Devour

Chapter 438 Mr. 7

Master Li turned and stepped onto the stairs, his steps seemingly light and quick, yet each step landed precisely on a spatial node. A faint halo appeared around him, as if he were merging with the space around him.

Cheng Bai's keen spiritual eyes detected the subtle changes and he secretly marveled: "The third floor is equipped with an array that is even more sophisticated than the Mysterious Heaven Cave Array. It not only isolates the outside world, but even divine sense cannot easily see through its true nature."

Su Tianjing glanced at Cheng Bai a few more times, smiled gently, and said softly, "White Emperor Saint Lord? Little brother, you look so young, yet you're already the leader of a sect? I admire you so much."

Cheng Bai humbly replied, "Sister Su, you flatter me. Our sect is still relatively inexperienced, and we owe our existence entirely to your kindness, Master."

Su Tianjing lowered her head slightly, wrote her name on the completed painting, and then said softly, "White Emperor, please look at this 'Nine Dragons' painting. Do you like it?"

Cheng Bai stared intently at the painting, seeing nine dragons soaring and dancing, each graceful and with a different expression. The closer he looked, the more exquisite it seemed, and he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Sister's painting skills are truly breathtaking!"

Su Tianjing was in a good mood and explained with a smile: "The nine dragons depicted in this picture are the Azure Dragon, White Dragon, Purple Dragon, Red Dragon, Yellow Dragon, Golden Dragon, Heavenly Dragon, Ying Dragon, and Azure Dragon, which correspond to the nine forms that dragons evolve into after reaching adulthood, based on their bloodline and talents."

Cheng Bai praised, "The dragon is ever-changing and lifelike! Sister's painting is exquisite, and it has broadened my horizons today."

Su Tianjing praised it repeatedly, feeling overjoyed. She blinked and seized the opportunity to encourage him, "Since my younger brother likes this painting, why not just buy it and hang it on the wall so he can admire it day and night? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Cheng Bai was slightly taken aback, but after a moment's thought, a smile appeared on her lips as she asked gently, "Excuse me, sister, how much money do you need?"

Su Tianjing said calmly, "I've heard that the Devouring Heaven Sect is a sect specializing in weapon crafting, so you shouldn't lack gold, iron, or spirit stones. Talking about money is vulgar! These nine dragons, each worth one jin of Cloud Thread Stone, give me nine jin in exchange for this 'Nine Dragons Painting', how about that?"

Bei Tingjun, standing nearby, was dumbfounded and muttered under his breath, "A mere painting can be worth nine catties of cloud-patterned stone? Could it be that the paper and ink are made of blue gold flakes?"

Cheng Bai obtained over ten thousand catties of Cloud Thread Stone from the Sword Immortal's Tomb on Jing'ao Island, and from then on, he became very wealthy.

Upon hearing this, he carefully examined the "Nine Dragons Painting" and was moved: "Every painting here seems to be extraordinary, and they may be useful in the future. Besides, it may not be a bad thing to win Mr. Su's favor with just nine catties of cloud-thread stone."

After a moment's hesitation, Cheng Bai made up his mind and said, "Alright, I agree to the exchange. The painting is precious, so I'll trouble Sister Su to affix her seal after signing it."

Su Tianjing happily stamped her family seal and chuckled, "My little brother really knows his stuff, I've got it all done!"

Cheng Bai actually had Shi Chi send out nine catties of cloud-thread stone from the Shengjin Pagoda in exchange for the "Nine Dragons Painting," and then put the painting into the pagoda.

"With all the materials, the Suzhen Flying Armor I've been longing for has finally come to fruition." Su Tianjing happily stroked the Cloud Thread Stone in her hand, then thought for a moment and her expression turned slightly regretful. "It's so easy to get it today. I should have traded it for the Blood Jade with you."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Bai secretly wiped away a cold sweat, then grinned nonchalantly.

"Big White, I knew it was you." A clear male voice rang out.

As the voice spoke, a young man in white robes slowly walked downstairs. He had a wooden sword at his waist and wore jade pendants, his simple style revealing exquisiteness and understated luxury. It was none other than his old friend, An Yiren.

"Brother Yiren, how have you been?" Cheng Bai greeted him, then suddenly realized, "You're the Seventh Master of Taowu Academy?"

An Yiren chuckled and said, "Not yet. The Master said that I need to awaken my genius physique first, and only after that can I be competent."

Cheng Bai asked curiously, "What is your aptitude?"

An Yiren couldn't refuse to answer, so he lowered his voice and said, "Da Bai, don't tell anyone that I have the 'Ten Thousand Demon Body'. It's just that my current state is average, and I'm not much better than ordinary people."

Bei Tingjun's beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, "The Myriad Demon Body is a powerful bloodline that appears only once every million years, comparable to the sons of the Heavenly Emperors! This physique can fuse the power of all kinds of demon spirits. Although it is called 'Myriad Demons,' it may not necessarily come from the demon race. If it appears in a human, this person must have had a very deep connection with a great demon in their previous life."

