Chapter Ten: The World Shaken

"Your master said you are 'Grade A-plus'?" Huang Yifan asked with an extremely strange tone.

"Yes... perhaps even higher, but my master could not be certain." Fang Che replied, "After all, my master lacks the resources available here at our Martial Academy."

"Your master is simply a massive, super idiot..." Huang Yifan blurted out.

He realized too late that insulting someone's master to their face might cause resentment. However, when he looked at Fang Che's expression, he saw that the youth remained calm, completely unfazed.

Huang Yifan laughed heartily, exchanged some polite pleasantries, and then dismissed Fang Che. "Go back, rest well, and focus on your training. Most of the others haven't arrived yet; seize this opportunity to cultivate. The freshman tournament is particularly important—you must take it seriously."

"Understood."

Fang Che left.

Once Fang Che was gone, Lü Jiaoshan finally couldn't help but ask, "Why did you shield me just now?"

Huang Yifan retorted angrily, "Are you stupid? If there was no need to shield you, why would I bother? Since I did, it means I didn't want you to know. Asking me now isn't just redundant, it's like taking off your pants just to fart!"

Lü Jiaoshan was left speechless. "..."

Your logic is so damned sound that I have no rebuttal!

Huang Yifan then stood up, looking rather anxious. "I am going out; I have urgent business to attend to. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them to wait."

After saying this, Huang Yifan jumped directly out the window, moving with such urgency it was as if his backside were on fire.

Lü Jiaoshan, still reeling from the shock of discovering a top-tier genius, watched in stunned silence as Huang Yifan vanished. He couldn't help but mutter, "What could possibly be important enough to make that old coot so rushed?"

...

Huang Yifan was feeling genuinely anxious now. If Fang Che’s talent had been merely average, he wouldn't be this stirred up. But such a heaven-defying, peerless talent was a matter of monumental importance.

The news that "Fang Che is a member of the Heart-Teaching Cult" came from Chen Ruhai—a man who was once his own subordinate. While Chen Ruhai was foul-tempered and slovenly, he was meticulous regarding major issues and had never made a mistake.

Yet, his own investigation contradicted that intelligence.

And now, this boy was a world-shaking prodigy. This required immediate attention. Whether the information was true or false, it was a piece of news so explosive it could shake the foundations of the world. Huang Yifan felt he wouldn't be able to sleep until he got to the bottom of it.

He traveled at his top speed, rushing like a spark to Bibo City.

...

Chen Ruhai was in his room, scrubbing his feet with the door closed. The room reeked.

*Bang!* Huang Yifan vaulted through the window. The next moment, accompanied by a roar of fury, another *bang* echoed. Chen Ruhai was kicked against the wall. Then, Huang Yifan zoomed back out, cursing loudly!

"Can you not have an ounce of dignity? Every single day, all you do is pick at your damned stinking feet!"

Huang Yifan was fuming. He had flown in, only to be nearly suffocated. The fresh air of flight had been so pleasant, only to be followed by a mouthful of salted-fish stench. The violent contrast almost made him choke; a wave of nausea rose up, and his stomach churned so hard he nearly vomited.

Chen Ruhai almost shouted "Assassin!", but he managed to swallow the words, sliding down the wall. He scrambled to wave his hand, throwing open all the doors and windows, clearing the room of air and the dead skin flakes he had been scrubbing off. He immediately straightened his clothes and put on a fawning expression. "Boss! Boss, why have you come? Please, have a seat!"

"Dammit, let's go somewhere else!" Huang Yifan growled. "And go wash your hands! Now!"

Chen Ruhai wiggled his bottom and scurried out. "Right away... let me find a clean room..."

...

A moment later, in a pristine reception room, Chen Ruhai sat scrubbed clean and glowing, even wearing several sachets of perfume. It was fragrant and rich.

"Stay right there!"

Huang Yifan pushed Chen Ruhai to the furthest possible seat, then used his spiritual energy to scrub the chair he was sitting on, and followed up by cleansing the entire room with a surge of energy. Only then did he close the door and set up a sound-dampening barrier.

To be fair, Huang Yifan was not usually a clean person himself. He was quite slovenly. But when it came to dealing with Chen Ruhai, he had to be a model of hygiene. It was simply... unbearable.

...

"Do you know why I came?"

Chen Ruhai understood instantly. "Has Fang Che arrived at the Martial Academy?"

"Correct."

"Does the Boss have designs on him?"

"Correct."

"How does the Boss view him?" Chen Ruhai asked.

"Under my intense mental pressure, he suppressed himself until he reached the point of collapse, yet there was no issue whatsoever. He was completely upright, kind, righteous, and possessed a heart of chivalry." Huang Yifan stared intensely, enunciating every word. "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

Before Chen Ruhai could answer, Huang Yifan added, "Think carefully before you speak. This matter, right now, is of extreme importance!"

"Extreme importance?!" Chen Ruhai looked up, startled.

"Yes."

Chen Ruhai pondered for a moment. "If that is the case, I will not offer a verdict. The materials are my personal collection and have passed through no one else's hands. Boss, judge for yourself."

He stood up and went to his secret chamber, returning with a stack of files. Inside was an analysis of every word and action of Fang Che, including the existence of Ye Meng, all the intelligence she had sent back, and the actions taken based on that intelligence.

