Translator: Lordbluefire

  The ocean wind had a stench to it as it blew toward the restaurant.

  “Why? Is this place a den for dragons and tigers?”

  Sun Mo ate a mouthful of the little dish. The taste was ordinary and extremely salty. It was so salty that it felt like he was eating dried fish.

  “Go and make two more dishes!”

  Ji Han instructed the boss and no longer tried to hint Sun Mo. He admired Sun Mo’s talent and this was why he tried to persuade him. If Sun Mo didn’t want to listen and wanted to court death, it didn’t matter to him either.

  “Throughout history, from ancient times until now, warlords held power over different places and these places were always full of chaos. Say, other than enjoying the sea breeze and eating salted fish, what other benefits are there in staying at this place?”

  Sun Mo didn’t understand.

  Ji Han drank his wine and didn’t reply.

  “You guys feel that you were bullied, hence you all came here to hide. Moreover, because you guys were stationed here for a long time and had no contact with the Nine Provinces, do you all feel that this is a type of betrayal?”

  Sun Mo glanced at Ji Han. “What does this count for? You won’t cooperate unless there’s violence? Or is it self-exile?”

  Pak!

  Ji Han smashed the wine bowl onto the table. “The great teacher circle of the Nine Provinces makes me feel disgusted. I’d rather be a farmer here.”

  “Che, from my point of view, you are a coward!”

  Sun Mo stared at Ji Han. “I’ll screw whoever dares offend me, beating that person up mercilessly. I will vent my emotions first before we speak of other things.”

  “.……”

  Ji Han frowned. Sun Mo’s words didn’t conform to his values.

  “Do you feel that I’m too ruthless?”

  Sun Mo’s lips twitched. “But if one wasn’t ruthless, they wouldn’t be able to survive. When facing powerful enemies, do you think everything will be fine as long as you kneel and plead for mercy? No. The other party will feel that wow, your bones are so soft. After that, they will slap you even harder and steal your money and women.”

  Ji Han’s fists were clenched tightly.

  “Teacher Ji, your weapon lies in educating people. The more students you educate, the more seedlings you will have planted. Decades later, you would have an additional portion of harvest. Even if you fought against others, you wouldn’t have to fight alone anymore.”

  Sun Mo put his chopsticks down. “Although fleeing will make you safe temporarily, is it really useful? That’s only an act in the dramas. In reality, if you don’t wish to be bullied, you have to fight back.”

  Sun Mo stood up. “Do you think the descendants of powerful great teacher clans would be thrown into this great prison to participate in monstrous exams like this? Don’t you feel ashamed bullying the examinees who were forced here? If you are capable, go and fire your cannon at the Saint Gate instead!”

  Ji Leng started.

  Sun Mo’s words brought a very huge rush of impact to him.

  (Yeah, what’s the point of me bullying these examinees? How could it be that easy to make the prisoners here turn over a new leaf? Basically, it’s almost confirmed that they have to waste five to six years here before scramming back to the Nine Provinces with their tails between their legs.)

  (Wait a minute, I’m actually convinced by Sun Mo? This brat’s grasp on the human heart is extremely accurate!)

  Ji Han had to admit that Sun Mo’s words were correct. When he was hiding here, the happy ones would be his enemies.

  “But Sun Mo, you are wrong on one point. We are not wasting our lives here. We are currently carrying out a grand research!”

  Ji Han picked up the wine vat and gulped the alcohol down fiercely. “We are going to stun the world!”

  …

  Sun Mo paid a visit to the prison warden. Firstly, this was something the Saint Gate’s Sect Lord Su Taiqing had asked him to do. Sun Mo wanted to understand the character of the prison warden as well. Secondly, he wanted to know what the prison warden thought about him receiving Saint Bai’s inheritance. If things didn’t smell right, he would hurry up and summon Little Silver and leave.

  In any case, he was young. Even if he became a 6-stars twenty years later, he would still be considered a tender shoot.

  Hu Xingjiang’s office was located in a small room. The furnishing was simple and other than a table with peeled-off paint, there were three large bookshelves that were filled with books.

  “What do you want to drink? Tea or plain water?”

  Hu Xingjiang didn’t adopt the attitude of a major character. His smile was very amiable.