At this point, a hint of apprehension quietly surfaced in Bei Tingjun's eyes.

Su Tianjing spoke up from the side, reminding him, "Seventh brother, the master specifically instructed us not to tell anyone before you succeed, so don't forget."

"Thank you for your guidance, Fourth Senior Sister." An Yiren smiled and then warmly greeted Cheng Bai, "Da Bai, this is your first time visiting Taowu Academy, so there must be many things that interest you. I am not very talented, but I would like to offer my humble opinion as your guide and take you around to see the place."

Cheng Bai, who was already impatient with boredom, found the long wait even more tedious and readily agreed, saying, "Excellent! Thank you for your trouble, Yi Ren."

Su Tianjing opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated and swallowed back the words that were about to come out, watching them leisurely walk downstairs.

After a while, Master Li returned from the third floor, followed closely by two men. One was a handsome scholar in a blue-and-white Confucian robe, and the other was a robust warrior in white armor.

"The White Emperor has left Qingyun Tower?" Master Li was slightly surprised. His divine sense instantly captured every move in the entire academy. He gently shook his head. "Yi Ren accompanied him... Never mind, let them go have fun."

The handsome scholar was actually a woman. At this moment, she looked disappointed and said in a slightly angry and coquettish voice, "We have gone through so much trouble and effort for the seventh brother, but he is always playing around and having fun."

The white-armored warrior smiled and comforted her, "Senior Sister, there's no need to worry too much. Seventh Brother has always been thoughtful and active, which isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Master Li pondered for a moment and said, "Without Jade Flute Immortal's presence, the awakening of the Myriad Demon Body becomes even more important. Now everything is ready, only the final push is needed. Xinqi, Wuxiu, and Tianjing, arrange for all relevant important people to come to the second floor tonight to witness this event."

The three bowed and replied in unison, "We will obey your command, Master."

Outside Qingyun Tower, An Yiren introduced the sights as if they were his own treasures: "Taowu Academy is divided into nine areas and twelve scenic spots. From here, you can have a panoramic view of most of the pavilions and towers."

He said with great interest, "Qingyun Tower is built against the mountain, towering like the central hub. The other seven halls are each academies specializing in a particular area. The one I will be in charge of in the future is 'Ren'an Zhai'."

Cheng Bai suggested, "Would you like to come along and see for yourselves?"

An Yiren pondered to himself, "Ren'anzhai has not yet been officially placed under my jurisdiction, so it is not proper to go there and make a show of it. I am afraid that I will be ridiculed by the academicians." He then said, "Today happens to be the opening ceremony of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion for a sword discussion. The scene is very lively. Mr. Xiao San is very knowledgeable and will surely benefit us greatly."

Bei Tingjun chuckled and chimed in, "I also enjoy joining in the fun."

"Brother Yiren, please lead the way." Cheng Bai readily agreed and followed An Yiren around the Inkstone Washing Pond, heading towards Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

As An Yiren walked, he said, "The Third Master's original name was Xiao Xiao. He was born with a clever and exquisite physique. He could learn all kinds of skills and crafts in a short time and understand them immediately. Therefore, he was known as the most talented young man in the academy."

Cheng Bai suddenly understood: "Exquisite Physique? People with the same aptitude as Chi Zhongming are extremely rare, but Mr. Xiao San has clearly reached perfection." He then said: "Most talented? Wasn't that Sister Su?"

An Yiren said with a smile, "Senior Sister Su is indeed very capable and can be considered one of the best. But when it comes to being a master of miscellaneous studies, Senior Brother Xiao is unparalleled in the academy, and no one can match him!"

The Xiaoxiang Pavilion was filled with a strong academic atmosphere, with rows of desks neatly arranged. Students from all walks of life sat upright on cushions in front of the desks, listening quietly to Mr. Xiao San explaining swordsmanship from the podium, occasionally taking notes.

"...Yin and Yang swirl rapidly, the sword moves like a ring, the inner energy surges and flows entirely into the blade. The front knee bends slightly to gather momentum, the back leg straightens and roots itself. With each step forward, body and sword become one, the momentum is unstoppable!"

Mr. Xiao San, dressed in a blue robe, with a flowing black beard and an elegant and dignified demeanor, delivered a concise and profound speech in a loud and clear voice.

Then, he turned around, faced the students, gently waved his palm-leaf fan, and said in a gentle voice, "Dear students, do you have any questions?"

Lin Zhengyuan, who sat in the first row of the horizontal row, was smaller than the average person, but the table he used was no different from others. In order to avoid inconvenience in his movements, he had to put several futons under his body.

He raised his hand first and asked, "Teacher, I have a question. The essence of the 'Righteous Sword Qi' that you explained is much more concise and simpler than the original record in my Sword Qi Pavilion's manual. Is it really the same sword technique?"