Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 315 Jingtian Manor

The red characters on the small building's plaque appear to have faded and peeled off due to wind and rain over time, making it impossible to discern what the characters were.

You can vaguely make out what it says: “….Tiange”.

Zong Wu continued walking, pushed open the building door, and a large red counter came into view.

Behind the counter was a thin, white-haired old man.

"Elder, these are the disciples who passed the entrance test." Zong Wu's attitude was respectful, and the old man seemed to hold a very high position.

The old man didn't say anything, but raised his head, squinted, and a terrifyingly thick aura flashed across his body as he carefully examined Han Yi and the other two.

When Han Yi noticed the old man's gaze on him, he only met his eyes for a moment before feeling a slight stinging sensation in his eyes and dared not look directly at him.

"This old man..."

Han Yi's heart skipped a beat. Even with the system, he still couldn't see through this person's strength level.

Even if this person isn't a grandmaster, he's probably close to it.

Han Yi felt a cold, scrutinizing gaze sweep over him, as if all his secrets, inside and out, had been laid bare before him.

"Alright, take it." Soon, the old man nodded and handed three plaques to Zong Wu.

Led by Zongwu, the three filed out.

"Congratulations everyone, you've successfully joined our Jingtian Manor." Zong Wu smiled slightly and handed three different tokens to the three men. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

The three were taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening and simultaneously clasped their hands in a salute.

"No need for formalities," Zong Wu said with a gentle smile. "Once you enter the sect, you must work hard in your cultivation. Judging from your current level, we may meet in the inner courtyard soon."

The Meridian Opening Martial Master marks the boundary between the Outer and Inner Courts.

The three of them had already become martial arts masters. With a little more basic training, they would soon meet the requirements to enter the inner academy.

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Jingtianzhuang, Jiuquyuan.

call…...

A gentle breeze blew by, causing the lakeside trees to sway. Delicate red and pink petals were carried by the wind and drifted obliquely onto the lake surface, like a pink drizzle. Zhong Yunxiu stood by the window, gazing at the beautiful scenery before her and feeling the breeze on her face, yet her heart remained undisturbed.

She is one of the Seven Heroes of Jingtian and the head of the Nine-Bend Academy.

Although she is not the most famous or strongest among the Seven Heroes, in the eyes of many, the fact that she, as a woman, has managed to keep the vast Nine-Bend Academy from collapsing and has achieved her current status is already quite remarkable.

However, many things are not as wonderful as they seem on the surface.

Zhong Yunxiu, one of the Seven Heroes of Jingtian, also has her own untold sorrows and troubles.

"Fang He, this is simply outrageous!"

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and her aura surged, causing a commotion by the lake.

Several white-feathered, black-beaked birds flapped their wings and circled above the lake.

"If he were still here...they..."

"How dare you bully me like this..." A trace of reminiscence flashed in her eyes.

I don't know what she was thinking about, but her eyes welled up with tears.

"Mother." A gentle and soft voice rang out outside the waterside pavilion.

Zhong Yunxiu quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, pretended that nothing had happened, and looked back.

A slender and graceful figure jogged over from the courtyard path.

"Mother, this is the list of disciples who have entered the outer academy this time. Three of them have chosen our Nine-Bend Academy!"

After the figure stopped, a young woman dressed in a light green outfit appeared.

Her face was slightly round, her eyebrows and eyes were gentle and beautiful, her skin was fair and delicate, and she wore a green silk belt that made her waist so slender that it could be grasped in one hand. She wore a pair of long boots that made her long, shapely legs look exceptionally perfect.

Her long, black hair was loose and flowing, tied only at the ends with a ribbon. As she stopped walking, her hair swayed, and her gentle demeanor revealed a touch of purity and beauty.

“Hanhan…” Zhong Chenqing looked at her daughter and forced a smile.

No matter how much pressure she faced or how difficult the problems were, she didn't want her daughter to know. She just wanted her daughter to be happy and do what she loved.

"Three people? Not bad," she asked with a smile. "Have you looked at the information? What do you think?"

“They’re all here.” Zhong Han handed over the papers in her hand with a playful smile. “I’ve looked at them. Their backgrounds are all clean, and their abilities are quite good. They just lack basic skills. I estimate that these people won’t stay in the outer courtyard for long before they can smoothly come to our Nine-Bend Courtyard.”

During this period, a total of ten people were able to pass the outer academy test. This time, three of them were directly admitted to our Nine-Bend Academy. It seems that we will finally not be at the bottom in the next fist-fighting competition. Zhong Han was very happy because the amount of resources allocated to each academy each month in Jing Tian Manor is based on the ranking of the fist-fighting results.

"Fist fight" is a more poetic term; in reality, it's just an internal martial arts competition within Jingtian Manor, ostensibly to improve the disciples' combat skills. The stronger disciples receive more resources, while the weaker ones receive fewer.

