Chapter 2185: Young And Promising

"Liu Que?" someone exclaimed, staring at the swordsman in disbelief.

Jin Wan also looked over in surprise. Liu Que? Was it really him?

Jin Chongshan was absolutely shocked. Could this really be Liu Que?

Liu Que was a youth from the Liu family that controlled the Sword Monument, and he was exceptionally arrogant. He constantly stayed near the Sword Monument, and he was one of the rare individuals who had free and unlimited access to the Sword Monument. Additionally, Liu Hao was the Liu family’s contemporary of the Junior Progenitors, though he was a bit younger. Thus, Liu Que was widely regarded by the Liu family as a monstrous genius on the same level as the Junior Progenitors themselves. He was the pride of the family.

Liu Que had never appeared in the outside world, which led to more and more rumors about him spreading, and they also grew increasingly exaggerated. The most famous story about Liu Que claimed that he had defeated Liu Lu, who was from the same generation as Liu Hao, with a single attack. Even if his cultivation was not comparable to Liu Hao’s, he was still old enough where he should not have been easily defeated by a junior, not to mention in one attack.

It was also said that Liu Que did not even need to use a sword, if he did not want to.

Many people speculated that the young man might have the strength to rival the four Junior Progenitors.

"What kind of instruction?" Lu Yin felt a bit puzzled.

Liu Que calmly stared at Lu Yin. "I will draw my sword, so please instruct me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man’s sword shot out of the scabbard on his back and floated in front of him. It looked like a very common sword, aside from a noticeable characteristic: this sword was notched, and the notch was even at where the sharp tip of the sword should be.

Lu Yin felt that he was quite proficient at swordsmanship. He had previously Possessed Liu Qianjue and learned the Thirteen Swords. Then, he had received an inheritance from the Sword Monument that allowed him to see through thousands of weapon techniques. Most recently, he had Possessed Liu Yijian, through whom Lu Yin had learned the sword techniques of the Liu family in the Perennial World. However, despite his abundant experience, Lu Yin had never encountered anything about someone using a notched sword.

Before Possessing Liu Yijian, Lu Yin also had not known anything at all about Liu Que, though given the complicated nature of Liu Yijian’s memories, Lu Yin had only learned a few details about the young swordsman.

"Why is your sword notched?" Lu Yin was curious.

Liu Que remained completely indifferent. "My name is Liu Que."1

Lu Yin arched a brow. Was that supposed to be an explanation?

In the distance, Jin Chongshan clenched a fist. While no one had ever seen Liu Que, the man’s reputation had already surpassed countless people from his generation. Only people like those monsters from the four ruling powers could compare to this young man, so Jin Chongshan was eager to see just how powerful Liu Que actually was.

Everyone was excited to see Liu Que's swordsmanship, and even Lu Yin was curious to see what sort of sword techniques would be employed by a sword without a tip.

"Excuse my rudeness." Liu Que clenched the hilt of his sword and slashed out, slicing through the void as the attack shot towards Lu Yin. Lu Yin was rather surprised. While he demonstrated rather impressive technique, this was clearly a probing attack, as it lacked any real drive behind it. This was nothing more than an attack intended to draw out a reaction from Lu Yin, as there was no real sharpness to this slash. There was also some hesitation, and it was because Liu Que was not entirely certain that Lu Yin had helped Lan Gui escape, and the swordsman did not want to harm an innocent.

Lu Yin shook his head. "Hesitation ruins your sword technique."

These words caused Liu Que’s eyes to light up. This really was the right person.

With that realization, Liu Que’s sword transformed as all of his hesitation instantly vanished. This attack was clearly the same as before, but it now gave people a completely different impression, as the intent behind the blade had changed.

Lu Yin silently nodded. This person’s mastery of the sword was extremely impressive. At the very least, Liu Que had surpassed Liu Shaoqiu’s expertise with the sword while at the same age. Liu Tianmu’s mastery of the Thirteen Swords was comparable to Liu Que’s, but there was no guarantee that this was the swordsman’s limits.

Unfortunately for Liu Que, Lu Yin was done wasting time. Regardless of how impressive Liu Que’s abilities might be, it was not enough to surprise Lu Yin.

The sword sliced through Lu Yin, but nothing seemed to happen. Lu Yin simply said, “Impressive,” but then his body disappeared. Liu Que had missed.

