Time flew by.
It was already the day for the Martial Academy to open.
"Young Master."
Inside the Heaven-grade room, A Sha looked at Gu Han, who was slowly getting up, her small face filled with worry.
"Your injury..."
"Don't worry."
Gu Han sighed.
He was already vaguely regretting telling her about what happened the day before.
"It's nothing serious."
Although his injury was not fatal, it was not light either. Even though the Heaven-grade room was a Holy Land for healing, it was difficult to fully recover within a day.
"Young Master..."
A Sha mustered her courage.
"Martial Academy... can't you not go?"
"A Sha."
Gu Han smiled.
"In the Dao of Cultivation, the most taboo thing is to harbor fear in one's heart. There is only the principle of facing difficulties head-on; how can one retreat when faced with difficulty?"
"But..."
"Don't worry, with Seventh Prince and Chief Steward Li here, that person won't dare to do anything to me. You can Cultivate here in peace..."
Seeing her look a bit dejected.
Gu Han stroked her head and gently comforted her, "When I come back in a few days, I'll take you to eat drumsticks!"
"No."
A Sha, for once, had no interest in drumsticks.
"I just want Young Master to be fine."
"Okay."
Gu Han nodded.
"I promise you."
"You're not allowed to lie!"
"En, I won't lie."
Watching Gu Han leave again, A Sha's gaze was blank, as if she had lost her soul.
"Young Master..."
After a long while.
She suddenly clenched her fists.
"I must help you!"
As she spoke, two faint, almost imperceptible ghostly lights flashed in her eyes again...
...
Great Qi Martial Academy.
It opens once every five years, enrolling only the elites of the younger generation.
Except for a few lucky ones who are chosen by the Upper Sect, the rest are absorbed internally by the Great Qi Dynasty.
Some joined the imperial court.
Some went to the army.
At the very least, they could be like Liu Yuan, becoming the City Lord of a small border town, enjoying boundless prestige and freedom from then on.
Precisely because of this, for young people who wanted to join the Upper Sect, or who wanted to temper themselves, or who wanted to seek an opportunity for advancement, the Martial Academy was an indispensable place.
However.
The Martial Academy had strict rules.
Except for those with special backgrounds, others who wanted to enter naturally had to rely on their true abilities.
At this moment.
The originally quiet Martial Academy became extremely lively.
One or two hundred young people from various cities gathered together, some in groups of three or five, others alone, making this Martial Academy, which had a history of over a hundred years, appear vibrant and full of vigor.
"Good!"
"Excellent..."
Not far away.
The stooped, aged handyman leaned on his broom, looking at so many young Geniuses, smiling from ear to ear, the wrinkles on his face squeezed together, looking exactly like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"They are all the future of my Great Qi!"
Of course.
There were many other handymen like him in the Martial Academy, and no one cared about the murmuring of this old man who was on the verge of death.
...
Outside the Martial Academy.
Those watching the excitement crowded the several-zhang wide bluestone avenue, making it impossible to pass.
Their eyes held envy, jealousy, longing...
And so on.
However, no one dared to actually go inside and take a look.
The Martial Academy had its own rules.
Non-Martial Academy students who trespassed would be severely punished!
When Gu Han arrived here.
What he saw was such a scene of a sea of people.
"..."
He was speechless, forcing his way through the crowd.
"Let me..."
"Let Fatty me in!"
Almost at the same time.
A familiar voice reached his ears.
It was Fatty!
Unlike Gu Han, he didn't care about anything, relying on his extremely powerful physique, he charged straight through, directly knocking the people around him off balance.
"Dead Fatty, what are you doing!"
"Push, push, push, what are you pushing for? Are you in a hurry to reincarnate!"
"Dead Fatty, I'm warning you, if you piss me off, don't blame me for being impolite to you!"
"..."
His actions.
Naturally drew a torrent of curses from the crowd.
"Heh heh!"
Fatty naturally didn't back down, puffing out his plump body, he swaggered and squeezed his way directly to the front of the crowd.
Then...
