The air in the Restricted Section of the Silver-Leaf City Library was heavy with the scent of ancient parchment and the lingering pressure of a powerful soul. Lin Fan stood his ground, his golden eyes meeting the piercing gaze of the old man in grey robes.
"A blockage in the third vertebrae..." the old man whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and hope. "No one... no one should have been able to see that. Even the 4-Star Physicians in the Holy Capital claimed my foundation was simply 'reaching its natural limit'."
Lin Fan folded his arms, the golden glow in his eyes fading back to their natural dark hue. "The 'natural limit' is a lie told by those who cannot see the path forward. Your foundation isn't reaching its limit, Elder; it is being strangled. You practiced the 'Cloud-Mist Ascent' in an environment with too much Yin energy forty years ago, didn't you? That chill became a seed of ice, and now it has grown into a thorn in your spine."
The old man, whose name was Master Su, sat down heavily on a nearby stool. He was indeed a 3-Star Master Teacher, a man who had guided kings, yet here he was, being lectured by a youth in a Rank-1 city.
"Forty years ago... in the Frozen North..." Master Su sighed. "You are correct. Everything you've said is correct." He looked up at Lin Fan, his eyes now filled with a deep, scholarly respect. "To possess such 'Heavenly Vision' at your age... you are no ordinary teacher. Who are you truly?"
"I am just a teacher at the Celestial Path Academy," Lin Fan replied calmly. "And I have a student who needs that Phoenix scroll. Is our deal still on?"
Master Su waved his hand, and the jade casing around the black scroll dissolved into light. "Take it. If you can truly guide a Phoenix in this barren land, then this scroll has finally found its master. But be warned, Lin Fan—the Master Teacher Pavilion will soon hear of a 'Profound Expert' in Silver-Leaf City. Men like you cannot stay hidden for long."
"I don't plan on hiding," Lin Fan said, taking the scroll. "I plan on teaching."
The Morning of the Phoenix
Back at the academy the next morning, the "Disgraced Trio" was waiting. Mu Tie looked stronger, his skin no longer pale but glowing with a healthy, cool vitality. Fatty Lu looked... exactly the same, though the way the ground slightly cracked under his feet suggested his weight was becoming more "concentrated."
But it was Ling'er who stood out. She was staring at the sunrise, her hand subconsciously tracing the red scar on her face.
"Ling'er, come here," Lin Fan called.
He handed her the black scroll. "This is the 'Song of the Ancient Phoenix'. It is a manual that was lost to the world because no one had the bloodline pure enough to resonate with it. Your 'failed' Blaze Bloodline isn't a failure—it is a Phoenix waiting for its song."
Ling'er took the scroll, her fingers trembling. As soon as she touched it, the scroll didn't just open; it disintegrated into streaks of crimson light that swirled around her like a miniature cyclone.
"Sit," Lin Fan commanded. "Mu Tie, Lu Bao, guard the perimeter. Today, your sister reclaims her destiny."
Lin Fan placed his hand on Ling'er's back. He wasn't just watching; he was using the Divine Library to guide the chaotic Phoenix energy.
[System: Synchronizing 'Song of the Ancient Phoenix' with 'Nine-Sun Awakening Script'...]
[Synthesis Successful. Generating: 'Celestial Phoenix Nirvana Law'.]
"Focus the heat on your scar, Ling'er! That is the seal! Burn it away!"
A piercing cry, like that of a bird from the heavens, erupted from Ling'er's throat. A pillar of crimson fire shot up from her body, turning the morning mist into steam. The red scar on her face began to glow with a blinding intensity before it started to peel away, not like skin, but like old, rusted iron.
Underneath the scar, her skin was flawless, radiating a faint, divine light. Her cultivation, which had been stuck at Stage 1 for years, began to skyrocket.
[Cultivation Level Up: Body Tempering Stage 2... Stage 3... Stage 4!]
The fire died down, leaving Ling'er standing in the center of a charred circle. She looked at her reflection in a nearby bucket of water. The scar was gone. Her eyes were now a piercing, fiery gold.
"I... I can feel it," she whispered. "The heat... it doesn't hurt anymore. It feels like... home."
"Welcome back, Phoenix," Lin Fan smiled.
The Alchemist's Path
While his students continued their training, Lin Fan knew he couldn't survive on scrolls alone. He needed Spirit Stones. The training Fatty Lu was doing—consuming stones to fill his "Bottomless Void"—was going to get very expensive, very fast.
Lin Fan decided it was time to master his first secondary profession: Alchemy.
He headed to the Silver-Leaf Alchemy Association, a majestic building shaped like a giant cauldron. To become a 1-Star Master Teacher, he needed to be a Master in three professions. Alchemy would be his first.
Inside, the air was thick with the smell of medicinal herbs and charcoal.
"I want to take the 1-Star Apothecary Exam," Lin Fan told the receptionist.
The receptionist, a young woman, looked at his faded academy robes and snickered. "The exam costs 50 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. And you have to provide your own herbs. Do you even know how to light a cauldron, Teacher?"
Lin Fan didn't answer. He simply placed 50 stones on the counter—the last of his savings.
He was led into a testing hall where ten other applicants were already sweating over their cauldrons. At the front of the room sat a grumpy old man with a 1-Star Apothecary badge.
