67: 64 chapters Trickery 67: 64 chapters Trickery When Chu Xisheng was practicing in the morning, he was once again the center of attention among his fellow disciples.
However, today’s situation was slightly different from the previous live combat assessment.
This time, even some of the male disciples from the Eastern Courtyard looked at him with malice and doubt in their eyes.
At the same time, Chu Xisheng noticed many female disciples secretly glancing at him.
There were even some bold girls who brazenly stared at him with fervent gazes.
And it wasn’t just the Eastern Courtyard; there were quite a few from the other southern, western, and northern courtyards as well.
Chu Xisheng suspected that the continuous fireworks bursting in his eyes were somehow related to these girls.
The many male disciples at Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy were somewhat skeptical of his great achievements, but these girls believed in him wholeheartedly and seemed to have developed feelings of admiration towards him.
Chu Xisheng was curious about what exactly Hu Kan and Hu Lai had told them.
But regardless of what they had said, those twenty taels of Demon Silver were well spent.
Chu Xisheng felt secretly pleased and planned to add a chicken leg for each of them later when he went to the cafeteria to eat.
The morning practice ended quickly, and as Chu Xisheng was eating, he could hear the surrounding chatter.
His hearing had been greatly enhanced the night before, so much that he could hear others talking even from a distance of twenty yards.
“Brother Chu in his white clothes, outshining the snow—”
The corners of Chu Xisheng’s lips lifted, forming a curve deep enough to hang a hanger on.
He looked at the clothes on his body and considered changing into a white robe, which would suit his physique better.
“He is aloof and solitary—”
Chu Xisheng’s expression became solemn, his hand on the saber, his demeanor cold and distant, strangers unwelcome.
“Brother Chu’s demeanor was ethereal and transcendent at that time, just like an exiled immortal—”
Chu Xisheng felt his body floating, as if he was about to fly.
So he went to the cafeteria’s grandma and took four chicken legs and two chicken wings, stuffing them generously into the bowls of the Hu brothers.
—He now ate for free at the cafeteria, so taking these items cost him nothing.
Nevertheless, Chu Xisheng still complained a bit to Hu Kan and Hu Lai.
The brothers spoke too candidly and directly, they shouldn’t have been so high-profile.
Chu Xisheng, already nearly floating, failed to notice that Lu Luanti and Chu Yunyun beside him had dark expressions the whole time.
After finishing his meal in the cafeteria, it was time for Ye Zhiqiu’s martial arts class.
Even in the academy, classes were needed.
The Eastern Courtyard’s eighty or so martial masters conducted three-hour lessons daily, teaching the essential points and tricks of the Ten External Skills.
Chu Xisheng, trained by Martial Arts Grandmaster Chu Yunyun, was indifferent toward these lessons.
However, he rarely missed Ye Zhiqiu’s martial arts class.
Ye Zhiqiu’s Sixth-Grade cultivation might not compare to Chu Yunyun’s in terms of martial arts achievements, but the views of others can indeed help one improve.
Sometimes, Ye Zhiqiu’s insights on the Chasing Wind Saber and Light Cloud Jump opened Chu Xisheng’s eyes to many things he didn’t understand previously.
Even Chu Yunyun occasionally nodded in approval.
Chu Yunyun’s martial arts were like clouds floating in the sky, elusive and hard to grasp or understand.
Ye Zhiqiu, on the other hand, was like a mountain on the ground, visible and tangible.
However, after class ended that day, Ye Zhiqiu approached with a stern face and suddenly pulled Chu Xisheng by the ear, dragging him into the back hall.
“What are you thinking?
Do you enjoy showing off so much that you even spent money to have the Hu brothers boast about you?
Wasn’t the last lesson enough?”
Last time, she had spared him a lesson out of consideration for his first place in the live combat assessment.
Yet this guy had intensified his antics.
Ye Zhiqiu crossed her arms, squinted her eyes, and examined Chu Xisheng sternly from head to toe.
She decided that if he couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation today, she would definitely beat him until he looked like a pig’s head!
Even if his demeanor remarkably resembled that of her younger brother, she would not hold back.
It was precisely because of this that she should use her fists to bring him back to the righteous path.
Chu Xisheng’s heart had already sounded the alarm, sensing danger.
