Imperial Spirit Academy

Comparing the speed of escape techniques is the most direct way to judge a cultivator's skill.

Cultivators with high realms, profound skills, and powerful Dao energy will definitely fly faster than other lowly individuals. Not only can they kill with a single sword strike during a chase, but they can even strike first, catching their opponent before they even land and before they can even spit out a mouthful of blood.

Therefore, when wandering in the wilderness, rogue cultivators must be discerning and run away if they see Three Great Sects from afar. If they are foolish and don't know when to stop, those old monsters from the mystical sects will catch up with them and subdue them in a few punches and kicks, taking away all their harvest of ten days or half a month in one fell swoop, under the guise of "robbery, come and fight me if you dare."

If you encounter a cult or something like that, they might suck your blood, search your soul, skin you alive, and in the end, only a wisp of your nascent Nascent Soul Stage will escape and dissolve into nothingness. Alas, the world of cultivation back then was so arduous and cruel...

To get back to the point, in Zheng Zetian's opinion, this Senior Brother is quite capable. At least in terms of his escape techniques, his skill far, far, far surpasses that of his master, Song Dayou.

Song Dayou's mode of transportation, the Thundercloud, was collected and refined by himself on Qingting Peak using secret methods of thunder magic. It was a kind of magical Magic Treasure to assist in his escape techniques. Obviously, due to his limited aptitude, he could not fully use high-grade thunder escape, so he used external Material Dao such as talismans and auspicious clouds to assist in his flying and escaping techniques. The speed was not slow and the consumption was not large, which could actually be considered a high-grade way of flying. However, for someone at the Golden Core realm, traveling between the various peaks and cities of Ink Bamboo Mountain would still take some time.

Moreover, Tianyu Peak is located deep in the Ten-thousand-mountains, at least five thousand miles away from Qingting Peak to the west. Originally, the master and disciple planned to travel a thousand miles by day and eight hundred miles by night, enjoying the scenery, gathering resources, and fighting monsters along the way, combining learning with entertainment. After about a week, they could lay a good foundation for Zheng Zetian, popularize sect knowledge, and accumulate some materials so that he could directly participate in the Inner Sect disciple courses upon arriving at Tianyu Peak.

But Senior Brother clearly didn't have the time for that. He rushed back from the South China Sea overnight to rescue people, and then chased Nangong all the way to Yushan to search and kill for ten days before returning. He had already wasted a lot of time, so he had no time to take care of the child.

So he immediately summoned his sword rainbow escape light, enveloping Zheng Zetian and Tu Lou, who were moving at top speed. Like a red rainbow, they flew across the territory of Ink Bamboo Mountain in broad daylight. In a day, before the sun had even set, they arrived at Tianyu Peak!

So much so that Zheng Zetian was a little dumbfounded when he landed.

... This skill, this power, even the divine lords of the Xuanmen sect are no more than this.

On Tianyu Peak Square, the cultivators who were meditating and cultivating around the alchemy furnace, playing chess and discussing the Dao, were not surprised at all. They all stood up and bowed to Senior Brother, who landed with a rainbow.

"Greetings, Senior Brother!" "Master of the Cloud Platform Sword!" "Greetings, True Lord!"

What? A True Monarch? He's only at the Nascent Soul Realm? That's ridiculous! Is this the standard for Nascent Soul Stage these days? Wait! What did I just say! Cloud Platform Sword Master! Didn't Yuntai Peak just disappear? Where did this Sword Master come from?!

Qin Jiu didn't explain, and impatiently waved his hand, "Hey you."

Everyone knew this senior brother's temperament, and no one felt he was being disrespectful. Immediately, Lou Guan flew out from the crowd to pay his respects.

"Please give your instructions, Senior Brother."

Qin Jiu pointed and said, "Settle him in."

The man bowed and said, "Yes."

Then Qin Jiu nodded to Zheng Zetian, "You can stay here for now."

Before Zheng Zetian could react, he had already unleashed his sword rainbow and vanished into the distance in a flash.

He... left...

