Twenty thousand taels of silver—that was a full hundred Tiger Tendon Leopard Blood Pills.
If he used his status as a Dongshan Martial Academy disciple to buy them at the Academy for thirty percent off, he could get nearly a hundred and fifty.
If he swallowed all a hundred and fifty pills, then with his Martial Saint Body's absorption rate, he might really break through to Late Sixth Rank before the end-of-month tournament.
By then, he'd have the strength to compete for the top three and a chance to enter the Red Dragon Pool.
At the thought, Lin Yi's heart surged with excitement. He was also deeply grateful to Dean Zhao Hai Shan:
"Dean Hai Hong! If you get the chance to see Dean Hai Shan again, please thank him for me."
"Dean Hai Shan has helped me so much along the way. I honestly don't know how I could ever repay him."
"Haha, there's no need to repay him."
Zhao Hai Hong smiled and shook his head.
"Hai Shan's talent is average, and he's old now. Unless something unexpected happens, he has little hope of becoming a Third Grade Martial Artist in this lifetime."
"He was born and raised in the sect, and received so much from it. So in the last stretch of his life, his greatest wish is to nurture more strong fighters for the sect."
"So as long as you cultivate diligently and keep growing stronger, and one day become a Third Rank—or even Second Rank—expert, that will be the best way to repay him."
"Yes! I'll work even harder from now on. I absolutely won't let Dean Hai Shan down."
Lin Yi nodded firmly.
"Good! That's all I ask."
Hearing this, Zhao Hai Hong smiled.
"As for the twenty thousand taels, I'll gather it for you tomorrow. For now, I'll take you around the Essay Pavilion."
"Thank you, Dean!"
With that, Lin Yi followed Zhao Hai Hong and hurried toward the Essay Pavilion.
The Essay Pavilion of Dongshan Martial Academy stood in the southwest corner of the Academy. It covered a vast area, nearly ten mu.
Inside stood more than a hundred pavilions, each exquisitely constructed and tastefully decorated.
With over a hundred pavilions connected together, it was less a single building than a sprawling complex. The sight was magnificent.
"Lin Yi, this is the Essay Pavilion of Dongshan Martial Academy."
Before the Pavilion's entrance, Zhao Hai Hong explained:
"The Essay Pavilion has a total of one hundred and three pavilions. Each one holds notes left behind by martial artists throughout the history of Dongshan Martial Academy."
"The notes range from Fifth-Rank Martial Arts at the lowest to First-Rank Martial Arts at the highest."
"Of course, notes on First- and Second-Rank Martial Arts are so profound that usually only the Dean, me, and the other Vice Principal read them."
"Most Academy teachers and disciples read notes on Third-, Fourth-, and Fifth-Rank Martial Arts, so there are more notes at those three levels than any others."
"For example, the Fourth-Rank Martial Art you practice, Full Moon Star Saber, is quite popular at Dongshan Martial Academy. Many disciples and teachers practice it. And since it's a Fourth-Rank Martial Art, I'd estimate there are at least three thousand notes on it."
"As for the exact number and which pavilion they're stored in, you can ask the teacher guarding each pavilion."
As he spoke, Zhao Hai Hong personally took Lin Yi to ask the teacher guarding a nearby pavilion. Once they had learned where the Full Moon Star Saber notes were kept, he led Lin Yi straight there.
Before long, they were on the third floor of Pavilion Ninety-Seven, at Bookshelf Five.
At Zhao Hai Hong's gesture, Lin Yi casually took a notebook from the second row of the shelf. He opened it and began to read.
"To the junior who comes after me, welcome to the notes I've recorded. Since fate has brought us together in these pages, even though we lived centuries apart, why not hear a little about my life before you read on?"
"My life?"
Lin Yi frowned slightly. All he wanted right now was to improve his strength. What time did he have to read about someone else's life?
But the senior had placed it on the very first page, which meant he must have considered his life story extremely important.
Oh, well. Since he was reading the senior's notes and inheriting his legacy, he could spare a little time to read them.
With that thought, Lin Yi didn't turn the page. He continued reading.
As his eyes swept over line after line, the life of a powerful martial artist unfolded before him.
"My name is Sun Lu Shan. I was born into the Sun Clan, a second-rate lineage in Dongshan Prefecture, Qingzhou, with seven Fourth-Rank experts. I am a direct descendant of the Sun Clan."
"Thanks to my good birth, and to the rare medicines my family spent a fortune on to build my foundation from infancy, I showed astonishing talent when I first encountered martial arts at the age of six."
"I began training at six and entered Martial Arts Nine Ranks within three months. At seven, I broke through to the Eighth Rank; at ten, I reached the Seventh Rank."
"At twelve, with Peak Seventh Rank strength and Great Accomplishment in a Fifth-Rank Martial Art, I successfully entered Dongshan Martial Academy."
"After less than a year of training at the Academy, I broke through to Sixth-Rank Martial Arts at thirteen and comprehended the Extreme Strength Realm. I became the fastest member of the Sun Clan ever to comprehend the Extreme Strength Realm!"
"The entire Sun Clan was shaken. My father, mother, uncles, and aunts were all overjoyed."
"Even the clan's old ancestor, a Fourth-Rank expert at the peak who had long stayed out of sight, emerged from seclusion to meet me in person. He placed great hopes on me, took me under his wing, and personally trained me, hoping to raise me into the Sun Clan's first Third-Rank martial artist."
"Back then, I was brimming with confidence. I thought the whole world lay beneath my feet. I was sure that once I joined the Tianshan Sect two years later, I would break through to Third-Rank Martial Arts in this lifetime and become the pride of my clan!"
"But I never dreamed that reaching Third Rank would be so difficult—far beyond anything I could have imagined!"
"I joined the Tianshan Sect at fifteen. After only twelve years of training there, I broke through to Fourth-Rank Martial Arts, much faster than many disciples who'd joined alongside me."
"But after breaking through, I never expected to spend more than twenty years stuck at Fourth Rank."
"Over those twenty-odd years, I trained without pause and long ago reached the peak of Fourth-Rank Martial Arts. My Power Exertion Realm had also reached Perfection Extreme Strength, and my Martial Skill had reached Great Perfection in Third-Rank Martial Arts! I was no worse than many Third Grade Martial Artists."
"But no matter how high my Martial Skill rose, I could never grasp the secret of Breaking Limits. I couldn't become a Third Grade Martial Artist."
"And just like that, in the blink of an eye, I'm already fifty-six. In four more years, I'll turn sixty."
"Once I reach sixty, even with the abundant qi and blood of a peak Fourth-Rank martial artist, my body's qi and blood will slowly decline."
"By then, even if I comprehend Breaking Limits, I won't be able to break through to Third-Rank Martial Arts."
"So over the next few years, I'll seek life-and-death trials in some of the most dangerous places on the Nine Provinces Continent. I hope that facing death will awaken my potential and let me comprehend Breaking Limits."
"Finally, junior who comes after me, wish me luck. May I successfully comprehend Breaking Limits and break through to Third-Rank Martial Arts!"
"If I do manage to break through, I'll come back and add my insights into Breaking Limits to the end of this notebook, for those who come after me to learn from. It'll be my final contribution to Dongshan Martial Academy!"
"—Written by Sun Lu Shan, the third day of the eighth month, Martial Emperor Era 5896."
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