Martial Academy

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Martial Academy (武院)
Alias(es)	Ningjin Prefecture Martial Academy; Government Martial Academy; Prefecture Martial Academy 32 34 75
Type	Government martial-training institution, part of a network with an academy in every prefecture 34 156
Location	A fortified mountain-pass city beyond Ningjin Prefecture’s outer city 108
Occupation/Role	Nurturing martial artists, protecting Ningjin Prefecture, suppressing sects, and eliminating evil-path cultivators 121 123
Status	Active; holding a new round of steward rankings at the latest documented appearance 165
First Appearance	Mentioned as an admission destination in Chapter 32; first visited by Zhao Er in Chapter 108 32 108

Organization and Hierarchy

The Academy prioritizes demonstrated ability and strength over talent alone. Higher standing brings greater authority, better treatment, and larger allocations of cultivation resources 75 121.

Rank / Position	Standing and responsibilities
Headmaster	Controls the entire Academy and handles major institutional affairs 108.
Six Great Deans	Each oversees one of the Six Great Branches; ordinarily leaves minor affairs to subordinates 108.
Ten Great Stewards	The ten strongest disciples of the current generation and its principal standard-bearers. They administer affairs, distribute resources, and lead demanding missions 108 124 165.
Martial Guards	Roughly equivalent to sect inner disciples. Hold greater benefits and authority than students and serve in squads and operational posts 75 112.
Martial Academy Students	Roughly equivalent to sect outer disciples. Perform assigned duties while cultivating toward promotion 75 130.
Strongmen	Handle miscellaneous labor, including tending horses 108 130.

• Squad captains are operational leaders rather than a separate admission rank. At the Southern Mountain Mine, they can command Primordial Unity Martial Guards; Zhao Er’s captaincy places his standing just below a steward’s 131 148.
• Forms of address follow strength: Han Zhong begins addressing Zhao Er as “Senior Brother” after witnessing his combat performance, despite Zhao Er being a newer recruit 137.
• Steward status requires more than cultivation: candidates also need substantial combat ability and must remain within an age range that preserves their prospects for further advancement 106.

Known Branches and Lineages

The Academy has six branches, each possessing a signature art. Four are identified in the supplied accounts 108 139 140.

Branch / Lineage	Documented functions and features
Criminal Law Lineage / Discipline Law Branch	Hunts evil-path cultivators and enforces demanding disciple assessments. Led by Lu Zhi, with Wu Xing managing many affairs. Its signature technique is the Thousand Mechanisms Eye Art 57 75 108 122 139.
Inspection Lineage	Investigates conspiracies, gathers intelligence, and employs disguise techniques. Its signature method is the Formless Art 133 135 139.
Martial Training Lineage	Sun Yuanhao’s lineage; he can be contacted at its quarters or the Exchange Office 113.
Beast Taming Lineage	A place to inquire about the Academy’s dragonblood horses 140.

Ten Great Stewards

After Wu Xing’s breakthrough, seven stewards are in the Meridian Opening Realm, while three remain at Great Accomplishment of Primordial Unity. Even the latter possess top-tier cultivation methods and perfected combat techniques 144.

Steward	Documented rank	Cultivation	Distinguishing features
Wu Yao	First	Meridian Opening	Former Tyrant Blade Martial Hall member; leads the Academy’s assault on that hall 144 150.
Wu Xing	Ninth before his breakthrough; seventh afterward	Meridian Opening	Criminal Law Lineage steward and Zhao Er’s principal institutional guide 108 144.
Yuan Mi	Eighth	Great Accomplishment of Primordial Unity	Uses lightning inner force and a long-handled spirit hammer suited to breaking body-protection techniques 165.
Wei Xian	Ninth	Great Accomplishment of Primordial Unity	Uses ice inner force and the Spirit Silkworm Sleeve, effective against defensive arts and heavy weapons 165.
Guan Rui	Not specified	Great Accomplishment of Primordial Unity	Spear specialist; Wu Xing considers his style a more suitable matchup for Zhao Er 165.

