The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 117 - 114: the first day of the Lunar New Year

Chapter 117: Chapter 114: the first day of the Lunar New Year

the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Whistling in, several carriages crushed the spring snow beneath Datong Mountain.

Daqian philosophers, having declared they would arrive at the onset of spring, had indeed appeared on the first day of the season.

"Stop." The carriage halted at the foot of the mountain, and the coachman in the middle vehicle said to someone inside, "Sacrificial Officer, we have reached Datong Mountain."

"Um." Ming Rui stepped out of the middle carriage, stood atop the shafts, and gazed upon the familiar yet unfamiliar snowy landscape.

From the remaining carriages, students who had come to challenge for positions in the Literary Arena alighted in groups of threes and twos.

"Let’s move." Ming Rui released his True Qi outward, enveloping the surrounding air, lifting many students upwards.

"Daqian Jixia Academy, here to pay respects to the mountain." The greeting echoed a thousand miles, and thereafter, everyone, as if turning into immortals under the support of Ming Rui’s True Qi, rose on the winds towards the Mountain River Academy atop the mountain.

The long ascent up the mountain, under the True Qi of a Divinity Realm powerhouse, was but a brief interlude.

At the front of Mountain River Academy, someone was already waiting, oddly enough, only one.

"Qingzhu Senior Brother, long time no see."

The man waiting at the gate was none other than Mr. Qingzhu of Li Sheng Pavilion, whom Qing Yu had heard of but never met when he entered the academy.

Mr. Qingzhu, named Lu Qingzhu, could barely conceal his ill appearance, occasionally coughing lightly. Facing Ming Rui’s greeting, he said stiffly, "This old man has no younger brother as the Sacrificial Officer. Sacrificial Officer Ming really embarrasses me."

Facing Lu Qingzhu’s cold words, Ming Rui showed not a trace of annoyance but remained amiable, saying, "Senior Brother Qingzhu cared greatly for me in those early years. No matter my status, I dare not forget my Senior Brother’s kindness. Even if Senior Brother does not recognize me, I could never disown him."

"Hmph," Lu Qingzhu snorted coldly after hearing this. "If you’ve not forgotten the favor, do you still remember how this old man acquired these old wounds!"

Lu Qingzhu’s words left Ming Rui speechless. Forty years ago, atop Datong Mountain, Lu Qingzhu, vying with Philosophy’s Wang Jingyang, had refused to retreat despite nearing death, received three palms, and achieved victory, all while suffering injuries that ailed him to this day.

"This old man has waited here for two hours today just to see if you, Ming Rui, really have no shame."

"Now it seems that a powerhouse in the Divinity Realm truly possesses skin thick enough for Divine Communication, utterly shameless." After saying that, Lu Qingzhu brushed his sleeve and walked away, leaving Ming Rui and the others standing foolishly at the entrance, as if his two-hour wait was merely to mock Ming Rui.

He left, leaving Ming Rui and his entourage standing stupidly at the entrance.

"You..." Someone behind Ming Rui began to speak out but was stopped by Ming Rui shaking his head.

"Sacrificial Officer, with such an act Mountain River Academy disgraces us. If we don’t retaliate, wouldn’t we be trampled underfoot endlessly?" said the man urgently.

Without turning, Ming Rui could imagine the frustration of fellow lecturers and students behind him, yet he still smiled and said, "If Mountain River Academy only has such tolerance, then we need not worry about winning this time. Just wait, the arrogance of victory should be endured by the loser, we have endured for thirty years, a little longer won’t hurt. If we wait too long, it’s not just us that end up embarrassed. If we manage to reverse our previous losses, the humiliation Mountain River Academy will face would be a million times what we suffer now."

Being the elites of Jixia Academy, the students behind him suppressed their irritation upon hearing this, turning it into fuel that ignited the fire of their resolve.

"Sacrificial Officer Ming jests, you haven’t led the team for thirty years in the Literary Arena challenge, you weren’t among those humiliated. And forty years ago, wasn’t it you, Sacrificial Officer Ming, who defeated the philosophers accompanying Mountain River Academy, leaving them utterly routed?" From one side of the gate, Zhuge Longsu slowly stepped out, followed by those thought to have left, Lu Qingzhu and Ouyang Yan.

"Forgive me, today is a holiday for the academy, most students have gone home to reunite with their families, leaving behind only a few students, so only the dean and two lecturers have come to welcome Sacrificial Officer Ming."

"Dean Zhuge jests, to have Dean Zhuge come welcome us personally is our honor. We are more than pleased, there is nothing to forgive." Ming Rui called out with a laugh.

After some polite exchanges that seemed more like a simple visit than a challenge.

"Sacrificial Officer Ming, please," Zhuge Longsu gestured with an open hand.

"Please." Ming Rui walked alongside Zhuge Longsu, with the entourage following, they entered Mountain River Academy.

Entering the gate, Ming Rui maintained his composure, and so did the lecturers behind him, though the students’ faces changed for a moment before returning to normal.

Seeing this, a thoughtful expression flickered in the eyes of Zhuge Longsu and the others.

··················

"The philosophers who came this time are no ordinary people!" Far away on an upper floor, Qing Yu gazed at the activity at the entrance and suddenly remarked.

Although he still did not understand what his eye superpower was, the current enhancement of his sight allowed Qing Yu to easily observe the various happenings at the entrance, including the details of students’ changing expressions.

"Oh, how so?" Standing beside him, Feng Jiu asked, puzzled.

"Now you have ’Vast Righteous Qi’ within you, you can’t feel it, try transforming your Tribulation Power into True Qi of philosophy."

"The Heavenly Principle Inner Saint Method," which Qing Yu also taught Feng Jiu, made the conversion of True Qi of philosophy effortless.

The moment he circulated the True Qi of philosophy within his body, Feng Jiu felt a slight resistance, not as smooth as before.

What’s going on? Feng Jiu looked perplexedly at Qing Yu.

"It’s the environment," Qing Yu explained, "On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the eruption of the Haqi River left a residual impact, added to that, since that snowy night paying respects to the mountain, the Haqi River of the Academy has never truly settled, always accumulating energy and guarding, making the special environmental change, which had only a slight impact before, significantly suppress the operation of heterogeneous True Qi now.

Most students from the academy have left for the holidays for this reason. The current environment of the academy is quite unfriendly for those students who have yet developed ’Vast Righteous Qi.’"

"Then why aren’t those philosophers affected?"

If there is suppression, it makes no sense for the philosophers not to be impacted.

"Philosophy originates from Confucianism, and the nature of their True Qi is only slightly different. Hence, that Sacrificial Officer Ming could safely convert to studying philosophy. Every one of these philosophy students must have at least attained the Innate Second and Third Layer; otherwise, they wouldn’t be unaffected.

That’s why I say the people from philosophy this time are extraordinary."

And certainly, they weren’t the only ones. Qing Yu didn’t voice this last thought.

This Literary Arena challenge was unlike the ones before, only the philosophers had shown up so far, surely there were others lying in wait.

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