The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

"I may not have been at Mingxin Academy for long, but even I know you’re all close with Teacher Liuu. The friction between him and Teacher Qin is no secret at the Academy, so you must be well aware of it. Aren’t you afraid of the consequences of stopping me now?"

Hearing Lin Yifeng’s words, the expressions of Teacher Yun and the others turned ugly. Teacher Yun said in a heavy voice, "Teacher Lin, you’ve misspoken. We may have a relationship with Teacher Liuu, but would we just stand by and watch him harm Teacher Qin? That’s just absurd."

"That’s right. You can’t put it that way. We’re all teachers at the Academy. When it comes to matters of principle, we would never show favoritism. Besides, Teacher Qin isn’t entirely blameless. It was wrong of him to be so harsh with the students, and then he used it as a provocation."

"Exactly. It’s just a sparring match. There’s no need for this, Teacher Lin."

Staring at their shameless, hypocritical faces, Lin Yifeng fell silent. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to argue back; he just knew it was pointless. These teachers could conjure up a laundry list of excuses at a moment’s notice.

’Dealing with students?! Hmph. If Lu Yuwei’s Celestial Star Squad hadn’t hurt Teacher Qin’s friend, why would he have gone after them in the first place?’

’A sparring match?! Hmph. This Liuu Bin is involved with Lu Yuwei, his reputation at the Academy is already questionable, and he harbors a grudge against Teacher Qin. You call this a simple sparring match? Besides, one is in the Earth Element Realm while the other is in the Spiritual Element Realm. How is that fair?’

’I try to stop it, but you’re all dead set on this. I really don’t know what Teacher Qin ever did to offend you.’ At this thought, any good impression Lin Yifeng might have had of Liuu Bin and the others vanished.

Seeing Lin Yifeng fall silent, the other teachers exchanged glances and said no more. In truth, this whole "exchange session" had been arranged by Liuu Bin. They had known from the beginning that he planned to get Qin Ya to attend.

After all, why would a group of teachers from the Academy’s Martial Combat Sect invite an Alchemy Teacher to their gathering? As for Lin Yifeng, they had just run into him by chance. He was one of the youngest teachers at the Academy; while not on par with Qin Ya, he was still someone worth getting to know.

Down on the dueling grounds, a flash of light emanated from Qin Ya’s hand. A ferocious, pitch-black long spear, its head intricately designed with a coiling Flood Dragon, materialized in his grasp. Spear in hand, Qin Ya’s presence was overwhelming as he pointed it at Liuu Bin from a distance.

"I await your instruction."

Gazing at the spear in Qin Ya’s hand, a flash of greed flickered in Liuu Bin’s eyes. He chuckled. "A Fifth-Grade Profound Soldier. A truly fine weapon indeed. With that spear in hand, Teacher Qin’s combat strength must increase by at least thirty percent."

Not just anyone could possess a Fifth-Grade Profound Soldier. In the Imperial Capital, only the most influential figures owned them—people like the scions of great Noble Families such as Wang Yan, or Top Level Martial Arts experts. Liuu Bin, for example, only possessed a single Fourth-Grade Profound Soldier himself.

"Oh? Are you perhaps afraid?" Qin Ya asked with a cool smile.

He wasn’t like the other teachers. His monthly salary was significantly higher than even that of a Special-Level Teacher. For him, saving for a month or two to buy a Fifth-Grade Profound Soldier was well within reach.

Luu Bin, however, was a different story. He was merely an Intermediate Teacher at the Academy, earning only about One Thousand Gold Coins a month. Although this was a substantial sum in the eyes of others, it was a far cry from the tens of thousands of Gold Coins required to purchase a Fifth-Grade Profound Soldier.

Even if he saved every coin, forgoing food, drink, and other Cultivation Resources, it would still take him several years to afford one. And if he actually did that, his cultivation would inevitably fall far behind his peers.

