Three Students Withdraw, Pill Tower Academy

The establishment of the Pill Tower Academy is progressing faster than Zhao Ming had anticipated.

The Ye Clan is considered an established family in Heaven Dou City, and they know every inch of the city like the back of their hand.

After deciding to build the academy, Ye Renxin spent two days carefully reviewing the situation in each area of Heaven Dou City.

As the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City's urban layout bears a distinct mark of social class.

The eastern part of the city was the gathering place of the emerging aristocracy, with wide streets and magnificent mansions, showing a prosperous and thriving atmosphere everywhere.

The northern part of the city is where the imperial palace and various government offices are located, and it is heavily guarded, making it difficult for ordinary people to get close.

The western part of the city is the commercial district and the residence of ordinary people. It is lined with shops and bustling with people, making it the most prosperous and lively place in the entire Heaven Dou City.

The southern part of the city was the settlement of the declining old aristocracy.

The term "declining old aristocracy" refers to families that were once prominent but have now fallen on hard times.

Their ancestors may have been Duke or Marquis, but after generations of squandering and decline, their titles were repeatedly reduced, and their family fortune was almost gone.

Although these families have fallen on hard times, the mansions passed down from their ancestors still exist. Those vast, ornately decorated old houses are their only remaining dignity.

Ye Renxin set his sights on the south of the city precisely because of this.

Although the land in the east of the city was good, the newly emerging nobles were riding high and none of them were willing to sell their mansions.

The situation is different for the declining old nobles in the south of the city. They have large mansions but can't even afford the daily maintenance expenses. As long as the price is right, most of them are willing to sell.

Ye Renxin personally visited more than a dozen declining noble families in the south of the city.

He is now the tower master of the Pill Tower, and the only support-type... no, he should now be called a healing-type Titled Douluo.

Thanks to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's relentless promotion, support-type Soul Master were successfully divided into three major categories: traditional support, healing, and food.

The Nine-Hearted Begonia is the number one healing Martial Soul in the world, Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda is the number one support Martial Soul in the world.

Those fallen nobles were flattered to see Ye Renxin personally visit them, and were overjoyed to hear that Pill Tower wanted to buy their mansions.

The negotiations went exceptionally smoothly. Ye Renxin offered a fair price, even slightly higher than the market price, and the impoverished nobles agreed almost without hesitation.

In just five days, Ye Renxin acquired the property rights to six mansions.

Of these six mansions, the largest once belonged to a Duke.

During the Duke's lifetime, the family was at the height of its power, and the mansion covered nearly a thousand acres, complete with pavilions, terraces, rockeries, and ponds.

However, after the Duke's death, his descendants were unworthy, and the title declined generation after generation, until now only a Viscount viscount remains.

The thousand-acre mansion had fallen into disrepair over the years, with weeds growing taller than a person in some uninhabited gardens. The Viscount's family was simply unable to maintain it and had long wanted to sell it.

Ye Renxin offered 30 million Gold Soul Coin, Viscount signed the contract with almost tears of gratitude.

The six mansions were connected to each other, and with some scattered open spaces around them, Ye Renxin finally managed to gather a site covering nearly 5,000 acres.

Five thousand acres—that's roughly the same size as the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Of course, the price paid was also enormous. Land in Heaven Dou City is extremely valuable, and even in the relatively remote southern part of the city, this 5,000-acre site cost the Pill Tower more than 200 million Gold Soul Coin.

Two hundred million Gold Soul Coin is an astronomical figure for any sect.

But for Pill Tower now, this sum of money, while not small, is far from crippling.

The wealth of the Pill Tower is now probably second only to the royal family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the entire Heaven Dou City.

The monthly high-level pill auction generates a considerable income from admission fees alone, not to mention the astronomical prices the pills themselves fetch.

Describing Pill Tower as being incredibly wealthy is no exaggeration.

However, buying the land is only the first step. Next, the old houses need to be demolished, the land leveled, and school buildings constructed. These projects will likely take a considerable amount of time.

There are still three months until the enrollment period for the Heaven Dou Empire Advanced Soul Master Academy. The Pill Tower Academy must be built within these three months.

As for the qualification to run a school, that's a joke. The Permanent Councilor of Pill Tower include those from the Worship Hall and the Angel Clan. When Ye Renxin bought the land, the Platinum Bishop Salas of Heaven Dou City respectfully handed over the qualification to run a high-level academy.

While Ye Renxin was busy buying land and building a school, Dugu Bo was not idle either.

At this time, Dugu Bo went to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy to expel Zhao Ming, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling.

The three education committee members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy —Chief Education Committee Member Meng Shenji, Second Education Committee Member Bai Baoshan, and Third Education Committee Member Zhi Lin —have jointly led the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy for many years and are highly respected in the education sector of Heaven Dou City.

