Yama Rising

Qin Ye was deep in thought. After some time, he turned around to ask the faucet of verbal diarrhoea beside him, “Do you know what kind of privileges one might be entitled to with a high teaching grade?”

He had only asked this casually of Lin Han, since he hadn’t expected Lin Han to know anything. However, Lin Han nodded his head and whispered back, “I’d heard that those who obtain at least ninety teaching credits would be rated as an outstanding instructor. Every faculty only has one full professor, one senior associate professor and one associate professor. Only those who are rated as outstanding instructors are eligible to run for professorship.”

“And I’ve heard that professors will be granted discounts when they redeem spirit stones from the academy. I’m not certain of the exact details, but I’ve heard that even outstanding instructors would already be given a 10% discount.”

Qin Ye gasped.

10%... If associate professors are entitled to that, wouldn’t senior associate professors be granted a 30% discount? And full professors would be eligible for a mindblowing 40% discount?!

Aren’t they tempting me to vie for the position of the wolf king now? T-this… is this really a good thing?

The husky glanced around warily at the pack of wolves seated around him and stretched his paws out with an ashen expression.

Arthis pecked at his neck. “10% discount! 10%! What other alternative is there than to become the god of instructors now? You have to do all you can to empty out the treasury of the Special Investigations Department before you have to leave their ranks! You haven’t even begun to use spirit stones yet. By the time you’re done with preparing the land in Hell, you might not have enough spirit stones even if you sold your ass!”

Qin-husky-Ye fervently suppressed the desire to stir up trouble in his heart and cleared his mind.

If he were to vie for the position of an outstanding instructor, then not only would he have to obsequiously clock in and clock out every single day over the next two months, he would also have to locate the existence of the remaining hidden forty credits. Truth be told, he was already eagerly anticipating his stay in Mount Tai City.

Qin Ye was now deep in thought. Yet, having found it hard to get Qin Ye to open his mouth, Lin Han leaned over persistently, “... Shall I buy dinner tonight? I went to high school in Mount Tai City, and I know a place that sells signature Insignia pastry and baked sesame coated puffs. The taste and smell are truly…”

Qin Ye pushed his big head away, “Can’t you think about something a little bit more meaningful?”

Lin Han blinked his eyes ineffably, “But this is just to repay you for letting me take the top rank in the previous sparring competition.”

Can you not bring up that damn thing ever again?!

The freeze ray shooting out of the depths of Qin Ye’s eyes threatened to reduce Lin Han to ashes. Gritting his teeth, Qin Ye muttered, “... Then, I guess I’ve got no choice but to thank you in advance, huh?”

After approximately one hour more, the bus finally stopped at the entrance of Insignia University’s main campus. A constant stream of excited students entered and exited the main entrance of the university, while restaurants and hotels lined the streets to the sides. The energy in this place was a stark contrast from the comparably deserted branch campus back in the City of Salvation.

The hand over process was conducted rather smoothly. They were all allocated decent dormitories, and each of them even had their own room. Qin Ye set down his suitcase. He didn’t intend to hang out with Su Feng and his pitiful squad in the afternoon. Instead, he quickly separated from the crowd and made his way straight into the streets of Mount Tai City.

He wasn’t kind enough to alert the rest to the need to vie for their own teaching credits.

Even if the rest were to learn of these things, they ought to learn of these through their own thought processes. What reason was there for him to invite another competitor into the fray?

As a provincial capital, Mount Tai City was far more prosperous compared to the City of Salvation. Traffic flow was heavy, and the entire city was filled with large and tall buildings. Even the shops here looked ostensibly more well-furnished, and the owners and attendants to the same were all spritely and filled with vigor, almost as though they were celebrating their victory over the netherworldly forces in the region. Qin Ye took in the sights and sounds of this city of the rising sun, and he was suddenly filled with the pride of humanity’s dominion over earth.

“How many years has it been…” He held a cup of milk tea and stood in the center of a park as he watched the elderly people taking a leisurely stroll, couples walking their dogs, and retired workers with their bird cages beside them as they enjoyed a read of the newspaper. Qin Ye couldn’t help but exclaim with a sigh, “How many years has it been since I’ve seen such a serene and tranquil image.”

This was Mount Tai City’s downtown park. It was filled with greenery. Tall, ancient trees provided shade for everyone, while a stroll down the boulevards formed by leafy trees on both sides offered people a brief tranquil respite from the busy city life that they had. One could occasionally also see a young man or two with his headphones on, resting on the bench with a good book in hand. Everything pointed to the image of peaceful times.

Arthis perched on his shoulders. The paper crane was only as large as a person’s thumb, and it was hardly noticeable by any of the passers-by. Qin Ye strolled along the leaf-strewn boulevard with a soft rustle.

“When do you think I’ll be able to retire?”

“When you’re dreaming.” Arthis responded softly, “Such a tranquil image doesn’t suit you at all. Your image is more synonymous with an area surrounded with scarlet trees, a gentle nethergale with a towering Fengdu Necropolis sitting in the background, as well as a large herd of Yin spirits who follow you around as they contemplate all means and methods of overthrowing your kingdom.”

… Qin Ye’s beautiful dream vanished in an instant.

“I’ll say… are you suffering from an illness which worsens with every moment of joy I experience?” Qin Ye massaged his temples. The thought of having to deal with the group of ghost citizens in Hell gave him a splitting headache.

“I’m just stating facts.” Arthis gracefully pecked his cheeks with her beak, “The bulk of the Yin spirits who have sensed the reestablishment of Hell will all arrive in the next three or four days, give or take. If you haven’t come up with a constitution or a charter of sorts by then, and by extension simply allow a group of spiritually aware ghost citizens idle about… then a casual revolution might not be wholly unforeseeable.”

Qin Ye plonked his bum down onto the bench. His earlier spritely spirits were instantly overcast with clouds.

Was he truly unaware of these things?

In fact, what was scariest to Qin Ye was that if mere Yin spirits were able to sense the exact location of Hell’s reestablishment, the three daolords might well be able to do the same as well. They might even have dispatched a group of Assassins of the Underworld with standing instructions to search and destroy. If he couldn’t even lay the foundations properly, then… his best bet was simply to hole up in the depths of the City of Salvation and pray that the mortal realm would come out on top in the upcoming war between the mortal realm and the netherworldly forces.

Oh, that’s right. There’s still the problem of the Harken lying just underneath my butt.

If Qin Ye weren’t able to expand Hell to the level of a thirty million Yin existence by the time the Harken woke up again, he might as well brace himself for a quick and painless death.

Just then, Arthis jolted him back from his thoughts, “Actually, this trip to Mount Tai City is a good opportunity.”

“There are still many things to be done in Hell. I’m sure you’ve thought of the issue of who to place on those empty seats in Hell right now. However, the more pressing issue at this moment is in fact resources and equipment.”

“How are you going to buy resources and equipment in the City of Salvation when everything is under lockdown? And where would you store them? How would you explain these purchases? In fact, given how small the City of Salvation is, I’m even willing to place a bet that each and every person’s movements are under the close watch and scrutiny of the Special Investigations Department right now. How do you think you’re going to explain all of these to Zhou Xianlong? He’s a Judge-class expert - one who is on the same level as I am.”

Qin Ye heaved a sigh of relief and shook off the complex thoughts and emotions in his heart, “Are you saying…”

“Take advantage of the upcoming two months to secure all of the necessary construction equipment and resources within Mount Tai City. Establish a partnership here. It’ll be far more secure than doing the same in the City of Salvation!” Arthis continued, “I do recall that you should be receiving a bounty of one million for resolving the issue at Insignia University, shouldn’t you? This is a good opportunity to check in with the principal of the university as well. And if all else fails, we could always fall back to ending Comrade Wang’s life... and then compensate for that by granting him a seat in Hell. That way, we’ll have both the problem of money and Death Inquisitors sorted. I’m sure he wouldn’t blame us… would he?”

Qin Ye’s eyes grew distant and vacant, almost as though he were taking in the idyllic scenery around. Then, suppressing the malice in his heart, he gulped greedily, “I’m afraid that… he might not be too willing in that regard…”

“Soft-hearted!” Arthis snorted, and then softened her voice, “Why don’t… you pick him up? He’s both good-looking and wealthy. It’s a rare gem.”

Qin Ye gave Arthis a ghastly expression, “That’s a very unorthodox suggestion that you have.”

“He’ll be yours sooner or later, even after death… Can I just say that you’re incredibly indecisive?! He’s not half bad-looking. He’s tall and well-built, of a decent stature in life, and he’s even waiting to inherit tens of millions. He’s more than good enough for you!”

“... Dear, this is more of an issue with morals, isn’t it…? Don’t you think that the readers must already be wondering what Classmate Wang has done to deserve his pure dumb luck of crossing paths with me? I’ve got to preserve what little face I have remaining!”

Arthis thought to continue persuading him, but Qin Ye quickly interrupted her, “Alright, this topic is too creepy. Let’s talk about something else… for instance, and I emphasize for instance, if I do have sufficient funds to purchase these equipment, how am I supposed to bring them back? Am I supposed to incinerate them in the City of Salvation?”

Arthis suddenly grew silent.

Seconds later, she murmured, “You’ve repeated ‘for instance’ twice for emphasis… The more I think about it, the more I think it’s an unlikely eventuality… After all, you’ve never once succeeded in any of these hypothetical situations over the last few decades of your life…”

Qin Ye’s temples throbbed uncontrollably, “Get to the point!”

Arthis thought about it for a moment, and then an ancient book suddenly appeared in Qin Ye’s hands.

“What’s this?” Qin Ye looked at the yellowing ancient manuscript. There were some words written on it with majestic calligraphy.

Hell’s Arts.

It was very simple and easy to understand.

Qin Ye’s eyes instantly lit up. Sure enough, Hell has its own sets of arts and techniques. Otherwise, how could they possibly restrain the unruly Yin spirits in Hell? If one just took a look through the popular web novels out there, the protagonists always possessed a multitude of abilities and techniques, such as the Arraignment Technique of the Great Desolation, the Twelve Solar Transformations, or the Divine Combat Arts, all of which can call upon the powers of the winds and the rains to rout armies, level mountains and even turn night into day…

The only question I have is whether these arts are just as awesome or not.

Have I finally entered the Xuanhuan portion of this story…

He opened the first page and his eyes were drawn to the large words written - Hundred Mile Gale.

“They haven’t given the name much thought. Which idiot named this technique?” Qin Ye was ostensibly dissatisfied. The name immediately told him that it was a speed-oriented divine technique, but the name didn’t carry any undertones of being heaven-defying or earth-shattering. It hardly sounded imposing or awesome at all.

Any divine techniques that aren’t heaven-defying can’t be a good technique!

Arthis muttered placidly, “The idiot you’re talking about is me.”

……

Qin Ye knew better than to continue where he left off, and he quickly turned back to the pages and read on.

The explanation was simple - Travel one hundred miles in a day, fast as the gale.

Qin Ye flipped the page with a blank expression on his face.

What does it even mean?

I’m currently facing an army of restless, agitated Yin spirits. And I don’t even know when the Harken is going to rouse from his slumber! Are you trying to tell me to make a retreat while I still can?

How could a courageous person like me do something so shameful?!

Page 2 - Universe Within Sleeves

Qin Ye’s eyes lit up again. It was finally something orthodox.

Universe Within Sleeves. Even though the name wasn’t domineering enough, it was still sufficiently compelling. The description was commensurate - all things could be stored within one’s sleeves. As long as one’s abilities were strong enough, they would even be able to store an entire city.

He took a deep breath and continued reading.

Yin Slaying Sword, Seal of the Monarch, Reaping of Ten Thousand Ghosts… The latter few techniques were ones that were able to level lands with a single strike. Qin Ye’s cheeks flushed red with vigor and excitement as he turned to the final page.

“The above mentioned techniques are built upon the foundations of Hell, so everything is useless right now.”

These words were written in a cursive and twisted manner. It was evidently Arthis’ handwriting.

Qin Ye was momentarily flabbergasted.

Seconds later, with uncontrollable twitching at the corner of his lips, he asked, “Can you explain what this means?”

“It means what it literally says.” The paper crane yawned slightly, “I’d mentioned this a number of times previously. The top hierarchy of this world is the heavens and the Heavenly Dao, followed by the mortal realm and the netherworld and its laws. Just like how the cultivation techniques in the mortal realm are built around certain laws and principles, Hell’s arts and techniques are the same as well. But now that Hell is hardly in existence anymore, what technique is there to talk about?”

“Haven’t I already reestablished it?!”

The paper crane flew over and flipped the book to one of the pages, “Can you really call that shoddy village Hell? Fine… let’s say it is. The current reaches of its authority and laws might allow you to somewhat perform this technique.”

Qin Ye skimmed through the technique and felt his eyes hurt immediately.

Technique: Remote Shifting.

Range: Three meters.

Restrictions: Objects under the weight of ten kilograms.

What the hell do I need such a technique for?!