Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 94 Thank you, Dean

"Has the dean emerged from seclusion?"

Without mentioning his surname, but only referring to him as the dean, that is Jiang Ge, the strongest person in Bailu Academy, who once ranked sixty-eighth on the Earth Ranking.

Since Lu Li entered the academy, he has only met the dean once.

It is said that he suffered from a serious illness that was difficult to cure, and spent most of his time in seclusion to heal his wounds.

"Yes, it's a pity his injuries haven't improved much—that pirate from the South China Sea honed his swordsmanship in the sea eye, which was fierce and powerful yet also full of hidden currents. His last strike before death was no small matter; the sword light transformed into a raging wave that slammed into every point on his body."

Gu Jingyu's carefree and composed attitude, even if there is regret or emotion, only makes people feel the demeanor of a famous scholar. Only at this moment can one truly feel a trace of sorrow.

More than 20 years ago, when he was still a student at the academy, his instructor was Jiang Ge, and he clearly had a deep affection for this dean.

"Without eliminating the major pirates at sea, the South China Sea will remain unsettled."

Lu Li nodded. The pirates in the South China Sea were gradually becoming a major threat to the imperial court.

Every year, a large number of troops are tied down in several coastal counties, but they still cannot stop the ghostly pirate ships at sea, which bring bloodshed, burning, killing and looting wherever they go.

Warriors in the hardest-hit areas had already formed teams to spontaneously fight against the pirates.

Song Yuming's parents were key members of the group and died in battle.

Jiang Ge was from Yuzhang. In his youth, he traveled the martial arts world and lived in Nanhai and Guiyang counties for ten years, forging deep friendships with the local martial artists.

He was present at almost every major battle, sparing no effort.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of both the imperial court and the martial arts world, the maritime threat only worsened, with the pirates seemingly impossible to eradicate.

Legend has it that in the depths of the ocean, among scattered islands, there resides a Dharmakaya master.

This is the fundamental reason why the imperial court dared not send out a fleet to fight against the pirates.

The veracity of this matter cannot be verified, but the existence of a half-step Dharma Body is certain; he is the ninth person on the Earthly Ranking, Hai Wuya.

He once clashed with General Jingyuan across the sea, exchanging three blows in mid-air, which caused a hundred-foot-high wave and a tsunami to crash onto the shore.

In the end, the two half-step Dharma Body cultivators each displayed their supernatural powers.

One protected the coastal county town, and the other saved the tossed and turned fleet.

"Let's not talk about that. That's something important for the big shots in the court to consider. By the way, you'll also get a treasured weapon. I've only just gathered the materials, and it won't be until it's forged into shape for another six months."

Speaking of this, Gu Jingyu's envy was genuine.

A custom-made treasure is of a different kind of significance, and he almost emptied his savings to make it.

The Hall of Rites.

When Lu Li first met Dean Jiang Ge up close, he saw a kind-faced, benevolent and generous man who looked to be only in his forties, but he knew that the dean was over sixty.

The voice is soft and delicate, not because the old injury hasn't healed, but because it's naturally like that.

There is a compelling force that makes one feel that this person is extremely reliable and that his words must be true.

"You don't need to worry about the thief's office. Even if the Vice Privy Councilor speaks up, I will not hand over the academy's disciples. Once Yuan Guanyu calms down, I will write to him and ask him to cancel your arrest warrant under the guise of a general amnesty in a year or two."

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Jiang Ge spoke softly and gently, first explaining the matter to reassure his disciple.

"Thank you, Dean."

Lu Li stood up and thanked him.

No wonder he is so popular. Gu Jingyu holds this dean in the same respectful and reverent manner he would show to a teacher, as do many other academic leaders.

The fact that they didn't mention making it onto the Human Ranking, the gains from the secret realm, or the reputation of the academy, but instead prioritized the safety of their disciples, speaks volumes.

