Ninth In the World

“How did you get that martial arts institute registration token, Brother Jiu?” It was on their way to the Swallow Capital University’s Institute of Martial Arts that Qi Xiang finally had the chance to ask that question. Although Di Jiu had mentioned the registration token earlier, they had been too busy cleaning up the place to talk about it.

Di Jiu handed the registration token over as he said, “It was sheer luck. It was given to me by my enemy. However, the lady got a lot luckier than me.”

Di Jiu briefly narrated the incident with Lui Wan.

When he heard about the Immortal Dao skills of the white-haired man, Qi Xiang fell silent. Di Jiu’s saber technique had allowed him to gain a broader perspective, but the techniques that Di Jiu had just described introduced him to a vast new world.

Qi Xiang realized that he would be inside the Institute of Martial Arts soon. He might not qualify to learn martial arts, but as long as he was there, he would have the opportunity to visit the Fairy Planet and learn more about the vast Immortal Dao.

As these thoughts flooded his mind, Qi Xiang felt the temperature of his blood rise. “Brother Jiu, this registration token could allow a family member of yours to enter as well. I could pretend to be your relative… ” he said.

Di Jiu lifted his hand and interrupted Qi Xiang with a chuckle. “You are the one who is going to register, Qi Xiang. I will be the extra family member.”

Qi Xiang looked bemused as he asked, “How could that be?”

Qi Xiang knew very well that this registration token was extremely valuable.

Di Jiu patted Qi Xiang on the shoulder and said, “I heard that most students are required to stay on campus after they enter the Institute of Martial Arts. Such a restriction would be an inconvenience for me, as I might have to leave the campus frequently in the future. Besides, it does not matter if I am a student of the institute.”

In fact, Di Jiu did not see a difference between being a student and just attending class. If it were not for Trustworthy, he would not have accompanied Qi Xiang to seek refuge at the Institute of Martial Arts.

He needed free access to campus though, as his priority was to enter the Fairy Planet. It would not be easy to enter the Fairy Planet through the Institute of Martial Arts. He would still need to fix his aircraft. If he was not able to enter the Fairy Planet through conventional means, then he would have to travel there on his aircraft.

He expected that he would have to travel to the Wang Chuan Mountain multiple times in order to fix it.

…

The registration token made the administrative process relatively simple and fast.

As a family member, Di Jiu was only allowed to live in a lower-class house. Although he was allocated a private house, the Spirit Qi there was evidently a notch below the places where the students of the institute lived.

This caused Di Jiu to suspect that the Institute of Martial Arts was able to gather the Spirit Qi. Otherwise, it would be hard to account for the difference in Spirit Qi levels within the confined areas of the institute.

This difference did not bother Di Jiu, as the Spirit Qi would not have been sufficient for his cultivation, even if he stayed at the student housing areas. The only solution was for him to enter the Fairy Planet.

In order to enter the Fairy Planet, he would need money, and the easiest way to get it would be by finding Ji Xiaorong.

As Qi Xiang was listening to a lecture, Di Jiu found the 7th preliminary class of the Institute of Martial Arts.

Although Di Jiu had only spent a couple of hours at the institute, he already had a general understanding of the classes held there. He knew all about the preliminary, advanced and elite classes, and he also knew that the first few preliminary classes enjoyed the best resources and prerequisites.

Ji Xiaorong was in the 7th preliminary class, which was not bad.

That class had a martial arts training field that was almost 1,000 square feet. When Di Jiu walked in, he found dozens of students on the training field.

Di Jiu took a quick look around. He was immediately uninterested in the saber and boxing techniques the students were practising. Their techniques were more than a grade weaker compared to what he had seen before.

“Excuse me! I am looking for Ji Xiaorong…” Di Jiu said politely, stopping a student who had been about to take a break.

Before the student could answer his question, a girl nearby stopped and said in a flat tone, “I am Ji Xiaorong. What is the purpose of your visit?”

Ji Xiaorong seemed to be at least 1.75 meters tall, so she was not much shorter than Di Jiu. She also had short hair and slightly tanned skin. She was not wearing any makeup, so a stream of sweat could be seen near her temples.

Di Jiu noticed that she was carrying a bag. She must have been about to leave the training field. “I have some very important things to tell you. Can we talk somewhere in private?” Di Jiu asked hurriedly.