  “Water will do!”

  Sun Mo sat down.

  “Are you used to the life here?”

  Hu Xingjiang surveyed Sun Mo as he silently mused at Sun Mo’s good looks. (You could clearly depend on being a gigolo and do well, yet you are actually so outstanding that many high star-ranking great teachers would feel ashamed of their inferiority.)

  “With no disturbance from the external world, this is indeed a good place to gain knowledge!”

  Sun Mo received the bowl that the major character passed him. “It’s still okay to stay three or four years in this place. But if you leave the Nine Provinces for too long, you will lose touch with the mainstream learning world there.”

  “Hmm, that’s true. This is especially so for some popular subjects. If we don’t follow updates closely, we will lag behind after a few years.”

  Hu Xingjiang agreed as well.

  “Teacher Hu, my Ancient Dragon Capturing Hands has an excellent recovery effect when it comes to treating some of the hidden injuries afflicting the body…”

  Sun Mo wasn’t a simp. He wanted to have a legitimate reason to inspect and probe Hu Xingjiang’s body to see if there were any weaknesses he could grasp.

  “Many thanks for Teacher Sun’s kind intention, but there’s no need!”

  Hu Xingjiang rejected.

  “Teacher Hu, I have an unreasonable request. I wish to see the information of all the prisoners imprisoned here.”

  Sun Mo made a request.

  “Sure!”

  Hu Xingjiang didn’t intentionally make things difficult for Sun Mo.

  The two of them chatted idly for some time. In the end, when Sun Mo departed, Hu Xingjiang still didn’t mention anything about the saint’s inheritance.

  “What exactly is that fellow thinking?”

  Sun Mo didn’t understand.

  Ding!

  “Congratulations. Your eldest disciple Li Ziqi is now the Great Tang’s female emperor and is standing at the peak of her life. Your credit in this is undeniable, hence you are hereby awarded 3x great teacher emblems and 3x mysterious treasure chests.”

  Ding!

  “Congratulations on completing the achievement ‘my disciple becomes more outstanding than her teacher’. Reward: 1x great teacher emblem, 2x mysterious treasure chests.”

  The system announced. It had been too long since it last gave out a reward.

  “Aren’t the rewards a little too late?”

  Sun Mo was speechless.

  “You were clearly in closed-door cultivation!”

  The system felt very wronged.

  Sun Mo looked at the five treasure chests and bore the impulse to open them straight. The papaya girl wasn’t beside him. Given his unlucky aura, he probably wouldn’t be able to open any good stuff.

  Ding!

  “Mission issued: Please complete the exam within three years and become a 6-stars great teacher. If you fail, there will be a punishment!”

  “Huh?”

  Sun Mo was unhappy. (How can this daddy escape now?)

  “Great teachers should charge forward in the face of difficulty and do things no others can do.”

  The system encouraged him.

  “Scram!”

  Sun Mo wasn’t a three-year-old kid. This type of chicken soup was honeyed words used to cheat ghosts!

  Although the system had given a mission, Sun Mo decided to do things according to his original plan. This time around, rising a rank was a small matter. What was important was whether he could learn some skills or capabilities here.

  But before that, he had to be famous first so he could garner prestige. Like this, he would be more persuasive.

  There were a total of seven underground levels in the Great Prison of Desolation, and every level had a puzzle. Outsiders had to solve the puzzle on each level before they were permitted to head down.

  Sun Mo wasn’t in a rush to solve them. Instead, he took his time going around the first level and understanding the situations of the prisoners in detail first.

  Those imprisoned here were all 3-stars great teachers and below. More than half of them were dark great teachers who had joined the Dark Dawn. Half of them did so for money, beauty, cultivation arts, or secret treasures.

  All in all, the prisoners on this level were very young. They had to do heavy-duty labor every day to pay for their crimes.

  The newbies nurtured by the Saint Gate would come here for a tour once every few years. This was to warn the newbies not to make any mistakes, or the consequences would be very heavy.

  The second level consisted of 4-stars great teachers and so on and so forth. The lower the level, the higher the star-rank of the prisoners and the number of guards.

  “Teacher Sun, it has been a year since we last met. Are you still doing well?”

