The Pros and Cons of Exchange and Learning

"Your Holiness, this simply won't do!" Xu Mochen feigned a look of being overwhelmed by the favor, though he was frantically complaining in his heart: Please! I came to this Martial Soul Hall specifically to siphon the divinity of the Angel God, and if possible, I'd like to skim some from the Rakshasa God while I'm at it! I'm not actually expecting to learn anything truly extraordinary from your Martial Soul Hall!

At most, I'll take this opportunity to learn more about things that exist on the Douluo Continent but not in the Sun Moon Empire, so as to broaden my horizons and my understanding of this world. Besides, my cultivation method is unique; the techniques used by the Martial Soul Hall are of almost no help to me. Yet, judging by your current proposal, you seem to want to turn the tables and fleece our Sun Moon Empire instead? You woman are truly full of schemes!

Xu Mochen calculated the consequences of doing so in his mind: Clearly, from a normal perspective, this is by no means a profitable deal for the Sun Moon Empire! Because the Sun Moon Empire already possesses a complete educational system and curriculum.

The Sun Moon Empire's educational system covers everyone, whether they are commoners or Soul Masters. Regardless of whether the institution is primary, intermediate, or advanced, private or public, and regardless of the subject—be it literature, mathematics, history, Soul Tool engineering, soul beast studies, or military science—there is a comprehensive, standardized process in place.

Furthermore, the Sun Moon Empire has long implemented a system of compulsory education, which is already quite similar to the modern educational systems of Blue Star. It is hard to say that this system, perfected over so many years, is perfect, but it is definitely far superior to whatever the Douluo Continent has!

At the very least, based on Xu Mochen's understanding, commoners on the Douluo Continent have almost no opportunity to receive an education. In luckier places, there might be private tutors or small schools for those from families with some means, but everyone else is illiterate! The kind who can't even write their own names!

The various nations of the Douluo Continent don't even provide as much education for their commoners as the ancient Dragon Kingdom on Blue Star! Even now, officials are appointed based on recommendations and connections; the Emperor or a provincial governor simply tests them casually, and if they pass, they are given a post! There isn't even an imperial examination system! The overall level of education is evident.

As for Soul Masters, the nations of the Douluo Continent do have an educational system, but it is riddled with loopholes. For starters, many advanced academies bypass intermediate ones to recruit directly from primary schools, leaving the intermediate academies in the lurch! Then there are piles of unregistered, "wild" academies running rampant! No one knows what level they are or if they have any qualifications; they just use lies and deception to lure people into enrolling!

Before learning about the situation on the Douluo Continent firsthand, Xu Mochen had thought that an academy like Shrek—with its dilapidated campus, crude facilities, terrible food, sky-high enrollment requirements, and various hidden fees—was already an anomaly! But after actually understanding the state of academies on the Douluo Continent, he realized that a place like Shrek wasn't even that bad!

Even more bizarre are the "three-no" Soul Master academies that have become human trafficking bases for Soul Masters! They are run by all sorts of riffraff; it's not unheard of for bandits and mountain brigands to disguise themselves as teachers to run a school! They specifically target Soul Masters from poor backgrounds with no connections who can barely afford tuition, using all sorts of flowery language to trick them into enrolling!

Then, they swindle and coerce them, forcing them to join their "Liangshan" gang. Through threats and inducements, they force these students to work for them. Later, using something akin to Stockholm Syndrome, they bestow small favors upon these immature children and subject them to brainwashing! Over time, these "aspiring students" who originally sought knowledge end up becoming nothing more than highway robbers!

Moreover, there is no strict curriculum across the various Soul Master academies, the quality of education is worrying, and there is no unified management or planning from any relevant educational department. Most teaching models are stuck at basic theoretical knowledge, with the rest consisting mostly of weighted running and sparring matches.

A few advanced academies have special training grounds and teaching models, but they are kept under tight wraps. Many core training facilities and knowledge are only accessible to elite students, which leads to a massive disparity in the quality of graduates.

Although Xu Mochen has never been to the Martial Soul Hall Academy, he doubts their educational model and knowledge are much better. If they exchange learning like this, the Sun Moon Empire might gain limited knowledge, but if the Martial Soul Hall can truly learn something from the Military Academy, the Genetic Biology Research Academy, or the Soul Guidance Technology Academy, they would definitely stand to gain a fortune! It seems Bibi Dong also understands the principle that "it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish."

But on second thought, is this really all bad for the Sun Moon Empire? Don't forget, Xu Mochen can set the tuition price for the Martial Soul Hall! And that amount will certainly be much higher than what local students pay! In this way, the Sun Moon Empire will undoubtedly make a huge profit!

Furthermore, these exchange students could never be allowed to touch the Sun Moon Empire's core technological knowledge! If they only learn basic academic knowledge, and given that the Douluo Continent lacks the supporting advanced technological facilities and research environment, the impact they could have upon returning home would be limited! What are they going to do, go home and plant apple trees?

Even if a few geniuses were to emerge among them, the Sun Moon Empire could easily use generous benefits and a superior research environment to entice them to stay and serve the Empire! In that way, it would become an additional source of talent! With a mix of grace and power, the Sun Moon Empire need not fear that these homesick talents won't stay!

