The private school teacher opened his mouth to argue, but when the words reached his lips, he found himself unable to speak them.
It seemed what Lu Yang said actually made some sense.
"Then how do you explain the Heaven Splitting Axe? It's not like Immortal Ying Tian used an axe to carve out a road through the sky, shouted 'This sky was cleaved by me!', collected tolls, and named it the Heaven Splitting Axe!"
The teacher recalled the origin of the Heaven Splitting Axe. Not a single ancient tome recorded why Immortal Ying Tian had named his immortal axe the Heaven Splitting Axe. This was a mystery that had long vexed scholars of ancient history, giving rise to myriad theories.
Some said Immortal Ying Tian had once used the immortal axe to split the heavens, divide chaos, and separate yin and yang. Some claimed that when the immortal axe was forged, an omen of splitting the heavens appeared, drawing worship from all living beings. Others believed that with this axe in hand, Immortal Ying Tian could re-refine heaven and earth and evolve earth, fire, wind, and lightning… Ancient historians argued endlessly over this without ever reaching a consensus; everything was mere speculation without proof.
"Because Immortal Ying Tian thought the name sounded cool. Does there need to be any other reason?" The Immortal Fairy looked at the teacher in puzzlement.
Although she had always felt that techniques and magic treasures didn't need flashy names—simple ones were quite nice, like the Art of Playing Dead or Fairy Boxing—Immortal Ying Tian had always insisted that names for techniques and treasures had to sound cool, such as the Heaven Splitting Axe, the Hundun Furnace, or the Cosmos Bell.
"Ridiculous! What kind of figure was Immortal Ying Tian? Any name he chose must have held profound meaning!" The teacher clearly did not believe the Immortal Fairy's claims, finding them utterly preposterous.
"Take the legendary Hundun Furnace, for example. The ancient texts record in plain black and white that Immortal Ying Tian once used this furnace to refine chaos, which was why it was named the Hundun Furnace!"
"Oh, you mean the Hundun Furnace? That's because this fairy…" The Immortal Fairy almost blurted out her true identity, but catching herself halfway, she hastily corrected her phrasing. "That's because Immortal Ying Tian once used the furnace to cook a Hundun beast, so he just named it the Hundun Furnace."
Hundun was one of the Four Perils of antiquity, equal in renown to the Qiongqi.
The Immortal Fairy actually missed the Hundun Furnace quite a bit. Whenever she cooked without it, she always felt a little flavor was missing.
The teacher hesitated and did not refute her. He suddenly remembered that Immortal Ying Tian had seemingly authored a book titled *Complete Culinary Arts*, which mentioned how to cook a Hundun beast. It actually sounded plausible.
Could it be that Immortal Ying Tian's naming sense really was that terrible?
"Lu Yang, since you presume to have some understanding of ancient history, do you dare come to our Imperial Academy for an academic discussion?"
The teacher's name was Ye Gu. He was not a member of the Meng family, but a historian from the Imperial Academy. He had only taken up the teaching post at the Meng Clan's private school simply because the Meng family paid exceptionally well.
"Right now?"
"Right now!" Having suffered blow after blow from the Immortal Fairy, Ye Gu needed to seek reinforcements at the Imperial Academy.
The moment he said this, cheers erupted from the Meng family disciples below.
If the teacher was heading back to the Imperial Academy, it meant no more class for today!
Ye Gu glared fiercely at the little brats and had pre-printed test papers handed out to them, which instantly turned the cheers into a chorus of wails.
Emperor Xia had not entered the private school, waiting outside instead, and watched as Lu Yang walked out.
"Where are you going?"
"To the Imperial Academy. This man thinks my ancient history knowledge is pretty good and asked me to give a lecture there," the Immortal Fairy said gleefully.
Emperor Xia gave her an odd look. The Imperial Academy was full of stubborn, foul-tempered old pedants. Why would they ever invite Lu Yang to give a lecture?
"I invited you to our Imperial Academy for an academic discussion!" Ye Gu corrected her.
"Reverse psychology, I get it," the Immortal Fairy said, seeing right through petty schemes that Ye Gu hadn't even harbored.
As Lu Yang's follower, Emperor Xia naturally tagged along to the Imperial Academy.
***
The Imperial Academy was a renowned institution of learning in Great Xia, though its focus was not cultivation, but history. Most historical knowledge concerning the Great Qian and Great Yu dynasties was the product of research conducted here.
Even the most enigmatic and myth-laden ancient history fell within the Imperial Academy's scope of study.
Along the way, the Immortal Fairy saw many disheveled scholars arguing with one another, each fiercely clinging to their own views without yielding an inch.
"It is recorded plainly in the *Complete Culinary Arts* that cooking should be measured in seconds! How could that be wrong?!"
"A phonetic loan character! It's definitely a phonetic loan character!"
"What phonetic loan character? It's clearly because Immortal Ying Tian loved salt! Haven't you seen how, after defeating a formidable foe, he would always look down from on high and declare, 'This lord has eaten more salt than you have walked roads'? That's ironclad proof!"
The three scholars argued heatedly, looking as if they might come to blows at the drop of a hat.
Inside the spiritual space, Lu Yang silently observed the spectacle, feeling that Immortal Ying Tian's public reputation was probably beyond redemption.
Lu Yang then spotted another pair of scholars in deep discussion.
"According to my analysis, Immortal Ying Tian's Dao fruit is very likely related to heavenly tribulations."
"That's indeed possible… Wait, what were you saying just now?"
"I said Immortal Ying Tian… Wait, what was I saying?"
The two scholars stared at each other in bewilderment, neither able to remember what had just occurred.
Ye Gu led Lu Yang and Emperor Xia deep into the Imperial Academy, arriving before a humble thatched cottage.
Inside the cottage, an elderly man with an aged, weathered face was excitedly discussing something with someone, his eyebrows dancing with animation.
This grey-haired elder was none other than the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Qi Xiuya. Renowned far and wide, he was peerless in his mastery of history from antiquity to the present. The outside world respectfully addressed him as "Chancellor Qi" or "Elder Qi." He rarely showed his face in public, living a life cut off from the secular world to the point that even Lu Yang, who was currently at the center of attention, had never heard of him.
One could even say he didn't even hold a grudge against Daoist Buyu, which spoke volumes about how completely secluded he was.
The person seated across from him had their back to the door, obscuring their appearance.
Surprised to see Ye Gu enter, Qi Xiuya smiled and asked, "Xiao Gu, shouldn't you be teaching at the Meng Residence at this hour? Why have you come here?"
"Master, while lecturing at the Meng Residence, I was discussing the origin of the Mountain Cleaving Axe. This fellow Daoist named Lu Yang offered an alternative explanation for its origin."
Ye Gu recounted everything the Immortal Fairy had said. Stroking his long white beard, Qi Xiuya fell silent.
"That is certainly an interesting perspective, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence for it."
Not knowing whether the Immortal Fairy was right or wrong, Qi Xiuya turned for help to the person sitting opposite him.
"Fellow Daoist Jin, what do you think?"
Qi Xiuya solemnly introduced the guest: "Allow me to introduce you. This is a fellow Daoist I recently met. Though she doesn't appear old, she possesses unique insights into ancient history. In just half a day of conversation, she has broadened my horizons considerably."
The person addressed as Fellow Daoist Jin lowered her head in thought. "I did hear that in his early years, before Immortal Ying Tian rose to prominence and lacked cultivation resources, he used to collect tolls. Back then, he indeed used a Mountain Cleaving Axe, chanting something like 'This mountain was cleaved by me…'"
"Strange. People nowadays shouldn't know about such things."
Fellow Daoist Jin rose and turned toward Lu Yang, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Only then did Lu Yang get a clear look at Fellow Daoist Jin. She was a petite, cute little girl with a cold, stern expression, completely devoid of smiles.
Lu Yang did not recognize Fellow Daoist Jin, but the Immortal Fairy did.
It was the Little Ancestor of the Qiongqi Clan, Jin Caiwei.
Chapter 930