The two sat down. Libationer Barrett asked after Butcher's condition. Quinn Shepherd replied, "All is well. The old man's lower half is missing, but his cultivation is high, and he can dash about with just his hands."
Libationer Barrett was puzzled. "If we share the same master, why did you also study medicine under the Jade-Faced Poison King? Is he your master too?"
Quinn nodded, but did not mention that besides the Apothecary and Butcher, he had other masters as well.
Libationer Barrett was stunned, then suddenly exclaimed, "I think I know where Master's lower half is! Years ago, he swung his knife to the heavens, then fell from the sky—his lower half was snatched away by a disciple from some sect. Junior brother, since you studied medicine with the Jade-Faced Poison King and are so skilled, let me ask: if we find Master's lower half, can it be reattached?"
Quinn hesitated. "If it was just severed, yes. As long as the body's vitality is stimulated and medicine for regrowing flesh and essence is used, muscle can reconnect, sinew can be rejoined, and bone can be reshaped. But after so much time, I'm afraid his lower half is already dead..."
Libationer Barrett looked dejected, then quickly rallied. "Even so, we have to recover Master's lower half!"
Quinn nodded. "Senior brother, you'd best first find out which sect took it, so you don't search the wrong one."
Libationer Barrett got up, but soon returned. "Master's lower half was picked up more than two hundred years ago. I don't even know if it's still in that sect. I've already sent people to investigate—once we know its whereabouts, we'll go retrieve it."
Quinn let out a sigh of relief. If Butcher's lower half could be found, whether or not it could be reattached, it would still be a good thing.
Butcher only has his upper body left, and most of his strength is gone. If someone did take his lower half, it should still be possible to preserve it.
After all, his strength was extraordinary.
As a master of battle skills, achieving the realm where the flesh does not decay should not be difficult. Many accomplished monks in the Buddhist schools can attain the Vajra Indestructible Body—after death, their remains do not rot or decompose, and are enshrined in temples as flesh Bodhisattvas.
However, what is truly difficult is attaining an undying body.
Those flesh Bodhisattvas in temples—their bodies are already dead. An undying body is a step beyond the indestructible body: the blood does not congeal, the flesh stays supple, the heart keeps beating, and the nerves remain alive. That is true undying flesh.
"Senior Barrett, do you know Butcher's real name?" Quinn suddenly remembered something and asked.
Libationer Barrett shook his head. "No. People only call him Heavenblade—no one knows his real name. Our master once said he had an enemy who could curse someone just by knowing their true name, so he rarely reveals it to anyone."
Quinn was surprised. That sounded a lot like the shamanic arts of the Wild Di Kingdom—could Butcher have offended a great shaman from there in the past?
He calmed himself and continued practicing the three sword forms taught by the Imperial Preceptor of the Everpeace Empire. He had already mastered the Winding Sword Form and found it hard to improve further, so he now focused on the other two forms.
Libationer Barrett drank as he watched from the side, intending to offer some pointers. But after watching for a while, he couldn't say a word.
He had seen other scholars practice the Roaming Sword Form—some were clumsy, some nimble. But when Quinn wielded it, thousands of sword qi flickered like darting fish, startled swans, or swimming dragons. The sword qi changed endlessly, never fixed in form.
Quinn's foundation was so solid and his moves so varied—throughout the entire Imperial Academy, only he could achieve this!
He practiced the Roaming Sword Form hundreds, even thousands of times, striving to unleash all his strength in a single strike.
His Roaming Sword Form grew more and more powerful, until Libationer Barrett watched for a long time, forgetting even to drink.
After countless repetitions, Quinn switched to practicing the Drill Sword Form, still grinding the basics—focusing all his power into the sword and unleashing his full potential.
His potential wasn't just in sword moves—he drew on Grandpa Cripple’s movement, Butcher’s knife arts, Master Ma’s boxing, Grandpa Blind’s divine eyes, Grandpa Deaf’s painting, and Grandpa Dumb’s hammer skills, using them all as sources of power.
After a long while, Quinn stopped, drenched in sweat, and took out his Heavenly Fragrance handkerchief to wipe himself.
Libationer Barrett suddenly asked, "Junior brother, was it you who drove away the Dao Heir and Buddha Child?"
Quinn caught his breath and did not hide the truth: "The Dao Heir lost to me by half a move. As for the Buddha Child, I never fought him."
Libationer Barrett exhaled heavily. "When I saw your swordsmanship, I guessed it was you. Funny thing—during the Preceptor’s sword lecture, were you the one who shouted, ‘I finally managed to refine my qi into threads!’?"
Quinn blushed.
Barrett's expression grew strange. "You only managed to refine your qi into threads at that moment? If you hadn't mastered it, how did you defeat Daoist Lingyun?"
Quinn thought for a moment. "I stabbed out with my sword, and he lost."
Barrett was speechless. "What do you mean, you stabbed out with your sword and he lost?"
Quinn scratched his head. "How about this, senior brother—you block my sword at the Five Luminaries level."
