Deep-Rooted Hostility

Zhang Yu moved into the private courtyard assigned to disciples of the Bedrock Inner Court.

After settling in, he immediately took out the first level of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art and began studying it intently.

Opening the booklet, he found its first sentence: "Forge the body into bedrock, unmoved through ten thousand tribulations; swallow mountains with qi, let the flesh attain sainthood. Once this art is mastered, the body shall be like a mountain—nothing can break it, and one's strength shall be boundless."

As expected of a mysterious-grade cultivation art, the number one body-tempering art in the Western Wilderness. It looks damn impressive, Zhang Yu thought.

He carefully read through it once, and then an entry for the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art appeared on the system panel.

Mysterious-grade cultivation art: Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art (Not Initiated 0/20)

Hiss!

It took 20 proficiency points just to get started.

The third-rate Iron Shirt and second-rate Clearwind Art had both required only 10 points.

Add points for me.

Zhang Yu did not hesitate and directly used 20 master-disciple points to add proficiency.

Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art (Initiated 1/200)

After entering the art, Zhang Yu only felt a faint warm current in his body. There was not much change at all; he could not even sense any increase in strength or defense.

Keep adding points!

Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art (Minor Mastery 1/2000)

Master-disciple points: 965

Zhang Yu frowned tightly as he looked at his remaining master-disciple points. They were actually insufficient.

"System?"

"Lord System, can you convert all my disciples' cultivation gains into master-disciple points?" Zhang Yu asked tentatively.

Every day, both Iron Shirt and the Clearwind Stance Art brought him substantial increases in proficiency. Even Yan Dao's Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique gained dozens of proficiency points each day.

Zhang Yu had not held much hope, but to his utter surprise, the system responded: One spirit crystal can upgrade the system into a pure master-disciple point system.

Holy shit!

Zhang Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "Lord System, can you change it back into the Slaughter System?"

Ten breaths passed.

The system did not react at all.

"Fuck!" Zhang Yu cursed in irritation, then began to worry. A spirit crystal? Last time, the Chu Family had nearly emptied its coffers just to auction a Fire Spirit Crystal. He could not ask the Chu Family for help again, could he?

Besides, he had to get this spirit crystal by tomorrow.

"What should I do?" Zhang Yu's brows were locked together, his face full of worry.

Knock knock!

Someone knocked on the courtyard gate outside.

"Senior Brother Zhang!"

"Senior Brother Zhang!"

It was Li Feifei and Su Wan.

What are those two doing here? Zhang Yu blinked, looking puzzled.

He then walked into the courtyard and opened the gate.

Su Wan and Li Feifei each held a wooden box in their hands. "Senior Brother Zhang, congratulations on becoming an inner court disciple. These are gifts to celebrate."

Zhang Yu did not accept them.

He glanced at Su Wan. She had already brought him a congratulatory gift that morning, but he had not accepted it. This time, she had switched to a palm-sized wooden box, which should have contained something more valuable than her previous gift.

Half of Li Feifei's face was still swollen. Yet she had come too, even bringing a gift. This woman really had thick skin.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yu said, "I need a spirit crystal. Whoever can deliver one to me before the Hour of the Snake tomorrow morning will become my junior sister from then on."

He was worrying over a spirit crystal just now.

Su Wan came from a merchant family. Chu Qingwen had said that the Su family's business was far larger than her own family's.

Li Feifei's family was a third-rate martial family in the imperial capital. A family could only be called a third-rate martial family if it had a True Qi Realm martial artist. Her family definitely had spirit crystals.

"Understood, Senior Brother. I'll definitely find a spirit crystal and deliver it to you on time." Li Feifei did not hesitate. Almost the instant Zhang Yu finished speaking, she responded.

After speaking, she turned and left while still holding her gift, without the slightest dragging of her feet.

Su Wan hesitated for a moment and was instantly outdone by Li Feifei.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I'll ask the Su family branch in Spirit Hidden City and do my best to find one," Su Wan said.

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said nothing more.

A short while later, Su Wan left as well, and Zhang Yu closed the courtyard gate.

He muttered to himself, "No wonder the Su family is a merchant family while the Li Family is a martial family. The temperaments of the daughters they raise really are somewhat different."

To be honest, of the two personalities, Zhang Yu thought more highly of Li Feifei's. Even though Li Feifei had mocked and ridiculed him for the past two months, while Su Wan had never said a single thing to offend him.

The night passed without incident, and Zhang Yu slept very comfortably.

That night, however, Xu Yang did not sleep at all. He kept thinking about Zhang Yu's words.

"Disperse my cultivation?"

"Can dispersing my cultivation really solve my cultivation problem?"

"Should I trust him just once?"

His heart was tangled with all kinds of conflict. The more conflicted he became, the less sleepy he felt.

Yesterday afternoon, Su Wan and Li Feifei had left Hidden Spirit Academy one after the other, then returned to their small courtyard at the same time before nightfall.

The two happened to run into each other.

Li Feifei glanced at Su Wan with a disdainful expression and snorted. "Su Wan, a merchant's daughter like you wants to compete with me? Hmph!"

Su Wan refused to yield. "Li Feifei, you truly have no shame. Senior Brother Zhang magnanimously spared your life, yet you still had the nerve to go see him. He should have cut out your tongue back then."

"Su Wan, there's no point saying more. A merchant's daughter like you only knows calculation and scheming. You'll never understand what the heart of a martial artist is," Li Feifei said with her head raised, then turned and returned to her room.

"Peh!" Su Wan spat lightly and also strode back to her room.

After returning to her room, a worried look appeared on her face. She had just gone to find her second uncle at the Su family's branch in Spirit Hidden City and told him about Zhang Yu, but unfortunately, her second uncle did not agree with her plan, saying it was not worth it and so on.

