Eldest Senior Brother

Upon hearing Chen Fan's straightforward question, Lin Xuanqing showed no anger whatsoever; instead, a gleam of admiration flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

No wonder he chose her.

Faced with such a miraculous creation, they still remain true to their original aspirations and focus on the core issues.

Good question.

A mysterious smile appeared on Lin Xuanqing's gaunt face. He crossed his arms and said slowly, "As a Gold Star Level student in the academy, you are entitled to 100,000 credits every month, according to the rules. This amount is enough for you to purchase the vast majority of cultivation resources and open courses within the Martial Academy."

100,000 academic credits.

For any new student, this is a huge sum of money that would make them ecstatic.

However, Lin Xuanqing changed the subject, adding with a playful and teasing tone, "Of course, there are exceptions."

"For example, my classes are worth one million credits a day."

"..."

Even with Chen Fan's usually calm and collected demeanor, a slight tremor appeared in his eyes upon hearing this number.

One million a day?

Does this old man think academic credits are meteorites from the starry sky?

Seeing that Chen Fan finally showed some of the lively expressions that a young person should have, Lin Xuanqing felt all the pent-up frustration that had accumulated in his heart for hundreds of years vanish, and he felt extremely happy.

With a sudden wave of his hand, his previous petty and calculating demeanor vanished, replaced by a heroic and unrestrained air unique to a Grandmaster of his school.

"But!"

"You are my first and only personally taught disciple in the Lin Xuanqing three hundred years!"

"Rules are for outsiders!"

"The core principles of my Life School, along with a year's worth of my personal instruction, are all yours, as your teacher!"

After saying this, he said no more, turned around and led Chen Fan into the depths of that magnificent city.

Finally, the two stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary, even somewhat dilapidated, stone house.

There are no cold metal instruments here, nor any luxurious array lights.

As you push open the door, an intensely rich essence of life, mixed with a faint fragrance of herbs and trees, wafts out.

The interior of the stone house is surprisingly spacious, like a small world.

Countless transparent Crystals emitting various colored halos floated in mid-air. Inside the Crystals, various strange plants, minerals, and even the hearts of some unknown creatures were soaked. They pulsated slightly in special nutrient solutions, as if they were alive.

Lin Xuanqing ignored all of this and walked straight to a table in the center of the stone house, carved from a single piece of ancient living wood.

He solemnly took out a seed, about the size of a thumb, from a wooden box covered with mysterious life patterns under the table. The seed was emerald green and seemed to be pulsating and breathing slightly in his palm, as if it were alive.

"This is the supreme inheritance of my Life School, the method for condensing the Undying Divine Fire —the '《Myriad Things Life and Death Scripture》'."

Lin Xuanqing handed the seeds to Chen Fan with a serious expression.

"Whether you can ignite the Undying Divine Fire within a year and fulfill the promise between us, master and disciple, depends on your own Creation."

Chen Fan reached out his hand, just as his fingertips were about to touch the seed.

"Teacher."

A gentle voice came from the side.

A gentle-looking young man with an unremarkable appearance entered silently, carrying two cups of fragrant tea.

He looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in a simple linen robe, with a restrained and refined air, and a warm smile on his face that made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

But Chen Fan's gaze sharpened slightly.

He could clearly sense that beneath this ordinary appearance lay an incredibly profound and vast life force, far more terrifying than that of Ling Feng Eighth-Turn Bone Tempering Realm he had seen before.

"Xiao Fan, come and meet your Senior Fellow Apprentice."

Lin Xuanqing pointed to the newcomer and introduced him with a complex emotion in his voice.

"His name is Wen Yuan. He is currently the only Star River Level Student in my Life School, and also... your only Senior Fellow Apprentice."

"He has been at the peak of the Seventh Grade Immortal Realm for a full ten years."

Peak of the Seventh Grade Immortal Realm!

Star River Level Student!

Wen Yuan smiled gently at Chen Fan, his eyes full of goodwill and pure curiosity, showing no airs of a top expert.

He handed a cup of tea to Chen Fan, his voice gentle. "Junior Fellow Apprentice, hello."

Chen Fan took the teacup and nodded. "Hello, Senior Fellow Apprentice."

He held the scripture seed in his hand, which contained the secrets of Life and Death and death, and looked at the mad and arrogant teacher in front of him, and the gentle and unfathomable Senior Fellow Apprentice.

The tension that had been building up for so long suddenly relaxed for the first time ever.

The corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly, forming a faint but genuine smile.

Fighting for territory, fighting and killing... eventually, it gets a bit tiresome.

This path seems much more interesting than simply becoming stronger.

Wen Yuan gently handed the teacup to Chen Fan, as if afraid of disturbing the dust in the air.

Chen Fan accepted it.

The tea was warm, but slightly cool to the touch, just like the feeling he got from the person in the cup.

Beneath this gentle and harmless exterior lies a vast, unfathomable ocean of life.

This Senior Fellow Apprentice's strength is far more terrifying than he has shown.

"Hello, Junior Fellow Apprentice."

Wen Yuan's smile was pure, with genuine curiosity and goodwill flowing in his eyes, without a trace of the arrogance one would expect from Star River Level Student.

"Greetings, Senior Fellow Apprentice."

Chen Fan nodded in response, which was considered a greeting.

Lin Xuanqing watched the harmonious scene of the Senior Fellow Apprentice's first meeting, a look of satisfaction appearing on his thin face. He solemnly pushed the emerald green seed in front of Chen Fan.

"This '《Myriad Things Life and Death Scripture》' will be the starting point for your cultivation."

"I'll give you a week to figure it out on your own. After a week, I will begin formal instruction."

Chen Fan shifted his gaze from the seeds to Lin Xuanqing.

Lin Xuanqing seemed to know what he wanted to ask, and changed the subject, waving his hand with a lingering look of annoyance.

"From now on, for all trivial matters within the school, including how to obtain cultivation resources, how to spend credits, and any basic questions you encounter... go to your Senior Fellow Apprentice."

"I don't have time for such things."

After giving his instructions, the old man didn't look at the two of them again. He turned around and plunged back into the pile of floating Crystals, his eyes burning with fervor and his mouth muttering incantations, as if everything outside had vanished.

Seeing Wen Yuan habitually gestured for Chen Fan to proceed, a helpless, bitter smile on his face.

Chen Fan understood and followed him out of the stone house.

Outside, the world had changed.

A gentle breeze caressed my face, carrying the dampness of freshly turned earth and the fresh scent of grass and trees.

In the distance, waterfalls cascade and springs flow, birds sing and flowers bloom; what was once a desolate and barren land is now a vibrant paradise.

The two walked in silence along the cobblestone path leading to the distant metropolis.