Chapter 2186: The Academy

Lu Yin was unable to hide his cultivation level from a Semi-Progenitor, but fortunately, even Semi-Progenitors could not see through his Mask of Death. Otherwise, he would be in a great deal of trouble. However, he also would have claimed to be a one-tribulation Envoy rather than a three-tribulation Envoy if that were the case. Lu Yin’s true cultivation was honestly a bit ridiculous.

Virtue Archives had two Semi-Progenitors, one of whom was the unfathomable God of Food who could attempt to break through to the Progenitor realm at any time. It was pointless for Lu Yin to hide his cultivation in front of such experts. If these two men wanted to do anything to Lu Yin, then not even Kui Luo or Progenitor Smoke could necessarily protect him from all harm.

"In that case, Junior Hao Yu will officially join Virtue Archives." Lu Yin stood up and spoke to the old man in a respectful manner.

Headmaster Wen waved a hand to dismiss Lu Yin’s comment. "We aren’t overly strict here. In fact, you’ll soon find out that our teachers are generally quite casual with our students, and their interactions are very relaxed."

Really? An odd expression covered Lu Yin’s face, and he could not stop himself from looking outside.

The stone pillar that held the headmaster’s office rose high into the sky above the rest of the academy. The pressure increased as one climbed the pillar, which prevented most cultivators from ever reaching the top. The entire purpose behind this pressure was to prevent students from needlessly disturbing the headmaster.

Virtue Archives was an academy. Thus, the students were all there to receive instruction. However, which instructors did the students want the most? Naturally, it would be the most powerful cultivator among the faculty, and the headmaster was a Semi-Progenitor. In order to avoid being constantly harassed by students, the headmaster had been left with no choice but to erect the pillar and prevent most students from being able to reach him.

Was this an example of the casual and relaxed interactions between the students and faculty that Headmaster Wen was referring to?

Letting out a dry cough, Headmaster Wen called someone over with his communication crystal. Then, he told Lu Yin, "I’ve just asked Prof. Zheng to show you around the academy and explain the class schedule to you. He should be here soon."

"I’m sorry to cause an inconvenience."

Headmaster Wen laughed. "Prof. Hao Yu, you came to my Virtue Archives from the Zhanlan District just to be an instructor. I should be the one thanking you."

Lu Yin and Headmaster Wen exchanged a few more niceties.

Headmaster Wen made no overtures to test Lu Yin’s identity, but Lu Yin did make a point to ask about Mr. Tang.

"Are you referring to Tang Yao? Why? Are you interested in cultivating a domain?" Headmaster Wen asked.

Lu Yin nodded. "This junior has reached the spirit manifestation level with my domain, but I have no idea how I can improve further. I was hoping to ask Mr. Tang for his advice while here in the academy."

Headmaster Wen smiled. "You’re a very direct person, Prof. Hao Yu. Don't worry, in my Virtue Archives, it doesn’t matter if one is a student or an instructor. If you wish to ask Mr. Tang for guidance, he usually won’t refuse. Even I have asked him for advice regarding the void god realm before."

"You also cultivate a domain, Senior?" Lu Yin was surprised.

Headmaster Wen replied, "Well, my Wen family has dabbled in literature in pursuit of the Progenitor realm. We do not only learn about cultivation, as everything that a person experiences in life contributes to their overall strength. A domain is nothing more than another form of strength."

Lu Yin had heard something similar from Wen Diyi before. Upon thinking of the man, Lu Yin wondered what Headmaster Wen’s reaction would be if he learned that Wen Diyi was currently imprisoned on Zenith Mountain in Lu Yin’s cosmic ring.

Similarly, Lu Yin wondered what Wen Diyi’s reaction would be if he learned that Lu Yin was joining Virtue Archives.

While Lu Yin’s mind was wandering, a serious-looking, middle-aged man entered the courtyard. Lu Yin looked over, and when the man saw Lu Yin, he was genuinely surprised to see such a handsome young man. The older man’s first thought was about how the academy’s students were all young. So, the arrival of such a good-looking man was guaranteed to create quite a commotion.

The man’s next thought was to wonder which family was trying to get their descendant into Virtue Archives. The man hated such backroom dealings.

"Headmaster." The man respectfully greeted Headmaster Wen.

