Refining the Mountains and Rivers

At the remote testing building in the lonely forest, Sha Liuhe put down the jade slip in his hands, a mocking smile on his face. He originally thought that Ning Qin was planning on hiding like a turtle, but he never expected him to turn in his mission at the last possible moment.

Did he send Yun Die to hand in his mission because he was afraid he would be ridiculed by others and would lose any face he had left?

Thinking about this, Sha Liuhe stood up. With his current status, he shouldn’t pay too much attention to this matter; to do so would be below his station.

But he had to confirm whether or not Yun Die’s purity was still intact. This was an important matter and he couldn’t allow any accidents to occur.

“Ning Qin, you had better not have touched her, otherwise I vow I will make sure you suffer so much you will beg to die!”

…

“Mister Ning Qin is handing in his mission?” Sun Xiangzhang had a grateful expression. He knew that with grandmaster’s strength, he wouldn’t disappoint everyone. Even if the result wasn’t good, he would definitely be able to complete the mission.

The disciple shook his head, “Teacher, the one who went to the Internal Affairs Division to turn in the mission was Mister Ning Qin’s disciple, the one called Yun Die.”

He hesitated as he spoke, his complexion strange.

Rumors had already begun to spread. A new secret disciple had spent half a month in an underground room with her teacher, and when she came out she was already a true disciple; there was clearly a problem with this.

Sun Xiangzhang furrowed his eyebrows. He had already grasped the key point to this matter. Could it be that the rumors were true? If they were, then this event would lessen the impression that Grandmaster Ning Qin left in his heart.

Sun Xiangzhang let out a deep breath. He stood up and said, “Come, follow me to the Internal Affairs Division.”

The disciple was perplexed. “Teacher, could it be that you still want to try and explain things for Mister Ning Qin?”

Sun Xiangzhang replied, “I just don’t believe in mere rumors…I need to confirm the truth myself.”

…

“Ning Qin is turning in his mission!”

“The one who went to the Internal Affairs Division is a female disciple of his, the one who was said to have seduced him. She really is as beautiful as a fairy!”

“She’s already become a true disciple? Even disregarding all else, this Ning Qin is a true rake when it concerns his work. He puts everyone out in the open and isn’t afraid of others talking about him behind his back.”

“Humph! After today, let’s see if he still has the face to keep on staying at Rising Lake!”

“Let’s go to the Internal Affairs Division together and take a look at the fun!”

The newly recruited beast trainers all hung up on each other as they rushed toward the Internal Affairs Division.

…

Scenes similar to this were replayed everywhere. For a time, Sky Declaring Pavilion’s Internal Affairs Division became incomparably lively.

“Mister Zhang, you also came?”

“Since everyone is gathering here today, I also wanted to participate in the fun.”

“Haha, Brother Xu, you came too!”

“I naturally cannot miss such a splendid drama.”

Numerous beast trainers greeted each other. On normal days they were often caught up in their own work, so they rarely met up like this. The atmosphere was happy and festive.

How could the Internal Affairs people allow so many cultivators to stand around and tire themselves out? After slapping themselves awake, they busily moved about. Chairs and tables were brought in and snacks were offered, in fear that they would accidentally offend anyone.

Here, the area where Sha Liuhe stood was the most active. Almost all the beast trainers came forward to greet him. They laughed together and complimented his skills.

Sha Liuhe dealt with everyone who greeted him, but he couldn’t help but occasionally glance over at the door leading to the inner chambers of the Internal Affairs Division. Calculating the time, the assessment should almost be completed.

He didn’t care about the result. He just wanted to determine whether Yun Die’s purity was still intact.

…

Jiang Yiyun had an excited expression as he looked at the mission grading score in his hand. The several other veteran appraisers who had participated were all flushed red, their fingers shivering.

After a long time, Jiang Yiyun let out a long breath and carefully put down the jade slip on a table, as if he had been holding onto some rare treasure.

“For my Midmorning City branch division to receive Mister Ning Qin’s favor must be a blessing from the heavens!”

The chief appraiser’s voice shivered as he said, “Mister Ning Qin’s strength is transcendent; it’s not something that someone mediocre like me would be able to understand. I fear he has already broken through the barrier and stepped into the Great Sun boundary…grand expert, this is the grand expert realm!”

The other members of the appraisal board all nodded. They had worked for Sky Declaring Pavilion for a long time, and during this time they had seen many outstanding characters. But, today was the first time they had witnessed someone with a result so dazzling like this.

Not only had the Wonder beast’s injuries been healed, but it experienced another evolution. Its cruel and bloodthirsty disposition had completely vanished and its soul force had suddenly increased three times over. Moreover, it now possessed uncanny dexterity and decent physical strength.

Strictly speaking, it was no longer a Wonder beast but a completely brand new species! And to create a new species was the highest honor of a beast trainer. Only a peak existence, someone that stood at the pinnacle of beast trainers, had this kind of strength.