Could it be just as Li Feifei said? Does the Su family, being a merchant family, possess only calculation and no heart of a martial artist? Su Wan frowned deeply and fell into thought.

The next morning, Zhang Yu slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up. Only when knocking sounded at the courtyard gate did he lazily rise.

Creak!

Yawning, he opened the gate.

Li Feifei stood outside and held out a blue, shimmering spirit crystal. "Senior Brother, your junior sister has not failed her mission."

Zhang Yu accepted the Water Spirit Crystal, and the system immediately reacted.

Does the host wish to upgrade?

Yes

Buzz!

The panel emitted a glow. After several breaths, it returned to calm, and then Zhang Yu saw his master-disciple points continuously increasing.

Master-disciple points: 966

Master-disciple points: 967

...

It worked! He was overjoyed. Judging from how quickly the number was rising, it should be Li Yue, Niu Mancang, Wen Hua, and the others doing their morning training.

Niu Mancang could now provide nearly 200 points of Iron Shirt proficiency every day. Once converted into master-disciple points, that meant 600 points in three days. Li Yue, Wen Hua, and the others could easily provide the remaining 400 points.

It's secure! A faint smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Yu's mouth.

The next second, he put away his smile and looked at Li Feifei. "Very good. From now on, you are my, Zhang Yu's, junior sister."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Li Feifei revealed a sweet smile.

She had paid a great price to obtain this Water Spirit Crystal, but she did not mention a single word of it before Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu looked at Li Feifei and thought of the Family Guardian, Legacy Keeper fate on her body. This fate was extremely precious.

He would observe her performance a while longer. Perhaps he could have her marry Niu Mancang as his wife in the future.

Family Guardian, Legacy Keeper.

Once she married Niu Mancang, she would definitely ensure that that simpleton had no worries behind him.

"Cultivate well. At the next Dragon Gate assessment, I guarantee you'll pass," Zhang Yu said after some thought.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Li Feifei was overjoyed.

"Also, don't let your family arrange a marriage for you anytime soon. I'll arrange a match for you later," Zhang Yu said.

The Family Guardian, Legacy Keeper fate was too precious. Zhang Yu wanted to bring her into his own circle and have her marry Niu Mancang.

"Ah!" Li Feifei had already prepared herself to offer up her body. She was calculating too, but unlike Su Wan, she would not hesitate and waver. Once she made up her mind, she would wager everything on it. Yet she had never expected Zhang Yu to say that he would arrange a marriage for her.

"Senior Brother Zhang, may I ask..." Li Feifei began timidly, but before she could finish, Zhang Yu interrupted her. "The man I'll have you marry is a True Qi Realm martial artist. Are you willing?"

"I am!" The moment Li Feifei heard that he was a True Qi Realm martial artist, she agreed without the slightest hesitation.

She knew very clearly what she wanted and what her family needed.

"Mm. Go back, then." Appreciation showed in Zhang Yu's eyes.

Only after Li Feifei left did Su Wan arrive belatedly.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I..."

"Junior Sister Su, I need to cultivate."

Bang!

Zhang Yu directly shut the courtyard gate.

There was only one chance. He had no interest whatsoever in forming a deeper connection with someone who failed to seize it.

Su Wan looked at the tightly shut gate, her face flushing red and then turning pale. Biting her lip lightly, she thought, Second Uncle said an inner court disciple wasn't worth a spirit crystal. Does he really think he's some great figure?

Deep down, she too felt that Zhang Yu, an inner court disciple, was not worth a spirit crystal.

"What are you muttering about?" Li Feifei suddenly jumped out from the side, startling Su Wan.

"None of your business." Su Wan glared at Li Feifei.

"Su Wan, I told you, merchant families like yours only understand calculation and profit. You don't understand martial artists at all, so why insist on squeezing into the martial world?" Li Feifei said with her head held high.

"Hmph, a dog catching mice!" Su Wan snorted coldly and turned to leave.

"Su Wan, with that petty mindset of yours, don't ever dream of beating me!" Li Feifei shouted.

Su Wan walked faster and faster.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

"System, add points for me!"

Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art (Great Mastery 1/20000)

Buzz!

A warm current surged from Zhang Yu's flesh and blood, making them denser and forcing the impurities within them further out of his body.

Half an hour later, Zhang Yu washed himself, changed into clean clothes, and then tested his strength and defense.

His strength had increased by roughly ten percent, while his defense had increased by roughly five percent.

"As expected of a mysterious-grade cultivation art. Just reaching great mastery in the first level can increase my strength and defense." Zhang Yu was very excited.

The Clearwind Stance Art had broken its limit once, and Iron Shirt had broken its limit twice. He had already reached the end of the road at the Force Transformation Realm and had not felt any increase in strength for a long time.

"I'll go get the later portions of the art from Elder Shi Cangyue. Then I can find a way to run off." Zhang Yu muttered and strode out of his small courtyard.

As the most formidable elder of the Bedrock Institute, Shi Cangyue's residence was extremely secluded. A small stream ran beside it, and large bamboo groves surrounded it.

Zhang Yu stood outside the courtyard gate and knocked.

Knock knock!

After a while, footsteps sounded within, followed by a creak as the gate opened.

"Who are you looking for?" A youth around seventeen or eighteen looked at Zhang Yu and asked.

"This student, Zhang Yu, has come to pay respects to Elder Shi," Zhang Yu said.

"Let him in," Shi Cangyue's voice sounded from within the courtyard.

The youth stepped aside to let Zhang Yu enter, but his eyes were filled with deep hostility.