Recalling the initial admission test upon entering the academy, Mo Qian had voluntarily conceded not because he couldn't win, but because he had no desire to fight.
If they had truly competed then, his chances of victory might not have been high.
Xin Ci had long understood the principle of "there are always people better than you, and skies beyond the skies" from Elder Han.
Therefore, even though he had become much stronger now, he never felt arrogant or complacent.
Afterward, Xin Ci politely greeted Li Jianxing in the courtyard and then went to the adjacent room to inquire about some information from Luo Fei.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Luo Fei lying on the bed, half-reclined and slack-jawed, wearing only a pair of briefs.
The pillow and half a blanket had already slid to the floor, yet this little fatty was sleeping with a foolish grin, drooling like a pervert, and not forgetting to scratch his round belly.
Just as Xin Ci was about to wake him, he heard the kid mumbling incoherently in his sleep.
"Boss... hehe... hoho... Boss, you're so beautiful..."
A wave of sickening revulsion swept through Xin Ci instantly.
His face immediately darkened, and he felt an urge to hit the kid.
Mu Qingqing, who was in the consciousness space, saw this scene and felt both embarrassed for Xin Ci and amused.
She almost forgot, when her body had changed before, besides Liu Mu Ming, this kid had also seen her appearance and thought she was Xin Ci.
Xin Ci unceremoniously stepped forward and yanked off the blanket. Luo Fei felt a chill on his belly and woke up abruptly.
"Which bastard dares to disturb this young master's beaut... beaut... beaut... iful dream..."
Upon seeing Xin Ci, Luo Fei's speech became stammering with fear.
At the same time, he noticed he was only wearing underwear and quickly grabbed the blanket to cover his chubby body, saying with an embarrassed expression, "Boss, you're a girl after all. Is it really okay for you to barge into my room so wildly?"
The little fatty's opening words further ignited Xin Ci's suppressed rage.
"Boss... Boss... what are you doing? Don't be rash... Ahhhhh!!"
Xin Ci had held back for a long time and unceremoniously began to beat up the little fatty, simultaneously explaining, "How many times do I have to tell you, you brat, I'm a man!"
Liu Mu Ming and this guy had truly mistaken her for themselves.
Even more infuriating, this little fatty was harboring thoughts about her, which Xin Ci found intolerable.
"Boss, please stop, you'll kill me if you keep hitting!" the pitiful Luo Fei pleaded miserably.
However, the only response he received was a fist. After a thorough beating, Xin Ci felt slightly relieved.
But Luo Fei on the bed was already bruised and swollen, looking like a pig's head.
Xin Ci had controlled his strength, and besides, the kid was also a late-stage Xuan realm martial artist, so no substantial harm was done, and he recovered quickly.
He was so angered by this kid that he almost forgot the main business.
Xin Ci looked at him and said, "Alright, get up quickly. I need to ask you something."
"Boss, don't worry. During the year you were away from the academy, I've basically grasped all sorts of intelligence about the Four Symbols Academy. You can ask me anything."
Luo Fei patted his chest confidently on the bed.
"There's about a month left until the trial in the Sky Pit Secret Realm. I want to find a place with abundant spiritual energy and no disturbances to cultivate in seclusion. The academy should have such training grounds, right?"
It must be said that Luo Fei was quite knowledgeable about the academy's information. Without thinking, he gave Xin Ci a satisfactory answer.
"Boss, you're talking about cultivation cave dwellings. Behind the Four Symbols Academy, there's Eagle Horn Cliff, which has many cultivation cave dwellings. They are classified into Heaven, Earth, and Human levels based on the richness of spiritual energy."
"These cave dwellings are all managed by the Merit Hall, and you'll need to spend a certain amount of academy points to cultivate in seclusion."
"Understood. Thank you for the information."
After thanking Luo Fei, Xin Ci headed to Eagle Horn Cliff.
Fortunately, he still had a considerable amount of academy points left from refining pills a year ago, enough for him to use a Heaven-level cave dwelling for a month.
Upon entering, he immediately felt the abundant spiritual energy, five times that of the outside world, truly befitting a Heaven-level cave dwelling.
Since returning from Fengyang Mountain, he hadn't properly honed his realm, leading to a somewhat unstable foundation of spiritual energy.
Furthermore, the many gains from the Xuan Yang Palace should also be thoroughly examined.
The Four Seasons Art, as a top-grade Spirit rank martial art, was perfect for compensating for the lack of intensity in his martial techniques.
As for the Green Lotus Sword Platform and the ten Sword Wind Grass, Xin Ci fell into contemplation.
Because his weapon had always been the Cross Lock, he had rarely used swords.
Having witnessed Senior Brother Li Jianxing's sharp sword intent before, Xin Ci also harbored aspirations for the sword dao.
This Green Lotus Sword Platform and the ten Sword Wind Grass might help him comprehend sword intent and compensate for the deficiency in his close-combat methods.
Checking his Sumeru Ring, Xin Ci discovered three new items.
They were a dark red longsword and two gray, worn books.
Just as Xin Ci was wondering where these three items came from,
Elder Han emerged from the crystal space and explained, "These seem to be what Venerable Xuan Yang bestowed upon you after the mysterious girl in your body eliminated the Sludge Ghost. They are also part of the foundational heritage of the Xuan Yang Palace."
Looking at these cultivation techniques and weapons, Xin Ci's thoughts became complex.
She helped me so much, yet I can't do anything for her, not even get a glimpse of her.
Elder Han couldn't understand why the kid had suddenly become so silent.
Thinking he was contemplating the cultivation techniques, Elder Han offered guidance: "These three items aren't of much use to you currently. As for the cultivation techniques, this 'Xuan Yang Jue' is definitely inferior to the 'Eternal Dao Scripture' you are cultivating."
"The only thing here that is somewhat usable is the True Artifact grade Xuan Yang Sword."
Elder Han's words pulled Xin Ci back to reality. He focused on the last gray, worn book and curiously asked Elder Han, "Then, Elder Han, can I cultivate this martial art called 'Qi Jian Jue' at my current level?"
Elder Han's answer was negative.
"No, to be precise, it's impossible to cultivate."
"Why?"
"Because this 'Qi Jian Jue' is not a martial art, but a True Meaning."
"True Meaning?"
Xin Ci was a bit confused. Elder Han continued to explain, "Martial arts are for cultivators below the King realm. Once you reach the King realm and above."
"Even top-grade Spirit rank martial arts are inferior to their casual attacks. Thus, they switch to cultivating True Meanings. You can also understand True Meanings as martial arts used by those above the King realm."
"But this also means that to use True Meanings, you must possess True Yuan within your body, which is why you cannot cultivate 'Qi Jian Jue'."
Elder Han was right. For him, True Meaning martial arts were too distant.
The Phoenix Rebirth Technique and the Four Seasons Art, both top-grade Spirit rank martial arts, were enough for him to use until the Heaven realm.
A month later, Xin Ci emerged from the cultivation cave dwelling in the Vermilion Bird Courtyard, his spiritual power completely retracted.
This indicated that he had overcome the unstable spiritual energy caused by consecutive breakthroughs and had officially stabilized at the middle stage of the Earth realm.
The aura he exuded now had an added sharpness. Thanks to the Sword Wind Grass and the Green Lotus Sword Platform.
Xin Ci had successfully mastered half-step sword intent.
After experiencing sword intent, he realized how powerful Li Jianxing truly was.
The half-step sword intent he had comprehended alone could match the combat power of a Heaven realm expert.