Chapter 41

"Gambling bet? Hmph hmph!"

In a luxurious hall of the Martial Hall, the Hall Master was playing with a beautiful bird with fiery red feathers. After hearing the report from Manager Yang, he sneered continuously, the silver earring in his left ear jingling with a clear sound.

Manager Yang was unsure whether the Hall Master was angry or pleased, feeling very anxious. Jiang Yi had dug himself into a corner, determined to participate in the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy's admission ceremony, refusing to train with the ten geniuses even if it meant death. With no other choice, he reported the matter, for he could not afford to offend the five major families.

"Unpaid training for ten years if you fail?"

The Hall Master muttered to himself, then suddenly turned to Manager Yang and said, "Bring that boy here."

Manager Yang hurriedly left, but his anxiety grew. The Hall Master was proud and haughty, and it was difficult for the heads of minor families to even see him. He actually summoned Jiang Yi? He hoped the Hall Master wouldn't kill Jiang Yi in a fit of anger.

Jiang Yi was quickly brought in. He hadn't expected to alarm the Hall Master, but if he couldn't enter the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy, he didn't know how to escape Tianyu City, and death seemed inevitable. He gritted his teeth and walked into the hall.

"Canglang pays respects to the Hall Master!" This time, Jiang Yi did not kneel but only bowed with clasped fists.

The Hall Master did not look at Jiang Yi, continuing to play with the beautiful bird in the gilded cage. His face showed no emotion, and neither Jiang Yi nor Manager Yang dared to speak, holding their breath and waiting patiently.

After half an incense stick's time, the Hall Master turned, his gaze cold as he looked at Jiang Yi and asked softly, "I heard you want to break the agreement?"

Jiang Yi was taken aback and hurriedly explained, "It's not like that, Hall Master..."

"Stop explaining!"

The Hall Master waved his hand dominantly, cutting off Jiang Yi's words. He said coldly, "I don't want to hear any explanations, and I don't want to hear any pretty words about gratitude or repayment. Our Martial Hall is not the Dragon Temple; we don't save people from suffering. We only do business. To us, there are no friends, only partners or... enemies! Breaking the agreement makes you our enemy. I'll ask you one last time, are you sure you want to break the agreement?"

As the Hall Master spoke, a powerful aura rose from him. Although it was just a thread, it pressed down on Jiang Yi so heavily that he dared not even breathe, his body trembling. The aura of a peak Purple Mansion Realm martial artist was too powerful. It was already remarkable that he didn't kneel.

Jiang Yi took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "I don't want to break the agreement, but I must participate in the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy's admission ceremony."

Years of suppression in the Jiang family had forged Jiang Yi's patient and resilient character, making him extremely stubborn. Once he made up his mind, he never changed it, like when he refused to kneel even if it meant death.

"Whoosh!"

A large palm came rushing towards him. Jiang Yi didn't even see the Hall Master move, only seeing a large palm magnify infinitely in his eyes.

"Ugh..."

Manager Yang's face changed, but he dared not say a word. He knew the Hall Master's unpredictable nature and decisive killing style. If he dared to plead for mercy, he might be killed on the spot...

Jiang Yi didn't move, not even blinking, and remained silent, seemingly prepared to stand and die.

"Whoosh!"

The large palm descended quickly, creating a gust of wind that blew Jiang Yi's long hair wildly and made his robe flutter. However, the palm stopped just before his face, the powerful pressure forcing him to take three steps back.

Jiang Yi still didn't blink, but sweat was clearly visible on his forehead, and his clothes were drenched in sweat.

The Hall Master stood before Jiang Yi, his emotionless eyes staring at him. He said softly, "Not afraid of death? Good... I'll give you a chance and accept your bet, but I'll set the terms!"

"Phew..."

Jiang Yi exhaled deeply. He wasn't calm inside, but he was sure the Hall Master wouldn't kill him. The Hall Master had said the Martial Hall did business, and killing him would mean a loss.

Jiang Yi paused and said, "Hall Master, please speak."

The Hall Master nodded and said, "Since you have such confidence, daring to compete for one of the five spots at the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy with your Fourth Rank Cauldron Casting Realm strength, why don't we make it a bigger bet? If you win the spot, not only will the five-year agreement with the Martial Hall be nullified, but I'll also give you a hundred low-grade Earth Rank pills, three low-grade Earth Rank cultivation techniques, and a treasure weapon! If you lose, you'll be a slave to the Martial Hall for life!"

"A slave to the Martial Hall for life?"

Jiang Yi was shocked. The Hall Master was ruthless. If he lost, he would be a slave for life, forced to do hard labor for the Martial Hall!

Manager Yang glanced at Jiang Yi and sighed. After all, Jiang Yi was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. This was too cruel, and the Hall Master was clearly setting a trap for him...

How could Jiang Yi, with his current strength, win a spot? Ji Tingyu, Jiang Henshui, and Leng Qianqian could easily secure three spots, and the remaining candidates like Ma Heqi, Liu He, and Liu Zhan were all Eighth Rank Cauldron Casting Realm. Even if Jiang Yi's reaction was extraordinary, he would still fail against their absolute strength.

