Fantasy: One Effort, Ten Thousand Times Critical Hit Harvest!

Chapter 20: The Elders of the Academy

Tap, tap, tap!

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps rang out.

Luo Mu immediately gripped the handle of his blade and looked in the direction of the sound.

But it wasn’t the elder of the demonic path that he had imagined approaching—it was a… middle-aged man!

The clothes he wore were clearly the robes of the academy.

“No need to worry, the person has already been dealt with,” the middle-aged man said with a slight smile, throwing the head he held onto the ground.

“Greetings, Elder Lin!”

The still somewhat dazed Cheng Qingman and the other two instantly lit up with joy, quickly rising to salute.

“Elder… Lin,” Luo Mu also bowed in respect.

He hadn’t expected that for this trial, there would be an elder from the academy secretly following them.

But thinking about it, it made sense.

There was no way the academy wouldn’t have taken such considerations and just sent their disciples off blindly.

If something like today’s ambush had happened, where the demonic path lay in wait, the losses would have been severe.

Moreover, there was another possibility.

The elder of the academy wasn’t guarding the disciples on this trial…

But was instead—guarding Cheng Qingman!

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The Blood-Courage Marquis wasn’t just any ordinary noble. Whether in terms of strength or status, he was unmatched in the entire Seven Counties of Changle.

If something happened to Cheng Qingman, the academy would not escape responsibility.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu couldn’t help but recall the first time he had met Cheng Qingman.

Even without him, maybe Cheng Qingman wouldn’t have really been in danger back then.

It was just that because he acted, the person protecting her from the shadows didn’t need to reveal themselves.

“Hm.”

Elder Lin nodded slightly.

With a wave of his right hand, the severed arm on the ground flew toward Jiang Hai’s shoulder.

Mysterious light flowed, and in an instant, the arm was reattached.

“Take this pill. In no more than half a month, you’ll be fine,” Elder Lin said.

“Thank you, Elder!” Jiang Hai, overjoyed, quickly accepted the pill.

As a swordsman, losing his left arm was a significant blow.

“Elder Lin, have you been following us all along?” Cheng Qingman asked.

It was clear that she was already acquainted with Elder Lin, perhaps even quite familiar with him.

“Of course. If this had been an ordinary trial, I wouldn’t have interfered. But this is a demonic path stronghold, so I had to come and keep an eye on things,” Elder Lin said with a smile.

He then turned and looked at Luo Mu, nodding slightly.

“I didn’t expect the outer court to produce such a prodigy this year.”

For those exceptionally talented individuals, people often referred to them as prodigies.

“You’ve mastered two middle-grade Xuan-level martial skills, with one at perfection and the other at minor achievement,” Elder Lin thought to himself, feeling a wave of shock.

At the second stage of the True Qi Realm, to have such a foundation was rare even within the inner court.

“Minor achievement?”

The three of them were stunned.

Then they recalled that Luo Mu had also been cultivating the middle-grade Xuan-level body technique, Xuan Yang Overlord Body!

Who would have thought that Luo Mu had even reached minor achievement in this skill!

And how long had it been?

Luo Mu’s brow furrowed slightly.

So this is the power of an academy elder, to be able to see through his martial arts cultivation with just a glance.

“The academy’s grand ceremony this year is going to be lively,” Elder Lin said meaningfully. “Alright, make haste and leave now. I have other matters to attend to.”

With that, Elder Lin’s figure blurred and disappeared from sight.

“Junior Sister Cheng, you’re the most familiar with Elder Lin. Do you know his exact strength?” Jiang Hai asked.

“Probably above the Spirit Sea,” Cheng Qingman thought for a moment and replied.

Jiang Hai and Lin Rufeng took a sharp breath.

Above the Spirit Sea… wouldn’t that mean the Xuan Core Realm?

The academy had actually sent a Xuan Core expert to secretly follow them.

But that was likely to protect Cheng Qingman.

The two quickly pieced together the key reason.

“The Xuan Core Realm, huh…” Luo Mu’s eyes gleamed.

There was a time when the Xuan Core was nothing more than a distant dream for him.

A goal he might never achieve in his lifetime.

But now, as long as he kept diligently cultivating, not just the Xuan Core, but even the stages beyond were no longer a mere fantasy.

“Junior Brother Luo, you’ve been hiding your talents so well!”

“I didn’t expect that in such a short time, you’d have honed your sword skills to such a high level!” Cheng Qingman walked up to Luo Mu, her eyes shining.

“Just luck, I was practicing and suddenly broke through,” Luo Mu said with a smile.

Hearing this, Cheng Qingman rolled her eyes.

This guy really knew how to get on people’s nerves.

What did he mean by ‘just luck’? What did he mean by ‘suddenly broke through’?

She hadn’t been slacking off in her training either.

Why hadn’t she broken through?

“We have to thank you again, Junior Brother Luo. If it weren’t for you, we’d have been in real danger!” Cheng Qingman said seriously.

“Indeed,” Jiang Hai and Lin Rufeng walked over, nodding in agreement.

At this point, the arrogance on their faces had completely disappeared, replaced with genuine admiration.

This junior brother from the outer court, whether in terms of strength or talent, was already someone they could no longer compare themselves to.

“Senior Sister, you’re exaggerating. With Elder Lin here, how could there have been any danger?” Luo Mu shook his head. “At a critical moment, Elder Lin would’ve shown himself.”

“True, but if not for you, our trial would have been considered a failure,” Cheng Qingman replied.

If an academy elder intervened and killed the demonic cultivator, the trial would be deemed a failure, and there would be no reward.

“You’re right.”

Luo Mu suddenly realized.

He had almost forgotten about that.

He had come solely for the trial rewards, and failure would mean a major problem in acquiring future cultivation resources.

“Not to mention, we’d be ridiculed by the inner court disciples,” Cheng Qingman continued, mimicking their potential taunts, “‘You couldn’t even complete a simple task, how embarrassing!’”

Her lively imitation caused Luo Mu to burst out laughing.

He hadn’t expected Cheng Qingman to have such an adorable side.

Jiang Hai and Lin Rufeng exchanged glances, astonished.

To be honest, they had known Cheng Qingman for a long time but had never seen her like this.

Usually, she maintained a calm and composed demeanor, never smiling much.

But now, she had dropped all her pretenses.

All her expressions were genuine, coming from her true self.

“We’re not far from Xunyang Ancient City. Let’s head into the city for a proper rest. As the host, I’ll cover all the expenses!” Cheng Qingman declared with a cheerful swagger.

“Junior Sister Cheng, you’d better not take that back!” Jiang Hai and Lin Rufeng’s spirits immediately lifted.

“Of course not, don’t hold back on spending!” Cheng Qingman said, placing her hands on her hips.

Luo Mu looked thoughtfully at the blade in his hand.

Maybe it was time to get a new one.