Chapter 524: Little Yujing Seeks the Dao

Two days later, Ling Yuxiu returned to the capital, awaiting the Emperor's arrangements. She accompanied Qin Mu to Tian Sheng Academy before heading back to the city.

Tian Sheng Academy was Granny Si's mountain villa. After the battle with Xing Han, Granny Si, Mute, Blind, Apothecary, and others had been living there. The Emperor intended to establish four grand academies as the highest institutions of learning outside of the Imperial College. The Hall Masters, Protectors, and Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Saint Church within the court lobbied strenuously, leading to the creation of Tian Sheng Academy, which Qin Mu then had built at this very location.

Currently, many members of the Heavenly Saint Church held positions in the imperial court, from the Imperial Preceptor and Duke Weiguo down to local yamen runners. Therefore, Qin Mu didn't need to personally contend for anything; others would fight for him.

Granny Si, Mute, and Blind had also become National Directors of Tian Sheng Academy, occasionally giving lectures. Other National Directors were often Hall Masters of the Heavenly Saint Church.

When Qin Mu arrived at Tian Sheng Academy, classes were in session. No one was visible in the academy; only a group of dragon jiaos were frolicking in the lake. Upon seeing Qin Mu, they first paused, then surged onto the shore.

Sensing trouble, Qin Mu immediately turned and ran. "Weren't these dragon jiaos taken by Saintess Xiang to be raised on Saintly Arrival Mountain? How did they end up at Tian Sheng Academy?"

"Maha! Maha! Maha!"

A group of dragon jiaos joyfully rushed past Dragon Qilin and the chest. Moments later, Qin Mu was apprehended. He walked back, burdened by exhaustion, with over a dozen dragon jiaos clinging to him. Their heads nuzzled his body, and their horns left streaks of blood on his neck.

"Maha..." The small jiaos clung to him, their eyes half-closed, appearing drowsy.

Qin Mu was dripping wet, as if he'd just been pulled from the water.

Dragon Qilin let out a long sigh of relief. Suddenly, the dragon jiaos on Qin Mu all looked up at him. Dragon Qilin immediately knew something was wrong and bolted.

"Maha! Maha! Maha!"

A group of dragon jiaos joyfully rushed past the chest. Moments later, Qin Mu and the chest watched Dragon Qilin crawl with immense difficulty, his neck, body, and limbs completely ensnared by dragon jiaos.

"Maha." The dragon jiaos rubbed against Dragon Qilin, leaving the large, corpulent creature bloody.

"Maha?" A group of dragon jiaos tilted their heads, curiously looking at the chest.

The chest, walking on its legs behind Qin Mu, now realized the danger and quickly took off running.

The dragon jiaos slid off Dragon Qilin, leaping and bounding towards the chest, excitedly calling out, "Maha! Maha! Maha!"

Dragon Qilin sighed in relief and collapsed onto the ground. A moment later, the chest came scampering back. Dragon Qilin and Qin Mu stared wide-eyed, but there wasn't a single dragon jiao on the chest.

"Maha—" The chest opened, and over a dozen dragon heads popped out, all calling out in unison, clearly delighted.

The sight was quite like a box of various colored daffodils sprouting heads.

The chest seemed quite pleased, following them as if it didn't feel the weight of the dragon jiaos at all.

"Mu'er, you're back?"

The class bell rang, and Granny Si emerged from a teaching hall. Seeing Qin Mu, she hurried over, smiling, "It's been a while since I've seen you! You, the Grand Libationer, are quite the hands-off manager, leaving these scholars here and disappearing, making us look after them..."

Qin Mu hugged her tightly, tears flowing involuntarily. "Granny!"

Granny Si paused, then smiled, "Did someone upset you? How can the Grand Cult Master cry? You're still the Grand Libationer of Tian Sheng Academy; stop crying, it's not good for the scholars to see. Tell Granny, and Granny will make things right for you."

Qin Mu felt his heart settle. He released her, shaking his head. "What's with these dragon jiaos? Weren't they sent to Saintly Arrival Mountain?"

"Girl Xiang did send them to Saintly Arrival Mountain initially, but she later found them too expensive," Granny Si explained. "They needed to eat spiritual pills every day, and a variety of them at that, which was too costly. So, she sent them back."

