Chapter 157: Do You Want Me to Keep Going?

When Li Jiansan uttered those words, everyone present stood frozen in utter astonishment, as if their wits had abandoned them. Many even rubbed their ears, suspecting they had misheard.

Liu Yan furrowed his brow, asking, "Hmph? What is the meaning of this?"

"Still don't understand?" Li Jiansan grinned. "I truly worry for your intelligence."

"Let me repeat myself: as for following you—you are not worthy!"

As soon as these words fell, everyone stared in wide-eyed disbelief, utterly shocked.

Earlier, Liu Yan had promised that as long as Li Jiansan nodded in agreement, he would personally devote all his resources to cultivating him, enabling him to become the most formidable prodigy of the Azure Dragon Academy within three years.

When Liu Yan made this pledge, no one doubted it for a moment.

Li Jiansan possessed terrifying talent, and ascending to the peak of the Azure Dragon Academy in three years was by no means impossible.

Moreover, with Liu Yan's dedicated cultivation, surpassing the top ten personal disciples would be just around the corner!

All because he would have Liu Yan's backing.

And who was Liu Yan?

He was the overseer of the Grade-A classes. As the most elite class in the Azure Dragon Academy, it commanded the most abundant resources.

With Liu Yan vowing to nurture Li Jiansan with all his might, the vast majority of these immense resources would be channeled directly into him.

Accumulated under such massive resources, it would be like adding wings to a tiger for Li Jiansan!

Yet, Li Jiansan had just rejected such an opportunity outright.

This left everyone utterly incredulous.

Glaring at Li Jiansan, Liu Yan barked furiously, "What did you say?!"

However, having spoken his piece, Li Jiansan paid Liu Yan no further heed.

Seeing this, Liu Yan grew even more livid with rage.

Following Li Jiansan's rejection of Liu Yan's invitation, the elders of the other classes snapped their gazes toward him simultaneously, their eyes blazing with greedy intensity, as though they were staring at an unclothed peerless beauty.

"Hu Jun, what kind of look is that? Could it be that you're harboring ulterior motives toward Li Jiansan as well?"

"Don't tell me you don't want him. Liu Desheng, I know very well what you're plotting."

"You bastards, how dare you try to snatch him from me? Li Jiansan naturally belongs to me! Even if he refuses the Grade-A class, he's coming to my Grade-B class. What right do you have to compete with me?"

At that moment, Zhang Dabao burst into laughter and said, "Goodness, Big Brother Li is acting like a famous courtesan, being fought over frantically by a bunch of old fogies."

Zi Xuan also giggled and remarked, "Well, his strength speaks for itself, so this is only natural. If it were me, I'd be dying to cling to him. Oh, look! The elder of the Grade-D class isn't even moving an inch. Is he not planning to contend for him?"

Hearing Zhang Dabao's colorful description, Xu Yan chuckled as well, but when Zi Xuan spoke, his heart gave an inexplicable squeeze.

As Zi Xuan finished her sentence, Zhang Dabao cast his gaze toward Wu Jiang. "Perhaps he feels he has no advantage whatsoever and simply gave up of his own accord."

Noticing that Li Jiansan remained entirely composed, the elder named Liu Desheng glided forward with light steps, stopping right in front of him.

"Li Jiansan, what cultivation technique are you practicing? Demonstrate it for me, and I can personally guide you to correct its flaws."

Upon hearing this, several other elders roared in anger, "Liu Desheng, what do you think you are? You have the audacity to guide our genius?"

Amidst the clamor of those middle-aged elders, even their forms of address toward Li Jiansan began to change.

"Exactly! Even if a genius needs guidance, it should be my Hu Jun doing the tutoring. An elder of the Grade-D class like you is unworthy."

The Grade-B class elder Hu Jun spat out a torrent of angry words at Liu Desheng, before turning back to gaze at Li Jiansan with an expression of profound affection.

Li Jiansan paid the commotion no mind whatsoever. He remained utterly calm, watching them as though they were merely a group of children squabbling.

Let alone these mere elders.

After a brief pause, a faint gleam flashed across Li Jiansan's eyes.

He looked straight at Liu Desheng and said, "You are about to die!"

"And you—within seven days, your Dantian will shatter, reducing you to a complete cripple from that day on." He then swept a glance toward Hu Jun.

"Hey, kid, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Hu Jun's tone shifted noticeably. Although Li Jiansan possessed limitless potential, how could Hu Jun not be enraged by such a blatant insult?

Hearing these words, the crowd's pupils constricted sharply. To curse an elder so flagrantly—did this boy truly believe that a shred of talent allowed him to act however he pleased within the Azure Dragon Academy?

One had to remember that throughout the history of the Jiang Kingdom, countless prodigies with extraordinary potential had ultimately perished along their path of growth.

Everyone stared at Li Jiansan with burning curiosity, eager to see what game he was playing.

Hu Jun fixed a frigid glare upon Li Jiansan, looking ready to resort to violence at the slightest provocation.

He had expected the brat to concoct some high-sounding excuses, but instead, Li Jiansan maintained an indifferent expression, even shaking his head afterward and letting out a long sigh: "Sigh..."

"You brat, still playing the mystic?"

Seeing Li Jiansan put on airs, Hu Jun clenched his fists tightly, his eyes blazing with fury.

Boom!