  Lu Guodong and a few others grouped up and greeted him respectively.

  “Many thanks to everyone for missing me!”

  Sun Mo also knew how to exchange pleasantries. They were not close with each other at all, since these people came to look for him so fast, it was clear that they coveted the saint’s inheritance.

  As expected, Pang Tong went straight to the point. “Teacher Sun, what inheritance did you obtain exactly? Can you reveal a little?”

  “It’s very valuable.”

  Sun Mo chortled. “If you guys want to learn it, you can come and work for the Central Province Academy.”

  “What about the cultivation art? The cultivation art that a saint practiced is surely a saint-tier one. He must have imparted it to you as well, right?”

  Pang Tong continued to ask.

  “Nope!”

  Sun Mo had to lie even if he didn’t want to. The Empowerment Art was too powerful, and it would surely be a case of treasuring a jade ring becomes a crime. “Alright, let’s talk later if you guys have other matters. I’m going to clear the puzzle first.”

  “Let’s go together!”

  Lu Guodong wanted to become friends with someone like Sun Mo.

  “Given Teacher Sun’s talent, you will probably be able to clear five puzzles in a single day, right?”

  Pang Tong fawned.

  Very soon, everyone appeared at the entrance of the tunnel leading to the second level.

  There was a sturdy and thick metal door here with chaotic scribble patterns. There were also some metal rods that were either sticking out or being pushed in.

  “This lock is named ‘Ghost Lock’. You can only open it after inserting the metal rods in the correct sequence.”

  Ji Han also came over and he explained to Sun Mo.

  “The more metal rods there are, the higher the difficulty will be. No matter what, I’m a grandmaster weaponsmith. In the end, I had to spend a month to solve this puzzle.”

  Lu Guodong sighed.

  “What if one doesn’t know weaponsmithing?”

  Sun Mo frowned.

  “If they don’t know, they can apply to the prison guards to unlock it. However, they can only enter or exit once a week as they have to follow the guard. If they miss the time to exit the level, they have to wait for next week.”

  Wu You was depressed. He belonged to the category that didn’t know weaponsmithing.

  “If you are the one that unlocks it personally, you will be able to enter and exit freely.”

  Pang Tong provoked. “Didn’t you obtain a saint’s inheritance, why don’t you allow us to broaden our horizons?”

  Sun Mo walked to the door and observed the distribution of the metal rods. After that, he directly grabbed one and pushed it in.

  Creak!

  The sounds of gears grinding rang out.

  Sun Mo listened closely.

  One rod!

  Two rods!

  Three rods!

  …

  After Sun Mo moved seven rods, he stopped and took two steps back. After that, he touched his chin and started to contemplate. Roughly five minutes later, he officially started to try and unlock the door.

  “How is it?”

  Pang Tong moved toward Lu Guodong’s side and asked in a low voice. In the end, no one replied. Pang Tong turned his head and looked at him only to discover that Lu Guodong’s face showed dumbfounded amazement.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Wu You continued asking.

  “H…he actually solved it.”

  Lu Guodong was completely shocked because the sequence in which Sun Mo inserted the metal rods was completely correct. After Sun Mo pushed the 12th metal rod in, he stopped.

  Creaking sounds appeared from the metal door. After that, a rumbling rang out as the two-halves of the door swung open, revealing a gap.

  Sun Mo opened the gap wider and entered.

  Everyone else froze.

  “Damn, even a great ancestor-level weaponsmith wouldn’t be able to do that so fast, right?”

  Lu Guodong looked at Ji Han. “What’s the fastest record of solving this puzzle?”

  “…”

  Ji Han didn’t answer him. Rather, he took a quick step ahead and arrived before the door as he checked attentively.

  Was this Ghost Lock damaged?

  He majored in weaponsmithing and was considered a genius in this subject, but back then when he had solved this puzzle, he had had to spend an entire day. In the end, Sun Mo finished it in 15 minutes?

  What was even more terrifying was that when Sun Mo tested it, he only moved seven metal rods to check things. After that, he understood the crux perfectly.

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  Ji Han hurriedly jogged over. “Teacher Sun, could you tell me your thought process when you solved this puzzle?”


