The Heavenly Demon Ancestor!

He did not dodge. Faced with Chen Xin's finger strike, condensed with sword intent, Bashan merely took a sharp breath.

The muscle on his chest swelled up in an instant like an inflated ball.

Not only that, but a faint metallic sheen actually appeared across the surface of that muscle.

Clang!

Chen Xin's finger tapped Bashan's chest.

It actually produced the crisp sound of metal striking stone.

Chen Xin only felt as if his finger had jabbed into a piece of hundred-tempered steel.

A powerful backlash surged back through his fingertip, numbing his entire right arm.

He quickly withdrew his finger, used the force to retreat two steps, and steadied himself.

Bashan stood where he was, without so much as swaying.

He lowered his head and looked at his chest.

A shallow white mark had actually been left on that muscle.

"Interesting."

Bashan rubbed the white mark, and the way he looked at Chen Xin changed.

It was no longer the disdain of someone watching a joke, but carried an added measure of respect for a fellow martial artist.

"You old man, you clearly don't have the foundation of battle techniques tempered through a thousand blows like we do in Yankang Kingdom."

"But when you thrust that finger out, your timing and angle were actually viciously precise. It even carried a bit of the National Preceptor's flavor of incorporating Arithmetic into the sword."

Bashan rubbed his chin.

"Looks like the National Preceptor gave you quite a few private lessons last night."

Chen Xin shook out his numb right arm and gave a bitter laugh.

"Your physical body, Libationer, is what has truly broadened this old man's horizons."

"Suppressed to the Spirit Fetus realm, relying solely on muscular control, you could still withstand this old man's strike head-on."

"Such external body-tempering arts are unheard of on Douluo Continent."

Hearing that, Bashan also burst into hearty laughter, his voice ringing like a great bell.

"Old man, you're making a fuss over nothing."

"In our Yankang Kingdom, the physical body is the boat used to cross the river."

"If the boat isn't sturdy, it sinks as soon as it meets wind and waves."

"However, that move of yours just now only took advantage of a sneak attack."

Bashan's gaze suddenly sharpened.

He bent slightly at the waist, like a fierce tiger preparing to pounce.

"It's impolite not to return the favor."

"Old man, you try taking one punch from me too!"

Before his words had even fallen, Bashan's figure vanished from where he stood in an instant.

Too fast!

Even suppressed to the Spirit Fetus realm, the pure physical speed Bashan unleashed still far exceeded Chen Xin's expectations.

A violent fist wind attacked directly from Chen Xin's left side.

Chen Xin had no time to turn his head and look.

Relying entirely on the instincts forged through many years of battle, he abruptly slid half a step to the right.

At the same time, he raised his left arm and blocked in front of himself.

Bang!

A muffled impact exploded across the tree-lined road.

Bashan's fist brushed past Chen Xin's left arm and smashed through.

Although it had only grazed the edge.

That terrifying punching force still struck Chen Xin's bones like an iron hammer.

Chen Xin let out a muffled grunt.

His entire body lost balance, and he fell straight toward the grass beside him.

Just as he was about to hit the ground.

Bashan did not pursue.

He drew back his fist, straightened up, and waved at the Azure Ox beside them.

"All right, that's enough for today."

Bashan lifted the broad-backed saber and mounted the ox again.

He looked down from above at Chen Xin, who was climbing up from the grass, and stroked his beard.

"Old man, your foundation is too thin."

"But your mind turns quickly enough, and your sword intent is pure enough. You've got potential."

Bashan picked up his wine gourd and took a drink.

"Once you've recovered at the Imperial Academy and gotten familiar with our Yankang's basic combat techniques and Arithmetic blueprints..."

"When the time comes, come find me at the Divine Strategy Battalion."

"I'll teach you how to use that mortal body of yours to split open those monsters' skulls!"

The Azure Ox snorted loudly and slowly turned around.

"Old man, hurry up and eat some meat to build yourself up."

"Look at you, like a gust of wind could knock you over. Even I, Niu Niu, feel worried watching you."

Man and ox swayed off into the distance along the tree-lined path.

Chen Xin was left standing there alone.

He brushed the grass from his clothes and looked at Bashan's departing back, yet the corner of his mouth curved into a smile that came from the heart.

This kind of straightforward, open martial exchange, where every punch struck flesh...

It was far more satisfying than the battles on Douluo Continent, with all their scheming and soul skills blasting back and forth.

At the same time, outside the light screen...

The audience on Douluo Continent also let out a long breath.

Inside Shrek Academy...

Dai Mubai wiped the sweat from his forehead and chuckled.

"This Bashan Libationer looks like a rough man, but he's actually a genuine one."

"That punch of his not only didn't go for the kill, it let Senior Chen Xin personally experience the power of Yankang Kingdom's martial path."

Yu Xiaogang wrote down several lines in his notebook.

"Abandon flashy soul skills and focus on tempering the physical body and precisely calculating technique."

"This is the confidence of the cultivators of the Great Ruins."

"Senior Chen Xin really turned misfortune into fortune this time."

