Since returning from Hongmeng South Sea, Xue Ying had been changing daily, her complexion and temperament improving. Now, she exuded a breathtaking beauty.
Upon seeing Mo Qi, a look of surprise and joy involuntarily appeared on Xue Ying's face. "Did you pass, Shopkeeper Mo?"
Mo Qi waved his hand dismissively. "Of course, I passed. This was a piece of cake for me."
Then, he put on a lecherous expression. "Wife, why are you still calling me Shopkeeper Mo? Call me husband!"
At the same time, he reached out to cup her chin. "You're so tender and delicate, I can't help but adore you!"
Xue Ying was startled and quickly retreated, dodging him. "Shopkeeper Mo, have you been drinking?"
Mo Qi pursued her, pushing the door shut behind him with a click.
His face was still filled with a frivolous and debauched expression. "Wife, what does it matter if we've been drinking? I like you, and you like me. That's what's real."
As he spoke, he lunged at her again, opening his arms to embrace Xue Ying.
Xue Ying dodged him with lightning speed, flashing to a corner of the room. Mo Qi lunged and missed.
"Although we are in love, the proper wedding rituals are essential. You haven't married me yet, so I dare not overstep the etiquette," Xue Ying said, a hint of panic in her voice.
Mo Qi seemed to have gone mad. He waved his hand. "To hell with etiquette! In our cultivation world, where are there so many rules? Besides, we're both adults. We just need to be responsible for our own actions."
With his words, Mo Qi lunged at her again with a frenzied demeanor. However, his hands merely brushed against her slender waist before she evaded him, leaving only a lingering fragrance in his grasp.
As Xue Ying dodged, she said in alarm, "Shopkeeper Mo, you weren't like this before. Perhaps the alcohol has muddled your mind. Please calm down."
Mo Qi paid no attention to her words, continuing his persistent lunges, his eyes growing increasingly wild and ravenous.
Xue Ying continued to dodge. At a certain moment, she suddenly saw the teleportation array activate and hurriedly darted into it. With a flash of light, she vanished before Mo Qi's eyes.
Mo Qi immediately deactivated the teleportation array and leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. It took a long time for his eyes to return to normal.
This was a true test of willpower. He had almost lost control!
Xue Ying returned to Jade Cloud Mountain, her heart in turmoil. She had escaped, but why did she feel a sense of loss?
Moreover, who had activated the teleportation array? How could it have activated so coincidentally?
She tried to activate the teleportation array again, but it wouldn't work.
This was a trap!
What was Shopkeeper Mo thinking?
After a long while, Mo Qi's emotions finally calmed down.
Danger lurked everywhere, and hidden arrows were everywhere. Only by strengthening his defenses could he remain invincible.
So, Mo Qi sat cross-legged and advanced the Divine Mind Vajra Art to the eighth level. He then consumed medicinal herbs again and refined an Undefeated Golden Body Pill, using himself as the furnace.
After dissolving the pill into his body, he felt his protective golden body become even more robust. With a few more refinements and the opportune moment, his golden body would become truly undefeated.
Furthermore, once the golden body merged with his own being, he would no longer need to activate it before every fight.
The Tang Sect was brightly lit. In the central courtyard, Tang Lin's body lay on display – or rather, half of his body. Everything from the buttocks down had been severed.
The other half of his body had been found by two clan members and was being carried in from outside to be placed with the upper half.
Tang Lin was on his last breath, a single breath caught in his throat. His eyes were unfocused and dull, filled with a desire to die, yet he couldn't pass on, leaving him in an infinitely desolate state.
Madam Tang lay beside him, weeping as if her heart were breaking.
A group of Tang Sect clansmen stood nearby, their veins bulging, brows furrowed, fists clenched, and their anger reaching a boiling point.
Tang Zhengtian was raining blows on Tang Hao. "You useless brat! This is all your fault. You're the one who should die! Why aren't you dead?"
Tang Hao cried out and begged for mercy, rolling on the ground.
At this moment, Tang Zhengtie stepped forward and pulled Tang Zhengtian back. "Brother, stop hitting the child. Killing him won't help anything. Tell me, do you want revenge? If you give the word, I will personally bring that fellow named Mo's head to you."