Well, this Senior Brother is really taciturn. He didn't say a word on the way, and judging from his appearance, he probably wants to rush back to the South China Sea to handle some business... Where does he get so much Qi from...?

"Vomit--"

Tu Lou's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, vomited, and fainted at Jian Hong's feet.

"Earth--mole--"

Zheng Zetian quickly pulled some grass and fed it to the sheep.

"Junior brother, could you be Senior Brother's newly accepted disciple?"

Since it was the order from Senior Brother Ink Bamboo Mountain, even the Inner Sect disciple of Tianyu Peak, "that person," dared not neglect it and quickly came up to inquire.

Zheng Zetian then handed over the Daoist certificate and talisman.

"Zheng Zetian, a disciple of Qingting Peak, whose master was harmed by the Nangong, was fortunately rescued by his senior brother..."

Although this person's cultivation level and aura were not particularly outstanding, he looked quite kind. Judging from his appearance, he had a beautiful beard and his features were not particularly ethereal, but he was fair-skinned, had a full forehead, prominent brow bones, and a radiant complexion, so he did have a rather auspicious look.

Zheng Zetian also noticed that whether it was Song Dayou or Senior Brother, most of the cultivators in Ink Bamboo Mountain did not have plastic surgery or facial sculpting. They looked exactly as they were. It was probably useless for Tai Su Dao to sculpt their faces; they would still become ghosts if they were destined to.

"Oh, so you're Junior Brother Song's disciple. It's been so many years, and Junior Brother Song still hasn't been able to... I understand. Since it's Senior Brother's order, let's choose a cave on the mountain for you to stay in."

"That guy" explained, "I am Meng Shan, the head of the Lou Guan branch of Tianyu Peak and the deputy abbot. When the abbot is away, I will take charge of the branch. If you have any questions about Daoist certificates, salaries, merit rewards, or anything else, you can come to me... Your spirit beast doesn't seem to be in good condition."

What is this thing? Eating and vomiting at the same time, drinking half and vomiting the other half, it looks so disgusting...

"The Tu Lou was bought by my master from the Divine Cult. The Blood Puppet Substitute Death Technique saved me from a calamity. I'm troubling you, Master, for your help."

Zheng Zetian was also a little worried. Judging from Tu Lou's condition, he was probably weak and injured from traveling for days. His master had given him this souvenir, and he didn't want anything to happen to Tu Lou.

Real Person scratched his head.

"I'm not good at veterinary medicine. How about we go to the Beast Taming, cough cough, Yuling Courtyard first? This academy is a place in my Ink Bamboo Mountain specifically for managing the Spirit Race. In addition to recruiting and managing Human Race and teaching cultivation methods, it is also responsible for preventing demons from causing trouble because there are many demons in these Ten-thousand-mountains Mountains, as well as monsters from Kunlun and overseas.

The spirit pets, mounts, guardians, and Dao Companions of the disciples and international students can be kept with them or hidden in their rooms. However, if they want to cultivate as part of the Spirit Race, join the sect, or travel freely to serve in the sect's forbidden areas, they must first register and obtain a license from the Yuling Courtyard and undergo regular annual inspections. Of course, the Yuling Courtyard also provides services such as veterinary care and vaccinations.

Since you intend to keep this pet long-term, it would be more convenient to get a license. I've heard that Li Kun of the Yuling Courtyard is most skilled in veterinary medicine; legend has it that he could even cure Dang Kang's difficult childbirth. Your pet should be fine."

"That would be best. Thank you for your help, Master."

Real Person then rode a cloud to take Zheng Zetian and the others down the mountain, explaining the situation of Tianyu Mountain to his new disciple along the way.

Qin Jiu's Sword Light came too fast, straight up and down, Lingyun into the sky. Zheng Zetian couldn't see anything along the way until now, when the entire view of Tianyu Mountain was revealed to him.