The image on the Sky Screen froze on Chen Xin's back as he turned and walked toward the depths of the Imperial Academy.

Sunlight spilled over the bluestone road.

A brand-new path was slowly unfolding beneath the old swordsman's feet.

Sunlight passed through the tall ginkgo trees beside the road, scattering mottled patches of light across the Imperial Academy's even bluestone path.

Chen Xin slowly walked forward along the tree-lined path.

After taking that punch from Bashan Libationer just now, his left arm was still aching faintly.

After losing his soul power, the fragility of this mortal body left him somewhat unused to it.

But he walked very slowly, and very steadily.

The Imperial Academy truly was enormous.

There were no surrounding walls here. Several grand lecture halls and pavilions had been built along the mountains and water.

Along the way, he saw many young students dressed in blue scholar's robes.

Some of these students gathered in pavilions, charcoal pencils in hand as they rapidly wrote and calculated complex formation formulas on paper;

Others controlled mechanical wooden birds in an open space. The wooden birds circled nimbly in midair, driven entirely by spirit stones and formation patterns embedded inside them.

Looking at these vibrant young people, who perfectly combined wisdom and cultivation, Chen Xin felt his eyes had been opened.

On Douluo Continent, soul masters of this age had minds filled with thoughts of which forest to visit to hunt what age of soul beast. There was simply no one who would quiet down and study this seemingly dry Arithmetic and machinery.

Before he knew it, Chen Xin had gone off course.

He had originally wanted to report to the deacon in the front courtyard, but by mistake, he turned onto a quiet gravel path.

Both sides of the path were filled with emerald-green bamboo. When the breeze blew, the bamboo leaves rustled softly, completely shutting out the clamor outside.

Following the path to its end, his view suddenly opened up.

This was a very elegant little courtyard.

There were no unnecessary decorations in the courtyard, only a clear old well and an ancient plum tree that had lived for no one knew how many years.

Beneath the old plum tree stood a stone table and two stone stools.

On the stone table sat a small red-clay stove. Fine silver-thread charcoal burned in the stove, and a purple-clay teapot rested atop it. The mountain spring water inside had just boiled and was sending up wisps of steam, while the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance of tea.

Beside the stone table sat a person.

It was a young man dressed in a plain white robe.

He was truly far too handsome.

His features were so exquisite they seemed like a work of art carved by the hands of an immortal in heaven, his skin fair, warm, and flawless.

A faint smile hung on that handsome face, making anyone who saw it feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.

His every movement carried an innate, refined elegance.

At that moment, he was using a bamboo tea clip to leisurely sweep tea leaves into a purple clay teapot.

Chen Xin stood at the courtyard entrance and subconsciously stopped in his tracks.

He was afraid of disturbing this young nobleman's refined mood.

More importantly, before this handsome young man who seemed too frail to truss a chicken, Chen Xin actually felt an indescribable sense of peace.

It was as if this person had already become one with the old well, the ancient tree, and the gentle breeze around him.

"Old sir, since you have strayed into this place of quiet cultivation, our meeting must be fate."

The young man did not raise his head. His voice was very warm and pleasant, carrying a unique magnetism.

"Since meeting means we are fated, why not come over and drink a cup of clear tea to moisten your throat?"

Hearing this warm invitation, Chen Xin could hardly turn and withdraw.

He straightened his sleeves, stepped up to the stone table, and gave a slight cupped-fist salute between equals.

"This old man has only just arrived at the Imperial Academy and lost his way for a moment. I disturbed your refined enjoyment, young sir. I hope you will forgive me."

The young man smiled and extended those long, perfect fingers, gesturing for him to sit.

"No matter. The Imperial Academy has always been an open place. There is no need for so many formalities. Please sit."

Chen Xin thanked him and sat down on the stone stool opposite him.

The young man lifted the purple clay teapot and poured Chen Xin a cup of tea with smooth, flowing movements.

The pale green tea swirled in the porcelain cup, several leaves slowly unfurling on the surface like light little boats.

"Try it." The man's eyes and brows held a smile.

"This is Cloud Mist Spirit Tea freshly picked this year. It is greatly beneficial for sorting out a Spirit Fetus that has only just condensed."

At the words "Spirit Fetus," the hand with which Chen Xin held the teacup paused slightly.

He raised his head and carefully studied the young nobleman before him.

The other party looked only a little over twenty, that face so handsome it even carried a hint of youthful innocence.

But when Chen Xin's gaze met the man's eyes, his heart suddenly trembled.

What kind of eyes were those?

Calm, weathered.

They were like two ancient wells that had gone through countless eras of drought and flood.

Deep within those seemingly gentle eyes, Chen Xin unexpectedly read an ancient quality of one who had watched all the splendor of the world fade away and seen seas turn into mulberry fields.

Such a gaze could never appear on a young man in his twenties.

It was a kind of great wisdom that had settled after the tempering of long years and after seeing through life, death, and reincarnation.