Tang Zhengtian shook his head and said in a firm tone, "I appreciate everyone's concern, but this is my family matter. I don't need anyone else to worry about it. I will handle it myself."
With that, he turned and walked towards the door.
"Father!" Tang Lin cried out in distress. He had been on the verge of death, but now, with a strength he didn't know he possessed, he suddenly shouted, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Don't go! That person's divine abilities are extremely strange. Before we even fought, I was defeated. If you go, you'll suffer the same fate. Father, don't go to your death for me in vain. This matter was caused by my younger brother provoking him. I shouldn't have been involved in the first place. Let it end here. Don't let it escalate endlessly."
Tang Zhengtian turned his head and saw Tang Lin speaking, tears mixed with blood flowing from his eyes, a sight that was difficult to bear.
Tang Zhengtian's heart ached. He finally sighed and walked back.
A Tang clan member, Tang Qianyu, standing nearby, could not bear to see their miserable state. After a moment of hesitation, she took out a piece of paper from her storage bag and handed it to Tang Zhengtian. She said slowly, "Big Brother, this is a pill recipe I obtained from an expert in Hongmeng South Sea. It has the effect of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh and bone. You can find someone to refine it and try it out, but I'm afraid only a high-level alchemist can refine it; ordinary people cannot."
The next morning, Mo Qi went to report to the academy.
Teacher Guo was short and stout, a bit overweight, with most of his hair gone, leaving only a tuft in the middle. He always had a smile on his face and spoke humorously.
Mo Qi handed him his transcript and the tuition fee of eighty million spirit stones. In return, he received an apprentice token, a dormitory key, a class schedule, a spirit stone for academic credits, and a credit point table.
Teacher Guo informed him that accumulating two thousand academic credits and five hundred practical credits would allow him to successfully complete his studies, with no time limit. However, each additional year of study would incur another year's tuition.
As Mo Qi emerged from Teacher Guo's room, he encountered Tong Wuqi, who had also come to report.
"Wait for me for a moment. I'll be out shortly, and then we'll go together," Tong Wuqi said.
With that, he scurried inside.
Mo Qi stood outside, waiting patiently. While waiting, he glanced at the credit point table.
At the very top of the table was the "Chasing the Sun, Plucking the Stars Art" class, worth one thousand credits.
Yesterday, while drinking and chatting with Tong Wuqi, Tong Wuqi had mentioned the "Chasing the Sun, Plucking the Stars Art."
This was a divine ability upon which the Heavenly Rank Academy relied for its survival. It was precisely because of this profound skill that the Heavenly Rank Academy had become a top-tier cultivation academy, looking down upon all others.
It was said that everyone who enrolled in the Heavenly Rank Academy chose this course, but very few ultimately accumulated credits through it. The reason was that the technique was easy to learn, but mastering its essence and ultimately unleashing the divine ability was extremely difficult. Without grasping its essence, the final credits could not be obtained.
It was rumored that in recent years, no one had successfully mastered the divine ability, leading some to doubt if the divine ability was merely a scam.
However, the academy's annals clearly recorded instances of individuals who had grasped the essence of the "Chasing the Sun, Plucking the Stars Art" and obtained the corresponding academic credits within the past few thousand years.
Not to mention distant figures, a recent example was the Seventh Tier Lord Gui Hai Long, but even he comprehended its essence about a thousand years ago.
It was said that because he had mastered the "Chasing the Sun, Plucking the Stars Art," his cultivation increased greatly, allowing him to dominate the entire Southern Continent, becoming invincible, and eventually successfully ascending to the position of Seventh Tier Lord.
His becoming a celestial being was only a matter of time, but the moment had not yet arrived.
This incident was enough to demonstrate Gui Hai Long's talent, but it also highlighted the difficulty of mastering this divine ability.
Therefore, to be on the safe side, it was better to take several other courses to accumulate the two thousand credits.
