Chapter 84: The Storm Subsides

Without hesitation, Qin Jing decisively used the remaining five recycled treasure chests. In the end, he chose the “Foundation Establishment Pill (fragmented),” the extraordinary-level two essences, physique, and mental strength, as well as Qi Ershao’s cultivation knowledge.

The first four were must-haves. When it came to choosing between “cultivation knowledge” and “treasures,” Qin Jing opted for knowledge. As for Qi Ershao’s treasures, Qin Jing was never particularly interested. Even if they were crafted by an ancient aristocratic family, how could they compare to the entire mythic world? Even the “Foundation Establishment Pill” he redeemed was merely for reference; he never intended to consume it himself.

Originally, Qin Jing had planned to return to see his students, at least to reassure Yan Yizhen and the others and confirm their future cooperation. But with the incident involving Qi Ershao, Qin Jing naturally needed to keep a low profile. The Jinling Qi family was obviously formidable, so for now, Young Master Qi would simply have to disappear.

He sent a text to Yan Yizhen and turned to leave by the back. To his surprise, even outside the rear wall of the Art Academy, a large number of extraordinary individuals had gathered. In just a few words, they painted a vivid picture of the struggle over that corpse.

“Zhou Jian truly deserves the title of Ghost King of Lenghai—he’s so powerful, he actually escaped from Lian Rui!”

“I’d say Ma Junshan is the real force here; after all, he’s a level-four powerhouse!”

“Didn’t anyone notice that Zhou Jian repeatedly used that corpse while escaping? If you ask me, it’s the corpse that’s remarkable.”

So the corpse hadn’t been taken? Qin Jing was a bit surprised, but not particularly concerned. That corpse had been appraised at a price of 20g; Qin Jing had already identified it on the spot to understand what was going on at the school.

The appraisal result left Qin Jing torn between laughter and tears: the corpse was not some precious treasure, but rather another “polluted” item. However, its source of contamination was Penglai Immortal Isle. Now, after a “pollution outbreak,” the energy it carried was nearly depleted—perhaps enough for Zhou Jian alone to explore and cultivate, but no longer sufficient for an incident on the scale of today’s chaos.

That was precisely why Qin Jing let Zhou Jian carry it away: to him, it was like a chicken rib—of little practical use, but still a pity to discard. Fortunately, his trip had netted him a series of bronze treasure chests, which more than made up for the loss.

Lost in thought, Qin Jing hailed a cab and returned to Erdaozi Alley. There were still ghosts and extraordinary beings at the school, so he had no intention of going back anytime soon. His F650 would have to remain parked at the school for the time being.

The turmoil at the school gradually subsided. When Qin Jing arrived at Erdaozi Alley, he received a call from Yan Yizhen.

“Qin Jing, why did you leave? Zhang Wei is mocking you, saying you slipped away in secret.”

It was easy to imagine Zhang Wei’s smug attitude upon learning he’d left early, but Qin Jing didn’t care. Zhang Wei was merely a minor character. Smiling, he replied, “I left quietly because my haul was so great. Yan Yizhen, you know about the spiritual revival, don’t you?”

“Yes. I never imagined our world would change so much in just a year.”

“Do you want to become extraordinary?”

On the other end, Yan Yizhen was stunned, almost doubting her own ears.

The events of the day had shaken her to the core. The real existence of supernatural beings, the power of the extraordinary—all narrated by Zhang Wei—made her keenly aware that ascending to the extraordinary was extremely difficult, perhaps even impossible. Zhang Wei had hinted that if she stuck with him, he would plead with his family to let her train. But Yan Yizhen was proud; she refused to sell herself and rejected him on the spot. Still, without any strings attached, who wouldn’t want to become extraordinary?

Taking a deep breath, Yan Yizhen replied bluntly, “Of course I want to. Do you have a way?”

Earlier, Zhang Wei had disparaged Qin Jing in front of her, but he was clever about it. He claimed Qin Jing had only recently become extraordinary, that he ran a shop and had no powerful backing. It was all true. Anyone who looked into Qin Jing would reach the same conclusion.

“Be the manager of my shop. The shop here in Erdaozi Alley is about to be upgraded, and once it is, I’ll be short on staff, especially since it’ll serve extraordinary customers. If you become my manager, I can guarantee you’ll become extraordinary within six months.”

Qin Jing and Yan Yizhen had no personal feelings—mostly a businesslike, mutually beneficial partnership. He was straightforward; he felt he’d judged her correctly. Yan Yizhen was the perfect partner, and helping her become extraordinary would only make her a better manager.

“You trust me that much?”

Yan Yizhen laughed. After rejecting Zhang Wei, she’d felt uncertain, but now she was reassured. After thinking it over, she replied candidly, “Qin Jing, I really enjoy working with you, but I still need time to consider. I have to discuss this with my family and ask around to verify information about the extraordinary.”

“Of course!”

This was the true spirit of partnership, and Qin Jing agreed readily.

Yan Yizhen then shared more information: after Zhou Jian took the corpse, all the “super ghosts” at the art school vanished, leaving only some specters outside. The death of Hu Chaoyang drew the special attention of the Inspection Council—not to investigate Qin Jing, but to look into Hu Chaoyang himself. His timing had been too coincidental for the Council not to be suspicious.

Preliminary investigations determined that Hu Chaoyang had been Zhou Jian’s pawn, used to trigger the art school’s spiritual eruption. In other words, Hu Chaoyang’s fate had been sealed from the start: for an ordinary person to suddenly gain extraordinary power is, more often than not, a calamity.

What surprised Qin Jing was that Lin En and the other two from the Inspection Council had made a name for themselves in the final siege against Zhou Jian, but never mentioned Qin Jing’s involvement to the public. As a result, people like Zhang Wei had no idea what role Qin Jing had played.

At last, Yan Yizhen carefully shared a piece of intelligence: “By the way, your ex-girlfriend seems to have remarkable talent. The new chairman of the Inspection Council, Lian Rui, has taken an interest in her and says there’s a legacy perfectly suited for her. She’s being sent to Jinling for advanced training. As spiritual revival deepens, the authorities are setting up extraordinary training bases in every region. Jinling’s Base No. 3 is the largest and strongest in the area. If Chen Hua goes there, she’s sure to receive ample resources for cultivation.”