Chapter Thirty-Eight: The White Jade Scarlet Sun Pill

Chen Fan was taken aback. “The Bright Moon Pavilion?”

Dong Guzhi nodded and explained, “Aside from the ordinary disciples, the Martial Academy has three halls dedicated to cultivating elite disciples. Ranked from highest to lowest, they are the Star Cluster Pavilion, the Bright Moon Pavilion, and the Radiant Sun Pavilion.”

“The academy has several thousand disciples, yet the Star Cluster Pavilion holds only three hundred, the Bright Moon Pavilion fewer than two hundred, and the Radiant Sun Pavilion scarcely more than thirty. But every one of those thirty in the Radiant Sun Pavilion is a martial artist at the Master Realm or higher!”

Seeing Chen Fan’s eyes widen, Dong Guzhi smiled and continued, “The Bright Moon Pavilion is also known as the ‘Master Reserve Pavilion.’ You should know what that means!”

Chen Fan was stunned. “Master Reserve?!”

Dong Guzhi nodded. “In the Martial Academy, those who enter the Bright Moon Pavilion are typically at the sixth level of martial cultivation. Only a rare few prodigies at the fifth level might slip in. Even with your talent and perception, it would likely take three to five years of honing your skills before you could enter the Bright Moon Pavilion…”

Disciples of the Martial Academy were already the elite of the elite. The fact that most in the Bright Moon Pavilion were at the sixth level showed just how high the bar was.

Chen Fan couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed. Nearly two hundred people in the Bright Moon Pavilion, almost all at the sixth level—what did that mean? In Feiling County, the highest martial level was the sixth; the entire county had no more than thirty such individuals. Each of them was a leading figure in the county—either the head of an aristocratic family or the master of a martial hall.

Yet here in the academy, over two hundred stood at that level, all far stronger than their peers elsewhere. Each one was at least as strong as his own senior brother. Any one of them could sweep through a county with ease!

Dong Guzhi sighed lightly. “Aside from the entrance exam, the Martial Academy is also age-restricted. Once inside, all resources and status are based solely on strength.”

“In terms of sheer strength, a single Qingming Martial Academy can’t compare to the Divine Spirit Dao Sect. But the academy’s training model is unique: everything is based on merit and ability, not on innate talent or bloodline. The strong grow stronger, the weak are left behind—there’s a boldness here that sects can’t match.”

The academy’s system was practical, but also much more ruthless.

“Within the academy, you’ll face no shortage of pressure, challenge, or resources. If you can make it straight into the Bright Moon Pavilion, with your perception and my support, you could reach the Master Realm in the shortest time, maybe even surpass it!”

“And if you do reach the Master Realm and join the Radiant Sun Pavilion, you’ll become a true core member of the academy, and perhaps one day reach the realm of Ascendant Fish…”

The Divine Spirit Dao Sect was powerful, but compared to the vast Daqian Dynasty, its scale was far smaller.

Out of loyalty to his sect, Dong Guzhi had hoped his disciple would return, but in the end, he was disappointed. Now, he intended for his disciple to rely on the mighty Daqian Dynasty to grow stronger.

Chen Fan’s eyes flickered as he furrowed his brow, his thoughts in turmoil.

At last, Dong Guzhi looked at Chen Fan and said,

“Ye Wushuang has no son, only a single daughter, born late in life and dearly cherished. If you become his son-in-law, do you have any idea what kind of dowry you’ll receive?”

Chen Fan couldn’t help but laugh, then shook his head and took a deep breath. “I understand, Master.”

Dong Guzhi nodded with a gentle smile. “I’ll speak with Ye Wushuang about this, and you should discuss it with your family. The two of you can agree to the engagement first and nurture your feelings gradually. As for marriage, there’s no rush—wait until you’re past twenty.”

Chen Fan nodded again.

As he was leaving, Dong Guzhi produced a special porcelain vial and handed it to Chen Fan. “This is a White Jade Scarlet Sun Pill, an Earth-grade elixir that can help you break through barriers. Even I paid a steep price to obtain it. It will be invaluable to you before you reach the seventh level of martial cultivation.”

