The Heaven-Questioning Pavilion has stood on the Pan Emperor Continent for tens of thousands of years, never charging its disciples tuition. How then do they manage to sustain such enormous expenses?
On one hand, they sheltered the people and received donations from all sides. On the other hand, they sent their disciples out to do missions.
All disciples, except for those who are not allowed to leave during their first year after entering the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, must participate in a collective training mission every year thereafter. There are many types of training missions, but most of them involve dealing with Otherworldly Demon.
In addition to group training missions, Heaven-Questioning Pavilion also encourages disciples to form groups to take on other adventure missions, but only disciples who have been in the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion for more than a year can take on these missions.
The completion of these tasks directly affects how much importance the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion attaches to its disciples, and there are also substantial contribution points rewards. Therefore, ambitious Heaven-Questioning Pavilion disciples will strive to perform well in these tasks.
Three days later, the huge spaceship carrying Chen Mu and his three companions landed in a city.
This city is called Absolute Sword City. Legend has it that a peerless swordsman once fought against hundreds of thousands of Otherworldly Demon here, sacrificing himself to save countless Human Clan compatriots. Later, this city was built to commemorate him.
The disciples disembarked one after another, and outside the boat was a wide meadow.
After Chen Mu disembarked, he saw a man with several guards come to greet everyone and warmly greet Elder Qing Xue leader of the group.
Elder Qing, thank you for your hard work.
The manor has prepared a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey; please don't stand on ceremony with me."
Elder Qing Xue appeared to be a woman around thirty years old, with a beautiful face and a gentle temperament.
"Lord City Lord, you needn't be so polite. We disciples are here to train, not to enjoy ourselves."
There's no need for this banquet; just arrange accommodation for us.
The city lord of Absolute Sword City is named Bai Jinglong. He has a fair complexion, no beard, handsome appearance, and a medium build. He carries a long sword at his waist. His temperament is refined and elegant with a touch of nobility, clearly indicating that he comes from a prestigious family.
"Very well! In that case, Elder Qing, please follow me this way."
The disciples spontaneously formed a line and, led by Bai Jinglong, stopped at an inn.
" Elder Qing, this inn is a government-owned property. You can let your disciples choose their rooms freely."
Elder Qing Xue nodded and turned to instruct the disciples behind her.
"Go upstairs and choose a room. Get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow we'll start our campaign to wipe out the otherworldly Otherworldly Demon."
There are nearly two hundred disciples following Elder Qing Xue in this batch, most of whom are freshmen from the previous year. This is a special arrangement by the sect, since disciples from the same year are more familiar with each other and can cooperate better.
"Yes!"
The disciples dispersed and went upstairs.
The disciples of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion were all young and had a youthful spirit. They laughed and joked all the way, making the inn lively and attracting the attention of many ordinary people.
Chen Mu followed the crowd upstairs to choose a room. The inn was very large, with dozens of five- or six-story buildings, which was more than enough for the disciples to live in.
"Brother Chen, it's been a long time!"
On the way, Chen Mu also ran into Zheng Fengdao, who was the slovenly Daoist from the ranking competition.
Although he was still dressed loosely this time, he was much neater, so it seems he does care about his image after all.
"Yes! Long time no see."
Chen Mu also greeted Zheng Fengdao with a smile.
"I'm going out to kill the Otherworldly Demon tomorrow, and to be honest, I'm a little nervous."
If we happen to run into each other outside, I hope Brother Chen will take good care of us!
"Not at all! Brother Feng, your reputation as the Mad Daoist is legendary in the academy. I've even heard you've made it onto the [ Hidden Dragon Ranking ]'s reserve list. I should be asking you to take good care of me!"
Although Chen Mu devoted himself to cultivation and research within the academy, he still kept track of some of the more popular news.
Zheng Fengdao, Yin Zhan, Ji Ci, Zhuang Linyi, Niu Buqu, and other freshmen all had outstanding performances in the college this year.
Among them, the most famous are Zheng Fengdao, Yin Zhan, and Niu Buqu. Their sparring battles within the academy have earned them the attention of the Heavenly Secret Tower, and they have all been included in the reserve list of the [ Hidden Dragon Ranking ].
The reserve list of the [ Hidden Dragon Ranking ] has 10,000 people, ranked in no particular order. Their actual combat strength is no weaker than those ranked last on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, but they often cannot truly enter the Hidden Dragon Ranking because they do not have outstanding battle records.
Some people might think that the Hidden Dragon Ranking Reserve List is insignificant, but that only shows their short-sightedness.
Pan Emperor Continent has a population of over 10 billion, with countless geniuses. Among these people, those who can enter the [ Hidden Dragon Ranking ] reserve list are all unparalleled geniuses. This shows just how exceptionally talented Zheng Fengdao and his companions are.
"Just an empty reputation! Others may not know, but I know you well enough...!"
Zheng Fengdao looked at Chen Mu meaningfully and chuckled.
"Then I won't bother you anymore! Anyway, it's enough that you know I consider you a friend; we can help each other out in the future."
"Definitely! Definitely!"
After seeing Zheng Fengdao off, Chen Mu picked out a room for himself and settled in.
Mingye, A Huo, and Chen Duo all stayed next to Chen Mu. After three days on the spaceship, everyone was tired and rested in their respective rooms.
In the evening, Chen Mu and everyone had dinner and planned to go out for a walk.
Although the conditions Heaven-Questioning Pavilion are excellent, it is still an academy. When exchanging goods inside, apart from those produced by the disciples and elders themselves being cheaper than those outside, other goods do not have a price advantage.
Especially for certain special Spiritual Power materials, they are often much cheaper if they are near their place of origin, and some are even difficult to leave their place of origin.
Therefore, Chen Mu planned to stroll along the commercial street of Absolute Sword City, hoping to buy some materials suitable for his research.
"Brother, I'll go with you!"
Upon seeing that Chen Mu was going shopping, Chen Duo immediately followed.
" Duoduo, you can come along. But I don't have many Spirit Stone left, so don't expect me to pay for it. I can't afford to support you."
The Spirit Stone Chen Mu currently possesses were earned from selling talismans in Chen Village back then. At the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, he uses contribution points, and while he still has quite a few contribution points, he really doesn't have many Spirit Stone left.
Chen Duo has a huge appetite and likes to buy pretty but useless jewelry and clothes. She buys them and then leaves them aside without ever using them. No matter how rich Chen Mu is, he can't afford her to spend money like this, so he gently reminded her.
"Hmph! How boring!"
Seeing Chen Mu complaining about being poor, Chen Duo felt embarrassed to follow him and could only walk back to her room dejectedly.