Azure Eagle Ranking

"Student Zhang Yu greets Elder Shi." Zhang Yu bowed in salute.

"Have you cultivated the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art to mastery?" Shi Cangyue asked.

"In reply to Elder Shi, this student was fortunate enough to succeed."

"What? You truly cultivated the first level to mastery?" Shi Cangyue's expression was exceedingly excited.

Ever since emerging from seclusion, he had had many people cultivate it, yet not a single one had managed to bring the first level to mastery within three days.

Zhang Yu nodded. "Yes!"

"Circulate the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art." Shi Cangyue stared intently at Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu began circulating the first level of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art, and his skin gave off a faint earthy-yellow glow.

This was the sign that the first level had reached mastery.

"Good, very good! You are the disciple I, Shi Cangyue, have been waiting for all along." Shi Cangyue was overjoyed.

Meanwhile, the young man beside them lowered his head, his eyes full of jealous hatred as he shouted inwardly, Why?

Zhang Yu immediately knelt and performed the disciple ceremony. "Disciple Zhang Yu greets Master!"

"Good, good, get up quickly." Shi Cangyue reached out and helped Zhang Yu up, then took his hand and asked what he did not understand about cultivating the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art.

Zhang Yu answered cautiously. After the two spoke for half an hour, he finally found an opportunity to ask, "Master, could you impart the subsequent techniques to this disciple?"

"Since you have already brought the first level to mastery, I shall teach you the second-level cultivation chant and the Tendon-Washing Bone-Tempering Method." Shi Cangyue then glanced at the young man beside them. "Chen You, go back. Take your things with you. You will no longer need to come to my courtyard to tend the medicinal herbs."

"Yes, Elder Shi." Chen You bowed in acknowledgment.

Shortly afterward, he picked up his bundle, shot Zhang Yu a vicious look, and left.

Chen You was the second son of the Chen Family's patriarch in Great Chu, a disciple of the Bedrock Inner Court, and at the peak of Force Transformation. Half a year ago, he had begun voluntarily tending Elder Shi Cangyue's medicinal herbs and had moved in here.

He had also cultivated the first level of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art, but unfortunately, it had taken him half a month to reach mastery, and he had failed to earn Shi Cangyue's approval.

He had originally thought that by tending the herbs for Shi Cangyue, he could gain the moon before those farther from the tower. Besides, he believed that no one could cultivate the first level to mastery in three days.

"Alright, I will now personally teach you how to cultivate the second level." Shi Cangyue said, "The Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art is one of the academy's finest techniques. From the second level onward, it can only be passed on by word of mouth. Listen carefully..."

Zhang Yu hurriedly focused and listened attentively to Shi Cangyue's explanation.

To display his talent, cement his reputation as a genius, earn Shi Cangyue's regard, and learn the complete Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art as quickly as possible, Zhang Yu used his Master-Disciple Points to directly raise the second-level technique to beginner level after hearing it only once.

"Genius, a true genius! Hahaha... A martial artist of the Upper Three Realms will surely emerge from my Bedrock Institute." Shi Cangyue was beside himself with joy.

Watching Shi Cangyue dance with delight, Zhang Yu worried inwardly, Did I overdo it?

It was not until evening that Shi Cangyue allowed Zhang Yu to leave. Before he went, Shi Cangyue even gave him a bottle of top-grade Blood-Nourishing Pills.

Only millennium blood ginseng could be used to refine top-grade Blood-Nourishing Pills. One such pill could be exchanged for thirty ordinary Blood-Nourishing Pills.

Zhang Yu tucked the top-grade Blood-Nourishing Pills into his clothes, his face beaming. "Damn, big shots really do have good stuff."

As he was walking back to his small courtyard, someone suddenly emerged from the bamboo grove beside the path and blocked his way.

"Country bumpkin, you should never have gone to Elder Shi." Chen You had waited there for Zhang Yu all day.

Zhang Yu glanced at him. "Idiot, get lost!"

"You dare insult me? Do you know who I am?" Chen You's eyes widened, looking utterly incredulous.

He was the second young master of the Chen Family, a millennium-old martial family of Great Chu.

"Damn it, who cares who you are? Get the hell out of my way. A good dog doesn't block the road." Zhang Yu was even more arrogant than Zhang You, his face filled with disdain.

"Good, good, good. You had better stay in the academy forever. Otherwise, I'll make you beg for life and pray for death." Chen You wore a vicious expression.