The formidable power contained within Hu Jun's fist instantly whipped up a violent gale of kinetic energy, smashing with a thunderous crash into the earth right before Li Jiansan. A deep, jagged fissure instantly split the ground open.

The surrounding disciples exchanged glances in dismay upon seeing this; an offhand strike from Elder Hu Jun was terrifying indeed.

Seeing this, Li Jiansan showed no trace of anger.

"Since you insist, I shall spell it out for you. However, this is going to be quite humiliating."

At Li Jiansan's words, Hu Jun's heart skipped a sharp beat. *That matter is a secret between that old woman and me; how could this brat possibly know?*

Placing his hands behind his back, Li Jiansan spoke in a flat tone, "If my eyes do not deceive me, the technique you cultivate should be the supreme *Nine Nether Buddhist Arts*."

"So what if it is?" Hu Jun snorted coldly.

"The *Nine Nether Buddhist Arts* is indeed the technique I practice, but figuring that out is nothing special. Do you think you can fob me off with such parlor tricks? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

After Li Jiansan named the technique outright, Hu Jun was momentarily stunned, but he quickly recovered.

The *Nine Nether Buddhist Arts* he practiced was not an exceptionally profound cultivation method, and many within the Azure Dragon Academy were aware of it; anyone could find out with a little discreet inquiry.

What he hadn't anticipated, however, was that not long after entering the academy, Li Jiansan had attended the freshman assembly, immediately followed by the trials of the Maze Forest, only returning to the academy just now. In such a short span of time, it should have been impossible for him to gather any intelligence.

The Chief Steward glanced at Li Jiansan and muttered with puzzlement, "How on earth did this kid figure out the technique Hu Jun cultivates?"

"Heh, I suppose the art you practice leans toward the absolute rigid and solar attributes. Am I wrong?"

Hu Jun felt a slight jolt of surprise, though he brushed it aside.

"Hmph, you have a bit of cleverness, but anyone familiar with the *Nine Nether Buddhist Arts* can easily guess the attribute of this technique."

Li Jiansan looked at Hu Jun, his tone carrying a trace of reprimand. "Indeed. But by now, you have thoroughly messed up this technique."

"What kind of dogshit are you barking? If I had messed it up, how could I have achieved my current level of cultivation? By your logic, wouldn't I have suffered a cultivation deviation and gone mad long ago?"

Hu Jun bellowed with mounting fury.

"When you practiced this technique with a calm mind in the past, naturally there were no issues. But now, within a single night at most, you will suffer a deviation, and your meridians will rupture, causing you to die a violent death!"

Hu Jun's expression grew thoroughly dark. "Stop spouting such preposterous nonsense..."

"Do not be in such a hurry to fly into a rage. Since I have spoken of it today, I shall naturally give you a convincing explanation."

Without acknowledging Hu Jun's volatile temper, Li Jiansan interrupted him directly.

Hearing this, Hu Jun let out a cold laugh. "Fine! I'll let you speak. I'd love to see what kind of drivel you can dream up next!"

A faint smile touched the corner of Li Jiansan's lips as he began, "Not long ago, you took a concubine, didn't you?"

Hu Jun was taken aback. Very few people knew about him taking a concubine—even his primary wife was entirely unaware. How did this young man find out?

"Even if I did take a concubine, what of it? There is no law in the Chu Dynasty prohibiting concubines, is there?"

Regaining his composure, Hu Jun retorted coldly, "Besides, what does that have to do with the cultivation technique I practice? You had better make things clear today!"

"If I am not mistaken, you brought this concubine into your household half a year ago."

Li Jiansan's phrasing of "brought into your household" was extraordinarily subtle, given that up to this moment, Hu Jun's wife remained completely ignorant of the affair.

"Furthermore, ever since your concubine arrived at your estate, I imagine you have been indulging in nightly pleasures without restraint. In fact, over the past three nights, you two engaged in passionate clouds-and-rain unions seventeen times. Am I correct?"

"You... just how do you know all this?!"

Upon hearing Li Jiansan's words, Hu Jun's body swayed violently. He looked as though he had seen a ghost in broad daylight, his complexion shifting rapidly between pale and greenish-blue.

How could Li Jiansan possibly tell?

Could he glean all this simply by looking at him a few times?

How was that even possible?

"Goodness, Li Jiansan even knows about private pillow-talk! Is he a demon?"

Seeing Hu Jun's expression of shock and trembling disbelief, one didn't need to guess to know that Li Jiansan had hit the nail squarely on the head.

They stared at one another, too stunned to speak, utterly floored by the revelation.

When Li Jiansan deduced that Hu Jun kept a concubine, no one had found it strange—what elder in this day and age didn't keep one or two concubines for amusement?

Yet, Li Jiansan had been able to pinpoint the exact time Hu Jun took her in.

More astonishing still, he could accurately recount the exact number of nights Hu Jun and his concubine had spent together in intimacy—matters of which even his lawful wife remained completely ignorant. Just how did Li Jiansan come by such knowledge?

Could it be that Li Jiansan moonlit as a fortune-teller?

"I venture to guess that your standing within your household must be quite miserable of late, and you've had quite a few bitter arguments with your wife recently. No doubt she has discovered some clues regarding your indiscretion."

When speaking of Hu Jun's domestic affairs, Li Jiansan used ambiguous phrases like "I venture to guess" and "no doubt," showing a remarkable degree of consideration for Hu Jun's face.

Li Jiansan continued, "Shall I go on?"