Ji Xiaorong showed no intention of moving. She just looked at Di Jiu coldly and said, “If you have something to say, then just say it. Otherwise, I am going straight to the strength pagoda.”

“What kind of place is the strength pagoda?” Di Jiu asked automatically.

Ji Xiaorong, who had no intention of speaking to him any further, turned to leave.

Di Jiu immediately blocked her way to prevent her from leaving. “Sister Xiaorong…” he said.

“Be careful what you say. I’m not your sister!” Ji Xiaorong’s face darkened.

Di Jiu realized that she was very difficult to approach, so he decided to tell her the truth instead. “Isn’t it true that your brother was poisoned? I know of a way to heal him…”

“Do you know a doctor who can heal my brother?” There was some excitement in Ji Xiaorong’s face as she reached out to grab Di Jiu with her hands.

Di Jiu, who refused to let a lady grab him, shifted his feet and dodged Ji Xiaorong’s hands.

Ji Xiaorong did not seem to care. She just looked at Di Jiu excitedly and asked, “Where is that doctor?”

She calmed down a little before she added, “If you dare lie to me…”

“I would dare lie to you. Would you dare sleep with me?” Di Jiu could not tolerate people who threatened him, but he had been displeased even before Ji Xiaorong had said that.

Ji Xiaorong’s eyes brimmed with anger. Di Jiu knew that she was about to attack him. His words had been very harsh after all. He waved his hands as he said, “I did not come here to fight with you. I am the person who can save your brother. My master used to be China’s best physician. I have currently surpassed my master in medical talent, so I am China’s newest best physician. If you take me to your brother, I am confident that I could heal him.”

Ji Xiaorong’s excitement disappeared completely. She immediately assumed that this young man was one of many physicians who had approached the Ji Family to benefit from them.

“It seems like you people treat the Ji Family like a sheep getting ready for slaughter. Get out of here before I attack you!” Ji Xiaorong was trying hard to hold herself back.

Di Jiu laughed and said, “A few months ago, I met a girl who had been bitten by a poisonous serpent on the Wang Chuan Mountain. She had been on the brink of death, but fortunately, I found her and revived her in time. The poison that she had been contaminated with did not have a known antidote. Her name was Yu Mu. You can ask her if I am really the person who saved her.”

“A few days ago, I also revived a dead person from the mortuary. You can look up the Lin Chuan Ai Bo Hospital, if you do not believe me. Despite my medical expertise, I am not famous, because I am not interested in becoming famous. If the Ji Family didn’t have something that I needed… Someone I know suggested that I help the Ji Family. I would not have approached you otherwise. You can hold me to my word. As long as your brother is still alive, I can save him…”

If Di Jiu had only claimed to have saved a poisoned girl, Ji Xiaorong would have believed him. The fact that he had bragged about reviving a dead person from the mortuary though, meant that he must have mistaken her for a fool.

If Ji Xiaorong hadn’t been worried that she would get expelled from the Institute of Martial Arts if she injured Di Jiu, she would have already punched him.

She tried to control her anger as she stared at Di Jiu coldly. “If you are so powerful, then you must know the uses of Storax. Maybe you could explain them to me,” she said.

Di Jiu was confounded. He would definitely remember the uses of this medicinal herb if he saw a picture of it. However, medicinal herbs had different names on Earth than in the Yalun Continent.

“Go away. I do not want to see you ever again!” Ji Xiaorong took a deep breath in an effort to control her impulse to hit Di Jiu.

Di Jiu had already been annoyed that he’d had to seek refuge from Trustworthy’s threats at the Institute of Martial Arts. He had taken the initiative to offer his medical services to the Ji Family, yet Ji Xiaorong had told him to scram twice in a row. This infuriated Di Jiu, who shouted at Ji Xiaorong’s departing silhouette, “Hey, tall tanned lady! You will be begging me to heal your brother next time, but I will not! I have a bit of a temper!”

Ji Xiaorong, who was too lazy to be bothered, exited the training field with a few strides.

Di Jiu was immensely troubled. If she had dared treat him this way back in Pearl City, he would have slapped her. How would he have been able to offer his medical services in Pearl City?