The Semi-Progenitor nodded. "Prof. Zheng, this is Hao Yu. Starting today, he’ll be an instructor here at our academy. Show him around and explain the class schedule, residences, and such things to him. Oh, and arrange for his residence to be placed between Mr. Tang and Prof. Xiao Wen’s."

Prof. Zheng was taken aback. Such a young man was to be an instructor? Prof. Zheng took a more careful look at Lu Yin, only to discover that he could not discern the young man’s cultivation. Clearly, this person was not entering due to some backroom deal.

"You want him to live between Mr. Tang and Prof. Xiao Wen? That won’t work, as the instructors’ meetings are arranged by seniority. Accordingly, Prof. Xiao Wen should live next to Mr. Tang. Doing this will force Prof. Xiao Wen to have to move."

Headmaster Wen replied, "That’s fine. Just relocate Prof. Xiao Wen. He’ll be happy just to see such a handsome young man, haha."

Lu Yin blinked. What was that supposed to mean?

Prof. Zheng was left speechless. "Very well, then I’ll speak with Prof. Xiao Wen."

He then turned and motioned for Lu Yin to follow him. "Prof. Hao Yu, I’ll show you around the academy, so please follow me."

Lu Yin remained polite. "I’ll have to trouble you, Prof. Zheng."

"It’s no problem." Prof. Zheng led Lu Yin away from the stone pillar, still without any hint of a smile on his face.

Headmaster Wen fell into deep thought as he watched the two men leave his office. This young man with a connection to Kui Luo was truly young, but his cultivation was very impressive. In fact, not even the Junior Progenitors were comparable to this Hao Yu in terms of talent.

However, there was one issue that Headmaster Wen was concerned about: the connection to Kui Luo. In spite of that, this young man was a perfect match for Xiao Zhao, both in appearance and cultivation. That girl’s standards were simply too high, and she looked down on everyone. Headmaster Wen wondered if it might be possible for her to fall for this Hao Yu.

Elsewhere, Lu Yin and Prof. Zheng had already left the stone pillar.

"Prof. Hao Yu appears to be very young." Prof. Zheng offered a compliment as he led Lu Yin away from the stone pillar and onto a path that led through Virtue Archives.

Lu Yin smiled. "I’m older than I look. I’m nowhere close to the age of these students."

Prof. Zheng glanced sideways. Who would compare you with a student? The students are in their thirties, at most! Some of them are still teenagers!

If someone qualified to be an instructor at Virtue Archives was really the same age as their students, then that person would have to be an absolute freak. Even more so since Prof. Zheng was completely unable to see the new instructor’s strength.

Prof. Zheng showed Lu Yin many different places around Virtue Archives. The academy’s grounds were extensive, and they occupied the entire central region of the Virtue District, encompassing a third of it. Students could choose to live in the academy’s wilderness, or next to the stone pillar, which would place them near the instructors.

Lu Yin discovered that the headmaster was not the only faculty member who lived atop a stone pillar, as many of the academy’s instructors did the same.

Virtue Archives did not have a set enrollment time for their students, so new students constantly joined. They were all generally excited about the future, looking forward to their time in the academy, and greatly admired the school’s instructors. They often tried to approach the instructors to ask questions at all hours of the day, or simply to just establish a closer relationship, which was too much for the instructors to handle.

However, each instructor would set up their pillar with a unique arrangement. Only Envoys could reach the top of Headmaster Wen’s stone pillar, while some mentors restricted access to Explorers and Cruises, as they were unable to restrain Hunters or Enlighters. There were even pillars with no restrictions at all, but that usually meant one of two things. The instructor was either regarded as too annoying and willing to spend all of their time teaching students, or they were too weak to stop the majority of the students and thus simply did not bother.

Earlier, Headmaster Wen had told Prof. Zheng to have Prof. Xiao Wen move, which was a humiliating thing to do. Virtue Archives only had so many stone pillars, and each one was made from special materials. As such, it was the only way for the instructors to demonstrate their strength. Being forced to move to another pillar was no different than being ousted by another instructor, which was not fair to Prof. Xiao Wen.

This was something that Lu Yin was still ignorant about, though he would soon learn, as he was expected to move into Virtue Archives that very day.