This Tianyu Mountain is surrounded by water on all sides, situated in a vast marshland. With water on all eight sides and steep cliffs on all four, its terrain is treacherous. Long ago, the Tianyu God of Moshan relied on this strategic location to block the eastward advance of the demon king of the Ten-thousand-mountains. He was a formidable force, capable of holding off ten thousand, and achieved great feats. However, because of this terrain, although it could stop the mountain demons and monsters, those familiar with water could still escape through the waterways and lakes, making it impossible to defend against.

However, times have changed. Now, Ink Bamboo Mountain is thriving, and the younger generation of disciples are breaking through to the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Realm with the help of various divine skills and secret techniques, as well as the Moon Worship Devil Embryo. The number of core combat forces has increased significantly.

Furthermore, the fighting in the Central Plains has become increasingly bloody and brutal in recent years. After signing treaties with various sects of the Xuanmen, the Northern Xuanmen also sent a large number of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stage disciples to the south under the guise of studying abroad, in order to escape the war in the Central Plains.

Thus, Tianyu Mountain, just like Yuntai Immortal Peak in the past, became a gathering place for immortals, with countless immortal Immortal Palace and temples built, numerous disciples in the sect, and various group activities for tribulation and monster hunting, which was enough to push the sect's territory out in all directions.

The great demon from the Ten-thousand-mountains has been forced back five thousand miles to the west of Mount Fuyu. Apart from a den of lions still holding out on that mountain, most of the other demon kings and demon gods have been used to suppress them and have them drunk as snacks.

With this security guarantee, and the Xuanmen's appeal still intact, the local Cultivation Family of Ink Bamboo Mountain and the aristocratic families from the north began to respond to the sect's call, migrating their entire clans to Tianyu Mountain and actively participating in the large-scale development of the Ten-thousand-mountains.

Compared to Lou Guan City, Tianyu Mountain is a more purely cultivator city. In addition to the Dao Palace that was once the site of the merger of the nine peaks of Bamboo Mountain, there is also the Lou Guan Branch Academy, as well as various Dao Palaces and alchemy workshops established by the Northern Xuanmen.

In the lakes and marshes below the mountain, there are also various Immortal Pavilion pavilions and islands that have flown to the lake surface to settle down, as well as countless merchant ships, mechanical ships and other vessels that have sailed up from the South China Sea, making it look like a huge fairy city on the lake.

Ink Bamboo Mountain's choice of Tianyu Mountain as the core territory of its sect was also a deliberate one.

After all, the notion that the Ten Thousand Mountains are difficult to traverse is no exaggeration. Although rich in resources, the mountain roads are winding, rugged, and difficult to navigate, with complex terrain, dense miasma and swamps, and countless demons and beasts roaming the area. Moreover, in recent years, the Railway Institute has mainly focused on building roads and trading with the northern countries. Therefore, the southern railway from Moshan has only reached a limited capacity so far, and it only extends as far as the Maoshan South Valley Dojo. Using cultivators or mechanical airships to transport goods using spirit stones and talismans remains as uneconomical as before.

Fortunately, within the territory of the Ten-thousand-mountains, there are five waterways that are navigable. From west to east, they are the Langshui River of Daoguo Mountain, the Danshui River of Danxue Mountain, the Fanshui River of Fashuang Mountain, the Heishui River of Chicken Mountain, and the Zuoshui River of Nanyu Mountain, all of which flow into the South China Sea.

The Blackwater River flows through the Nangong territory, but is too close to the Yushan war zone due to unresolved banditry, making it impassable. The Fan River merges into the Lei Marsh in its middle section, and is teeming with water demons. Many demonic groups and fish migrate back to the source to spawn, causing annual demonic surges along the river. The reason why the Jade Toad Jade Toad Granny could not be eradicated was due to the complex waterways and dense network of waterways in the area, which teemed with all sorts of chaotic water demons. Therefore, the railway could only be built up to the southern valley of Mao Mountain on the opposite side before it became difficult to cross the river.