He spotted Gu Han not far away.
"Fatty."
Gu Han greeted him.
"We meet again."
"It's you!"
Fatty's expression stiffened.
"You... didn't die?"
"Nonsense!"
Gu Han's face darkened.
"Can you speak like a human!"
"You..."
Fatty cautiously said, "Are you... also coming to the Martial Academy?"
"Of course!"
Gu Han showed the jade token in his hand.
"Speaking of which, Fatty, you ran pretty fast that day! You almost got me killed!"
"You still have the nerve to bring that up!"
When it came to this.
Fatty exploded in anger, instantly erupting.
"You bastard... cough cough! Forget it, forget it, Fatty I won't bother with you!"
Halfway through his sentence.
He seemed to have thought of something and swallowed the rest of his words.
Immediately after.
He seemed to deliberately avoid Gu Han, and after having his jade token verified by the guard, he hurried into the Martial Academy.
"Eh?"
Gu Han frowned slightly.
"This Fatty, has he changed his personality?"
According to his understanding of Fatty, this guy never took losses, and usually, he would have cursed back for half a day. Why would he just concede like this today?
"Forget it."
He didn't think too much about it.
After handing his jade token to the guard for verification, he walked into the Martial Academy amidst the envious gazes of the crowd behind him.
"Gu Brother!"
As soon as he entered.
He heard a warm greeting.
"Brother Jiang."
Gu Han smiled and walked towards him.
Speaking of which, Jiang Feng was arguably his only friend in the Royal Capital, and even in Great Qi.
"Where's Chief Steward Li?"
"He..."
Jiang Feng's expression suddenly became strange.
"Cough cough... I didn't let him come over."
Thinking of Chief Steward Li's repeated admonitions to stay away from Gu Han before leaving, he shook his head secretly.
Chief Steward Li...
He was overthinking it!
What bad intentions could Gu Brother have?
"What's wrong with you?"
"No, nothing, Gu Brother."
Jiang Feng quickly changed the subject.
"Later, when choosing an instructor, which one are you planning to choose?"
"Choose an instructor?"
Gu Han was a bit surprised.
His understanding of the Martial Academy was limited, and after arriving in the Royal Capital, first Liu Tong, then Yu Hua, he naturally had no time to inquire about the Martial Academy's rules.
"That's right."
Jiang Feng patiently explained.
"This is a rule set by the Grand Ancestor back then. Martial Academy students are all the future of my Great Qi, so they naturally should be given more power of choice! Of course, each instructor also has the right to refuse! Students choose instructors, and instructors naturally choose students as well."
"So that's how it is."
Gu Han suddenly understood.
"You said..."
He suddenly smiled.
"What if I choose Instructor Yu?"
"Gu Brother!"
Jiang Feng's heart sank.
"Are you... not serious?"
"Don't worry."
Gu Han patted his shoulder.
"I was just joking. Choosing any instructor is the same for me."
In fact.
He had no interest in the secret Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills of the Martial Academy. The only things that could move him were the generous treatment of Martial Academy students and the opportunity to compete with Geniuses from the Ten Kingdoms Martial Academies.
In a secluded corner in the distance.
Looking at Gu Han and the other person chatting and laughing, Fatty's expression was uncertain.
He was already fifty percent sure.
Gu Han was his Human Tribulation!
Human Tribulation.
Arising from people.
Mysterious and unfathomable.
This person could be an enemy, a friend, or even someone completely unrelated.
What to do!
His mind raced.
Stay away from him, never to meet again?
No, no!
If he did that, the meaning of him undergoing the Human Tribulation would be lost, and if he couldn't pass the Human Tribulation, all his Cultivation would never return.
Be his opponent?
This... there was a very high chance he would die by his hand!
Be his friend?
But... even if he was thick-skinned, he couldn't stand this bastard repeatedly trying to harm him to death!
For a moment.
He sighed deeply, incredibly conflicted.
"Little Fatty."
Just then.
An old voice came from beside him.
It was the old handyman.