"I heard that you practice the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique—this sword technique is excellent. I also practiced it back then, but unfortunately it didn't suit my personality, so I had to give it up."

Jiang Ge pushed another letter over, which flew straight to him.

"Even if you combine the four academies, there are not many people still cultivating. Yu Ziqi is a latecomer to cultivation, and your path is also wrong—Yingtian has betrayed the alliance. The three of us left can only deal with the attacks that some people in the court will launch against us through this matter by strengthening our ties."

"With this letter from me, Shigu should not refuse your visit to see the original illustration of the Seventy-Two Seasonal Phenomena. I hope you will gain something from it."

Lu Li took the letter and bowed again: "Thank you, Dean."

This gift is more practical than many other things, and it will be of great help to him in deepening his understanding of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique and integrating different solar terms in the future.

A single inspiration or a sudden realization could save years of time.

I had originally planned to visit Shigu Academy and make a request after I had gained some fame.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ge thought of this problem for him and made appropriate arrangements.

"Now that you've made it onto the list of successful people, as I said a few years ago, you should be rewarded with a precious weapon—but the academy isn't exactly well-off. All the weapons that are suitable for you are here. Take a look for yourself."

Jiang Ge raised his palm and swept it, causing three boxes on the table not far away to tremble and flip over.

"Take a look, see if there's anything you like—if not, I can't conjure up anything else."

Lu Li approached and picked up the first treasured weapon from the box, a gleaming silver soft sword coiled up.

With a gentle release of internal energy, the sword instantly straightened, its blade trembling in waves and emitting a dragon's roar.

He slightly reduced his strength, and the sword became flexible again, able to bend at will, allowing him to launch attacks from unexpected directions.

"The sword is named Flowing Clouds. It is a low-grade treasure weapon, forged with Taiyin Plain Gold, Cold Iron, and Weak Water. It is extremely soft and Yin, and its deception is intangible."

Jiang Ge only provided an introduction and did not offer any opinions.

"The next one is called Mountain Collapse, also a low-grade treasure weapon, without a sharp edge or point, its great skill lies in its simplicity—it was the sword of the previous academy's headmaster, who had no children and left it to the academy after his death."

Lu Li took a step forward and exerted force in his hand. The sword had an ancient and simple design, was three inches thick, and weighed at least a hundred pounds.

The sword's blade was rough, resembling an unpolished piece of black iron ore. It seemed to have been forged with the fire of the earth's core, faintly emitting a blackish-red light and still burning hot.

Unless one is a naturally strong body-forging martial artist, even a spirit-refining expert rarely uses a weapon weighing hundreds of kilograms.

This is a huge burden on one's own strength and inner energy, and the slight advantage it brings is not enough to offset the negative effects of rapid depletion.

Lu Li quickly put it down; this Mountain Crash was not as good as the first Flowing Cloud.

Although the soft sword is not applicable in many situations, he can quickly find several moves from the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual that are suitable for use with the Flowing Cloud Sword.

"The last one, why is the blade so long!"

Lu Li drew his longsword, a full seven feet long, its blade gleaming with a cold, bluish light, and its spine adorned with seven dazzling gems.

With a gentle wave, it resembles a flowing river of stars, leaving a trail of light in the air that lingers for a long time.

If one were to wield this sword, it would certainly require a considerable amount of practice to adapt, and one's sword-wielding habits and technique transitions would need to be adjusted accordingly.

"The Star-Picking Weapon is also a low-grade weapon, but it is a failed creation—a piece of extraterrestrial star core, which was placed on the Heavenly Reaching Platform of Zhenwu Temple and refined for a full forty-nine months, drawing upon the dew of the nine heavens to temper it and resonating with the stars in the sky. It was intended to be forged into a high-grade weapon, but the day it was completed happened to be a lunar eclipse, and the tide of the Milky Way rose greatly. The stellar power was mismatched, and it only became a low-grade weapon."

