The Spirit Academy's Rules

The favored children of heaven who had emerged from the Spirit Road naturally understood the strength of the four at the very front. They would not question it, only suppress the envy in their hearts and secretly resolve to break through to Heaven Fusion as soon as possible and reach the Heaven Fusion Peak.

To some, this did not seem particularly difficult. Every Spirit Academy possessed a strong foundation in teaching and a rich atmosphere for cultivation. Even an ordinary person could achieve quite respectable results by cultivating here.

In truth, a large part of the reason most Spirit Academies could rest easy was that they had nurtured countless students. Those students ventured into the Great Thousand World; some died young, but others carved out a world of their own there.

Almost every such student harbored a special affection for the academy that had sheltered them when they were weak. Some quietly watched over it, while others offered their assistance outright. This had nothing to do with karmic obligations.

"Well then, geniuses of the Spirit Road, this is where we part ways. I believe it won't be long before we see you within the academy's inner grounds." Elder Wu Ji looked at the firm resolve displayed by the young men and women and smiled kindly.

The Martial Spirit Academy was indeed vast. Almost every core student had a relatively comfortable courtyard residence of their own within the academy, quiet and peaceful.

Yun Mo's courtyard, for instance, stood beside a waterfall. Viewed from afar, the waterfall resembled the Milky Way hanging upside down, pouring from the heavens. Amid the rising spiritual energy, dazzling colors shimmered into being. Ancient trees towered into the sky around the courtyard, making the place even more breathtaking.

It bore some resemblance to the residence where he had grown up at the Azure Wood Academy.

"You really know how to pick a spot. I never knew there was such a peaceful place among the core students' courtyards." Wu Ling clicked his tongue as he entered Yun Mo's courtyard with Qing He.

"I just wandered around nearby, happened to see this place, and chose it. That should be perfectly normal, shouldn't it?" Reclining in a rocking chair in the courtyard, Yun Mo looked at Wu Ling and Qing He with a smile.

"If you say it's normal, then it's normal. Here, this is your core disciple rune. An academy elder asked me to give it to you and explain some of the Martial Spirit Academy's rules while I was here." Wu Ling took out a spiritual talisman and handed it to Yun Mo.

"A core disciple rune... I suppose it's a symbol of identity. What does it do?" Yun Mo accepted the rune and examined it closely.

The rune was profoundly intricate. The moment he touched it, a cool sensation spread from it. Then it transformed into a streak of light and merged into Yun Mo's body, leaving a faint mark on his wrist.

"It is a symbol of identity, but it isn't useful only within the Martial Spirit Academy. It has its uses on the Martial Dao Continent too. After all, it identifies you as a core disciple of the Martial Spirit Academy. When you go out to gain experience, some factions will offer you certain courtesies.

"Of course, it's most useful within the academy itself."

"Within the academy?" Yun Mo and Qing He looked at Wu Ling, waiting for him to continue.

"Let me explain the Martial Spirit Academy's rules.

"The Martial Spirit Academy prizes martial prowess. Any student who wants more of the academy's resources needs something called battle spirit points. Put simply, battle spirit points are a kind of currency used within the Martial Spirit Academy. You can't obtain any resources without them.

"Things like spirit arts, divine arts, divine techniques, spirit artifacts, divine artifacts, and so on can all be exchanged for them. They're also a cultivation resource used within the Martial Dao Tower."

"The Martial Dao Tower?" Yun Mo and Qing He exchanged a glance.

Battle spirit points were nothing unfamiliar to them. Almost every academy established something like this for general use within its grounds. Even the Azure Wood Academy had a similar system.

But they knew little about the Martial Dao Tower.

"That most conspicuous and mysterious tower in the center of the Martial Spirit Academy is called the Martial Dao Tower. It's also the foundation of the academy's strength," Wu Ling said, pointing at the tall tower in the center.

"The foundation..."

Wu Ling nodded and continued, "The Martial Dao Tower has nine floors. The bottom five are combat zones, while the upper four contain secluded cultivation chambers.

"As the name suggests, the combat zones are areas for fighting other people. The first floor corresponds to the Divine Soul Realm, the second to the Heaven Fusion Realm, the third to Heaven Transformation, the fourth to Heaven Ascension, and the fifth to the Three Minor Tribulations.

"Those of a higher realm can't descend to a lower floor, but those of a lower realm can ascend to a higher one. Challenging those above you earns greater rewards.

"The secluded cultivation chambers on the upper four floors each have their own mysteries. You can use them to work through spirit arts and divine arts, or to visualize and attain sudden enlightenment. Every floor has remarkable uses,

"and the higher the floor, the better the effects. On the ninth floor, someone exactly like you will even appear and fight you, allowing you to understand your shortcomings."

Yun Mo's and Qing He's eyes lit up. The ninth floor of the Martial Dao Tower certainly sounded impressive. It was equivalent to having the most suitable mentor guide them, allowing them to discover their own shortcomings.

For Yun Mo in particular, cultivating the Spacetime Method required him to feel his own way forward. Having such a reflected sparring partner would surely grant him fresh insights.

"Then everyone must go to the ninth floor," Qing He said.

"Of course. But cultivating in the Martial Dao Tower's secluded chambers costs battle spirit points. Even the lowest, the sixth floor, requires them."

"Uh... how many battle spirit points?" Qing He touched the mark on his wrist. A faint fluctuation seemed to emanate from it.

"One day of cultivation on the sixth floor costs a hundred battle spirit points. The seventh costs two hundred, the eighth four hundred, and the ninth a thousand." The corner of Wu Ling's mouth tugged upward as he smiled.

"Then battle spirit points really are precious. But how do we get them? Surely we aren't supposed to steal other people's battle spirit points? Where do the initial points come from?"

"Every student of the Martial Spirit Academy receives fifty battle spirit points a day. You can feel the fluctuation on your wrist now, right? Those are your battle spirit points." Wu Ling scratched his head.

"Only fifty? Even a whole year's worth wouldn't buy many trips to the ninth floor. What other ways are there? If we really have to rob people, then so be it." Qing He's mouth twitched. Even Yun Mo frowned.

"We don't get fifty. We get a hundred. As core students, all our rewards are doubled.

"As for other ways, of course there are. The academy won't deliberately restrict them. The Martial Dao Tower, for example, is a place where you can both spend and earn battle spirit points.

"When you enter the Martial Dao Tower's combat zones, defeating someone in the same realm rewards you with fifty battle

"Spirit points. If you challenge those above you, each victory rewards you with a hundred battle spirit points. Core students' rewards are doubled here too.

"In other words, everyone in the combat zones is there for battle spirit points."

"With rules like that, wouldn't everyone want to become a core student? And wouldn't everyone be eager to stay in the combat zones fighting, then enter secluded cultivation once they'd earned enough battle spirit points?"

"That's true, but becoming a core student requires passing an academy elder's assessment, and that isn't easy. As for the combat zones, they have restrictions too. If someone defeats us there, for example, we have to wait a day before entering again.

"If we're defeated repeatedly, that interval grows longer. You'll have to experience the specifics for yourselves."

"Can we collude with other people?" Yun Mo asked with a smile.

"Of course not. The combat zones are very mysterious. You could describe them as something like a mental world. We don't enter them entirely; instead, we're sent into them through a projection. Everyone there appears indistinct, so you have no idea who your opponent is.

"Besides, everyone who enters is assigned at random, with a hundred people in each small area. With so many people in the academy, running into someone you've arranged to collude with is very difficult.

"The academy can also observe the combat zones. Anyone discovered colluding will face severe punishment. No one would take that risk, and there's absolutely no need to."