Therefore, since conquering Tianyu, Daoguo, and Danxue Mountains, clearing out the nearby demon kings, and stabilizing the four directions, this area was chosen as the core area for establishing sects. Resources harvested in the Ten-thousand-mountains could be transported by boat from the marshes to the Tianyu Mountain, via the Langshui and Danshui Rivers, directly to the South China Sea. Bypassing the Lei Marsh and Yushan war zones, they could trade with the cultivation sects and local forces in the East Sea, South China Sea, Zhen, and Xunzhou. This effectively opened up transportation throughout the Ten-thousand-mountains.

Considering the difficulty of building railways in deep mountains and forests, once the remnants of the Nangong rebellion are wiped out and the Lei Marsh River is developed, the trade volume and development scale will continue to increase, and the use of the five waterways for trade will become increasingly important.

The Grand Master's plan to establish a new Sword Sect in the South China Sea was precisely to protect this South China Sea trade route and resist invasions and harassment from forces such as the Deep Sea Ling King.

Of course, if the plan were to extend further, it could even take Tianyu Mountain as the center and head westward, piercing through the entire Ten-thousand-mountains, thus connecting and communicating with the territories of the divine sects such as Kunlun and the Western Sea. However, whether it would be trade or war at that time would be another matter entirely.

In no time, they arrived at the Beast Taming Courtyard at the foot of the mountain. This was a celestial Immortal Palace on a flying island located in the waters of Tianyu Mountain. It was said to be a marquis's residence bestowed upon the Grand Master by the Ancient Immortal Palace court. The mountain dweller had no need for such mundane things, so the Grand Master gave them to his true disciple, the Yuling Godly Monarch Li Mao, and his Dao Companion.

Meng Shan really talks a lot. Even after they arrived at the Yuling Courtyard and sent the Tu Lou for examination, he was still going on and on. Zheng Zetian even started to miss his Senior Brother. Being taciturn is truly a rare and precious quality...

In short, this Yuling Godly Monarch Li Mao is a newly emerged legendary figure. It is said that in the past, like most Xuanmen sects, Ink Bamboo Mountain was locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Demon Race, with no possibility of reconciliation. However, after the Yuling Godly Monarch arrived at the mountain gate, he single-handedly changed the situation of the two races' feud. He not only formed good relations with many Demon Race, but also brought the suppressed and sealed demon gods and monsters under his command, greatly increasing the sect's hidden strength.

Moreover, it's unclear what secret technique this deity used, but all the Demon Race who joined the Yuling Courtyard truly converted to the sect, secretly cultivating and attaining enlightenment. Not only did they stop killing ordinary people, but they also actively engaged in dual cultivation with humans, forming Dao Companion. This effectively eased the conflict between humans and demons, as well as the problem of some cultivators not being able to find Dao Companion for dual cultivation.

Most of the cultivators on Ink Bamboo Mountain weren't demon-slaying monsters. Since these Spirit Race were willing to repent, there was no need to resort to violence.

In short, since the establishment of the Yuling Courtyard, through the tireless efforts of the Yuling Godly Monarch, the Spirit Race has become an important part of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Although the Spirit Race still faces discrimination from some cultivators and is relegated to menial tasks like serving tea and water and Door Opening doors for tickets, they are ultimately closer to Real Immortal than mortals. Moreover, after transforming into Spirit Race form, each Spirit Race member is not only born with exceptional beauty and talent but also possesses a lifespan of tens of millions of years. Serving as servants Dao Companion is far more convenient than dealing with mere mortals. Therefore, under the current trend, not only is the resistance to the Yuling Courtyard gradually decreasing, but many people on Ink Bamboo Mountain even hope to become disciples of the Yuling Godly Monarch and comprehend the Great Dao of Spirit Control.

"Let me reiterate, I have no knowledge of any postpartum care products from Dang Kang; it's all a smear campaign by others!"

After the Tu Lou was handed over to the Yuling Courtyard for inspection, a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator wearing an Unknown Face and a strange white coat emerged from the medical room, angrily throwing down the price list.

"The lamb is fine, it just caught a chill and has diarrhea, and is also a bit carsick, vomiting and having diarrhea. Let's hospitalize it for three days on IV fluids. You said it took the fall for you? Okay then, consider it a relief for a disciple of our sect. Hospitalization, treatment and food expenses, we'll cover it with medical insurance and charge thirty taels."