"So fast!" someone exclaimed.

"For sure! He actually dodged before the attack landed, and he left behind an afterimage that not even Liu Que realized was fake."

"Did he maybe just enter the true universe?"

Liu Que’s expression grew serious as he heard the onlookers comment on what had just happened, but the man had not used something as simple as speed to avoid the attack. Rather, he had locked down space. Just how was someone supposed to control something like space?

Jin Wan's expression turned ugly. He was lucky that he had not tried to make a move, as this person was actually able to control the power of space. This was an entirely different concept from simply being fast. Jin Wan would rather face an opponent whose speed was so impressive that he could not even see them move than face someone who could control the power of space. Anyone who could do that was someone who far, far surpassed Jin Wan’s level.

They were in the Virtue District, which was a place where talented people from every part of the Perennial World gathered.

The Purple-Gold family had a powerful obsession regarding the Virtue District, and this was because Virtue Archives had imprisoned both an Undying Bird and a Dark Undying Bird in order to create a place that was completely unique to Virtue Archives. The Purple-Gold family had spent countless years trying to get a family member into the higher ranks of Virtue Archives in order to save the Undying Bird, but all of their attempts had failed.

There were too many strange people in the Perennial World.

Liu Que sheathed his sword and turned to stare in a certain direction. Despite having no way of determining which direction his target had fled, given the fact that they were in the Virtue District, Virtue Archives was the most likely destination. Liu Que had intended to challenge people in Virtue Archives, but that was no longer necessary. Instead, it seemed like it would be worthwhile to actually join Virtue Archives himself.

"Third Uncle, where did that person go?" Jin Chongshan asked. The crowd of onlookers was already starting to disperse, and only a few people remained at the site where Lan Gui had faced his stellular tribulation. These people were searching for tribulation crystals, and they would leave the moment they found any such treasures.

Jin Wan softly answered, "I don't actually know, but in the Virtue District, people are either going to Virtue Archives or leaving that place. You might even run into him in the academy."

Jin Chongshan was not stupid. "If even you couldn’t see through him, then the man must be very powerful, Third Uncle."

Jin Wan finally turned to look at Jin Chongshan. "You were supposed to enter Virtue Archives on this trip, which should be easy enough for you. However, remember this: after getting into Virtue Archives, if you meet that person again, absolutely, no matter what, do not offend him."

Despite not being happy with how things had turned out, Jin Chongshan nodded. After all, their plan to kill Lan Gui and gather a bit of fame had been completely ruined. "I understand, Third Uncle. That’s not someone whom we can afford to cross."

"I’m glad that you understand. Even though you are much stronger than Feiyuan, he’s too arrogant and does not know how to hold back at all. He has a very limited view of things, and when he was defeated outside of Hope Restaurant, he responded with a sneak attack, which caused Shenwu’s Sky to look down on him. In the end, he was struck down by a single attack from Lu Xiaoxuan. While we hope for you to restore the Purple-Gold family’s reputation, the Perennial World has too many powerhouses, and our family can only survive by hiding in the cracks," Jin Wan explained with powerful emotions.

Jin Chongshan lowered his eyes. Jin Feiyuan was his older brother, and when Jin Feiyuan had been younger, he had been allowed free access to Shenwu's Sky. This had caused Jin Feiyuan to grow arrogant and feel superior to his peers. However, his entire personality had changed after the incident at Hope Restaurant, and he had been so devastated upon his return to the Purple-Gold family that everyone had eventually forgotten all about him.

Jin Chongshan had worked hard not only for his own sake, but also for Jin Feiyuan. His older brother had always treated Jin Chongshan very well, but unfortunately, Jin Chongshan had only been a child at the time of the incident. As such, he had been incapable of comforting his older brother. After so many years, Jin Chongshan hoped to be able to cheer his brother up through his actions.

News of what happened quickly spread through the Virtue District. Many people spoke about the incident over meals, and countless people speculated over Lu Yin's identity. After all, his face was just too handsome.

Lu Yin spent a few days wandering around Virtue Archives, and after three days, he went to the location to officially enter the academy.

The entirety of Virtue Archives was enveloped by a massive sourcebox array. It seemed somewhat similar to the Fifth Mainland’s hidden worlds, but even ordinary people were able to pass through this sourcebox array. After all, Virtue Archives was a place that welcomed people from any background.

