Chapter 636

Chapter 636: Before Enrollment (Part 2)

Cool Summer Street was indeed unique; despite it being spring, it felt like summer and was bustling with life.

As soon as they stepped inside, it felt as if they had entered a different world, with all the details perfectly in place.

For instance, there were gentle cicada sounds filling the air.

As Yun Ye walked through, images of sitting in front of an electric fan enjoying ice-cold watermelon on a hot summer day unwittingly flashed through his mind. In fact, Cool Summer Street provided that experience — well, while there were no electric fans, there were plenty of ice-cold watermelons and various frozen treats.

The three strolled for a while and then found a shop to sit down.

It was lunchtime, so naturally, the first priority was to eat.

In today’s age, dining had reached new heights; not only did the flavors get better, but the effects of spiritual ingredients were also maximized.

In this end of the law era, practitioners began with food supplements, then progressed to spirit pills, and later to various rare treasures.

The days when secret realms opened up brimming with spiritual herbs had become a thing of the past; no one could afford such luxuries anymore.

Even the Wanling Group, a major power, had control over spirit veins, but the idea of freely using vast amounts of spirit energy was completely out of the question.

Spirit energy had countless uses; for instance, the various facilities and machines necessary for the Wanling Group to manufacture Spiritual Attire required astronomical amounts of spirit energy, and every bit needed to be used with meticulous planning.

Furthermore, how many high-tier practitioners remained in the Red Heaven realm?

The higher a practitioner’s tier, the more spirit energy they needed to maintain their cultivation level. Even with a constant influx of resources from the outer heavens, it was still far from enough. According to various information released by the Celestial Empire, today’s highest-ranking practitioners must affiliate with the New Heaven Celestial Court and draw in spirit energy from the Heavenly Dry Universe to sustain themselves.

Otherwise, even if an Honored Position practitioner was immensely powerful with great stamina, they would still deplete their energy quickly, facing little to no chance of recovery. Once their power ran out, they risked a drop in tier, which could be disastrous.

The longevity of practitioners came from their ability to combat the span of heaven rules; a drop in tier could lead to serious consequences.

“I’ll have the sea spirit fruit-flavored cold drink; I have a connection with it, so I’m ordering it!”

“I want this one.”

“Of course, we need lunch too; are we just having desserts?” Yun Ye asked.

“Absolutely! Wow, today they have boneless sea frogs! I can eat as many as you want!” Gong Haili cheered.

While waiting, the three of them naturally didn’t sit idle and started discussing the courses offered at Zixue Academy.

“Actually, Zixue Academy is a comprehensive school and isn’t much different from other schools. It doesn’t have unique features like Chi Xue’s academy. It offers the standard three disciplines and six skills, along with four stages of courses. If I had to say, Zixue Academy is particularly strong in talisman techniques?” Gong Haili pondered while holding her cold drink.

After all, Zixue Academy had that Talisman Saint, so it was normal for their level to be high.

“Talisman techniques?” Yun Ye asked.

“The three disciplines are Spirit Law, Spiritual Law, and Physical Law. The six skills are Talisman techniques, Alchemy techniques, Weapon Forging, Formation setup, Spirit control, and Spirit Plant techniques. The three disciplines are the main courses, and the six skills are secondary courses. Each student must choose at least one main course and two secondary courses, with a requirement of at least a B grade for main courses and a C grade for secondary courses. Otherwise, they will be held back and placed into a remedial class.”

“Talisman techniques involve drawing talismans and using them. Although most talismans can now be produced industrially, that’s only in the Red Heaven realm or factories. In the multiverse, you need to make them using local materials, and if you’re not skilled enough, then learning will be pointless.”

“Similarly, Alchemy techniques involve refining pills and adapting recipes with local materials. Weapon Forging is about crafting weapons, Formation setup is about creating formations, and Spirit control is a rare skill that involves harnessing the True Spirit. This is quite uncommon and rather niche. Finally, Spirit Plant techniques involve cultivating and modifying spirit plants.”

“The aim of the six skills is to make the most of every resource.”

Gong Haili said, “We must reach the level of using local materials for production…”

Yun Ye was somewhat stunned.

No wonder Zixue Academy only accepted top-tier students. Such a level, if placed in ancient times, would be considered a grand master, capable of establishing their own sect. Yet, at Zixue Academy, it was merely a basic requirement; otherwise, they would be ineffective.

After all, these students didn’t have small green bottles to make endless mistakes. If their talent and skills didn’t allow them to modify a recipe just by glancing at the materials, they would be of no use in the multiverse, making it pointless to invest resources.

It must be said, this was quite realistic; those with poor talent might have been defeated by reality, as no matter how hard they tried, they could never reach the pinnacle of alchemy and talisman techniques. Even if they could, the resources consumed would be hundreds or thousands of times more than those of a genius.

What’s the point of investing?

“First-year basic courses, second-year advancement courses, third-year specialized courses, and fourth-year vocational courses — that’s how Zixue Academy is structured.”