Jiang Ge looked towards Zhaixing, his eyes seemingly filled with memories.

"I obtained this sword from the Zhenwu Temple, intending to give it to Lin Chuge after he advanced to the Refinement God realm—but I never expected it to remain for more than ten years."

Did you use spiritual materials that can forge top-grade treasure weapons?

Lu Li's interest was piqued, and he gently swayed the seven star gems again, which twinkled as if they were truly echoing the starry sky.

But to say that one can resonate with the stars and attract their power is purely a pipe dream.

Such a spectacle is something even top-grade weapons probably couldn't achieve; it must have been done by a divine weapon.

However, he still chose to take the Star-Picking Sword. It might not be the most suitable material, but he valued the high-grade materials used for forging the sword and its connection to the star core.

By any measure, these are treasures that perfectly suit the tastes of the Nebula Palace.

Perhaps there's still a chance to unleash potential and regain a top-grade weapon at the Nebula Palace.

It's worth the gamble just for that small probability.

"I choose the Star-Picking Sword. Thank you, Dean."

Lu Li had lost count of how many times he had said this today.

"Alright, but this sword is inconvenient to carry. You can find a craftsman in the city to make a lightweight sword sheath to carry on your back."

Jiang Ge didn't say whether the choice was good or bad, but simply closed the other two boxes and gave a reminder.

Indeed, it's not appropriate to carry the Star-Picking Sword on your waist; even drawing it is much slower than for others.

It's best to use it only when facing a specific opponent.

Hopefully, once my cultivation level improves further, the restrictions on using the Nebula Palace's storage function will decrease, which would indirectly grant me the legendary Mustard Seed Treasure, eliminating the need to carry around a bunch of swords.

"Tell me, what did you get in the secret realm? — Take out what you want to hand over, and the academy will never let its disciples suffer a loss."

The two sat down again, and Jiang Ge spoke first.

Finally, we've arrived at the important part.

Lu Li's spirits lifted; the real drama was about to begin!

"Dean, this is a body-strengthening exercise I copied down. It seems to have some Buddhist elements."

He took out a neatly folded piece of white paper from his pocket, and after unfolding it, the dark red characters on it formed a complete technique.

"The Glazed Flame Body Tempering Method is divided into five levels. It can be cultivated to the point of perfect spiritual refinement—the body becomes like glazed glass, and the blood and qi become like glazed flames. Unfortunately, it requires a lot of body tempering medicine, which ordinary disciples cannot handle."

Jiang Ge's knowledge far surpassed Lu Li's; with a single glance, he grasped the general merits and demerits of this body-tempering technique.

"If you encounter a suitable disciple, that would be good. The academy has always been weak in body training, so let's say you get six hundred credits."

Lu Li was overjoyed. The Glazed Flame Body Forging Technique was just a starting point and could not be considered top-tier among the martial arts techniques he had prepared to present.

This reward is much better than I expected.

He worked as a tutor for Gu Jingyu, and his monthly stipend for academic credits was in the single digits.

This shows what 600 credits means.

"Dean, this scroll contains the Lone Goose Startling Shadow Sword Technique. It draws inspiration from a flying bird, striking and disappearing in a flash. The sword strikes like a lone goose cutting through the sky, leaving no trace, and targeting vital points—"

"Dean, this scroll is the Tidal Wave Sword Manual, which learns from the rhythm of the ocean tides, endlessly regenerating, combining offense with defense, and retreat with advance—"

"Dean, this scroll contains the Xuan Turtle Mountain-Suppressing Sword Manual. It is as immovable as a mountain, concealing its killing intent within its defenses—"

"Dean, this scroll contains the Thunderous Blazing Sword Technique, which draws upon the fury of thunder and moves with the speed of lightning. Each move is accompanied by the reverberation of thunder—"

Lu Li pulled out more than ten sword manuals in one go. They were all ones he had silently memorized in the Floating Island world and copied by hand yesterday. His hands were still sore.

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