Although Dugu Bo was Titled Douluo, he was asking for a favor today, so he didn't put on any airs when facing these three education committee members.

When Dugu Bo explained his purpose, the expressions of the three education committee members changed instantly.

"Drop out? Your Dugu, are you kidding me? Zhao Ming, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling are the future of our Heaven Dou Royal Academy! What will happen to the Imperial Fighting Team if they drop out?" Bai Baoshan said excitedly.

Zhi Lin frowned as well. "Your Majesty Dugu, these three children are all rare geniuses. If they stay at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, they will surely bring glory to the academy in the competition in the future. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to take all three of them away at once?"

Dugu Bo wasn't angry. He listened with a smile as the two education commissioners finished speaking, then slowly took out three jade bottles from his Storage Ring and placed them in a row on the table.

"Three education commissioners, don't rush to refuse. Take a look at this first."

Meng Shenji picked up one of the jade bottles, uncorked it, and a refreshing fragrance of medicinal herbs immediately filled the room. His pupils contracted slightly, and he blurted out, "Mysterious Water Pill?"

"That's right." Dugu Bo nodded and pointed to the three jade bottles in turn, saying, "This bottle contains Mysterious Water Pill, this bottle contains Body-Strengthening Pill, and this bottle contains Soul-Tempering Pill. Each bottle contains twenty pills, for a total of sixty pills."

"The three education commissioners are all experts on the effects of these three kinds of pills, so I don't need to elaborate, do I?"

The three education commissioners looked at each other, all seeing shock in each other's eyes.

These three types of pills are only sold at Pill Tower Internal Auction. Since the Pill Tower was established, only one Mysterious Water Pill has been auctioned off at the Heaven Dou City Auction House by an unknown person. This Mysterious Water Pill fetched a sky-high price of 17 million Gold Soul Coin at the time.

Dugu Bo gave away sixty pills in one go; this gesture was simply outrageously extravagant.

Zhi Lin was the first to waver.

He quickly did some mental calculations: Zhao Ming, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling were all now at the Soul Ancestor level.

Exchanging three Soul Ancestor for sixty pills capable of nurturing Soul Ancestor or even Soul King in batches seems like a worthwhile deal.

With these three bottles of pills, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy can train a Imperial Fighting Team team led by Soul King and composed entirely of Soul Ancestor Masters within two and a half years.

However, Bai Baoshan thought differently.

"Your Majesty Dugu, these three bottles of pills are indeed precious, but Zhao Ming and the other two are already Soul Ancestor."

With their talent, they'll easily break through to Soul King in two and a half years. Can Soul Ancestor compare to Soul King? Soul King possess Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill! Three Soul King are far more valuable than a team entirely composed of Soul Ancestor!

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo's smile deepened. He did not refute Bai Baoshan, but instead turned his gaze to Meng Shenji, who had remained silent.

Meng Shenji is the chief instructor of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the most cunning of the three.

Unlike Bai Baoshan, he didn't rush to express his opinion, nor did he start calculating gains and losses like Zhi Lin. Instead, he was thinking about something else.

Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan have already made it clear that they are from the Pill Tower.

Their grandfathers, Ye Renxin and Dugu Bo, were both founders of the Pill Tower. These two girls would return to the Pill Tower sooner or later, and there was no way to keep them there by force.

As for Zhao Ming, Zhao Ming is the Crown Prince's man. The Crown Prince has been getting very close to the Pill Tower recently, and so has Zhao Ming, who spends his days going in and out of the Pill Tower. It is highly likely that the Crown Prince has already given his approval for Zhao Ming to drop out of school.

Since that's the case, rather than forcibly stopping them and offending Pill Tower and the Crown Prince, it's better to go with the flow, do them a favor, and see if we can get any more benefits from Pill Tower.

Thinking of this, Meng Shenji coughed lightly and slowly spoke.

"Your Majesty Dugu, as you know, our Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Imperial Fighting Team has always been centered around Zhao Ming, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling."

With their departure, the Imperial Fighting Team is essentially crippled, and even with these three bottles of pills, it will be difficult to find suitable replacements in the short term.

Two and a half years from now, in the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament, our Heaven Dou Royal Academy probably won't even make it past the preliminaries..."

Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. He wasn't stupid; how could he not understand the meaning behind Meng Shenji's words? This chief education committee member didn't not want to release the person; he just felt that what he was offered wasn't enough.

"Alright, alright, isn't the reward just not enough?" Dugu Bo waved his hand, then took out a jade bottle from his Storage Ring and placed it on the table. "I'll give you an extra pill, is that alright?"