...

Huang Yifan read very slowly, chewing over and contemplating almost every single word. Throughout the process, he did not utter a sound. He had arrived in the morning, but by the time he finished, it was already the early hours of the next day.

He hadn't said a word, hadn't drunk a drop of water, and hadn't even shifted his position. He had studied every entry multiple times.

As the crowing of a rooster coincided with the first light of dawn, Huang Yifan finally set down the files. He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and fell into quiet contemplation.

Chen Ruhai had been keeping him company the entire time, not daring to make a sound.

Long after, Huang Yifan opened his eyes. "According to the files, there is no doubt this Fang Che is with the Heart-Teaching Cult. But I still trust my own test: this Fang Che should be a good child."

Chen Ruhai’s expression remained unchanged. "On that, I dare not say anything. I only notified you, Boss, to nip things in the bud and prepare for the worst."

"I understand. I will keep a close watch." Huang Yifan sighed softly. "Do not follow me today. I want to wander around Bibo City myself."

He stood up. "After I'm done, I'll head back. I won't bother telling you when I leave."

"Since you've come all this way, Boss, why not stay for a simple meal? I would love to play the host..."

"Get lost! Eating with you, even a god wouldn't be able to swallow!" Huang Yifan rolled his eyes. He tossed over two bottles of pills. "One pill every seven days. There are a hundred inside. When you finish them, come find me."

"Understood." Chen Ruhai treated them like treasures.

"The Thousand-Layer Corpse Poison cannot be cured, but you shouldn't just let yourself rot. It’s already reached your foot—you can’t even hide the smell of one foot? You are a Hall Master, for heaven's sake! What kind of image is this?!" Huang Yifan scolded.

"Yes, the Boss is right."

Huang Yifan waved his hand and vanished without a trace.

Chen Ruhai sighed and stood there for a long time before returning to his room. He read through the files one more time, opened a compartment in his bed, placed the files inside, locked it, camouflaged it, and placed his pillow back on top.

...

Huang Yifan stayed in Bibo City for three full days before finally returning.

...

Meanwhile, Fang Che had long since returned to his "Virtuous Scholar's Residence."

"Young Master, you're back." Ye Meng stepped forward diligently, helping Fang Che remove his cloak and hanging it on the rack. "The large courtyard next door has also been bought. I don't know who it is. Since you weren't back, I didn't dare go and ask."

"Oh?" Fang Che’s eyes flickered. When he had bought his place, the one next door had been empty. Someone moved in right after he bought his?

'Either the Heart-Teaching Cult or the Guardian Hall.'

Fang Che had an idea in his mind. "You have to worry about who buys the house next door? You meddle too much, girl. You've only been eating and not improving these past few days. When will you have a breakthrough? Focus on your training!"

He scolded Ye Meng as usual. Ye Meng pouted. This guy rarely said anything nice.

Fang Che went to practice. He didn't care at all which side the neighbor belonged to. If they were from the Heart-Teaching Cult, they would contact him proactively. If they were from the Guardian Hall, he would just leave it to Ye Meng to handle.

That night, Fang Che was jolted awake from his sleep. He felt the ground beneath him trembling slightly. It wasn't just a local tremor; it felt like a massive, wide-ranging shock.

As an old hand at this, Fang Che immediately realized that someone immensely powerful was fighting far away. The aftershocks of the battle had shaken a vein of the earth, causing the slight seismic activity here.

"Given the intensity of this vibration, the place of the battle must be very far away. The person capable of causing such a tremor is unimaginable."

Fang Che lay on his bed, feeling the vibrations, his heart filled with awe. Such a powerful existence—even the "him" from his previous life would have been blown into dust by a single breath, right?

Who was it?

...

The next day, Fang Qingyun hosted a welcome meal for Fang Che. Fang Che took the opportunity to slip the last remaining Heavenly Pulse Vermilion Fruit into Fang Qingyun’s meal.

Fang Qingyun didn't even notice from start to finish. With other classmates nearby talking loudly, he ended up drinking until he was completely plastered and went home to sleep.

By early morning, the roommates in Fang Qingyun's dormitory were woken up by a foul stench.

"Holy crap... Fang Qingyun, did you shit yourself?!"

Several people covered their noses and fled, throwing a brick from the doorway at the snoring Fang Qingyun. "Even if you're drunk, you can't just relieve yourself in your bed..."

Fang Qingyun woke up slowly, sensing the room was filled with a rich, pungent odor, and couldn't help but curse, "Who shit themselves?!"

...

An hour later, the freshly washed Fang Qingyun was surrounded and beaten up by his roommates. His sheets and bedding were beyond saving and were directly cremated.

The completely baffled Fang Qingyun, bowing and scraping, begged and promised a month's worth of meals to finally shut his roommates up. They reluctantly agreed not to spread the news that he had "soiled his bed."

With the matter resolved, Fang Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief. But he knew for a fact that he hadn't done it!

So, what exactly happened? He had only had a meal with his cousin...

...

Three days later, news finally arrived regarding the earthquake that night: A battle of blades—the sword lost by a single move!

Once the news broke, the whole world was shaken!