Chapter 78: Truly a Blade of Keen Insight

"We're all classmates here—have a seat and let's talk. Even though we're from different departments, I've heard of you. I heard you study formations, talismans, and runes at the same time, and you're top in all of them. Impressive." Lin Qingyun also stood up, cupped his fists in greeting, and gestured for him to sit.

"Ah, don’t mention it. I actually like alchemy best, but unfortunately my master never taught me when I was young. What little I know, I picked up on my own. I barely qualified as an alchemist before entering school, so I couldn’t be number one in the Alchemy Department—otherwise I’d be first in four disciplines." Chi Ziyang clearly had no concept of modesty.

Of course, considering his combat strength, and the level he’s reached in formations, talismans, and runes, his words were merely stating facts.

What would sound like boasting from others was, when spoken by such a prodigy, simply normal conversation. First in three disciplines, and even in the one he liked most, alchemy, he managed to become an alchemist on his own before entering school. That was his confidence.

"If you liked it, why didn’t your master teach you? Besides, alchemy is a classic Daoist practice to begin with," Lin Qingyun asked casually.

"My master said he’s not the top alchemist among Daoists, so if I learned from him, it would be nothing special. That’s why he didn’t teach me," Chi Ziyang replied helplessly, spreading his hands.

Alright, Lin Qingyun could only admire him inwardly—such an incorrigible show-off.

"I heard you want to join my company here at the university. Could you tell me what made you decide to join? Also, I don't need part-timers anymore, since we’ve scaled up and need more formal employees. Of course, it’s not that you can’t work during university, but you’ll have to sign a contract and commit to a certain amount of work time."

Prodigies like them naturally didn’t learn in the usual way. They all had their own tutors, and even if they occasionally attended a favorite foundational course, it barely affected their studies.

After some casual conversation, Lin Qingyun shifted the topic, setting the tone right away—if Chi Ziyang couldn’t meet even the basic requirements, there was no point in talking further.

"A few days ago, I went home to visit my master, and we ended up chatting. Your family’s business had been making headlines—first you topped the battle rankings, then the Lin Pharmaceutical Group released a new drug, and on top of that, there was your family’s inheritance dispute. My master, being a bit of a gossip, brought it up while we were drinking."

"We watched the news and chatted, and my master actually analyzed the recent products from Lin Pharmaceutical Group. He said that although the new drugs for heart tribulations and inner demons were developed by Master Chifeng, there was something odd about them—he thought Master Chifeng must have borrowed external help."

"Who’s your master, daring to doubt Master Chifeng?" Even Chao admired Master Chifeng greatly.

Chi Ziyang shrugged, unconcerned. "I teased him about it too—he won’t talk about alchemy anymore, yet he has the nerve to comment on Master Chifeng’s work. Maybe I pushed him too far; after drinking too much, he let slip a secret. Turns out, more than a decade ago, he gave up on alchemy after losing a competition to Master Chifeng."

"He analyzed that when Lin Qingyun bought the Xiaobo Foundation Pill, that pill had just established a new direction—innovative, but still at the beginning. He said if someone pursued that direction seriously, they’d make breakthroughs in a few years. But the new products Master Chifeng released should have taken at least five years to develop."

"I thought he was just talking nonsense and bet him that he was only saying that out of jealousy. But he got serious and carefully analyzed recent pills from Haicheng University—they were very similar, all showing signs of accelerated progress. He believed only a grandmaster could achieve this, or perhaps Master Chifeng had a sudden breakthrough after years of research."

"Haicheng University had also collaborated with you on pills, and many changes happened after you inherited your parents’ business. My master thought all these changes were probably due to Lin Kunlun. He has a high opinion of Lin Kunlun—he said if it weren’t for him, Master Chifeng wouldn’t be as accomplished, and my master wouldn’t have lost in alchemy."

"He spoke so mysteriously that I joked, if things keep developing like this, it might speed up the entire cultivation world. Later, I did some research myself. I couldn’t see what my unreliable master saw, but—"

Chi Ziyang broke into a smile. "It’s fascinating. I never went to school before, and I only agreed to come because my master insisted. Most of the time it was boring, but things at your place are so interesting that I want to join in. Signing a contract is no problem—I promised my master I’d finish university, so even a multi-year contract is fine."

Chi Ziyang’s reasoning was both amusing and, to Chao, perfectly natural.

After all, prodigies like him always acted out of the ordinary.

Compared to Chao, Lin Qingyun was more than a little shocked. He marveled inwardly; even reliving life, one could never underestimate the talents of the world.

Whether his master had interacted with Grandmaster Chifeng and knew his situation, or could make such deductions from mere news reports, Lin Qingyun had to admire Chi Ziyang’s master.

Fortunately, to both Chao and Chu Qing, Lin Qingyun always attributed these developments to what his parents had left behind.

"Welcome aboard." With someone like Chi Ziyang, it was only right to keep such talent if given the opportunity.

As for his own secrets, Lin Qingyun wasn’t afraid of investigation—if even someone like Chi Ziyang could uncover them, he couldn’t keep them hidden for long anyway.