  Chapter 1239: I’m Not Going To Pretend Anymore. I’m a Grandmaster Beast Tamer. I’m Showing My Cards!

  Translator: Lordbluefire

  “Hearing Composition!”

  Sun Mo spoke.

  “Huh?”

  Lu Guodong also arrived and there was a look of dumbfoundedness on his face. (I understand every word you spoke, but when I group them together, I don’t understand the term at all.)

  “Usually speaking, if you want to open locks like the Ghost Lock, there’s only one method and that’s to keep trying to find the correct combination.”

  Sun Mo explained. That was the most time and energy-consuming method, proof by exhaustion.

  Although it was proof by exhaustion, if one didn’t have a certain level of weaponsmithing knowledge, they wouldn’t even be able to calculate anything.

  “Naturally, one can also pluck the metal rods out with violence and observe their gears to solve this!”

  Ghost Lock’s principle was similar to locks in the modern era, but it was more complicated.

  “I actually wanted to do that when I attempted it!”

  Lu Guodong had a self-mocking smile. Doing so by violence was the lowest of all lows when it came to solving the lock.

  “If we cannot see the inner gears, we can only judge things by their sound. So, I moved a few metal rods first to judge its entire composition before I unlocked it.”

  Sun Mo explained.

  “.……”

  Most of them didn’t know the amount of experience and skill that was required in ‘Hearing Composition’ so they had calm looks on their faces. But grandmaster weaponsmiths like Ji Han and Lu Guodong had looks of shock on their faces.

  (Damn, this could work too?)

  “Is there a need to be so shocked? Those skilled locksmiths can do this as well. Also, for some veteran blacksmiths, they simply need to rap the metal material and they will even know the carbonic content and heat control that’s required to forge such a lock. Bluntly speaking, you don’t have to really be skilled. You just need to have large amounts of experience.”

  Sun Mo shrugged.

  Ji Han looked at Sun Mo. He then opened and closed his mouth but didn’t know what to say. He naturally knew that experience was the most important thing, but the problem was……how old was Sun Mo merely?!

  “The saint’s inheritance is actually so terrifying?”

  Lu Guodong was incomparably shocked.

  “You are wrong. The saint’s inheritance might be impressive, but Sun Mo who can grasp it completely is someone that might not even appear in ten thousand geniuses.”

  Ji Han sighed.

  If one handed the saint’s inheritance to an ordinary genius, they would definitely not be able to reach Sun Mo’s standard.

  Sun Mo also felt somewhat rueful. Saint Bai’s knowledge and experience had been completely imparted to him. This meant that it was equivalent to accepting his knowledge system. After integrating it, when he learned weaponsmithing, it would be equal to standing on the shoulders of giants and having a far broader horizon compared to others.

  After Lu Guodong’s detailed explanation, Pang Tong and the others understood that Sun Mo’s act of unlocking the door earlier might have looked simple, but it displayed extremely shocking talent.

  Ding!

  Congratulations on obtaining +1,230 favorable impression points.

  The entrance leading to the third level was a huge cave. Inside it, there were seven gigantic golden-furred baboons. Their thick arms were like pillars, and their aura streaked with the wildness of ferocious beasts.

  “The test of this level is more unadulterated. It solely depends on combat strength.”

  Ji Han explained. “These baboons are around the first level of the Longevity Realm. Given Teacher Sun’s strength, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to defeat them.”

  Sun Mo swept his eyes over and felt somewhat astonished. “They are actually without an owner?”

  These golden-furred baboons were being controlled by beast tamer techniques, but they had no spiritual contracts. This meant that Sun Mo could capture them if he wanted to.

  “They are reared by the prison warden!”

  Ji Han snapped his fingers and those baboons immediately squatted down obediently, waiting to be fed. “They are like hunting dogs.”

  “Their intelligence is very high and close to a human’s. However, their thoughts aren’t as complex as ours. They are very loyal, thus it’s very practical to use them to guard this tunnel!”

  Ji Han laughed and waited to watch a good show. “Please feel free to start.”

  Everyone focused. Many of them even took out image-recording stones, wanting to film the scene of Sun Mo’s combat so they could research it in the future.