Granny Si continued, "Girl Xiang is quite frugal; she keeps a very close eye on the Holy Cult's finances. But keeping them at the academy is good too. The scholars can practice refining spiritual pills with your Grandpa Apothecary, and the pills they make can be used to feed the jiaos. Plus, with these dragon jiaos, the academy's reputation grows. Scholars who come here to draw dragons, refine dragon-shaped spirit weapons, or cultivate dragon-shaped divine arts all need to use them. What happened to you? Who upset you? Cripple! Apothecary! Blind! All of you, come here! Mu'er has been bullied!"

The air boomed, and Cripple suddenly appeared beside Qin Mu, exclaiming in surprise, "Who dares to bully my Mu'er? Are they tired of living?"

"It's the First Ancestor Human Emperor, a true god," Qin Mu said. "Grandpa Cripple..."

Cripple shivered, turned, and started to walk away. Blind pulled him back, smiling, "Cripple, are you scared?"

"Of course I'm scared!" Cripple grumbled. "That scoundrel Xing Han wasn't even a true god, and he still gave us a tough time. The First Ancestor Human Emperor is a real true god. Aren't we just seeking death by provoking him?"

Apothecary walked over, pondering, "First Ancestor Human Emperor? A true god? Can poison deal with him?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "I want to defeat him honorably, defeat him at the same cultivation level, and preferably beat him to death."

Apothecary shivered, then shrugged. "My skills won't be of any use."

Cripple sighed. "I don't have that ability either. Where's Mute?"

"Mute ran off a few days ago," Butcher walked over, adjusting the clothes on his shoulders, his voice booming. "That fellow occasionally slips away, no one knows where he goes. Mu'er, how powerful is a true god?"

"He's stronger than me in every aspect. He runs faster than me, has more strength, his divine essence and flesh are one, his divine eyes surpass mine, his fists are incredibly powerful, and his dao arts and divine abilities are completely integrated with his physical body."

Qin Mu's expression dimmed. "He has already entered the Dao in every aspect. The only thing I surpass him in is magic power."

Blind frowned. "Stronger than my divine eyes?"

Qin Mu nodded gently.

Even the fearless Butcher now furrowed his brows. After a moment, he said, "My blade technique..."

"He easily broke it."

Deaf walked over. "What about your painting dao?"

"I didn't get a chance to use it."

"What about the Heavenly Saint Church's divine arts?" Granny Si asked.

Qin Mu shook his head. Everyone's brows furrowed deeply.

Cripple nervously asked, "Did you run away?"

"He caught up to me."

"Poison... never mind, never mind." Apothecary waved his hand. "I'm confident I can poison a god, but poisoning a true god with no weaknesses, I'm not so sure."

Qin Mu smiled. "You don't need to worry about my situation. I've been quietly thinking these past few days. Although he seems invincible, the fact that he fled for his life from the battlefield back then means there are still people stronger than him. He's not invincible. I'll definitely find a way to surpass him."

Granny Si smiled. "It's rare for you to return. Stay at the academy for a while; we'll help you figure something out."

Qin Mu nodded and went to put away his luggage.

Granny Si, Butcher, Blind, and the others gathered, watching his retreating figure. Butcher frowned. "This is the first time I've seen Mu'er completely lacking confidence. He wasn't like this before; he was always full of self-assurance, but now..." He shook his head.

Blind narrowed his eyes. "A true god, is he really that terrifying? Can he surpass my divine eyes? I find that hard to believe!"

"Let's put him through some rigorous training these next few days!" Deaf suddenly said. "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous. He is currently in a phase of both learning and reflection. Mu'er's confrontation with the First Ancestor Human Emperor is not just a clash of cultivation and power, but also a battle of dao hearts. If he can overcome this, it will be a tremendous boost to his dao heart's cultivation. If he can't, I fear his Overlord Body might become useless. These next few days, we must train him rigorously; we cannot let him be crippled!"

Everyone nodded.

After Qin Mu settled in, it was as if he had returned to Disabled Elderly Village. Butcher, Blind, Deaf, Cripple, and Granny Si would call him over periodically to spar with him, causing immense commotion in the academy.

