang was most likely Granny Si, who had previously served as the Saintess and the Cult Master's wife. In essence, the Imperial College had suffered a complete and utter defeat.

Shen Wanyun listened to their back-and-forth conversation, feeling increasingly awkward. Each time he gathered the courage to voice his questions, he found himself hesitating. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Teacher Bashan, what do you mean by 'senior brother' and 'junior brother'?"

"Are you asking about that?"

Sacrificial Wine Bashan replied nonchalantly, "He and I share the same master. He's my junior martial brother, so you should address him as 'Martial Uncle'."

"Martial Uncle..."

Shen Wanyun fell silent. After a moment, he asked, "If my cultivation and strength surpass his, will I still need to call him Martial Uncle?"

Sacrificial Wine Bashan burst out laughing. "What are you even thinking? You're no match for him. His abilities are vastly superior to yours. Do you know what 'vastly superior' means? It means he's a chopstick length above you. 'Slightly superior' is like a hair's breadth; 'vastly superior' is dozens of times that, understand? And even if you could defeat him, which you can't, you'd still have to call him Martial Uncle."

Shen Wanyun let out a muffled grunt and mumbled, "How would you know without a fight..."

"Don't fight him; you'll lose."

Sacrificial Wine Bashan chuckled, "His skill level is comparable to that of the Daoist Son and Buddhist Son..."

Qin Mu tugged at his sleeve, and Sacrificial Wine Bashan promptly stopped talking. He was notoriously loud at the Imperial College, unable to keep secrets, always quick to blurt things out. Just moments ago, he had revealed the exact flaw in Qin Mu's cultivation technique, and now he had almost mentioned that Qin Mu had defeated Daoist Son Lin Xuan.

Sacrificial Wine Bashan looked at Qin Mu, then stood up. "The Grand Sacrificial Wine instructed me to keep you close, which also means for you to follow me. However, since you are my junior martial brother, there's no need to call me 'teacher' anymore. My teaching method is simple: we go out and gain experience together. But I cannot bring too many people when I travel; a large group attracts too much attention, and it's difficult for me to ensure everyone's safety. Last time, I only brought Shen Wanyun. Since I must bring you this time, I can only bring one more scholar."

Shen Wanyun's face lit up with anticipation.

Sacrificial Wine Bashan knew what he was thinking. He stood up and began walking out, shaking his head. "I'm not taking you this time. I need to select a few scholars who possess both talent and a strong foundation. They will study and cultivate alongside me to verify whether the Grand Sacrificial Wine's proposed Doctor position is practical. These individuals will serve as candidates for the Imperial College Doctor. Junior brother, go to the Heavenly Records Tower and select a few scriptures to bring along; I will teach you on our journey."

He left the courtyard, presumably to find those exceptionally talented scholars.

Qin Mu glanced at Shen Wanyun and smiled, "Nephew Shen..."

Shen Wanyun's expression darkened slightly. He stood up and declared, "As long as I haven't been defeated by you, I will not call you Martial Uncle!" With that, he walked out of Qin Mu's courtyard.

Qin Mu paid it no mind. He looked at the little fox and the green ox and instructed, "You two pack your bags; I'm going to the Heavenly Records Tower to select a few divine arts." The two of them were completely drunk, noisily squabbling about becoming sworn brothers, and Qin Mu wasn't sure if they had even heard him.

Qin Mu retrieved his book token and stepped out of the courtyard. Outside, several laborers were approaching, intending to repair his courtyard and gate. As he walked out of his courtyard and towards the Scholars' Quarter, he saw the doors of one residence after another swing open. Scholars emerged from their rooms, stood silently in the middle of the path, all facing him.

Qin Mu looked back and saw that the gates of the courtyards behind him had also opened, with more scholars emerging from their residences and standing in the center of the path. Most of these scholars were individuals he had previously defeated. Some had placed their sword cases upright beside their feet, while others had already strapped them to their backs. In addition to them, there were a few individuals he hadn't yet fought, including Qin Yu, who had taken the grand examination with him, and several other scions from influential families. Within the entire Scholars' Quarter, only about five or six people, such as Wei Yong and Si Yunxiang, had not emerged.

"Another fight?"

Qin Mu chuckled and stepped forward. A scholar behind him sneered, "Outcast, are you afraid to start from the back of the alley? Have you perhaps gotten scared?"

Qin Mu paused and looked back at the scholar who had spoken. It appeared to be the only scholar he had beaten three times. He had only defeated the other scholars twice, but this particular one was very talkative, constantly calling him an "outcast." Qin Mu had picked him up and used his face to write on the ground, then 'planted' him there—effectively beating him three times.

The scholar could barely conceal his excitement. "Outcast, your weakness has been revealed by Sacrificial Wine Bashan. This time, I'll make you lose from one end of the alley to the other!"

Qin Mu turned fully around and said earnestly, "Senior Brother, what is your name? That way, when I lose, I'll at least know who I lost to."

A slow smile spread across the scholar's face. "Allow me to inform you, my surname is Yan, and my given name is Qinghe."

Qin Mu stated solemnly, "I wish to be the first to be defeated by Senior Brother Yan. I kindly request Senior Brother Yan to not hold back your guidance."

Yan Qinghe was delighted and chuckled, "Though you claim to be from a desolate land, you do understand strategy. Very well, I won't make you lose too terribly. Draw your sword!"

Boom!

Qin Mu lifted his foot and stepped forward, his powerful body compressing the air before him into a tangible wall. The very next instant, this air wall burst apart. Qin Mu unleashed a devastating punch, his fist tearing through the air, sending a swirling cloud of white airflow scattering outwards.