Further down the list were Alchemy for four hundred credits, Artifact Refining for four hundred credits, Dao Sutra for four hundred credits, Cultivation Principles for four hundred credits, Nascent Soul Breakthrough for two hundred credits, Small Vehicle Breakthrough for two hundred credits, Great Vehicle Breakthrough for two hundred credits, Tribulation Crossing Considerations for two hundred credits, Demon Capturing Technique for two hundred credits, Formations for two hundred credits, and Barrier Restraints for two hundred credits. The remaining courses, such as Ice and Snow Divine Abilities, Lightning and Fire Divine Abilities, Flight Techniques, Puppet Arts, Void遁, Water遁, Earth遁, Fire遁, Flying Swords, and so on, were all worth one hundred credits each.
The high credit values for Alchemy and Artifact Refining indicated that these two were essential choices, even though they offered little direct benefit to Mo Qi.
As for the Dao Sutra and Cultivation Principles, their credits were also high, but they sounded headache-inducing, so he decided against them.
In addition to coursework, each student was also required to participate in practical training, which involved completing certain tasks to accumulate five hundred credits.
"Which courses are you planning to choose?" Tong Wuqi suddenly appeared before Mo Qi and asked.
"I plan to choose the Chasing the Sun, Plucking the Stars Art, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Lightning and Fire Divine Abilities, Ice and Snow Divine Abilities, Barrier Restraints, and the Demon Capturing Technique first," Mo Qi replied. "As for the others, we'll see later."
"Okay, I'll choose whatever you choose," Tong Wuqi said, then glanced at the class schedule. "There's a Demon Capturing Technique class today. Let's go listen."
"Alright!"
The two followed the class schedule to the room where the Demon Capturing Technique class was held.
Looking around, they saw that there were still seats in the last row, so they headed directly towards them.
Mo Qi's eyes suddenly lit up. He saw a figure as white as snow sitting in the last row, like a snow lotus quietly blooming. It was Xue Nü.
To her left sat Yuwen Dong, constantly turning to talk to her, but Xue Nü was indifferent to him.
Whether it was due to fear of Yuwen Dong's influence or some other reason, there were several empty seats to her right, unoccupied by anyone.
Mo Qi swaggered over and plopped down next to Xue Nü.
Tong Wuqi panicked. This was a blatant attempt to poach!
Lust was a sharp knife. He couldn't help but regret his earlier words, wishing he hadn't chosen the same class as Mo Qi.
Tong Wuqi hesitated, glanced at Yuwen Dong, and cautiously sat down next to Mo Qi.
Seeing Mo Qi sitting beside her, Xue Nü stood up as if to leave.
Mo Qi said in a low voice, "Could you listen to me for two sentences? After two sentences, if you still wish to leave, I will never pester you again, and we will go our separate ways."
Xue Nü immediately sat back down. "Speak."
Mo Qi swallowed and organized his thoughts before speaking slowly. "I was drunk at the time, and I don't know what happened. But not knowing doesn't mean the choice was wrong. If I had been sober, I would have made the same choice."
A ripple of emotion appeared in Xue Nü's eyes. She looked at him sideways. "What choice would you make?"
Mo Qi's face felt hot. "I would make the same choice as I did when I was drunk."
"What exactly is your choice?" Xue Nü stared at him, her eyes filled with an imposing aura.
Tong Wuqi looked shocked. He had never expected these two to know each other!
At this moment, Yuwen Dong had already stood up, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he glared at Mo Qi. "You're Mo Xin, right? The one who completed the alchemy test by drawing five hundred threads at once? I don't care if it was luck or talent. Disappear from my sight as soon as possible. This seat is not for you. Haven't you bothered to inquire? Charging in without understanding the situation, you're likely to meet an untimely end."
Simultaneously, several people in the front row also stood up, glaring angrily at Mo Qi, ready to rush forward at any moment.
Mo Qi did not move at all. He raised an eyebrow slightly. "I have inquired. Aren't you that shameless fop from the Yuwen family who relentlessly harasses classmate Chao Xixue? I also understand the situation. Aren't you just a pack of dogs relying on their master's power? Nothing to worry about."
Xue Nü let out a chuckle.