Chapter 1033

Chapter 1033: Academies Sprouting Everywhere

"You did well this time. When the sect’s Golden Immortal puppets are finished, I’ll reward you with one."

"When we’re better off, I’ll get you another one, so you’ll have one on each side—two Golden Immortal puppets," Xu Fan said with a smile.

"Thank you, Grand Elder," Pang Fu said, his eyes lighting up.

In the underground space, Xu Fan handed the Heaven’s Heart and Earth’s Flame, sealed in a celestial tool, directly to Avatar Number Three.

Instantly, a pale blue flame emerged from Avatar Number Three’s palm.

It seamlessly transitioned into the process of refining the Golden Immortal puppets.

"At this rate, how long will it take to refine nine puppets?" Xu Fan asked.

"Master, it will take 105 years."

"You can use time acceleration for your cultivation. By the time you’re done, the nine Golden Immortal puppets will be ready," Grape said.

"That timing works out well. Let’s go for time acceleration," Xu Fan said, stepping into the Source Realm.

"Grape, keep an eye out. If anyone causes trouble for the sect’s disciples running the academies, send the Golden Immortal puppets to handle it," Xu Fan instructed.

"Understood, Master."

With that, Xu Fan began his time acceleration cultivation.

Over the following period, many oddly named academies popped up across the Immortal Realm.

For instance, there was the Third Artifact Crafting Academy, the Ninth Body Refinement Academy, and the 108th Alchemy Dual Supreme Academy—many such peculiar names appeared.

Despite their strange names, these academies offered top-notch education.

Whether it was standard cultivation or specialized fields like alchemy, artifact crafting, formations, puppets, and talismans, all used an illusion-based teaching method.

This method was highly advanced; even those with little natural talent could quickly grasp the basics through the illusions’ guidance.

Soon, these number-named academies became a sensation across the Immortal Realm.

It wasn’t long before people noticed that the academies, centered around the Star Yuexian Domain, were spread out evenly.

Each academy covered about five or six surrounding Giant Cities, and the academies maintained good relations with one another.

After some time following Xu Fan’s seclusion, the disciples running the academies began turning a profit.

According to the agreement between Grape and them, the sect provided illusion-based teaching tools and course materials in exchange for a 50% stake in the profits.

In the first 10 years, the academies were still gaining traction, and the Immortal Jade they distributed was minimal.

But as the academies spread across the Immortal Realm, enrollment numbers soared.

By the end, nearly every academy was enrolling a large number of students each year.

Xu Fan, however, was unaware of all this as he cultivated in the Time Acceleration Small World.

After another century, the Time Treasures were exhausted, and Xu Fan emerged from the Time Acceleration Small World.

"Congratulations, Master, on completing your seclusion. You’re now 80,000 years away from reaching the Golden Immortal stage," Grape announced.

"80,000 years—it’ll pass in no time," Xu Fan said with a smile.

He then made his way to the courtyard.

"How are those academies doing lately?" Xu Fan asked.

"They’re doing great. The academies opened by the disciples are now on par with the Golden Academy."

"Some are even several times larger than the Golden Academy, with enrollments reaching into the billions," Grape replied.

"That impressive!" Xu Fan said, surprised.

He thought it was already a big deal for the disciples to build academies as good as the Golden Academy.

He didn’t expect some to surpass it.

Now, Xu Fan was curious.

"Tell me how those academies grew," Xu Fan asked.

"It started with the usual academy model. With the help of illusion teaching tools, they quickly became well-known in nearby areas."

"To grow faster, one disciple came up with a plan."

"The plan was to offer loans. Students could study for free if they passed the academy’s tests, as long as they paid back the tuition within a thousand years after graduating."

"This plan helped the academies grow fast. They were losing money at first, but in the ten years before you went into seclusion, most started making a profit."

"In about 1,000 years, the academies’ profits are expected to skyrocket," Grape explained.

"Smart move! Who thought of this plan?" Xu Fan asked, intrigued.

"First-generation disciple Qian Bing. His academy is one of the best, with 1.7 billion students, the largest, though it’s still one of the few losing money," Grape said.

"Losing money with so many students—who else would be losing money?" Xu Fan laughed.

Just then, a teleportation formation appeared in the courtyard, and all the sect’s money puppets came out one by one.

"Grape, give Pang Fu a Golden Immortal puppet. When the next batch comes, give him another so he has two," Xu Fan instructed after some thought.

"Understood, Master~"

One of the Golden Immortal puppets then disappeared into the teleportation formation.

Xu Fan looked at the nine Golden Immortal puppets in the courtyard, feeling secure.

"With these nine Golden Immortal puppets set up right, even a Great Luo Saint wouldn’t stand a chance," Xu Fan said, feeling a bit bold.

Then, Xu Fan thought of his good brother and wondered how he was doing.

"Grape, did my good brother visit while I was in seclusion?" Xu Fan asked.

"No, but the Star Spirit brought some messages. Your good brother’s plans in the beast race territory are going well."

"He’s almost done and reminded you to expand the sect’s treasury to make room for the spoils," Grape’s voice echoed.

"Expand the treasury? Sounds like my good brother hit the jackpot," Xu Fan said, smiling.

He imagined the grand scene when his good brother returned and they divided the spoils.

"Have you started expanding the treasury?" Xu Fan asked.

"Master, the treasury has already been expanded by half," Grape replied.

"Half isn’t enough! With my good brother and three Great Luo Saints working on this for a hundred years, we need to double the treasury," Xu Fan commanded.

"Understood, Master."

In the underground space, Number One and Number Two were working on the keel of the Giant Ship.

When Xu Fan arrived, they greeted him briefly and then went back to focusing on the spaceship’s keel.

"Why do you seem a bit down?" Xu Fan asked.

"The side effect of using the Xuanhuang aura is that it removes unproductive emotions," Number Two said lightly.

"That sounds good~"

"That’s not a side effect; it’s like a focus boost for artifact crafting," Xu Fan said.