Admission and Advancement

Entry Routes

Route	Requirements and benefits
Triennial Grand Exam	Open to martial artists under twenty-four who meet its strength requirement. Initially, the top three receive direct admission opportunities at the Academy or Clear Source Sect, while the top ten may attempt admission at the prefectural seat 34.
Expanded Dragon Ascension quota	The recruitment quota rises from three to five during Zhao Er’s examination. Qian Hao, Sun Yuanying, and He Yan choose the Academy; Li Baili and Lü Yi choose Clear Source Sect 101 105.
Personal recommendation	Dian Zhang’s past contributions and connections provide a route that bypasses the entrance examination. His silver token also causes gate staff to treat Zhao Er as a prefecture-recommended newcomer 57 75 108.
Direct Martial Guard admission	Requires exceptional combat ability and a squad willing to accept the recruit. Zhao Er receives this opportunity through Dian Zhang’s recommendation, Wu Xing’s support, and Lu Zhi’s assessment 75 109 110.

• Sinew Transformation qualifies Zhao Er for student admission, but does not by itself secure Martial Guard status 97.
• Student-to-Guard promotion can be earned through extraordinary combat strength that displaces an existing guard, or through a breakthrough to Primordial Unity 106.
• Newcomer resources: each entrant receives merit worth approximately 5,000 taels, usable for cultivation methods, breakthrough medicine, or other resources 140.
• Factional recruitment: county families and martial schools rely on Academy resources, making admission valuable to a candidate’s sponsors as well as the candidate 34 105.

Assessments and Service Terms

• Five-year term: students and Martial Guards belong to a generation whose Academy service lasts five years. Final placements depend on cultivation, potential, and performance 124.
• Early reassignment: underperforming disciples can be assigned elsewhere before completing that term. Lu Zhi publicly reassigns seven senior disciples to warn newcomers against complacency 122 124.
• Three-year review: standing is adjusted according to cultivation, combat strength, and contributions 105.
• Post-term opportunities: most disciples receive local postings. Outstanding stewards may manage key Academy resources, train as successors, take powerful prefectural offices, or receive invitations from the Capital Martial Academy 124.

Ranking Competition

• Merit is an entry requirement: disciples who avoid off-campus missions cannot participate simply on the strength of their cultivation 165.
• Students and Martial Guards fight first: successful performances bring rewards and may attract the attention of the six lineages 165.
• Steward challenges are rare: mission records already establish most stewards’ reputations. Challengers must be capable of accepting missions where inadequate leadership could kill many disciples 165.
• Zhao Er’s eligibility: more than 150,000 merit earned in two months qualifies him to challenge for a steward position. The documented competition ends before his choice of opponent or result is shown 165.

Duties and Missions

Every student, Martial Guard, and steward has an assigned duty; the Academy does not support members who only cultivate without contributing 75 112.

Mission type	Typical duties	Rules and rewards
On-campus missions	Commanding, guarding, patrolling, and working institutional posts 112.	Provide regular merit and cultivation resources. Assignments can also offer profitable access to materials 123 130.
Off-campus missions	Escorting, clearing threats, killing designated targets, investigating hostile factions, and suppressing evil cultivators 112 123 133.	Develop combat ability and provide additional resources. Goods obtained generally belong to the participants 75 123 135.

• First mission deadlines: Martial Guards must undertake an off-campus mission within their first month; students must do so within their first year 145.
• Recurring missions: Martial Guards have monthly off-campus assignments. Ordinary students and guards often form groups to accept easier missions 138.
• Verification: the Mission Office checks submitted reports and intelligence before crediting merit 138.
• Recovery period: completing an off-campus mission grants three days of rest 138.
• Confidential deployments: urgent orders may specify a reporting place and deadline without disclosing the mission beforehand 132.
• Institutional acquisitions: when the Academy takes possession of enemy property, participating disciples can receive compensation rather than retain the property itself 153.
• Mission risk: after Zhao Er’s successes encourage others to seek rewards, one party of five students and a Martial Guard fails to return 149.

Facilities and Resources

Layout and Movement Rules

Area	Occupants / function
Outermost residential area	Newly admitted students and strongmen 108.
Senior student quarters	Situated farther inside the city 108.
Central branch quarters	Reserved for disciples of the six branches, who are at least Martial Guards 108.
Lineage halls and residences	Used for administration, assemblies, instruction, and private meetings with teachers 109 121 122.

