Ch 109
Chapter 109: Busy
As soon as Ye Shi entered seclusion, he stayed there for over half a month.
In the first part of his retreat, Ye Shi diligently refined Flame Talismans, pushing his cultivation to the level of a six-star martial artist.
Following Mu Chen's guidance, he consumed the Nine Transformations Body Refining Liquid and then took the advancement pills. After successfully making a breakthrough, he spent several days consolidating his foundation.
Ye Shi was immersed in cultivation, and Mu Chen was no less busy.
He had to make cakes for Jing Chiyan, brew wine for Xiong Wei, and refine Flame Talismans to sustain his business. He also had to keep up with Inscription Academy studies, expand his general knowledge, train to maintain his cultivation, and think of new ways to earn spirit stones.
Even though his Yanhuo Talismans were selling like hotcakes, Mu Chen never put all his eggs in one basket.
He also couldn't flood the market—rare items stayed valuable, but once something became common, the price would plummet.
---
In the training room, Mu Chen took a sip of Yuan Spirit Liquid and circulated his Yuanli nonstop.
His cultivation had progressed quickly, but it left his foundation slightly unstable. So he spent time compressing and refining his Yuanli to solidify it.
While his level hadn't gone up on paper, his internal strength was several times stronger than it was just ten days ago.
---
"Ru Ge, has your junior brother come out of seclusion yet?" Jing Chiyan asked.
Xin Ruge shook her head. "Not yet."
"He's been in there for more than ten days… Not bad," Jing Chiyan muttered.
"That's a good thing, Shishu!" Xin Ruge said.
Jing Chiyan nodded and sighed. "Yes, it's good. He's finally making progress."
But that didn't stop him from letting out a quiet, disgruntled sigh. Ever since Ye Shi went into seclusion, Mu Chen stopped bringing cakes. Before, he could at least sneak a few bites.
Mu Chen did bring a giant cake at the start of Ye Shi's retreat, but after that? Nothing. What kind of person only gives gifts once? Did no one teach that boy consistency?
---
"Shishu, I heard Mu Chen spiked Xiong Wei's wine with medicine," Xin Ruge said.
Jing Chiyan grinned mischievously, "Well done!"
Hua Shu had initially sworn to keep it secret, but turned around and sold Xiong Wei out in no time.
The story of Mu Chen slipping laxatives into Xiong Wei's wine spread quickly. Many instructors who were secretly jealous that Xiong Wei got Mu Chen as a disciple couldn't help but laugh behind his back.
---
"What did Rong'er say in her letter?" Ye Xun asked Wang Li anxiously.
"She said Ye Shi is in seclusion and couldn't be found," Wang Li replied helplessly.
"Seclusion? That brat's doing it on purpose, I just know it!" Ye Xun growled.
Wang Li frowned. "He's always been so lively. I didn't expect him to suddenly go into hiding. Could he really be avoiding us?"
Ye Xun's face turned stormy. They had already been in the imperial capital for several days, and their primal stones were almost gone.
The housing costs in the capital were outrageous—even budget inns charged 2,000 spirit stones per day.
They were burning through savings like wildfire, yet couldn't even catch a glimpse of Ye Shi. Ye Xun's anxiety grew worse by the day.
The bustling, extravagant capital made Ye Xun's heart itch, but with no money, all he could do was grit his teeth and endure.
Wang Li sighed. "I heard that when Mu Yuanfeng arrived, all the major guilds came out to greet him. It was a huge event."
Ye Xun's face twisted.
Truly, some people were just born lucky. Mu Chen was known for being filial—he even gave Mu Yuanfeng a Broken Spirit Pill to help him break through to the Martial Spirit Realm.
And when they got to the capital, Mu Chen gifted him dozens of Flame Talismans, and even set up a primal stone card worth tens of millions.
Both fathers—yet the difference was like heaven and earth.
Just thinking about Mu Yuanfeng made Ye Xun's eyes go blood-red with envy.
He had once tried to claim publicly that he was Ye Shi's father, but people just laughed and treated him like a lunatic.
---
"How many spirit stones do we have left?" Ye Xun asked darkly.
"Less than 20,000," Wang Li said, worried.
"Just 20,000?! Did you go shopping again?!" Ye Xun roared.