However, regarding this matter, Chu Xisheng had already prepared his defense.
With a grave expression, he clasped his hands together, “Instructor, the reason why I used the Hu brothers to spread my reputation was not to show off or seek vain glory but to secure an early seat on the Qingyun List.
I have heard that the Formless Divine Sect, besides considering talent for recruiting Outer Disciples, also takes into account the rankings of the Qingyun List from various counties and the reputations of the disciples?”
Ye Zhiqiu’s expression slightly faltered, “It is true that the Formless Divine Sect has this rule.
She originally wanted to say that Chu Xisheng was considering these aspects far too early.
But then Ye Zhiqiu thought, weren’t those ambitious to join the Formless Divine Sect, those who wished to achieve something in martial arts, all strategically planning from an early stage?
Many talents had already become famous early on, drawing the attention of various sects.
Compared to them, Chu Xisheng was actually not out of line—
Should one be like herself, who despite decent talent, only mixed into the Formless Divine Sect at twenty-two, thus wasting a great deal of time?
“Instructor!” Chu Xisheng earnestly said, “Our siblings are in poor health, and only the advanced cultivation techniques of the Formless Divine Sect can cure the chronic illness in my body and prolong my life.
Unfortunately, my talent is mediocre, and the hope of entering the Formless Divine Sect is slim.
After much thought, besides diligently practicing, I must also work on building my reputation.
Acquiring more reputation might give me a greater chance of success.”
Ye Zhiqiu’s anger subsided significantly.
She snorted once and loosened her fist, “That does make some sense.
Fine, I won’t bother you about this, but you should also take it easy.
Know that moderation is key, especially now when there are undercurrents stirring within Xiushui City.
Did you know that last night, the Long Family’s warehouse was burned down by a gang of vicious thieves?
And those Blood Wind Thieves have returned to Xiushui City.”
Chu Xisheng had initially not taken it seriously.
The violent incident at the Long Family’s warehouse was precisely framed on the Blood Wind Thieves by him.
But then, he heard Ye Zhiqiu continue in an unhurried tone, “Just a day ago, someone near White Sand Town downstream saw Li Daogui.
He led a group of men and robbed two merchant ships.”
Chu Xisheng’s mind tensed slightly—had the Blood Wind Thieves really returned?
White Sand Town was less than seventy miles from both Xiushui City and the Ancient Market.
“Moreover, within the last fifteen days, at least five groups of people have infiltrated the Martial Arts Academy to investigate, and two of these groups even broke into the Library.”
Seeing Chu Xisheng’s shocked expression, Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help but sneer, “The Sword Inspection Envoy, Mr.
Ye, and Master Lei, the three of them, have already fought those people no less than seven times.
The reason no word has spread is that the academy has controlled the situation quietly, keeping it secret.
So right now, being too conspicuous is really not beneficial.”
Chu Xisheng felt helpless and secretly troubled.
How could he not know that the nail that sticks out gets hammered first?
If possible, he too desired to quietly develop and accumulate strength.
The issue was this system dad—it just works this way.
The more famous you are, the more benefits you get, no staying low—
Mentioning the Library made Chu Xisheng remember that these new disciples hadn’t yet spent three full days in the Library.
The Martial Arts Academy had mentioned compensation, but there had been no news till now.
“Instructor, may I know when the Library will be open again?”
His Nourishing Essence Skill was progressing incredibly fast, and he could proceed to the next step of visualization in at most a month.
He had even cultivated the Chasing Wind Saber to the third layer.
Chu Xisheng was waiting for the Library to reopen so he could stay there for three full days, memorizing all the necessary visualization pictures and True Intent diagrams for his subsequent cultivation.
Yet, Ye Zhiqiu slightly shook her head, “Wait a bit longer, the books inside have been replenished, but the current situation is quite troublesome.
The Sword Inspection Envoy said he has a way to resolve the academy’s crisis, but it’s uncertain if it’s true or not.”
Chu Xisheng wasn’t really listening, only because he suddenly noticed a particularly large firework exploding in his field of vision.
His Martial Arts Points had jumped from 25 to 46 in one fell swoop.
Chu Xisheng was startled, puzzled about where these Martial Arts Points had come from.
Even more bizarre was that, after so many Martial Arts Points came in, there was no change in his reputation category, as if it were restricted by something.