Chapter 70: The Strange Rumors of Emperor Feng Academy

  "Hmm, they also live there? What a coincidence." Sun Yan felt incredulous and immediately said, "That's right, 4444 Luli Street used to be where the problematic student Guan was confined, it would be strange if these two didn't live there."

  "Old Master Mu, what happened to these two people later?" Sun Yan asked curiously again.

  The old man's eyes moved slightly, and he shook his head: "Later on, I don't quite remember anymore. After all, I'm getting older, my memory isn't what it used to be."

  "Turns out there really are people worse off than me, great, just great!"

  After listening to the old man's story, Sun Yan showed a brilliant smile and his mood suddenly cleared up. "Building one's own happiness on others' pain is absolutely right. I feel much more comfortable now, thank you, Old Mu."

  The old man looked at the young man deeply and said, "In my life, I have seen many people and many geniuses. But in adversity, there are few who can laugh with abandon like Brother Sun."

  Upon hearing this, Sun Yan clapped his hands and laughed loudly, saying: "My old man told me when I was young that no matter how ordinary or talented you are, it's inevitable to encounter all sorts of difficulties in life. Either way, we're struggling in adversity, so instead of crying out loud, why not face it with a smile? As a man, even if you're on the brink of death, you should still smile and be at peace."

  Every word and sentence comes from the heart, the young man's mouth corners rise, revealing a set of snow-white teeth, that smile seems to be flying up.

  The old man's eyebrows jumped, and after a brief silence, he also burst out laughing: "Good! A good young man facing death should indeed smile calmly. That's right, this is the true son. Sun Xiao has a good father, and your father also has a good son."

  Sun Yan couldn't help but smile and said: "Old Man Mu is indeed wise, thank you, thank you!"

  They chatted for a while longer, and Sun Yan was about to get up and bid farewell, but then Mu Lao Tou suddenly asked: "Sun Xiao Di, your biggest problem right now should be the lack of a more powerful fighting technique, shouldn't it?"

  "Isn't it?"

  Sun Yan's face fell, lacking aggressive combat skills, which was indeed his biggest problem now. If he couldn't acquire a more powerful combat skill within three months, then defeating Mù Shān and turning Qiū Shān Lín and Xǔ Xù Yáo into pig heads in the freshman comprehensive assessment would likely be just a fantasy.

  After all, those who can enter the Emperor Feng Academy are all martial arts geniuses. Every student is making rapid progress. With more resources at their disposal, relying solely on Sun Yan's current mastery of combat skills to defeat his opponents seems a bit unrealistic.

  "If I had 200 credits, entering the Library Association and learning a four-star upper-level combat skill would be no problem." Sun Yan sighed helplessly.

  The old man stroked his eight-character mustache, lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously: "Young Sun, I know a secret in the academy that doesn't require entering the library to learn a powerful combat skill."

  Sun Yan was taken aback, and said hesitantly: "You can learn a powerful martial skill without entering the library? Mu Lao Ge, you're not joking, are you? The school would let a martial skill spread outside the library? This is the Imperial Wind Academy, where masters of martial arts are as common as clouds. How could such a thing happen? It's impossible!"

  The young man shook his head in disbelief, and the old wooden man smiled: "Since it's a secret, naturally it's not something that ordinary people can notice."

  "Really?" Sun Yan still doubted.

  "Of course it's true." The old man's voice became even lower, whispering: "This secret is not something that someone like me, who has lived in the Imperial Wind Academy for hundreds of years, would know about. Others are completely unaware of it."

  Listening to Old Man Mu's words, Sun Yan couldn't help but be stirred up with interest, and he leaned in to ask: "What is the secret after all, Old Brother Mu? Don't keep us in suspense anymore."

  The old man nodded and said, "Have you heard of the ordinary department's 38th martial arts arena?"

  Sun Yan shook his head: "Of course I haven't heard of it, I've only been in school for less than 10 days!"

  Every school has its own strange stories, and Tei Fu Academy is no exception. One of the strange tales is about the haunting of the 38th martial arts arena. It's unknown when it started, but at midnight, strange noises can be heard coming from the 38th martial arts arena.

  The old man said, his face revealing a sinister color, and he whispered: "For martial artists, this is nothing to be afraid of, but the strange thing is that many martial arts students go there to practice at midnight, and the next day they will all show signs of dizziness, muttering continuously, as if they had encountered some terrifying things. However, after they wake up, they don't remember anything about what happened that night. Over time, the rumor of the 38th martial arts field being haunted spread, and almost no students would go there at night.

  Quietly listening to the end, Sun Yan frowned: "Ghost incident, what does this have to do with martial arts?"

  The old man's eyes flashed, saying: "Originally, no one would associate this matter with martial arts, but you also know that there are many bold people in the world who like to explore secrets. 400 years ago, a powerful warrior came to Emperor Wind Academy, which sparked his interest, and that night the warrior stayed at No. 38 Martial Arts Arena. The next day, great changes occurred on his body."

  Sun suddenly became interested and asked: "Oh, what happened to that person?"

  "That person's martial arts cultivation had been stuck at the 9th level of Wujing for many years, but after spending a night in the 38th performance arena, he suddenly broke through to the 10th level of Wujing. Moreover, not long after leaving Emperor Feng Academy, it was rumored that he created a powerful battle technique."

  Sun Yan furrowed his brow and muttered, "Perhaps this is just a coincidence. Being stuck at the 9th level of martial arts for many years, it's possible to break through to the 10th level at any time or place."

