Chapter 996: About Wuyou Village, Answers to Readers' Questions

"Grandmaster, my foot!" Yue Qinghong sneered, her foot on the Wolf Slave's shoulder. The Wolf Slave charged at Qin Mu, wielding two demon blades that spun rapidly. Yue Qinghong's body shuddered, and dozens of swords flew out of the sword casket on her back. She sneered, "When enemies meet on a narrow road, the brave one wins. On this narrow path, Wolf Slave and I together are invincible! Junior Brother Qin, your weakness is exposed; you'd better obediently go back to the Great Ruins!"

With one above and one below, the Wolf Slave's two demon blades swirled like a black wind towards Qin Mu. Behind Yue Qinghong, thirty-one swords pointed outward: one in front, then two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, forming a massive drilling sword formation. All the swords rotated, thrusting towards Qin Mu.

"Senior Sister Yue's sword art is not bad!" Qin Mu exclaimed with a smile. "But I have mastered Qi Silk Transformation; you are not my match!"

"Qi Silk Transformation?" Yue Qinghong was furious. "Are you trying to humiliate me?"

Qin Mu pointed, and hundreds of threads of vital qi burst from his fingertip, forming sharp swords linked end-to-end. This was also a drilling sword formation, but much thicker—like a sword-pillar the size of a water vat, with a sharp tip that widened progressively. It thrust directly towards the Wolf Slave!

The Wolf Slave's demon blades, like black light and black lightning, crisscrossed and clashed with Qin Mu's drilling sword formation. Sparks immediately flew in all directions within the alley. Despite his immense strength, the Wolf Slave's arms went numb from the impact, causing him to lose control of his two demon blades and leaving his guard wide open.

Yue Qinghong's heart jolted. Her drilling sword formation pierced towards Qin Mu's shoulder, attacking a vital point to force a counter and relieve the Wolf Slave's predicament.

Qin Mu chuckled softly, his fingertip flicking lightly, transforming into a 'picking sword' stance. The drilling sword formation that had been aimed at the Wolf Slave suddenly changed, its countless sword lights directly shifting into a 'coiling sword' formation, yet he was still executing the 'picking sword' move. He had perfectly fused the two sword techniques without any hindrance.

His countless vital qi threads coiled around Yue Qinghong's drilling sword formation. A continuous clanging rang out as the formation of flying swords was instantly shattered. In a flash, all thirty-one sharp swords were perforated by countless vital qi swords, turning them into tattered sieves full of tiny holes.

Yue Qinghong scoffed. The Wolf Slave, still at her feet, immediately dropped his blades and delivered a flying kick at Qin Mu. Qin Mu met it with his own kick, and with a thunderous crash, the Wolf Slave's tall body was sent flying backward. Yue Qinghong, still on the Wolf Slave's back, seized the opportunity to leap up, using her finger as a sword to strike at Qin Mu's shoulder.

Vital qi burst from her fingertip, transforming into a sword qi that was about to pierce Qin Mu's shoulder. Suddenly, a demonic sound rang out: "Mayas!"

Yue Qinghong's mind was greatly shaken, then lost control. As music played, her sword qi dissipated, and she began to giggle, singing and dancing before Qin Mu.

Being a master of profound cultivation, Yue Qinghong quickly recovered, immediately guarded her mind, and retreated. Then she felt a warmth on her back and inwardly cursed, "Oh no."

Boom. Qin Mu, with his back to hers, suddenly pushed backward with force, sending her crashing into the adjacent wall.

Behind that wall was Monk Yun Que's residence. Suddenly, the wall collapsed, and Monk Yun Que, radiating Buddhist light, sent Yue Qinghong, still embedded in the wall, flying. He laughed heartily, "Senior Sister Yue, let me handle this!"

Yue Qinghong, flying through the air, retorted angrily, "Monk, you're no match! You'll just get beaten!"

"I'm no match?" Monk Yun Que was enraged. His moves were fierce and domineering, like a dragon and elephant charging. He attacked Qin Mu, sending shattered stones flying from beneath his feet as his wild strength pulverized the green bricks.

