Chapter 17

Everyone's eyes flashed with doubt. These hands were as white as jade; there wasn't a trace of corrosion. And looking at his fearless demeanor, could it be that Su Yuanqiao had indeed wronged him?

Su Yuanqiao was also shaken internally at this moment. He stared wide-eyed at the arms, and suddenly a bad feeling surged up. "How is this possible? How could you cure the poison of the Yin Wind Stone?" He suddenly narrowed his eyes and released his divine consciousness, "I will thoroughly investigate your body. Even if you can cure the poison of the Yin Wind Stone, your soul power is far from reaching the level of a Technique Refiner, and I will expose you as a fraud!"

Almost everyone released their divine consciousness, probing into Jia Rong's body. Jia Rong, with a fearless look, coldly stared at Su Yuanqiao, his eyes filled with mockery, as if watching a clown perform.

A moment later, Xu Han's face turned cold, and he said in a cold voice, "Su Yuanqiao, now please give everyone an explanation!"

Su Yuanqiao panicked and said, "How is this possible? He was definitely poisoned by the Yin Wind Stone; I am one hundred percent sure!" He frantically scanned Jia Rong with his divine consciousness, his face becoming increasingly grim.

"Enough! Have you seen enough yet!"

Jia Rong suddenly shouted, and a huge soul power erupted from his mind sea, colliding fiercely with Su Yuanqiao's divine consciousness. An invisible force distorted the air. Su Yuanqiao was suddenly attacked and hurriedly withdrew his divine consciousness, but the other party did not let up, chasing after and suddenly rushing into his mind sea, causing his soul to tremble violently!

"Spit!"

Injured by the divine consciousness, Su Yuanqiao spat out a mouthful of blood and exclaimed in shock, "You... how can your soul power be so strong!"

Jia Rong smiled coldly and mocked, "I am a genuine Technique Refiner, and my soul power is naturally much stronger than those fakes."

"You!" Su Yuanqiao was so angry that he spat out another mouthful of blood, "Good... good... good..."

He said three "goods" in a row, his eyes suddenly dimming, and his entire body deflated like a punctured balloon, all his spirit and energy instantly drained, making him look incredibly old.

Xu Han's face turned blank, and he sighed, "Su Yuanqiao, why do you make things so difficult for yourself?"

Su Yuanqiao's mind became extremely dazed, and he trembled, "President, I... I... I am already old and weak, and I wish to retire to the countryside to spend my remaining years. Please approve it, President."

Everyone was stunned by the shock. Su Yuanqiao, in his extreme anger, had his divine consciousness collapse, and his soul power plummeted to the level of a Technique Refiner apprentice. Even Jia Rong was slightly surprised but felt an immense joy and excitement inside.

He had only practiced soul refinement for five days, yet his soul power could directly injure Su Yuanqiao. Su Yuanqiao, although only a first-rank Technique Refiner, was already well-known, and his soul power had always been stable at the first rank.

"Master Yun, Master Yun, who are you really!" Jia Rong was now completely convinced of the mysterious young man. To obtain such a technique, even fifty years of servitude would be worth it!

Xu Han shook his head helplessly. Su Yuanqiao had lost the level of a Technique Refiner and was too old to recover. Staying in the Technique Refiner Association would only invite retaliation. He had offended many people in his prime. Xu Han sighed, "Go home and rest, I will report everything to His Majesty!"

Su Yuanqiao trembled and said, "Thank you, President!" He lowered his head, not daring to look at anyone, and shuffled away.

Xu Han sighed and said loudly, "Master Su Yuanqiao, due to his health, is retiring to the countryside. From now on, all past grievances with him are forgiven, and no one is to harass him for any reason!" He then turned his gaze to Jia Rong.

Jia Rong smiled slightly, crossed his arms, and said calmly, "President, you are absolutely right."

Xu Han was reassured. Jia Rong's soul power had already stabilized at the first rank, and his future achievements were boundless. Everyone knew that he had suddenly attacked and injured Su Yuanqiao's mind sea, causing him to lose his cultivation. But no one would offend a promising Technique Refiner for an old, broken-down man.

Everyone greeted Jia Rong, a gesture of goodwill. Jia Rong smiled kindly in response, but inside, he was sneering. If not for Master Yun's help, you all would probably be beating a dog in the water right now!

Xu Han said, "Jia Rong, your progress has surprised me. You have only recently advanced, yet your soul power is so stable. Take Yun Shang to get your Technique Refiner badge."

Jia Rong smiled and accepted the order, taking Luo Yunshang to complete all the procedures.

Luo Yunshang suddenly had a thought and said, "Master Jia, I have a request."

