94: Wang Yao

First Floor, within the passage.

"We are only traveling together temporarily. Once we reach the second floor, we will still be enemies."

Hun Wushang walked at the very front with an indifferent expression, speaking to Zhou Yan's team without turning his head.

Although his strength was formidable, facing two opponents alone, he found it difficult to truly inflict heavy damage.

Mu Qianqiu, with only Foundation Establishment Cultivation, knew very little about Soul Cultivator methods and couldn't do anything to him.

Wang Yao, for some unknown reason, never fought with his full strength.

Add to that a Shi Suiyan who was deliberately slacking off.

This made the battle at the time incredibly uninteresting, and the group regretted fighting more and more.

So, seeing the stalemate, Mu Qianqiu had no choice but to step forward and act as a peacemaker.

This space was not large, and the path ahead was unknown; meaningless disputes should be avoided if possible.

As a Prodigy of the Six Demonic Sects and a friend of Zhou Yan, his dual identity meant his success rate in mediating was already not low.

He just didn't expect it to go so smoothly.

As soon as he spoke, Wang Yao immediately agreed, and after a brief deliberation, Hun Wushang also nodded in assent.

As for Shi Suiyan, she had no objections either.

Thus, Hun Wushang inexplicably became a temporary member of the team.

Looking at Hun Wushang walking ahead, Mu Qianqiu couldn't suppress his curiosity and used Sound Transmission to ask Wang Yao.

"This guy, do you know him?"

Perhaps because they had just fought side-by-side, their relationship had grown closer, prompting Mu Qianqiu to initiate conversation.

At this moment, Wang Yao had lost his usual cheerfulness; there was even a hint of gloom between his brows.

He was silent for a moment before replying via Sound Transmission.

"We are both orphans from the First City Under Heaven and once lived in the same academy."

Mu Qianqiu was momentarily speechless.

Why was it that every Prodigy he met had a more tragic background than the last?

Either their parents were dead, or they had a deep blood feud with their Family. Was there no one with a happy Family?

"How did he become like this? Also, why do you call him Hun Wushang?" Wang Yao's voice interrupted Mu Qianqiu's thoughts.

"This..."

Mu Qianqiu thought for a moment, deciding it wasn't a secret, and told him truthfully.

"I once met him. He is one of the leading figures of this generation in Guixu."

"It is said that due to his special Physique, his Innate Soul was too powerful for his Physical Body to bear, leading to an untimely death."

"Before he stepped onto the Path of Reincarnation, he was fortunately discovered by a Wuchang, who deemed him a talent worth cultivating, and thus guided him into the Underworld, where he became a Ghost Messenger."

"Later, his talent fully erupted, and he quickly became the top Soul Cultivator of his generation."

"That's all I know. The interior of Guixu is complex, and even though we are both Prodigies of the Six Sects, we don't interact much."

"As for why he's called Hun Wushang... becoming a Ghost Messenger is like living a second life, so changing names isn't uncommon."

"Didn't you just call him 'Liu Dabiao'? Perhaps he simply found his original name unrefined and changed it."

Wang Yao didn't listen further, his thoughts sinking into memories.

He understood better than anyone what the name Liu Dabiao meant to that person.

It was the expectation of an old man for him.

Back in the First City Under Heaven, there was an ancient academy whose Legacy had been broken.

Only an old dean, a teacher, and one student remained.

After the old dean passed away, he passed the position of dean to the teacher, only hoping that he could maintain the academy for another ten years, which would be enough to rest in peace.

Later, the teacher became the new dean, and the student became the new teacher. Together, they supported the dilapidated small academy, hoping to fulfill the old dean's last wish.

The new dean had also tried to recruit students, but no one showed interest, so he simply gave up the idea of continuing the Legacy and instead began taking in orphans, teaching them to read and understand principles, providing them with a place to live and survive.

This was both to fulfill his Master's wishes and to do something practical.

But he never expected that this decision would cost him and his Disciple the rest of their lives, making them forget the initial promise of "just ten years."

Among the adopted orphans was a young Wang Yao.

Before his Physique Awakening, Wang Yao's body was extremely fragile; he would injure himself with even a slight exertion due to his inability to control his own powerful strength.

If he could hurt himself, let alone his peers.

So no peers were willing to interact with him, and they even secretly called him "Monster."

It was this lack of recognition from a young age that made him so eager to become strong and keen on making friends when he grew up.

Liu Dabiao, however, was different.