"The task is simple," the examiner grunted. "Refine a 'Clear-Spirit Pill' with a purity of at least 50%. You have one hour. Begin."
The other applicants rushed to prepare their herbs, grinding them with mortar and pestles, their faces full of anxiety. Lin Fan, however, stood perfectly still.
He looked at the pile of herbs provided: Spirit Grass, Blue-Heart Flower, and Earth-Root.
[Divine Library: Scanning Herbs...]
[Analysis: Spirit Grass is 3 days old, moisture content 12%. Blue-Heart Flower has a bruise on the stem, reducing its potency by 5%...]
[Synthesizing Perfect Pill Formula...]
Lin Fan didn't use a mortar and pestle. He picked up the herbs and, to everyone's horror, threw them into the cold cauldron all at once.
"What is he doing?" one applicant whispered. "He's going to cause an explosion!"
The examiner frowned. "Teacher, if you're here to play jokes, leave now."
Lin Fan ignored him. He placed his hands on the sides of the cauldron. He didn't use a fire stone. Instead, he circulated his Qi, using the 'Celestial Path' breathing to convert his energy into a precise, oscillating heat.
In his mind, the Divine Library was showing him the inside of the cauldron in real-time.
"The Spirit Grass is melting... increase temperature by 2 degrees to neutralize the Blue-Heart toxins... now, rotate the Qi clockwise to bind the essences..."
While the others were struggling with smoke and flickering flames, Lin Fan's cauldron was silent. There was no smoke. There was no smell.
"Time's up!" the examiner called out.
The applicants presented their pills. Most were grey, lumpy, and smelled of burnt grass. The best one was a dull green pill with a 52% purity. The examiner nodded dismissively.
Then, he reached Lin Fan's cauldron. "Well? Where is your—"
The examiner stopped. He opened the lid.
Inside sat a single, snow-white pill. It was perfectly round, and it gave off a fragrance so pure that everyone in the room felt their minds clear instantly. On the surface of the pill were three silver veins.
"Veined Pill?" the examiner gasped, his eyes nearly falling out of his head. "And... and this purity... 100%? Flawless Purity?!"
The entire hall went silent. In the world of alchemy, a 100% purity pill was a myth. Even 4-Star Grandmasters struggled to reach 90%.
"Who... who are you?" the examiner asked, his voice shaking.
"Lin Fan. A teacher," Lin Fan replied, picking up his pill. "Do I pass?"
"Pass? You... you could teach the Guild Leader!" the examiner stammered. "This is a Divine-Grade result!"
[Ding! Profession Mastered: 1-Star Apothecary (Perfect Grade).]
[System Note: First Divine Halo detected. Progress to 1-Star Master Teacher: 33%.]
The Auction of the Century
Lin Fan didn't stay to celebrate. He took his Flawless Clear-Spirit Pill and walked straight to the Silver-Leaf Auction House, the highest-ranked commercial building in the city.
"I wish to auction this," Lin Fan said, showing the pill to the head appraiser.
Ten minutes later, the bells of the auction house rang—a sound reserved only for "Earth-Shattering Treasures."
The news spread through Silver-Leaf City like wildfire: A Flawless-Grade pill had appeared.
Every Clan leader, every wealthy merchant, and even the City Lord rushed to the auction house. The starting price was 100 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
"200!" shouted the head of the Ling Clan (Ling'er's former family).
"500!" screamed a merchant from a neighboring city.
"1,000 Mid-Grade Stones!" the City Lord himself stood up.
In the end, the pill sold for 1,500 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones—a sum that could buy half of the Celestial Path Academy.
Lin Fan walked out of the auction house with a heavy bag of Spirit Stones. He now had the resources to fuel his students' growth.
The Storm Gathers
However, as Lin Fan walked back to the academy, he noticed that the atmosphere had changed. There were soldiers in the streets—soldiers wearing the crest of the Great Azure Empire.
In the center of the academy plaza, a large stage had been built. Standing on it was Teacher Zhao, looking smugger than ever, alongside a man in black armor.
"Lin Fan!" Zhao shouted as soon as he saw him. "You're just in time! The Empire's Education Bureau has arrived. Because of your 'unorthodox' teaching and the injury to Gongzi Yan, they have decided to move the Academy Evaluation to today!"
The man in armor stepped forward. He was a 2-Star Master Teacher and a General of the Empire. "Lin Fan, I am General Han. We have heard rumors of your 'genius' students. But the Empire does not tolerate fluke victories. Today, your students will face the elite of the Imperial Junior Corps."
General Han pointed to a group of young soldiers, all at Stage 5 of Body Tempering, wearing high-grade armor and carrying cold-steel spears.
"If your students lose," General Han said coldly, "the Celestial Path Academy will be demolished, and you will be imprisoned for treason against the Empire's education standards."
Lin Fan looked at his trio—Mu Tie, Ling'er, and Fatty Lu. They looked back at him, their eyes filled not with fear, but with a terrifying, calm confidence.
"General," Lin Fan said, his voice echoing across the plaza. "I think you've made a mistake. You didn't bring enough soldiers."
The crowd gasped. Lin Fan turned to his students.
"Mu Tie, show them the Frost-Dragon's pride. Ling'er, show them the Phoenix's rebirth. Lu Bao... stop eating that bun. You're going to be the shield."