Ming Qi could never have imagined that a girl as innocent as Meng Ling could harbor such dark thoughts. This stark contrast sent Ming Qi's mind careening back and forth between the clouds and the deep pits beneath the earth, like a roller coaster.
Finally, Ming Qi regained his composure and replied with unwavering determination, "Good change, wonderful change."
"Hahaha..."
This complete parody of a joke actually brightened Ming Qi's mood.
Beichen Courtyard, nestled on the edge of Bikong City, is a remote area within the city. However, it enjoys a certain degree of connection to the Inner Gate, allowing it to absorb the spiritual energy emanating from that gate's spiritual veins. It is indeed a perfect place for meditation and cultivation.
It was already noon when he arrived at the gate of Beichen Courtyard, but it was remarkably quiet. There wasn't even a single disciple guarding the gate, a stark contrast to the other courtyards within the Biyou Sect's outer sect.
But upon reflection, it made sense. Beichen Academy's headmaster, Zong Weiyi, had always kept a low profile. Although he possessed profound cultivation, he was extremely discreet. The Biyou Sect's senior leaders and some of its more experienced disciples were all aware of his existence, but few newer disciples knew of Zong Weiyi.
Arriving at the main gate, Ming Qi didn't rush in, but waited outside.
Just because there was no one guarding the gate didn't mean no one was watching. Consider this: a large outer sect wouldn't allow anyone to enter or leave freely.
Sure enough, not long after, two disciples emerged from the main gate. Their sect uniforms bore a distinct star symbol—the symbol of Beichen Academy. That was self-explanatory.
The two Beichen Academy disciples seemed to share Zong Weiyi's low-key personality. After politely inquiring Ming Qi about his purpose, one of them went to report to the headmaster, while the other led Ming Qi to the Beichen Academy's reception room.
"Senior Brother, please rest for a moment. Senior Brother Tianhe has already gone to report to the Dean."
The remaining disciple was clearly extremely respectful to Ming Qi, having already brought him a cup of tea as he spoke.
Ming Qi calmly accepted the tea, but inwardly he was delighted. He had only just arrived at the Biyou Sect, making him the newest disciple. He hadn't expected this seemingly shy Beichen disciple to address him as "Senior Brother."
"Senior Brother, are you from the Tianqi Academy?"
It wasn't clear if the shy Beichen disciple hadn't noticed before, or if he was just looking for something to talk about, but he brought up Ming Qi's Tianqi Academy affiliation.
"Yes, I do."
Ming Qi nodded as he sipped his tea.
"Ah."
The shy Beichen disciple exclaimed in surprise, then asked, "I heard a genius recently emerged from Tianqi Academy. With the strength of the eighth level of the Acquired Heaven Realm, he directly defeated Xuanwu Academy's Ge Chuncheng and even tied with Xuanwu Academy's senior brother, Zhao Fenghua. He's truly amazing."
The handsome young man spoke with a mixture of surprise and joy, seemingly genuinely surprised.
"Yes, that's true. They always come to our Tianqi Academy to bully us, so we have to fight back no matter what."
Ming Qi's words were true, and also quite reasonable.
Among the outer sects, competition and duels are commonplace. Even the low-key Beichen Academy would, at the appropriate time, seek out disciples from other academies for sparring.
However, in comparison, Xuanwu Academy and Qionghua Academy are like ferocious tigers, while Beichen Academy is a quiet virgin.
"I heard that the young spear master Ge Chuncheng has joined the elite senior disciple of the Spear Sect, Yan Zhuihun. Looks like he's going to make a difference."
The Beichen disciple relayed the news with a slight sigh.
Hearing this, Ming Qi was somewhat surprised. Spear Sect member Yan Zhuihun was a renowned figure within the Biyou Sect's inner sect, a master of spearmanship. Rumor has it that wielding the top-grade spiritual weapon, the Changkong Suoyun Spear, he was a rare match in the entire Biyou Sect.
Ge Chuncheng's joining Yan Zhuihun's tutelage presumably meant to completely defeat Ming Qi and avenge his humiliation by mastering the art of spearmanship.
This made Ge Chuncheng's intentions in kindly warning Ming Qi to be wary of Zhao Fenghua and the Qionghua Court's spiritual energy obvious.
"Oh? Isn't Ge Chuncheng a disciple of the Xuanwu Court? How could he so easily join the ranks of an elite senior inner sect disciple?"
Although Ming Qi knew Yan Zhuihun's reputation, he had no idea that the Biyou Sect had such a rule.
"There's no such restriction within the sect. After all, as an elite disciple, you already possess the ability to teach the sect. In the spirit of strengthening the sect, the sect won't stop such a thing."
However, the Beichen disciple's words left Ming Qi a bit puzzled. Ge Chuncheng's joining the Spear Sect's Yan Zhuihun was almost unknown within the Outer Sect. How could the Beichen Academy disciples, who are known for their low profile, have known about it?
"Few outside the Outer Sect know about Ge Chuncheng's affairs. You..."
Ming Qi didn't finish his words, but the implication was clear.
Unexpectedly, the Beichen disciple paused, then smiled and said, "Brother, you might not know this yet. Spear Sect's Yan Zhuihun was a Beichen Academy disciple before reaching the Xiantian realm."
