Walking by the Abyss on Thin Ice

Chapter 84 – I want to ascend

The beast drove towards the depths of the academy, and Su Yun's heart was filled with gloom. He thought to himself, "Master Shuijing said that they mistook me for an envoy from the capital because of the Grey Robber case, and made me start investigating from the Grey Robber factory. That means Tu Ming, Left Protector, and Master Shuijing all think there's something wrong with the Grey Robber factory."

His gaze flickered as he looked out the window.

Outside the window was a lake in the Wenchang Academy, with a shirtless man hanging above the water and a teacher-like figure adjusting his fishing rod, intending to catch fish with that man.

The fish below were already jumping out of the water in anticipation.

There were also some newly enrolled scholars on the lakeside watching. The teacher said, "This is the fate of scholars who fail the exams!"

Su Yun withdrew his gaze and thought, "They all think there's something wrong with the Grey Robber factory, so it seems that Tong's Grey Robber factory is really problematic. Alright, I'll investigate Tong's Grey Robber factory like a monk striking a bell every day. As for Tong's family, I don't have much fondness for them. After all, the scholars who attempted to assassinate me last night, including Lin Qingsheng, came from the Shuofang Academy, and Tong Qingyun, the Left Protector of the Shuofang Academy, also came from Tong's family!"

Su Yun even suspected that Tong Qingyun wanted to eliminate him as a "Heavenly Dao Academy envoy"!

If there was a problem with the Grey Robber factory, then Tong Qingyun was also problematic.

The beast stopped in front of a building halfway up the mountain. Su Yun sat in the car and saw that this building was half a building, half a mountain, and half a countryside.

The building was built against the mountain, cutting off half of the cliff and dividing it into two levels. The second floor of the building was built on the second level of the cliff, which had several acres of gardens.

From his perspective, he could see that there was a mountain spring flowing down the cliff like a thin waterfall, converging into a fish pond in the garden.

There was a small bridge over the fish pond, and there were flowers, grass, and trees around the fish pond. Water flowed under the bridge.

There were also two or three acres of farmland on the first floor, which were finely cultivated without large pieces of soil. Some flowers and grass were planted near the first floor, but they had withered due to the snow.

The beast stopped, and Su Yun and Hua Hu got out of the car and walked into the building. Inside the building was a hall-like living room, which was high and spacious.

Whether it was the doors, windows, pillars, or walls, they were all carved with dragons and phoenixes. The living room and study were fully equipped with writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, screens, paintings, a music room, a kitchen, and everything else.

Even the Grey Robber lamp hanging on the wall was more exquisite than the Grey Robber lamps in other places. It was carved into the shape of a dragon playing with a pearl or a phoenix holding a pearl. It could not only illuminate but also serve as a decorative element for the mountain and water residence.

Qing Qiuyue, Hu Buping, and Li Xiaofan ran around the mountain and water residence, choosing rooms, and Hua Hu also rushed over. Su Yun heard happy screams coming from upstairs and downstairs.

Su Yun came to the second floor, pushed open the back door and looked out. The garden and the mountain behind it came into view, with mountain springs pouring into the pond in the garden.

The pond overflowed, forming a small stream, and the young man crossed the woods and came to the bridge, where he saw six or seven fish swimming under the bridge, some red and some white.

"Master, this building is not where scholars live, is it?" Su Yun looked at the mountain and water residence and turned back to smile.

Master Tu Ming walked over and said, "This is called the Mountain and Water Residence. It's not where scholars live, but one of Left Protector's houses. He has many houses, so you can stay here. After all..."

He showed a meaningful smile, "As an envoy investigating the case at night, going in and out is inconvenient if you stay at the Shenxiu Tower. There are too many people and too many eyes."

Su Yun was creeped out by his smile.Master Tu Ming bid farewell, saying: "The students will not start until after the New Year, but there are still dozens or even hundreds of students staying here. All the expenses for food and drink are covered, so you don't have to worry about anything. If you need anything, just let me know."

Su Yun thanked him and got up to see him off.

Back at Shanshui Residence, Qing Qiuyue ran up to him in a gust of wind, her small hands clenched nervously in front of her chest as she begged, "Brother Xiaoyun, can I turn into a fox and play around?"

Hu Buping and Li Xiaofan also ran over, holding their hands and looking at Su Yun pleadingly.

Helpless, Su Yun nodded and said, "Just for a little while."

The three little demon children cheered and immediately turned back into three foxes, tossing their clothes aside and running around Shanshui Residence, screaming and playing.

