Chapter 243: Chapter 218: Kill the Chicken to Warn the Monkey, and My Friend Found a Treasure

Zhurong Daoist School, Alchemy Department.

Twenty-four parallel stone bridges led to a great hall that housed all the offices for the Alchemy Department’s instructors. Outside each office hung a nameplate with the instructor’s name, academic credentials, and Cultivation Realm.

It was said that some teachers, completely absorbed in their research, even had their Cave Mansions located within their offices.

But while the hall’s exterior was simple and archaic, the inside was extremely modern.

Li Tingyu’s office alone was a sprawling 1,700 square meters.

A washroom, a bedroom, a study, a garden...

It was like a presidential suite.

All teachers possessed the ability to ignore their students, and Li Tingyu was no exception. After sweeping the two of them into her office, she immediately began to brew herself some fruit tea.

"This is bigger than my entire house!"

Qiu Beixuan muttered from the side, his eyes filled with envy. "They always said the benefits for teachers at Zhurong Daoist School were great, but I never imagined they were *this* great... After I graduate, I’m going to fight for a position here, too."

Chen Che, on the other hand, was unfazed. The office was about the same size as the main hall in Jinyun Valley.

"Why’d you get dragged to the office, too?"

"I was late, too."

Qiu Beixuan nodded.

’No wonder he seemed so happy,’

Chen Che grumbled to himself.

’It was like being late for class and suddenly realizing your deskmate wasn’t there yet. All that anxiety just melts away.’

"Stay on as a teacher?"

"You’ll have to reach Core Formation within your four years at the Daoist School for that to even be a possibility. Otherwise, it’s just empty words."

Li Tingyu, holding her fruit tea, heard them and drifted over. "And another thing," she said, "don’t think you can just slack off now that you’re in Zhurong Daoist School. Why were you late? Give me a good reason, or I absolutely will not let you off the hook today."

"I was in seclusion for my Cultivation and lost track of time. By the time I realized what was happening, I was already late."

The excuse came easily to Chen Che.

Li Tingyu glanced at Qiu Beixuan.

He hastily replied, "Me too."

"A very good reason. In that case, I’d like to see the fruits of your daily seclusion!"

Li Tingyu gave a slight nod. With a faint lift of her elegant hand, she sent a palm strike straight at Chen Che.

’These siblings really have the same way of testing students,’ he thought, not alarmed but delighted. This was a rare opportunity to exchange blows with a Nascent Soul Cultivator. In that same instant, he raised his hand, channeling his True Essence and Qi and Blood to their absolute limit to meet her palm.

BAM!

Li Tingyu’s palm strike had seemed deceptively casual.

But when their palms met, Chen Che felt the force behind it was like a world-engulfing tidal wave, surging with terrifying power. For a moment, it felt like he was back in high school, in the Qi Refining Realm, facing a palm strike from Li Xiaoshuang.

’Is this the power of a Nascent Soul True Monarch?’

Chen Che was astounded.

Even though she had suppressed her power to his level, he still had to mobilize every last bit of his True Essence just to withstand it. The slightest lapse in concentration, and he would be instantly overwhelmed by her force.

He couldn’t even perceive the realm of the power she was using.

"Not bad!"

After a few moments, Li Tingyu nodded slightly and retracted her hand. "Your True Essence is solid and potent, not hollow at all. You’ve clearly been working hard. I’ll let you off the hook today. Don’t be late again!"

Then, Li Tingyu turned to Qiu Beixuan.

"Is it my turn?"

Qiu Beixuan was suddenly eager to try.

He had seen how easily Chen Che withstood the blow; it didn’t seem as difficult as he had imagined.

Seeing Li Tingyu raise her palm to strike, Qiu Beixuan immediately channeled his True Essence to meet her attack.

With a loud CRACK,

their palms collided. Qiu Beixuan shrieked as he was sent flying backward like a cannonball. He crashed through the office doors, rolled several times upon landing, and then lay still. His right arm was bent at an unnatural angle, obviously dislocated.

"His True Essence is hollow—all flash and no substance. I suppressed my Cultivation to his Realm, and he couldn’t even withstand a single palm strike."

Li Tingyu slowly shook her head.

Ignoring the collapsed Qiu Beixuan, she drifted back to her desk and finally spoke:

"It’s been two months since you obtained the Nine Transformations Spirit Flame Technique. How many flames have you managed to condense?"

"Six!"

Glancing at the unconscious Qiu Beixuan, Chen Che immediately snapped to attention.

"Really?"

"Really!"

With a single thought from Chen Che, six balls of flame materialized behind him.

"Your Spirit Root Level may not be high, but your talent for Magic far surpasses that of an ordinary person. I knew that back when you were in high school, but this is still a pleasant surprise."

Li Tingyu sipped her fruit tea and looked at Chen Che.

"I originally estimated it would take you at least a year to reach this stage. Yet you managed it in just two months. Truly beyond my expectations. You will be only the second student since the Calamity of Heaven’s Fall to complete the ’Celestial Derivation Five Elements Skill’."

"Is this Cultivation Technique that difficult to learn? Only two people, including me?"

Chen Che was taken aback.

After all, his initial plan had been to obtain the complete Celestial Derivation Five Elements Skill.

But hearing her say that made him a little worried.

"Not exactly. To date, only two people have ever learned this Cultivation Technique. One was me. The other is you."

Li Tingyu swirled her fruit tea and downed the rest in one go. She had no intention of showing off the complete Celestial Derivation Five Elements Skill, however. Instead, she asked, "Do you know why Tier Four Techniques are only available to scholarship students?"

"Resources?"

Chen Che answered instinctively.

"Exactly!"

