She wasn't worried about the money; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had plenty of it. Ning Fengzhi alone gave Li Xun hundreds of Gold Soul Coins as pocket money every month. Her concern was that Li Xun, being young, might be easily deceived.
"It's alright, Aunt Xue. I know what I'm doing. No one can trick me."
This idea had come to Li Xun on a whim. If even Yang Wudi could gather information on Immortal Herbs, there was no reason he couldn't do the same, especially with the wealth of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School backing him.
"It's just a small expense. They'll understand once they see the returns." Li Xun could already imagine the reactions of everyone when he distributed the Immortal Herbs.
In the following days, aside from cultivating, Li Xun spent most of his time buried in books in the library.
As one of the top three sects, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had an immense collection of books. Even skimming through them took Li Xun a considerable amount of time.
Though Ning Fengzhi and the others didn't fully understand Li Xun's actions, they silently supported him. They often sent disciples to help him move books around.
Gradually, the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School began to recognize the name Li Xun.
"Ninth Grade Purple Ganoderma, Autumn Water Piercing Dew… Finally, some progress!" Li Xun chuckled as he held a copy of the Herbal King's Travels.
He had gone through most of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's medicinal texts before finding this book.
"Although the Ninth Grade Purple Ganoderma isn't an Immortal Herb, its medicinal properties can strengthen the foundation and help break through bottlenecks. It's still a rare treasure."
"It's just a pity for Yu Xiaogang. He won't even reach level 30 now." Li Xun couldn't help but laugh softly as he carefully stored the book in his Soul Guiding Device.
Time flew by.
The tasks Li Xun had posted began to gain traction, and people started coming to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to sell herbal books. Though he hadn't found any texts on Immortal Herbs yet, he still purchased many of them.
This was all part of building a reputation for honesty, hoping to attract more sellers.
Through relentless cultivation and the aid of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's precious meals and herbs, Li Xun's Soul Power had reached level 19. Although his Spiritual Energy reserves were growing slowly, they had still improved significantly compared to before.
Li Xun estimated that he was now at the level of a Low Ninja, though his version of a Low Ninja might be a bit more advanced. Techniques like water-walking and tree-climbing posed no difficulty for him.
At the moment, he was practicing the Body Flicker Technique in the courtyard.
With the cultivation memories of Hashirama Senju, ordinary Ninjutsu had no barrier for him. However, mastering a technique still required constant practice.
Until it became second nature.
His figure flickered in and out of sight within the courtyard, leaving faint afterimages as he moved.
"Hah, it's finally starting to look decent." Li Xun exhaled deeply. The Body Flicker Technique, being an advanced form of the Three Basic Techniques, had taken him some time to practice.
As for the Three Basic Techniques—Substitution Technique, Clone Technique, and Transformation Technique—he had already mastered them. However, due to his unstable Spiritual Energy, the duration of his clones and transformations was extremely short.
"Young Master, His Highness Xue Qinghe has arrived. The master has asked me to fetch you." Aunt Xue's voice came from outside the courtyard, likely having heard that Li Xun had finished his training.
"Alright, Aunt Xue. Give me a moment. I'll change my clothes." Li Xun's eyes sharpened as he responded, then headed inside.
He knew very well that the Xue Qinghe who had arrived was none other than Qian Renxue in disguise.
"Last year, the Third Prince died suddenly. Calculating the time, Qian Renxue should soon ascend to the position of Crown Prince. Her visit at this time is likely to seek Teacher's support to solidify her position in the royal family."
Although Ning Fengzhi was nominally Xue Qinghe's teacher, he had not involved himself in the struggle for the throne.
This was mainly because Emperor Xue Ye had been relatively healthy in previous years, and the power of the Heaven Dou Empire was firmly in his hands. Deciding who would be the Crown Prince was entirely up to him.
But in recent years, everything had changed. The Second Prince and Third Prince had died one after another, and the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, was still young. Xue Qinghe, only seventeen years old, had already begun to show his edge.
