Inside the City Lord Mansion, in the living room.
City Lord Kong stood with his head bowed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:
" Garrison Commander, the Deans should have arrived by now."
"Sir, would you like to see them?"
Cheng Buzheng remained calm and said indifferently:
"Let them come over!"
After bowing, City Lord Kong withdrew.
·····
Inside a side hall of the City Lord Mansion.
at this time.
It was incredibly lively.
The usual solemn and dignified atmosphere is gone forever.
A middle-aged cultivator with a large belly and an extremely prosperous appearance paced back and forth, anxiously saying:
"What do you think of the new Garrison Commander's temperament?"
"Are they going to make things difficult for us?"
Sitting in the chairs, one of the elderly men, dressed in a scholar's robe and with a gaunt face, joked:
" Fatty Hu, if the Garrison Commander is going to make things difficult for you, he'll definitely make things difficult for you."
"So what if you're in charge of the Spirit Source Academy! And you control the finances of Xuanli City!"
"I am just a teacher; the Garrison Commander certainly won't hold a grudge against an old man like me."
Beside the elderly man in the Confucian robe, a tall, slender, middle-aged cultivator smiled and said:
" Elder Cai is absolutely right!"
"My younger brother is in charge of the Protective Law Academy, Elder Cai is in charge of the Immortal Alliance Academy, Elder Li is in charge of the Supervision Academy, and Elder Tong is in charge of the Garrison Academy. None of them can compare to Brother Hu's wealth and power!"
Upon hearing this, Elder Tong, standing to the side, smiled helplessly:
" Fellow Daoist Feng, jokes are fine, but please don't drag this old man into it!"
Elder Li quietly sipped his fragrant tea, seemingly completely unconcerned by their words.
Hu Niu glanced at the group, his face contorted in a grimace, and sighed:
"You all know that I can't touch a single Spirit Stone under the control of the Spirit Source Academy. Every year, when people from above come to audit the accounts, not a single Spirit Stone can be missing!"
"Besides, I don't have the guts to even entertain such thoughts!"
Immediately, Hu Niu, with a smug look in his eyes and a hint of hope in his expression, spoke:
" Elder Cai, Elder Tong, Elder Li, Brother Feng, you must help me out when the time comes!"
"After this is done, I'll treat you to a meal at the Spirit Sea Pavilion, how about that?"
The more senior Elder Cai straightened his expression and comforted him:
"Don't worry, Fatty Jiang!"
"The senior who came to guard this place certainly won't act recklessly. After all, the rules of the Heavenly Dao Alliance are not just for show, so you can rest assured!"
Hu Niu hesitated and said:
"But····"
Before Hu Niu could finish speaking, City Lord Kong stepped into the hall, his brow furrowed as he said:
" Elder Cai, you need to be careful with your words; you mustn't speak ill of the Garrison Commander!"
Then, City Lord Kong sighed softly and continued:
"Besides, the Garrison Commander Garrison Commander is right here in the living room. If he were to hear this, the consequences would be..."
"Especially the Garrison Commander is the talisman of my Xuanli City."
"If we encounter a beast tide and the garrison commander is displeased, and the lord is even slightly late in providing assistance, the casualties will be extremely heavy."
"How am I supposed to explain this?!"
As he finished speaking, his tone became increasingly serious.
Upon hearing this, Elder Cai was filled with lingering fear. He immediately stood up and said:
"I misspoke, please forgive me, Lord City Lord!"
"Wait a moment, this old man will personally apologize to the Garrison Commander."
"Alright!" City Lord Kong waved his hand and said.
"Our senior's magnanimity is beyond our comprehension. There's no need to discuss this further. Just be more careful in the future!"
Immediately, City Lord Kong glanced at Hu Niu and said:
" Dean Hu, there's no need to worry unnecessarily. The senior knows this very well."
Do you know?
Upon hearing this...
Hu Niu quickly said:
"Yes, Lord City Lord!"
"I was overthinking it."
After scanning the area, City Lord Kong spoke:
Let's go!
"Don't keep the Garrison Commander waiting!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
The four exchanged glances and followed the city lord toward the main hall.
