The Mirror Master

Before he knew it, Lu Bai had already been in Bluestone City for five days.

The worst didn’t happen.

Neither Lu Ziyuan’s family nor the mountain bandits had sent any Yin Souls to claim his life.

’Come to think of it, that made sense. Forming a Yin Soul was difficult to begin with.’

Even if a Yin Soul did exist, Bluestone City was teeming with Martial Artists, and their collective Yang Qi was overwhelming. A Yin Soul likely wouldn’t dare approach.

’I’ll have to think of another way.’

In the past few days, Luo Qing had visited once to see Lu Bai and his mother, but she didn’t stay long before leaving in a hurry.

On this day, Luo Qing arrived early in the morning.

"I’ve taken care of it."

Luo Qing found Lu Bai and said, "Get ready. You’re coming with me to Bluestone Academy shortly."

As she spoke, she handed Lu Bai a package.

"This is..."

Lu Bai opened it to find a full set of azure training clothes. A single glance told him the fabric was of superior quality.

"I had a set of clothes made for you."

Luo Qing said, "I didn’t have time to get your measurements, so I just eyeballed it. Go change and see if it fits."

Lu Bai said, "Sister Luo, the clothes I’m wearing are perfectly fine and comfortable."

"Just change into them."

Luo Qing said, "Most of the disciples at Bluestone Academy come from prominent, wealthy families. If you show up in those plain clothes, I’m afraid people will look down on you.

"Some might see your attire, guess your humble origins, and even try to bully you."

Lu Bai fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Thank you, Sister Luo."

’He didn’t really care about the opinions of others, nor was he afraid of trouble, but there was no sense in provoking needless disputes.’

Lu Bai went back to his room, changed, and came out.

The eyes of Luo Qing, Madam Wang, and Uncle Fu all lit up.

Lu Bai was already handsome with fair skin and a tall frame. Now, dressed in fine clothes and further refined by the effects of the White Tiger Stance, his gaze was piercing. Just by standing there, he exuded an air of nobility.

"Not bad."

Luo Qing nodded and gestured to Lu Bai. "Let’s go."

"Bluestone Academy is divided into three sections: the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Martial Halls."

On the way, Luo Qing gave Lu Bai a general rundown of Bluestone Academy. "People like you and my two younger brothers, who are at the Third Level of the Root Bone Stage but haven’t yet reached the Inner Strength Realm, all train in the Basic Martial Hall. There, Tutors who are Inner Martial Artists will teach you the Inner Power Heart Method."

"The Intermediate Martial Hall is for actual Inner Martial Artists who haven’t yet opened their Seven Acupoints."

"As for the Advanced Martial Hall, you can only enter once you’ve opened your Seven Acupoints. That’s where I am. I’ve just been so busy these past two months that I haven’t attended in a while."

Lu Bai nodded.

"Once you’re at Bluestone Academy, try your best to avoid conflict. You’re too straightforward and can easily be taken advantage of. Keep your distance from the others and just focus on your own cultivation."

Luo Qing added, "If anyone does try to bully you, make sure you come and tell me. Don’t be shy about it, understand?"

"Okay, I won’t."

Lu Bai smiled.

Luo Qing said, "I’ve already spoken to Xiaoben and Xiaoxiao and told them to look out for you. You should be fine."

Lu Bai asked, "How has Miss Xiaodie been lately?"

"She’s fine, recovering quickly."

Luo Qing seemed to recall something. A peculiar glint flashed in her eyes as she gave Lu Bai a meaningful look.

She had managed to visit Xiaodie twice before.

Xiaodie hadn’t been fully lucid at the time, just muttering deliriously about "Young Master Lu," "Miss," and things like that.

’She’d never seen Xiaodie so fixated on anyone before.’

Just yesterday, Xiaodie had said that many things happened on the journey and that she wanted to recount the whole story in detail.

However, Luo Qing had been busy and simply told Xiaodie to focus on recovering, assuring her the stories could wait, before leaving in a rush.

Seeing Lu Bai ask about Xiaodie, an idea struck Luo Qing. "Why don’t you go see her tonight when you have time?" she asked, probing.

