All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 630 - 5: Actions of the Guiyi Army

Chapter 630: Chapter 5: Actions of the Guiyi Army

"Of course, this is a very important exam for both of us."

Huo Qing was well-prepared and said with a smile, "But it seems that the output from the Ancient Immortal Ruins has boosted production and resources are much more abundant. The prices for Cave Heaven Spirit Beasts have also dropped quite a bit. The cost of this meal adds up to less than 400 Good Deeds, and considering its effects can last about a day or two, I think it’s quite worthwhile."

"That really is quite worthwhile."

An Jing felt that 400 Good Deeds converted into silver, placed in the Huai Xu Realm, probably wouldn’t fetch a spiritual meal of this caliber—no doubt the ingredients in the Huai Xu Realm are superior, but could the culinary skills have such a big difference?

No. An Jing thought about it and felt it was still a regional issue.

It’s not possible for a chef with such skills from Huai Xu to appear in a rural place like the Northern Border, only in major cities of the Prefecture Government, or even Shenjing, and the prices wouldn’t be too expensive.

As a country person, I’m definitely a bit uninformed.

After the meal, Huo Qing and the restaurant owner Mr. Fang chatted about a few seemingly unrelated things.

An Jing could tell that this was probably secret communication between members of the Guiyi Army, passing messages.

He pretended not to know and quietly observed, then he realized that Mr. Fang, who seemed to only have the intermediate Qi Refinement level, was actually a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

That is no small matter.

After Huo Qing finished chatting, the two of them rode Tengshuang White out of Chonggang Town, heading to Xuanye City to prepare for the exam. An Jing then asked in a low voice, "Could it be that the Guiyi Army has some operations planned?"

"Indeed, there is."

Huo Qing smacked his lips, seemingly still savoring the taste of the noodles and ribs, "They’ve already secretly dispatched several teams into the Ancient Immortal Ruins to gather intelligence. Now, they are planning to conduct a formal exploration and need to use our place for storing some supplies."

"Don’t worry, this is our regular service, there won’t be any trouble."

Huo Qing’s self-identity was obviously not with the Guiyi Army, but as an independent person, who cooperated with the Guiyi Army due to his parents and elders.

This was a good thing. An Jing still had some doubts about the existence and ideology of the Guiyi Army, and it wasn’t fun for his friends to pick sides so quickly.

As for the storage service, An Jing was aware of it.

Their warehouse was very large, and it was somewhat wasteful to just serve as a retail point for exploration supplies for the Ancient Immortal Ruins, so Huo Qing decided to use part of the vacant warehouse area as a storage zone, helping to keep the explorers’ luggage safe.

This was a service for aiding the poor Loose Cultivators, as not everyone could afford to have a long-term base at Chonggang Town, nor could everyone financially support long-term rentals or hotels in the town, while the temporary camps outside the city on the plains were too dangerous, not to mention the highly corrosive acid rain and knife-cutting winds, as well as demon invasions from the wilderness from time to time.

If one plans on long-term exploration, it’s possible to carry all belongings on oneself, but for short-term, consecutive explorations, the lighter the better, and one cannot bring along Pill furnaces, maintenance equipment, and various equipment for breaking through.

For safety, they must have a camp within the city to store equipment and supplies, hence the creation of the storage service.

This business isn’t particularly lucrative, but it’s mainly for ease of communication with various groups, allowing Iron Hand and Huo Qing to find opportunities to connect with the Guiyi Army.

Moreover, the guests who come here for storage usually also stock up on elixirs, talismans, firearms, ammunition, and other supplies at the adjacent retail store. All in all, for An Jing, who is no longer short of money but in great need of networking and information channels, this is a very good business.

The two entered the city and did not immediately head to Third Middle School, but instead found Nian Quan in a street corner, who was waiting for them—or rather, waiting to be rescued by them.

On the central streets of Xuanye City, neon lights flash, and a variety of projection ads create a river of light flowing through the air.

"Wow, it’s the Haomiao Sword!"

"Idol, please give me an autograph!"

"Wuwuwu, it’s actually Nian Quan’s autograph..."

"Everyone, don’t rush, don’t push, line up slowly..."

Under a projection ad for a ’cheap cracked secondhand Magic Artifact’, a black-haired, blue-eyed boy is cornered against the wall by a group of young, passionate male and female students, smirking awkwardly as he’s obliged to sign autographs for the crowd around him.

"Ah, my friend is here, it’s like this again today, come next time, next time..."

Seeing An Jing and Huo Qing’s arrival, Nian Quan finally lets out a sigh of relief, politely declines another autograph request, and then almost flees using his movement technique to squeeze out.

These fans still plan to chase after him, but Huo Qing raises his hand and summons vines to block them, enabling the three to break into a run and completely shake them off.

"It’s a new term today, and there are many taking exams, according to Principal He, a lot of people chose to join Third Middle School because of my performance."

While running, Huo Qing communicates through a cortical chip, his tone filled with apprehension: "But he didn’t tell me these fans would be so crazy. I specifically took the back roads and was still discovered and cornered..."

"You’re good-looking and you fight well, so it’s normal to have many fans."

An Jing is not surprised by this. Rather, if Nian Quan doesn’t have this effect, Principal He would be anxious—what he wants is exactly Nian Quan’s celebrity effect to quickly make a name for Third Middle School: "Now what do we do, go straight to Third Middle School?"

"Yes."

Nian Quan steadies himself, as he originally came to meet An Jing: "Because of the recent Special City competition, Third Middle School recently has overshadowed First Middle School by a wide margin, attracting lots of attention from leaders, and even board members."

"Board members?" An Jing finds this curious: "Do public schools also have board members?"

"You really don’t understand Xuanye City, An Jing," Huo Qing chimes in. "What’s with the public school that supports itself financially? This is Luofu Group’s Xuanye City, public schools owned by the group are no different from private ones, it’s just the supporting company behind them that differs."

"Huo Qing is right." Nian Quan nods, even letting out a sigh: "Anyway, this new term’s recruitment is taken very seriously. An Jing, you will definitely shine and become the top figure in our Third Middle School!"

You’re thinking I could replace you and get cornered by fans, huh? I can see right through your little ruse!

An Jing is somewhat speechless. Nian Quan and Huo Qing’s faith in him is not misplaced, but he himself isn’t so confident, yet both of them have such high expectations, which feels like a lot of pressure.

It doesn’t matter.

Soon, An Jing adjusts his mindset. Although he has indeed not yet fully mastered the Formation knowledge of the Tianyuan Realm, he can still pass, just not spectacularly—and he doesn’t need to be flawless. As a Wilderness prodigy with a special admission, what he should focus on is actual combat.

Worst case, he’ll lose some points in the written exam but take them all back in combat!

After leaving Nian Quan’s fans behind, the three cross a small square, then head towards the increasingly pristine academic district. The streetsides begin to show patrolling Armored Knights, and the indecent and non-compliant ads almost all disappear, with the air becoming much fresher.

Passing a villa area, an ancient wall is visible on the right-hand side of the road, and within that wall sits an old institution with towering ancient buildings and traditional architectural features.

Moving forward, a majestic school gate comes into view, about fifteen Zhang high and ten Zhang wide, adorned with exquisite bas-reliefs of Immortals performing Dharma Transmission. Just below the "Xuanye City Third Middle School" sign at the top of the gate, there is a line of smaller characters reading "Jingwei Academy".