C15 Hall of Valor

On the flip side, as the girl in purple had mentioned, Lee Qi's injuries appeared severe, but they weren't as dreadful as they looked on the surface.

Thanks to Zhang Heng's dedicated care, Lee Qi bounced back in just two days, brimming with vitality.

However, his trampled hands still couldn't withstand too much strain for the time being.

And since his new teeth had only just come in, he couldn't eat anything too hard or crunchy. He was relegated to porridge for six straight meals without any accompaniments, leaving him with nothing but plain porridge to consume.

By the end, even Lee Qi, typically a reserved and well-behaved young man, couldn't resist grumbling about the blandness making his mouth feel like a desert.

Now, Lee Qi was ready to resume his cultivation.

Zhang Heng, finally at ease, planned to enhance his own strength before the trials for new students. His goal was to rank in the top ten, earn a promotion to the Outer Sect, and bid farewell to this forsaken place.

"To improve my strength, I'll need to train on the outskirts of Silverflow Canyon," he mused.

"Before that, I should sort through the loot from my last trip there. I'll keep what's useful and trade the rest for Qi Refining Pills—a sound strategy."

"Oh, and there's the matter of my first-grade yellow-ranked Wishful Blade. It's beyond repair, so I'll need to find a new Prime Weapon to replace it."

"I've got two high-grade yellow-ranked Prime Weapon swords. I wonder if one is enough to trade for a high-grade yellow-ranked spear."

"Regardless, a visit to the Hall of Valor is definitely in order."

A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Heng arrived at the Hall of Valor, located on the academy's western side.

Unlike other pavilions that boasted at least three stories, with many reaching seven or nine, the Hall of Valor was a single-story structure that spread out over a vast area.

The entire building was one enormous hall, housing the academy's exchange facility.

This facility, however, took up less than a tenth of the hall's space.

The remaining spaces were taken up by small stalls, each spanning roughly ten feet across. Behind these stalls, senior brothers and sisters were either seated or standing, enthusiastically hawking their wares and beckoning to pedestrians.

Upon entering the Hall of Valor and surveying the various booths, Zhang Heng could have sworn he was back in the bustling markets of his previous life, with vendors loudly peddling their goods. The stalls were laden with all sorts of heavenly materials and essentials for the training of the brave.

Listen for yourself.

"Special discount! Low-grade yellow Pei-Yuan pills, only one hundred silver pieces!"

"First-level Qi Refining demon crystal, miss this deal and you'll regret it! Originally one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight silver, now just nine hundred and ninety-eight!"

"Wholesale young Cloud Leopard demon beasts, a stylish mount that offers the thrill of lightning-fast travel!"

Several stalls even boasted large signs prominently displayed out front.

Zhang Heng glanced up and paused, taken aback.

He noticed that at least ninety percent of these signs were advertising the purchase of demon beast crystals.

And they were all seeking the same type of demon beast crystal.

The beast in question was known as the Swift Shadow Demon Wolf.

From what Zhang Heng had learned in the Ten Thousand Scrolls Hall, this demon beast wasn't particularly high-grade. Even the alpha of the species could only reach the peak of the first level of the Qi Refining Realm and was incapable of advancing to the second level.

This left Zhang Heng with some questions.

"Shouldn't such a low-grade demon beast be easy to capture?"

"Typically, the crystal of a standard first-level Qi Refining Realm demon beast wouldn't fetch more than a bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills."

"So why are Swift Shadow Demon Wolf crystals priced so high, with each one exceeding the value of two bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills?"

"At such a rate, couldn't one afford a low-level second Qi Refining Realm demon crystal?"

Mulling over these thoughts, Zhang Heng didn't linger at the senior students' stalls. Instead, he made a beeline for the exchange point within the Hall of Valor.

On one hand, the Hall of Valor's exchange service offered a broad array of items, eliminating the need to search for necessities shop by shop.

On the other hand, given Zhang Heng's current level of cultivation, it was uncertain whether his senior peers might harbor ill intentions toward him.

Weighing both options, the choice was clear: he should head to the Hall of Valor's exchange point.

In no time at all, he arrived at the exchange.

The area was meticulously organized into different sections, each manned by a dedicated person to facilitate communication and transactions.

Zhang Heng first approached the exchange counter and traded all his surplus loot for Qi Refining pills.

This included the demon crystals from the Cloud Leopards and Wind Lightning Demon Tigers he had hunted in Silverflow Canyon. Despite the crystals being mysteriously half their expected weight, not even the academy's purchasing instructor could detect any flaws. However, due to the discrepancy in weight, they were bought at a 20% discount, resulting in Zhang Heng receiving ten bottles of Qi Refining pills—a modest but acceptable outcome.

The two standard-issue Swallow Plume Blades, being common-grade mortal weapons, were only worth one bottle of Qi Refining pills when combined.

He decided to keep the military crossbow for himself, considering its formidable power capable of taking down a Qi Refining Realm brave.

He also held onto the two superior yellow-ranked longswords, intending to exchange them directly for a spear of the same quality instead of selling them.