"Good!"

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Yi agreed after a brief moment of consideration, decisively and without hesitation.

"Courageous!"

The Hall Master smiled, a radiant smile. He waved his hand and turned back to play with the bird, glancing at Manager Yang and saying, "Issue the announcement. During this period, Canglang will not accept any training invitations from the ten geniuses. Those who have already signed up will receive triple compensation. If they have any complaints, let them come to me. You may leave! Canglang, the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy's admission ceremony is only half a month away. Prepare well; I look forward to your performance."

"Thank you, Hall Master!" Jiang Yi bowed deeply and left with Manager Yang.

"Ah..."

Outside the hall, Manager Yang shook his head and said softly, "Canglang, your decision is too hasty!"

"Hasty? I don't think so."

Jiang Yi smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying. He had no other choice, and even if he lost, it wouldn't be entirely bad. At least he would have more value to the Martial Hall, and the Jiang and Ma families wouldn't dare to move against him.

...

When the announcement that Jiang Yi would no longer train the ten geniuses was posted, Ma Heqi was so upset he almost bled from his nose, and Jiang Henshui was also very disappointed. The other young masters and misses who had planned to try were also very regretful, but since it was a direct order from the Hall Master, no one dared to say anything. The Hall Master was the second strongest in Tianyu City, with the entire Martial Hall as his backing.

The other young masters and misses were overjoyed. They could still find Jiang Yi for training, especially the young geniuses from families with similar strength to the ten geniuses, who were eager to train with him day and night.

Jiang Yi also became very busy, training day and night, breaking seals, and studying the black essence energy, hoping to make a breakthrough before the Spirit Beast Mountain Academy's admission ceremony.

However—

After training for seven or eight days, the pills given by Manager Yang were all used up, and he was still far from breaking through to the Fifth Rank Cauldron Casting Realm. The seals remained unbroken, and his cultivation speed, though increasing, was still too slow.

As for the black essence energy, he had tried it all over his body but found no other functions. He had studied the Burst Essence Palm for several days but gained nothing. His cultivation had hit a bottleneck.

"Enough, enough!"

After making the black essence energy circulate through his body again and finding nothing, Jiang Yi sighed in frustration and opened his eyes. He couldn't enhance his strength in the short term, so he could only rely on his current strength to take a chance, leaving the outcome to fate.

"Clap, clap!"

He patted his forehead, feeling a headache, and laughed bitterly to himself, "I thought I had unparalleled insight and could comprehend the Burst Essence Palm. It seems I was too naive. Even if my brain were ten times faster, I still couldn't comprehend it!"

"Hmm?"

A thought suddenly flashed in Jiang Yi's mind, making his body shiver. He thought of a possibility: if he circulated the black essence energy to his brain, would it speed up his brain's processing and help him comprehend martial techniques faster?

"No, no! The brain is the most important part of the body. How can I mess with it? One wrong move and I'll become a fool!"

Jiang Yi shook his head, muttering to himself. He had tried the black essence energy on almost every part of his body, but he had never dared to try it on his brain or groin. He feared becoming a fool or having his manhood mutate, which would be disastrous.

"Should be fine, right? The black essence energy is cultivated and has never harmed me, only enhancing my abilities. The blue essence energy can circulate near the brain, so why can't the black essence energy? What if it really speeds up my brain's comprehension of martial techniques?"

Another thought in his head, like a devil, kept tempting him. Jiang Yi hesitated, torn between two choices. After considering for half an hour, his innate gambling nature took over, and he decided to try.

He carefully circulated a thread of black essence energy near his brain, but there was no reaction. Jiang Yi gritted his teeth and controlled the black essence energy to enter his brain.

"Boom!"

The moment the black essence energy entered his brain, Jiang Yi felt a jolt. He blinked but saw no difference. He was puzzled and started to think wildly. Soon, he noticed a change.

His thoughts became incredibly clear, his brain functioning like a machine, cold and terrifying.

He immediately felt a surge of joy and focused on comprehending the Burst Essence Palm. The result was shocking!

Although he lacked the technique for compressing essence energy, he could simulate the trajectory of the Burst Essence Palm in his mind. He could visualize how much essence energy to use, which meridians to follow, the flow path, and how to release it with a special technique in his palm. A clear image formed in his mind, though it was incomplete due to the lack of the compression technique.

This situation was very strange, almost frightening.

Fortunately, Jiang Yi was already used to the bizarre abilities of the black essence energy. He quickly regained his composure and began to study the image in his mind, looking for ways to help him comprehend the Burst Essence Palm.

Soon, Jiang Yi was overjoyed. He could use his current mental abilities to deduce and verify, gradually completing the incomplete image in his mind, forming a perfect flow path for the Burst Essence Palm, and then releasing it in his body. In other words... he might be able to comprehend this incomplete secret manual.