  “Oh right, these baboons belong to the prison warden. So, you are not allowed to use the art of spiritual control and capture them!”

  Ji Han warned.

  (So what if you are a genius? Don’t you still have to fight against our ‘hunting dogs’? If you are capable, try passing this test without taking action!)

  “Hehe!”

  Sun Mo returned a smile to Ji Han. After that, he walked toward those golden-furred baboons.

  Ao! Ao! Ao!

  The baboons looked at this stranger and immediately started howling. Their fierce glares shot over as they surrounded Sun Mo, preparing to blast his head into pieces with their punches.

  Their master had said before that strangers weren’t permitted to enter here.

  Sun Mo didn’t use his wooden blade. Instead, he placed his right index finger and thumb in his mouth and then blew a whistle.

  Hu~

  The sharp piercing sound reverberated throughout the cave and caused the seven baboons to immediately stop as they stared at Sun Mo in bewilderment.

  “What’s going on?”

  Everyone didn’t understand.

  The baboons waited for over ten seconds before continuing forward. After that, Sun Mo suddenly sped toward them and started howling with a ferocious look on his face.

  Ao!

  Upon hearing this sound, all the baboons retreated with explosive speed. After that, they slowly surrounded Sun Mo and stared at him warily. However, they no longer dared to approach.

  “He’s also a beast tamer?”

  The prison guards who had come here to watch a good show were directly stunned.

  This show was so cool. It was definitely only something a beast tamer could pull off.

  “Sun Mo is imitating the cries made by the natural predators of these baboons!”

  Ji Han’s countenance grew gloomy. He didn’t expect Sun Mo to know this!

  In the myriad of things in the world, there were black and white, the sun and the moon. In the world of nature, all creatures had natural predators, and there would be an ecology circle.

  Even for the most powerful spiritual beast, if it encountered its natural predator, its first instinct would be to protect its own life. And Sun Mo was currently exploiting the survival instinct of the baboons.

  No matter how high the intellect of these golden-furred baboons was, they were still inferior to humans. So, they were currently bewildered. Why did the appearance of their natural predator change? Otherwise, they would have cowered at the corners the moment they heard the howls.

  When the baboons were hesitating, Sun Mo walked through the cave.

  “.……”

  Ji Han was speechless. This could work too?

  He had been working here for a few decades and had seen over thousands of great teachers. However, this was the first time he saw such a way to pass the level.

  “Isn’t he a little too outstanding?”

  Pang Tong was dumbstruck.

  After all, these baboons weren’t bred in the wild. They still remembered their teachings. When they saw a stranger passing through the cave, they would immediately run over to try and stop him.

  Sun Mo remained unmoving. He only spoke two words.

  “Squat down!”

  Swish~

  All the baboons immediately halted and obediently squatted down.

  “Damn!”

  Ji Han involuntarily cursed and due to his shock, his eyes almost popped out from their sockets.

  This fellow was actually imitating the prison warden’s tone of voice, and he even made it sound so real.

  Honestly speaking, if it wasn’t for him seeing Sun Mo doing so personally, Ji Han would have thought that the prison warden came here.

  “I’m not going to pretend anymore. I’m a grandmaster beast tamer as well. I’m showing my cards!

  Sun Mo teased. Sadly, the others didn’t understand his joke of ‘showing my cards’.

  “.……”

  No one spoke, but a feeling of adoration rose in their hearts.

  Pak! Pak! Pak!

  Everyone started applauding and really felt impressed.

  All of them depended on their battle prowess to pass this level. Honestly speaking, it was really shameful to be fighting against a group of baboons. However, Sun Mo had shown a perfect execution of how to pass.

  “Teacher Sun, you are good!”

  Pang Tong flashed a thumbs-up.

  “Haha, Teacher Pang is praising me too much. I only know a smattering of the subject ‘beast taming’ and employed a minor trick!”

  Sun Mo was modest. After that, he explained, “The golden-furred baboons were placed here to be reared. They also have no scars or injuries on their bodies. Clearly, they don’t have much combat experience. So, when they suddenly heard the cry of their natural predator, they would surely be afraid.”

  Regardless of wild beasts or brave warriors, they had to undergo slaughter to become kings.

