Chapter 28: Not One Person Can Be Spared

  Back in his room, Li Xiao began to meditate and cultivate.

  Li Xiao added thirty curse seals to his body, the power of the curse seals grew stronger and stronger, and the speed at which he opened up his acupoints naturally became faster and faster. The power generated by the curse seals all surged into the Zuqiaoyin acupoint, this was an acupoint on the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian, according to Li Xiao's current cultivation speed, perhaps in less than a month, he would be able to complete his cultivation.

  What made Li Xiao frown was that this foot Shaoyang gallbladder meridian had forty-four key points, and even if he opened one point per month, it would take four years to open the entire foot Shaoyang gallbladder meridian. Li Xiao simply couldn't stay in Tongling San Chong for so long, otherwise, whether it was his father or himself, they would both be in mortal danger.

  The night was like a black curtain, and the dawn light was like a corner of the black curtain being lifted. The national academy was quiet and soundless. For these students, whether it was eating or sleeping, both were indispensable.

  Li Xiao got up early to practice the Tongshen Jue, his spiritual power growing slowly every day. However, at this speed, it was far from enough for Li Xiao now.

  Slowly opening his eyes, he found that there was an extra person in the room, but he didn't know when this person had appeared.

  "Master."

  Li Xiao bowed respectfully and greeted him, this man was indeed Yue Changsheng.

  Yue Changsheng nodded and motioned for Li Xiao to dispense with the formalities.

  "Master, the disciple got into trouble at the Prime Minister's residence yesterday. Please punish me."

  Facing this Yue Changsheng, Li Xiao's heart was filled with gratitude. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have the strength he had today and would probably have died at Wang Qi's hands long ago.

  "Why?"

  Yue Changsheng only asked two words, and Li Xiao heard this, then told the story of yesterday's events, and finally even bowed.

  "It's like this: in a fit of rage, I killed four senior brothers from the Imperial Academy, and even Zhao Wuhou's son, Zhao Kuo, was among them. My disciple has committed a grave mistake, please punish him, Master."

  Li Xiao was originally able to hold back at that time, but the first time he killed someone, and under the burning of anger, he couldn't remember so much anymore. He could kill one person, so he killed one person!

  "Why?"

  Yue Changsheng looked at Li Xiao and asked this sentence again.

  "This..."

  Li Xiao didn't know how to respond, he indeed hadn't stopped his hand, and it was due to his anger, but in the end, he had made up his mind to kill, otherwise, no matter what, under the circumstances at that time, he would have been able to spare two lives.

  "Why did you kill only four people?!"

  Yue Changsheng's voice contained a hint of magical power, and it reverberated in Li Xiao's ears with a buzzing sound!

  "You are my brother-in-law's lifelong disciple; if you occupy a single word of reason, no one in the academy can be spared from death!"

  Yue Changsheng's words made Li Xiao's blood boil, it turned out that this master was not blaming himself for killing indiscriminately, but rather felt that he had killed too few! To dare say such things in the Imperial Academy, truly a peerless and fierce individual!

  "Master, for the past year, my disciple's strength has progressed slowly. With a poor family background and having an enemy in the Wang family, this level of strength is truly insufficient to protect myself. May I ask Master, what method can quickly improve my strength?"

  Li Xiao now has no other way but to seek help from Yue Changsheng.

  Yue Changsheng gazed at his only disciple, Li Xiao's firm and resolute eyes, which were almost identical to his own when he was younger.

  "The path of cultivation has no shortcut, you want to get how much, first pay out how much. In my college, there is a life and death oven, it can greatly temper the cultivator's body, you have memorized all the curse seals, in the oven to cultivate, must be twice the result with half the effort. However, this life and death oven has yin and yang two airs, during the day like fierce fire baking, extremely hard to bear, at night but like an ice cellar attached to the body, severe cold into the bone. Generally only those who have reached Tongling nine heavy, in order to break through the mortal boundary will enter it, this is the only cultivation shortcut for you now, what do you think?"

  Yue Changsheng looked at Li Xiao.

  "Master, take me to the Life and Death Furnace today. I don't want to waste a single moment of my cultivation time."

  The moment Li Xiao heard this, he made up his mind. He would inevitably have to go through the life-and-death furnace, and since it was better to do it sooner rather than later, he might as well choose today.

  "Alright! You just focus on cultivating in the life and death furnace, there are tempering materials inside the furnace, the longer you stay, the better it is for your body. Don't worry about external matters, Master will take care of them."

  Yue Changsheng nodded, Li Xiao found a piece of paper and left a message for Ni Liang and the others in the room before leaving with Yue Changsheng.

  Before long, Ni Liang and others entered Li Xiao's room, only to see that there was no one around, with a piece of paper left on the table.

  Ni Liang took it and looked at it, and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy:

  "Haha, it seems that Li Xiao is blessed with good fortune after surviving a great calamity! Instructor Yue Changsheng has taken Li Xiao away for training, and his speed will surely surpass that of the other students by a huge margin. Where can you find such a wonderful opportunity?"

  "I see, it seems we can't slack off either. Let's go, after breakfast, let's cultivate together."

  Sun Yu and three others left their residence and walked to the cafeteria.

  Only then did a figure in white clothes, Xue Ningfeng, appear there. Seeing only Nai Liang and the other two people, she immediately asked:

  "Several seniors, why didn't we see Senior Li Xiao today?"

  Ní Liáng had heard from Lǐ Xiào about the origin of the matter yesterday, and knew that this woman in front of him was also one of the participants.