The rules are simple: the head of the academy can't participate; the competition is between the disciples under his command. Apart from not using lethal force or causing serious injury or disability, there are no other rules.

Then, tactics such as attrition warfare, psychological warfare, and skill warfare are all permitted.

In this situation, the side with more people will naturally have an advantage over the side with fewer people.

After all, everyone is a martial artist, the only difference being the strength and depth of their power. No matter how strong you are, with a continuous series of battles, you will eventually be worn down.

As for the Nine-Bend Academy, it has always had few disciples, and their average strength is not strong. In every sparring match, they are always at the bottom, and the resources they receive are becoming increasingly scarce. "Don't be too happy yet..." Zhong Chenqing sighed after reading the information of several people. "The one named Han Yi here is actually a second-level martial artist. Although he is a dual practitioner, it is enough to show that his aptitude is not bad. If he is noticed by another academy, he may be snatched away by someone else like last time."

Upon entering Jingtian Manor, the enrolling disciple must first select which branch they wish to join, fill out their preference form, and submit it.

After passing the entrance test, the disciple enters the outer academy. The disciple's information will be handed over to the corresponding head of the academy, who will then determine whether to accept the disciple based on the available spots within the academy and the disciple's information.

Of course, this is the ideal process.

In many cases, the disciples who sign up do not know whether there are vacancies in the branch they are applying to, whether the training method is suitable for them, or whether the head of the branch will approve them. Therefore, in order to ensure fairness,

Jingtian Manor has a rule that when an outer court disciple meets the requirements for promotion to the inner court, they will be given another chance to confirm their application and choose the inner court they wish to apply to again. This often leads to instances of students being poached or even snatched away.

Those who excel in other academies, or whose physical characteristics particularly match the requirements of a particular academy's training methods, will be persuaded by the academy's head to offer substantial benefits and secure a spot in advance.

Previously, there was a young genius in the Nine-Bend Academy who was lured away by another academy with better offers.

"Mother, I will send people to keep an eye on those branch hospitals. If they dare to do what they did last time again... I will definitely stop them," Zhong Han said earnestly.

"Okay, it's good that you understand. Then I'll leave it all to you..." Zhong Yunxiu smiled, then hesitated for a moment, "Hanhan, no matter what, safety comes first..."

"Don't worry, Mother, my Cold Yin Nine-Bend Palm technique is already fully mastered." He clenched his little fist and demonstrated it a few times in front of Zhong Yunxiu.

"That's good." Zhong Yunxiu finally smiled with relief.

Zhong Han immediately got up and left to make preparations. Walking on the tree-lined path on both sides, smelling the fragrance of flowers in the air, she looked back and saw Zhong Yunxiu looking at her from the waterside pavilion. She waved to her.

She could clearly see that her mother seemed preoccupied and not in a good mood, but it was precisely at times like these that she needed to do more to fulfill her responsibilities as the chief disciple of the Nine-Bend Academy and keep the academy running smoothly.

“Hanhan… has finally grown up…” Zhong Yunxiu stood in the waterside pavilion, watching her daughter’s firm steps, and a gratified smile appeared on her face.

Her daughter has long since grown from a babbling, toddling little snot-nosed child following behind her into a graceful, beautiful young woman who can now share her worries.

But the more this was the case, the less she could back down.

Her troubles and suffering stemmed from Zhong Han.

Perhaps it's because Zhong Han is too outstanding.

Jingtian Manor can be roughly divided into eight factions: the Seven Heroes of Jingtian, plus the lineage of the manor lord.

Zhong Yunxiu is the least noticeable one among them.

But what sets her apart from the others is that she is a very beautiful woman.

More importantly, she also has a beautiful daughter, Zhong Han.

Zhong Han is not only beautiful and has a good personality, but she also possesses exceptional talent in martial arts. At only nineteen years old, she has already achieved mastery of her skills, entered the third level of strength, and is even about to take her first step towards becoming a grandmaster.

These days were originally peaceful and uneventful, and everything went smoothly. Finally, those difficult days were over.

But who knew that during a previous sect exchange, the son of Chen Ying, the Eagle Claw King, one of the three great masters of the Three Mountains Sect, took a liking to Zhong Han.

Men should marry when they are of age and women should marry when they are of age. If they are mutually in love and their daughter is satisfied, Zhong Yunxiu will not interfere.

However, after Zhong Han clearly expressed her opposition, the other party continued to pursue the matter relentlessly, which was a bit unreasonable.

Moreover, Zhong Yunxiu had also inquired with several friends and learned that although Chen Ying's son was talented and strong, his character was not good. He was ruthless and often used his father's reputation to forcibly seize cultivation techniques and weapons from many small forces in order to improve his strength.

If their public reputation is this bad, their true nature would probably be even worse if you actually got to know them.

Therefore, even if her daughter were willing, she could not agree to the marriage proposal for the sake of her daughter's happiness!