CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: THE FORMER COURTYARD HEAD OF HALF-STEP MORNING STAR LEVEL_1

On the way, Wang Linchi met up with disciples from the Peacock Sword Sect. Fortunately, they had a healer among them whose skills were quite impressive, and in an instant, all his injuries were healed.

He suppressed questions about how this ’treatment’ managed to reset bones or correct bodily misalignments.

Besides him, there were about a hundred other survivors in Qinghe City. Most of them were Awakeners; only a small portion were ordinary people.

Surviving until now could only be attributed to everyone’s good luck, rather than their sheer strength.

From the moment the Blood Dragon Barrier enveloped Qinghe City until the incident concluded, only about three hours had passed.

Wang Linchi learned the identity of the ’former dean’ through his conversation with Xun Cong of the Peacock Sword Sect.

He was indeed a former dean—a ’former’ three times removed, in fact.

Feng Zhu had once been on the verge of reaching the Morning Star level, unmatched throughout Yingzhou. He was rumored to have perished after a failed breakthrough, but surprisingly, he hadn’t died; Qinghe Academy had been keeping him alive using seals.

His life had been preserved, but due to hidden injuries, he had lost all hope of ever reaching the Morning Star level.

This man had a remarkable background; he was from the Feng Family of Yining Prefecture, the capital of Yingzhou. The Feng Family was not just a Great Family; more importantly, the Governor of Yingzhou also bore the surname Feng.

Of course, Feng Zhu was not from the main lineage of the Feng Family but from a side branch. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been appointed dean in Qinghe City. However, it was precisely because he was a Feng Family member that when he failed his breakthrough, Qinghe City and Qinghe Academy went to such great lengths to save his life.

Had Feng Zhu succeeded in his breakthrough back then, he would undoubtedly have secured a significant position within the Feng Family upon returning to Yining Prefecture.

It was worth noting that the head of the Feng Family, the Governor of Yingzhou, was merely at the Morning Star level—and the only one at that level in all of Yingzhou.

Although Feng Zhu had failed his breakthrough, he wasn’t without gains. He had briefly glimpsed some of the might of the Morning Star level. Consequently, at the Elite Gold Level, almost no one was his match, as he possessed a fraction of Morning Star power. This was precisely why he could easily slay the third-generation Blood Dragon Envoy.

It wasn’t due to unique talent, but because he overwhelmed his opponent with a higher cultivation level.

Xun Cong treated Feng Zhu with great respect, for Feng Zhu was a long-renowned veteran Elite Gold Level Awakener, while Xun Cong was merely an up-and-coming talent.

From Xun Cong’s words, Wang Linchi also gathered that Xun Cong himself likely had no chance of reaching the Morning Star level; in fact, the entire Peacock Sword Sect faced the same predicament.

This was because their legacy techniques only went up to the Elite Gold Level.

Moreover, even with such a legacy, a successful breakthrough wasn’t guaranteed.

Feng Zhu was a living testament to this: he lacked neither talent nor resources and possessed the necessary legacy, yet he still failed.

The first five cultivation levels—Porcelain, Iron, Copper, Silver, and Gold—were all named after earthly materials. The Morning Star, however, signified a celestial body, marking a fundamental difference. Otherwise, why would the naming convention change so abruptly?

"I didn’t expect you to survive either. It couldn’t have been easy," Xun Cong said, abruptly turning the conversation to Wang Linchi.

Wang Linchi was somewhat perplexed but replied, "Just good luck."

"This kid isn’t just lucky. I tricked plenty of people, yet he was the only one who walked right in," Feng Zhu remarked, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Wang Linchi knew there had to be more to Feng Zhu’s story. If Qinghe Academy truly intended to save his life, the seal wouldn’t have required an outsider to undo. There were definitely undisclosed secrets involved. However, Wang Linchi also knew he lacked the ability to probe into such matters, so playing dumb was his best option. "Senior, you tricked so many people, and I was the only one who took the bait. If that’s not good luck, what is?"

Feng Zhu said it wasn’t luck because ordinary people wouldn’t have been able to enter the secret repository.

"Heh, you’ve got a sharp tongue, kid. Aren’t you afraid someone might sew it shut one day?" Feng Zhu chuckled, not pressing the matter further.

"I recall Junior Brother Fang mentioning your parents were very talented. It’s a pity they didn’t follow the righteous path. It seems you’re quite similar," Xun Cong added, offering a casual compliment.

Although Feng Zhu’s words had sounded harsh, they were, in essence, praise rather than disparagement or a threat.

"Oh? What kind of people were they?" Wang Linchi inquired.

"I don’t know; I only heard it from Junior Brother Fang." Xun Cong, who didn’t know them personally, pondered for a moment before continuing, "After Junior Brother Fang passed away, everyone else who knew your parents also died."

He sighed as he said this.

After all, Junior Brother Fang had been his junior martial brother, and his death was indeed regrettable.

"So, how will we be settled next?" Wang Linchi voiced his concern.

With Qinghe City destroyed, they were now heading to Yining Prefecture. Surviving there would not be easy.

The prefectural capital was intensely competitive, enough to make one’s skin crawl. More importantly, they would also have to face the Yan Ming King.

"This incident occurred because of our Peacock Sword Sect, so we will arrange proper accommodation for you at the foot of our mountain gate," Xun Cong stated, not shirking his responsibility.

He was well aware of the reasons behind the Baylong Religion’s massacre of Qinghe City. Therefore, even though the Baylong Religion bore primary responsibility, the Peacock Sword Sect had to accept secondary accountability.

It wasn’t out of kindness; if they didn’t, the Governor wouldn’t let them off the hook.

The Governor would directly scapegoat the Peacock Sword Sect as one of the main culprits to be publicly punished.

"What about my graduation certificate? Once I graduate, I’m supposed to go directly to the Soul Seed Bureau! I can’t just lose such a stable job; I was counting on that ’iron rice bowl’ to support my family!" Wang Linchi felt this was incredibly unfair. Being settled at the foot of the mountain meant he’d have to fend for himself—a miserable prospect. Firstly, there’d be no security. Secondly, he’d have to struggle all over again. Joining the Soul Seed Bureau was supposed to save him forty years of taking the hard road, and now that path was being thrust back upon him.

"You have the qualifications to be appointed to the Soul Seed Bureau?" Feng Zhu, standing nearby, asked with some surprise. He hadn’t expected this young man, a Waste Soul Awakener with poor aptitude, to have such connections.

"Yes, it was arranged long ago. As long as I graduate, I can join," Wang Linchi confirmed with a nod.

"Then that’s fine. Once we reach Yining Prefecture, we’ll get it sorted for you." Hearing this, Xun Cong nodded, indicating he would take care of the matter.

After all, Wang Linchi already possessed the appointment qualifications; it was merely a matter of a graduation certificate. With the Peacock Sword Sect’s influence, they could interfere in the affairs of an entire city, let alone a mere academy. If it were the Yining Academy in Yining Prefecture, they might need to leverage their connections, but Qinghe Academy was a far simpler matter.

Academies were divided into three tiers: city-level Academies, prefecture-level Academies, and domain-level Palaces.

In truth, Xun Cong was quite willing to be rid of Wang Linchi. After all, someone with a Waste Spirit Phase would be of little use staying at the foot of their mountain.

Sending him to the Soul Seed Bureau through official channels was, for the Peacock Sword Sect, an exceedingly simple task.