Cao Youqian Unwittingly Stirs Up a Storm at the Academy

Dao-Seeking Academy, the Thousand-Year Cold Pool.

Elders Niu and Hong of the Body Cultivation Institute stood with two disciples, watching from afar as a bald young man cultivated in the cold pool.

In the Thousand-Year Cold Pool, Cao Youqian was frantically absorbing its cold Qi to temper his body.

After cultivating these past days,

Cao Youqian had long since grown accustomed to tempering his body in the cold pool.

He had also completed the first stage of Body Tempering in the cold pool, tempering his skin. Now he was using the pool to temper his flesh and blood and his eight extraordinary meridians.

Next would come his bones and internal organs.

Elders Niu and Hong had both been body cultivators for decades, if not a century or more.

Naturally, they could see through the cultivation method of the disciple in the cold pool.

The longer they watched, the more alarmed they became.

Elder Niu could not help murmuring, "Senior Brother, is that young man really an outer institute disciple?"

Elder Hong said, "If he weren't wearing an outer institute disciple's robes, I wouldn't believe an outer institute disciple could have such a cultivation method either.

"And he's so bold, too. When you said earlier that he'd already spent seven times seven, forty-nine days cultivating in the cold pool, I had my doubts.

"Now I believe you. That brat may be covered from head to toe in ice,

"but the cold Qi can no longer harm his skin in the slightest."

Elder Niu murmured, "Do you think this brat could break Jin Gang's record? He doesn't look like he intends to stop."

Elder Hong said, "I wouldn't rule it out. If I weren't afraid those fellows from the Heavenly Spirit Institute would set their sights on him, I'd want to check how many days he booked in the cold pool."

At the mention of the Heavenly Spirit Institute, a hint of gloom appeared on Elder Niu's face.

"I don't know what the dean is thinking. The Heavenly Spirit Institute can pick whomever it wants, while the rest of us can only take the leftovers."

Elder Hong said, "That's naturally for the sake of our Dao-Seeking Academy. Only when enough heaven's chosen make their might known throughout the world can our academy recruit more disciples."

Hearing this, Elder Niu said no more. Everyone understood the reasoning, but whether they could accept it was another matter.

"Junior Brother Niu, we can't stay here watching all the time. Let's simply send a disciple to check each day,"

Elder Hong said.

"All right, it's settled."

Elder Niu also knew that their presence here would naturally attract the attention of interested parties.

After reaching an agreement, the two left without a sound.

The Body Cultivation Institute wanted to keep the matter quiet, but others did not.

At first, Deacon Han of the Merit Hall had not believed that Cao Youqian could cultivate in the cold pool for three months. He had been waiting for the hedonistic young master to come and cancel his remaining time.

But now forty-nine days had passed, and Cao Youqian still had not come to the Merit Hall to make a fuss.

Puzzled, Deacon Han summoned a disciple under him.

"Xiao Ma, go to cold pool number ninety-nine and see if anyone is there."

"Yes."

Although Xiao Ma did not know why Deacon Han had assigned him this task, he agreed.

He soon reached cold pool number ninety-nine, and before long he saw someone frozen inside.

He did not disturb the disciple, instead returning to tell Deacon Han.

"What?"

After hearing him out, Deacon Han was dumbfounded.

"You're sure there was someone inside?"

"I saw him as clear as day. That senior brother was frozen from head to toe, too. It looked like he'd been cultivating in the cold pool for a long time," Xiao Ma replied.

Hiss...

Deacon Han drew a sharp breath, then calculated the time.

Shock and wild delight soon appeared on his face.

"I'm going to strike it rich! This time, I'm going to strike it rich!"

Xiao Ma: ???

Wasn't it just a body cultivator? What did that have to do with Deacon Han?

Deacon Han began pondering how to maximize his profits. In the end, he decided to invite inner disciples from the Pill Dao Institute, the Heavenly Spirit Institute, and the Body Cultivation Institute out for drinks and quietly sell them the news.

That evening, Deacon Han called on his connections and invited inner disciples from the three institutes to Dao-Seeking City for drinks.

When the drinking was in full swing,

Zhao Yin of the Heavenly Spirit Institute asked, "Senior Brother Han, what made you suddenly think of treating us to drinks today?"

Deacon Han put down his cup, his eyes bleary with drink.

"I have a fortune I'd like to offer the three of you. I just don't know whether you're willing to take it."

The Merit Hall did not belong to the nine great institutes; its members were generally registered under the External Affairs Institute in name.

A deacon's rank was equivalent to that of a true disciple, and Deacon Han had spent many years in the Merit Hall, so he was exceptionally well informed.

The three men's eyes lit up at his words.

Zhao Yin said, "Please tell us, Senior Brother. If the deal is right, we're willing to give you a third."

The other two chimed in, "That's right. We definitely won't leak this news."

"No, this fortune depends on you leaking the news. As long as you spread it, you'll receive a considerable reward."

By now, there was not a trace of drunkenness in Deacon Han's eyes.

Zhao Yin asked, "What is it?"

Deacon Han said, "You've all heard that Jin Gang of the Body Cultivation Institute once cultivated in the Thousand-Year Cold Pool for seven times seven, forty-nine days, haven't you? What I'm telling you today is that his record has been broken by an outer institute disciple..."

At those words, all three men shot to their feet.

Their faces showed shock, puzzlement, and wild delight.

"Senior Brother, please tell us the whole story in detail."

Deacon Han: "..."

The next day, besides the Body Cultivation Institute disciples, several more figures came to investigate the Thousand-Year Cold Pool.

News that an outer sect disciple had broken Jin Gang's record also reached the higher-ups of the Heavenly Spirit Institute and the Pill Dao Institute.

Both sides began to take action.

At first, the Pill Dao Institute had no interest in the news, but when they learned the person was Cao Youqian, the Cao Clan elders began to turn the matter over in their minds.

Everyone was also keeping a quiet count of the days.

Fifty days, fifty-one days, fifty-two days...

As the days passed one by one,

the disciples observing Cao Youqian's cultivation worked out his schedule in the cold pool: nine shichen of Body Tempering and three shichen of rest each day.

When the elders heard this, none of them thought there was anything wrong with it. Even Jin Gang had not stayed in the cold pool every day back then.

Before long, Cao Youqian had cultivated in the Thousand-Year Cold Pool for nine times nine, eighty-one days.

That day, Cao Youqian deliberately cultivated for an extra three shichen. At dawn, a powerful presence erupted from him, shattering the ice covering his body.

He then used the spiritual power in his body to dry the moisture from himself and slowly walked out of the cultivation grounds.

He did not hurry back to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute to tell his master the news, because, given his master's routine, he was sure his master had not yet woken up.

When the people watching from afar saw this, they immediately went to report the good news to their respective elders.

Just as Cao Youqian left the mountain where the Thousand-Year Cold Pool lay, several figures landed in front of him.

Seeing the peak True Fate Realm presence Cao Youqian gave off, as well as his burly physique brimming with spiritual power, each of them had eyes shining brightly.

This was especially true of the two inner elders from the Body Cultivation Institute. They could tell at a glance that the young man before them had already tempered his body several times.

Such a disciple was truly rare in the outer institute.

Cao Youqian looked at the people before him and said respectfully, "This disciple greets the elders. May I ask what important matter has brought you to block my path?"