"Oh?" Jia Rong smiled slightly, "Lord Yun Shang, please speak freely." Luo Yunshang was one of the five commanders of the National Divine Guard, with strength and prestige far surpassing his own, so he was very polite.

Luo Yunshang said, "I have a student who, due to his physical condition, cannot practice martial arts. However, he is very interested in technique refinement and has learned a lot about it. I hope to find him a good master. Does Master Jia have any interest in taking on a disciple?"

Jia Rong frowned and said, "Taking on a disciple? Lord Yun Shang is a Technique Refiner yourself, with strength not inferior to mine. Why come to me?" Technique Refiners had extremely strict requirements for taking on disciples, even for princes and nobles. If not for exceptional talent, they would not take on disciples.

Luo Yunshang sighed, "This person has a special identity. As a commander of the National Divine Guard, it is not appropriate for me to have a master-disciple relationship with him. To be honest, this person is the eldest grandson of the Duke of Jing, the son of General Feilong."

Jia Rong understood, "I see. I have heard that the eldest grandson of the Duke of Jing is a martial arts waste, and it was a laughingstock in the capital. However, Lord Yun Shang should know that a martial arts waste, with weak physical constitution, is unlikely to achieve much in technique refinement."

Luo Yunshang nodded, "I know, but this person has unique qualities. Even if he cannot become your direct disciple, I hope to guide him a bit. At least he can become a Technique Refiner apprentice, which would be a way to repay the old Duke."

Jia Rong's gaze turned cold, and he said, "Since that's the case, I will meet this person. However, he must pass the soul power test. If he meets the minimum standard for a Technique Refiner apprentice, I will take him as a disciple. This is entirely out of respect for Lord Yun Shang."

Luo Yunshang was overjoyed, "Thank you, Master Jia. I will remember this."

Jia Rong nodded slightly, somewhat impatiently, "Bring him for a soul power test when you have time. If he qualifies, I will take him as a disciple. If he doesn't meet the minimum standard, don't bother coming to see me."

Luo Yunshang watched Jia Rong leave, thinking to himself: This is the youngest Technique Refiner, with a bright future. Letting Li Yunxiao follow him is a way to repay a favor and also to reassure the old Duke. I just hope the boy's soul power is not disappointing. This is all I can do.

Three days later, it was the annual evaluation time at Jialan Academy.

After the evaluation, there would be a two-month break. Those who stayed would advance to the intermediate class in the next semester, while those who failed would be dismissed. Every year, a large number of noble students were eliminated. Poor students, on the other hand, almost always passed, as failing would mean a life of poverty, so they trained extremely hard.

The evaluation took place in the largest arena of the academy, a landmark building constructed by the former president of the Technique Refiner Association, Yang Di, using extremely precious minerals. It covered over a thousand square meters and was grand and imposing.

Not far from the arena was the academy's most prominent building—the huge statue of Gu Feiyang.

The statue of Gu Feiyang, with one hand on the hilt of his sword, gazing into the distance, had a hint of a disappointed smile on his lips. It was created by his student, Yang Di, fifteen years ago when Gu Feiyang fell.

Li Yunxiao stood quietly beside it, looking up at his own face, his thoughts seeming to traverse layers of space, merging with his past self.

"Haha, Yang Di was quite thoughtful," Li Yunxiao said to himself, a bitter smile on his face.

Two students walked past Li Yunxiao, glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally, and began to discuss.

"Who would have thought that after a few months of seclusion, you would condense your primordial energy and advance to a Warrior!"

"Haha, it's all to pass the evaluation. Warriors can directly enter the advanced class in the intermediate class."

"Right, I'm in a bad situation. I've only opened two pulse wheels. Will I be eliminated?"

"Don't worry, as long as you can open one, you can advance. Look over there, the famous Li family's eldest son, a typical waste, that's the one who will be eliminated."

"Really? The Li family's eldest son can be eliminated?"

"Of course, do you think this is where? Jialan Academy, even the king has to follow the rules!"

"Damn!" Li Yunxiao cursed, not bothering to argue with these minor figures. He quickly walked to the arena and found that a large number of students had already gathered. Many were just there to watch, pointing and laughing at them.

Han Bo walked over, "Young Master Yun, why are you so late?"

Li Yunxiao frowned, "Why are there so many people?"

Han Bo snorted, "They're here to watch the show. You know, our class is always called the garbage class. These poor students are here to see how many of us are left. A dozen or so have already given up and packed their bags to go home."

Li Yunxiao looked around and indeed saw that many were missing.

Those who could enter their class were all from powerful families in the empire. Even if they couldn't become warriors, they would still live a life of luxury and have a bright future.

So, while the students in their class were rarely provoked in the academy, they were also not well-liked. Many enjoyed watching their jokes.