The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

"Alright, class is dismissed for today. I have an assignment for you." Qin Ya smiled faintly, taking out a Pill Formula. "This is the Pill Formula and Refining Technique for the First-Grade Elixir, the Feather Spirit Pill. Each of you copy it down. I will check on your progress next class."

More than half a month had passed since his last lecture. Compared to the thirty-seven students from before, the number of attendees in Qin Ya’s class had now swelled by more than tenfold. While his name wasn’t exactly known by every person on the street within the Academy, let alone the entire Imperial Capital, anyone of some standing knew that such a figure existed at the Academy.

He handed the Pill Formula to Muu Xue, tasking her with having the other students copy it, then departed. Back at Ningxiang Pavilion, he began his cultivation. By now, his cultivation base had reached the Profound Yuan Eighth Grade. This was all thanks to the Ice Lotus he had unexpectedly obtained during the last hunt on Mang Mountain.

After having Huaa Que gather the necessary medicinal herbs, Qin Ya used the Ice Lotus as the primary ingredient to refine a cauldron of Fourth-Grade Elixirs. With their help, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the Profound Yuan Eighth Grade in a mere half-month. The Spiritual Element Realm was now within sight.

Qin Yuxiang and Leng Ningshuang had also made significant progress in their cultivation. They both received a share of the elixirs Qin Ya refined. Qin Yuxiang’s cultivation base had already reached Profound Origin Perfection, just half a step away from the Spiritual Element Realm, and her Celestial-Tier Lower Class Sword Technique was growing more profound by the day.

Leng Ningshuang’s progress was even greater. Possessing the Profound Yin Bloodline, her innate talent was already far beyond that of an ordinary person. Combined with her cultivation of a divine skill like the Cold Ice Hell Secret Scripture and the aid of Qin Ya’s elixirs, she had now broken through the Human Element Realm to reach the Profound Origin Fourth Grade.

Her prodigious talent earned constant praise even from Qin Ya, to say nothing of her grandfather, Huaa Que. He was all smiles day in and day out, and when it came to Qin Ya, he granted his every request. With an Extraordinary Strong Person as his backer in the Imperial Capital, Qin Ya could do as he pleased, and no one would dare say a word.

Half a day later, Qin Ya ceased his cultivation and executed the Carefree Travel Body Technique. He glided across the lake’s surface as if it were solid ground, his figure as graceful and free as the wind. Although the Carefree Travel Body Technique was a Profound-Level Upper Class martial skill, its power had been greatly enhanced. By cultivating the Wind-Splitting aspect of the Celestial-Level Upper Class martial skill, the Solitary Yang Spear Technique, he had comprehended the Wind’s Great Trend and integrated it into his movement. Now, his Carefree Travel could rival an Earth-Level body technique.

Qin Ya entered Ningxiang Pavilion and watched the two women bustling around the stove. A warmth spread through his heart, but it was immediately followed by a pang of guilt. They had been in the Imperial Capital for so long, yet he hadn’t taken them out to properly stroll around and see the sights.

He was old beyond his years and had the experience of two lifetimes. ’What worldly splendor is there that I haven’t seen?’ Besides, he was obsessed with the Martial Arts and paid little mind to other matters. But the two women were different. Never mind Qin Yuxiang; Leng Ningshuang was just a girl of seventeen or eighteen.

’She’s in the prime of her youth, a time when she should be vibrant and full of life. If it weren’t for her being with me, why would she be stuck here engaging in such mind-numbingly dull cultivation, like some old man?’

’Ah, what the hell,’ he thought. ’The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation. My progress has been fast enough lately. I can afford to give myself a break and go out for a stroll.’

Qin Ya smiled and said, "Auntie, Ningshuang, we’ve been in the Imperial Capital for so long, but we haven’t really gone out to explore. The weather is nice today, let’s go out together."

"Yes, yes!" Leng Ningshuang was, after all, still just a seventeen-year-old girl. Though she was happy just being with Qin Ya, she couldn’t help but cheer with excitement at the prospect of going out.

"Alright then, let’s go after we finish eating."

"Let’s eat out."

"Alright, we’ll do as Xiaoya says."

...............

As the most important city in the nation, the prosperity of Yunxiao Imperial City was a given. The streets teemed with carriages like a flowing river, and towering buildings lined the avenues. Walking down the main street, the two women were like uncaged birds, chirping with excitement.

"Wow, this rouge smells so nice!"

"Heh, Ningshuang, that’s not rouge. It’s a First-Grade Elixir, the Nine-Flower Jade Dew. It’s used for healing."

"Oh, this jade hairpin is gorgeous! The jade feels so smooth, and its color is flawless and translucent. This is Upper Class White Field Jade."

"If you like it, Auntie, just buy it."

"Brother Qin, look! Does this hat look good on me?"

"It does..."

The two women bought quite a few things along the way, but to Qin Ya, who had just received a salary of one hundred thousand Gold Coins from Huaa Que, it was a mere drop in the bucket. The total they had spent so far wasn’t even enough to cover the cost of a single meal at the Academy’s Mountain Delicacies Tower.

Tossing all their purchases into his Storage Ring, Qin Ya swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes as sharp as blades. Those with ill intentions felt a sudden chill and scattered in a panic.

Both women were rare beauties. Although Qin Yuxiang was Qin Ya’s aunt, she was not old, and as her cultivation deepened, she appeared increasingly young and beautiful. That, combined with her air of mature allure, naturally drew many covetous stares.

And that was to say nothing of Leng Ningshuang. She was devastatingly beautiful to begin with, and her full head of snow-white hair gave her an exotic allure, making it impossible for her not to stand out. If not for Qin Ya’s intimidating presence, there was no telling how many men would have tried to approach them along the way.

Naturally, Qin Ya, walking alongside two such beauties with whom he was clearly intimate, became the target of much resentment. If gazes were blades, he would have long since been pierced by ten thousand arrows and suffered death by a thousand cuts.

After asking for directions, Qin Ya led the two women to a famous scenic spot in the Imperial Capital... Thousand Fish Lake.

As its name implied, the lake was home to over a thousand different species of fish. The three of them found this rather intriguing. After walking for a little over an hour, they finally arrived at Thousand Fish Lake.

Verdant willows swayed gently on both banks, their branches dancing in the wind. A thin mist hung over the lake, shrouding it like a delicate veil of gauze. Occasionally, a fish would break the surface, sending ripples across the water, but by the time one looked again, it had vanished without a trace.

"Some ’Thousand Fish Lake.’ I haven’t seen a single fish," Leng Ningshuang grumbled, pouting. "Brother Qin, have you seen any?"

Qin Ya shrugged. "Nope."

"Heh heh, you can’t see the fish from here," a voice said. An old man wearing a straw hat and holding a bamboo staff had overheard them. He stroked his messy beard as he spoke.

"Then might I ask, good sir, where can we see them?" Qin Yuxiang asked politely, turning to the old man.

"Hmm, over there." The old man chuckled, pointing into the depths of the mist with his bamboo staff. "In the middle of the lake. There are a hundred pavilions out there. Only from there can you witness the spectacle of ten thousand fish gathering as if to pay tribute."

"The middle of the lake? How do we get there?"

The old man let out a sly chuckle. "Well, if you folks wouldn’t mind, this old man could ferry you across. It’s not much, just ten Silver Coins. What do you say?"

Qin Ya paused for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. ’So he’s a boatman,’ he thought.