• Riding restrictions: permitted within the city only for special business or disciples of the six branches and above 108.
• Entry and exit controls: ordinary students face restrictions; Martial Guards must still register their movements 108.
• Private fighting is strictly forbidden: the Academy’s numerous experts make its grounds comparatively secure 113.
• Guard accommodations: Martial Guards at the Southern Mountain Mine receive individual houses rather than sharing rooms like ordinary students 116.
• Transport: Martial Guards can requisition horses. The Academy also raises expensive dragonblood horses specifically for travel 121 140.

Exchange Office and Tokens

• Exchange Office: buys variant-beast materials and supplies cultivation methods, pills, minerals, spirit medicine, spirit fish, and other martial resources 105 112 113.
• Copper Martial Token: identifies Zhao Er as a Martial Guard, but does not authorize every rare-resource purchase 113.
• Silver Martial Token: Dian Zhang’s token grants Zhao Er access to an Earth-Vein Miasma Mother unavailable through his copper token alone 113.
• Rank-gated goods: some resources require both substantial merit and sufficient standing; money alone is not enough 133.
• Spirit-ore quotas: most allocations go to powerful officials and factions, leaving relatively little for the Exchange Office 141.
• Monthly support: disciples receive stipends and contribution points. Spirit ore, variant-beast materials, and spirit fish are comparatively cheaper here than at Clear Source Sect 105.
• Pill allocations: a lineage’s share of Qi-Gathering Pills depends on its strength. Stewards control their distribution, linking personal advancement to the resources available to fellow disciples 124 144.

Scripture Pavilion

Also called the Scripture Repository, it provides cultivation manuals through exchanges requiring merit and, for some methods, silver 140 156.

• Shared collection: academies throughout the realm largely share their cultivation methods, giving the institution a collection described as more comprehensive than any other faction’s 156.
• Access limits: restricted methods remain outside a disciple’s privileges, and the protective-art catalogue Zhao Er receives excludes evil-sect arts 156.
• Incomplete manuals: some advanced arts are available only through part of their full progression 156.
• Senior privileges: stewards and commanders can have curated introductory booklets brought to them. Zhao Er receives this treatment before formally becoming a steward 156.

Documented method	Function / availability
Five Elements True Cultivation Method	Follow-up cultivation method personally given to Zhao Er by Lu Zhi, providing a route beyond Sinew Transformation 110 111.
Five-Element Primordial Unity Art	Combines two or more elemental inner forces to multiply their power; obtained through the repository on Lu Zhi’s recommendation 140 141.
Thousand Mechanisms Eye Art	Criminal Law signature art that reveals an opponent’s realm, methods, and inner force. Normally reserved for lineage stewards; sharing it with outsiders is forbidden 139.
Formless Art	Inspection signature method that changes face, build, and eventually aura, at the cost of inner-force development and combat strength 139.
Myriad Poisons Tempering Body Art	Improves poison resistance and control, allowing poison to shroud the practitioner. Zhao Er buys it for 50,000 merit and 50,000 taels 156.
Dragon Roar Iron Shirt	Qi-blood body-tempering art; first ten of thirteen levels available, requiring 60,000 merit 156.
Tiger Roar Golden Bell Cover	Strengthens internal organs and inner force; first four of six levels available, requiring 50,000 merit 156.
Diamond Art	Develops physical strength, constitution, and diamond force; first nine of twelve levels available, requiring 65,000 merit 156.
Greenwood Body-Tempering Technique	Uses wood-element spirit grass to improve recovery and develop greenwood force; first six of eight levels available, requiring 60,000 merit 156.

Southern Mountain Mine

• Strategic holding: produces spirit ore used in weapons for Primordial Unity martial artists, alongside valuable hundred-forged fine iron 112 133.
• Guard organization: employs commanders, squad captains, Martial Guards, and students. Zhao Er eventually leads Third Squad 129 131.
• Profitable allocations: material allotments must be purchased rather than received free, but their resale can support the growth of a small lineage 116.
• Desirable posting: students can earn additional income and may remain as watch-duty Martial Guards after reaching Primordial Unity 130.
• Administrative duties: squad leadership includes inspections, records, duty rosters, and monthly production quotas 131 132 143.

