Free Web NovelChapter 1012: Chapter 640: 3 Months
Zhang Chen glanced at Hu Li the Immortal, did not refute his words, instead retracted his Celestial Measuring Ruler, turned around, and headed towards the door: "Let’s get moving quickly. Next, let’s wait for the great changes in Jinling City."
Seeing Zhang Chen walk away, Hu Li the Immortal pulled out the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Demon-Extinguishing Shuttle from his sleeve, played with it in his hand, and showed a silly grin: "What a treasure! What a treasure! Making one move and obtaining a Supreme Secret Treasure, it’s truly profitable. I really wish such things would happen more often!"
"But that kid’s treasure can actually lock space, even keeping the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Demon-Extinguishing Shuttle still, it’s indeed terrifying. I have no idea of its origin; I’ve never even heard of it. That kid is indeed mysterious." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon muttered to himself, an odd look filling his eyes: "That kid has too many tricks. His growth is just a matter of time. I mustn’t be his enemy, to avoid causing big trouble later."
After speaking, Hu Li the Immortal examined Zhang Gaoqiu up and down, then checked the Qi Mechanism on Zhang Gaoqiu: "Something’s not quite right! Isn’t there news saying this kid obtained the Secret Treasure allowing entry into the Spiritual World? Why can’t I sense that treasure’s aura?"
Hu Li the Immortal was puzzled in his heart, but since he couldn’t find the treasure’s source, he decided to temporarily give up his little calculations, transformed into a breeze, swept up the two, disappearing into the air, only to throw the two back into the First-class Building, then vanished without a trace.
As Zhang Chen left the teahouse, from a distance, he saw the chaos between the First-class Building, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he used an Escape Technique to vanish into the vast sea of people.
The next day, Zhang Chen arrived at the academy and saw the entire academy gathered in twos and threes, discussing the matter of Zhang Gaoqiu and the Little Princess’s fainting. This has already caused a huge commotion within the academy. Zhang Gaoqiu and the Little Princess were attacked last night at the First-class Building, their souls shaken, and speaking nonsense all night long.
"Hu Li the Immortal’s tiger roar contains Exorcism, Intimidation, and Soul Capture powers, which absolutely cannot be withstood by small figures like these two," Zhang Chen understood the reason behind the event.
Dragon from the Cloud, Tiger from the Wind. The tiger itself has the power to command the wind; its roar can intimidate all beasts and holds the power to capture souls. Its innate Divine Techniques can control Chong Ghosts, targeting the soul, showing that it naturally possesses the Superpower to manipulate souls.
In the following days, Zhang Chen’s life calmed down. Without Zhang Gaoqiu’s targeting and the Little Princess Chai Wenji’s scheming, Zhang Chen’s days were uncommonly comfortable.
The academy was not devoid of prodigies. Some had already received mysterious favor, mastering mysterious laws, sensing the mysterious birth sealed within the Exquisite Tower. Naturally, there was an indescribable bond waiting for Zhou Qiucheng to break the seal, to merge with the bizarre, becoming an Extraordinary existence.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and three months passed leisurely at the academy. Zhang Gaoqiu and the Little Princess Chai Wenji stayed in the academy, with Shen Ling taking care of Zhang Gaoqiu every step of the way. But as time passed, Shen Ling’s belly began to show.
And Zhang Chen?
Every day, besides cultivating and comprehending the laws of Heaven and Earth, he focused on refining the Eight Treasure Heart Protection Pill. However, his talent in Alchemy was ultimately lacking, making no progress at all.
In the courtyard
Zhang Chen sat cross-legged in front of the Alchemy Furnace, watching the wood burn beneath it, causing the flames to roar and making the Alchemy Furnace glow red like a branding iron.
Inside the Alchemy Furnace, the aroma of herbs spread, enveloping the entire courtyard. This taste, similar to medicinal soup, wasn’t unpleasant, but being in this environment long-term would make anyone feel faint.
Nobody knew how much time passed. Suddenly, Zhang Chen flicked his finger, gathering moisture in the void, forming water streams to extinguish the flame under the Alchemy Furnace. Then Zhang Chen controlled the water flow to form a large hand, opening the Alchemy Furnace’s lid, and as he looked at the ashes inside, his brows furrowed deeply.
"It’s challenging! I’ve been refining Elixirs for three months, yet why haven’t I managed to produce the Eight Treasure Heart-lock Pill?"
For the past three months, Zhang Chen had been refining Elixirs daily, mastering every step in the Alchemy process. Yet, he still couldn’t refine the Eight Treasure Heart-lock Pill, completely unable to find any pattern.
"Where exactly is the problem?" Zhang Chen asked the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon shook his head: "I’m clueless about Alchemy, so I can’t help you identify the issue."
Zhang Chen felt disappointed, jumped off the Alchemy Furnace, pondering each step of his Alchemy process, his mind flashing with various thoughts, contemplating every detail of his Alchemy process. After a long time, Zhang Chen’s gaze fell on the ashes of the flame under the Alchemy Furnace: "All my control steps are perfect; the only possible oversight might be the fire quality. Could it be that the fire’s quality is lacking?"
