Chapter 392: Qi Shisan

"Brother Li, you don’t look too well," Ximen Piaoxue remarked with a sly grin as he stepped outside to stretch in the morning. He had clearly noticed the dark circles under Li Xiaofei's eyes as he emerged and gave him a knowing look. "Have you been overdoing it? Looks like you've drained yourself."

"I’m fine. Just had a nightmare last night and didn’t sleep well," Li Xiaofei replied absentmindedly.

Damn, something strange is definitely going on.

Ever since he’d visited the restricted Cemetery of the Ancestors in the back mountain, things had felt off. Then, he’d been haunted by that ghostly figure the entire night.

The white-bearded, white-robed old ghost appeared again and again in his dreams; if dream was even the right word. Each time, the dream felt uncannily vivid, as if he were experiencing everything in real life. And the setting was always the same.

That white-bearded old ghost would sit by his bed, grinning with an unnerving look and repeat, "You’ve finally arrived..."

Each time he woke up startled, he found the cave dwelling completely empty.

Could it be that I’d brought something unclean back with me?

Li Xiaofei had never felt this way before. Since his body was at the Golden Body Realm, his vitality should have been as robust as the ocean itself. Yet one night of nightmares had left him feeling drained.

Was that white-bearded ghost somehow leeching my energy? Damn. It’s downright disgusting. Why couldn’t it have been a beautiful female ghost?

The more Li Xiaofei thought about it, the creepier it all seemed.

"Brother, don’t worry. A man without his vitality might as well not be here," Ximen Piaoxue said, grinning as he leaned closer. He reached into his coat and pulled out a shimmering gold bottle. "I have a little something here; it’s a real booster. Take it and use it as needed."

"No need..." Li Xiaofei instinctively began to decline.

But the slick-haired young man had already uncapped the bottle. A faint medicinal fragrance wafted out, accompanied by energy waves as potent as those from fifth-level star beasts.

When he realized this guy had pulled out yet another treasure, Li Xiaofei swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and asked, "What exactly is this?"

Ximen Piaoxue replied with a mysterious look, "It’s called the Five-Whip Pill."

"The Five-Whip Pill?"

"Exactly. It’s made from the whips of five-star beasts—seal, leopard, demon bull, porcupine, and wind horse—all at level five, mixed with their heart blood essence..."

Li Xiaofei was at a loss for words. He couldn’t help but admire Ximen's family wealth. It wasn’t just about having money. Even Xiao Hongye had struggled to source fifth-generation pure Starforce Reagents, yet this slick-haired young man had casually handed over ten vials as if they were cabbages from a roadside stand.

"Well, I’ll give it a try," Li Xiaofei said, not holding back as he took the golden bottle.

Ximen Piaoxue was momentarily taken aback, then burst out laughing. "Most people would be half-dead from shock at the origins and value of this stuff, even if they were dying to try it. They’d at least pretend to refuse. But you—you just took it, cool as can be. You’ve got guts and steady hands. I’m definitely sticking by you."

Patting Li Xiaofei’s shoulder, he added, "Don’t hold back. If you need more, there’s plenty."

Li Xiaofei clarified, "Don’t get me wrong. My body can handle it. I just haven’t seen a Five-Whip Pill before, so I’m curious."

"I get it," Ximen Piaoxue replied with a knowing smile.

Just then, Wang Xiaofan returned, radiating warmth. As a young bear hunter, he stuck to a rigorous daily body-strengthening routine and never missed a day. Every morning at four, he climbed the mountains, tirelessly refining his physique with the unique secret techniques of his clan.

"Brother." Ximen Piaoxue stepped forward to greet Wang Xiaofan.

Though he had been grumbling and cursing the day before, he’d come to accept reality and was already demonstrating his smooth social skills. He managed to make a fast friend out of the young, unseasoned bear hunter with just a few words.

That afternoon, the three of them received a notice to attend a meeting at the academy. Their university life was finally beginning. Dressed in their green robes and boots, the three of them arrived at the cultivation area for first-year students in the Eastern Blue-Robe House.

A middle-aged man in a green robe leaned casually against a stone pillar in the center of the square. He held a green gourd of wine and unruly long hair. His overall appearance was rather unkempt.

He was accompanied by five young men and women dressed in the uniforms of transmission instructors. This year, the Eastern Blue-Robe House had welcomed one hundred new students. By 2:30 p.m., everyone had gathered.

"Let me introduce myself." The scruffy middle-aged man said, letting out a boozy burp. "I’m Qi Shisan, head instructor for the Eastern Blue-Robe House. I’ll be the one in charge of you rookies for the next four years... alright, meeting’s over."

With that, he shook his wine gourd, turned around, and strolled off without a care in the world. The students looked at each other, bewildered.

Is this really the head instructor, or did they pull a beggar off the street to stand in?

The five transmission instructors looked equally frustrated as faint traces of exasperation crossed their faces. After losing his salary for the next ten years in a bet, their Uncle Qi had finally been coaxed into teaching. The old headmaster had held high hopes for him, but now... It seemed his drinking problem was only getting worse. Making the first meeting so brief was almost a joke.

Instructor Ding Yifeng quickly stepped forward and said, "Alright, everyone, don’t leave just yet. Let’s start with roll call... Li Junjie!"

"Present!" Li Junjie answered loudly, immediately drawing the attention of all the new students around him.

By now, word had already spread. Li Junjie was one of the five prodigies of this year's intake and the strongest freshman in the Eastern Blue-Robe House. The other four prodigies were in the other houses.

"Wang Xiaofan!"

"Present!"

"Hou Ni!"

"Present!"

"Gu Shengchen!"

"Present!"

"Luo Zhenwu!"

"Present!"

With each name called, someone responded. Soon, everyone noticed that the roll call seemed to be in order of ranking from the admissions evaluation, called from top to bottom.

"Ximen Piaoxue!"

"Present!"

"Li Xiaofei!"

"Present!"

The names of the most infamous duo, Li Xiaofei and the slick-haired young man, Ximen Piaoxue, rang out. Several new students exchanged glances, looking at the two with faint disdain, whispering and pointing subtly. But Li Xiaofei and Ximen Piaoxue exchanged a knowing smile, a kind of camaraderie born of shared eccentricity.

Instructor Ding Yifeng, having completed the roll call, had already formed a rough impression of each student and didn’t think much of Li Xiaofei or Ximen Piaoxue.

He’d reviewed the files on these two. One was a tag-along with no potential for cultivation while the other was a waste sent here by his parents to idle away his days. Neither required attention.

"Junjie, step forward," Ding Yifeng called, a warm smile on his face. "At White Deer Academy, we offer five major courses: Inner Strength, Body Techniques, Weaponry, Medicine, and Formations. Each new student must first choose a personal weapon. What would you like to select?"

Li Junjie scratched the back of his head. "Teacher, do you have any recommendations?"

Ding Yifeng chuckled. "White Deer Academy is renowned for its training in three primary weapons: the saber, sword, and spear. Each has its own comprehensive and systematic cultivation path: the Li Saber, the Ye Spear, and the Lin Sword."