Chapter 2: The Hall of Records and the Shattered Stone
The morning mist clung to the spires of the Celestial Sage Academy, but the atmosphere inside the recruitment square was anything but calm. News of the "Library Miracle" had spread like a wildfire through the student dormitories. A trash teacher curing a shattered Dantian in ten minutes? It sounded like the fever dream of a madman, yet Li Feng stood there, his back straight, his gaze no longer hollow, trailing behind Tian Mo with the ferocity of a young wolf.
Tian Mo walked with a measured pace. Every step he took seemed to harmonize with the world around him. To the casual observer, he was just a handsome man in white robes, but to those with high cultivation, he looked like a bottomless abyss.
"Master, where are we going?" Li Feng asked, his voice low and respectful.
"To the Hall of Records," Tian Mo replied without turning his head. "If you are to be my disciple, the academy must officially recognize your recovery. And," he paused, a thin, cold smile playing on his lips, "certain people need to see the result of their blindness."
The Gathering Storm
The Hall of Records was a majestic structure of white marble and gold, housing the Test of Potential. In the center of the hall stood the Verification Stone, an ancient relic that measured a cultivator's Qi density and talent.
As they entered, the chatter died down instantly. Elders in gray robes sat on high wooden chairs, overseeing the official registrations. Among them sat Elder Han, a man known for his rigid adherence to rules and his icy temperament. Beside him, Senior Teacher Lu was already whispering into his ear, his face still pale from the humiliation of the previous day.
"Elder Han, this is the man," Lu hissed, pointing at Tian Mo. "He claims to have healed a shattered Dantian. It is a blatant violation of medical logic. He must be using forbidden drugs or demonic arts to temporarily stimulate the boy's potential."
Elder Han looked down from his pedestal, his eyes like cold daggers. "Tian Mo. You have caused quite a stir. To claim you healed Li Feng is a serious matter. If this is a lie, you will not only lose your license but your tongue for spreading such heresy."
Tian Mo stood in the center of the hall, his hands clasped behind his back. He didn't bow. He didn't even flinch. "Elder, logic is only as wide as the person who perceives it. If a frog in a well says the sky is only as big as the well's opening, is the frog right?"
"You—!" Lu stepped forward, but Elder Han raised a hand to silence him.
"Enough," Han rumbled. "The Verification Stone does not lie. Li Feng, step forward. Place your hand upon the stone and circulate your Qi. We shall see if you are a miracle or a fraud."
The Scan: Flaws of the Stone
Li Feng looked at Tian Mo. The Master nodded. "Do exactly as I taught you. The Breath of the Solar Flare. Do not hold back."
As Li Feng approached the stone, Tian Mo narrowed his eyes.
[DING!]
[Divine Library Initiated. Scanning Target: Verification Stone (Rank 1 Artifact).]
> Item: Verification Stone (Low-Grade)
> Condition: Aged.
> Flaws: 47.
> * The internal array is cracked at the 3rd meridian point, leading to a 5% under-read.
> * The surface is coated in 'Spirit-Dulling Dust' from poor maintenance.
> * It cannot handle energy exceeding the 9th Stage of Qi Sensing...
> Warning: If subject circulates Perfect Heaven's Path Qi, the stone will reach its critical limit.
>
Tian Mo almost chuckled. The academy's "sacred stone" was as flawed as its teachers.
The Shattering Truth
Li Feng placed his hand on the cold surface of the stone. He closed his eyes, visualizing the "volcano" Tian Mo had described. He drew in a breath, his lungs expanding, and then he pushed.
Vroom—!
The stone didn't just glow; it roared. A brilliant, blinding crimson light erupted from the base, climbing up the stone's inscriptions with the speed of a lightning bolt.
1st Stage... 2nd Stage... 3rd Stage...
The light didn't stop. The crowd gasped.
4th Stage! 5th Stage!
"Impossible!" Lu screamed, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. "Yesterday he was a waste! How can he be at the 5th Stage already?"
But the stone was still climbing. The air in the hall began to hum. The crimson light turned into a violent gold.
6th Stage! 7th Stage!
The elders stood up in unison. A 16-year-old reaching the 7th Stage of Qi Sensing was a genius. But to do it after having a shattered Dantian? It was unheard of.
"Stop him!" Lu shouted. "He's going to blow up the stone!"
But Li Feng was in a trance. He felt the Qi flowing through his purified meridians—flawless, dense, and scorching.
8th Stage! 9th Stage!
CRACK.
A spiderweb of fractures appeared on the surface of the Verification Stone.
"Master?" Li Feng whispered, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Do not stop," Tian Mo's voice echoed like a thunderclap. "Show them the difference between jade and dust!"
Li Feng gave one final, primal roar. His Qi surged like a tidal wave hitting a cliffside.
KABOOM!
The Verification Stone exploded. Shards of marble flew across the hall, and a pillar of golden light shot through the roof, piercing the morning clouds. The shockwave knocked Senior Teacher Lu off his chair and sent the registration papers flying like autumn leaves.
