Piercer of Heaven (Chapter 33) (Patreon)

Here we go fellas, back on track!

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After the lesson, the students were made to depart, except for Gao Yanan and Jiang Yu’er. Being the only two exceedingly gifted in Medical Arts, they received special instruction from Assistant Professor An until after sunset.

Currently, the twenty-something lecturer entered Medicine Hall, navigating the tall, multi-story building like a modern hospital block. On the middle floor, she found a room not at all different from the rest, except for the gold-carved nameplate hanging from the door.

She knocked, received permission, then entered.

“It’s already so late, but I suppose you couldn’t wait to tell me about our precious first-years, fufu~”

Elder Mei, scribbling something on a parchment roll, laughed over her shoulder.

Assistant Professor An closed the door behind her, coming to stand a short distance away. In response to her superior’s greeting, she only nodded, waiting patiently for the middle-aged woman to finish.

Silence stretched between them, but Elder Mei knew her junior’s introverted personality, so it wasn’t uncomfortable. Eventually, she laid down her stylus.

“Go ahead. Even if you don’t show it, I can sense your impatience.”

Turning around, she faced Assistant Professor An, her lips curling into a smile.

The youthful lecturer squared her shoulders before stepping forward, her face an impassive mask. In curt, short sentences, she retold the events of earlier today, putting special emphasis on Gao Yanan and Jiang Yu’er’s performances.

Elder Mei listened with interest.

“Grand secretary Zhuo’s daughter is certainly gifted, but this Yu’er girl is a surprise…”

After remaining silent for a moment, she chuckled.

“…well, there’s no such thing as having too many geniuses. Our Medicine Hall lagged in the past, but with this year’s admission, the winds seem to be changing directions.”

Then, something seemingly sprung to mind, because she looked at Assistant Professor An with a questioning expression.

“What about mister ‘Heaven’s Choice number one’? You didn’t say anything about his performance.”

For the first time, Assistant Professor An’s expression shifted, a hint of a frown appearing on her forehead.

“…his evaluation wasn’t favorable. Though his Soul Force is qualitatively excellent, his disposition clearly isn’t suitable for Medical Arts.”

She hesitated before continuing.

“Among the students tested, his results were the worst, in that sense. I can’t help but wonder if changing departments wouldn’t be preferrable.”

From start to finish, her tone remained even, but Assistant Professor An’s frown continued to deepen until even her nose was crinkled.

Elder Mei’s jovial expression also disappeared, the look in her eyes serious. Although her junior didn’t say it outright, she understood the implications.

Now and then, students would be admitted to Medicine Hall with… certain types of dispositions. Usually, this manifested in terms of peculiar interests—using Medicine Arts not to heal, but to strengthen the individual and for developing poisons…

In and of itself, this wasn’t too troublesome, being indeed part of the curriculum. However, sometimes the practitioners’ interests extended beyond that, towards what could only be considered malfeasance.

In the case of Medicine Hall, this was a far bigger disaster than for any other departments. Catching the malpractitioners was extremely difficult, given their profession—the line distinguishing medicine and poison was often a question of dosage alone. On top of that, the criminals were extremely adept at avoiding capture, given their education.

If Medicine Hall accidentally raised a murderer, the consequences would be disastrous. Within the academy, they were still confident in being able to apprehend such an individual, but what if that person passed all scrutiny, eventually entering the wider world?

Detecting and convicting medical crimes became nearly impossible. For that reason, it was extremely important for new students to be screened meticulously.

Elder Mei sighed.

“That brat… he’s more of a rascal than I anticipated, but let’s not jump to conclusions. The Spirit Stone Pestle can only tell so much.”

She tried keeping her tone lighthearted, but some weariness creeped in. For her, it was turning out to be a long day.

Assistant Professor An nodded slowly.

“Should I report this to the Vice-Principal?”

From the question, as well as her body-language, the young lecturer clearly didn’t believe in being too cautious.

Elder Mei shook her head.

“Let’s not make a big issue out of it. It’s only the first day of teaching. Keep a close eye on him and report if anything unusual happens.”

Apparently considering their conversation at and end, she started putting away stationary, as well as collecting personal belongings from the office.

Assistant Professor An watched on, showing no intention of leaving.