Moreover, while teaching these people, the Sun Moon Empire can also disseminate its culture, customs, and ideologies, gradually making these students accept or even blindly admire these new ideas. In this way, the Sun Moon Empire can start from the aspect of soft power and turn these returning students into pro-Sun Moon Empire entities!

Once these people eventually gain a foothold in their own countries and factions, they will be assimilated by the civilization of the Sun Moon Empire, perhaps even actively and mindlessly praising every aspect of the Empire, helping to spread its culture within their respective domains! This would allow the Sun Moon Empire to indirectly control the Douluo Continent through ideology.

Thinking of this, Xu Mochen pretended to ponder for a while, then took a light breath, closed his eyes, and slowly opened them again, exhaling a turbid breath. Finally, as if having made a great decision, he nodded to Bibi Dong and said, "Regarding the exchange, our Sun Moon Empire agrees. However, your Martial Soul Hall must pay a corresponding tuition fee. You should also understand that for our Sun Moon Empire to teach our true skills to other nations, we must pay a significant price!"

"However, considering the long-term relationship between your organization and our country, we can agree to your request! Of course, if students from our country were to study at your academy, they would also pay higher tuition."

"That is only natural; our Martial Soul Hall would certainly not let your country suffer a loss!" Hearing Xu Mochen's assurance, the heavy stone in Bibi Dong's heart finally fell to the ground.

Bibi Dong then smiled at Xu Mochen in a friendly manner and said, "Then, once the matters between your country and our organization are settled, I will have my disciple take you to the Martial Soul Hall Academy to make the necessary arrangements. I hope you will learn a great deal of useful knowledge there." To this, Xu Mochen naturally responded with a smile.

Standing behind Xu Mochen, Gu Yuntong was somewhat anxious to hear him agree so readily. He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by Mo Wuying, who shook his head from the side. Although Mo Wuying didn't know why the Crown Prince had agreed to this, he knew there must be a reason! At the very least, in this regard, the Crown Prince's decisions had almost never been wrong.

Since Xu Mochen had agreed, everything else became easy. Both sides quickly discussed and negotiated the specific diplomatic matters, eventually reaching a cooperation agreement and scheduling an official invitation for a Martial Soul Hall delegation to visit the Sun Moon Empire in four years.

Once the series of affairs was settled, Mo Wuying would remain in secret to protect Xu Mochen's safety, while Gu Yuntong and the others would continue their journey to visit the other seven kingdoms and duchies. Xu Mochen also decided to go to the port to see off the Yan Yang Fleet one last time.

During the farewell, Xu Mochen told Gu Yuntong and the others about his series of plans and intentions. Gu Yuntong finally understood everything and couldn't help but admire Xu Mochen's far-sightedness.

After the mutual entrustments were finished, Xu Mochen officially bid farewell to the others and, under the escort of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, returned to the Martial Soul Hall. Along the way, Xu Mochen took a deep breath; he knew very well that from this point on, he would officially begin to unfold his ambitions and grand plans on the Douluo Continent!

When Xu Mochen returned to the Martial Soul Hall, Hu Liena took the initiative to bring him to a carriage and began to head toward the Martial Soul Academy. Along the way, Hu Liena wanted to get closer to Xu Mochen to extract more information, and she was also worried that he might feel homesick after being away from home for so long, so she kept talking to him.

"Um, Your Highness, calling me Miss Hu is too formal. I'm only a few months older than you. If you don't mind, just call me Sister Nana."

Xu Mochen naturally put on an obedient look and said, "Then thank you, Sister Nana. You don't have to call me Your Highness anymore either; just call me Xiao Chen."

After saying this, Xu Mochen secretly complained to himself: On this trip, I first acknowledged Qian Renxue as my big brother, then Ning Fengzhi as my uncle, then Dai Weisi as my brother, and now I've even acknowledged Hu Liena as my sister! Good grief, I've only been on the Douluo Continent for the first time, yet I've picked up four relatives in less than a month!

Seeing that Xu Mochen had finally accepted her kindness, Hu Liena breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to introduce the situation of the Martial Soul Academy to him in detail: "The Martial Soul Academy is where the Martial Soul Hall specifically cultivates the geniuses of the younger generation. It is not located within the Martial Soul Hall itself, but in the eastern part of Martial Soul City."

"The Martial Soul Hall Academy possesses the best faculty of all the Soul Master academies on the continent. The teachers there have at least the cultivation level of a Soul Ancestor, and the Dean is even a Titled Douluo elder of the Martial Soul Hall."

"As the holy land for Soul Masters, the Martial Soul Hall Academy's teaching resources are naturally the best on the continent. Not only are there various types of mimetic cultivation grounds, but every day, various medicinal herbs or products made from them are provided for students to use. Furthermore, the Martial Soul Hall provides additional rewards for students who perform exceptionally well."

"The Martial Soul Academy is different from other academies outside. It is not divided into primary, intermediate, or advanced levels. The students there range from six to twenty-four years old. Unlike other academies that promote students by age—for example, 'six years old is first grade, seven years old is second grade'—the Martial Soul Academy does not look at age. To advance, one only looks at a Soul Master's cultivation and combat power!"