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Chapter 30 - Qi Refining Realm Three

​The clerk pleaded earnestly, but Zhao Xunan just grinned, pulling out the Yin-Yang Bagua Jade Tablet and offering it with both hands.

The clerk hesitated, then accepted it. After a quick scan, his expression darkened. He pulled out a register from the Celestial Strategy Office and squinted at a line of text. Finally, his voice trembled slightly:

"Y-you're the new Head of the Martial Arts Academy?"

"Something like that," Zhao Xunan nodded, forcing a smile. "The previous Head tossed two lines at me and left. To be honest, I'm still not sure if I 'qualify.'"

"Of course you do," the clerk said, tapping the register. "The tablet bears your name—that's all that matters."

He couldn't help but stare at Zhao Xunan, a teenager barely seventeen, now the head of an ancient academy. It sounded absurd, but the tablet's authority left no room for doubt.

The registration process was surprisingly swift thanks to his new title, but the clerk couldn't resist a final warning:

"Head Zhao, you must resolve the student issue immediately. For the Spring Examinations, the students' performance determines the teaching staff's evaluations. If you have fewer than three students, you'll score zero—and you won't even get to take the exam."

His tone held a hint of oddity. After all, a Second Grade Pure official like Zhao Xunan had no need to chase a minor rank like Sixth Grade. But the clerk knew better than to question the Emperor's whims.

Zhao Xunan thanked him and left. The clerk rushed straight to Minister Wu Peiyang of the Ministry of Rites, babbling about the strange turn of events.

Minister Wu, a rotund man, trotted to the emperor's chambers, still out of breath. The emperor, writing calligraphy at his desk, paused, stroke dangling mid-air.

"Ever since the Imperial Preceptor was injured by that… unmentionable figure, I knew things would spiral," the emperor muttered.

His steward glanced over. Despite the emperor's words, the Imperial Preceptor—Phoenix—sat at a low table, writing calmly, her complexion as healthy as ever. High-ranking officials like her had access to the best healing elixirs.

"But how could that figure entrust the academy to a teenager?" the emperor mused.

Minister Wu chuckled. "This shows Zhao Xunan has great fortune. Even the proud Mo Family wouldn't hand over their legacy to a child unless he's destined for greatness."

The emperor nodded slowly, reconsidering his earlier disdain. Scholars valued integrity; martial artists valued strength. By forcing Zhao Xunan to "teach before becoming a student," he'd aimed to humble him—but perhaps he'd been too harsh.

"Perhaps I was wrong," the emperor admitted.

Minister Wu beamed, clapping his hands. "Your Majesty admits fault? That's a first!"

"Enough flattery. Withdraw the 'teach before student' rule for both civil and martial exams. It's a wasteful farce. Instead, let scholars enter the academies directly as teaching assistants—cut the nonsense, focus on the essentials."

The emperor's mood lifted, but a frown soon returned. "But what about Zhao Xunan? The Martial Arts Academy has no students—he can't pass evaluations like this!"

"That's his problem," Wu said firmly. "If he can't handle it, how will he ever build a foundation for the Great Qin Dynasty?"

The emperor sighed, conceding. "You're right. Trust the old ministers—they think circles around upstarts."

Meanwhile, Phoenix set down her brush with a scowl. The emperor and Wu's bickering had ruined her calligraphy. She crumpled the paper and tossed it into the waste basket, then resumed writing with renewed focus.

Her master from the Celestial Dao Sect had warned her: Her dao heart was steady, but her temper was restless—a flaw for cultivation. To return to the sect and begin foundation-building, she needed to write 200 characters daily without a single smudge. If she achieved this in 100 days, her temper would settle.

Back at the Martial Arts Academy, Zhao Xunan felt lighter than air. No more fruitless errands—back to the library, his sanctuary.

Zhao Ping'er found him there the next day, scrolling through a scroll. She tugged his sleeve, worried.

"Master, even with the registration, you can't slack off!" she said, shaking him. "That Mr. Tuzi said you need students—hurry, or it'll be too late!"

Zhao Xunan chuckled, brushing a strand of grass from her hair. "Students come when they come, little one. Not like rabbits—you can't chase them."

"But Master—"

"Relax. With the Martial Arts Academy, even without martial talent, I'll thrive. 'Books hold beauty, books hold gold'—the ancients were right."

He nudged her aside and dove back into his book, losing himself instantly. Zhao Ping'er sighed, then skipped off to play with the horse, unconcerned. Times had changed; her goal was simply to see her master grow strong.

Days passed. On April 11th, Zhao Xunan finally left the library, interrupting Zhao Ping'er as she weeded the garden. He flicked her forehead.

"Stay here. Don't leave the academy."

She pouted but obeyed. Zhao Xunan sprinted to the white buildings, leaping onto the tallest jade tower. From the peak, he gazed at the Luo River, where willows swayed and peach blossoms bloomed.

"Waves follow moonlight, pure as spring; peach blossoms mirror the sky. Sunset hides rocks, willows sink like fish."

The poem left him unsettled. He closed his eyes, channeling his inner qi. The result was the same: Disaster.

Since breaking through to Qi Refining Realm Two, he'd felt a shadow looming—a karmic thread tied to the Butian Shi. Today's lightning strike had confirmed it: His breakthrough had stirred something ancient.

"Boom!"

Thunder split the sky, but Zhao Xunan smiled. He'd finally entered Qi Refining Realm Three.

He plunged into the river, surfacing by a lone locust tree in the reeds. Sitting cross-legged, he unsheathed his Tian Gui (Heavenly Halberd), its black blade humming with pent-up qi.

Footsteps approached. Two Butian Shi—one stocky, one lean—emerged from the mist.

"Not bad—for a lowly Qi Refiner," the stocky one sneered.

The lean one spat. "Even if he's stronger, we have the Star Officer's forbidden weapon. A foundation-stage cultivator wouldn't stand a chance."

The stocky one hesitated. "But that weapon's tied to the Star Officer's 30 years of cultivation. Breaking it would—-"

"Enough. Use it."

The lean one lunged, his spear transforming into a golden ox. Zhao Xunan swung Tian Gui, cleaving the ox in half. The lean one coughed blood, stumbling back.

"Not bad," Zhao Xunan admitted.

The stocky one roared, his sword a charging rhinoceros. Zhao Xunan parried, Tian Gui's blade singing. The collision sent shockwaves through the reeds.

Both retreated, circling warily. The stocky one guarded the lean one, eyes narrowed. This "heretic" was stronger than Mo Yin had warned—unshakable, even against their best attacks.

Zhao Xunan smiled faintly. Their golden ox and charging rhino were formidable, but he'd spent months in the library, deciphering ancient techniques. Today, he'd finally begun to understand the "Dao beyond the Dao."

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