“Elder, please pardon me, but I don’t think this is a good idea. Someone like him… he should be transferred to a different department. If only we spoke to the Vice Principal, I’m certain he would…”

Taking a deep breath, she started laying out her reasoning, unwilling to let Xu Zhenyan stay in Medicine Hall for longer than necessary. By the time he’d learned their methods, wouldn’t he be more than capable of hiding his misdeeds?

In Assistant Professor An’s mind, it was too risky.

However, Elder Mei interrupted her before she could finish.

“That’s enough, Keke. Regarding that kid, well… I’ll deal with his matters. Just continue teaching as you would have.”

Finished with her tidying, she gave her junior a placating smile before walking past her, standing outside the office. Then, she waited patiently for ‘Keke’ to leave.

Frustrated, but unable to sway her superior, the young teacher could only obey reluctantly. She resolved to watch Xu Zhenyan like a hawk, looking for even the slightest trespass. When that happened, there would be no way for him to escape.

After saying their goodbyes, Elder Mei watched Assistant Professor An leave, wearing a thoughtful expression. When she disappeared around the corner, a hint of a smile appeared on the older woman’s face.

‘Hmm… that boy is far more interesting than I anticipated. Hopefully the Spirit Stone Pestle judged him correctly—combined with his talent for cultivation, he makes for an extremely suitable candidate.”

Grinning to herself, she walked in the opposite direction, disappearing in the shadowy hallway.

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Cultivating alone in his room, Xu Zhenyan had no idea of the discussion happening behind his back. However, he did have some suspicions regarding Assistant Professor An. Because of his unique spirit sense, he was able to detect some emotional instabilities when she saw the Spirit Stone Pestle’s results.

Given the novel primarily following Lin Xi’s perspective, there was no scene involving Medicine Hall students’ first day of school. Consequently, the Spirit Stone Pestle’s function was unknown to him.

‘In the end, my abilities are too outrageous for the academy to expel me. Worst case, I’m transferred to a different department.’

Exhaling slowly, Xu Zhenyan felt the surging in his meridians grow calm after breaking through to Soul Master realm. Over the past few months, without cultivating at all, the ki in his dantian swelled to breaking point.

He could’ve broken through long ago, but didn’t find the environment suitable. Besides, there was still the matter of stabilizing his foundation through meditation.

Wearing a satisfied smile, he stood and grabbed a red, cotton towel from his wardrobe. Having already eaten, a hot bath before bed seemed like just the thing.

‘Still, it’s really incredible—advancing without having to cultivate. If it wasn’t for the Immortal Transformation Technique, I would’ve needed years to get to this point.’

Heading out of his room, Xu Zhenyan had no qualms about admitting his unfair advantage. Ultimately, that was the way of the world, no matter where you were. Whether from birth or some other means, cultivation was only for the privileged.

Never mind talent, if you were born poor, it was impossible to afford enough food to sustain the body’s needs. Even someone like Lin Xi, a ‘bumkin prodigy’, only set foot on the path of cultivation because of a lucky encounter. If it wasn’t for princess Changsun Muyue, he probably wouldn’t have known of its existence until later in life, being considerably disadvantaged by then.

Travelling through the well-lit hallways, Xu Zhenyan encountered quite a few students. It wasn’t strange, given the building housed a few hundred, taking in account each year group.

Surprisingly, there was no organized introduction between first-years and seniors, at least not yet. It was different from his previous life, when he’d lived in residence during college.

‘Not that I’m complaining.’

In a good mood from his breakthrough, he smiled to himself.

On his way to the baths, apparently heated via subterranean volcanic activity, he encountered a pleasant surprise. Not far ahead, Leng Qiuyu chatted with two girl-friends, likely returning from her own bath.

She was a sight to see, her pretty face flushing pink and her raven hair still wet. It was to the extent that his eyes involuntarily swept her from top to bottom, lingering on her chest and waist.

“If it isn’t the Leng family’s esteemed young lady! I apologize, I meant to introduce myself earlier, but never quite found the opportunity.”

His hands in his sleeves, Xu Zhenyan bowed at the waist, smiling handsomely. After making eye-contact with Leng Qiuyu, he nodded amicably toward the two unknown girls, not wanting to appear high-and-mighty.

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