Half of the scholars in the academy were from the Heavenly Saint Church, while the others came from various regions to study. These past few days had truly been eye-opening for them, as they witnessed the legendary abilities of the various National Directors.

A few days later, Granny Si and the others frowned deeply. Qin Mu was now hesitant and timid, afraid to make a move. He was often beaten severely by them. Occasionally, he would counterattack with extremely refined moves, but he would always pull back halfway through.

Butcher, in a rage, gave him a thorough beating, sternly demanding, "Why aren't you unleashing your moves?"

Qin Mu didn't fight back, shaking his head. "They're all wrong..."

"Even if they're wrong, you must unleash them!"

Granny Si quickly pulled Butcher away, angrily saying, "His state of mind isn't right, don't hit him anymore! What if you beat him into a fool?"

Deaf nodded. "He has accumulated too much in his head, thought too much. He's stuck in a rut he can't get out of. Hitting him like this won't achieve anything. Once he breaks free on his own, he will become a Grandmaster."

Butcher glared at them. "What if he can't break free?"

Everyone fell silent.

Granny Si said to Qin Mu, "Mu'er, you won't learn anything new here in the academy. You should go out and clear your mind."

Qin Mu nodded, packed his bags, and walked out of the academy in a daze.

Cripple followed him for a while, but seeing that Qin Mu was just wandering aimlessly and seemed fine, he felt relieved and returned to the academy.

One day, Qin Mu arrived at Surging River and sat on the bank. Suddenly, a voice came from behind him: "Qin!"

Qin Mu looked back to see a luxuriously dressed youth standing behind him, looking at him with a terrified expression, ready to flee at any moment.

"It's the Great Venerable," Qin Mu said, turning back to look at the river.

Ban Gongcuo, leaning on a cane with his other leg a deer's leg, had initially planned to bolt if Qin Mu moved to attack him. But seeing Qin Mu still sitting by the river, showing no intention of harming him, he grew bolder. He quietly approached, saying, "Cult Master Qin seems to have something on his mind. You and I are old acquaintances. Why don't you tell me what's troubling you? Perhaps I can solve your problem."

Qin Mu, bored, tossed pebbles into the river. "I'm trying to figure out how to defeat a true god at the same cultivation level. I can't find an answer. Great Venerable, can you teach me?"

Ban Gongcuo's eyes lit up. He slowly approached, chuckling, "So that's it. You must be very distressed right now, feeling useless, utterly devoid of interest in life? In that case, what's the point of living? Let me help you end it all, hehe..."

*Splash.*

The river surface parted, and the enormous head of Dragon-Herding Monarch rose high, like a mountain peak, its dragon whiskers swaying, hovering beside Ban Gongcuo.

Ban Gongcuo's body stiffened, his face turning pale. He quickly turned to leave, saying, "Apologies for the disturbance, farewell!" With that, he vanished in a flash.

Dragon-Herding Monarch watched him leave, shaking his head. "That kid is slipperier than an eel. My lord, I cannot solve your problem. Though I am a god, I don't have the ability to kill a true god."

Qin Mu sighed. On the mountain peak behind him, God Bai Xi impatiently flicked his tail. "I don't have that ability either! My lord, can we find a different mountain? This mountain is too small; my temple is only this high, it can't even fit my hooves!"

Qin Mu stood up, mounted Dragon Qilin, and left with the chest.

"Is Human Emperor Qin coming to my Little Jade Capital to break through his Five Qi?" Qingyou Mountain Man hurried over to greet him, smiling, "It's been a while since Little Jade Capital has had guests. The Five Qi Hall and other halls have long awaited Human Emperor's esteemed presence. Oh, by the way, there's something I haven't told Human Emperor Qin yet: a few months ago, the statue of your Human Emperor Hall's First Ancestor Human Emperor came to life and left Little Jade Capital. We don't know where he went."

Qin Mu's eye twitched. "I know about this. I've already met him."

Qingyou Mountain Man showed surprise. "You've met him? Then, are you aware that the statue of Saint Woodcutter also came to life and left Little Jade Capital?"