"Ye Xuan, what did Leng Yingying say to you just now?" The fatty Chen Xing rolled over like a rubber ball, a gossipy expression on his face, his eyes sparkling. "That's Leng Yingying we're talking about! Tsk tsk, the goddess of my dreams. If my goddess would just say a single word to me, I'd die happy."
"Goddess my ass."
Ye Xuan shot Chen Xing a glance. 'What are kids these days even thinking about?'
Just then, the faint sound of a voice calling out reached them.
"That's Teacher Yun Aoxue's voice."
"Teacher Yun Aoxue has come to find us."
"Teacher, we're over here!"
"SOB... Teacher, please hurry!"
Inside the cave, all the students leaped to their feet in delighted surprise, rushing to the entrance to shout.
The owner of the voice seemed to hear their shouts and drew near quickly. Before long, a blue figure sped toward them. It was a woman with delicate features. Long, blue hair cascaded down her back, dancing in the wind. Her skin was a flawless, snowy white, and her lively blue eyes held an infinite charm. Beneath her blue robes, her figure was exquisite and proud. She was, without a doubt, a great beauty.
"Students, are you all alright?"
Yun Aoxue arrived at the cave entrance, her worried gaze sweeping over everyone present. Seeing that no one was injured, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
'Hm? A Tier Two Xuanwu Realm Martial Artist. Looks like this little academy has a genius or two after all.' Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed as he sized up Yun Aoxue with interest.
A Martial Artist refines Profound Qi to open their Profound Veins. Once they open more than seven Profound Veins, they can construct a Profound Sea and become a true Martial Artist.
The rank of Martial Artist is divided into nine tiers: Tier One Spirit Profound Realm Samurai, Tier Two Martial Profound Realm Martial Artist, Tier Three Earth Profound Realm Earth Martial Artist, Tier Four Celestial Profound Realm Celestial Martial Artist, Tier Five Sect Profound Realm Martial Sect, Tier Six Venerable Profound Realm Martial Venerable, Tier Seven King Profound Realm Martial King, Tier Eight Emperor Profound Realm Martial Emperor, and Tier Nine Emperor Profound Realm Martial Emperor.
Each tier is further divided into three layers, representing three levels.
Above the Martial Emperor is the ethereal and illusory Saint Realm. One must shatter the void to enter the Celestial Realm. However, the Saint Realm is only a legend; no one on the Celestial Profound Continent has reached it in ten thousand years.
Yun Aoxue looked to be about twenty years old at most, yet she was already a Tier Two Martial Profound Realm Martial Artist. In Ye Xuan's eyes, such talent was enough to be called a genius.
When Ye Xuan's superior, scrutinizing gaze swept over her, Yun Aoxue's heart trembled. She quickly turned to look, but Ye Xuan had already retracted his gaze, so naturally, she found nothing.
'What was that just now? Why did it feel like some powerful expert was watching me? I'm a Martial Profound Realm Martial Artist, and everyone here is just a junior student from the academy. How could a student's gaze make me lose my composure? It must have been my imagination!'
The shock in her eyes vanished in a flash. With no time to overthink it, she said, "It's good that everyone is safe. Stick close to me in a moment. I'll take you out of here and back to the camp."
"Okay!"
The students' moods lightened, and they replied excitedly.
Ye Xuan suddenly said flatly, "Teacher Yun Aoxue, I'm afraid that's not a good idea. With your current strength, trying to lead us out... while not impossible, there's a high probability you'll encounter danger. I think it's better to stay here for now."
Hm?
Everyone was startled by Ye Xuan's words and turned their heads to look at him in unison.
"It's Ye Xuan."
"What is he talking about? That it would be dangerous for Teacher Yun Aoxue to lead us out?"
"Hmph, what does he know? Teacher Yun Aoxue is a Tier Two Martial Artist with outstanding strength. If it's dangerous for her to lead us, then no one can get us out of here."
"He's spouting absolute nonsense."
"If you don't want to go, you can just stay here and wait to die."
Many of the students looked upset and began to criticize Ye Xuan. They had been trapped here for hours. Now that their teacher had finally found them and was about to lead them away, Ye Xuan was claiming she couldn't. How could they not be furious?
Yun Aoxue's brow furrowed as well. She said, "Ye Xuan, don't speak nonsense. We're only a hundred *li* from the outer edge of Black Wind Ridge, and the camp is only about sixty *li* away. If we move quickly, it's not impossible to get back before dark. Staying here is what's truly dangerous. You all must understand that nighttime is a paradise for Demon Beasts."
Even in this situation, Yun Aoxue didn't forget to teach her students.
"That would be true under normal circumstances. But Teacher Yun Aoxue, you've been poisoned by the tail stinger of a Tier One Demon Beast, a Green-Tailed Scorpion, and it's been over an hour. Although you've temporarily suppressed the poison with your Profound Qi, it's still spreading slowly through your bloodstream. If you don't expel it completely first, it will reach your heart in less than an hour. By then, I'm afraid it will be too late to treat."
Ye Xuan said flatly.
"Teacher Yun Aoxue is poisoned?"
The crowd froze, then looks of suspicion appeared in their eyes.
