Chapter 0: The 108 Generals
A crowd of old gentlemen never expected that the Mad Master would suddenly be accompanied by Great Sect Leader Mu. They quickly thought on their feet, forcing smiles until their mouths were about to twist.
“If you don’t understand his profound foresight, then don’t cause trouble, and don’t expose my identity.”
“Yes, yes!”
“We dare not forget the Sect Leader’s sacred decree.”
Looking at the fawning smiles on everyone’s faces, Mu Man’er helplessly shook her head. It was right to respect her as the Sect Leader, but there was no need to be so obsequious. However, she couldn’t entirely blame them. Before joining the Heaven’s Substitution Sect, these people were not exactly proper teachers. None of them had a clean background.
The reason they were accepted was precisely because the Heaven’s Substitution Sect’s original tenet was… to teach without discrimination. As long as one harbored a sense of righteousness, was a prodigal son turning back, and willing to act on behalf of ‘heaven,’ they could be admitted.
Shifting her gaze back to the plaza, she saw Qin Gou, like an evil ghost, wielding a ruler as he relentlessly pursued the main force of a hundred students while maintaining a certain distance, forcing them to run at full speed from the very beginning without holding back.
Although forbidden to use spiritual power, these students’ physiques were still several times stronger than ordinary people. So, for a while, everyone could cope with ease, though they couldn’t help but feel a bit dissatisfied about Qin Gou’s unprecedented and strange course, which was delaying their cultivation time.
But no one could have expected that their new Mad Master seemed to have no concept of “stopping” in his vocabulary.
Two hours later.
For ordinary people, maintaining such high-intensity, full-speed, life-or-death running without any replenishment would have likely led to exhaustion and death. The low-level cultivator students were also beginning to show signs of physical exhaustion, and their speed slowed down.
Naturally, there were instances where someone secretly used spiritual power, but how could that escape Qin Gou’s keen observation? As soon as a student attempted to cheat, he would instantly appear beside them, flashing the ruler in his hand with a tiger-like smile, immediately dispelling their idea of taking shortcuts.
Just as several people were about to give up, Qin Gou’s voice once again echoed throughout the plaza.
“All those who can last until the end will personally receive a ‘Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew’ from me to cleanse marrow, refine essence, and stabilize foundations! Yes, you heard right, it’s the Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew that can only be refined into a small pot from ten strands of Profound-grade Jade Bone Flower. Today, I want to see how many pots you can take from me, and see how many tough bones this Heaven’s Substitution Academy has.”
“Mad… Mr. Qin, is that true?”
Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew was the most perfect substance for cleansing marrow and refining essence for low-level cultivators. The Profound-grade Jade Bone Flower, its primary ingredient, was also extremely rare. It wasn’t that its grade was particularly extraordinary, but rather that this item was too fragile and delicate, making it difficult to cultivate in large quantities under normal circumstances. Many cultivators, when their realm was still low, had to settle for other methods of cleansing marrow and refining essence.
“If I go back on my word, I will immediately withdraw from the Heaven’s Substitution Academy.”
“It’s a deal!”
Since ancient times, wealth has moved people. Making someone carry a hundred pounds of stones while walking would surely exhaust them, but if it were a hundred pounds of diamonds, a ten-thousand-meter sprint would clearly be no problem.
Instantly, those who were starting to falter were revitalized, gritted their teeth, and continued to persist.
Another two hours passed.
“Plop.”
A female student, her face pale, collapsed onto the ground.
Qin Gou instantly appeared beside her.
“Mr. Qin… I have no strength left to move,” the female student said, exhausted, struggling to even speak. Her eyes nervously glanced at the ruler in Qin Gou’s hand.
“Ding. Congratulations to the host for skillfully defeating the Night Bandit Gang’s Protect the Dharma, Jin Ping of the ‘Coiling Serpent Hand,’ rendering her powerless to fight back, like fish on a chopping board. Reward: 5 Merit points.”
Another person with a questionable background? Or was she the Little Saint Monarch in disguise?
Qin Gou’s eyes flickered with uncertainty as he said, “It’s fine, rest well. But remember, don’t meditate and absorb spiritual energy to recover your strength until I permit it, or you won’t get the Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew.”
“Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew? Mr. Qin, you mean…”
“Don’t make a scene,” Qin Gou gestured for silence and then refocused his attention on the other students.
The strength and realm of these individuals were roughly the same. After Jin Ping was incapacitated, it was like a domino effect, with more and more people collapsing.
Just as Qin Gou was about to go and tend to them, suddenly, the system prompts in his mind erupted like firecrackers, leaving him dumbfounded. An expression of disbelief spread across his face, and even the ruler in his hand clattered to the ground.
“Ding. Congratulations to the host for skillfully defeating the Evil Road bandit ‘White Paper Fan,’ Chang Mou. Reward: 5 Merit points.”
“Ding. Congratulations to the host for skillfully defeating the Soul Capturing Tower’s pharmacist ‘Heart-Trapping Woman,’ Jiang Qingzhi. Reward: 5 Merit points.”
“Ding. Congratulations to the host for skillfully defeating the owner of the Black Inn in Sword Belly Dao, ‘Money Leopard,’ Feng Zhi. Reward: 5 Merit points.”
“Congratulations to the host…”
“Congratulations to the host!”
A large number of students sat slumped on the ground, exhausted and spent. They didn’t even have the strength to “fight back,” let alone utter threats.
Only when the very last person was kneeling on the ground did the system prompts in Qin Gou’s mind finally quiet down, but his heart could no longer remain calm.
All 108 students, without exception, each contributed 5 Merit points. Qin Gou gained a total of 540 Merit points today.
“What in the world?”
His gaze swept over the students, and Qin Gou, in despair, ran a hand through his hair. He had originally thought these students were the descendants of wealthy merchants or minor officials, who, due to insufficient talent or family influence to enter major sects, chose to join the Heaven’s Substitution Academy.
He never expected that these 108 people were actually skilled in various arts, deeply hidden, and were the cream of the crop in their respective fields, little bosses among the evildoers. Not a single good one among them!
“As expected of that scoundrel Man’er’s doing. Heaven’s Substitution Academy? Why not call it Heaven’s Substitution Thieves’ Den?!” Qin Gou muttered through gritted teeth.
“Oh? Mr. Qin has good insight! You even know the original name of our academy!”
“Man’er? How dare you, Mad Master, insult Sect Leader Mu!” Xiong Peng exclaimed from not far away.
“Go to hell,” Qin Gou flew up and kicked.
…
In the plaza, 108 bathtubs were neatly arranged, each filled with warm water to which a spoonful of Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew had been added.
Qin Gou, without further ado, threw all the students into the tubs one by one.
“Mr. Qin, what are you doing?” Jin Ping and the other female students, their faces flushed red, asked from underwater, only exposing their heads.
“Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew is a bit special. When used for cleansing marrow and refining essence, the more exhausted and in need of nutrients the cultivator is, the better they absorb it, and the stronger the effect.”
“This… did you intend to do this from the start? Such precious Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew, and you’ve made it possible for all of us to use it!”
Qin Gou said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “Alright. Jin Ping, He Liu, Qi Zi… don’t waste time. Listen to your teacher and enter meditation immediately.”
“Teacher even knows our names? Did you deliberately memorize our roster beforehand?” everyone asked in surprise.
Qin Gou immediately put on a smile that was more awkward than crying, “What’s this? Not only you few, I know the names and backgrounds of all 108 of you. Damn it, it’s hard to forget! Protect the Dharma of the Night Bandit Gang, the Third Leader of Broken Mountain Ridge, the Money Killer of the Sentimental Tower… Am I right?”
“Teacher!”
Several female students nearby exchanged glances, their expressions showing a hint of pleasant surprise, but more so shame and solemn respect.
“We misunderstood Mr. Qin.”
“At first, we ridiculously thought Mr. Qin had deliberately come to cause trouble at the Heaven’s Substitution Academy. But you not only bestowed upon us such precious Jade Bone Quenching Spirit Dew, but you’ve also, in just one day, come to understand and care about us even more than the other old gentlemen.”
“We are ashamed to have wronged you!”
The girls were moved to tears, but Qin Gou could only swallow his own bitter tears. A so-called respectable and solemn sect and academy were filled with people from the dregs of society. Even the system couldn’t distinguish who the real Little Saint Monarch was. Was this something a human would do?