Every cultivator started off as an ordinary human, and not all of Virtue Archives’ students were cultivators; even ordinary people were allowed entry.

Upon passing through the sourcebox array, one would officially enter Virtue Archives. Purple-gold flames blazed in the sky overhead, all originating from an Undying Bird. Some distance away were a few younger students, explaining something to a group that had just entered the sourcebox array.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

As Elder Qing Xing had said, Virtue Archives did not have a fixed period of time when new students were accepted. Instead, people could take the entrance exam whenever they wished. Similarly, people were allowed to graduate at any time, as long as they possessed the required abilities. There were no limits placed on the strength of the applicants, and even Envoys were welcomed as students.

After glancing around, Lu Yin walked over to the group of students. There was already a crowd of people gathered there, so Lu Yin’s arrival created quite a commotion.

"Wow, what a handsome junior brother!" A cute, petite girl stared at Lu Yin with sparkling eyes.

Many other people also looked at Lu Yin. There was no denying that Yu Hao’s face was beyond exceptional, and even men were forced to admit that Yu Hao was incredibly attractive. He had a face that was a critical weakness to many women.

This was in no way condescending to women, as it was no different from how many men were drawn to beautiful women. It was only natural that attractive people drew members of the opposite sex. It was simply that Yu Hao’s attractiveness was at a rather ridiculous level.

The students of Virtue Archives were staring blankly at Lu Yin, and one woman muttered to herself, "This is great! If he joins the academy, I won't ever have to worry about being bored."

One of the nearby male students gritted his teeth. "We can’t let him join, or else the rest of us will all be ignored."

"How dare you!" The woman shot the man a glare as she yelled at him.

The male student let out a contemptuous snort as he gave Lu Yin a decidedly unwelcome look. "Nothing but eye candy."

Lu Yin did not have to wait long for his turn to speak to the students.

"What's your name, brother? If this is your first time visiting Virtue Archives, then let me show you around a bit, as we’re all students here." As soon as the woman saw that it was Lu Yin’s turn, she immediately turned up the charm.

The man next to her became upset with her behavior, and he interrupted. "Even if he is admitted into the academy, what are you going to show him?"

He immediately turned around, glared at Lu Yin, and grew aggressive as he started questioning him. "Kid, what’s your cultivation level? Hurry up and answer. There’s no need to waste people’s time."

"Shen! Are you trying to cause trouble or something? This junior brother is already registered in my group, and no one can force him out." The female instantly started angrily scolding the man.

However, the man just rolled his eyes. "Let's see if he can even pass the entrance exam first. Then, we can talk about things. Good looks aren’t enough to get in."

"How rude! It’s no wonder why Xiaofeng doesn't like you."

"Don’t be ridiculous! We’re in love."

"You're the one being ridiculous! It doesn’t matter how long you wait. Even if you wait till the end of time, Xiaofeng will always look down on you."

"You-!"

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "Actually, I’m sorry to say, but I’m not here to take the entrance exam."

Both people turned as one to stare at Lu Yin. The woman was clearly disappointed, while the man’s eyes lit up, thinking that Lu Yin was a coward. The male student grew even more aggressive. "You’re not here to take the entrance exam? Then what are you doing here? Are you trying to stir up trouble?"

Lu Yin smiled. "I'm here to become an instructor."

…

On the top of a towering stone pillar stood a courtyard. It looked very simple, but it was also very beautiful. It was the office of the current headmaster of Virtue Archives.

Lu Yin was currently sitting in the quiet courtyard, enjoying some tea across from a white-haired old man with a childish face. This old man was Headmaster Wen, one of Virtue Archives’ Semi-Progenitors.

Headmaster Wen looked up from the invitation letter that he had been reading to observe Lu Yin yet again, as though trying to see through the young man.

Lu Yin coughed.

Headmaster Wen grew embarrassed, and he set the invitation down. "My apologies. I’m not used to seeing this."

Lu Yin smiled. "Senior God of Food asked this junior to come and act as an instructor, but I’m not sure if a junior like me has the qualifications."

Headmaster Wen smiled back. "Since you have an invitation from the God of Food, then you are naturally qualified. Prof. Hao Yu is both young and promising."

[1] This is a terrible explanation, because the "Que" of his name means missing/lacking. A very bad pun. ☜