Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Huaa Que’s Invitation
"Who... who are you!?" Qin Yunlong stared blankly at his own chest. His eyes were filled with fear, disbelief, and confusion, which finally coalesced into a single question.
"Heh. Die with your questions," Qin Ya said with a cold smile. He yanked his bloodstained spear free. The jet-black spearhead glinted with a terrifying light under the sun. A chill went through Li Heyu and the others, their eyes filled with dread.
"I... I can’t accept this!" Qin Yunlong gazed at the black-robed man who had killed him, and with a heart full of questions and resentment, he fell to the ground, dead.
Putting away the Hundred Battles Spear, Qin Ya gave Qin Hai a deep look that sent a cold shiver through him, making him tremble. The memory of that impossibly fast spear strike still lingered in his mind.
"Consider your life spared!" Qin Ya snorted coldly. He then executed the Carefree Travel Body Technique and instantly shot toward the gates of the Li Mansion. Intimidated by the terror of him killing Qin Yunlong with a single strike, no one dared to stop him.
After Qin Ya left, the crowd stared at Qin Yunlong’s body on the ground, completely dumbfounded. The so-called number one genius of Anxing City was dead, just like that.
Li Peiyi stood with her longsword in hand. She looked somewhat fatigued after the great battle, yet the aura she exuded had grown even stronger. It seemed she had gained a great deal from this fight; a breakthrough from her current realm was likely not far off.
Seeing the black-robed man kill Qin Yunlong, she was far more shaken than anyone else. ’Have you already grown this strong?’
"Kill them!" Li Heyu suddenly roared, leading his men to charge the Qin Family. With Qin Yunlong dead, it was the perfect opportunity to annihilate the Qin Family in one fell swoop.
Qin Hai’s expression darkened. "Sons of the Qin Family, avenge the young master!"
The two sides clashed once again. However, none of this had anything to do with Qin Ya anymore. He had already taken Qin Yuxiang and the others back to the medicine shop in the Martial Market.
「Not long after,」 news arrived that the Li Family and Qin Family had fought until both sides suffered heavy losses.
「Half a month later.」
Qin Ya was sitting under the shade of a tree. The mist within his Qi Pool swirled; compared to half a month ago, the pool itself had expanded considerably. He was now a Profound Origin Third Grade Martial Artist, but in terms of combat power, he was on par with a Martial Artist of the Profound Origin Sixth or Seventh Grade.
His eyes slowly opened, and a jet-black spear suddenly appeared in his hand.
Holding the Hundred Battles, Qin Ya’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit merged into one as he focused on comprehending the faint, elusive Wind’s Great Trend. Suddenly, he achieved Unity of Form and Spirit. The spear thrust out like a Flood Dragon emerging from the sea. A furious wind howled, tearing through the void and creating a series of sonic booms.
Spear Technique... Wind-Splitting!
After half a month of arduous practice, and as his comprehension of the Wind’s Great Trend deepened, the power of this Wind-Splitting technique had become even more formidable. With this move, even a Martial Artist at the Peak of the Profound Origin Realm could be defeated by him if they were the least bit careless.
"Kid, to have comprehended the Wind’s Great Trend to this degree in just half a month... you’re a real monster," Huaa Que said as he slowly approached, his eyes gleaming as he clicked his tongue in wonder.
"It’s not enough. I can only unleash the true power of this Wind-Splitting technique once I’ve comprehended the Mysteries of Wind," Qin Ya said, shaking his head. His words made the corner of Huaa Que’s mouth twitch.
The Mysteries were a level of comprehension a whole grade higher than a Great Trend. Typically, only an Extraordinary Strong Person was qualified to even begin comprehending them. Qin Ya was merely a Martial Artist who hadn’t even reached the Spiritual Element realm, yet he was already thinking about things only the Extraordinary should.
If it had been anyone else, Huaa Que would have scoffed at them. But Qin Ya was a monster who couldn’t be measured by common sense, leaving him at a loss for words.
"By the way, what have you decided about the matter I brought up last time?" Huaa Que asked suddenly, as if just remembering something.
"The position at Mingxin Academy?" Qin Ya said lightly.
Speaking of which, Qin Ya cast a rather surprised glance at Huaa Que. A few days ago, he had given Huaa Que a couple of pointers during his Alchemy, and Huaa Que had been utterly astounded, immediately asking him to take up a post as an Alchemy Teacher at Mingxin Academy.
Huaa Que was, in fact, the Mansion Master of that very Mingxin Academy. He had been traveling far and wide for Leng Ningshuang’s sake, only returning to the Academy occasionally. Now that Leng Ningshuang’s Profound Yin Bloodline had been awakened and his worries were put to rest, he was planning to return to Mingxin Academy. But after witnessing Qin Ya’s alchemy methods, he wanted to bring him back too.
"Heh, and why should I go be a teacher?" Qin Ya said with a sneer.
"Your alchemy skill is far greater than mine! If those kids at the academy could receive your guidance, their futures would be limitless. This would inject so much vitality into the current Pill Realm! Just think, decades from now, the most outstanding group of Alchemists in the Pill Realm will have all been taught by you! Wouldn’t you feel a sense of glory? Wouldn’t you be proud?" Huaa Que said with a wistful look, as if he were the Alchemist who held all that glory.
"Tch, what good is glory? Can you eat it?" Qin Ya scoffed. If it had been anyone else, they might have been moved by Huaa Que’s speech. But Qin Ya had been a Pill Venerable in his past life. He’d had his fill of things like glory long ago.
The youngest Ninth-Grade Alchemist in history!
The first Alchemist in history to fuse several types of Elixirs!
The Alchemist in history who invented the most Elixirs!
The strongest, most unprecedented Pill Venerable in history!
The first Alchemist to refine the Creation Dao Pill!
......
Which of these honors wasn’t unparalleled throughout the ages, destined for eternal fame?
"You... why won’t you listen to me, you brat!" Huaa Que was so angry his face turned blue. He, Huaa Que, the Mansion Master of Mingxin Academy, had extended a personal invitation! Anyone else would have tripped over themselves to agree, so why wasn’t it working on Qin Ya?
"Hmph. If you want me to work for you, don’t even think about it without some real benefits."
"Fine. Name your price," Huaa Que said through gritted teeth.
"First, the monthly salary has to be at least one hundred thousand Gold Coins..."
"Are you dreaming?!"
Before Qin Ya could even finish, Huaa Que angrily cut him off. "You’re making an outrageous demand, kid! Even the highest-level teachers at Mingxin Academy only make ten thousand Gold Coins a month. And you’re asking for a hundred thousand right off the bat!"
"No money, no me," Qin Ya said leisurely, with a look that said he had Huaa Que right where he wanted him. ’Tch, one hundred thousand Gold Coins? In my past life, a single high-grade Elixir of mine was worth more than that, and you’re not satisfied?’
"I... agree," Huaa Que said, his face dark.
"Good. Also, my teaching schedule is up to me..." Seeing the veins throbbing on Huaa Que’s forehead, Qin Ya nonchalantly added, "I can guarantee I’ll show up to teach at least three or four times a month."
Huaa Que’s expression finally eased up a little, but inwardly he was snickering. In truth, the teachers at Mingxin Academy already had extremely flexible schedules. As long as you completed the required teaching hours within the month, you were fine.
Next, Qin Ya made a few more requests that weren’t too outrageous, and Huaa Que agreed to them all. With that, the two reached an agreement.
"Excellent. In three days, we’ll set off for the Imperial Capital."
