Joining the Spirit Pagoda

After all, Wu Changkong had been expelled from Shrek Academy; he was no longer a man of Shrek.

Therefore, a man cast out by his alma mater could not afford to put on airs of Shrek in front of Elder Chen.

Thus, Elder Chen said calmly.

"Teacher Wu."

"In the end, you are merely a teacher."

"Some decisions must be made by the students themselves."

"Don't you agree?"

His tone was peaceful yet carried a trace of unquestionable certainty, and the meaning behind his words was clear.

You, Wu Changkong, are only a teacher at East Sea Academy.

You are not Han Li's guardian.

Whatever decision Han Li chooses to make is his own freedom; it is not your place to say "there is no rush" on his behalf.

To this, Wu Changkong's expression remained cold. Meeting Elder Chen's gaze, he did not retreat in the slightest.

"The student is still young and does not know which decisions are good or bad for him."

"I am only afraid that some might take advantage of his vulnerability."

His voice was even colder than Elder Chen's.

Though he spoke little, every word was barbed.

The phrase "take advantage of his vulnerability" was a clear insinuation that the Spirit Pagoda was acting with ill intent by trying to recruit Han Li while he was young and ignorant.

The two men stared coldly at each other.

Elder Chen's eyes narrowed, while Wu Changkong's gaze was like a blade.

Their lines of sight collided in the air, as if sparks were flying between them.

The others in the room dared not even breathe loudly.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"Elder Chen, what are the benefits of the Spirit Pagoda?"

The voice was clear and calm, possessing the distinct brightness of a youth, yet it lacked any of a youth's nervousness or hesitation.

The speaker stepped out from the crowd, walked into the open space between Elder Chen and Wu Changkong, and looked at Elder Chen with a calm gaze.

It was Han Li.

As soon as these words were spoken.

The stalemate in the room was instantly broken.

At that moment, the coldness on Elder Chen's face melted away, replaced by a radiant smile.

He looked at Han Li with a benevolent gaze, as if the icy confrontation with Wu Changkong from a moment ago had never existed.

Wu Changkong's expression, however, turned even uglier.

For Han Li to ask about the Spirit Pagoda's benefits at this moment, the implication could not be more obvious.

He was interested in the Spirit Pagoda, and he had taken the initiative to show that interest.

For Wu Changkong, who was determined to take Han Li to Shrek, this was no less than a blow to the head.

Thus, Elder Chen beamed, patted Han Li on the shoulder, and spoke with the affectionate tone of an elder from his own family.

"Little Li, come."

"Let's go to the top floor, and I will tell you about it slowly."

"Our Spirit Pagoda's training program for geniuses is quite extensive; I will introduce them to you one by one."

As he spoke, he cast a provocative glance at Wu Changkong, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Can you stop this?

Then, he draped an arm around Han Li's shoulder and led him toward the door.

Han Li did not look back; he followed beside Elder Chen, walking out of the room with a composed stride.

The door closed softly behind them, and their footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.

The room remained silent for a moment.

Ye Yingluo let out a long sigh of relief.

Xie Xie and Tang Wulin exchanged glances, both seeing a sense of relief in the other's eyes.

Gu Yue lowered her gaze slightly, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Wu Changkong stood where he was, his white robes appearing exceptionally cold in the room's light.

He stared at the closed door, watching as Han Li's back disappeared behind it, his expression growing increasingly somber.

Of course, Han Li had originally never intended to join the Spirit Pagoda.

After all, his own resources were sufficient.

The Green Liquid from the Heavenly Bottle could accelerate the growth of plant-type spirit beasts.

Since he currently possessed thirty-two levels of spirit power, the Green Liquid condensed by the Heavenly Bottle each time could increase a plant-type spirit beast's age by three hundred and twenty years.

Three hundred and twenty years—this figure meant that he only needed to apply the Green Liquid daily for about a month to produce a ten-thousand-year plant-type spirit beast.

According to market prices, a single ten-thousand-year plant-type spirit beast could sell for at least one hundred million Federal Currency.

With this stable and highly efficient source of income, his actual need for wealth was not that high.

Money, resources, cultivation materials—he could resolve all of these himself and had no need to rely on any faction.

However, he had, after all, killed a Phantom Crystal Butterfly and obtained an External Spirit Bone.

Coupled with the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone he had previously obtained in the Spirit Ascension Platform, he had managed to pluck two such top-tier spirit bones in East Sea City in succession.

For such things, once could be called good luck, but twice was inevitably too conspicuous.

Therefore, he was bound to attract the attention of many.

If he did not join the Spirit Pagoda, other factions or even the Holy Spirit Cult would inevitably make a move against him later on.

So, rather than being constantly probed, tested, and harassed by various forces...

It was better to seek peace and quiet, using Elder Chen's invitation to join the Spirit Pagoda to gain an official status and a backer.

Furthermore, the Spirit Pagoda itself was one of the four great powers on the continent; joining its core disciple sequence guaranteed his resources, status, and safety.

And perhaps because of his talent, or perhaps because of the recommendation from Dean Yu Zhen, or perhaps because Wu Changkong's attempt to poach him had provoked him...

The status given to Han Li far exceeded that of an ordinary student.

Core disciple.

A core disciple of the Spirit Pagoda was equivalent to an inner sect disciple of Shrek Academy.

This was the highest tier in the Spirit Pagoda's training system, meaning priority for resources, priority for permissions, and priority for cultivation guidance; they were the most valued young generation within the tower.

However, according to Elder Chen, although the two statuses were identical, the Spirit Pagoda had always been wealthy and generous, providing treatment more than five times that of a Shrek Academy inner sect disciple.

When Elder Chen said this, his eyes were narrowed, and the smile at the corners of his mouth carried a hint of mockery toward their old rival.

The Spirit Pagoda and Shrek had been competing for talent for decades, and the two sides had always been at odds.

Now that he had signed a genius of Han Li's caliber before Shrek could, he would likely wake up laughing in his dreams after returning.

Regarding this, Han Li was surprised, yet he did not find it unexpected.

The Spirit Pagoda held the technology for artificial spirit souls, which alone made them wealthier than entire nations.

Not to mention the Spirit Ascension Platform, a powerful weapon capable of increasing the age of spirit souls.

These two core businesses, spirit souls and the Spirit Ascension Platform, supported the Spirit Pagoda's massive empire, allowing them to sit upon endless wealth and resources on the continent.

Offering a core disciple five times the treatment of Shrek was merely a drop in the bucket for the Spirit Pagoda.

To this, Han Li simply nodded quietly, silently memorizing the details of this treatment in his heart.

Time flew by.

After the final examinations concluded, the summer vacation arrived.

The campus of East Sea Academy became much quieter in the sweltering heat, and the usually bustling playgrounds and corridors appeared empty.

The students returned to their respective homes.

Han Li, however, stayed at the Spirit Pagoda to cultivate.

Elder Chen had arranged an exclusive cultivation room for him.

At the same time, the resources within the tower were opened to him with priority, and all sorts of rare treasures and meditation arrays to assist in cultivation were available in abundance.

Han Li did not stand on ceremony; since he had already joined the Spirit Pagoda, he would not miss out on any of the treatment he was entitled to enjoy.