External Relations

• Clear Source Sect — Principal documented sect rival and a stated target of Academy suppression. Its allies attack Academy mines and agricultural holdings; it later posts a 100,000-point bounty on Zhao Er 123 150 157.
• Dian Family — The Academy owes the family a debt. The Dian Family Matriarch extends protection to Zhao Er as an inheritor of its martial arts, helping explain his unusually favorable admission and placement 115.
• County families and martial schools — Depend on Academy resources and sponsor promising youths to secure admission opportunities 34 105.
• Tyrant Blade Martial Hall — Initially connected to Academy personnel, including Wu Yao and a former mine captain. Its involvement in attacks and conspiracies leads to its extermination by Academy forces 133 149 150 154.
• Evil-path cultivators — Targets of investigation and elimination. Predatory cultivation using human lives is distinguished from tolerated unorthodox methods that use poison, yin qi, or other unusual resources 57 123.
• Protected caravans — A banner bearing the character “martial” marks Academy-protected transport. Attacking such a caravan is treated as declaring war on the institution 160.

Notable Members and Associates

• Lu Zhi — Head of the Criminal Law Lineage and Zhao Er’s teacher; enforces assessments, provides cultivation guidance, and rewards useful contributions 110 122 139.
• Wu Xing — Criminal Law steward; recruits and advises Zhao Er, manages resources, and leads field operations 75 124 144 150.
• Zhao Er — Direct-entry Martial Guard, Third Squad captain, and prospective steward challenger; his mission record rapidly raises his standing 113 129 165.
• Han Zhong — Inspection Lineage investigator; partners with Zhao Er on the Great Year Mountain mission 133 137.
• Sun Yuanhao — Martial Training Lineage Martial Guard assigned to the Exchange Office 113.
• Sun Yuanying — Grand Exam recruit who works at the Exchange Office 105 133.
• He Qin — Senior disciple and Scripture Pavilion attendant; assists Zhao Er with manual selection and exchanges 140 156.
• Jing Wei — Gate attendant who explains Academy procedures and later helps Zhao Er’s visiting family 108 154 155.
• Tan Shuo — Prefectural Tan Family recruit and Zhao Er’s courtyard companion; seeks mission rewards after a failed Primordial Unity breakthrough 110 138 159.
• He Yan — Grand Exam recruit transferred from horse supervision to the Southern Mountain Mine 105 130 131.

Story Role and Major Operations

Zhao Er’s Recruitment

The Academy first represents a route beyond County Town’s limited cultivation resources. Dian Zhang’s recommendation gives Zhao Er an alternative to winning admission through the Grand Exam, allowing him to withdraw from the tournament after negotiating substantial compensation 32 57 104.

On arrival, Zhao Er receives favorable treatment through Dian Zhang’s silver token. Wu Xing has already reserved a Criminal Law disciple place for him despite lucrative competing offers, and Lu Zhi accepts him after examining his physique and poison abilities. His first appointment sends him to the Southern Mountain Mine 108 109 110 112.

Mine Conspiracy and Great Year Mountain

Following the mine rebellion, the Inspection Lineage traces the conspirators’ connections to Great Year Mountain. Han Zhong and Zhao Er are assigned to investigate whether its bandits operate independently or have outside backing. Zhao Er’s assault resolves the immediate threat, while a surviving chief and recovered intelligence are handed over for further investigation 133 135 137.

The Mission Office verifies Zhao Er’s report, and Lu Zhi rewards his contributions with access to the normally restricted Thousand Mechanisms Eye Art 138 139.

Tyrant Blade Martial Hall Purge

The Academy retaliates against local forces connected to Clear Source Sect after attacks on its mines and agricultural holdings. Wu Yao and Wu Xing engage the Tyrant Blade Martial Hall’s Meridian Opening experts, while Zhao Er directs the remaining force and eliminates its lower-realm defenders. The operation leaves no survivors, and the Academy takes over the hall’s property 150 153 154.

Bounty Crisis and Steward Rankings

Clear Source Sect’s bounty on Zhao Er prompts heightened Academy vigilance and reduced missions for steward disciples. Lu Zhi promises protection until Zhao Er reaches Meridian Opening or becomes a steward, but the arrangements remain undisclosed. Meanwhile, Wu Yao instructs Yuan Mi to arrange a reason for Zhao Er to leave the Academy 159.

Zhao Er accepts a mission against bandits disrupting the Three Harmonies County transport route. Afterward, his accumulated merit makes him eligible to challenge a steward, placing his rapid rise at the center of the Academy’s ranking competition 160 165.