Chapter 1281 - 910: Hostility

Zhang Gaodan walked away with a face full of grievance; he could sense the estrangement hidden within Zhang Chen’s politeness, like a cloud in the sky, always maintaining a distance not too far nor too close from him.

Watching Zhang Gaodan’s silhouette disappear, Zhang Chen retracted his gaze and returned inside the room to supervise the cultivation of the three youngsters.

Before dawn the next day

Zhang Chen directly ordered the servants of the Zhong Mansion to drive the carriage towards the academy. Waiting for Little Fatty Zhang Gaodan? Waiting is impossible!

He certainly didn’t want to have any involvement with Zhang Gaodan right now. With the Eight Great Clans about to fall into internal chaos, he wanted no part in being dragged into it.

The carriage exited through the back door and leisurely arrived at the academy. The servant respectfully said to Zhang Chen: "Young Master, we’ve arrived at the academy."

Zhang Chen lifted the curtain of the carriage, his eyes looking towards the academy, and his expression turned to one of surprise: "As expected of the academy, it’s truly grand and magnificent, incomparable to Jinling Academy."

You might wonder why?

At first glance, the academy is actually built within the mountains, spanning eight large mountains connected together, these mountains tower into the clouds, majestic and spectacular, appearing quite extraordinary. Among the mountain peaks and mist, palaces are densely arranged, splendid and grand, with an indescribable grandeur.

"This doesn’t seem like a place for learning; it rather resembles the residence of nobility." Zhang Chen commented sarcastically.

"Young Master might not be aware, but those who study within the academy are all children of nobility, unable to endure the chill of the mountains, naturally requiring grandeur construction to satisfy those young princes and heirs." At this moment, a voice arose, and a boy dressed as a book attendant appeared, taking Zhang Chen’s words and responding.

Zhang Chen turned his head and saw the book attendant with red lips and white teeth, appearing fair and tender, fourteen or fifteen years of age, with Qi Blood circulating around him. Despite his youth, he had already refined Martial Dao Qi Blood, his talent remarkably high.

"Who might you be?" Zhang Chen dismounted the carriage, making a courteous gesture.

The boy dressed as a book attendant hurriedly returned the gesture: "Are you Master Zhang Chen?"

"I am!" Zhang Chen nodded.

"I am Bu Er, the humble book attendant of Master Zhou, tasked with waiting here to welcome you to the academy. The terrain of the academy is vast and the buildings many, plus the enrollment procedures are rather complex. I am responsible for attending to your meals and accommodations, assisting you in running errands." Bu Er respectfully said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen raised his head in surprise, looking towards the grayish sky. The sun had yet to rise, and he couldn’t help but ask in astonishment: "When did you arrive?"

"I received the order last night, uncertain of when you would ascend the mountain today, so I waited at the mountain gate since last night." Bu Er respectfully replied.

Zhang Chen glanced at Bu Er with a look of surprise and then turned to the driver, instructing: "You may return."

Then he again addressed Bu Er: "What arrangements has Mr. Zhou made?"

"Your main tasks today involve accompanying me to handle enrollment procedures, arranging accommodation, and familiarizing yourself with the academy." Bu Er replied.

"I would appreciate it if you could lead the way." Zhang Chen said.

Bu Er led the way in front, while Zhang Chen climbed through the mountains, experiencing a feeling akin to climbing Mount Tai or Mount Huang in later generations, with endless stairways towering into the clouds. Every hundred meters, there was a book tower where scholars studied, and climbers took rest.

"Going up and down the academy is practically losing half a life." Zhang Chen lamented to Bu Er: "It’s so inconvenient."

"Most academy scholars possess Martial Dao cultivation, so although the mountain paths are steep, it’s no matter to most people. One part is for physical training and cultivation, and another is to keep scholars on the mountain, preventing them from being tempted by the allurements of the world below." Bu Er smiled as he explained.

Zhang Chen was speechless at the reasoning, but had to admire the academy’s ingenious thought process. Here in Kyoto, with Dragon Qi suppression, bloodline Divine Techniques cannot be utilized. To ascend and descend the academy, even with Martial Dao cultivation, takes at least half a day of effort, leaving one exhausted and where would they find the spirit to seek worldly pleasures below?

It’s known that the academy’s students are divided into two types: one being qualified scholars researching the mysterious, and the other being ordinary scholars paying for education.

The two climbed through the mountain. Although Zhang Chen lacked Martial Dao cultivation, his Nine Revolutions Profound Skill trained body was far stronger than any Martial Dao, making mountain climbing trivial for him. Meanwhile, the book attendant Bu Er, with refined Martial Dao Qi Blood, easily sped up the steps, and with their speed, only two hours had passed before they saw the layered architectures at the mountain top.

