SFS Chapter 9 Black Wind Valley
Chapter 9 Black Wind Valley
The commotion Zhao Cheng'an made when he got up attracted the attention of some people, but most people glanced at him and then looked away.
It's just a not-so-important exam; there's no need to put any effort into it.
Anyway, whether the assessment goes well or poorly doesn't matter, so I might as well think about what to eat for lunch today.
As for why they didn't follow Zhao Cheng'an's example and hand in their papers early, it was because their papers had too many blank pages, and they were afraid that the chief examiner would see them and reprimand them, so they preferred to waste time here and wait.
On the platform, the teacher, who was flipping through ancient scrolls, looked up.
The old man's gaze lingered briefly on Zhao Cheng'an before glancing at the exam paper. He then nodded and hummed in agreement.
That's it?
Seeing the Master's reaction, Zhao Cheng'an became somewhat anxious.
Even if it's not as astonishingly brilliant as other online novels, leaving everyone in awe and shouting "genius!"...this kid absolutely cannot be allowed to live. At least give it three taps on the back of the head like Bodhi Patriarch did with Sun Wukong!
What exactly does that "hmm" mean?
Zhao Cheng'an felt a little disappointed, but he didn't show it on his face.
After placing the exam paper on the podium, Zhao Cheng'an quietly pushed open the door and left the examination room.
After Zhao Cheng'an left, Shen Yanshan picked up the exam papers from the table again.
His gaze swept quickly across the exam paper, finally lingering for a moment on the four characters "万气自临" (meaning "all energy naturally descends").
He then put the exam paper down again and picked up the ancient book he had just been reading to continue looking through it.
……
"Your Highness, Your Highness?"
As Zhao Cheng'an left the examination room, the bright sunlight shone on him.
He had been highly focused on mobilizing that tiny bit of spiritual energy, and he was still feeling somewhat exhausted.
Xiao Wu's voice came from the side.
Xiao Wu was shocked to see Zhao Cheng'an covered in sweat, his undergarments soaked through and clinging tightly to his back.
"Your Highness, did you take an exam or go running under the scorching sun? How come you're so tired?"
As Xiao Wu spoke, he took out a clean cloth from his pocket and handed it over.
Zhao Chengan thanked him and then sighed.
Although the exam for the ancient teachings course is over, it remains to be seen whether it will meet the Master's approval.
Zhao Cheng'an felt uneasy. He felt just like he did when he came out of the exam hall after taking the college entrance exam many years ago. Outside the school, there were parents' eager faces and students bustling about on both sides.
Looking back now, it feels like a lifetime ago.
Moreover, the college entrance examination only determines the future; this assessment may even determine Zhao Chengan's life or death.
"Never mind, let's not talk about that now."
Zhao Cheng'an tossed the cloth back to Xiao Wu and waved at him.
Since things have come to this, there's no point in thinking about it anymore.
Since it's almost noon, let's eat first.
……
……
Time flies like an arrow.
In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed since the quiz on ancient teachings ended.
Seven days is not a long time, but Zhao Chengan felt extremely tormented.
He desperately wanted to cultivate immortality; he dreamed about it constantly.
I wait for news from the Imperial Academy every day, but unfortunately, I still haven't received any updates.
That morning.
Zhao Cheng'an sat cross-legged on the wooden bed on the second floor of the bamboo building, his eyes closed, reciting the scriptures he had learned in his ancient teachings class.
The sound of students reading aloud carried outwards in the sunlight.
"Click."
A soft, crisp sound interrupted the rhythm of reading.
The spirit stone in Zhao Cheng'an's hand was covered with cracks, and then it shattered into several pieces of grayish-white powder, and the faint light contained within it completely dissipated.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the powder in his palm.
This was already the second spirit stone he had used. A complete spirit stone could only support his cultivation for about four days.
With a thought, Zhao Cheng'an activated the Qiankun Cauldron in his mind.
Inside the cauldron, a broken spirit stone had been successfully synthesized. He skillfully added the remaining spirit stone fragments to it, starting a new round of synthesis.
I glanced at the sky outside the window; it was already getting late.
Zhao Cheng'an stretched, got out of bed, and walked to the bronze mirror to start washing up.
After a few days of practice, my skin became a bit whiter, my complexion improved, and I looked much healthier. I also seemed to have grown a little taller, though not very noticeably.