"Senior Sister, don't say the monk can't do it; the monk *can* do it!" A deep, astonishing thud resonated from between the four palms where Qin Mu and Yun Que collided. Monk Yun Que laughed heartily, "You, Qin, didn't expect this, did you? I've refined the Imperial Preceptor's sword art into my palm strength! My Great Five Terraces Seal..."

He hadn't finished his sentence when he suddenly felt an overwhelming, mountain-crushing force bearing down. The power was incredibly violent, effortlessly crushing his vital qi and shattering his Great Five Terraces Seal.

Monk Yun Que grunted, stumbled backward, and unleashed his Dragon Elephant Demon Subduing Seal. With a deafening boom, Monk Yun Que's clothes flapped wildly, torn to shreds and fluttering like white butterflies in the air.

He was stark naked, with not a shred of clothing covering him, except for a tattered pair of white shorts.

Monk Yun Que saw Qin Mu launch another punch. This punch actually ripped through the air, unleashing a thunderous roar. The fist crackled with electricity like lightning, and as it struck, a round cloud of white mist erupted and expanded outwards from around it.

"Oh no..." This was the only thought left in his mind. He braced himself to take Qin Mu's punch, and indeed, his white shorts ripped apart as he had anticipated, scattering like white butterflies and leaving him completely bare.

Monk Yun Que was sent flying backward by the unparalleled force. Being a monk of profound cultivation after all, he immediately twisted his body in mid-air to face the wall.

*Splat*—He stuck to the wall, face-first, his backside exposed.

"Good thing I didn't stick to the wall backside first..." Monk Yun Que thought with relief, then happily passed out.

Qin Mu shook his clothes, dusting off the dirt. At that moment, a timid, trembling voice came from behind him: "Brother Qin..."

Qin Mu turned around to see Wei Yong walking hesitantly from the end of the alley, his legs still trembling, carrying a sword casket on his back.

"Brother Wei, what's wrong?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled.

Wei Yong opened his sword casket, his voice trembling with a hint of a whimper, "You're going against the natural order, and I must act on behalf of heaven to spar with you, to let you know the immensity of heaven and earth... No, that's too harsh; I don't dare say that..."

Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Brother Wei, you want to spar with me? It's common for fellow disciples to spar, especially since we've shared life-and-death experiences. How about this: we'll stop before either of us gets hurt."

Only then did Wei Yong relax. His flying swords unsheathed one by one, he composed himself and said, "Brother Qin, just don't beat me up like that monk."

His sword began to coil, demonstrating the 'coiling sword art' passed down by the Imperial Preceptor of Yan Kang. Since the Imperial Preceptor began lecturing on swordsmanship, many scholars had been practicing the three basic sword forms he taught, and it was clear that Wei Yong had gained considerable insight.

None of the Imperial College scholars were foolish; they all grasped some of the profound mysteries to varying degrees. Although Wei Yong was a bit plump, his comprehension and aptitude were not low, and his understanding of the three sword forms was quite deep.

His family background in scholarship was profound, and his inherent strength was considerable, not inferior to Qin Yu. Qin Mu also wanted to see his capabilities, so he didn't brutally attack him like he had Qin Yu. Instead, he engaged him with the same 'coiling sword art'.

Their swords intertwined, each varying their techniques, showcasing the exquisite sword arts they had comprehended. The scholars nearby, seeing this, disregarded their injuries and watched intently, their gazes fixed on the duo's swordsmanship.

Wei Yong's swordsmanship was already exceptional. He hailed from the Wei family of Jiangling, which boasted a great master: the current First-Rank official, Duke Wei.

Duke Wei was a cult master-level figure, with brilliant military achievements. He once annihilated a nation in a single battle, destroying the Tianyu Kingdom in the northern frontier, and integrated the entire Tianyu Kingdom into Yan Kang's territory, thus being enfeoffed as a duke.