  The old man laughed and said: "Do you know who that person is?"

  "Who is it?"

  "Zhōu bù fán."

  Translation: "Zhou is not ordinary."

  Sun Yan's eyes widened in surprise and he exclaimed, "The Second Group Army Commander of the Military Department, Blood Shirt General Zhou Bufan?"

  The blood-stained uniform of Zhou Bu Fan was a dream for every young man in the entire Odin Star Domain.

  The Rock Dragon Legion, with troops besieging the city, the commander killing enemies, blood staining his armor, the military god not appearing, and the world being extraordinary. Such an extraordinary style, looking at the history of the Odin star domain over the past few hundred years, only a handful of people can match it.

  The old man said: "I will notice this matter, also because Zhou Bu Fan is too famous. However, another person's affairs made me start to notice this secret."

  "That person was a 7th-level martial artist at the time, and that night, like Zhou Bu Fan, he stayed in the 38th performance arena. The next day, that person actually used his 7th-level martial skills to unleash the Flame Sun Fist intent, shocking the entire Emperor Wind Academy."

  Sun Yan's breathing caught, and he muttered: "The intention of the Flame Fist, that person won't be..."

  In the history of Domir Star, there was a person who spent three years traveling through the four domains, experiencing tens of thousands of battles big and small, never once defeated. Legend has it that this person's weapon was just their fists, with a boxing style as fierce as the scorching sun, invincible and unbeatable, known to the world as the Invincible Fist King.

  "Not bad, that person is Bai Po Ri, the Boxing King of Wansheng." The old wooden man said slowly.

  Sun Yan's emotions surged, and she couldn't say another word.

  "Such things happened several more times..."

  The old man continued to mention over a dozen people, and for Sun Yan, these names were truly like thunder in his ears. Some of them were currently renowned martial arts masters in society, while others were legendary powerful warriors.

  Finally, the old man said in a low voice: "It was through these people's affairs that I noticed this secret. The reason why the school authorities did not detect it is that each of them came to the college at intervals of several decades. How many people would notice this point with such a long interval?"

  "Old Mu, I must give it a try. The 38th Martial Arts Arena, at midnight?"

  Sun Yan stood up excitedly, he had already confirmed more than half in his heart, the opportunity was right in front of him, and he didn't want to miss it.

  "Not bad, the time when the martial arts arena is haunted, it's usually at midnight." The old man nodded.

  Sun Yan glanced at the time, it was already midnight, he didn't want to stay any longer, after asking for the address of the 38th martial arts arena, he turned around and wanted to rush there, but was suddenly stopped by Old Man Mu.

  The old man smiled and handed over a cup of Wudao tea, the color was green and hazy, like a bamboo, "Don't be in a hurry, young Sun, have another cup of Wudao tea, there's still some time."

  At this moment, Sun Yan didn't have the heart to drink tea. He took over the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. He threw out a sentence: "Old Mu, wait for my good news." In the blink of an eye, he had slipped out of the door and disappeared into the night.

  Looking at the young man's back, Old Man Mu narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly: "Three cups of Enlightenment Tea can increase a person's intelligence by 50% within a day. The rest depends on your luck, little friend."

  Right after, a sly smile appeared on the old man's face as he muttered to himself: "I seem to have forgotten to mention one thing. Even if that opportunity really exists, it must first undergo the suffering of ten thousand needle pricks in the heart. Hmm, did I say it? Didn't I say it? Alas, people get old and their memory isn't what it used to be."

  "The ultimate state of being a troll is to make people know that there's a pit of fire in front of them, but they can only grit their teeth and jump into it. After going through the suffering of being burned by fierce flames, they can only be grateful and thankful to me, the troublemaker. Hahaha..."

  A burst of triumphant laughter was again followed by the sound of groaning from within the small hut, drowning out the old man's laughter.

  ……

  The night is deep and dark, the sky is dotted with stars, and the two moons shine on the earth.

  Although it was midsummer, the location of Imperial Wind Academy was at a very high altitude, and by nightfall, it became refreshingly cool.

  At 11:15 pm, Sun Yan arrived outside the ordinary department's No. 38 martial arts arena.

  This is an old building with fine cracks on the walls, and the thick wooden door has a mottled color, making it seem like no one has repaired it for a long time. Perhaps it's because of the ghost incident in the martial arts hall that many students dare not approach, and the school gradually abandoned this place.

  Pushing open the wooden door, a musty smell of rotten wood wafted out, and Sun Yan's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he didn't find it unpleasant, instead feeling a sense of familiarity.

  Growing up in an old house on the outskirts of Luoshan City, which is located in the southern part of the south wind zone, the climate is rainy and humid, and the old house often has this smell.

  No. 38 training ground is very large, about 1500 square meters, the ground is uneven, with footprints everywhere, some deep and some shallow, the walls also have fist prints and palm prints of varying depths, all left by martial artists in the past.

  There is a skylight on the roof, with starlight pouring in, illuminating one corner of the martial arts arena, surrounded by an eerie silence that sends chills down one's spine.

  Looking around in a circle, Sun Yan's eyes were calm and peaceful, without any sorrow or joy, his mood was more tranquil than ever before, like a deep pool of water, undisturbed by ripples.

  As for the haunted martial arts arena incident mentioned by Old Man Mu, Sun Yan had his own views on it.