He held his broom and stared at Fatty, his face full of kindness and a smile, and what he said was even more thought-provoking.
"Don't be self-conscious."
"And don't care about what others think."
"Remember, anyone's ridicule will only become the driving force for your growth!"
"..."
Fatty's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Old man, what do you mean!"
"Back then..."
The old man looked at Fatty, sighing with emotion.
"I was also a Fatty, so..."
"Shut up!"
Fatty finally reacted, his face trembling with anger.
"Which eye of yours saw Fatty being self-conscious! Do you need to teach Fatty how to act? Go sweep your floor! Also, Fatty I am called robust, not fat! What the hell do you know!"
After speaking.
He glared fiercely at the old handyman and left fuming.
"Alas!"
The old man kept shaking his head.
"The world is degenerating, people's hearts are no longer ancient! Young people nowadays really have no manners at all..."
...
"Silence!"
Just as everyone was discussing heatedly, a majestic voice suddenly rang out.
At first, it was very faint.
But when it reached everyone's ears, it was like a rushing thunder, making their eardrums ache.
Everyone's hearts tightened, and they instantly fell silent.
A moment later.
More than a dozen figures appeared before everyone, approaching from a distance.
Although they didn't deliberately display their Cultivation, the invisible aura of power emanating from them alone brought immense pressure upon everyone!
Among them.
The aura of the three people at the very front was the most terrifying!
"These three."
Jiang Feng whispered to Gu Han.
"They are all Deputy Deans of the Martial Academy. The one in the middle wearing armor is Commander Zhou of the City Guard, he is strict and deeply trusted by my royal father. The one on the left is Elder Wu, his strength is unfathomable, and the one on the right is Senior Feng, his origin is a bit mysterious. These two also hold positions as royal enshriners."
Gu Han naturally didn't know.
These three.
Were the three who appeared outside the city during the Yao Beast riot.
"Deputy Dean?"
He was a bit puzzled.
"Then... where's the Dean?"
"The Dean of the Martial Academy is precisely my Great Qi's Grand Ancestor, and also my great-grandfather."
Jiang Feng's face was full of reverence.
"It's just that he became invincible in the Ten Kingdoms decades ago, and in order to seek a Breakthrough, he simply traveled the world and hasn't returned since. Speaking of which, I grew up listening to his legends, but I've never seen him in person."
When he said this.
His expression was full of regret.
Gu Han didn't feel much.
Invincible?
Undefeated?
What are you bragging about!
He still had a Demonic Lord living in his head, and although he was quite a scoundrel, he didn't go around proclaiming himself invincible all day!
Hmm...
Speaking of which.
It had been a long time since he had gone to see him.
"En?"
Just as he was thinking.
Gu Han suddenly felt a sharp gaze fall upon him!
Looking up.
He found Yu Hua staring at him, the killing intent in his eyes completely undisguised!
"Those..."
Gu Han's expression also turned cold.
"Should be the Martial Academy instructors, right."
"That's right."
Jiang Feng didn't have Gu Han's spiritual perception, so he naturally didn't notice these abnormalities, and enthusiastically began to introduce them again.
"There are a total of ten Martial Academy instructors."
"Yu Hua, Spirit Profound Seventh Realm."
"Jiang Yi, Spirit Profound Fifth Realm."
"Chen Fang, Spirit Profound Seventh Realm."
"..."
"Han Fu."
When he mentioned one of them, Jiang Feng's eyes became somewhat fervent.
"Spirit Profound Ninth Realm, and also the one with the highest Cultivation among the many instructors. Over the years, the most students have chosen him! However, his requirements are too high; he only selects based on talent, and very few people can stay by his side. Of course, with your talent and strength, Gu Brother, I imagine he would be very willing to accept you."
"As for this one..."
When introducing the last person, his face suddenly became strange.
Unlike Yu Hua and the others.
This one was full of sorrow, standing far at the very back, appearing out of place compared to the other instructors.
"Gu Brother."
He suddenly swallowed, earnestly instructing, "Later, you can choose anyone, just... please don't choose him!"