In the main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
When Li Xun entered, he saw a young man dressed in luxurious clothing sitting beside Ning Fengzhi.
The young man was around sixteen or seventeen years old, with a kind face and a slight smile on his lips, giving off a sense of approachability.
"Teacher," Li Xun greeted Ning Fengzhi with a bow, then turned his gaze to Qian Renxue, who was disguised as Xue Qinghe.
"Come, Xiao Xun. I called you here mainly to introduce you to His Highness Xue Qinghe," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile, quickly introducing the person beside him as Li Xun entered.
Li Xun nodded, then cupped his hands in salute to Xue Qinghe. "Greetings, Your Highness."
"Junior Brother, there's no need to be so formal. Since we are both disciples of our teacher, you can simply call me Senior Brother," Xue Qinghe said with a gentle smile.
"I heard from our teacher that you have a keen interest in pharmacology and have been collecting medicinal texts. Coincidentally, I found some rare books in the Heaven Dou Imperial Library. Consider them a gift for our first meeting."
After saying this, Xue Qinghe took out three books from his Soul Guiding Device and handed them to Li Xun.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Li Xun said, his heart stirring as he accepted the books with both hands, feigning a look of joy on his face.
The rare books collected by the royal family were undoubtedly valuable. Xue Qinghe's thoughtfulness in bringing a gift for him showed his meticulous nature.
"If you keep being so polite, Senior Brother might get upset," Xue Qinghe said with a mock stern expression, noticing Li Xun's polite demeanor despite his apparent joy.
Seeing Xue Qinghe's act, Li Xun quickly put on a shy expression. "Hehe... alright, Senior Brother."
Seeing this harmonious scene, Ning Fengzhi nodded in satisfaction.
"Your Highness, Xiao Xun has had little contact with the outside world. As his Senior Brother, you should stay in touch with him more often."
Originally, maintaining a stable relationship with the royal family should have been the responsibility of the next generation's sect leader.
But Ning Rongrong was a girl, still young, and her temperament was not yet stable. Pushing her forward might lead to unwanted speculation.
Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was a sect, it was not afraid of the royal family and had no need to humble itself in such a manner.
"Teacher is right. I was thinking the same thing," Xue Qinghe said with a smile, then turned to Ning Fengzhi. "By the way, Teacher, have you considered having Rongrong and Xiao Xun attend an academy?"
"Your Highness means?" Ning Fengzhi's heart stirred.
For a powerful sect like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, its disciples didn't need to attend academies like common Spirit Masters to gain knowledge. The sect had its own complete system for teaching its disciples.
But Xue Qinghe, knowing this, still brought it up in front of him, clearly implying something else was at play.
"Master, recently Prince Xue Xing has been frequently meddling in the affairs of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. He has also established connections with the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, inviting their disciples to join the academy."
"Currently, within the academy, Yu Tianheng of the younger generation of the Blue Lightning family is gaining significant prominence. Many academy disciples take pride in joining the Blue Lightning Tyrant School."
"If this continues, the status of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School within the Heavenly Dou Empire may be affected." At this point, Xue Qinghe furrowed his brows, as if troubled by something.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi also frowned and lowered his head in deep thought.
The factions in Heavenly Dou are well aware that Xue Qinghe is his disciple, and this relationship symbolizes the close ties between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the royal family.
Now, Prince Xue Xing's actions are clearly aimed at using the Blue Lightning Tyrant School to counterbalance the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Although the top three sects are closely connected.
Xue Qinghe is now just a step away from the position of Crown Prince. To prevent any unforeseen complications, he should lend a hand.
"Your Highness, there is no need to worry. Yu Yuanzhen will not act recklessly. The Blue Lightning Tyrant School has been weakening in recent years, and this move is merely an attempt to establish a connection with the royal family."
"However, it is indeed time for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to have disciples out and about. Let others see the geniuses of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
(End of Chapter)