He was sickly from a young age, constantly accompanied by Medicinal Pills, and everyone called him "Medicine Jar."

Because he always carried the scent of medicine and looked sickly, no one was willing to approach him either.

Gradually, the two lonely Souls naturally gravitated towards each other.

They became close friends who talked about everything.

It could be said that their childhood was gradually warmed by the dean's care and their mutual companionship.

Until later, they detected Spiritual Roots, embarked on the path of Cultivation, and everything began to change.

Wang Yao, through Cultivation, gradually gained control over the chaotic power within him, transforming it into capital for his Cultivation.

His status in everyone's eyes rose, and he made more and more friends.

This led him to become lost for a time, failing to notice that his first friend's body grew weaker with Cultivation.

But at that time, Wang Yao had already been swept away by the sudden power and the adulation of the crowd, only wanting to stand before others and gain more recognition.

He moved out of the academy, and relying on Spirit Stones earned from martial arts competitions and early investments from various forces, his life became better and better.

With his extraordinary talent and powerful strength, he began to frequently attend various events, sparring with Prodigies of his generation, like a rising new star, shining brighter and brighter, yet also moving further and further away from the ground...

So far away that he hadn't even heard the news of the dean's death.

The last time he returned to the academy was when he accidentally learned that the teacher had also passed away.

And it was at the teacher's memorial service that he saw Liu Dabiao again.

At that time, Liu Dabiao's hair was sparse, most of his teeth had fallen out, and from a distance, he resembled a skeleton wrapped in human skin.

Only then did Wang Yao realize that while he was in his prime, his friend had attempted suicide countless times, unwilling to further burden the academy.

The only reason he was still alive was because the dean and the teacher had repeatedly and earnestly persuaded him, holding him back with selfless love.

To cure Liu Dabiao, the dean constantly traveled to various dangerous places, desperately accumulating Spirit Stones, and tried every possible way to extend his life.

This also led to this Foundation Establishment Cultivator having no time to Cultivate, and with the accumulation of old injuries, he ultimately fell ill and passed away before Liu Dabiao.

Without the support of the dean, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the academy immediately struggled to continue.

It managed to barely hold on until Wang Yao returned, thanks to the high-quality Talismans drawn by Liu Dabiao and the academy's only teacher who self-taught Alchemy and took on dangerous external missions; the two struggled to sustain it.

Originally, the two could still hold on, and the teacher's Alchemy talent was also good; although not as effective as external Medicinal Pills, it could at least prolong Liu Dabiao's life.

Driven by a sense of responsibility, Liu Dabiao also found a new goal: to protect the dean's hard work before he died.

However, a sudden unforeseen event occurred: the teacher was murdered. The already crumbling academy completely collapsed.

Without the maintenance of Medicinal Pills, Liu Dabiao's life also came to an end.

After Wang Yao returned, he tried to turn the tide, desperately earning Spirit Stones and finding ways to treat Liu Dabiao.

But for some unknown reason, ever since he returned to the academy, those who used to help him began to distance themselves.

When his Cultivation stagnated, even those who once admired him avoided him.

His efforts alone ultimately could not reverse the academy's decline.

And what struck him the hardest was this:

One night, Liu Dabiao committed suicide in his room.

The academy disbanded, and Wang Yao couldn't protect anything.

It was also then that he learned that the First City Under Heaven had been embroiled in a huge conspiracy, with both the Joyous Union Sect and the Truth Cult involved.

The dean and teacher of the academy were merely ordinary people caught in the crossfire of this conspiracy.

Even his past glory was just a casual move in their game.

When he realized that he had also unwittingly participated in this conspiracy, it became an unremovable thorn in Wang Yao's heart.

This was also one of the reasons he later chose to leave the West River and come to the Northern Territory.

Memories receded like a tide. Wang Yao looked at that figure again—Liu Dabiao, no, now he was Hun Wushang.

His gaze was complex and hard to decipher, and all of this was observed by Mu Qianqiu from the side.

Oh no, could this guy be into men?

Mu Qianqiu thought about the Body Cultivators in his Sect.

Hmm, it's hard to say; that group of Body Cultivators tends to have some quirks.

No wonder he was so attentive to Senior Brother Zhou before! It seems I'm lucky he dislikes me.

I'll have to remind Senior Brother Zhou later to also be careful of this Junior Brother of his.

"Everyone, let's stop for a moment."

The voice from behind made the three advancing figures instinctively stop and turn their gaze towards Shi Suiyan, who had spoken.