  "What's the point of asking these questions? We still need to eat, don't block our way."

  Ni Liang didn't have a good expression on his face, but Chun Yu Xi spoke up:

  "Li Xiao's junior brother and Yue Changsheng's master have gone to further their studies, they probably won't be back for a while. I wonder what business does Xue Ningxue junior sister have with Li Xiao junior brother?"

  Xue Ningfeng hesitated for a moment before saying:

  "When Li Xiao returns, please apologize on my behalf. I was unaware of the events of yesterday and I beg that Li Xiao will not hold it against me."

  Xue Ningfeng finished speaking and left directly, with unknown thoughts in her mind. This morning when she woke up, she still clearly remembered the words of her sister Xue Ningzi:

  "Sister, you are too kind-hearted. This world is not as beautiful as you imagine it to be. I let you hear that conversation yesterday so that you could understand the cruelty of reality. In the academy, there are several factions formed by students who are absolute geniuses and possess the Nine Revolutions of Spiritual Energy. Even with our status as nobles, we can't gain an upper hand in the academy. This is a place where strength is paramount, and the influence of the National Academy is growing stronger every day, to the point where even the imperial court can't control it. So, you need to learn how to protect yourself, learn to be ruthless when facing everyone. Otherwise, you will only fall behind in the academy. Perhaps one day, the academy will surpass the imperial court and become the ruler of Wu Chu State. Therefore, before that happens, we must establish our position within the academy. Only then can we ensure the glory and prosperity of our family. I hope you understand all this."

  Taking a deep breath, the power of Guo Xueyuan has grown to such an extent that it can shake the imperial court! So will Guo Xueyuan really replace the imperial court? If even his own sister has already seen all this, hasn't the imperial court also seen it long ago? Is it possible that the current imperial court really has no way to shake the entire Guo Xueyuan?

  Xue Ningfeng was not stupid, she quickly thought of these things. For the sake of her family's honor, it can also be said that in order to avoid falling, Xue Ningfeng had no choice but to work hard and cultivate quietly.

  At this moment, Li Xiao was being carried by Yue Changsheng in mid-air, and they arrived at a place that seemed to be the entrance of an underground cave.

  "Haha, Xiao Yuezi, it's been over a decade since you last came. Who is this kid? You wouldn't want him to enter the life and death furnace, would you?"

  A man of over fifty years old, looking very refined, with long hair tied up with a rope, and his aged eyes narrowed as if he had not yet woken up.

  "Not bad, he is my disciple and wants to enter the life-and-death furnace for cultivation."

  Yue Changsheng's words made the old man suddenly widen his eyes.

  He carefully observed Li Xiao.

  "Yue Changsheng, you must be joking! This life-and-death furnace is extremely painful. Without a strong spirit and willpower like the Nine Revolutions of Spiritual Enlightenment, it's impossible to get through. As far as I know, in the entire history of this academy, only one person has managed to endure for several years without reaching the Nine Revolutions, and that was someone who had already reached the third revolution. This little guy is only at the third revolution, he definitely won't make it."

  The old man shook his head, and Li Xiao asked with a hint of curiosity:

  "I wonder which senior had been cultivating for many years without reaching the Nine Heavens of Spiritual Enlightenment?"

  In the entire college, there was only one person who survived, enough to imagine this person's will.

  "Heh heh."

  The old man smiled and walked towards Li Xiao.

  "That person is none other than your master, didn't this madman ever tell you?"

  Li Xiao was shocked in his heart, but he was repelled by the old man's mouthful of pungent wine smell and retreated several steps.

  He didn't expect that his master had actually been tempered in the life-and-death furnace, and was even called a madman by the guys guarding the furnace.

  "Alright, let's go in."

  Yue Changsheng took Li Xiao and walked straight into this place that seemed like an underground cellar.

  "This madman has actually brought his disciple to ruin, poor little guy, I'll pray for you, Master!"

  The ground ahead was somewhat dark, but the air was sufficient, and from the torches hanging on all sides, it could be seen that Li Xiao felt his whole body getting hotter and hotter, and he had already started sweating.

  The stone road paved the stairs and finally reached the bottom, which was a huge magma base. A furnace-shaped building sat in it, suppressing the entire magma town. The rolling flames brought scorching air waves, making Li Xiao somewhat unbearable.

  "This is the Life and Death Furnace, now it's daytime so the temperature is extremely high. At night, the furnace will release a powerful cold air to suppress the underground magma, cultivating in it is very beneficial for your body."

  Yue Changsheng finished speaking with Li Xiao, and with a wave of his large hand, a white jade stone staircase leading directly to the kiln suddenly appeared in mid-air.

  "Remember, if you can't hold on, just recite this mantra and the oven will send you out."

  Yue Changsheng taught Li Xiao a spell seal, and with a wave of his large sleeve, Li Xiao's body was sent into the oven by an invisible force.

  After doing all this, Yue Changsheng did not stay and stepped up the stairs.

  At the foot of the stairs, Yue Changsheng looked at the old man guarding here, picked up a jug of wine with his hand, and poured it into his mouth.

  "Yue Chang, you little brat, are you certain that your threefold spiritual disciple can withstand the fiery trials of the mortal furnace? Back then, you were only at the sixth level of spiritual cultivation when you entered it."

  The old man narrowed his eyes and took another sip of wine.

  "Master, you look even older than before. Time is indeed a heartless knife. To be honest, I'm not worried about whether Li Xiao can persist or not. What I'm concerned about is what kind of state this little guy will ultimately cultivate to?"

  ;