Not long after.
The group of five entered the hall and, upon seeing Cheng Buzheng sitting in a chair, began to speak:
"We pay our respects to the Garrison Commander!"
Cheng Buzheng smiled warmly, raised his right hand in a gesture, and said:
"Gentlemen, no need for formalities!"
An invisible force lifted them up!
Immediately, City Lord Kong stepped forward, gestured with his arm towards Elder Cai, and said:
"This is the dean of the Immortal Alliance Academy. During Elder Cai's tenure, many talented individuals emerged, including a weapon-refining genius who was accepted into the Divine Craftsman Sect."
Upon hearing this, Elder Cai quickly replied:
"This old man is unworthy of such praise."
"This student is exceptionally intelligent and truly gifted in the art of weapon crafting."
"Anyone could have done the same; I just happened to be there at the right time!"
Upon hearing this...
Cheng Buzheng looked curious and said:
"But what about the Divine Craftsman Sect, which has Spirit Transformation cultivator in charge?"
"That's right," City Lord Kong nodded.
"It is this sect!"
Cheng Buzheng smiled and nodded.
He also knew the reputation of this sect. The Heaven Escaping Boat of the White Cloud Sect was made by this sect. It could be said that they were extremely wealthy and had a great deal of influence in the Immortal Alliance.
As for the Immortal Alliance Academy, he also knew some of the rumors.
In High Antiquity times, a fierce war broke out between the human and Demon Race races, resulting in countless deaths and injuries among cultivators, which depleted their strength.
Then, on the advice of a wise person, the Immortal Alliance Academy was established!
Later, with a continuous influx of cultivators, the human race gained the upper hand!
From the edge of the Endless Sea, they completely occupied the Outer Sea, and then, carrying the momentum of a great victory, they spread into the Inner Sea until they occupied half of the Inner Sea area.
At that moment, both the human and Demon Race races stopped fighting almost simultaneously.
Even today.
Neither race has ever engaged in a major war; there have been occasional minor skirmishes, but these have all been kept under control.
During the war between the two races, the Immortal Alliance Academy produced a large number of the Nascent Soul Realm True Lord, and even a considerable number of Spirit Transformation stage Venerables.
From then on, the Immortal Alliance Academy was passed down, while most of the once-renowned sects disappeared into the torrent of time.
However, from its initial rise to independence to its eventual loss of autonomy, the Immortal Alliance Academy gradually declined until it became a place for various sects to select their disciples.
The Immortal Alliance Academy is located on a small island, where anyone with Spirit Root can study.
Once one's cultivation reaches the Qi Refining Mid-stage, one can attend the Immortal Alliance Academy on a medium-sized island; once one reaches the Late Qi Refining Stage, one can attend the Immortal Alliance Academy on a large island.
Even so urgent.
However, students must advance their cultivation level within the prescribed time limit. If they fail to advance, they will be expelled from the school and can only become Rogue Cultivator from then on.
This is also the origin of most Rogue Cultivator; these cultivators do not have very good Spirit Root or aptitude.
However, some of these cultivators are exceptionally fortunate and manage to advance to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Students who continue their studies and advance to the Qi Refining Level 9 only have three career paths to choose from.
The best outcome is to be accepted into a sect and become a disciple. Students with outstanding Spirit Root are highly sought after by various sects. Those who are not accepted by a sect only have two paths left.
Having a skill, such as alchemy or Talismanship, allows one to become a teacher at the academy, or, if one has connections, a teaching assistant position.
Cultivators with Immortal Arts are assigned to the Immortal Alliance Academy on islands of various sizes (large, medium, and small) to serve as instructors, based on their abilities.
For example, First-grade Low-grade Artifact Refiner can take a position at the Immortal Alliance Academy on a small island.
First-order Mid-grade Artifact Refiner can take up a job at the Immortal Alliance Academy on a medium-sized island, and so on!
Of course, this is not mandatory.
Students can also become independent Rogue Cultivator, just like those without any Immortal Arts!
This is one of the reasons why there are so many cultivators in the Endless Sea, making it exceptionally prosperous.