"What is wrong with this Ye Xuan? Teacher Yun Aoxue is standing here perfectly fine. How could she be poisoned?"
"Is he trying to curse our teacher?"
"Teacher Yun Aoxue's breathing is steady and she was moving so fast. She doesn't look poisoned at all."
"That's right. Besides, the Green-Tailed Scorpion is just a Tier One Demon Beast. With Teacher Yun Aoxue's strength as a Tier Two Martial Artist, how could she have been hit by one?"
"That good-for-nothing. What does he possibly gain from doing this?"
Everyone looked furious and upset. Even Chen Xing watched Ye Xuan with concern, thinking, 'Did he damage his brain when he fell earlier? What do we do? Can it even be fixed when we get back?'
Only Yun Aoxue trembled, asking in shock, "How did you know I was poisoned?"
Yun Aoxue stared gravely at Ye Xuan, utterly astonished. She had heard of Ye Xuan's reputation as a good-for-nothing, but she had always dismissed such talk as baseless rumors and never discriminated against any student. But now, for Ye Xuan to have seen that she was poisoned... it was something she could hardly believe.
"What? Teacher Yun Aoxue is really poisoned?"
"What's going on?"
All the students were flabbergasted.
Ye Xuan ignored their shocked stares and said calmly, "There's nothing strange about it. I saw a few faint, hair-thin green lines behind your ear. These green lines are extremely faint; you can't see them at all if you don't look closely. But from my angle, looking at your face with the sunlight hitting it just right, I happened to see them. Green threads appearing behind the ear is the most obvious sign of Green-Tailed Scorpion poison."
"Huh, there really are green threads."
"They're so faint. If Ye Xuan hadn't pointed it out, I never would have noticed. He could even spot that?"
Leng Yingying and the others were secretly amazed. This feature on Teacher Yun Aoxue was so well-hidden that even after Ye Xuan mentioned it, it took them a while to find it. They couldn't imagine how Ye Xuan had managed to discover it on his own in such a short time.
"So that's how it was. Green threads behind the ear is indeed one of the signs of the Green-Tailed Scorpion's poison spreading." Yun Aoxue nodded, understanding now. She glanced at the crowd and began to explain.
"While I was searching for you, I was suddenly ambushed by several Green-Tailed Scorpions. I was anxious and caught off guard. Although I managed to kill a few of them, one still managed to sting me in the back. But this injury is nothing. I've temporarily sealed the poison in my body. Not getting you all back to camp before dark is the real danger, so prepare to leave immediately."
Ye Xuan's brow furrowed, and he continued in his flat tone, "Teacher Yun Aoxue, if I'm not mistaken, you used the Profound Sealing Method, a Tier One Soul Refining technique. You used your Profound Qi to block the path of the poison's spread. But I'm afraid you may not know that the Profound Sealing Method not only seals the poison but can also cause severe damage to your meridians. Once your meridians rupture, the poison will instantly invade your heart. At that point, it will only take ten seconds for you to die from heart failure. And that moment will definitely arrive before you get us back to camp. Therefore, you cannot risk taking us out right now. Expelling the poison is what's most important."
After he finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the area. Everyone just stared at each other, because they couldn't understand a single thing Ye Xuan had said.
'The Profound Sealing Method? What's that? Have we ever been taught that in class?'
The whole crowd was dumbfounded, looking at one another in confusion. What Ye Xuan was talking about was completely beyond the scope of what the academy taught.
But Yun Aoxue understood him perfectly, every single word!
Her pupils contracted and her expression faltered, her heart filled with utter horror. The method she had used to suppress the poison was indeed the Profound Sealing Method. For a Soul Refiner, this might not be much of a secret, but for Ye Xuan, who had only opened a single Profound Vein, to be able to see it was completely beyond her expectations.
A thought suddenly struck her: 'Everyone says Ye Xuan is useless at martial arts. Could it be that he has a talent for Soul Refining or Alchemy, and so he's been studying it on his own? It seems he's really put in a lot of hard work in this area. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to tell at a glance that I was poisoned by a Green-Tailed Scorpion and even guess that I used the Profound Sealing Method.'
Shaking her head, Yun Aoxue said bitterly, "There's no time. With my strength, it would take at least half an hour to completely expel the Green-Tailed Scorpion's poison. By then, it will be almost dark. Once night falls, I might have a chance of survival, but you all would never make it out of Black Wind Ridge alive. So, even if I have to die, I must get you back first."
"Teacher!" Leng Yingying and the others cried out in alarm.
Ye Xuan's expression faltered slightly. He couldn't help but feel a sliver of admiration for Yun Aoxue's dedication.
A teacher willing to risk her life to bring her students back to camp safely... you had to admit, she was a good teacher.
"However, Teacher Yun Aoxue, when I said you can't leave, I wasn't just referring to that."
"Green-Tailed Scorpions are social Demon Beasts. Each nest has at least twenty or more. They are extremely sensitive to their own poison. If I'm not mistaken, you only killed some of them. If our route back doesn't pass through their territory, then you can ignore what I've said. But if it does, then going there now would be like walking into a trap—a death sentence."
More than ten Green-Tailed Scorpions would be impossible for the poisoned Yun Aoxue and the students to handle.