Chapter 36

In recent months, a shocking rumor had been circulating on Cangwu Mountain. It was said that Du You, a disciple of the Helin Du family, had borrowed the True Dew of the Bei King to open his meridians but was killed and his treasure stolen by Du Bo, his attendant. No one knew where Du You was now, and it was feared that he had met a tragic end.

Although the Du family tried their best to cover up the incident, how could they hide it from the eyes of the numerous mystic families?

Everyone in the Lower Academy rejoiced at the misfortune. The Du family had always been arrogant, and this time they had broken the rules by forcefully seizing the position of the chief disciple. This calamity was well-deserved. Now, all the Du family's previous arrangements had fallen through, and they would have no chance to interfere in the Lower Academy again.

After a series of maneuvers, Lin Yuan finally became the chief disciple as he wished. Just as he was basking in his success, Zhang Yan, whom he thought had been expelled by Du You, returned to the mountain. At first, he did not take it seriously; with Du You dead, it would be strange if Zhang Yan did not return. However, another shocking piece of news soon followed.

In just two months, Zhang Yan had cut through the Golden Lock and successfully opened his meridians, stepping onto the Heavenly Gate of the Great Dao. This news was even more shocking than Du You's disappearance. Lin Yuan was stunned for a long time after hearing it, and all his joy vanished, replaced by a foul mood.

He had worked hard to become the chief disciple of the Lower Academy, but Zhang Yan, whom he had considered a dangerous outsider, had surpassed him. How could he, the chief disciple, not become a laughingstock?

For the first time in his life, Lin Yuan hated the rules of his family. If it weren't for the requirement to stay in the Lower Academy for sixteen years, he could have opened his meridians and moved to the Upper Academy long ago. How could he have fallen behind Zhang Yan, a mere child?

This news also left many of the Lower Academy's family disciples stunned, and the mountain was filled with silence.

How long had it been?

Zhang Yan had only been on the mountain for three years and had only become a novice disciple in the past six months. How could he have opened his meridians and broken through in just two months? Wasn't Zhang Yan supposed to have average talent, only fit to be a warrior? In contrast, Du You, who had vowed to kill Zhang Yan and was full of confidence, had disappeared after going to the Bei Field to open his meridians. The stark contrast between the two was striking.

On Haojue Peak, in the Duzhen Hall.

When Zhang Yan entered the hall again, Shi Shoujing, He Shouxuan, and Zhen Shouzhong did not dare to sit on the stone platform. They all came down and bowed to him.

The mentors of the Lower Academy were usually appointed from those who had made little progress in cultivation, as they could endure the loneliness and daily interactions with ordinary people.

Those who opened their meridians in the Lower Academy would immediately become the backbone of the sect in the Upper Academy, becoming true disciples, granted a blessed land, elixirs, and scriptures. Their future cultivation path would be smooth, and their prospects far surpassed those of the three. Therefore, they were not just showing respect to Zhang Yan at this moment but also to his future achievements.

"Greetings, mentors."

Although he had successfully opened his meridians, Zhang Yan did not show any arrogance. He remained as respectful and polite as ever. Regardless of how the three felt about him or what they had thought of him, they had indeed admitted him into the Lower Academy, so he was not showing respect to their status but to their previous assistance.

Seeing Zhang Yan's respectful attitude, Shi Shoujing felt a bit more favorably towards him.

They might seem prestigious, but in reality, they had little power, relying only on their cultivation to maintain their authority over the Lower Academy. Their usual concerns were how to protect themselves, and they could only occasionally discipline the Lower Academy disciples by leveraging the sect's rules. Now that Zhang Yan had opened his meridians, the Lower Academy's rules no longer applied to him, yet he still behaved with propriety. Shi Shoujing could not help but speak kindly, "Brother Zhang, now that you have opened your meridians and broken through, you are one of us. We can address each other as brothers."

Zhang Yan smiled slightly and bowed again. "Greetings, brothers."

The three returned his bow.

After straightening up, Shi Shoujing carefully examined Zhang Yan. He saw that his aura was strong and his vitality was abundant, indicating a successful and complete opening of the immortal meridians. He could not help but feel a sense of admiration. Initially, when he heard about Zhang Yan's success, he thought it was a mistake. Now, he realized it was his own lack of insight. No wonder the Zhou family chose him as a son-in-law; there must be a reason.

He had read the *Xuan Yuan Inner Canon of Marvels* and knew its dangers. The book was so complex and profound that it was also known as the "Thousand Rays Book" in the mystic world. He would never have dared to take such a step himself.

Zhang Yan, who seemed to have average talent, had been hinted to take the path of a warrior, but in just a few months, he had opened his meridians and ascended to the Heavenly Gate. He must have had great fortune or a high-ranking mentor guiding him.

Whichever it was, it was beyond his ability to guess.

Thinking of this, Shi Shoujing became even more courteous. "Brother, please wait. The senior from the Upper Academy who will evaluate your meridians will be here shortly."