Li Tingyu nodded.

"Resources are scarce on Earth Element Star. Apart from Spiritual Qi, the vast majority of resources are controlled by the Immortal Sects, leaving very little to spare for assisting a Cultivator’s Cultivation. If access were unrestricted, ordinary Cultivators would lose their right to cultivate entirely, as all resources would be monopolized by High Tier Cultivators."

"And the resources required for a Tier Four Technique are astronomical..."

Li Tingyu said calmly.

Chen Che listened intently. ’Sister Li is in the absolute highest echelon on Earth Element Star,’ he thought. ’To a certain extent, her views represent those of the Immortal Sects.’

"If a technique like this were given to an ordinary student, they might not accomplish anything in their entire lifetime. In the hands of a student with a talent for Magic, however, it can be put to great use. It all comes down to one’s understanding of Magic..."

"The Four Great Daoist Schools can’t afford to cater to every single student. They follow a path of elite education."

’That’s what I figured,’ Chen Che thought, understanding now. ’It’s like asking an average high school student to solve a great mathematical conjecture. It’s just a waste of time.’

’This is what it means to teach students according to their aptitude.’

"My biggest worry was that after getting into the Daoist School, you’d get complacent and start slacking off in your Cultivation, ultimately wasting your natural talent. My younger brother sent you to Zhurong Daoist School, so I certainly can’t stand by and watch that happen."

"With your aptitude, I can’t say for sure about Divinity Transformation, but reaching Nascent Soul is definitely a realistic goal."

Li Tingyu was very satisfied with the strength Chen Che had displayed today.

She had seen her share of students with Celestial Spirit Roots enter the Daoist School, only to do just enough to barely graduate.

’So today was a case of ’kill the chicken to scare the monkey,’ and I’m the monkey she was trying to scare.’

Chen Che glanced at the unconscious Qiu Beixuan on the floor.

’And he’s the chicken.’

Seeing he still had some time, Chen Che decided not to rush off. He took the opportunity to ask a few more questions about the Celestial Derivation Five Elements Skill.

"The Daoist School’s rules state that once you’re accepted as a graduate student, you can select two Tier Four Techniques."

Li Tingyu didn’t hold anything back. Since Chen Che was asking, she elaborated a bit more.

’It’s normal to be ambitious,’ she thought. ’For a Cultivator, the real failure is not even daring to dream big.’

In the middle of their conversation, Qiu Beixuan groaned and began to stir, struggling to get up. Li Tingyu simply flicked a finger, knocking him unconscious again. "Besides," she continued as if nothing had happened, "by then you’ll have reached Core Formation and will have an eight-hundred-year lifespan. Even if you have to grind it out, that’s more than enough time to master a few Tier Four Techniques."

"Of course, this rule only applies to the Four Great Daoist Schools; the others can’t compare. Yiben Daoist School only offers up to Tier Three Techniques, and as for the second and third-tier schools... they’re not even worth mentioning."

Chen Che nodded.

’Some students from second and third-tier Daoist Schools don’t even reach Foundation Establishment by the time they graduate. It was definitely worth fighting tooth and nail to get into one of the Four Great Daoist Schools.’

’If it weren’t for these special privileges, what would have been the point?’

"What about the remaining two parts of the technique?"

"Focus on getting into the graduate program first. You haven’t even taken the first step. No matter how talented you are, you still have to learn the Celestial Derivation Five Elements Skill one step at a time."

With that, Li Tingyu waved her hand, dismissing Chen Che.

"Getting into Zhurong Daoist School’s graduate program isn’t easy. Reaching Core Formation in four years is just the baseline requirement; you also have to earn honors in every single subject. Miss one, and you’re out. So, pay attention in class from now on. If you run into any difficulties with your Cultivation, you can come and ask me."

Chen Che bid her farewell and walked to the door, where he paused.

He looked at Qiu Beixuan, who was beginning to stir again, and was suddenly reminded of the shell from Chi State. He casually kicked the boy back into unconsciousness, then turned around and asked:

"Teacher Li, a friend of mine went to the waterside a few days ago. He told me he found a strange shell, but with his level of strength, he can’t open it. He has no idea what’s inside and asked me what he should do..."

"Your friend? Is he only in the Qi Refining Realm?"

Li Tingyu asked casually, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"The oceans of Earth Element Star have been thoroughly explored, but strange things still wash up from time to time. If his strength is lacking, it’s normal that he can’t open it. But if *you* were the one who found it, and *you* couldn’t open it..."

Chen Che’s eyes lit up. He pressed on, "...Then what?"

"Then it would be a Tier Three item at the absolute minimum!"

Li Tingyu stated calmly. All students had undergone a full physical examination during their first month, so she was well aware of Chen Che’s strength. "If it was found in a protected reserve, remember to hand it over to the Immortal Sect. Otherwise, it’s considered illegal possession. You won’t find an item of that caliber in a regular tourist area."

"My friend really is the one who found it. I haven’t taken a single step outside the Daoist School lately."

"Oh. In that case, forget it."

After leaving the office, Chen Che completely abandoned the idea of asking Sister Li to help him open the shell.

Zeng Buke and Wu Neng were of a lower Realm.

Given their limited experience, they were easy to fool.

But Li Tingyu was a Nascent Soul True Monarch. She might see through his story at a single glance. If she started asking about its origins, he wouldn’t be able to bluff his way out of it.

As he was leaving the great hall, Chen Che caught a glimpse of a wisp of green smoke drifting into an office with a ’Divine Dao’ nameplate. He was suddenly reminded of the ’Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva’ he had acquired in Yunzhou, so he walked right up to the door and knocked.

"Teacher Zuo..."

"Come in!"