Chapter 34: The Third Generation’s Legacy, the Truth
By Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
Chu Yun’s domineering declaration stunned the valley into dead silence.
Jin Bihan looked at Chu Yun, dumbfounded. She couldn’t help but recall Ning Yiyi’s words: “So Chu Yun, you prefer arms to makeup…”
Jin Bihan was shocked, and a question weighed heavily on her mind: “Could it be that Chu Yun doesn’t like women, but men?”
Faced with Chu Yun’s pointed finger, the usually composed Yan Que also seemed flustered. Chu Yun’s words were too ambiguous. He immediately thought of Chu Yun publicly rejecting the Ning family’s proposal, sparking a bad premonition.
Swallowing hard, his imposing aura dissipated, and his face turned ashen. For the first time, he realized the “insidiousness” of this gamble.
Chu Yun pointed at Yan Que, his smile widening. Finally, unable to contain himself, he burst into laughter, “It’s truly a case of searching high and low without success, only to find it by chance. Hahaha…”
Yan Que swayed, taking a few steps back. Even Jin Bihan found the laughter unsettling and quietly moved further away from Chu Yun.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Yan Que forced himself to remain calm. “Don’t get cocky. The outcome of this gamble is still uncertain. I refuse to believe I’ll lose to you with such an advantage!”
“No, you’ve already lost,” Chu Yun’s words were filled with absolute confidence.
Jin Bihan was moved. “Brother Chu, have you finally solved the last puzzle?”
“Impossible! I’ve been studying this puzzle for over two months. You mean to tell me you saw through its mysteries and subtleties so effortlessly? Who are you trying to fool?!” Yan Que was also shaken, unwilling to believe Chu Yun could crack the final puzzle in an instant.
Of course, Chu Yun hadn’t solved it. He was completely clueless about the puzzle itself. However, he did know the answer!
The legacy of the third generation Academy Master, the self-created Eight Brocades Pill Refining technique, the final puzzle, and Yan Que’s fortuitous encounter beneath the Rumor Vine in his past life. These four clues combined in Chu Yun’s mind to reveal the truth. That’s right. The legacy of the third generation Academy Master was the seed of the Twisting Pill Essence Tree! And the seed was buried at the peak of Green Mountain, beneath the Rumor Vine.
Frankly speaking, if he had only known the puzzle, with Chu Yun’s top-tier investigative skills, solving it would have been only a matter of time. But to defeat Yan Que, who would later be known as “Flawless Calculation” and possessed such a tremendous advantage, would be difficult. He would have less than a ten percent chance of success.
But no one could have anticipated that Chu Yun was a reborn individual. His past life’s memories had already provided the answer. Coupled with the unintentionally gathered clues, failing to deduce the truth would be an insult to his title as “The World’s Top Investigator!”
“Let the facts speak for themselves. Witness me activate the legacy, Yan Que!” Chu Yun said with a confident smile and turned to walk out of the valley.
Yan Que narrowed his eyes, a mixture of disbelief and anticipation, and followed Chu Yun out. Jin Bihan naturally followed behind them. The three reached the mountain peak and arrived at the Rumor Vine.
Yan Que’s expression soured, as this location matched his own deductions.
“You mean here?” Jin Bihan was stunned, then her eyes lit up. She clapped her fist into her palm, exclaiming excitedly, “I get it! ‘Moonlight like water, affection like flowers’ is a ‘vine’ character. ‘Eloquent flow of speech’ refers to ‘rumors.’ Combined, the first sentence points to the Rumor Vine!”
As she spoke, Jin Bihan’s beautiful eyes widened, as clear and bright as the sky, now shimmering with a peculiar light. Clearly, she was filled with admiration.
“You’ve truly deciphered the puzzle? That’s incredible, Chu Yun! You’re amazing!” She chirped, showering him with praise. Everything she felt was her own experience, making her even more astonished.
“Ahem.” Chu Yun coughed, a smile on his lips, appearing profound and mysterious. Inwardly, he was surprised, “So the first sentence of the puzzle is interpreted this way. The first sentence already points to the Rumor Vine. I wonder if Yan Que has figured it out too?”
He looked at Yan Que, whose face was ashen and his eyes flickered, clearly shaken but still retorted, “Even if you know the location of the legacy, so what? I had already figured this out. What’s next? I, Yan Que, shall wait and see!”
“What’s next is the main part!” Chu Yun’s expression turned solemn. Facing the Rumor Vine, he extended his hands and began forming hand seals.
Forming hand seals! Chu Yun could only perform one main hand seal and one auxiliary hand with his current abilities. Forming hand seals with both hands was beyond his capabilities at the moment. However, he wasn’t refining pills now, so the speed didn’t matter. His hand seals were formed slowly but steadily.
One hand seal, two hand seals… The Rumor Vine remained motionless.
Three hand seals, four hand seals… A gust of wind erupted from nowhere, rustling the lotus-leaf-like vines and leaves.
Five hand seals, six hand seals… The wind howled, clouds churned, and nine-colored clouds swirled in the sky, forming a massive, colorful vortex directly above Green Mountain Peak. A powerful aura emanated, causing the entire Green Mountain to tremble slightly! Under this extraordinary spectacle, Tiange Academy erupted! Countless curious and astonished gazes turned towards the peak, and numerous figures rushed towards it.
Seven hand seals, eight hand seals… Chu Yun was drenched in sweat, his hands trembling. It became increasingly difficult with each subsequent seal. The spiritual energy within him vibrated unstably. After completing all the hand seals, he felt utterly exhausted, as if his essence, spirit, and energy had been completely drained!
“Gagaga.” The vines and branches of the Rumor Vine parted like a tide. The main vine, as thick as a giant python, twisted, breaking free from the rock it clung to, creating a massive fissure with a strange sound.
Jin Bihan and Yan Que stared in stunned silence.
“So the legacy of the third generation Academy Master was buried on the large rock. No wonder I couldn’t find it after searching for so long,” Chu Yun murmured, a sense of sudden realization washing over him.
Boom! Just then, a brilliant, dazzling golden pillar of light descended from the vortex of colorful clouds in the sky. The pillar, dozens of feet high, enveloped the entire mountaintop, visible for miles around, grand and magnificent. Drawn by this golden light, two objects emerged from the soil beneath the fissure in the rock. One was the size of a fist, perfectly round, like a jade marble, emitting a warm, emerald green glow. The other was cylindrical, shrouded in a brownish halo, mysterious and indistinct.
Chu Yun was surprised. “That round green orb must be the seed of the Twisting Pill Essence Tree. But what is this other strange object that appeared? What is it?”
