Funding Issues

The Ascension Academy is located on the outskirts of Seacloud City, backing onto the sea. Flying Boats bearing the Ascension Academy's flag flew directly over a large expanse of tall buildings, finally landing in a flying boat field containing over a hundred wooden boats.

As soon as the boat touched down, a handsome middle-aged man with white hair and beard, wearing a gray robe and holding a green ruler, floated onto the boat. Upon seeing him, Wei Daocheng quickly cupped his hands and said, "Dean Fang!"

"Mm, I've heard about what happened. This is not your fault!" The Dean patted Wei Daocheng's shoulder, then turned to the Immortal Seedlings on the deck and said, "My name is Fang Zhuo, and I am the Dean of the Ascension Academy. The academy's original rule was that anyone who hadn't mastered a Breathing Technique within thirty days would be expelled. However, the Foundation Establishment matters were unexpectedly interrupted, so this deadline will be temporarily postponed. I will give the disciples who haven't mastered it another half a month."

He didn't say what would happen if they still hadn't mastered it after half a month, but everyone knew.

Not many were panicking. After all, there were only a few formal disciples left who hadn't mastered it, and Qin Mountain's beasts had cleared out some of them, leaving even fewer.

As for the attendants, servants, and maids, it didn't matter if they hadn't mastered it yet. Fang Zhuo's words weren't directed at them.

"For those who have already mastered it, you should each have an Identity Jade Token. You can bind it by dripping blood on it. The token contains your personal information, living quarters, class schedule, Ascension Academy map, and other essential details. All future notifications from the Ascension Academy will also be sent through the token. If you have money on you, you can deposit it into the Ascension Academy's Money House, and you can then use the token for purchases."

"The common folk don't even have a Curved Shaft Plow, and the Cultivation World has invented cell phones!" Yang Ning exclaimed in astonishment as he looked at the Identity Jade Token that had suddenly appeared in his hand. It was the same size as a cell phone and rectangular, but it was green.

The cover of the token displayed a colored portrait of himself, with personal information written next to it.

Name: Yang Ning.

Age: 12

Identity: Attendant.

Residence: Kangjinlong Courtyard, Room 1275.

Funds: 0

He sliced his finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the token. The blood spread like ink, and then the personal information disappeared, replaced by software applications like Class, Schedule, Missions, Mall, Delivery, Escort, Auction House, and Account!

If you didn't look at the exterior, just the software, what was the difference from a cell phone?

It just didn't have as many apps as a cell phone, but for a student, all the necessary apps were there.

The most outrageous thing was that there was even a delivery service!

Clicking on Delivery immediately brought up countless shops, such as Wang's Beast Meat, Li's Pill House, Qiang's Seafood, and everything that flew in the sky or swam in the sea.

Clicking on Escort allowed him to choose to send or receive packages.

The shipping range included not only the two hundred countries, three thousand sects, and tens of thousands of families within Tai Heng, but also areas outside Tai Heng, such as the Sun Sect, Taiyin Sect, Man Family, and Myriad Saint Demonic Cult.

Yang Ning clearly remembered that the Taiheng Sect and the Myriad Saint Demonic Cult were enemies. So, as long as it didn't affect making money, it was fine, right?

This thing was very powerful, but it was far inferior to a cell phone because the screen was green, as if a green mask had been applied to a normal image, making it look unattractive.

He thought it was mediocre, but the other Immortal Seedlings were awestruck and couldn't stop studying it.

He could only follow along and study it until Fang Zhuo coughed lightly, prompting him to quickly look up.

"You are twenty-one days late compared to the other students. Although it's not your fault, the school cannot wait for a few hundred of you at the expense of tens of thousands of students. Therefore, after you receive your class schedule, you must study diligently and catch up as quickly as possible!" Fang Zhuo announced loudly. "Don't be afraid of falling behind. The material for the first year is still very basic; with some effort, you'll be able to catch up quickly."

He seemed to have only come to encourage the students, but he couldn't stop talking once he started. Somehow, he veered off into the history of the Ascension Academy's founding, then into the school's spirit, famous students, and so on.

Yang Ning could only yawn as he listened. He didn't need to hide it, as everyone else was yawning too, but Fang Zhuo pretended not to see, talking for over two hours. Only when some people were standing and sleeping did he finally stop.

Afterward, Wei Daocheng led everyone to their accommodations. They weren't separated and were all assigned to Kangjinlong Courtyard.

Yang Ning had thought they would have to share rooms, as most schools had dormitories.

Upon arrival, he discovered that not only were they single rooms, but the rooms also utilized Meso-Sumeru techniques. His room was a massive five hundred square meters!

It included a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, pill refining room, artifact forging room, talisman crafting room, planting area, library, and training ground.

Not only were the furniture and bedding complete, but there was also an enrollment gift set on the living room table, containing a magic robe, a magic sword, and three talismans.

The moon-white magic robe offered protection against heat and cold, was impervious to blades and spears, and resisted water and fire. It could also change size and came with a self-cleaning formation that operated automatically every day at dawn.

Its only drawback was that it couldn't transform.

The magic sword was a high-grade Mortal Artifact, but it could withstand the impact of Blood Essence, allowing for the attachment of a Blood Essence field. It was incredibly durable and could cut through iron like mud, serving as a family heirloom even for noble families.

The Water Control Talisman could condense, repel, and control water, but its effect was not strong. It could only control a fist-sized mass of water, which was fine for bathing or drinking, but useless in combat.

