Chapter 78: Chapter 78: An Old Cow Eating Tender Grass
On Xianyun Peak, nearly a thousand students had gathered, creating a spectacular sight.
Over the past few months, Qin Ya’s skill in the Alchemy Dao had become increasingly well-known throughout the Academy. The number of students attending his classes grew and grew until, by now, every one of his lessons was guaranteed to draw a veritable sea of people.
Once, another Alchemy Teacher at the Academy held a class at the same time as Qin Ya. However, only a handful of students showed up for that class; everyone else had run off to listen to Qin Ya’s lecture instead.
When the other Alchemy Teachers at the Academy learned of this, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of resignation. From then on, they intentionally scheduled their classes at different times from Qin Ya’s to avoid losing their students.
A single person causing such setbacks for the other teachers was an event that had only happened a few times in the Academy’s history.
Beyond this incident, there were even rumors in the Academy that some Alchemy Teachers had secretly gone to Qin Ya to ask for guidance on alchemy problems. Even Liu Qing, a High-Level Teacher and Fifth-Grade Alchemist, had publicly sung Qin Ya’s praises during one of his own classes.
"Tsk, Teacher Qin’s popularity in the Academy just keeps growing."
"And this is for an alchemy course, which is a pretty niche subject. To have so many people show up... even Special-Level Teachers don’t draw crowds like this."
"I feel like I learn so much every time I listen to Teacher Qin’s lectures. He always hits the nail right on the head and points out the core of the problem. It’s so refreshing."
"Haha, after listening to Teacher Qin’s last lesson, I broke through to become a Second-Grade Alchemist! I even successfully refined a Second-Grade Elixir, the Blood Coagulation and Essence Gathering Powder. It’s all thanks to Teacher Qin!"
"That’s nothing! Muu Xue is already a Third-Grade Alchemist. With her talent in the Alchemy Dao, becoming a Fifth-Grade or even Sixth-Grade Alchemist in the future will be a breeze. That’s a Master, one of the few in the entire Empire!"
"Pfft, as amazing as she is, she’s not as amazing as Teacher Qin. To have such skill in the Alchemy Dao at such a young age... plus, he’s handsome and so loyal. He’s literally my perfect Prince Charming."
"Damn it, you hopeless fangirl! Teacher Qin is mine!"
...
Suddenly, a figure in cyan shot forward like a swift bird, landing on the high platform in the blink of an eye. It was Qin Ya.
Gazing down at the densely packed sea of students below, he felt a bit of a headache coming on. ’The more people there are, the more exhausting it is to teach. Xianyun Peak is starting to feel a little small.’ He was already considering a change of venue.
Still, as he looked at the nearly one thousand students below, a sudden sense of satisfaction rose in his heart. ’To think that under my guidance, I don’t know how many of these students will become Alchemy Masters in the future... This feeling of personally training them is something I never experienced in my past life.’
Gathering True Essence in his throat to create an amplifying effect, Qin Ya slowly said, "Everyone, please quiet down..."
"Last time, we explained the refining techniques, processes, and steps for the Second-Grade Yuan Condensing Pill. For students still hovering at the First-Grade Alchemist level, this might have been a bit difficult..."
"So, today, we won’t be covering new material. Instead, we’ll review the refining of some previous elixirs. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask questions. First, let’s talk about the Feather Spirit Pill that everyone refined not long ago..."
"The quality of the first Feather Spirit Pills you all refined wasn’t very good. After I gave a personal demonstration, the pills you submitted barely reached a passable standard, but there are still some flaws..."
Qin Ya cleared his throat and continued speaking slowly. Below the stage, nearly a thousand students listened with rapt attention, their expressions shifting—sometimes confused, sometimes enlightened. Some would pound their chests in frustration, while others would wave their arms and legs in excitement...
At the very front, Muu Xue gazed at the eloquently speaking youth on the stage, her expression focused. A look of understanding and adoration would occasionally flash in her eyes. She had never held anyone in such high esteem before.
Let alone a youth who was even younger than she was. And yet, it was this very youth who had become an Academy teacher, displayed an unfathomably profound level of skill in the Alchemy Dao, and time and again accomplished what most people considered impossible.
Muu Xue thought to herself, ’That matter... I’m afraid he’s the only one who can accomplish it.’
Time passed slowly. After more than an hour, Qin Ya finished reviewing the key points of the previous elixirs. "Alright," he said, "it’s time for questions. If there is anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask."
The first to ask a question was Gong Yu. Her lips parted as she slowly asked, "Teacher Qin, I’d like to know about substituting one of the ingredients for the Blood Coagulation and Essence Gathering Powder. The effects of the Heartless Flower and the Clear Joy Fruit are similar. Can they be used interchangeably?"
"No two medicinal ingredients in the world have the exact same effect. While the effects of these two ingredients seem identical, there are subtle differences. However, they can indeed be substituted for one another when refining the Blood Coagulation and Essence Gathering Powder, but you must alter the Refining Technique to prevent a conflict."
"Oh, thank you, Teacher Qin..."
Soon, another person asked a question. "Teacher Qin..."
Questions were thrown out one after another. A typical Alchemist would have long since been overwhelmed, but Qin Ya remained calm and unhurried. He answered without the slightest hesitation, as if he didn’t even need time to think, reacting on pure instinct.
Yet his answers always struck at the very heart of the issue, leaving the questioner suddenly enlightened.
Another hour or so passed, and the questions began to dwindle. Just as the class was about to end, an elegant, middle-aged man of about forty flew through the air and landed, smiling at Qin Ya. "Teacher Qin’s lessons are truly enlightening. I, Liuu Bin, have come to learn."
Qin Ya’s brow furrowed, and he spoke indifferently, "This is my teaching time. No matter who you are or what your purpose is, please come find me after class. Do not disturb the students’ learning."
"Heh, my apologies for the presumptuous interruption."
Liuu Bin didn’t seem angered. He simply smiled and stepped to the side.
There’s no point in hitting a smiling man. After a single, indifferent glance, Qin Ya continued with the class. It was almost over anyway. After addressing a few more minor questions, Qin Ya dismissed the class. However, the students didn’t leave. Instead, they stayed behind, seemingly waiting for something.
This left Qin Ya a little confused. He looked at Liuu Bin, knowing this had something to do with him. Suddenly, the students’ chatter reached his ears, and he understood.
"Tsk, tsk, it’s Liuu Bin. What’s he doing here?"
"You don’t know? Rumor has it that Liuu Bin is involved with Lu Yuwei, the captain of the Celestial Star Squad. So, isn’t it obvious? He’s here to cause trouble."
"So that’s what this is about. How do you think Teacher Qin will handle him?"
"Hopefully they’ll fight. That would be a good show."
"Liuu Bin is an Intermediate Teacher at the Academy, and his Cultivation in the Earth Element Realm is considered quite strong. Teacher Qin is only at the Spiritual Element Realm. How could he possibly win a fight against him? Besides, that would be totally shameless of Liuu Bin."
"Speaking of which, Liuu Bin has some incredible luck with women. Lu Yuwei is a real beauty. What does she see in him?"
"Heh heh, maybe she just has a thing for his type."
Qin Ya’s Cultivation was not weak, so the students’ discussions naturally reached his ears. He looked at the elegant but nearly forty-year-old Liuu Bin before him and thought to himself, ’Isn’t this a classic case of an old man robbing the cradle?’