"Why aren't you drawing your sword...?"

Yan Qinghe had no time to use qi to control his sword. He frantically raised both arms to block the punch with his forearms. He simply couldn't manifest his flying sword in time; if he tried to draw his sword now, he'd likely be punched to death before it even left its sheath!

Whoosh—

The sound of a heavy object slicing through the air reached the ears of the scholars behind Yan Qinghe, whose faces instantly paled. They quickly shifted to get out of the way as Yan Qinghe's body flew backward from Qin Mu's side, reaching the very end of the alley in a flash!

At the very end of the alley, Wei Yong was about to open his door when a dark blur suddenly shot past, followed by a resounding thud. A person was plastered against the alley wall directly in front of him, spreadeagled, his body deeply embedded in the masonry. The surrounding wall was heavily indented, and the cracked stones were covered in a web of fissures.

Wei Yong jumped in surprise. He quickly peered out, and catching sight of the scene in the Scholars' Quarter alley, he grinned widely. "Please don't misunderstand, Senior Brothers, I didn't see anything at all, and I won't breathe a word of this!" He was about to retreat into his room when a figure suddenly appeared behind him. Wei Yong hastily spun around, only to find Sacrificial Wine Bashan standing there.

"Don't say a word."

Sacrificial Wine Bashan whispered, "Let him fight."

Wei Yong felt bewildered and asked, "Sacrificial Wine, what exactly are you planning?"

Sacrificial Wine Bashan glanced at him. "I intend to select a few worthy scholars from the Scholars' Quarter and personally instruct them in divine arts and Dao methods."

Wei Yong was still somewhat puzzled. Sacrificial Wine Bashan, beaming triumphantly, explained, "I deliberately spoke loudly just now, revealing the flaw in Scholar Qin's shoulder to provoke these scholars and let them know his weakness. Once they know the flaw, they will undoubtedly attack Scholar Qin, and Scholar Qin will then defeat them. This way, I can gauge the strength of these scholars. Those who can only withstand one or two moves certainly won't suffice; they must be able to endure three to five moves from Scholar Qin to be worthy of my personal instruction."

Wei Yong exclaimed admiringly, "That's a brilliant idea! Sacrificial Wine, you are truly clever. By the way, Sacrificial Wine, what about me...?"

Sacrificial Wine Bashan looked him up and down. "How many moves can you withstand from Scholar Qin?" he asked.

Wei Yong's head started to ache. "Do I also have to go out and exchange moves with Scholar Qin?"

Sacrificial Wine Bashan offered a benevolent smile.

Wei Yong's scalp tingled with dread.

*Thump!*

A loud thud echoed from outside. Another scholar was slammed to the ground by Qin Mu's palm, shattering dozens of blue bricks beneath him! The laborers who were working on repairing Qin Mu's gate and wall also flinched in surprise, their brows furrowing with concern. An old laborer slowly said, "Young sirs, please try to be a little quieter. Don't make us repair this every single day."

Qin Mu bowed. "Thank you for your hard work," he said.

He lifted his foot and continued walking out of the alley. As he passed one particular scholar, the corner of that scholar's eye twitched, but he remained motionless. He kept moving forward. Just as one scholar was about to raise his hand and draw his sword, a thunderous boom erupted. The scholar was slammed directly into the ground by Qin Mu's palm, only his head remaining visible above the surface.

"Try to cause less damage!" the old laborer couldn't help but yell.

Qin Mu quickly turned around, offered a careful apology, and then continued on his way.

Another scholar couldn't resist attacking. A continuous series of *thwang* sounds, like vibrating bowstrings, filled the air. The scholar's body flew up and was pinned against the wall, while the powerful gusts of wind from Qin Mu's finger strikes blasted several holes into the masonry. The old laborer was about to erupt in anger, but Qin Mu quickly turned around and apologized once more.

Whoosh—

A scholar soared into the air, flailing his limbs as he descended, landing headfirst on a rooftop with half his body embedded inside the building.

*Boom!* A tremor shook the ground as yet another scholar was slammed into a wall by Qin Mu, becoming embedded within it. Upon witnessing this, the laborers could only sigh, no longer bothering to ask them to be gentler.

"My turn!"

Qin Mu suddenly felt a chilling gust of wind from behind and quickly turned around. Before him, dozens of sword lights, like agile dragons, swirled up and down, dancing around him.

"Wandering Sword Style?"

Qin Mu was surprised. There were truly very few scholars capable of refining the Wandering Sword Style to this level, especially those who could integrate dragon intent into their swords. Such profound mastery surely belonged to Qin Yu.

Qin Mu brought his fingers together, manifesting vital qi as a sword. His fingers danced, executing fundamental sword styles such as piercing, flicking, cloud, and sweeping, each strike dismantling the dragon-like sword lights. The luminous dragons dissipated, transforming into sharp swords that embedded themselves into the wall, buzzing faintly.

Qin Yu's sword case was already empty, and a look of panic flashed across his face. His movements, usually as agile as a dragon, were about to carry him backward, when Qin Mu repeatedly flicked his fingers. Five sharp, explosive *clang* sounds erupted, like thunder from a snapping finger, sending Qin Yu flying.

"Not bad at all," Qin Mu praised, speaking to Qin Yu. "I want to see the sword art of that young dragon."

The laborers who were repairing the wall witnessed Qin Mu's swordplay and burst into applause, praising, "That young man possesses the aura of a grandmaster!"