Chapter 17 (1/2)
Eternal Life (永生) Ch. 17
The Comforts of the School
The G.o.dly Strength Puppet created from an underground Devil had been killed without the usage of a weapon, and only bare hands and feet. This caused all the disciples in the hall to resolutely believe that Fang Han was very powerful.
At the same time, they also felt as if the bones in Fang Han’s body were fierce and overbearing, as if they were bones of a barbarian.
However, they weren’t surprised, as many of the large clans had secrets. Perhaps the Fang Clan had a method of strengthening flesh and bones to such a level. However, the other disciples in the hall from the other clans didn’t dare to ask.
At this moment, Fang Han had imprinted himself in the hearts of the other examiners as someone to not be taken lightly, as well as someone who was worth drawing in.
Thus, the Earl of Zhen Yuan, Liu Kang, and Princess Hong Yi Jun immediately realized Fang Han’s worth.
[TL: Thanks to Lornalt for informing me that Duke is above Marquis, thus Liu Kang is now Earl. Secondly, I realized that the author switched up on me, and that the princess is called Hong Yi Jun, not princess of Hong Yi, which had me confused as well]
These disciples were all very skilled in roping people in. Upon becoming an outer court disciple, there would be a yearly series of compet.i.tions even bloodier and fiercer than those held by the empires.
Think about it, the hundred thousand outer court disciples all had to vie and compete for only a couple thousand inner court disciple spots. Thus, the compet.i.tions were brutal; nothing else could be said about them.
Fang Han was confident that he would eventually become a true disciple like Fang Qing Xue. He just had to stay low like a fish in the water and gradually build up his strength.
When the time came, even if he wanted to be a servant for the Fang Clan, they wouldn’t have the courage to keep him.
“Comparing myself to the Earl and Princess, my bones are strong because I trained in some Heng’lian martial arts. However, their sword styles are all very unique, each with their own traits, and much more efficient when killing someone. Since we are all now outer court disciples, in the future, let us share knowledge with each other.”
[TL: So Heng’lian is just one of three kinds of ancient martial training based on this Chinese website and there apparently isn’t an English translation]
Hong Yi Jun Princess and Earl Liu Kang opposite him had come over to show good will. To think that Fang Han actually knew what to say in such a situation, and would say something as good as “sharing knowledge with each other.”
He had known long ago about the intense outer court compet.i.tion. If one didn’t group up with others, there would be no way for one to survive. Also, he didn’t know enough about the world he had just entered, and needed to rely on other people to increase his knowledge about the heavens and earth,
For example, he had no clue what an underground Devil was.
One’s status would determine what one would experience, as a lowly horse-breeding servant, what could he possibly know?
The fact that he didn’t know much, Fang Han understood very clearly.
“We are all in the same court, and thus should learn off each other,” stated Earl Liu Kang, nodding his head.
“Let’s wait until the exam is over, and then go together to receive the goods given to us by the school,” said Princess Hong Yi Jun, her eyes still watching the ongoing exam.
In the following period, some people failed, and some people pa.s.sed.
Out of those who pa.s.sed, the one who appeared to be Prince Huang Sun of the Da’li Empire was especially eye-catching. With sharp movements, he took out a magic weapon, and proceeded to calmly cut the G.o.dly Strength Puppet to pieces, demonstrating unmatchable power.
[TL: I think I made a mistake. The weapons used by this guy and the other two are magic weapons. I had a.s.sumed they weren’t but after reading this part I realized they were. Sorry]
This caused Fang Han to become vigilant in his heart.
The day pa.s.sed, and the exam finally ended. Out of the hundreds to thousands of n.o.bles and clan disciples who partic.i.p.ated, only slightly more than twenty of them pa.s.sed, and succeeded in becoming outer court disciples.
“Today’s exam has ended. Those who didn’t pa.s.s can wait in the great hall, and the school will get cranes to send you out of the Yu’hua Mountains. The others who pa.s.sed and became disciples please come with me to retrieve daily necessities, the school will provide you with residence. From now on, we are all people of the Yu’hua School, and pract.i.tioners of the Immortal Path. Our status is different from others, and our words and deeds must follow the school rules,” shouted an examiner in a great voice.
Afterwards, one led Fang Han and some of the other pa.s.sing disciples through the “Ta Xian Yuan.”
I heard that daily necessities were all various kinds of fa’qi. I wonder what they are,thought Fang Han in his heart.
Before long, the group of people reached the storage chamber in depths of the building. Inside, in front of their eyes, they could count ten large chests, perfectly one for each of them.
“Ka’cha.” The examiner who had led them over opened one of the chests. Inside, there was a Yu’hua School uniform, a couple talismans engraved in jade, a long sword in a sharkskin sheath, and some books engraved in jade.
“This uniform is an article of magic clothing. It is made from the silk of five different kinds of silkworms, sky, earth, gold, silver, and black, and softened using hundreds of spiritual medicines. Upon wearing it, insects will avoid you, and snakes, insects, rodents, and ants will not attack you. You will become impervious to the effects of poison and miasma, and even more so blades and arrows as long as they are not at the fa’qi level. Out of these couple talismans, the first is for cleaning your clothes. It contains magic water. If you are ever dirty, just the thought will cause the water to become a fog, which will surround you and immediately get rid of filth, leaving you clean and refreshed. The second one is a dust avoidance talisman. The third one is a spirit fire talisman, from which you can retrieve fire from at any time. The fourth one is a true water talisman. No matter the time, no matter the place, you can take the vapor out of the air and condense it in this talisman. In the future, when you guys go to the desert to execute tasks given to you by the school and train, you can bring these things with you. The fifth talisman is a blood-staunching talisman, filled with medicinal powers. It can treat all kinds of flesh wounds. For example, if you are ever hacked by a sword, you can use it and it will stop your bleeding, relieve pain, and help your wound heal.”
The examiner thoroughly explained the uniform and the talismans, and then took out the sword. “Shua.” He quickly pulled out the sword, the sound like a dragon talking, a crane honking, light flickering around the room. Upon the sword itself, faint lines of light ran up and down the sword.
“This is the Yu’hua School’s creation, the Devil Beheading Sword. Although it isn’t a flying sword, it will cut through iron as if it were mud, and is imbued with a yang aura, allowing you to kill evil spirits, and avoid Devils. It is also a fa’qi. In the future, if you guys are lucky enough to be promoted to inner court disciple, the school will bestow upon you a ling’qi level flying sword, making you able to kill people within ten li of you. You will also be able to use it to fly. Also, inscribed within these jade books are our Yu’hua School’s three main martial styles, the ‘Calm Crane Longevity Fist’, ‘Flying Spirit Soft Body Enhancement’, and the ‘Tiger Dragon Flying Step’. The remaining books contain the school rules and information about other schools, Demons, the abyss, the seas, the affairs of various great empires, things higher than the heavens, and geography. From now on, your daily tasks are to study and train.”