"Idiot!" Zhang Yu cursed. He rammed forward with his shoulder, knocking Chen You aside, then swaggered away.

The rules of Hidden Spirit Academy were strict. Private fighting was forbidden within the academy.

"Lowborn, do you dare come up to the Combat Arena with me?" Chen You roared. He could wait no longer and wanted to go straight to the Combat Arena with Zhang Yu.

The Combat Arena was where students of Hidden Spirit Academy settled their grudges. Life and death were of no consequence there.

Words like country bumpkin and lowborn had stepped right on Zhang Yu's sore spot, but the cultivation he was currently displaying was only late Dark Force.

He turned his head, looked at Chen You, and said, "Ten days. In ten days, wash your neck clean and wait for me at the Combat Arena."

With that, Zhang Yu left.

In ten days, he would cultivate the second level of the Bedrock Mountain-Forming Art to completion, naturally reach the peak of Dark Force, and killing Chen You, who was at Force Transformation, with peak Dark Force strength should not be too outrageous.

When he killed Chen You on the Combat Arena, he could have another sudden enlightenment and break through directly to Force Transformation. Then he could learn the third-level technique from Shi Cangyue.

Yes, that was how he would do it. I really am a genius.

Chirp... chirp...

Whistling, Zhang Yu returned to his small courtyard. As for Chen You's challenge, he did not take it to heart at all.

The next day, the entire Bedrock Institute learned that Zhang Yu and Chen You had arranged a Combat Arena battle ten days later.

"Have you heard? A disciple named Zhang Yu actually dared to challenge Chen You."

"Chen You is the second young master of the Chen Family and the third-ranked expert on the Azure Eagle Ranking."

"Zhang Yu was accepted as Elder Shi Cangyue's disciple, so his talent must be stronger than Chen You's. His cultivation is just a little lower."

"I watched Zhang Yu fight during the Dragon Gate Assessment. He was fierce. He faced a third-rank Earth Bear head-on and beat it to death with two punches."

People discussed it in private, and the news quickly spread from the Bedrock Institute throughout Hidden Spirit Academy.

Zhang Yu knew nothing about these discussions. On the second day, he slept until he woke naturally, then glanced at his Master-Disciple Points and smiled in satisfaction.

I should write to Li Yue and Niu Mancang, urging them to cultivate even harder, he thought. Taking out paper and brush, he began writing letters.

Knock, knock!

A knock sounded from outside.

Zhang Yu had not finished his letter yet, and the knocking made him somewhat irritated.

Knock, knock!

"I'm coming!" He had no choice but to set down his brush, rise, walk into the courtyard, and open the door.

Li Feifei stood outside the courtyard gate. "Senior Brother."

"What is it?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Senior Brother, everyone outside is talking about how you and the Chen Family's second young master will fight to the death on the Combat Arena in ten days. Is it true?" Li Feifei asked nervously.

"Mm." Zhang Yu nodded.

"Senior Brother, the Chen Family is a millennium-old martial family of Great Chu. The Chen Family ancestor is an Aura Force Realm martial artist," Li Feifei hurriedly said.

"So what?" Zhang Yu's face remained expressionless.

"The Chen Family's second young master is also third on the Azure Eagle Ranking. Peak Force Transformation is not all the same."

"What is the Azure Eagle Ranking?" Zhang Yu asked.

He chose to ignore talk of the Chen Family's second young master and peak Force Transformation. Before his system, they were all trash. But he had been here so long and had never heard of this Azure Eagle Ranking.

"It is a ranking for inner court disciples of Hidden Spirit Academy below the True Qi Realm. Every three months, the academy organizes arena matches to determine the rankings. The top ten all receive generous rewards." Li Feifei explained the Azure Eagle Ranking to him.

"What does first place get?" Zhang Yu asked.

"I think it is one Spirit Crystal, along with a bottle of high-grade Blood-Nourishing Pills."

"There are Spirit Crystals to win?" Zhang Yu's eyes lit up. "Keep an eye on when the next Azure Eagle Ranking competition will be. I want to register too."

"Alright, Senior Brother." Li Feifei nodded. "No, Senior Brother, I came to talk to you about Chen You. He..."

"There is no need to say more. He is already a dead man." Zhang Yu interrupted Li Feifei.

Seeing the powerful confidence Zhang Yu displayed, Li Feifei suddenly said as if possessed, "Senior Brother, I'm especially good at warming beds!"

"Get lost!"

Bang!

Zhang Yu slammed the courtyard gate shut.