"Young sir... you saw the condition inside this old man's body?" Chen Xin set down the teacup, his tone unconsciously taking on a trace of reverence.

The young man picked up his own teacup, gently blew on the steam above it, and took a shallow sip.

"What is so hard to see about that?"

The man set down the teacup, his long fingers tapping lightly twice on the stone table.

"Although the smell of blood on you has been washed clean, the feeling of trauma left in your meridians after being flayed and having your tendons drawn out is still there."

"Moreover, that sword intent deep in your brow, though sharp and pure, carries the newborn aura of something that has only just broken through the soil."

The man raised his eyes to look at Chen Xin, and an appreciative smile appeared on his handsome face.

"To be able to steel your heart, personally smash the shackles condensed from those beasts' remnant souls, scatter all your old cultivation, and begin again from the start..."

"Old sir, with such tremendous will in pursuing the Dao and seeking truth, even throughout the entire Yankang Kingdom, there would not be many like you."

Praised in this way, Chen Xin's old face reddened slightly, and he shook his head somewhat ashamedly.

"Young sir, you overpraise me."

"This old man only came to a sudden realization after hearing the National Preceptor's stern wake-up call."

"If I had not smashed those old things, then in this old man's lifetime, my path in the sword would have ended there."

Hearing Chen Xin mention the National Preceptor, the smile at the corners of the young man's mouth deepened somewhat.

He picked up the fire tongs and stirred the silver-thread charcoal in the small red clay stove.

"Emperor Yanfeng and that little fellow, the National Preceptor, have indeed put no small amount of thought into their reforms these past few years."

"They managed to recruit a pure swordsman like you into the Imperial Academy. That can be counted as Yankang's good fortune."

The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Xin was not the only one stunned.

Outside the light screen, the audience across the entire Douluo Continent all sucked in a breath of cold air.

Heaven Dou Imperial City.

The walnut in Great Emperor Xue Ye's hand fell straight to the floor.

"What did he just call the Imperial Preceptor? A little fellow?"

Great Emperor Xue Ye's eyes went wide, his face full of disbelief.

That Yankang Imperial Preceptor, known as the greatest beneath the gods, who had pressed down all the sects under heaven with a single sword until they could not raise their heads, was only worthy of being called "little fellow" by this young man?

Inside Shrek Academy.

Zhao Wuji rubbed his big bald head, his mind unable to quite make the turn.

"This pretty boy looks even better than a woman, and his tone is way too arrogant, isn't it? He even dares call the Imperial Preceptor a little fellow. Who does he think he is?"

Yu Xiaogang, however, stared fixedly at the white-robed man in the light screen, his breathing growing extremely rapid.

"No... Wuji, look closely at his eyes and his bearing."

Yu Xiaogang's voice was trembling.

"That is absolutely not arrogance! Look at the way he stirs the charcoal fire. Look at the way he pours tea."

"That kind of natural ease, that realm of being one with the Great Dao of heaven and earth."

"This... this is clearly an old monster who's lived for who knows how many years!"

"He has returned to youth and mastered the art of preserving his appearance!"

Beside him, Tang San's pupils also shrank violently.

In the ancient records of the Tang Sect in his previous life, he had read that when true grandmasters of martial arts cultivated to the extreme, they could lock down their own blood and qi and keep their appearance forever unchanged.

This young man who seemed to be just over twenty was probably far older in reality than all of them combined!

Within the Sky Screen.

Chen Xin was also a clever man, so he naturally sensed the terrifying amount of information revealed in the other party's words.

"Young master... know His Excellency the Imperial Preceptor?" Chen Xin asked tentatively.

The young man chuckled softly.

"Know him? How could I not?"

The man leaned back against the stone stool, his gaze turning toward the patch of sky above the courtyard, his thoughts seeming to drift back to a time long ago.

"Back when he was still a hotheaded brat, he ran to the Library Pavilion at my place all day long to borrow books."

"Over the matter of reforms, he sat across the tea tray from me and argued for three days and three nights, until we were both red in the face."

"That kid was a rare genius. It was just that sometimes, his temperament was a bit too earnest."

The man withdrew his gaze and looked at Chen Xin.

"Since he had you come to the Imperial Academy, I imagine he wanted you to start with the most fundamental Arithmetic and Formation Theory."

"To temper your swordsmanship all over again, yes?"

A storm of shock surged through Chen Xin's heart, but on the surface, he still remained respectful and nodded repeatedly.

"Exactly. His Excellency the Imperial Preceptor said this old man's sword was too rigid and that I did not understand how to calculate the changes in space."

"This old man is dull-witted and was just preparing to go to the Library Pavilion to look for the relevant classics."

When the young man heard this, he took a simple, ancient Wordless Wooden Tablet from his sleeve, gently placed it on the stone table, and pushed it in front of Chen Xin.

"The Imperial Academy's Library Pavilion is divided into nine floors."

"Students from outside can usually only borrow foundational classics from the lower three floors."

"Those unique copies that truly involve profound spatial calculations and the analysis of vital qi nodes are all kept on the top floor."