Wei Yong's status within the Wei family was not high, but he had diligently studied since childhood. The Wei family's scholarship was profound, and his skills were outstanding among the Wei family's descendants, placing him among the top.

Yet with the same coiling sword art, Qin Mu's sword techniques exhibited even more variations. It wasn't merely pure swordsmanship; it also intertwined the profound mysteries of fist arts.

Qin Mu's engagement with him was more like a senior brother teaching a junior, guiding Wei Yong to comprehend the profound intricacies of swordsmanship. Once Wei Yong had grasped enough, Qin Mu would shift to the next move.

Not long after, the two had exchanged three moves. Wei Yong breathed a sigh of relief, his confidence greatly boosted. He chuckled, "Brother Qin, you can go all out now. I want to see how big the gap between us still is!"

Qin Mu smiled faintly, then suddenly changed his move. As his sword pierced, he simultaneously unleashed "Sunlight Refines the Yang Soul in the Air," which instantly startled Wei Yong's spirit, making him hastily compose himself.

Qin Mu then countered with "Heavenly Demon Freedom Seal," causing Wei Yong's soul to immediately lose control, and Qin Mu's sword laid him flat on the ground.

Qin Mu dispelled his vital qi, helped him up, and smiled, "Brother Wei, apologies."

Wei Yong got to his feet and looked around. Half of the scholars at the Scholar's Residence had been defeated, and the other half dared not step forward. He chuckled, "Compared to the others, my situation is quite good. By the way, I just heard someone say you have a weakness in your shoulder. Why is it that even knowing your weakness, no one can harm you?"

"Knowing a weakness is one thing; being able to exploit it is another," Qin Mu replied. "If it were a confrontation between opponents of the same realm, only two or three people in the entire Imperial College, including the Directorate of Education, would be able to find an opportunity to hit my weakness."

Wei Yong gasped.

Qin Mu looked around and saw that the Scholar's Residence was once again a scene of devastation. The attendants glared at him angrily.

He quickly apologized to the attendants, then said, "Brother Wei, I still need to go to the Heavenly Records Tower. Senior Brothers and Sisters, I can't stay with you any longer. Farewell." With that, he walked out.

Within the Scholar's Residence, no one dared to stop him again.

Yue Qinghong rose from the rubble, watched Qin Mu leave the Scholar's Residence, and sighed softly, "He is truly the Senior Brother of our Scholar's Residence..."

*Crash*. A wall suddenly collapsed, filling the air with dust. Amidst the dust, Monk Yun Que sprinted away, one hand guarding his front, the other his rear, running back to his courtyard, rushing into the main hall, and slamming the door shut.

Many scholars wanted to laugh but dared not. A moment later, Monk Yun Que's voice drifted out: "Um, Senior Brothers outside, this poor monk has no spare clothes left. The only set I had was taken by a fox who refuses to return it. Does anyone have a spare piece of clothing they could send to this poor monk? I would be eternally grateful."

Wei Yong chuckled, "Senior Brother Yun, please wait a moment. I have a few spare sets of clothes, though they might be a bit loose."

Yun Que replied, "No matter; for a monk, clothes are but external possessions."

Sacrificial Wine Bashan walked out of Wei Yong's room, secretly calculating in his mind: "Wan Yun is one, Junior Brother Qin is another, and then there's Qin Yu from the Qin family; the little fatty is also quite good. Yue Qinghong and Yun Que are also skilled individuals. That makes six potential Imperial College Doctors. Guiding their cultivation should be no problem for me. However, besides the Scholar's Residence, there are also scholars of the Five Luminaries realm in the Imperial Prince's Garden. I can't show favoritism; I must select a few scholars from the Imperial Prince's Garden too, lest the Emperor make things difficult for me."

He chose to instruct only those scholars who had not yet reached the Six Directions realm. If they had reached the Six Directions realm, they would be divine abilities practitioners, and their paths would already be largely fixed, making it impossible to teach them according to their individual aptitudes.

***

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