Heavenly Serpent Drinks the Sea (4,000 words; please vote with your monthly tickets)

Outside the Enclave, undercurrents surged.

Inside the Enclave, life was peaceful.

At the Learning Society,

in Tiger Granny's office,

an assistant reported on the Spring Hunt over the past few days.

Tiger Granny listened and laughed. "Not bad. Heaven's Will's geniuses really are a dime a dozen. We've killed so many in just two days."

Heaven's Will's standards for selecting talent were lower than the Learning Society's. It relied on sheer numbers, trying to win through quantity. Each year, it recruited ten times as many disciples as the Learning Society, but its resources were limited. It raised its disciples like venomous insects in a jar. Few survived long enough to leave the Number One Heavenly Courtyard. Even without the Spring Hunt, most of those who had been hunted down would have died young.

The death rate in the Number One Heavenly Courtyard was far higher than at the Learning Society.

Fragrant Sea lacked land and resources...

But it had no shortage of people.

That was the path Tianyi Hao had chosen.

The geniuses who survived this approach were strong in talent, comprehension, temperament, perseverance, and more.

The assistant said, "Boss, there's one more thing. Mr. Ming told me that two young geniuses from the Qionglu Zhang Family in West River will come to the Learning Society for an exchange lasting about a year."

Tiger Granny pondered. "The Qionglu Zhang Family?"

In the Western River Lands, the Qionglu Zhang Family could not compare to those orthodox lineages, but it was still a major school, stronger than the Four Great Masters.

The Qionglu Zhang Family was also one of Dragon-Tiger Mountain's affiliated powers.

It specialized in White Snake Style martial arts.

The Zhang Family had once produced experts famous throughout West River. It had since declined, but its White Snake Style martial