Li Qingxian and Zhou Xuanshan settled the terms of their deal, then continued cultivating.
Early the next morning, the Coward King once again convened a meeting in the Directors' Hall to discuss Crouching Ox Mountain.
The meeting proceeded exactly as it had yesterday.
The Coward King once again lost his temper in the Directors' Hall, berating everyone before casting them aside and leaving amid the stifling atmosphere.
Li Qingxian wore a blank expression. As usual, he returned to Chunfeng Residence, entered Heaven Marrow Academy, and began a new round of study.
At first, Li Qingxian had thought this was merely some treasure or peculiar spell for studying Fate Arts. But judging by Zhou Xuanshan's words, coupled with his recent investigations, Heaven Marrow Academy seemed to hold many more secrets.
Yet all information concerning Heaven Marrow Academy was hazy and indistinct.
Li Qingxian investigated Xu Yuanhai's life and discovered something very strange: Xu Yuanhai's biography contradicted itself and could even be called utter fabrication. Only the many copies of Yuanhai Notes were genuine.
Could Xu Yuanhai have used Fate Arts to erase or interfere with something?
Upon entering again, Heaven Marrow Academy's lessons had not changed at all. They still studied the most basic aura dynamics of Momentum Configurations, then exchanged learning with several little companions.
Li Qingxian had grown increasingly familiar with the three children, Xiao Shenfeng, Gao Yuzhao, and Chen Xingping. After school, the four began chatting idly.
Xiao Shenfeng looked toward the sky and let out a long sigh. In a grave, world-weary tone, he said, "The world is in great chaos today, the people cannot eke out a living, and internal troubles and foreign threats have erupted all at once. I believe the root cause is that those who eat meat are shortsighted. We Fate Cultivators should