The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

The jade order, rustic in design and a translucent cyan, glinted faintly in the sunlight. A liquid seemed to flow within it on closer inspection. At the sight of this order, the White Guard’s pupils contracted sharply.

Lu Chen and the others looked as if they had seen a ghost, their faces filled with disbelief. ’A High-Level Teacher Jade Order?’

’This guy is an Advanced Academy Teacher?!’

"I wonder, am I qualified to go up?" Qin Ya said slowly to the White Guard, after shooting a cool glance at Lu Chen and the others. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Upon hearing this, the White Guard shot a fierce glare at Lu Chen’s group before bowing respectfully to Qin Ya. "The fourth and fifth floors of the Mountain Delicacies Tower are reserved for teachers. Of course you’re qualified. What’s more, as a High-Level Teacher, you are entitled to a 90% discount."

Every High-Level Teacher from Mingxin Academy was a powerful martial artist of the Celestial Essence Realm or higher. They were revered wherever they went, and the Mountain Delicacies Tower was no exception.

"Mm." Ignoring Lu Chen and his cohort, who were stunned and terrified by this revelation, Qin Ya put away the Jade Order and headed straight for the fourth floor.

The White Guard sighed in relief. He then turned to Lu Chen’s group and snorted coldly, unleashing the full force of his Earth Element Realm Martial Arts Cultivation. A crushing pressure, like that of a mountain, descended upon them. The students’ faces turned pale; only Lu Chen, at the Spiritual Element Ninth Grade, could somewhat withstand it.

"Hmph, you bunch of ignorant fools, daring to disturb a distinguished guest. This isn’t your family estate. If you dare to cause trouble in the Mountain Delicacies Tower again, don’t bother coming back."

With that, the White Guard flicked his sleeve and departed, though his heart was filled with doubt. ’He could see Qin Ya’s cultivation was only at the Profound Origin Realm. How could he possibly be a High-Level Teacher? But regardless, every High-Level Teacher in the Academy was a force to be reckoned with.’

"Young Master Lu, what should we do?" one of the young men asked, his expression uneasy. "We’ve offended a High-Level Teacher. We’re not going to be in trouble, are we?"

Lu Chen’s expression flickered, and a dark cloud settled over his features. He never would have dreamed that a young man, even younger than himself, could be a High-Level Teacher at this thousand-year-old academy.

"Hmph, it’s nothing. We have our families to back us up. Even if he is a High-Level Teacher, there’s nothing he can do to us." Lu Chen’s expression gradually returned to one of calm indifference. As one of the Yunxiao Empire’s four great Noble Families, the Lu Family could afford to offend a mere High-Level Teacher.

Perhaps influenced by Lu Chen, the other students’ moods lightened. That’s right, they had Noble Families backing them. While they couldn’t compare to a behemoth like the Lu Family, their ability to gain a foothold in the Imperial Capital meant their own families’ resources and influence were not to be underestimated.

But after the incident with Qin Ya, none of them had the heart to stay any longer. They left one after another. A few students who were friends with Lin Liyang sighed before shouldering his weight and carrying him away.

The fourth floor was the teachers’ dining area. When Qin Ya arrived, he found only a few people there, all of whom looked a little surprised to see him.

Qin Ya had yet to teach a class, so most students were unaware of his existence. However, the teachers present had all been at the Master Dao Pavilion when he was appointed, so they recognized him.

They were incredibly curious about this new addition—the youngest High-Level Teacher with the weakest cultivation in the academy’s history.

They each nodded a greeting to Qin Ya, and he returned the gesture to each of them. Afterward, he walked to an empty window seat. A moment later, a waitress with delicate features approached with a menu.

The waitress was a commoner student from the academy, working part-time to earn some money. She was quite surprised by Qin Ya’s presence and kept stealing glances at him as he ordered.

Qin Ya paid her no mind. After ordering, he handed the menu back to her and said, "You don’t need to be suspicious. I am, in fact, a teacher at the academy."

The waitress’s face flushed red, and she hurried away with the menu. The service at the Mountain Delicacies Tower was excellent; before long, several fragrant delicacies were placed before Qin Ya.