Lin Qingyun rose and shook hands with Chi Ziyang, welcoming him to the team.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded at the door. Chu Qing entered, barely suppressing her joy. When she saw others in the room, she quickly greeted Lin Qingyun, Chao, and Chi Ziyang, trying to compose herself.

"Chao, no time to waste—let’s snap up a talent like Chi Ziyang right away. Take him back and get his contract sorted," Lin Qingyun said, noticing Chu Qing had something to say and deciding to let her speak privately. There wasn’t much else to discuss with Chi Ziyang for now; better to see him in action first.

Once Chao and Chi Ziyang had left, Chu Qing quickly closed the door.

"Boss, I knew you’d be out of seclusion today, so I came right over after finishing my tasks. But I didn’t expect Zhang Xueyi to come looking for me. I’d always given her the latest updates, even up to her brother’s death."

"So Zhang Xueyi knew about me all along, but after her brother’s death, she was busy with the aftermath and only recently came to see me in person. She gave me some cultivation pills and promised me other benefits, asking me to report your situation to her anytime."

Chu Qing wasted no time in laying out everything that had happened.

She was both excited and a little nervous—she’d previously been uneasy about losing her status as a double agent. On the one hand, she worried her value would drop; on the other, she had grown to enjoy the advantages it brought.

Now, she was back in the game.

"Well, looks like you’ve picked up where you left off. Good. Just keep playing along with her and get as many benefits as you can. She’s richer than Zhang Baole—he always got his money from her," Lin Qingyun instructed. He’d only set up this connection on a whim, and whether or not it was useful, it was worth keeping.

Now that Zhang Xueyi had sought her out on her own, it was worth maintaining.

"Don’t worry, boss, I know what I’m doing."

Chu Qing then updated him on her work: Chao was now responsible for liaising with Principal Hong and Dean Qian, while all the university’s external business collaborations—previously known to be run by Lin Qingyun—were now handled entirely by Chu Qing.

Since Lin Qingyun was planning to leave for a while, he had already made arrangements with Chu Qing. Outwardly, it was said he needed more time in seclusion to stabilize his rapidly improved cultivation.

…

While everyone thought Xie Zhiqiang had fled abroad early on and the overseas bounty had bounty hunters scouring the globe, deep in the Hindu Kush Mountains—over a hundred miles into the range, now into territory where monsters roamed—

Xie Zhiqiang sat atop the head of a three-meter-long wild boar king. This boar was barely at the level of a beast king, the only beast of its herd to have crossed that threshold, while the hundreds of other wild boars were just ordinary animals.

Without special intervention, this was typical for the outskirts of large mountain ranges.

Now, none of the wild boars dared to move, and the boar king had been reduced to Xie Zhiqiang’s mount.

A few dozen meters ahead, three wild boars, each over two meters long, were frantically attacking a slender girl of barely one and a half meters, holding a long blade.

She was thrown aside several times, even stabbed in the abdomen, but Xie Zhiqiang watched coldly.

"Xie Duo’er, your congenital illness is cured. Now you can cultivate, and you need to grow stronger. I can protect you, but I can’t always be by your side. You’ll only survive if you become strong yourself."

"We’re still within the borders, but we’ll have to cross the Hindu Kush Mountains and fight our way abroad. Even if we avoid the central regions where the great beasts dwell, it’ll be dangerous. If you want to live, you have to kill them."

Xie Duo’er was his sister, the one he had risked everything to cure. Because of her poor health, even with all the pills he provided, she’d only reached the fifth level of the Phoenix Initiate Realm.

After Xie Zhiqiang’s recent cooperation with Zhang Baole, her illness had been cured. Zhang Baole had also given her some resources, and now she was at the seventh level of the Phoenix Initiate Realm.

In just over a month, she had reached the eighth level and learned some close-combat techniques.

Xie Zhiqiang was now training her through extreme methods, exchanging all his rewards for what she needed—he had planned for this all along. He never intended to show his face again until he and his sister were both strong enough to survive, or else die here.

Though wild boars weren’t true beasts, their hides were thick and tough.

At last, Xie Duo’er seized an opening and blinded one boar, then, when another went mad and charged the rest, she managed to kill the remaining two.

Afterward, she collapsed to the ground, utterly spent.

"No resting. Take your pills, recover your strength and heal your wounds. Letting your guard down after battle is the most dangerous time." Xie Zhiqiang’s tone was harsh as he tossed her some pills.

Eyes brimming with tears, Xie Duo’er forced herself to swallow the crimson pills and began to heal.

Xie Zhiqiang’s gaze remained unflinching, grim and determined. It was kill or be killed. After killing Zhang Baole, he understood—either he and his sister gained the strength to protect themselves, or they would die here.

Just like the Sandstorm King of the desert in past years, once hunted and wanted by many, but when he became a great force, all the wanted posters and enemies disappeared.

In this world, only the strong can decide their fate; the weak can only wait for others to decide it for them.