In the center of the debris stood Li Feng, his skin glowing with a faint metallic sheen. He breathed out a cloud of white steam.
The silence that followed was heavy. Elder Han's hand was trembling as he touched the broken pedestal. "The stone... it surpassed the 9th Stage? It... it couldn't measure him?"
Tian Mo stepped through the dust, his white robes still pristine. He stopped in front of Elder Han.
"The stone didn't break because of his power, Elder," Tian Mo said calmly. "It broke because it was too full of flaws to handle the truth. Just like this academy."
The Dual Certification: A New Challenge
Elder Han looked at Tian Mo with a mixture of fear and newfound respect. "Teacher Tian Mo... this... this is truly a miracle. Li Feng's talent is... peerless."
"He is just my student," Tian Mo said, his tone indifferent. "Now, about my license. I believe I have proven I can teach."
"Yes, yes!" Han nodded fervently. "But... to be officially promoted to a 1-Star Supreme Teacher, the rules state you must also possess mastery in at least one supporting profession. An Alchemist, a Physician, or an Appraiser."
Lu, recovering from his fall, scrambled up. "Yes! He might be lucky with a student, but can he refine a pill? Can he diagnose a terminal illness? Tian Mo, you are just a one-trick pony!"
Tian Mo turned his gaze toward the far end of the hall, where a sign hung: Apothecary Branch.
"Logic says it takes decades to master Alchemy," Tian Mo mused. "But my library says it takes... exactly one hour."
He looked at Lu. "Since you are so fond of bets, shall we go again? In one hour, I will not only refine a pill, but I will refine one that is of the Perfect Grade. If I do, you will resign from the academy and become a janitor for my classroom."
The crowd erupted. Perfect Grade? Even the 5-Star Alchemists of the Empire struggled to reach 90% purity. 100% purity—the Perfect Grade—was a myth.
"You're on!" Lu barked, his desperation turning into madness. "I'll see you burn your eyebrows off in the furnace!"
The Apothecary Hall
Tian Mo walked into the Apothecary Hall, followed by a massive crowd of curious students and skeptical teachers. The hall smelled of charcoal, bitter herbs, and the metallic tang of cauldrons.
[Scan Initiated. Target: Apothecary Library.]
Tian Mo's mind flooded with thousands of books on herbs, temperatures, and pill formulas.
[Consolidating 14,000 Apothecary manuals... Removing 8,000,000 flaws... Synthesizing 'Heaven's Path Pill Refinement Method'...]
Tian Mo walked to a standard bronze cauldron. He didn't pick up the expensive "Spirit-Heating Charcoal" like the other masters. Instead, he grabbed a pile of common "Dry Pine Wood."
"Dry pine wood?" A 3-Star Alchemist watching from the side scoffed. "The heat is too uneven! He'll cause an explosion!"
Tian Mo ignored him. He picked up three herbs: a Frost Weed, a Sun Petal, and a Common Earth Root.
"He's mixing Frost and Sun? Without a 'Neutralizing Leaf'?" Lu laughed. "He's not refining a pill, he's making a bomb!"
Tian Mo began. His movements were not like an Alchemist; they were like a dancer. He threw the Frost Weed in first. Then, instead of waiting, he kicked the furnace, changing the airflow.
[Flaw detected in furnace ventilation. Adjustment: Strike the left valve at a 15-degree angle.]
Clang!
Tian Mo kicked the valve. The fire inside turned from orange to a brilliant, steady blue.
[Flaw in herb quality: Sun Petal contains 4% moisture. Solution: Flash-fry at 400 degrees for 2 seconds.]
Tian Mo tossed the petal in and immediately slammed the lid shut.
The cauldron began to vibrate. High-pitched whistling sounds echoed through the hall. Everyone backed away, fearing a blast. Lu was already grinning, waiting for the smoke.
But Tian Mo stood there, his hand resting lightly on the lid. He wasn't using his Qi to suppress the fire; he was using the fire's own flaws to stabilize it.
Ten minutes. Twenty minutes.
Suddenly, the whistling stopped. A fragrance—sweet, ethereal, and oddly cooling—filled the entire hall. It was so potent that students at the back felt their Qi meridians widening just by smelling it.
Tian Mo opened the lid.
There was no smoke. No ash. Only a single, pearl-like pill floating in the center of the cauldron. It was translucent, with three golden rings glowing around its center.
"The... the Golden Rings of Perfection?" Elder Han whispered, falling to his knees. "It's... it's real. A Perfect Grade 'Foundation Pill'!"
Tian Mo picked up the pill and tossed it casually to Li Feng. "Eat it. It will stabilize your 3rd Stage."
Li Feng swallowed it without hesitation. Immediately, his aura surged, his skin turning even more radiant.
Tian Mo turned to Lu, who was frozen like a statue.
"The broom is in the corner, Janitor Lu," Tian Mo said, his voice cold and cutting. "The classroom is dusty. Make sure you don't miss a spot."