"That won’t be necessary."

Lu Bai shook his head.

’He had only asked casually. As long as she was alright, that was enough.’

As they talked, they rounded a corner and saw a large, sprawling courtyard made of bluestone. Guards stood on either side of the gate, above which a plaque bore the words ’Bluestone Academy’.

Luo Qing offered a simple greeting to the guards and led Lu Bai inside.

The moment he stepped over the threshold, he was hit with a mixed aroma of sweat, dust, and the faint scent of medicinal herbs.

From deeper within the academy, the faint sounds of shouts and grunts could be heard.

Luo Qing led Lu Bai into the main hall and then turned left.

Before long, they came to a training ground. The courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs, polished to a gleam by countless footsteps over an unknown number of years.

Dozens of disciples in fine training attire, mostly teenagers, were resting on the spot. They were all drenched in sweat, having clearly just finished a training session.

Besides Luo Ben and Luo Xiao, he also saw two other familiar faces: the siblings Chen Xiaofeng and Chen Qianqian.

Lu Bai’s gaze swept over the grounds. On either side stood two rows of weapon racks, filled with an imposing array of sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.

Near the weapon racks were over a dozen stone locks, arranged from smallest to largest.

At the far end of the training ground was a stone platform about half a man tall. A middle-aged man was seated on it. He was lean and wiry, with a sharp, angular face, high cheekbones, and a dark complexion.

Noticing Luo Qing and Lu Bai’s arrival, the man’s gaze snapped toward them, sharp and piercing.

"Tutor Xing?"

Luo Qing frowned.

The dozens of disciples on the training ground all turned to look in their direction.

A group of them huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

"What’s wrong?" Lu Bai asked.

"Tutor Zheng was supposed to be on duty today. I already made arrangements with him."

Luo Qing thought for a moment, then said, "Let’s go. We’ll just have a word with him. It shouldn’t be a problem."

With Lu Bai in tow, Luo Qing approached the stone platform. She cupped her fist in salute and said, "Greetings, Tutor Xing. Is Tutor Zheng not here today?"

"I switched shifts with him."

Xing Ying remained seated on the platform. "You haven’t been to the academy in ages. I thought you’d dropped out. What brings you here today?"

Luo Qing replied, "I’m bringing my brother here to train. He’s already reached the Third Level of the Root Bone Stage. I’ve spoken with the Dean about it already."

"Another brother? What’s his name?" Xing Ying asked, feigning ignorance.

Luo Qing said, "His name is Lu Bai."

"His surname is Lu?"

Xing Ying raised an eyebrow and snickered.

Among the disciples nearby, a few began to whisper and let out muffled laughs.

Luo Qing’s expression turned cold. "Is there a problem?"

"No problem," Xing Ying said, pointing to the stone locks near the weapon racks. "The academy has a rule: only those who can lift the five-hundred-jin stone lock with both hands are considered to be at the Third Level of the Root Bone Stage. Let’s have him give it a try."

Luo Qing’s heart sank.

She had been so busy the last few days that she’d forgotten to check Lu Bai’s Cultivation.

She had only taken Lu Bai’s word for it that he’d reached the Third Level of the Root Bone Stage; she had no idea if it was true.

Luo Qing frowned. "I already cleared this with Tutor Zheng yesterday. Why the need for a test?"

"Heh."

Xing Ying sneered. "Our Bluestone Academy is a martial hall officially recognized by the Wu Dynasty. We cultivate disciples for the Monarch himself—the future pillars of the dynasty. If we were to let just anyone slip in, wouldn’t that be a mockery of our standards!"

Luo Qing’s gaze turned icy, but she remained silent.

’The sudden shift change, combined with who Xing Ying was, forced her to connect this incident to recent events concerning her family.’

’This was supposed to be a feud between the Luo and Sun families of Bluestone County. She never imagined Lu Bai would be dragged into it.’

Xing Ying scanned the crowd and said, "All the disciples of the Basic School are watching. If I bend the rules for you today and word gets out, it will undoubtedly tarnish Bluestone Academy’s reputation."

"That’s right!" someone shouted from the crowd.

A chorus of agreement immediately followed.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!