Meng Shenji picked up the jade bottle and carefully uncorked it. A more intense medicinal fragrance than the previous three pills wafted out of the bottle, containing an extremely pure energy fluctuation that caused the Martial Soul of the three education committee members to tremble slightly.

"This pill is called the Purple Ganoderma Pill. It was made by the Chief Alchemist of the Pill Tower using the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma, a spiritual herb that is Ten-Thousand-Year."

You probably don't know what the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma is. This kind of spiritual medicine can strengthen the body's foundation and make up for congenital deficiencies. This Purple Ganoderma Pill has the same effect.

If you can find someone whose Super Martial Soul has degenerated, or whose Super Martial Soul has undergone a malignant mutation, and give them this pill, you will obtain a Super Martial Soul genius.

Adding those three pills, that's Super Martial Soul plus Innate Full Soul Power; her aptitude won't be inferior to my granddaughter's."

Upon hearing this, the three education commissioners simultaneously gasped in shock.

Super Martial Soul plus Innate Full Soul Power! What does that mean? That's the potential of Super Douluo!

Dugu Bo is now telling them that as long as they find a suitable candidate, this Purple Ganoderma Pill can create another genius like him!

Meng Shenji's hands trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, carefully placed the Purple Ganoderma Pill back on the table, and then exchanged a glance with Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin.

The three education commissioners had worked together for many years and had developed a strong tacit understanding with each other. With just a glance, they reached a consensus.

"Your Majesty Dugu," Meng Shenji stood up, his face beaming, "Since the Pill Tower is so sincere, our Heaven Dou Royal Academy cannot be ungrateful. The withdrawal procedures for Zhao Ming, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling will be processed today."

Dugu Bo nodded in satisfaction, pushed the four jade bottles in front of Meng Shenji, then stood up, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Thank you very much, three education commissioners. Farewell."

After saying that, he turned and strode away, leaving the three education committee members sitting around the table, their eyes fixed intently on the four jade bottles, unable to look away for Jiujiu.

Three months later, Pill Tower Academy was officially established.

For the past three months, Ye Renxin has practically lived on the construction site.

The 5,000-acre site required his personal supervision for every aspect of the project, from demolishing old houses and leveling the land to building temporary school buildings.

Fortunately, Pill Tower was financially strong, Ye Renxin directly hired over a thousand craftsmen to work day and night, finally completing the most basic teaching facilities before the start of the semester.

Although it was only a temporary building, Ye Renxin did not lower the standards. The school building was constructed with blue bricks and gray tiles, arranged neatly, and with bright and clean windows.

The training ground is paved with bluestone and surrounded by a simple Protective Soul Guidance Array to ensure that students will not encounter accidents during training.

The Alchemy Room was of paramount importance and was personally overseen by Zhao Ming during its construction.

As for the Mimicry Cultivation Environment, the Pill Tower Academy already has the most basic Mimicry Training Ground based on the Five Elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Cultivation fields with special attributes will need to be built gradually.

On the first day of school, Heaven Dou City was deserted as everyone flocked to the city.

The admission criteria for the Pill Tower Academy were announced two months ago: anyone under the age of fifteen with Soul Power level of 20 or above can be admitted regardless of their status.

This standard is neither too high nor too low.

At fifteen years old, having Soul Power level of twenty is considered above average among ordinary Soul Master; Innate Soul Power should be at least level five.

But for true geniuses, this threshold is practically nonexistent.

However, what truly caused a sensation throughout Heaven Dou City was not the admission requirements, but rather the following statement in the admission criteria. "Anyone, regardless of their status, can enroll."

Pill Tower Academy is the second high-level Soul Master Academy, after the Blue Tyrant Academy, to unconditionally recruit ordinary people.

The teaching staff of the Pill Tower Academy is far superior to that of the Blue Tyrant Academy. Not to mention, the dean of the Pill Tower Academy is Titled Douluo.

The moment the admission criteria for the Pill Tower Academy were announced, the entire Heaven Dou Empire was in an uproar.

Countless ordinary families with decent talent flocked to Heaven Dou City with their children, hoping to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The hotels and inns in Heaven Dou City were fully booked within just a few days, and the streets in the south of the city were crowded with candidates and their parents from all over the empire.

Ultimately, after rigorous selection, the Pill Tower Academy's First Class enrolled 120 students.

Of these students, more than seventy came from commoner families, more than forty came from declining noble families or minor Soul Master families, and very few were truly of illustrious birth.

The 120 students were divided into three grades: grades 20 to 30 were in the first grade, grades 30 to 40 were in the second grade, and grades 40 and above were in the third grade.

Each grade is further divided into two classes, A and B, with twenty students in each class.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were naturally assigned to Class A of the third grade, as was Zhao Ming, except that the three of them had the privilege of skipping into class.