"Second Brother, you can also turn into a fox and play around," Su Yun said to Hua Hu.

Hua Hu snorted and looked up, "I'm not a child, why would I play around? I'm a year older than you!"

After a while, seeing the three of them playing too wildly, Hua Hu's wild nature also began to stir, and she couldn't help but say, "I'll play for a little while too!" With that, she also turned into a fox and went off, shouting and playing.

Su Yun breathed a sigh of relief and sat down, the noise of the little foxes ringing in his ears, his heart in turmoil.

"Now I face too many dangers. At the same level, I am no match for the demonic Wu Tong. I was able to defeat her only because I was one level higher than her and used the sword technique of the Immortal Sword to slay the demon dragon. If the witch cultivates to the realm of Yulin, killing me will be as easy as turning over her hand! She will definitely seek revenge!"

"Another threat is the Holy Son Bai Yuelou. Although not as threatening as the demon, after he enters the realm of Yulin, the Shuofang Saint will personally teach him the Yulin technique. If I do not have a technique that is comparable to the Saint's, I will probably lose to him!"

"Then there's Lin Qingsheng! After all, he was the first in the Great Exam two years ago, with extraordinary strength and a high level of accomplishment in the way of music! In two months' time, I must be fully prepared for that battle, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"There's also the world behind the Tianmen, where that immortal sword is still waiting for me. If I cannot make a significant improvement in my strength, I am afraid that I will die if I go in again!"

"In addition, there are many people targeting me now, and there are even more people who want to kill me. After all, some have guessed that I am the envoy sent by the Emperor of the Eastern Capital."

"And I still have to investigate the case of the Grey Monster!"

Su Yun felt a strong sense of urgency. Wu Tong, the demonic witch, was reborn and did not choose the path of wanton killing to improve her strength. After her rebirth, she should need to cultivate step by step.

But she was still a human demon with many tricks up her sleeve, and she was able to die with a true dragon 150 years ago!

Her talent and comprehension were extremely high, posing the greatest threat to Su Yun!

"I must improve my cultivation and strength as soon as possible! Yes, I will go to learn the Yulin technique of Tian Dao Yuan!"

With this thought, Su Yun immediately mobilized his blood to activate the Tian Dao Order.

In his spiritual realm, Su Yun's spiritual consciousness came to the gate of Tian Dao Yuan, pushing open the door of that sacred temple with both hands and walking in.

"I hope I won't run into that student named Di Ping again."

Su Yun entered Tian Dao Yuan, and the scenery around him appeared out of nowhere, with palaces and halls appearing out of thin air, and the students of Tian Dao Yuan appearing as if walking out of the void, coming into his sight.

"Su Yun of Shuofang!"

Su Yun heard this voice and thought to himself, "Oh no." He followed the sound and saw the sickly young man named Di Ping standing under a nearby archway."Su Yun, we meet again!" Di Ping excitedly waved at him.

Su Yun reluctantly walked over, and Di Ping laughed, "I knew you would come back, so I waited here."

Su Yun looked around, and saw that there was no one around. He thought to himself, "If he talks nonsense again, I'll beat him up..."

Di Ping looked up at the gate and said, "Tian Dao Yuan is the largest and strongest holy land in Yuan Shuo. It gathers the smartest and most talented people in Yuan Shuo. Su Yun, what is it about you that impressed Qiu Shuijing?"

Su Yun was slightly taken aback and shook his head, "Mr. Shuijing never said, so I don't know."

Di Ping looked at him in surprise and said, "Qiu Shuijing is always aloof and thinks highly of himself. He looks down on others and thinks that everyone else is dumber than he is. He is the smartest one. You must have exceptional talent to gain his recognition and enter Tian Dao Yuan."

He looked up at the gate and said, "What do you see on this gate?"

Su Yun looked up at the gate and saw that it was similar to the Ba Mian Chao Tian Que in his eyes, but the reliefs on it were different. The reliefs on the Ba Mian Chao Tian Que in his eyes were vivid and spiritual, while the reliefs on this gate were not perfect.

Moreover, the mythical beasts on this Ba Mian Chao Tian Que were different.

He was puzzled but did not say anything.

Di Ping covered his mouth and coughed violently for a moment before calming down and saying, "The emperor sent the strongest experts from Yuan Shuo to study the Tian Men Gui Shi in Tian Shi Yuan. These experts sent their research findings to Tian Dao Yuan, and later, they created the Ba Mian Chao Tian Que in Tian Men Town. Unfortunately, Tian Men Town was destroyed, and the real Ba Mian Chao Tian Que disappeared."

