Urban Extraordinary Immortal Doctor
Chapter 954: Unrequited Love

Chapter 954: Chapter 954: Unrequited Love

As Fang Bai’s voice fell, Ren Jingbo and the other leaders of Bitao Martial Academy exchanged uneasy glances, all showing signs of difficulty.

Ren Jingbo, recalling how he had just put on a generous front, as if he would agree to any request Fang Bai made, now felt deeply ashamed as his request came up and he found it very hard to fulfill, blushing with embarrassment.

"Fang Bai, you are now an Inner Court disciple, receiving five thousand Essence Stones and fifty elixirs a month, which is already on par with the treatment of a Core Disciple. If we give you more cultivation resources, I’m afraid the other disciples will have objections!"

Ren Jingbo twisted his beard continuously, laughing dryly as he spoke.

Fang Bai sighed, "There’s a saying, ’The path of the Martial Dao is like rowing up the stream, not to advance is to fall back.’ Without sufficient cultivation resources to aid me, my cultivation progress will slow down or even come to a halt. This is not what all the honored deans, elders, and stewards present wish to see, right?"

"This..."

Ren Jingbo and the high-level officials of Bitao Martial Academy exchanged looks once again.

Fang Bai was Bitao Martial Academy’s greatest hope for rising to prominence, and naturally, none of the leadership wanted his cultivation to suffer due to a lack of resources.

However, Ren Jingbo’s point was also valid; the cultivation resources Fang Bai currently received each month were already equivalent to those of a Core Disciple. If more were allocated to him, it would inevitably lead to complaints and dissatisfaction among other disciples.

For a moment, Ren Jingbo and the other leaders of Bitao Martial Academy were all frowning deeply, at a loss for what to do.

"How about this, Fang Bai, in a few days, will be the annual practice trial in the mountains for our disciples at Bitao Martial Academy. If you achieve outstanding results in the trial and gain the approval of the other disciples, we will be able to justifiably increase your share of the cultivation resources. What do you think?"

The vice dean sitting to the left of Ren Jingbo said with a beaming smile.

The thousands of disciples from Bitao Martial Academy would participate in the one-month mountain practice trial that took place every year during the transition from spring to summer. The main objective was to hunt Spirit Beasts and gather Spiritual Medicine; in the end, the one with the most gains received certain rewards from the Academy’s leadership.

Each trial was a time when the disciples of Bitao Martial Academy competed against each other, with everyone eager to perform well and attract the attention of the higher-ups.

Fang Bai knew about the annual mountain trials for the disciples and understood how seriously each one took it, with many hoping to use the opportunity to test their Martial Arts and gain some cultivation resources.

Some disciples at Bitao Martial Academy also hoped they might encounter some fortuitous opportunities in the mountains to boost their abilities dramatically.

Such an opportunity had previously happened to the Inner Court disciple, Tu Hu.

It was said that Tu Hu was not very talented initially but had stumbled upon the remnants of a Desolate Level Martial Artist during a trial, where he obtained some Martial Arts Techniques and resources for cultivation. As a result, his strength increased significantly, placing him at the top of the Inner Court’s combat rankings.

Tu Hu’s experience had become a legend within Bitao Martial Academy, with many disciples dreaming of one day encountering a great opportunity like he did.

Therefore, the disciples of Bitao Martial Academy always participated enthusiastically in the mountain trials, each striving to be the first upon entering the mountains.

The suggestion of the vice dean to Fang Bai was to have him "win others over with his martial prowess"; as long as Fang Bai performed well enough in the trial, then allocating him additional cultivation resources later would seem reasonable and fair.

"Alright, it’s settled then! Honored deans, elders, stewards, watch my performance in the trial!"

Fang Bai agreed readily with a nod.

Ren Jingbo and the others were relieved to see that Fang Bai had no complaints, their faces revealing a look of pleasure.

The more they observed Fang Bai, the more satisfied Ren Jingbo and his peers became. They were especially impressed that Fang Bai could maintain a demeanor that was neither servile nor overbearing, and appeared as calm as a gentle breeze or soft cloud when facing the high-ranking figures of the Martial Academy. This was not something an ordinary disciple could achieve.

"Fang Bai, should you encounter any questions in your martial arts techniques or cultivation methods, feel free to consult with us at any time,"

Ren Jingbo specifically instructed before Fang Bai left the Lingtian Hall.

If any other disciple of the Martial Academy could receive such words from Ren Jingbo, they would surely dance with excitement and be so stirred as to weep.

After all, individuals like Ren Jingbo were Desolate Level experts. Receiving their guidance was a rare opportunity that would undoubtedly be beneficial beyond measure.

Yet Fang Bai remained unmoved by honor or disgrace, smilingly expressing his gratitude to Ren Jingbo and the other Martial Academy high ranks before leisurely departing from Lingtian Hall.

"Have you noticed that the kid seems somewhat indifferent to our goodwill?"

Watching Fang Bai’s departing figure, Ren Jingbo spoke with a glum expression, "Although our strength is far inferior to those Vast Level experts from third-grade sects, I feel we are more than capable of advising that young man... Heh, I really don’t understand what is going on in that kid’s mind!"

"Perhaps the martial arts techniques and Martial Dao arcanes we taught him before have already been thoroughly understood by him? If that is the case, our guidance would be of no significance to him,"

an elder commented with a smile, twirling his beard.

Another elder, nodding in agreement, said, "That lad possesses a Dual Attribute Innate Spiritual Root, and has extraordinary talent. Perhaps he not only understands what we teach but can also expand upon it. So... there might not be anything he needs our guidance for."

"In that case, it seems I was being overly sentimental,"

Ren Jingbo laughed heartily and added, "Alright then, I will wait and see how that young man fares in this mountain training adventure. I hope he does not disappoint me!"

After leaving Lingtian Hall, Fang Bai went straight to Hou Ziping’s residence. He intended to gather as much information as possible about the upcoming training adventure from Hou Ziping, to formulate strategies in advance.

Three days later, the annual mountain training event of the Bitao Martial Academy commenced.

In the early morning, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, the martial academy’s mountain gate square was already teeming with people.

Thousands of disciples from the academy had gathered: menial servants, external courtyard disciples, inner court disciples, as well as core disciples and direct disciples. It was an unprecedented grand occasion.

Since the mountain training events occurred each year, the academy’s disciples were well-versed in the routine.

Following the procedure, after a lengthy speech from one of the vice-presidents of the Martial Academy, the disciples dispersed to find suitable sect members to form teams, and then reported their team members’ names to an academy steward for record-keeping.

The academy imposed a rule that the number of people in each team must not exceed ten. Otherwise, even if the team gained significant achievements during the mountain training, the academy would not recognize them.

Indeed, if a team had too many members, its overall strength would increase correspondingly, and its ability to deal with risks and challenges would be significantly enhanced. Thus, the purpose of the academy’s disciples training in the mountains would be lost.