Upon reaching the peak, Zhang Chen clearly saw that the ten large mountains formed an arc, shaped into a ring, resembling eight pillars standing there.

Among the peaks, shakily connected by a rope bridge, eight iron cables swayed between the valleys, looking so daunting that it made one’s legs weak.

"Are we at the Academy yet? This climb was no easy feat, it’s practically taking half a life away for ordinary scholars," Zhang Chen complained.

"Climbing is also a kind of spiritual training, a test from the Academy for the students." Bu Er replied and pointed to the valley among the eight great mountains:

"The Academy you are going to is in the valley, we’re just climbing up the mountain, and next we have to descend."

Zhang Chen was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but since he wasn’t tired at all, he didn’t say much more.

The descent was swift, directly crossing the towering mountains into the valley floor, already excavated and layered with complex buildings, through which rapids rushed past, with fish leaping amidst these torrents.

"This palace complex is the core of the Academy, all the Masters and geniuses selected from various places to unravel the mysteries reside here," Bu Er explained to Zhang Chen:

"The valley area is also significant; it contains an underground complex with seventy-two levels of underground pagodas. The higher the ranking in the academy, the closer to the bottom one can live," Bu Er said.

"Why is that? Why, in the academy, the higher the rank, the closer to the bottom? Logically, shouldn’t the higher the rank, the higher the building one would choose, with better views?" Zhang Chen expressed his surprise.

"You were handpicked by Mr. Zhou as a core member of the Academy, so it’s fine to tell you this secret. The Academy discovered a new world, and the entrance is underground, so the lower the underground pagoda, the closer it is to the new world. The new world emits strands of mysterious energy, which is a great supplement for those with special bloodlines; it can not only strengthen the bloodline but also prolong life. For practitioners, this mysterious energy also has nourishing effects. Thus, the higher ranked one is, the lower a room can be chosen, getting closer to the new world. The bottommost level is reserved for the Masters, deans, and core members of the royal family, followed by the residences of various geniuses, ranked accordingly," Bu Er explained to Zhang Chen.

"How is the ranking determined? Is it based on cultivation level?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Of course not; to determine the ranking, cultivation is just one aspect. The real determinant is contribution. On the road from the Academy to the new world, there are all kinds of challenges, strange and dangerous threats, or various unknown mysteries collected by the Academy. Cracking these counts as contribution points," Bu Er said, leading Zhang Chen to the core area, a tall building, a hundred stories high, like a skyscraper.

Then Bu Er led Zhang Chen to the door, where two stone lions stood guard. Zhang Chen sensed mysterious power within these lions, their power equivalent to the Ninth Order, comparable to the Yang God realm’s powerhouses.

"These two stone lions are the guardians of the core area. One must have their Qi Mechanism imprinted within before entering freely. If an outsider attempts to enter, the stone lions will awaken to expel and slay them," Bu Er said, handing a gold paper to Zhang Chen:

"This is proof of your entry into the Academy. Drop a bit of blood on the paper, and place it in the mouth of the stone lion. Afterward, the lions will record your aura, allowing you free access without the threat of the lions’ attacks."

Hearing Bu Er’s words, Zhang Chen took the gold paper, dropped a drop of blood on it, which the paper swiftly absorbed. He then approached the stone lions. The two lions opened their eyes and stared menacingly at Zhang Chen until he inserted the paper into one of their mouths. Only then did they retract their Qi Mechanism and become statue-like again.

Getting closer, Zhang Chen realized the stone lions were very tall, about two meters high, significantly taller than himself.

"Let’s go inside," Bu Er motioned for Zhang Chen to follow into the tower.

Entering inside, the first floor of the building was vast, spanning thousands of square meters, entirely empty without any furnishings.

"The first floor is too busy with people coming and going, not suitable for living," Bu Er said.

"I couldn’t have imagined that this building would be built so vast, truly impressive," Zhang Chen praised, "Such a project is a masterpiece of skill."

Considering this is Kyoto, where the power of Ten Thousand Techniques is forbidden, the entire building must have been constructed by human hands.

Bu Er said nothing, simply guiding Zhang Chen to the central hall, where a staircase led both upwards to the hundred-story skyscraper and downwards to the underground levels.

"Let’s go; Mr. Zhou is waiting for you downstairs," Bu Er stepped towards the underground first.

As soon as Zhang Chen entered the ground floor, his pupils narrowed, a look of shock in his eyes, and why was that?

Because Zhang Chen felt the breath of the Spiritual World!

Indeed, it was the Thirty-Three Heavens he often wandered!

"How can this be? Has someone in the real world connected the Thirty-Three Heavens with the Material Realm?" Zhang Chen’s heart was filled with a tremor of disbelief.