"Hah. A weapon, no matter how good, is merely an external tool. One’s own cultivation is the true foundation. You should be careful, Teacher Qin," Liuu Bin sneered. He was a Martial Artist at the Earth Element Sixth Grade. Qin Ya might have improved over the past few months, but he was, at most, at the Spiritual Element Fifth Grade.

The gap between their realms was as vast as that between a child and an adult.

With a flash of light, a longsword glowing with a milky-white radiance appeared in Liuu Bin’s hand. Instantly, a tyrannical Sword Momentum erupted forth.

"Heh, that Sword Momentum is easily on par with Teacher Lin’s."

"That’s right. He’s the strongest fighter among us. Not just anyone can comprehend Sword Momentum. His talent is truly remarkable."

Their words reached Liuu Bin’s ears, making his expression even more smug. He boomed, "So, Teacher Qin, what do you think of that?"

Qin Ya gently shook his head. It was true that Liuu Bin had comprehended Sword Momentum, but it was a superficial imitation—all form, no substance. It completely lacked the sharp, unyielding, forward-driving spirit of a true Swordsman.

Against a Martial Artist who truly understood profound Sword Momentum, this display would crumble in an instant. Yet Liuu Bin was so pleased with himself, which made Qin Ya laugh. "How... utterly clueless."

"What are you laughing at?" Liuu Bin snapped.

"I’m laughing at your ignorance, your arrogance, and your folly."

Qin Ya’s words sent Liuu Bin into a fiery rage. "Fine," he said coldly. "We’ll see who’s ignorant and who’s a fool. Let the lesson begin!"

With a cold cry, Liuu Bin’s hollow Sword Momentum flared, seeming to transform into innumerable small blades that pressed down on Qin Ya.

Facing this oppressive aura, the young man stood as still as a mountain, as if the intimidating presence before him was nothing more than a gentle spring breeze.

Luu Bin’s pupils shrank. ’What the hell? He can completely ignore the pressure of my Sword Momentum? That’s incredibly rare for someone in the Spiritual Element Realm.’

"Face my sword!"

The sword lunged with the speed of a thunderbolt. Qin Ya gave a cool smile as his spear shot forward in response, striking like a Flood Dragon bursting from the sea to roil the winds and rains.

The tip of the spear. The tip of the sword.

The two points met. A chaotic blast of Qi Force erupted, kicking up a swirling cloud of dust and debris.

Luu Bin smirked. The True Essence of his Earth Element Realm cultivation surged, instantly flooding into his longsword. The blade flared with a brilliant, blinding light.

An immense force rushed toward Qin Ya. He met it with a cool smile as his own True Essence surged. While not as vast as Liuu Bin’s, it formed into a wave-like pattern that actually managed to hold its ground.

’Such... exquisite control over True Essence!’

Luu Bin was momentarily stunned, but a cold glint quickly flashed in his eyes. He unleashed the full power of his Earth Element Realm True Essence without reservation, instantly shattering Qin Ya’s wave-like defense. A normal Spiritual Element Realm Martial Artist facing such a direct assault of True Essence would have been either killed or severely wounded.

Even Qin Ya was thrown back several meters. He flipped in mid-air to bleed off the momentum before landing steadily, but a dull ache still throbbed in his chest.

Luu Bin sneered. In his mind, Qin Ya had to be injured after taking a direct hit from his powerful True Essence. He quickly feigned concern, "My apologies, my apologies! I accidentally used a bit too much... uh..."

But the young man before him... he was completely unscathed?!

Qin Ya simply looked at him coolly and asked, "Is that all you’ve got?"

Only then did it dawn on Liuu Bin. This young man was an Advanced Academy Teacher, the man who had killed Wang Yan despite a gap of several Grades, the one who had single-handedly annihilated the entire Celestial Star Squad. He was no ordinary Spiritual Element Realm Martial Artist. He could not be measured by common standards.

Taking a deep breath, Liuu Bin said coldly, "Let’s... continue."