Qin Ya began to eat. With the very first bite, a current of warmth spread from his lower abdomen, suffusing his entire body.

These dishes were no ordinary fare; they were brimming with Primordial Qi. A normal person would feel their entire body flush with heat after a single bite. Eating too much would lead to an overabundance of nourishment, causing a fatal imbalance of yin and yang that could make their body explode. Only a Martial Artist could consume such food safely, and for them, it even had a nourishing effect.

Qin Ya watched the scenery outside the window, sipping fine wine and savoring the delicacies. He was enjoying himself immensely when a man of about thirty slowly walked over. "Teacher Qin, you don’t mind if I sit here, do you?"

"Not at all."

The man smiled faintly and sat down opposite Qin Ya. He raised his wine cup. "My name is Lin Yifeng. To you."

Qin Ya was unsure of the man’s intentions, but he didn’t refuse. He raised his own cup and drank it down.

"Teacher Qin, to become a High-Level Teacher at such a young age is one thing, but your debate on the Alchemy Dao with Teacher Liu at the Master Dao Pavilion that day left me thoroughly impressed. Since I was lucky enough to run into you today, I wanted to take the opportunity to make your acquaintance. I hope you don’t find me too forward," Lin Yifeng said with a smile.

"Teacher Lin, you don’t look very old yourself. To become a teacher at the academy, you must also be a remarkable talent," Qin Ya remarked lightly.

"Hehe, I’m merely a Junior Teacher. I pale in comparison to you, Teacher Qin. By the way, where might you be from?" Lin Yifeng asked slowly.

"I’m from Anxing City in Qingyu County."

Lin Yifeng looked stunned for a moment, then his face broke into a delighted smile. "Qingyu County? Haha, what a coincidence! I was born in Jinling City, also in Qingyu County."

"Oh!" Qin Ya was also a bit surprised. The Yunxiao Empire was vast, with well over a hundred counties. He never expected to meet someone from his home county just by having a meal at the Mountain Delicacies Tower.

After discovering Qin Ya was also from Qingyu County, Lin Yifeng seemed to have found a common topic and began chattering on enthusiastically about the local customs and scenery. Qin Ya would occasionally chime in with a comment or two.

Soon, the two had finished the meal. Before leaving, Qin Ya had some desserts packed to take back for Qin Yuxiang and Leng Ningshuang. Thanks to his High-Level Teacher status, he received a 90% discount.

After rounding, the total came to two thousand Silver Coins. The price left him speechless. ’Doesn’t that mean the original cost was at least twenty thousand Silver Coins? That’s the price of a First-Grade Profound Soldier!’

But it was money well spent. After this one meal, Qin Ya felt the bottleneck in his cultivation begin to loosen. He was on the verge of breaking through to the Profound Origin Sixth Grade.

It was worth mentioning that when the waitress learned Qin Ya was a High-Level Teacher, her jaw dropped. She stuttered while speaking and looked completely flustered as she settled his bill.

’It was rather amusing, looking back on it.’

When he returned, the two young women’s eyes lit up at the sight of the desserts he’d brought. They snatched the box from his hands and began eating happily. Seeing them enjoy the treats, Qin Ya smiled. He looked out at their lakeside pavilion, and as inspiration struck, he said, "We should give this place a name."

The two women stopped eating, not even bothering to wipe the pastry crumbs from the corners of their mouths, looking as if they had just discovered something incredibly fun.

"Since we live by a lake, let’s call it Lake Pavilion."

"No, no good! How about ’Elegant Tower’? You can tell just from the name that it’s very cultured. So refined!"

"Hah, no way. What about ’Dominion Tower’? ’The whole world contained in a single tower’—how incredibly domineering is that!"

...

Qin Ya felt his head throb. With a flicker of movement, he appeared before the pavilion. He drew his Hundred Battles Long Spear, and with a flash of its tip, he carved two words into the wood.

The two women looked. Carved on the building was... Ningxiang Pavilion!

The two women exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing.