As soon as these words were spoken, Tian An's expression darkened.
"Haha..."
But immediately, Tian An's expression suddenly changed. He looked at Qin Ning and said with a smile, "In that case, I will not inquire about this matter anymore!"
"Your elder brother is seriously injured. Take him to get treated first!"
Qin Ning took a step, turned around, and left directly.
Zhang Xiaoshuai, Lu Xuan, and the others had to turn back, cup their hands respectfully to Tian An, and then left.
In an instant, everyone was stunned.
"Dean!"
Elder Jing Changdong stepped forward.
"Only those present here today know about this matter. If anyone leaks a single word, they will be killed without mercy!"
The smile on Tian An's face had disappeared. He became indifferent again, and a cold murderous intent slowly emanated from his eyes.
"Yes!"
Jing Changdong's body trembled. He cupped his hands again and said, "What about Qin Ning and the others..."
"Reward them according to their original ranking. Each disciple who participated in this assessment will be rewarded with a spirit pill as compensation."
"Remember this matter well!"
Tian An looked at the dozen or so elders sitting around, as well as Liu Fangyu, Yuan Gang, and Fang Secheng, and then said, "If anyone outside of those present here today knows about this matter, I will definitely... personally slaughter them!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present did not dare to breathe loudly.
They had never seen the dean act so cautiously.
And Qin Ning's attitude just now could be described as extremely arrogant.
Killing a Spirit Disciple.
Slaughtering three honorary elders.
Even defying Dean Tian An.
But Dean Tian An seemed not to care about any of this!
Also, what exactly happened to the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars?
Countless questions spread in everyone's hearts at this moment.
After Tian An finished speaking, he stared intently at Liu Fangyu, Yuan Gang, and Fang Secheng. They seemed to understand and left the martial arts arena.
"Today's matter, everyone must guard their mouths well. Speaking one more word could lead to merciless killing. The dean has spoken, so you should know that this is not a joke!"
Indeed, with the dean's strength, this was absolutely no joke.
Once the news leaked, it would definitely be because someone among them had spoken out.
At that time, the dean would definitely eliminate the person who revealed the secret.
Today's events were truly too shocking.
The elders all sighed at this moment.
If not for the fact that many inner court disciples had been withdrawn earlier, perhaps the entire Tian Shen Academy would have exploded this time.
On the other side, Qin Ning entered the Tian Shen Academy, the residence of Old Ancestor Lie Huo. He saw Qin Shan, whose face was pale, lying on a small bed, speaking with difficulty in a daze.
"Third brother... third brother..."
"Big brother, I'm here!"
Looking at Qin Shan, Qin Ning smiled softly and said, "Don't worry, you'll be fine!"
As if hearing Qin Ning's words, Qin Shan slowly breathed lightly and fell into a deep sleep.
Qin Ning then stood up, looked at Old Ancestor Lie Huo, and asked, "Old Ancestor, do you have an alchemy furnace?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, help me prepare a bit. I need to refine pills now!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Old Ancestor Lie Huo seemed even more anxious than Qin Ning and quickly prepared.
Qin Ning did not say much, went straight into the alchemy room, and began to get busy.
A figure slowly appeared outside the door, silently like a ghost.
"Dean!"
Seeing the dean appear, Old Ancestor Lie Huo quickly cupped his hands in greeting.
"No need to be polite, saving your disciple's life is more important!"
"Yes!"
Ancestor Lie Huo continued to tend to Qin Shan, while Dean Tian An had already entered the alchemy room.
Qin Ning frowned, knowing that Tian An had arrived, and said indifferently, "If there's something, just say it directly!"
His mood was extremely bad at the moment, so he didn't bother to pay attention to Tian An.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Ning began to mix the medicinal ingredients, his movements swift and precise.
"Who exactly are you?" Tian An couldn't help but ask, "Unless you are a descendant of Tian Qingshi or a descendant of Emperor Ming Yuan, you couldn't possibly activate the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars. Moreover, you must also understand the secret of the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars!"
"You..."
"I already said, who I am, you are not qualified to know!"
Qin Ning said softly, not even looking at Dean Tian An.
"Inside the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars are the Four Symbols Sword Spirits: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise!"
"As for why I can open it," Qin Ning turned around, glanced at Tian An, and said, "If I told you I guessed the method, would you believe it?"
Tian An gave a bitter smile.
The secret related to the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars was too great.
He had to ask clearly.
But Qin Ning had already been able to activate the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars, so even he wouldn't be able to kill Qin Ning.
Moreover, it was Qin Ning who had the ability to kill him!
But he knew that the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars were built by the combined efforts of the ancestor Tian Qingshi and Emperor Ming Yuan back then, containing profound mysteries.
He also knew that besides these two, there was one other person who knew the secret of the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars: the grand-ancestor of ancestor Tian Qingshi and Emperor Ming Yuan!
But Qin Ning was only sixteen years old; he certainly couldn't be that grand-ancestor.
The only explanation was that Qin Ning was very likely a descendant of Tian Qingshi, or a descendant of Emperor Ming Yuan.
But he himself was a descendant of Tian Qingshi, yet he had no idea that his ancestor had other descendants.
Qin Ning's identity was truly strange!
"The Four Symbols Sacred Pillars were built precisely because Tian Qingshi wanted to prevent the future decline of the Tian Shen Academy, to prevent its foundation from being destroyed by others. The purpose of its construction was similar to the Eight Desolate Fiery Dragon Guard of the Bei Ming imperial family."
"You are a descendant of Tian Qingshi, and you don't know about this?"
"Tens of thousands of years have passed, and many things have happened. Just as the Tian Shen Academy was extremely prosperous back then, it later gradually weakened along with the Bei Ming Empire. Therefore, there are many things... that cannot be foreseen!"
Hearing this, Qin Ning's expression became very troubled, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly thought of a saying that had been passed down among the common people for a long time, very vulgar, but very true.
Time is a pig-slaughtering knife!
What it kills is not just appearance!
"The Four Symbols Sacred Pillars, since you couldn't open them, there's no need to ask anymore!"
Qin Ning said indifferently, "But I am here. In the future, if Tian Shen Academy encounters a crisis, I can help you open the Four Symbols Sacred Pillars, to slay gods and exterminate devils!"
These words stunned Tian An.
What Qin Ning had just said was not something a sixteen-year-old youth could say, but rather like words spoken by an ancient being who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
That feeling filled Tian An with awe.
"If there's nothing else, you may withdraw," Qin Ning said again. "If word of today's events gets out, I imagine countless empires, upper kingdoms, and even powerful kingdoms will flock to the North Ming Empire. You know what to do, I'm sure!"
"I have already issued the order."
As soon as Tian An finished speaking, Qin Ning waved his hand.
Tian An quickly retreated from the alchemy room.
However, it was only when Tian An stepped out of the alchemy room that his body straightened to its full height, and then he suddenly froze.
Something was wrong!
He was the dean, the sole unrivaled expert in the North Ming Empire.
But just now, why did he… suddenly become so obsequious?
"Qin Ning… Qin Ning…"
Tian An muttered to himself, pondering, but he couldn't figure out what was so special about that name.
Inside the room, Qin Ning couldn't help but sigh.