Wang Li flinched and whispered, "No… I only bought some cheap blush powder. But even that's expensive here."
Ye Xun's face was livid. "If Ye Shi keeps hiding in seclusion…"
At this rate, the innkeeper would throw them out. And with so little left, they couldn't even afford to travel back to the Ye family estate.
Wang Li lowered her head.
She had assumed that once they reached the capital, they could depend on Ye Shi to live a luxurious life. Who knew it'd be even tougher than before?
And her daughter, Ye Rong, wasn't helping. She was a student at Saint Star Academy, sure—but instead of making money, she was just burning through family funds.
---
"What's Rong'er doing anyway? Why can't she just find Ye Shi?" Ye Xun shouted.
He was used to being a tyrant back in their small city, but since arriving in the capital, he had faced nothing but setbacks. He was going mad.
Wang Li forced a smile. "Rong'er tried. But Ye Shi's in seclusion…"
Inwardly, she sighed.
Ye Xun was like a dying man grabbing the wrong prescription. Ye Shi was now the disciple of a Martial King. Ye Rong was just a regular student.
They might both be first-years, but their statuses were miles apart.
She couldn't even get close to Ye Shi during normal days—let alone while he was shut away.
---
Fu Courtyard.
Mu Chen was focused, calmly drawing a talisman as a small crowd watched in awe.
His brush glided across the weapon, and when he finished the final stroke—it suddenly gleamed like a famous sword being unsheathed.
Applause erupted.
"Classmate Mu, that's amazing! You've mastered such a complicated second-level inscription!"
The speaker was Zhou Yan, previously considered the youngest talent in the Inscription Academy before Mu Chen arrived.
Mu Chen smiled humbly. "I'm still not very proficient."
"You're too modest," Zhou Yan said with a forced smile. "I can only look up to you now."
Mu Chen didn't respond.
A female student nearby said, "Classmate Mu, at this rate, you'll become a third-level inscription master in no time!"
Mu Chen just smiled again. "I still have a lot to learn."
---
"It's a shame. If you reached third-level, the dean would be ecstatic," Zhou Yan said with a sigh.
"Why?" Mu Chen asked curiously.
Before Zhou Yan could answer, a loud voice interrupted.
"Alright, alright! Break it up! That's enough!" Xia Qingyan strode in.
Mu Chen turned to see her walking straight toward them.
She glanced at the weapon glowing with inscription power and raised an eyebrow. "You drew this?"
"Yes," Mu Chen replied.
"Not bad," she said approvingly.
Mu Chen looked a little embarrassed. "Thank you, Dean."
"I'll give you three days to learn a third-level inscription," she said, pulling out a stack of talisman designs. "Here are five. Pick one."
"Three days?" Mu Chen frowned.
"Oh? Too long for you?" Xia Qingyan raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Make it two days."
She patted his shoulder with a sly smile. "You've got time to bake cakes, make wine, run businesses… Don't tell me you're too busy for inscriptions?"
Mu Chen stood there speechless.
Xia Qingyan added, "Back in the day, I became a third-level inscription master in three days."
Then she was gone—like a passing thunderstorm.
---
"The dean really expects a lot from you!" a student whispered.
Mu Chen rubbed his chin. "Why is she in such a rush for me to reach third-level?"
"You don't know?" Zhou Yan asked. "The number of certified inscription masters directly affects school funding. Especially third-level ones. If a freshman becomes one, the freshman funding doubles, and the evaluation deadline gets pushed back five days!"
Turns out, in recent years, the Inscription Academy had been struggling. Fewer good students meant less funding… which led to even worse performance. A downward spiral.
---
"So the Alchemy and Talisman Academies are the same?" Mu Chen asked.
Zhou Yan nodded. "Exactly. The Alchemy Academy has Lan Ruofeng, a certified third-level alchemist, so their funding's great. Our academy had none—until you."
He added, "Mu Chen, now it all depends on you. Whether we get more resources or not, it's in your hands."
Mu Chen smiled faintly. "I understand."
In truth, Mu Chen was already a third-level inscription master, but he hadn't gone to the association for certification yet. He wasn't in a rush to show off.
That said, it did come with perks. Xia Qingyan just handed him five third-level inscription designs—stuff that would've cost millions of spirit stones on the open market.
---
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