The blood-armored middle-aged man's eyes flashed with keen intelligence. The Wei Family had always been known for their sharp judgment of people, and he trusted his own assessment completely.
Setting aside all other considerations, based solely on Qin Yang's words, he was certain Wei Yu hadn't been killed by Qin Yang!
"Perhaps Wei Yu would have deeply regretted..." the blood-armored man began slowly.
Everyone leaned forward, curious about what he might say. Did he mean regretting becoming Qin Yang's enemy?
"Regretting not dying by your hand." The man's voice carried a note of sorrow and regret.
The blue-robed man from the Lou Clan muttered under his breath, "The Wei Family members are all lunatics..."
Martial Heaven, however, understood exactly what the blood-armored man was thinking and silently agreed.
What Martial Heaven had initially dismissed as a "minor incident" had concluded with the complete annihilation of the Nangong Clan's delegation.
The Celestial Academy's enchanted flying ship set course again, but Jin Wanshan once more cornered Qin Yang.
"I want a martial technique that lets me kill beyond my level!" Jin Wanshan's face showed he wouldn't rest until he got what he wanted.
The other students now regarded Qin Yang with complete awe as they eavesdropped from the sidelines.
"I was just lucky," Qin Yang shrugged.
Only after truly killing the golden-armored middle-aged man did Qin Yang realize how deeply this truth ran. Not all cross-tier kills were created equal.
When it came to targets like Martial Heaven or the blood-armored middle-aged man—ahem, let's not dwell on that thought.
"I don't care! I want a martial technique that's lucky!" Jin Wanshan persisted like a dog gnawing on a bone.
Qin Yang's forehead creased with frustration. "The best technique isn't necessarily the strongest, but the one most suited to you..."
"I don't want to hear that!" Jin Wanshan interrupted.
Qin Yang stroked his chin. "If you can master a technique I teach, I won't be able to stop you. Mastery of martial techniques and strategic planning against enemies are both forms of combat power."
Jin Wanshan waved dismissively. "I know all that! So teach me now!"
Qin Yang rolled his eyes. This fat fool just wanted him to teach him immediately!
Jin Wanshan chuckled mischievously. He'd been coveting Qu Qingge's entire martial arts package for ages.
Based on the principle that anything from Qin Yang's hands must be top-notch, every martial technique he'd demonstrated had proven exceptionally powerful.
Moreover, this was a martial technique personally crafted by Qin Yang. Having complete mastery over both the technique and its underlying principles, how could it possibly be inferior?
"No time," Qin Yang replied without hesitation.
His schedule was packed. He needed to start the pill furnace to produce essential medicinal pills. There was also Lou Mengyu's body tempering to prepare for - he still hadn't collected the required demonic beast blood from the Nine-feathered Ice Phoenix for the Body Tempering Pill...
The recent battle had left an indelible mark on all classmates. Jin Wanshan, having witnessed this, abandoned his stubbornness. He glanced around the group, clearly signaling his expectation that Qin Yang should prioritize creating martial techniques for him.
Qu Qingge gazed intently at Qin Yang's figure, his fingers tracing the Dragon Song Bow gifted by the young master. A contemplative silence enveloped him.
During the battle, if he had been in Qin Yang's position... with Qin Yang's cultivation level...
He might not have slain the armored middle-aged man, but he could have easily wiped out all his subordinates!
This realization propelled Qu Qingge into immediate seclusion. He began cultivating with renewed vigor.
The flying treasure ship once again surged with a cultivation frenzy. Qin Yang became the collective goal of all disciples - a living standard of excellence who could answer questions and provide guidance at any moment...
The Heavenly Star Path. Even with magical artifacts flying at a hundredfold acceleration, it still took a full month to traverse.
From this, one could only imagine the vastness of the Stellar Sea.
During this month, Qin Yang fulfilled his promise. He improved upon each classmate's existing martial techniques, leaving them deeply grateful and more dedicated to their cultivation.
Of course, this wasn't free!
Before, it had been a cultivation technique package. Now, it was a martial technique package, with separate charges.
As Qin Yang put it, "Still guaranteed to teach you, make you proficient, and make you strong. If you can't defeat your opponent, no problem—I'll modify it for you!"
This had originally been just a casual remark from Qin Yang, a self-promotion of sorts. But now, with classmates sparring daily and immediately seeking him out whenever they lost...
"Brother, he's at the mid Qi Sea Realm, while you're just at the peak Qi Gathering Realm. What are you doing?"
"Hey sister, no offense, but your techniques are all about agility. Why are you trying to brawl with him?"
After a month, Qin Yang felt like his brain was about to explode. His vitality waned, leaving him listless and dispirited all day.