"That might be the only reason!" Zhang Chen eventually focused the issue on the fire.
"But I don’t have a Fire Control Technique. The only skill that could evolve into fire is the Sun Charcoal Fire. If it upgrades once more, evolving into a Tenth Tier skill, it might turn into the Sun True Flame. If I mastered the Sun True Flame, I might be able to refine the Eight Treasure Heart-lock Pill," Zhang Chen pondered to himself.
But his first priority now was to raise the Authority of Wood Element, seeking ways to increase his lifespan. Otherwise, even if he successfully refined the Eight Treasure Heart-lock Pill, what use would it be?
"I might have to endure for now!" Zhang Chen muttered to himself.
Then Zhang Chen entered the room, adding Yellow Spring Water to the Soul-Forming Lamp, and seeing a dozen more soul fragments in the lamp, Zhang Chen nodded with satisfaction, dropped Sun Liquid into the hive, and then left the room to head to the academy.
Walking through the bustling streets, Zhang Chen could clearly sense the faint, indescribable air of foreboding among the crowded throng.
The ground on the street still had bloodstains that had not yet dried.
Looking at the scattered drops that hadn’t dried on the ground, Zhang Chen’s eyes showed a hint of seriousness; it was all blood from the Shen family’s collateral branches. Those branches came from outside to Jinling City, and every one of them suffered severe injuries, bleeding along the long street.
"The situation in Jinling City has reached a critical juncture and could explode at any moment," Zhang Chen thought to himself.
All the way to Chongzheng Academy, upon entering the Exquisite Tower, Tushan Qing came forward mysteriously, whispering to Zhang Chen, "Have you heard? In three days, Yellow Heaven Dao will formally move against the Shen family."
"Is the news accurate?" Zhang Chen turned his head, his eyes full of seriousness.
"Of course it’s accurate! Currently, there are at least two hundred thousand direct and collateral members of the Shen family gathered in Jinling City, enough to satisfy the blood sacrifice," Tushan Qing said in a low voice. "People say that the experts of Yellow Heaven Dao are laying their plans, and the killing intent has already started to sweep in."
Upon hearing this, a cautious look appeared in Zhang Chen’s eyes. He remained silent, while Tushan Qing asked, "What should we do?"
"We can only act according to circumstances," Zhang Chen said.
"It would be ideal if the Shen family and Yellow Heaven Dao could fight to mutual destruction," Zhang Chen sighed lightly.
"It’s not that simple," Tushan Qing shook his head.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you a piece of news. These days, Zhang Gaoqiu and Chai Wenji are waking up for longer periods. From previously just a few breaths, they can stay awake for a quarter of an hour now. I estimate that soon, they will fully awaken," Tushan Qing reminded Zhang Chen.
"What would waking up do? These two have absolutely no impact on the overall situation," Zhang Chen said dismissively. "The struggle between the dean and Zhang Xiaohua is likely to end as the Shen family falls. The dean will return, and the two of them won’t be able to stir up any trouble."
"As long as you’re aware," Tushan Qing added, leaning closer, "Oh, and there’s a gossip item. Have you heard? Shen Ling’s belly is growing, she’s said to be pregnant, and it’s starting to show, no longer concealable."
"When Zhang Gaoqiu wakes up, we can enjoy the spectacle," Zhang Chen nodded, his voice filled with schadenfreude. "I am curious to see how he will face Shen Ling and Chai Wenji."
Hearing Zhang Chen’s words, Tushan Qing also let out a peculiar laugh, filled with a sense of schadenfreude: "I really hope they beat each other black and blue, with one or two casualties thrown in, so we can enjoy the show."
Zhang Chen was not as gossip-minded as Tushan Qing. He only wanted to quietly develop within the academy, avoiding any entanglements with outside matters.
After chatting a bit, Tushan Qing went off to socialize with other scholars, while Jiang Nan approached from the distance, coming to stand before Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen ignored Jiang Nan, continuing to gaze at the mural on the wall.
Jiang Nan stood behind Zhang Chen, her lips slightly moved, showing a hesitant expression before finally closing her mouth, turning away with a long, leisurely sigh, her cool voice lingering in the air, "I heard there’s going to be chaos in Jinling City, and the only safe place is Chongzheng Academy. You should stay within the academy and not return, to avoid getting involved in the turmoil."
Zhang Chen looked at Jiang Nan’s retreating figure, shaking his head in silence, thinking of her as a very contradictory person.
"But who in this world isn’t contradictory?" Zhang Chen sighed. "For a woman like Jiang Nan, relying on a ’thin membrane’ to bind someone, to entangle the rest of one’s life, is simply unrealistic."
"Interests first! Interests first indeed! She probably also heard the rumors about the Shen family. Who knows what choice she will make, whether she will continue to choose to marry Shen Qiu?" Zhang Chen thought to himself.
If she continues to choose to marry Shen Qiu, he might respect her a bit more, otherwise Zhang Chen really looks down on this woman.
No one likes a person who’s only driven by profit!