Yun Die’s hands were folded across her legs. She leaned back slightly against the large and comfortable chair. When she looked at the excited expressions of Jiang Yiyun and the appraisers, her eyes were full of pride.

Jiang Yiyun suddenly coughed out loud. He faced the chief appraiser and the others, slowly saying, “In truth, when Mister Ning Qin joined Sky Declaring Pavilion, he had already revealed his outstanding strength during the final trials. It was just that I passed an order to block all information related to this matter so it wasn’t known to the outside world.

“You should all know that the beast trainer competition is about to begin soon and all influences in the Eastern Region are invited to participate and compete for a chance to enter the heaven bestowed land. Without a doubt, Mister Ning Qin will be the greatest chance for our Midmorning City branch division. He might even be able to represent our Sky Declaring Pavilion and fight for us. In order to avoid any accidents occurring before then, I earnestly ask that you all temporarily conceal this matter.”

The chief appraiser furrowed his eyebrows. “How can this be? A grand expert level existence deserves the respect befitting their status. Their name cannot be tainted in any way! Right now, all sorts of rumors are spreading outside and this is already causing considerable damage to Grand Expert Ning Qin’s prestige. We must quell it as soon as possible!”

Jiang Yiyun tried to persuade them, but the panel of appraisers were completely independent and only listened to the direct orders of the Pavilion Master. He simply had no right to control them. If they insisted on making an announcement, Jiang Yiyun could only compromise.

Yun Die’s eyes sparkled. She suddenly said, “Mister Jiang Yiyun and fellow respected appraisers, might you listen to me for a moment?”

The chief appraiser gently smiled, “Miss Yun Die, please speak.”

The status of being a grand expert’s disciple was enough for him to change his attitude.

Yun Die realized this and her attitude became even calmer and more relaxed. “Thank you. Then, I shall be bold and speak some words that I believe take into consideration everyone’s worries.” After a brief hesitation she said, “Teacher is a person dedicated to his work. He likes to keep a low profile and doesn’t like attention. For instance, when teacher tasked me with handing in the mission for him today, he stayed in his laboratory and is still working. So, although teacher didn’t state it clearly, I think he isn’t willing to be exposed to everyone’s attention. I hope that the panel of appraisers can consider my teacher’s wishes.”

The appraisers all had a dignified expression. They could ignore Jiang Yiyun’s request, but a grand expert’s wishes should be respected.

After discussing the situation for some time, the chief appraiser said, “Since this is the case, we won’t announce any information related to Grand Expert Ning Qin for now. But, this matter must still be reported to the Pavilion Master…with Grand Expert Ning Qin’s strength, he should obtain a reward from the Pavilion Master.”

Yun Die bowed and didn’t say much else.

Jiang Yiyun smiled and nodded, “Of course. Concerning Grand Expert Ning Qin’s existence, I already reported it to the Pavilion Master after the final trials were finished.”

“Then, we should consider how we need to conceal this matter.” Since the true evaluation results couldn’t be announced, they needed the panel of appraisers to make up a new one.

Yun Die’s lips curled up in a smile. Even if they wanted to conceal teacher’s status, the panel of appraisers still wouldn’t allow his result to be lower than anyone else’s.

She suddenly wanted to see the expressions of those people outside. It was sure to be interesting!

…

The room was deathly silent. Li Hao, Rao Xiaoling, and the other two all had pale faces. A barely restrained fear flooded their eyes.

Yun Die had gone to the Internal Affairs Division to submit the mission results on behalf of her teacher…news of this had already spread out. Why was it like this? Wasn’t it said that he had already failed the mission? If Ning Qin had managed to smoothly complete the mission then they would be mocked and ridiculed by others. They would never be able to wash themselves of the reputation of being people who had betrayed their teacher!

“Li Hao, you lied to us! Teacher has clearly completed the mission already!” A youth on the left clenched his jaws, hate in his eyes.

“I originally didn’t have the courage to betray teacher. It was you, you were the one who misled me! What do I do now? It’s over! It’s all over!” Another youth roared out loud.

Rao Xiaoling didn’t speak. She simply stood there in a stunned haze, as if her soul had left her body.

Li Hao was fl.u.s.tered and his thoughts were a mess. “Shut up! We’ve already left Rising Lake and Ning Qin is no longer our teacher!” He took a deep breath and slammed his hands atop the table. “So what if he completed the mission in time? His treatment plan was flawed. It is inevitable that his results will be greatly affected. Do any of you believe that Ning Qin can put forth a result that can compare with Mister Sha’s?”

Seeing the complexions of the three others relax a little, Li Hao said, “Whether or not Ning Qin can complete the mission is irrelevant. He is doomed to be crushed and rolled over by Mister Sha. He will be pressed into the ground and he will never have a chance to rise back up! Yun Die and the others will be suppressed along with him. As for us, we will become Mister Sha’s secret disciples.

“I don’t need to elaborate on Mister Sha’s strength. He is a true grandmaster level existence. Even if we are only his secret disciples, that is still an incomparably honored status! Trust me, none of you chose wrongly. None of us were wrong!”