  Ji Han sighed, this was indeed true. These baboons were the prison warden’s pets, so everyone treated them nicely. Besides, there hadn’t been anyone new here in several years. The baboons naturally would lack fighting experience as they didn’t have the chance to attack.

  “Also, no matter how strong they are, they are still wild beasts, not spiritual beasts. Their intellect isn’t fully developed. This is why they still use sounds and sight to gauge their target.”

  Sun Mo exposed. Actually, the eyes of these baboons couldn’t differentiate an individual’s appearance that clearly. Humans looked the same to them.

  “We’ve benefitted!”

  Everyone bowed.

  Sun Mo headed to the next puzzle.

  “Teacher Sun, how did you imitate the howl of a wild beast just now?”

  Ji Han was curious. “The larynx of humans is different from a beast’s? Also, humans aren’t able to utter such sounds!”

  “Through a voice-emission secret technique from beast taming!”

  Sun Mo smiled confidently. (Do you really think this daddy is joking when I said I’m a grandmaster beast tamer?)

  “Old Ghost Ji, what’s going on with this brat? Is he a young master from some great teacher clan?”

  When they passed through the corridor, one of the prisoners in the cell asked. After all, there were a bunch of great teachers following behind Sun Mo. Clearly, they treated him as their leader. This was sufficient to prove that Sun Mo was a major character.

  Sun Mo turned his head to look over.

  The prisoner was a middle-aged man with disheveled hair. He first smiled at Sun Mo. After that, he spat out a mouthful of sword qi abruptly.

  Hu~

  Sun Mo wasn’t anxious or in a hurry. He used his fingers like a blade and casually swiped out.

  Swish~

  Paying someone back in their own coin!

  Woosh~

  The stream of sword qi reversed and shot back at the middle-aged man, following its original trajectory.

  “Damn!”

  The middle-aged man was shocked and hurriedly dodged.

  Bang!

  The sword qi passed through the metal railings of the cell and shot past the middle-aged man’s ear. It then slammed into a stone wall, causing a dent the size of a fingernail.

  Si~

  Pang Tong’s group was badly shocked. At the same time, they became increasingly vigilant.

  That mouthful of sword qi was so insidious. If it was aimed at them, even if they weren’t struck by it, they would surely be extremely flustered.

  On the other hand, Sun Mo was too calm.

  This meant that his strength and experience had reached a crushingly high level.

  “That’s Grand Universe Formless Divine Art, right? Are you a student from the Skyraise Academy?”

  The middle-aged man surveyed Sun Mo.

  “What?”

  Everyone turned and glanced at Sun Mo.

  Those imprisoned here were not ordinary people. Their horizons were definitely broad, so they probably wouldn’t be mistaken. But Sun Mo shouldn’t have any chance to learn the ultimate art of the Skyraise Academy, right?

  Unless he was the illegitimate son of the headmaster!

  Ji Han also frowned as he glanced at Sun Mo.

  Although this middle-aged man was just a 5-stars, his experience was broad and his learning was very diverse. Back then in the great teacher world, he had sold information for a living.

  “I’m the vice headmaster of the Central Province Academy, Sun Mo!”

  Sun Mo had a smile on his face, but he was cursing silently in his heart. The prisoners in this place were truly capable. He better not used cultivation arts that he shouldn’t use, or it would be far too easy to attract trouble.

  “The Central Province Academy?”

  The middle-aged man was taken aback. “Why would old Headmaster An permit a young man like you to be a vice headmaster?”

  “You are acquainted with Grandpa An?”

  Sun Mo was astonished. From the words of this person, he seemed to be quite familiar with the old headmaster.

  “Hehe!”

  The middle-aged man laughed awkwardly.

  “Back then, this fellow joined your school as a teacher to steal the Great Dream Heart Sutra. In the end, he was captured by old Headmaster An. Old Headmaster An didn’t punish him but persuaded him to turn over a new leaf instead. This fellow agreed readily, but he immediately turned and fled when there was a chance to do so and headed to the Dragon Subduing Academy, planning to steal the Great Desolation Dragon Subduing Scripture instead.”

  Ji Han then laughed…… “In the end, his plan was foiled and both his legs were broken as a punishment.”