Since we're already here, let's get the triple vaccine, which is a veterinary vaccine, antiviral. The first year requires three shots, each three weeks apart, and thereafter a booster shot every year. Each shot costs 80 taels. This is a commercial drug supplied to pets and is not covered by medical insurance.

As for the Yuling Courtyard license, which type do you want? The iron license comes with your mount, costs 500 taels, and allows you to travel freely in non-restricted areas. The silver license costs 3,000 taels and allows you to enter the academy, mines, and herb gardens. You can also participate in the Yuling Courtyard's level exams. As long as you don't encounter any disasters or violate the sect's rules, and you cultivate to human form at the Nascent Soul Realm, you can directly exchange the license for a new one and join the Ink Bamboo Mountain as a sect retainer.

There's also a gold medal worth 100,000 taels of silver, available for limited auction. It grants free access to most magical formations, grotto-heavens, Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land, except for a few forbidden areas. It also enjoys the benefits of a silver medal. Moreover, it's a fixed asset and can be transferred. Would you consider investing?"

Zheng Zetian was dumbfounded, "I... where would I get that much money...?"

Li Kun shrugged.

"That's the iron plaque then. Never mind, looking at your file, you did a good deed for the sect before, right? Then let's just go through medical insurance and have it reimbursed."

Meng Shan nodded. "This is Junior Brother Song's disciple; it's fine to use his medical insurance."

Zheng Zetian frowned. "What is medical insurance?"

Meng Shan explained from the side,

"Every time you complete a sect mission and receive rewards, a certain percentage of the Banknotes will be deducted as your medical insurance fund. This fund covers the manpower, pills, and talismans that the sect incurs to help you when you are injured in missions, sword duels, or magical duels."

In addition, regular shopping, medical treatment, and other expenses within the sect can be partially offset using medical insurance funds. The higher the medical insurance premium paid, the greater the various hidden benefits and discounts will be."

Flesh Scorpion added, "The exchange of divine skills and artifacts like the Heavenly Book and the System will also take into account the medical insurance system, as this is an important indicator of sect contribution."

Zheng Zetian felt a headache coming on. "This is another one of the tycoons' ideas? Why do they always create these kinds of troubles..."

Dr. Li chuckled coldly, "Don't be silly, this is a perk for newcomers like you. Especially for someone like you who is penniless and has no family or mentors to support you."

Within the territory of Ink Bamboo Mountain, all wealthy families who are cultivators and use Lou Guan's task posting and Banknotes reward system must prepay a medical insurance fund as compensation for any injuries or deaths of Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples caused by the task posting.

In other words, they levy additional taxes, but the use of medical services is different. As a beginner disciple, you can use the Dan Pool furnace in Ink Bamboo Mountain at cost price, which is subsidized by medical insurance. However, others have to pay a high price for the same service, all to prevent them from taking away the cultivation resources of the sect's disciples.

"If we don't implement more of these secondary distributions to subsidize newcomers to the sect, then all the benefits for the sect's development will ultimately be taken advantage of and plundered by those privileged second-generation rich and powerful families who arrived earlier."

Meng Shan looked at Zheng Zetian,

"However, you're not entirely without support. Our Ink Bamboo Mountain follows the Xuanmen master-disciple succession system, so medical insurance limits can naturally be inherited between masters and disciples."

Although I don't know the exact amount in Junior Brother Song's medical account, I do know that he contributed a lot to the sect when he was alive.

Some tasks, such as gathering resources and cultivating spiritual fruits, are not particularly difficult and do not require highly skilled individuals, but they can still be quite troublesome without someone dedicated to their care and management. Therefore, although the cash rewards for these tasks are not large, the medical insurance benefits are substantial and accumulate over time.

"Junior Brother Song may not have much to leave you, but rest assured, the sect remembers his contributions. From now on, Ink Bamboo Mountain will take care of you on his behalf."