“After graduating from vocational courses, you can basically explore the multiverse freely, becoming a core member of the marker program. For us newcomers, if all goes well, some of us will get opportunities for exploration by the end of the year, as we are the cream of the crop with trusted abilities.”

Gong Haili prepared her unusual transparent sea frog and enjoyed eating it.

Yun Ye also took a bite and found it just like eating fish, only without the bones, and it truly tasted good.

He glanced at the price and saw it wasn’t expensive; a portion was enough for an ordinary being, yet it only cost five coins.

In this era, the rules of the Dao Artifact restricted ordinary beings. No matter how long they lived, once they reached forty years of service or age sixty, they would retire. An ordinary being wouldn’t earn a million in their lifetime, which referred to those forty years, roughly equating to about two thousand coins a month.

With an income of two thousand coins, such a delicious and nutritious food sold for only five coins was remarkable—especially in the core area of San Gong City!

Just based on this, it was evident that the currency of the New Heaven Celestial Empire held significant value, allowing everyone to earn enough material enjoyment through work.

The only exception was cultivation; in this end of the law era, the majority of spirit energy had been monopolized by high-tier practitioners and various enterprises. Ordinary beings could only achieve the completion of the Mortal Realm at best, and breaking through to the spiritual realm was almost impossible.

“Hmm, although the effects of the spiritual food here aren’t as strong as at school, it is very satisfying and delicious. The prices are also much lower than in school!”

Gong Haili gave her thumbs up, saying she could come here every day.

Yun Ye agreed as well. Although he had eaten many delicacies during the Celestial Empire era, those meals were beyond what an ordinary being could bear, so they weren’t comparable. If he didn’t block out those memories, everything he ate would seem tasteless.

For now, he truly appreciated the food in San Gong City, considering it a pleasure to eat here daily, with countless options that eliminated the possibility of getting tired of anything.

In the end, the three of them spent a satisfying day together, with no unexpected incidents occurring — peaceful and stable.

In response, Yun Ye could only sigh, “The Dao Artifact is truly wonderful.”

With his great fortune, it allowed him to form an ability similar to wish fulfillment. As long as his desires were strong enough, he could even twist causality.

He slightly used this power, hoping to trigger some malicious events nearby that he could resolve.

For instance, if someone was planning to rob a bank, Yun Ye’s fortune could naturally change their mind, causing them to suddenly decide to rob an ice cream shop instead.

Though it seemed odd, to the robber, it would feel like a spontaneous idea, leaving no room for suspicion.

The world would simply move toward the possibilities that Yun Ye hoped for.

However, this wish didn’t materialize. Instead, a few tables of customers noticed worms in their dishes and started discussing with the shopkeeper. When the surveillance footage was reviewed, it showed that a worm had simply dropped in — a very mundane dispute with no trace of malicious events…

Yun Ye concluded that at least in San Gong City, malicious events were not allowed to happen; the possibility was nearly zero, and his fortune didn’t have any effect.

While it was possible to forcibly change things, such as someone suddenly going mad and killing, it wasn’t necessary for Yun Ye to go that far.

Testing daily possibilities was enough to conclude that San Gong City was extremely safe.

…

On February 10, 19100 in the New Heaven Calendar, it was the official opening day for Zixue Academy. Many examinees were excited and had risen early to reach the school.

At eight o’clock, however, Yun Ye was still stuck in bed.

“Master Liu Sheng, it’s time to get up. The opening ceremony is at nine, and we need to get there early,” the maid Linglong called to wake Yun Ye, having prepared breakfast.

“Ah, I’ve become lazy; this world is filled with comfort,” Yun Ye said to explain his drowsiness.

He too found it baffling; why, being a Sacred Body, did he still feel sleepy? Had he devolved into a modern recluse?

Throwing off the blanket, Yun Ye got out of bed. He wore a blue robe that had stayed wrinkle-free after a night’s rest, still looking fresh as ever.

Just as Qing Kong commanded, Yun Ye didn’t take off the blue robe even while sleeping. Thankfully, aside from lacking the ability to transform, the robe had every other function, making it extremely comfortable to wear while sleeping, with little difference from being unadorned. It even adjusted to the temperature, and he could cover himself with a blanket outside.

Regardless of the heat, he insisted on using a blanket, which was a habit for Yun Ye. Besides, it wasn’t hot, and after a year, he had adjusted completely.

“Breakfast is ready, and the vehicle is prepared. Will Master Liu Sheng be living at school going forward?”

“During classes, I’ll stay at school, and during breaks, I’ll stay at home,” Yun Ye replied.

Living in a garden was indeed grand; even he, descended from the heavenly court, felt it was impressive. Would he not end up staying until the Wanling Group went bankrupt?

“Splitting school time and personal time? I understand now,” said Long Linglong, seemingly interpreting based on her own understanding.

Yun Ye didn’t delve deeper; he was drawn to the always lavish breakfast and, as per usual, finished it happily. “This is life; this is a new story!”

“Yes, a new story is starting. Master’s name is already famous throughout the land. Other schools are likely starting to devise strategies against you. If there is an opportunity for a match and you can once again defeat them, Master’s status as the top will be solid as a fortress,” Long Linglong said.