Well, Ming Qi finally understood. No wonder the usually low-key Beichen Academy knew something Ge Chuncheng had deliberately concealed. It turned out that Yan Zhuihun and the Beichen Academy were actually one family.
"So, this is actually one of Ge Chuncheng's secrets."
Ming Qi pondered, wondering why this Beichen disciple had so directly spilled the beans on Ge Chuncheng. Now that Ge Chuncheng had joined Yan Zhuihun, he and their Beichen Academy were practically family. Logically, he had no reason to reveal something Ge Chuncheng had deliberately concealed.
This Beichen disciple was quite astute, reading Ming Qi's expression and immediately understanding what he meant.
But he said apologetically, "Actually, I was once a disciple of Tianqi Academy..."
…
Ming Qi said nothing more. This raised a lot of questions, and talking too much would inevitably be awkward.
Just then, Ming Qi glanced over and saw someone walking past the reception room. The person's gaze shifted to Ming Qi in the room.
"Oh, it's her."
Ming Qi recognized her instantly. This was the cool, beautiful girl who had passed the entrance exam with them that day.
The cold and beautiful girl also recognized Ming Qi at this moment, a hint of surprise showing on her face.
At this moment, the Beichen disciple called out to the cold and beautiful girl, "Daoyu, come meet this senior from Tianqi Academy. He's completed the Valley of Despair quest assigned by the dean. It's quite remarkable."
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
Ming Qi said modestly, as the cold and beautiful woman Daoyu walked in.
"Greetings, Senior Brother An Yun."
She bowed to the Beichen disciple, then turned to Ming Qi without any intention of greeting him. This puzzled An Yun, who was standing nearby. Just as he was about to start a lecture, Daoyu said, "You completed the Valley of Despair quest and slew the Golden Viper King?"
...
"Well, it's a lucky break, I guess."
Ming Qi replied vaguely.
An Yun, on the other hand, was somewhat displeased with Xiao Daoyu's attitude. "Daoyu..."
Xiao Daoyu remained expressionless in response to Ming Qi's vague answer, and even An Yun's hint went unnoticed.
Ming Qi, on his part, had noticed, but was too embarrassed to point it out. After all, he had initially addressed him as Senior Brother. If he did, An Yun would be embarrassed.
Xiao Daoyu seemed to have realized this as well and simply ignored An Yun, pretending he hadn't understood.
"Senior Brother An Yun, I have something else to attend to. I'll be leaving first."
With just a few words, Xiao Daoyu left the reception room.
"Um, eh..." An Yun, clearly embarrassed, said, "I'm a new disciple this year, so I don't know the rules and etiquette. Please don't mind, Senior Brother."
"No, no."
Ming Qi continued his vague response.
The conversation hadn't lasted long when the Beichen disciple named Tianhe returned.
Tianhe's expression was grim, as if someone owed him five million.
Noticing Tianhe's annoyance, An Yun's face was also filled with confusion. "Brother Tianhe, how are things with the Dean?"
Tianhe sighed and said helplessly, "The Dean is in a very bad mood."
"So...about the mission?"
An Yun asked.
Tianhe said nothing, but instead took out a small package and placed it on the table.
It seemed that Zong Weiyi wouldn't be able to see him anymore, but Ming Qi didn't mind. After all, he hadn't come specifically to see Zong Weiyi. He offered the inner core of a black-lined viper and the demon core of a golden-lined viper king in exchange.
Tianhe and An Yun were quite straightforward; they simply took a quick look and sealed the deal.
After the deal was completed, Ming Qi didn't linger for long. After exchanging a few pleasantries with An Yun and the others, he left.
Back at Tianqi Courtyard, before Ming Qi even reached his attic, he saw Tang Qi almost jogging towards him.
Seeing Tang Qi panting, Ming Qi thought something serious had happened again, but Tang Qi suddenly asked, "Were you the one who defeated Du Qingyun on the small stone bridge?"
Nonsense!
"Well, I'll find him sooner or later. I just happened to be on my way today."
Ming Qi nodded.
Ming Qi naturally didn't take someone as arrogant as Du Qingyun seriously.
Though Tang Qi knew Ming Qi was powerful, he wasn't particularly impressed. Every time he heard Ming Qi defeat someone, he felt a strange sense of disbelief. Last time, it was Ge Chuncheng, Zhao Fenghua, this time, Du Qingyun. What about the future?
To Tang Qi, Ming Qi seemed like a bottomless pit, able to defeat any opponent with ease.
This was undoubtedly a good thing for Tianqi Academy, but he still felt that something was wrong. He was still a little hazy as to what it was.
At noon, all the disciples of Tianqi Academy ate together. Ouna had specially prepared a variety of delicious dishes to celebrate Mingqi's return.
During the meal, Mingqi mentioned Xiao Daoyu, whom he had met at Beichen Academy.
"What! You really saw her?"
Yue Qinglong was instantly excited upon hearing this. The food in his mouth slurped for a long time, but finally, unable to contain his excitement, he quickly gulped down his soup, only to choke on it and choke on it.
Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere at Tianqi Academy became much more lively with Mingqi's return.