Unexpectedly, the bundle of Nightshade Demon Lotus stems he had casually packed fetched him thirty bottles of Qi Refining pills.

The most significant gain was from the three thousand low-grade yellow-ranked primeval stones; at a rate of ten stones per bottle, Zhang Heng secured a hefty sum of three hundred bottles of Qi Refining pills.

Zhang Heng then proceeded to the primeval weapons section, where a young instructor with a commanding presence stood at the forefront.

The instructor's purple-gold crown lent him an air of brilliance and vitality.

He was clad in a lightweight armor interwoven with black scales and golden threads, which accentuated his muscular physique and broad shoulders.

On his arms, he wore green-gold protective wrist guards made of fish skin, offering perfect protection for the most delicate joints of his arms and hands while preserving their dexterity. Such wrist guards were highly coveted by many practical-minded braves.

He was sporting a pair of pristine white boots crafted from the hide of a spirit cow. Each stitch was meticulously hand-sewn, and the leather from the neck was not only soft and durable but also breathable and comfortable, enough to make many academy disciples yearn for a pair.

Slung across his back was a Hundred Stones Strong Bow, its string made from the sinew of a Silver Back Black Python from the Crystalflow River, a creature on the verge of awakening its spirit.

Dangling at his waist was a long sword of deep green, its design both ancient and elegant. The words "Qing Tu" were inscribed on the scabbard, clearly indicating that this blade was the work of the academy's premier weaponsmith, Qing Tu Zi.

Upon closer inspection, Zhang Heng realized that the male instructor's entire arsenal comprised Origin Weapons.

The instructor's presence was commanding, making him a veritable living advertisement.

Many newcomers who had just taken their First Steps within the academy gazed on with envy. Even the young ladies who had no intention of purchasing equipment found themselves captivated by the instructor's valiant demeanor, silently setting a benchmark for their ideal partner.

Seeing the instructor encircled by throngs of adoring fans, Zhang Heng sighed in resignation. It seemed an insurmountable task to approach, let alone negotiate for an elemental weapon.

With a sense of futility, Zhang Heng turned his attention to another instructor in the elemental weapon area.

This instructor was a gaunt elder.

His face was clean-shaven, and he sported a long, neatly groomed beard. His blue robe, though faded to white, was impeccably clean and wrinkle-free.

Currently, the elder was seated cross-legged on a cushion, exuding an air of tranquility as if he were a musician who had just played a serene melody.

Amidst the bustling crowd, the old man's poise and demeanor caught Zhang Heng off guard.

A small table before him held a quaint red clay stove.

Atop the stove sat a purple clay teapot, from which a bubbling sound emanated.

As the bubbles grew larger, like the eyes of a fish, they steadily emerged from the gap between the teapot and its lid.

Observing the increasing bubbles and recognizing that the water had boiled, the elder extended his right hand and nonchalantly lifted the teapot from the stove, setting it down on the table.

Upon encountering the old man's demeanor earlier, Zhang Heng had already begun to harbor some doubts, suspecting that this individual was no ordinary instructor from the Hall of Valor.

Now, as the old man extended his right hand, Zhang Heng's suspicions deepened.

Typical instructors, aside from their various duties and teaching responsibilities, were fundamentally brave warriors dedicated to combat.

A warrior's call to battle necessitated the use of Origin Armaments.

And prolonged use of Origin Armaments would inevitably result in the warrior's hand becoming distinct from that of an ordinary person.

Zhang Heng had noticed that the hands of almost all warriors committed to combat, after long periods of gripping their Origin Armaments, would develop protruding knuckles, and the webs between thumb and fingers would be thick with calluses.

Yet, the old man's right hand was an exception.

His fingers were slender, with no noticeable bulges between the joints.

Instead, his hand appeared exceptionally clean to Zhang Heng.

It was as though the entire right hand had been sculpted from white jade, flawless and free from any blemish.

Such a hand could not possibly belong to a warrior who grappled with Origin Armaments daily.

Observing the old man before him and then glancing at the young instructor standing proudly not far off, a sudden thought struck Zhang Heng.

He approached the old man, bowed respectfully, and said, "I pay my respects, Master."

At that moment, the old man was in the midst of preparing tea.

The tea poured from the purple clay pot into the cup in a slender stream, a simple gesture that inexplicably filled Zhang Heng with a sense of exquisite beauty.

As the tea was halfway poured, the old man, absorbed in his task, paused upon hearing Zhang Heng's voice. The teapot in his hand quivered almost imperceptibly, causing a drop of tea to splash onto the small table.

Once he had finished pouring the tea, the old man turned his gaze to Zhang Heng. His profound eyes lingered on Zhang Heng before he asked, "Would you prefer tea or wine?"

Caught off guard, Zhang Heng momentarily lost his composure, not expecting such a question. After a brief pause, he replied, "Tea, thank you, Master, for offering me tea."

As he subtly glanced at the purple clay teapot in the elder's grasp, his suspicions were further confirmed.

With the grace of a flowing cloud, the old man filled Zhang Heng's cup once more, then fixed a curious gaze on the youth before him. "Did you address me as 'Master'?"

"Do you recognize me? Have we met previously?"