Barrett sealed his other treasuries, battle intent blazing. "I'm ready!" he shouted.
Nearby, Lina the fox and the Jadehide Ox were tipsy and arguing about becoming sworn siblings. The little fox glanced at Quinn and Barrett and giggled, "Moo-Moo, your master is doomed."
The Jadehide Ox snorted, "My master won't lose—"
Quinn picked up a piece of firewood and used it as a sword. With a single thrust, Barrett raised his hand to block, but there was a thunderous crash—the gate of Quinn's scholar's residence shattered into pieces, and much of the wall collapsed!
The Jadehide Ox stopped mid-sentence.
Quinn withdrew his sword and hurried outside. Barrett, covered in dust, stood up from the rubble, unsealed his other treasuries, and laughed, "I thought Daoist Lingyun must have bribed someone! No wonder—even I couldn't block it if caught off guard."
He wasn't injured. The firewood Quinn stabbed into Barrett's chest was shattered into splinters by Barrett's yuanqi, leaving him unharmed.
Many scholars rushed out, seeing Quinn's courtyard gate destroyed. They felt secretly pleased: "That Qin abandoned dared write insults on the gate—now he’s paid for it! Barrett personally tore down their gate; let’s see where Quinn’s pride is now!"
[Irrelevant passage: skip this webnovel navigation line.]
Barrett swept his gaze over them and waved. "Disperse, disperse—nothing to see. I was just sparring with Scholar Quinn."
"So Barrett really beat up that Qin fellow," the scholars thought, gloating as they looked at Quinn.
To their surprise, Quinn was still neat and tidy, while Barrett was covered in dust. It didn’t look like Quinn was beaten—Barrett seemed much more disheveled.
Barrett glanced at the gate and collapsed wall, headache brewing. "No wonder the Grand Rector said you nearly tore down the Scholars’ Quarters. If you fought here, you could really demolish the whole place in no time. Your skills are superb, but your cultivation method has a flaw at your left shoulder."
He didn’t bother lowering his voice, so the scholars who hadn’t left yet heard every word, their eyes lighting up.
"So his weak point is at the left shoulder!"
Wayne Shen took a long breath. He had noticed Quinn’s cultivation seemed a bit awkward but never found his flaw—now Barrett had pointed it out.
Now I can keep my position as senior scholar, Wayne Shen thought to himself.
Have the servants come repair the wall and gate.
Barrett spotted Wayne Shen and called him over. Wayne hurried to bow: "Teacher!"
Barrett smiled at Quinn. "There are few scholars I truly appreciate in the Academy—Wayne Shen is one I’ve personally mentored. Junior brother, what do you think?"
Quinn nodded in praise. "No wonder Senior Wayne is so strong—it’s thanks to your guidance. Senior Wayne is the top scholar in the residence, both in cultivation and skill. When he moves up to the Divine Residence, he’ll surely shine."
"Senior brother? Junior brother?" Wayne Shen was a bit confused.
Barrett laughed. "Junior brother, why call him senior brother? He’s your junior nephew. If you call him senior brother, you’ll mix up our ranks!"
Quinn hesitated. Barrett walked into the courtyard and continued, "I realized long ago that relying only on the Imperial Supervisors to teach scholars produces experts but can also waste talent. They teach too many at once—some master a skill after one lesson, others need ten or a hundred. But everyone must repeat the lessons until the slowest catch up, which delays the gifted ones."
Quinn and Wayne Shen entered the courtyard. Barrett tossed over a wine gourd. "I told the Grand Rector: the Academy’s teaching suits one-in-a-thousand talents, but not one-in-a-hundred-thousand or one-in-a-million. He let me try mentoring on my own, so I picked Wayne Shen and taught him for a while. He excelled and became top scholar for years. Individual cultivation beats mass teaching—Wayne is truly one-in-a-million talent."
So that’s how it is.
Quinn frowned. "If that’s the case, how is the Academy different from a sect?"
Barrett sighed. "That’s why the Grand Rector and Imperial Preceptor are troubled. The Grand Rector is about to resign, so now the Preceptor worries most. He knows the Academy has flaws, so he’s taken a few disciples to teach personally. But many geniuses have been held back by the system."
Quinn was stunned. The Preceptor faces the dilemma of whether to deny his own reforms, but he can’t simply do so.
The primary, secondary, and Imperial Academies far surpass sects in cultivating talent. If they solve the genius-training problem, they’ll outdo sects in every way!
How does the emperor train the crown prince? When young, the prince has tutors—Junior Guardian, Junior Mentor, Junior Instructor. As he grows, there are Senior Guardian, Senior Mentor, Senior Instructor. These are all sect-master level. With such training, the prince is extremely strong. Now I’m trying to mentor a few scholars, adapting my teaching to each.
The Grand Rector’s idea is that once I figure out the method, it can be spread. He says to select the most learned scholars for specialized teaching by libationers, separating them from ordinary students. Junior brother, you’re the Academy’s first Academy Fellow—Professor Quinn.
[Irrelevant annotation: skip this historical note.]