The Fire Control Talisman could condense, repel, and control fire, with effects similar to the water talisman, primarily used for starting fires.

The Healing Talisman could generate vitality and coagulate blood, treating minor injuries like finger cuts or minor mishaps during cultivation.

"This treatment is too good! The house alone is much better than the house I bought after half a lifetime of hard work in my previous life, let alone these cultivation sets!" Yang Ning couldn't help but sigh with the same sentiment as Liu Shan.

This place was so good, who would miss their hometown!

His luggage wasn't much: a few sets of clothes for changing, some artifacts he had crafted on the boat, and fifty thousand taels of silver.

With the magic robe, his clothes could be discarded.

After gaining the ability to control electricity, the items he had processed with primitive tools seemed a bit crude and required further refinement.

As for the silver.

Yang Ning opened the jade token and tapped into the delivery app to study the prices.

Ordinary pork, beef, bear meat, tiger meat, and Yang Ning even saw panda meat – the prices were not expensive, over a hundred catties per tael of silver. However, these meats didn't need to be purchased; the Ascension Academy provided them for free.

But once it upgraded to Fierce Beast meat, the price immediately doubled.

Fierce Beasts were wild animals that had cultivated Blood Essence. Fierce Beast meat was rich in Blood Essence and nutrients, making it the main food source for cultivators in the Body Refinement Realm. Yang Ning had already discovered that ordinary fish had very little effect.

However, triple-level Fierce Beast meat cost one tael of silver per catty. The higher the level, the price doubled. Fourth-level Fierce Beast meat was five taels per catty, fifth-level was twenty-five taels, sixth-level was one hundred taels, seventh-level was five hundred taels, eighth-level was two thousand five hundred taels, and ninth-level was ten thousand taels per catty.

Yang Ning could now eat 30 jin of meat daily. Buying the Level 3 meat cost 30 taels, meaning 50,000 taels could last him four years.

However, his cultivation couldn't possibly remain stagnant at Level 3 forever. If he were to eat Level 3 meat at Body Refinement Level 4, he'd have to consume an enormous amount, spending his entire day just eating.

Not to mention the more expensive meat needed for Level 5 and 6. 50,000 taels wouldn't last long at all.

Furthermore, eating meat was a poor person's method. Meat contained impurities, and the body had to expend energy to expel them, making it highly inefficient.

Pills refined from the essence of demonic beasts had fewer impurities, were faster to consume, and had higher absorption rates. That was the correct choice.

The Blood Essence Pill was suitable for cultivators from Body Refinement Level 3 to 6. At Level 3, one pill every five days, costing 1,000 taels each. Yang Ning, with his exceptional talent, might need two to three pills.

Others at Body Refinement Level 4 took one pill every three days. At Level 5, one pill daily. He, at Body Refinement Level 4, would need one pill daily. At Level 5, perhaps five pills a day?

Five thousand taels a day! 50,000 taels would only last ten days!

"Sigh, why didn't I think of taking bribes!" Yang Ning shook his head. As the Minister of Works, he handled tens of millions of taels, yet he hadn't taken a single cent. The money he had was purely symbolic patent fees he'd collected himself to encourage invention.

But Yang Ning didn't regret it. After all, taking bribes went against his conscience. Wasn't cultivation all about having a clear mind?

"Then how can I make money?" Although he still had money, Yang Ning always planned ten steps ahead. He couldn't wait until he was broke to start earning. When desperate, the only ones willing to help might be loan sharks!

Yang Ning studied the marketplace and found that opening a shop there was quite easy, especially through the Ascension Academy student channel.

The Blood Essence Pills for Body Refinement Levels 3 to 5, the Yiyuan Pill for Level 6, and the Dragon Marrow Pill for Level 7 had enormous markets. Shops were always buying, and items listed for sale sold quickly. Many shops were perpetually sold out.

Another option was artifact forging.

Cultivators at the lower levels had few ways to earn money. They usually hunted demonic beasts or joined the Tai Heng Guard to fight against external sects.

Since there was war, weapons were needed. The wear and tear on a large number of weapons created a massive market for artifact forging. Whether it was forging, repairing, or refurbishing weapons, the business was popular.

However, both had a huge problem: the market had been thriving for years, leading to the emergence of several major players who had already optimized cost and quality to the extreme for their respective levels.

It was fine when he was at school, as the school provided materials for practice at a low price. The school would also buy back finished products or sell them at a discount.

But after graduation, without the school's support, students facing market competition would instantly understand the cruelty of this world.

Ultimately, they had only two paths: switch careers or join an existing force.

"But I probably won't enter the market. If my talent is so bad that no sect wants me, I might as well die!" Yang Ning shook his head, his hand scrolling through the interface suddenly stopping.

Wait!

Tuo Buchuan mentioned that the Taiheng Sect made attendants and servants learn artifact forging and pill refining, leaving them with no path for advancement.

But Yang Ning found he had no choice. He didn't have an emperor for a father or the financial backing of a nation. If he didn't learn artifact forging, what else could he do?

"Is this the truth?" Yang Ning pondered, then shook his head. He lacked money, but other attendants and servants might not. Take Su Bai, for example; he had a father who was the Minister of Revenue!

"Let me see more, let me see more!" Yang Ning shook his head and flipped through the class schedule.

He couldn't believe he had transmigrated only to still have to attend school!

"Tomorrow, at Mao Shi, Mineral Identification and Cognition."

He wondered if the school teachers took attendance during class.