Chu Yun pondered, recalling some information about Yan Que.
Yan Que was the son of commoners. His family had nothing, and life was hard, so he had matured early and learned to be sensible. After being recommended from a village island, he entered Heavenly Song Academy. There, he studied and worked hard, and he also had a remarkable stroke of fortune.
According to rumors from his previous life, he had found a seed of a superior Demon Plant beneath the Rumor-Whisper Vine atop the mountain at Heavenly Song Academy.
It was none other than the famous, exceptionally rare Universal Pill-Origin Tree.
Yan Que was talented to begin with, and the hardships of his childhood had tempered his character. On top of that, he was hardworking and had this stroke of fortune. Sure enough, he had gone from strength to strength, soaring to the heavens.
While still at the academy, he was chosen by the Jianghan Kingdom's ruler and promoted to county magistrate. Later, his outstanding record earned him a promotion to city lord. After that, he was promoted to prefect, governing an entire region. At last, he rose to the kingdom's capital and became the Minister of Agriculture.
He lived simply and fulfilled his duties scrupulously. During his time in office, he had never been tainted by corruption or bribery. His noble character became a celebrated story of the day.
But as for now, he probably hadn't obtained that Universal Pill-Origin Tree seed yet. He was still lacking a chance and the foundation to seize it, and at this point he was just a poor student holed up at Heavenly Song Academy.
Now was the time to recruit him. Chu Yun sighed to himself, but he didn't feel confident.
Persuading talented people wasn't his strong suit. He had no experience at all.
When it came to marching to war, he could throw his strength into the fight and perhaps come up with a strategy in a flash.
When it came to exploring hidden places and seeking secrets, he could give himself a thumbs-up and declare himself the best in the world. He was absolutely confident.
His strong suit was adventuring. That was the result of twenty-three years of experience and accumulated knowledge. His eye for things had been forged as he wandered through all kinds of perilous places. His strength had come from crawling through life-and-death situations, his body covered in scars and plagued by pain and illness. It was solid as a rock, enough to put him among the best in the world. No question.
What mattered most when exploring hidden places and seeking secrets?
Not strength, but self-awareness.
In all manner of dangerous places, there were perilous traps and powerful monsters, with crises lurking everywhere. Without self-awareness, unable to judge when to advance or retreat and blinded by desire, no matter how great one's strength, one would have been dead long ago.
Chu Yun knew his own strengths and weaknesses very well. He knew what he could do at present and what he couldn't, what he ought to do, and what he should strive to accomplish.
After that, he trained diligently without pause.
Every day, he spent half a day fishing, luring Lesser Demons from the sea to train the Heavenly Fox. Then he spent the other half of the day with the Drunken Snow Blade. As he silently absorbed the spiritual energy from the Demon Weapon to transform his body, he practiced his swordsmanship and improved the rapport between himself and the blade.
His strength steadily improved.
The experiences of his previous life constantly spurred him on in silence, making him wish he could work hard every moment of every day. He even made the most of his sleeping hours.
Unfortunately, he was still growing, and sleep was important too. Every day, he ate his fill, slept, and cultivated, keeping his schedule packed. As for the handsome young master he had rescued from the sea, he had completely forgotten about him.
Seven days later, the Treasure Ship reached its destination—Green Mountain Island.
Green Mountain Island was a city-level island. Its terrain was unusual: the land in the middle rose high, forming a mountain. The mountain towered majestically, its slopes thick with verdant trees and its peak crowned with drifting white clouds.
The name Green Mountain Island suited it perfectly.
Heavenly Song Academy was located on Green Mountain.
The Treasure Ship reached the dock. The boys cheered excitedly, ran off the ship, and gaped at the Green Mountain before them.
"Heavens! What a tall mountain! I've never seen one like it before."
"Heavenly Song Academy must be on Green Mountain. I can't wait to see what life on the mountain is like."
Boys were naturally lively and energetic at that age. The dock was suddenly like a tree full of sparrows, all chirping away.
Chu Yun hung back, keeping his distance and watching from afar. He was mature for his age and naturally didn't fit in with them. But his main reason for separating from the group was that it made observing them easier.
He watched to see how these talented youngsters behaved and whether any stood out.
But after watching for a while, Chu Yun shook his head to himself. These boys might have excellent aptitude, but their characters were immature, and their words brimmed with arrogance. They still needed to be tempered and toughened.
Seeing Shi Jiaming, however, made his eyes light up. The mysterious boy he had rescued was standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at Green Mountain. A layer of sorrow veiled his exquisite, handsome face. His large, bright eyes, clear as the moon, seemed to hold drifting clouds. A world-weary air, at odds with his age, showed through.
It seems Shi Jiaming has an impressive background, but things must not be going well for him. I don't remember anyone by that name. But the jade slip in his hand should be a letter identifying him. When the White-Browed Alchemist saw it, his expression changed. Clearly, the boy has a close connection to the academy's upper ranks, whether direct or indirect.
"Quiet down. Follow me to the Lower Gate Tower to collect your identity jade pendants." The White-Browed Alchemist gave a low shout, and his authority swept over the crowd. The boys fell silent at once. As they glanced at the White-Browed Alchemist, their eyes held clear traces of awe.
From the dock, they could already see the tall gate tower. Its pillars were cinnabar-red, and its gray-tiled roof had upturned eaves. A large plaque hung above the entrance, inscribed with the words "Lower Gate Tower."
Up close, they saw that the tower soared high into the sky. It stood several zhang tall, spanning the main road. A long line had already formed in front of it, made up of youths from the All-Star Archipelago.
Tables and chairs had been set up temporarily on either side of the gate. Academy staff sat in the chairs, recording names and handing out identity jade pendants.
The boys promptly jostled to join the line. Chu Yun shook his head and took the last place. He was certain to enter Heavenly Song Academy, so why rush?
As it happened, the person in front of him was Princess Jin Bihan of the Dunhuang Kingdom. When she realized Chu Yun was behind her, she immediately shot him an enormous eye roll.
Even rolling her eyes, she still had the beautiful, sulky expression of a young lady.
Chu Yun shrugged, unbothered. She inexplicably disliked him, but he didn't hold it against her. In his eyes, she was only thirteen years old. She wasn't worth getting worked up over.
Only those who truly stood in his way were worth making a move against.
Neither said a word. The academy staff worked efficiently, and the line moved quickly.
Just as Shi Jiaming's turn was coming up, another Treasure Ship arrived at the eastern dock. Another group of boys disembarked and chattered as they lined up behind Chu Yun.
"Name." The staff member sounded a little impatient.
"Shi Jiaming."
"Shi Jiaming, let me find you. Hmm, here you are. Take your identity jade pendant." The staff member's manner was cool as he pulled a jade pendant from beneath the desk. The workload had been so heavy all day that he didn't even feel like smiling.
Jin Bihan silently accepted her pendant and passed through the gate tower. Chu Yun stepped forward next and came to stand before the staff member.
"Name." The staff member kept his head down, looking at the list.
"Chu Yun."
"Chu Yun?!" The staff member abruptly raised his head and cried out.
"Chu Yun? Where's Chu Yun?" The other staff members responded as if struck by lightning.
The boys exchanged bewildered looks, unable to understand why the academy staff had reacted so strongly. Shi Jiaming turned around to look at Chu Yun, his gaze equally puzzled.
Chu Yun was startled too. His eyes narrowed, and he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"