Su Yun asked, "So what about this Ba Mian Chao Tian Que?"

"It's an imitation."

Di Ping sighed and said, "Tian Dao Yuan sorted out their research findings and created many Ba Mian Chao Tian Que, and this is one of them. There are rumors that it contains the secret of immortality, but unfortunately, the Ba Mian Chao Tian Que was stolen..."

Su Yun's heart was pounding.

The Ba Mian Chao Tian Que was missing, but it was imprinted in his eyes!

This person named Di Ping seemed to know his origin and that he came from the Tian Shi Yuan no man's land, which was why he mentioned the Ba Mian Chao Tian Que to him!

"In the six years that the students of Tian Dao Yuan have been studying the Ba Mian Chao Tian Que, they have created many extraordinary techniques."

Di Ping's face was pale, and he gasped, "But these techniques all have flaws and shortcomings, and no one has been able to unify them. I tried to unify them, and as a result, I was injured all over."

Su Yun asked in confusion, "If you know it's not good, why continue to practice?"

"Because it can lead to immortality."

Di Ping said with a tone of an old man, "You're still young and don't understand these things. Let me ask you, how many years does it take for a poor family to cultivate a scholar, and for a scholar from a humble background to rise to fame and sit on an equal footing with the children of aristocrats?"

Su Yun was taken aback for a moment, thought for a moment, and said, "It takes twenty or thirty years."

"You're wrong."Di Ping sneered: "It takes at least three generations. The first generation of scholars climb up desperately, even if he reaches the position of a great minister, even if he holds the power of the world, he is still lower than the aristocratic families. Only his offspring can inherit his family business and maintain its stability. Only his grandchildren have the qualifications to sit on an equal footing with the aristocratic children. Therefore, it takes three generations, and all three generations must have the ability and achievements."

Su Yun fell silent. He also wanted to climb up and had ambitions. But it was too difficult to jump from his current status to the next level.

Di Ping continued: "For a commoner to become an aristocrat is extremely difficult, almost hopeless, equivalent to ascending to immortality, living forever and having the same lifespan as heaven and earth. For those who have already reached the pinnacle of this world, this is also a promotion!"

He coughed violently, but there was an unusual brilliance in his eyes: "I want to live forever! Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, I will seize it!"

He suddenly turned around and stared at Su Yun: "Scholar Su Yun, do you want to live forever?"

Su Yun was confused.

Di Ping grabbed his shoulders and said crazily: "The cultivation techniques that were sorted out from the Chao Tian Que are in the Wen Yuan Ge! You just need to go to the Wen Yuan Ge and you can get these cultivation techniques!"

Su Yun broke free from him and shook his head: "I just want to learn a cultivation technique in the Yulin realm, immortality has nothing to do with me."

"Wen Yuan Ge is over there!"

Di Ping pointed to the front right and laughed: "You will see it, you will definitely see it!"

Su Yun walked away quickly, thinking to himself: "This Di Ping is probably crazy! He has made himself crazy. Why would I go and look at those incomplete cultivation techniques?"

Wen Yuan Ge was a five-story tower. The keeper of the first floor was an old man with white hair. He said to Su Yun: "You look unfamiliar, is this your first time here? There is a book monster in Wen Yuan Ge named Ying Ying. Call her and she will appear and help you find the books you want to read."

Su Yun was surprised and asked: "Books can also turn into monsters?"

"Books can turn into monsters, but not demons."

The keeper was also knowledgeable and said: "If a spirit is attached to an animal, it becomes a demon. If it is attached to a plant, it becomes a spirit. If it is attached to an inanimate object, it becomes a monster. Some spiritualists like to read books during their lifetime. After they die, their spirits do not die and attach to the books, becoming book monsters. Ying Ying was a girl who liked to read books during her lifetime and became a book monster after her death."

Su Yun thanked him and walked into the first floor of the book tower, calling out: "Ying Ying!"

"Here I am!"

There was a loud noise from the bookshelf behind him. Su Yun quickly looked over and saw a thick book suddenly turn into thick smoke. The smoke dissipated, the book disappeared, and a girl who was only as tall as a book appeared, flying between the bookshelves.

The girl's hair floated around her, and her clothes changed colors like a rainbow. She flew around Su Yun for a few laps before stopping and sitting on his shoulder. She held her chin in her right hand and looked at Su Yun with interest from the side: "What book do you want to read?"