"The academy uses the combined flames of an Undying Bird and a Dark Undying Bird to create this special region. The Undying Bird’s flames can be seen during what we treat as daytime, and the Dark Undying Bird’s flames are seen during the night. There are twelve periods, with three different timeslots for classes each day, as well as a free day once every six days. The academy has thirteen formal instructors, though with you joining, we now have fourteen. Each person is given one class slot per week, and you are allowed to choose from the open timeslots, Prof. Hao Yu.

"As for the other four days, you are free to either offer lectures or study on your own. The academy does not force students to attend any instructor’s class, as everything is entirely voluntary…"

Prof. Zheng shared a great deal of information with Lu Yin, who listened without interrupting. An impression regarding Virtue Archives rapidly formed in Lu Yin’s mind: freedom.

"The instructors teach, and the students study and train. Each student is able to obtain corresponding credits based on the classes that they attend and the academy’s requirements. Those credits can be used for many things, such as requesting permission to learn the academy’s battle techniques, cultivation arts, secret techniques, or trading for things like power vessels. Credits can even be used to request individual instruction from a specific faculty member. Essentially, as long as it does not violate the academy’s rules, credits can be used for just about everything."

This last bit caught Lu Yin off guard. "Students can ask for individual instruction from faculty members?"

Prof. Zheng nodded. "That’s one of Virtue Archives’ rules, and the instructors cannot refuse. Of course, the instructors are also offered great benefits for their time. While the students are given credits to use in the academy, the instructors are allowed to request the headmaster for favors."

Lu Yin's eyes went wide, and excitement appeared in his eyes. This was an intriguing arrangement, as the headmaster was a Semi-Progenitor, someone who stood among the upper echelons of the entire Perennial World. Was it really possible to ask the headmaster for favors? What were the limits on that?

The sound of wind blowing passed nearby, and Prof. Zheng and Lu Yin looked over to see a few people racing through the sky, clearly chasing after something.

In front of them was a monkey-like creature, fleeing as it occasionally looked back with a grimace.

"Catch it, Senior Sister! If you can catch it, you’ll be rewarded!" a girl shouted. There were several young teens racing behind her, also chasing after the monkey.

The entire group flashed by.

Prof. Zheng then looked back at Lu Yin. "Prof. Hao Yu, do you have any questions regarding the rules about the academy’s credits?"

Lu Yin smiled. "Of course not. If I’m joining the academy, I naturally need to follow the school’s rules."

Prof. Zheng was satisfied to hear this. In truth, he did not have a favorable opinion of Lu Yin. Hao Yu was simply too young and too good-looking to be an instructor at Virtue Archives. However, since the headmaster had approved of Hao Yu’s participation, there was nothing that Prof. Zheng could do about it. At least the new instructor seemed to be obedient.

Virtue Archives was an academy, so naturally, there were far more students than faculty members.

Prof. Zheng led Lu Yin around on a tour, so it was only to be expected to meet some of the students. However, the situation quickly changed. As soon as the students saw Lu Yin, a group of female students started following behind the two men. Prof. Zheng scolded the students repeatedly, but his efforts were completely useless.

Lu Yin found the whole thing hilarious.

Prof. Zheng offered a word of warning. "Prof. Hao Yu, since you are now an instructor, you must respect the code of conduct for instructors. Throughout the countless years that my Virtue Archives has been in operation for, we have not once had any scandals or accusations of impropriety, and I hope to see you conduct yourself accordingly."

Lu Yin did not get upset. "There’s no need to worry, Prof. Zheng. As an instructor, I know how to behave."

Prof. Zheng felt that he might have gone too far with this warning. After all, Hao Yu had not done anything that had even hinted at misconduct, and his warning was a bit overboard. After thinking about it, Prof. Zheng offered an apology. "I’m sorry, Prof. Hao Yu. I was a bit too serious."

Lu Yin smiled at the man. "Prof. Zheng is clearly strict with himself as well, and you seem to be an excellent instructor. Your behavior is an shining example of how Virtue Archives has been able to endure and continue to grow for so long. There’s no need to apologize."

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Prof. Zheng nodded, and then he nostalgically waxed, "The older generations must pass down the torch, and my academy works to cultivate talented youths. Endless numbers of our graduates have died on the frontlines, fighting against Aeternus’s forces. My goal is not for Virtue Archives to grow, but simply to help humanity raise more geniuses. That’s all there is to it, nothing more."