But if he were to cancel the package... Gazing at the Qiankun Ring brimming with spirit stones, Qin Yang swallowed hard. It's fine, I won't teach them all at once. I can manage...
Meanwhile, Qin Yang had also launched a pill business. All his pills were of supreme quality, yet he charged only slightly more than mid-grade products.
Though there were strict limits per person, even so, Qin Yang's stock of spirit medicines quickly dwindled. Especially the Face-Preserving Pills...
Their popularity left Qin Yang speechless. Some even wanted to consume ten pills a day! Do you think these are candy? You might be able to afford it, but I don't have that much spirit medicine...
Thus, Qin Yang's standing among his classmates continued to rise.
If Martial Heaven wanted his classmates to do something, he'd need to persuade them. But when Qin Yang cleared his throat, they'd come running to take orders.
"Wu Heilian... Teacher Wu! We've already reached Central Province. Shouldn't we rest here?" Qin Yang hurried to ask.
Martial Heaven glanced at Qin Yang. "Rest? Hah!"
Trying to reenact Fanxing City's drama?
"We're almost at Celestial Academy," Martial Heaven said. "Just a few more days to wait."
Qin Yang stood on the deck, gazing at the vast landscape below. He took a deep breath, sensing that the spiritual energy in Central Province was significantly stronger than in the Northern Plains.
No longer was there the unchanging halo of the Heavenly Path. Qin Yang now enjoyed the scenery with renewed appreciation.
The flying ship passed over city after city, each with main roads stretching out like straight lines converging toward a single point.
Three days later, Qin Yang was still admiring the view when suddenly his mouth dropped open in awe. A colossal city lay before him, resembling an ancient sleeping beast.
Around the city, flying ships and war vessels buzzed like bees, yet all came to a stop outside the walls.
As they approached and descended, Qin Yang realized the city was even more massive and grandiose than it had appeared from a distance.
The walls stood thirty meters high, and the gates were impossibly thick.
Before the gates lay a square where flying ships and war vessels continuously took off and landed.
When people saw the Celestial Academy's emblem on the magical flying ship, they all stopped. Even those about to depart hung suspended in the air, watching the new students of Celestial Academy.
Some eyes brimmed with envy, while others wore expressions of regret for not being able to join.
"This is Freedom City," Teacher Wu said as he led the group toward the gates. "Some of you are here for the first time, so you'll need to register."
At the city gates, rows of soldiers stood motionless like statues, each radiating a profound and terrifying aura.
Even the gate guards are at least Zongshi Realm cultivators!
Qin Yang was astounded. This level of power could establish a sect in the Northern Plains!
Martial Heaven looked at Qin Yang and explained, "Zongshi Realm is merely average on the Celestial Continent. In Central Province, given enough resources, reaching Zongshi Realm is just a matter of time."
Qin Yang remained unconvinced. As he observed the soldiers, a thought suddenly struck him: If I ever committed a crime and these soldiers came to arrest me, I'd instantly ascend to Stellar Realm, and then...
The grand spectacle had already painted a picture in his mind of standing at the pinnacle.
"Teacher Wu is just trying to scare you!" Lou Mengyu squeezed Qin Yang's hand. "Freedom City is a mix of fish and dragons. The gate guards are all elite soldiers. Moreover, the path beyond Zongshi Realm is like climbing to the heavens. While reaching Zongshi Realm might be easy, the journey beyond remains equally arduous."
Qin Yang snapped out of his daze and smiled. I just got lost in thought, not scared or anything...
"Teacher Wu, you've worked hard on this journey. It seems this year's group has many promising talents!" A middle-aged man in silver armor strode over with a broad smile.
Martial Heaven nodded. "Help them with the registration."
The silver-armored man scanned the crowd with his divine sense and raised an eyebrow. There's a boy in this group I can't sense at all? He almost thought he was seeing an illusion, not for the black-and-white beast perched on the boy's shoulder and the Treasure Rat peering out from his arms.
The silver-armored man kept his eyes on Qin Yang, then glanced at Qu Qingge. Qu Qingge's aura was similar, but paled in comparison to Qin Yang's.
"Tsk tsk." The silver-armored man shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Celestial Academy often produced unimaginable prodigies, and today he'd encountered one himself.
Noticing the Demon Realm Rings on Qin Yang's hand, the silver-armored man was startled again. "Three Demon Realm Rings!"
The Demon Realm Rings changed appearance based on the attributes of the demonic beasts within them. The rings on Qin Yang's hand were now earthy yellow, fiery red, and icy blue.
"Everyone else wait here. You come with me to get your Demon Control Certificate," the silver-armored man said.