Mu Guanchen!

After watching Nanling Xun and Nanling Zhao leave, Ye Tianming turned and walked into the hall. Song Shi stared at him without speaking.

Ye Tianming bowed with utmost respect. "Greetings, Academy Master."

Song Shi said, "With enough resources, what place are you confident you can take in the Myriad Provinces Grand Competition?"

"First," Ye Tianming said.

First!

The hall suddenly fell silent.

Song Shi stared at Ye Tianming without speaking.

Ye Tianming said earnestly, "My goal is first place. I'll do my very best."

Song Shi said, "Do you know what taking first place means?"

Ye Tianming nodded. "I do."

After looking at him for a long while, Song Shi said, "Don't leave the academy unless you have to. Even if you do, either I or your mentor must accompany you. By the way, go meet your mentor! Turn right when you go out. He's in the last hall at the end."

Ye Tianming bowed slightly and turned to leave. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned back to Song Shi. "Academy Master, does our academy provide meals?"

Song Shi stared at him. "What do you think?"

Ye Tianming felt a headache coming on. Without another word, he turned and left.

After watching Ye Tianming leave, Song Shi shook his head. "Both people who made it through the Guanxuan Dao ended up here with me. What am I supposed to make of that?"

After leaving, Ye Tianming headed right and soon reached the hall at the end. Just as he was about to knock, the door opened, and a middle-aged man walked out. He looked to be in his thirties and wore a pale blue robe with a purple pendant tied at his waist. He held a scroll of ancient text and had a scholarly air about him.

His face was somewhat pale, as though he were ill.

The middle-aged man looked puzzled when he saw Ye Tianming.

Ye Tianming bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Mentor."

"Mentor?"

The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised. He looked Ye Tianming over and said, "Are you a new student?"

Ye Tianming nodded. "Yes. My name is Ye Tianming."

The middle-aged man said, "Did Old Song trick you into coming?"

Ye Tianming hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, I came of my own accord."

The middle-aged man smiled. "I see. Hello, my name is Mu Guanchen."

Ye Tianming said, "Are you willing to take me as your student?"

Mu Guanchen smiled. "At present, I'm the academy's only mentor, and you're its only student. It seems you don't have another choice, and neither do I."

A smile appeared on Ye Tianming's face.

Mu Guanchen said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come in and eat with me."

With that, he led Ye Tianming into the hall. Once inside, Ye Tianming was stunned. Bookshelves lined every wall, packed tight with books.

A large desk stood in the center of the hall, also covered with ancient texts, with only a small space left clear. A simple little bed stood not far from the desk.

Mu Guanchen walked over to a stove. A small pot sat on it, cooking a mixture of wild greens. Beside it was another small stove with a pot of rice on top.

Mu Guanchen picked up two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks from a basin, walked over to a bucket of water and rinsed them, then filled a bowl with rice and handed it to Ye Tianming.

Ye Tianming hurriedly accepted it. "Thank you."

Mu Guanchen smiled. "You don't need to be so polite here. Make yourself at home."

Ye Tianming glanced at him and nodded. "All right."

The two sat around the stove.

Ye Tianming hadn't eaten in a long time and immediately dug in. Watching him wolf down his food, Mu Guanchen smiled and began eating as well.

Ye Tianming polished off three bowls of rice before he was full. When he had finished, he picked up Mu Guanchen's bowl and chopsticks. "Teacher, I'll wash the dishes."

With that, he turned and walked toward the bucket.

Mu Guanchen rose and went to a corner to clear a bookshelf. A short while later, he had moved all the books from it onto another shelf. Then he laid the empty shelf down, fetched a quilt from nearby, and spread it over the shelf.

He turned to Ye Tianming and smiled. "The other halls have been in disrepair for years, and no one has cleaned them. They aren't fit to live in. Make do here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll clean out a hall with you so you can have a place of your own."

Ye Tianming nodded. "All right."

By the time everything was put away, night had fallen. He walked to the entrance of the hall and sat down. Looking toward the end of the pitch-black sky, he thought of the Ye Family...

A moment later, he took a deep breath, put his thoughts aside, and began cultivating. He circulated his cultivation technique, and countless streams of Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth immediately surged toward him.

All he wanted now was to raise his strength like mad. He knew very well that to take first place in the Myriad Provinces Grand Competition, he had to work harder than ordinary people. Otherwise, he simply couldn't compete with the disciples of those top-tier clans and sects.

"Hm?"

Inside the hall, Mu Guanchen, who had been reading, suddenly looked up at Ye Tianming, his eyes full of surprise. He rose and walked over to Ye Tianming. "This cultivation technique..." he said softly.

Ye Tianming opened his eyes. "Teacher?"

Mu Guanchen smiled. "Your cultivation technique is somewhat unusual. Where did you learn it?"

Ye Tianming hesitated, then said, "I created it myself."