Besides, the poison marks on his chest had completely disappeared, leaving only smooth skin.
He could clearly feel the surge of energy within his body.
In my previous life, I was often busy with work and worked overtime late into the night, leaving me in a state of poor health. In this life, I was immediately poisoned upon transmigrating and have to endure the torment of stinging pain every day.
Some things we don't appreciate when we have them; only when we've truly lost them do we realize how precious health is.
Zhao Cheng'an looked at himself in the mirror and sighed silently.
……
After washing up, Zhao Cheng'an came out of the bamboo house and called Xiao Wu, who was standing in the courtyard in a daze.
"Prepare the car, let's go to Blind Man's Quarters."
"Okay!"
Xiao Wu, who was sitting on a wooden stool sunbathing, responded, pushed himself up with both hands, and nimbly flipped down.
The carriage bumped along the way and arrived at Blind Man's Village at the foot of the mountain once again.
The market was still dimly lit.
Perhaps because it was still early, there weren't many people strolling around inside.
Zhao Cheng'an easily found a stall, and after scanning it with his eyes, he quickly spotted the spirit stone fragments he needed.
"This, this, and this..."
Zhao Cheng'an pointed to a few stones on the stall and asked casually, "How much is it if I buy them all?"
"One hundred taels of silver."
"How many?"
Zhao Chengan raised his voice by several decibels.
The vendor was young and quite muscular, with well-defined muscles on his bronze skin. He rolled his eyes at Zhao Cheng'an and said, "Do you think you can just pick these things up on the roadside?"
"These stones were all dug out of Black Wind Ridge by my brothers at the cost of their lives. Inside there..."
The vendor stopped abruptly, seemingly realizing he had inadvertently let something slip.
Zhao Cheng'an's heart stirred, and he took out a small ingot of silver from his sleeve and threw it over.
"Go on."
The vendor reached out and steadily caught the silver, weighed it in his hand, and immediately beamed with joy.
Zhao Cheng'an then learned from him that Black Wind Ridge was not far from the Imperial Academy, only about twenty or thirty miles away by mountain road.
But it is said that the place was once an ancient battlefield, where hundreds of thousands of wronged souls are buried, and the area is filled with malevolent energy year-round.
Affected by the evil energy, the surrounding wild animals have all mutated. Some wolves have grown to the size of calves, and when they run, they leave a foul stench. With their gaping maws, they can bite off a person's head alive.
That's how Black Wind Valley got its name.
The vendor was very talkative and described things vividly.
As Zhao Cheng'an listened, he secretly made his own calculations.
In this world, there are martial arts masters, even grandmasters, and ordinary people possess immense strength capable of splitting monuments. The wild beasts inside are ferocious but not particularly difficult to deal with, yet these merchants are able to dig out spirit stones from them.
Including the Imperial Academy, this should be the second place that is obviously not right.
If there's an opportunity in the future, I might investigate further.
Zhao Cheng'an pulled himself out of his thoughts and tentatively asked, "Could you make these stones cheaper? They're just a few broken stones; how about we become friends?"
Unfortunately, the vendor remained unmoved, dropping his earlier stern demeanor. "You're right, they're just a few broken stones, yet they manage to sell. And while we are friends, as the saying goes, even close brothers need to keep clear accounts."
"Damn it, I can tell you can't do business," Zhao Chengan couldn't help but curse in his heart.
He threw out a silver note, which was issued by the Imperial Academy and no one dared to counterfeit. It could be exchanged at any time in the merchant guilds under the Imperial Academy.
The vendor smiled with satisfaction. "Goodbye, sir. Come again next time."
Zhao Cheng'an bought four fragments of spirit stone for one hundred taels of silver.
If there is enough time, a complete spirit stone can be synthesized using the Qiankun Cauldron.
However, the additional expenses for gathering information made the already impoverished family situation even worse.
This time, it might not even last two months.
Zhao Cheng'an left the blind man's quarters with a worried look on his face.
Xiao Wu leaned against the carriage and greeted him, "Young master, is something troubling you?"
"Never mind, let's go back to the Imperial Academy first."
Zhao Cheng'an waved his hand and boarded the carriage, but at that moment, under the bright sunlight at the alley entrance, a chill that made his spine tingle appeared again.
Zhao Cheng'an's expression remained unchanged, but his heart suddenly tightened.