Half a month ago, when Zhang Yan returned to the mountain, his success in opening his meridians should have immediately attracted a senior from the Upper Academy to evaluate his meridians. However, for some unknown reason, they had not come until today, and only then was Zhang Yan summoned.

After waiting for about half an hour, a middle-aged Daoist in a feathered robe and a high hat finally arrived. He walked into the hall with a stern face and greeted the three "Shou" generation enforcers of the Lower Academy.

Seeing this person, Shi Shoujing was slightly surprised, but he did not show it on his face. He bowed to the Daoist as usual.

The Daoist turned around, stood in the hall with his hands behind his back, and looked at Zhang Yan, frowning. "You are Zhang Yan? Quickly release your meridian aura for me to see."

Zhang Yan narrowed his eyes but did not move.

"What, can't you?" The Daoist's face showed impatience. "Move your qi, let the true essence enter your meridians, and the image will naturally appear."

Zhang Yan remained still, asking calmly, "Who should be respected?"

"You..."

The Daoist was momentarily speechless, unable to say anything. He wanted to scold Zhang Yan but feared losing his dignity and being ridiculed. He suppressed his anger and said coldly, "I am Wang Yixing, the evaluator from the Upper Academy, here to assess your meridians."

Normally, an evaluation of meridians required a senior at least at the Xuan Guang stage from the Upper Academy, and a senior from the disciple's family to witness it. However, since Zhang Yan was not from a family, the Upper Academy evaluators, considering their status, were unwilling to come, leading to delays. After more than half a month, they finally sent Wang Yixing, a Ming Qi stage cultivator, to handle it.

Wang Yixing, also from a mystic family, felt that this task was beneath him, but he could not refuse his senior brothers' insistence, so he was in a bad mood and found Zhang Yan irritating.

"Since you are being evaluated by a senior from the Upper Academy, I will show you my meridians," Zhang Yan said, silently gathering his true essence. Immediately, a cloud-like aura spread out.

Wang Yixing could not help but exclaim, "Hmm." Normally, it took a moment for the meridian aura to appear, but Zhang Yan showed it almost instantly, which was impressive. However, after a glance, he sneered, "Fog image, the lowest quality." He waved his sleeve and bowed. "Farewell."

The three enforcers looked at each other in surprise. The lowest quality? They had good eyes and knew that while Zhang Yan's meridian aura was not excellent, it was too casual to call it the lowest quality.

Since the evaluation was over, Zhang Yan did not stay longer and bid farewell to the three enforcers.

Shi Shoujing knew that the quality of the meridians would affect Zhang Yan's future cultivation methods. A low-quality evaluation would limit his choices. He accompanied Zhang Yan to the door of the hall and said, "Brother Zhang, in my opinion, your meridian aura, though of low quality, is complete and full of vitality. Even if it is low quality, it is still of high quality among the low. The lowest quality is an injustice to you."

"It's fine. They are all low quality, so what's the difference?" Zhang Yan's expression was calm, showing no sign of displeasure.

Shi Shoujing nodded inwardly. Regardless of Zhang Yan's talent, his character was first-rate, and he might have a promising future. He said kindly, "Tomorrow, someone will come to take you to the Upper Academy. If you have time, you can visit the Lower Academy."

"Of course. Brother, please stay. I will be on my way." Zhang Yan bowed and left gracefully.

Walking down Haojue Peak, he sighed in relief. If Wang Yixing had evaluated his meridians as the highest quality, he would have had to explain a lot. Fortunately, the man's knowledge was limited, and he was just going through the motions, so he did not see through it.

Zhang Yan knew his status was too special. As a non-family member who had opened his meridians in the Lower Academy and moved to the Upper Academy, he would attract a lot of attention, most of it unfriendly. The Upper Academy was even more complex than the Lower Academy, so he should not be too showy until he understood the situation.

As for the cultivation methods, he did not care. With the *Taiyi Golden Book* in hand, his qi could melt metal and iron, rivaling magical treasures and flying swords. This scripture was so valuable that even the Du family had to go to great lengths to obtain it. How could the methods granted by the sect be better?

However, he did not intend to give up the elixirs and magical tools that belonged to true disciples. He would fight for what he deserved.

The people in the Lower Academy were also waiting to see Zhang Yan's meridian quality. Soon, the news came: after the senior's evaluation, Zhang Yan's meridian aura was rated as the lowest quality, fog image.

Hearing this, everyone felt a bit more comfortable. Most thought it was reasonable. Without family support or sect resources, a mere commoner could be lucky to open his meridians and break through. How could they expect a high-quality meridian aura?

However, now that Zhang Yan was a novice disciple in the Lower Academy and had opened his meridians, his move to the Upper Academy was inevitable. There had been commoners in the Lower Academy before, but they were all exceptional talents, rare in a hundred years. The noble families usually used marriage to bring them into their own families. However, when they heard that Zhang Yan's meridian aura was the lowest quality, their interest in him waned.

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