For some reason, he had a strong liking for the teacher before him and didn't want to lie to him.

"You created it yourself?"

Mu Guanchen was somewhat surprised, then smiled. "That's truly remarkable."

Ye Tianming smiled. "It's all right."

Mu Guanchen thought for a moment, then said, "Your cultivation technique is rather unusual, but there's one thing you might be able to improve."

Ye Tianming was immediately curious. "What is it?"

Mu Guanchen smiled. "Filtering."

Ye Tianming was puzzled.

Mu Guanchen explained, "The Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth contains impurities. When Spiritual Qi enters your body, those impurities enter with it. Over time, they will harm your body. So when you absorb Spiritual Qi, you must filter it first, just as you would rinse rice. Once filtered, the Spiritual Qi will be purer and more effective. Your cultivation technique is very good, with an extremely high potential. I can see that it can absorb more than just Spiritual Qi; it should be able to absorb other kinds of energy as well. But it doesn't have this 'filtering' function. You can't feel the harm it's doing to you yet, but after you advance another two realms, you'll discover that your body has a serious problem."

Ye Tianming said softly, "So there's all that to consider."

Mu Guanchen smiled. "The path of cultivation is vast and profound. You must be careful, especially when you've created your own cultivation technique. Since it hasn't been tested through cultivation by those who came before you, you must be even more careful."

Ye Tianming nodded. "I understand. Teacher, how can I filter it?"

After pondering briefly, Mu Guanchen smiled. "We can make a filter. When Spiritual Qi enters your body, it must first pass through it. As for how to make such a filter, you'll have to figure that out yourself."

Ye Tianming smiled. "I understand, Teacher."

Mu Guanchen nodded. "You're at the Minor Tribulation Realm now. Reaching that level at your age is fairly good, but there are still many problems with your realm... There's no rush with that. First, sort out your cultivation technique. Then we can study and work through the problems with your realm together."

Ye Tianming hurriedly rose and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Mentor."

Mu Guanchen smiled. "You don't need to be so polite. Let's both be more casual. It would be best if we were like friends; then we'd be comfortable in each other's company."

Ye Tianming nodded. "All right."

Mu Guanchen said, "Go ahead and cultivate."

With that, he walked outside.

Ye Tianming watched Mu Guanchen leave, feeling warm inside. His teacher was easygoing and a very good person!

A moment later, he sat down and began studying his cultivation technique.

Mu Guanchen, meanwhile, went to the main hall and found Song Shi. "Old Song, who is that young man?"

Song Shi glanced at him. "Why?"

Mu Guanchen said, "He's no ordinary person. He's so young, yet he was able to create his own cultivation technique, and it's an extremely unusual one at that. That's remarkable."

Song Shi said, "He made it through the Guanxuan Dao."

Mu Guanchen froze on the spot.

Song Shi briefly told him about Ye Tianming.

After hearing it, Mu Guanchen frowned. "How could the academy have handled the matter that way?"

Song Shi sneered. "The Xiao Family and Qingzhou Academy are no simple forces."

Mu Guanchen said, "I mean the Inner Pavilion. The Xiao Family and Qingzhou Academy couldn't possibly reach into the Inner Pavilion."

Song Shi shook his head. "I don't know the details either. Anyway, I heard that some important figure said a word, and the matter was dropped just like that."

Mu Guanchen's frown deepened.

Song Shi said, "The child has had a hard life too. If that girl from the Nanling Clan hadn't protected him at all costs, he couldn't possibly have survived until now. Since he's with you now, teach him well. If he really can place in the top five of the Myriad Provinces Grand Competition, perhaps a first-rate clan or a major figure from the Guanxuan Realm will take an interest in him. That would give him a way forward."

Mu Guanchen shook his head. "At our academy, even putting food on the table is a problem, let alone cultivation. You know how many resources cultivation requires..."

He paused, then said gravely, "Guanchen, I have to be honest with you. The Xiao Family and Qingzhou Guanxuan Academy both want him dead. If you don't want to take him as your disciple, I won't force you. I'll personally guide him."

Mu Guanchen said, "He has nowhere else to go. Let him stay with me!"

Song Shi nodded, then said, "I have to say, what the Nanling Clan did this time took me by surprise, especially that young lady Nanling Zhao. She truly has the bearing Academy Master Fang had back then..."

Mu Guanchen said, "I've heard of her too. People out there now call her a second Academy Master Fang..."

Song Shi sighed softly. "I admire the way she conducts herself too. Academy Master Fang Yu had the Guanxuan Sword Master backing him back then, but she has no such support. If she continues to act that way, I fear many people above won't tolerate her."

Mu Guanchen said, "The descendants of those who followed the Guanxuan Sword Master in establishing the Guanxuan Order have now had a taste of the benefits power brings. Once their ambition and desires begin, they're like boulders rolling down a mountain: they can never be stopped. That's not something one or two people can change."

With that, he turned and left.