He paused, then said solemnly, “With your talent, a year of rigorous training might see you advance three levels. But with the academy’s entrance exams approaching, this is no time for slow cultivation. Work hard these next few months, and use this Earth-grade pill to help you break through to the fourth level.”

Elixirs were divided into Heaven, Earth, and Mortal grades.

Essence Gathering Pills, Energy Convergence Pills, and even Fetal Deer Pills were all lower Mortal-grade. Only True Essence Pills could be considered top-quality among Mortal-grade elixirs.

This was Chen Fan’s first time seeing an Earth-grade elixir, and given his master’s current attitude, it was clear how precious this pill was.

Dong Guzhi’s expression was grave. “Only if you perform exceptionally well this time will Vice Dean Ye help you secure a place in the Bright Moon Pavilion. At fifteen, if you reach the fourth level and combine it with your subtle movement techniques, you’ll be absolutely certain of success.”

Chen Fan was momentarily stunned, then put away the pill with a peculiar look.

At the same time, he confirmed one thing: even someone at the eighth level of martial cultivation couldn’t discern the progress of his Essence Tempering just by looking at his body. His master still thought he was only at the third level.

Of course, if Chen Fan fought someone, Dong Guzhi would immediately sense the difference…

...

Time passed, and since that day when Chen Fan had met Ye Wushuang and his daughter, the White Cloud Martial Hall had stopped hiding its intentions.

Within a few days, they announced a new decision: this year, the White Cloud Martial Hall would have ten nomination spots for the Martial Academy entrance process. These ten would travel together to the provincial capital for the selection.

This news sparked a flurry of discussion among both core and peripheral disciples, who sensed a wave of change coming.

Soon after, a selection was held among the core disciples, choosing ten across various age groups.

Of course, these ten spots were for the general disciples. As Dong Guzhi’s personal disciple, Chen Fan had a separate place reserved for him.

As the disciples vied for these spots and challenged one another, Chen Fan finally met his fifth senior brother, Zhang Fan.

This senior was younger than Chen Fan had imagined, only eighteen or nineteen, yet already at the third level of martial cultivation, with a solid foundation and impressive bearing.

Having trained with Dong Guzhi for a shorter time and lacking the deep emotional ties to the academy held by the older disciples, Zhang Fan would be taking the entrance exam alongside Chen Fan.

As for Feng Yuancheng, still only at the second level, he was in seclusion and would wait until next year for the exam.

In the days that followed, the two brothers were often brought by their master to the Pure Serenity Sect for visits.

Sect Leader Ye Wushuang, who was instructing his daughter in the martial arts, paused to greet Dong Guzhi and his party.

The two leaders discussed the details of their alliance, while Chen Fan and his fellow disciples were sent off to “exchange” with Ye Yunxin and the other disciples.

Chen Fan knew his master’s intent was to cultivate his relationship with Ye Yunxin, but facing a girl of only thirteen or fourteen, he simply couldn’t muster any romantic feelings. He treated her as he would a little sister.

It was his fifth senior brother who, aware of their master’s matchmaking plans, deliberately played along.

Ye Yunxin already had a favorable impression of the handsome Chen Fan and was happy to spend time with him, calling him “Brother Chen Fan” so often that he felt a bit embarrassed.

When the talk turned to cultivation, and the girl mentioned that she was working on strength-building exercises, Chen Fan, who had practiced dozens of such routines and was full of experience, shared some of his insights, making himself even more likable in her eyes.

...

A few days later, after Chen Fan had perfected his “Three Thousand Thunders” technique, he immediately began to “grind” the secret method “Nine Star Essence Core.”

Unlike ordinary techniques, the first stage of this secret art could be mastered in half a month. Even so, though the skill could be mastered automatically, Chen Fan still had to personally condense his Essence Cores with his true essence.

Most people would have to spend a lot of their cultivation time on this, but as Chen Fan’s real training was handled automatically, he had plenty of free time on his hands.

A little over ten days later, Chen Fan completed the first stage of the “Nine Star Essence Core.” The second stage would take four months of automatic training.

He immediately began condensing his Essence Cores.

He could form up to nine at once. With his current strength, each would take most of a day to complete.

Within a week, Chen Fan had finished condensing all nine Essence Cores.