Chapter 385: White Deer Academy

The energy within star cores typically required a star core absorption device to extract. Generally speaking, it was difficult to absorb energy from star cores using breathing techniques alone.

Li Xiaofei had originally intended to try absorbing energy using his Nine Yang Divine Art as an experiment. Unexpectedly, the Nine Yang Divine Art actually allowed him to directly draw energy from the star cores.

He then reached for the star core absorption device. The device looked like a mutated scale. Once he placed star cores on the tray, he activated the machine. Streams of blue energy began to flow along the arms of the tray, moving along the fixed pathways embedded within to extract energy from the star cores.

This energy, after traveling through a complex network of routes and capillary-like tubes for purification, would then be released through a nozzle on the other side. The traditional method involved using breathing techniques to inhale this purified energy into the body.

However, with his Nine Yang Divine Art, Li Xiaofei could absorb the energy of a star core without the device. After comparing the two methods, he noticed something peculiar. The energy he absorbed directly from the star cores seemed different from the energy extracted through the star core absorption device.

It appeared to contain certain impurities. These impurities were not beneficial to the body. The most immediate sign of this was a stinging pain in his meridians and acupuncture points.

No wonder the textbooks say that the raw energy from star cores is toxic and must be processed through a star core absorption device. It's the wisdom passed down by our ancestors.

Li Xiaofei began to reflect on this discovery. He then attempted to use the scorching inner qi generated by the Nine Yang Divine Art to refine the impurities he had absorbed from the star cores.

To his surprise, the impurities, once burned and melted by the heat of his inner qi, transformed into a peculiar substance. This substance then integrated into his meridians and acupuncture points, making them stronger and more resilient.

“This seems to be the primal energy of the star cores. Is it through absorbing this energy that star beasts develop their inherently powerful physical bodies?” Li Xiaofei mused.

He cautiously directed this refined substance to coat his Hand Yangming Lung Meridian. He intended to observe any changes that might occur. If there were any defects or side effects, he could always use his Nine Yang inner qi to strip it away and refine it further.

In no time, Li Xiaofei had completely absorbed the energy from two star cores of grade five star beasts. Once drained of energy, the star cores crumbled into fragile gray stones that would crumble into fine white dust with the slightest pressure.

Li Xiaofei focused entirely on refining the energy he had absorbed and began to open up his acupuncture points. Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, the night had passed. When Li Xiaofei opened his eyes, he felt completely refreshed and full of energy.

Another advantage of the Nine Yang Divine Art, which far surpassed traditional breathing techniques, was that long periods of cultivation enhanced mental clarity rather than causing fatigue. As long as he replenished food and water regularly, he remained in peak condition.

“I can feel it... the energy inside your body is calling out to me...” Principal Hu clung to him again. She was utterly insatiable. Her body, soft and smooth like jade, pressed against him.

Principal Hu had become rather distracted from her duties lately by her impending breakthrough to grade seven. Whenever an opportunity arose, she would frantically seek out Li Xiaofei to absorb his energy.

“Woman, you're playing with fire,” Li Xiaofei said, punishing her without hesitation.

Their battle concluded an hour later. Li Xiaofei, brimming with vitality, mounted his heavy-duty motorbike and headed to school.

Meanwhile, Principal Hu called in sick and retreated to her training room, where she began to condense her starforce and attempt a breakthrough to grade seven.

She could feel grade seven beckoning her, closer than ever. The sensation of advancing to a higher level of existence had never felt so urgent.

***

Xiajing City. White Deer Academy.

The campus, quiet after the rain, was dotted with small groups of students walking across the long plaza. They braved the early spring chill, heading toward their respective halls for cultivation and study.

White Deer Academy had been founded by the first Saint, Taiyi, who had spent a long time there meditating, writing, and passing down countless cultivation techniques. It had once been an illustrious institution, a cradle of the Saints of Great Xia.

Many of the city's most powerful Saint families owed their beginnings to White Deer Academy, as the founders of these families had once studied and cultivated there. Historical data showed that over 60 percent of Great Xia’s Saint families and martial arts powers were somehow connected to White Deer Academy's legacy.

Even internationally, many ancient powers had intricate ties with the academy. But, sadly, White Deer Academy had long since fallen into decline.

Around a hundred and fifty years ago, White Deer Academy had played a disgraceful role during the Fall of the Saints War. This betrayal led to widespread desertion and the deaths or disappearances of many respected old teachers. A large number of the academy’s leaders had been purged for their mistakes.

After that, the once-glorious holy land had slowly faded into obscurity, its former glory reduced to dust. However, in recognition of the academy’s contributions to human martial arts civilization and its efforts to protect humanity, the Star Council insisted on preserving White Deer Academy.

For more than a century, White Deer Academy continued to enroll students. It still retained its university accreditation. But its influence was nothing like it used to be.

Today, this once-prestigious Cradle of Saints had not only failed to enter the ranks of the 211 or 985 elite institutions, but it was barely recognized as a second-tier school. At best, it was considered a third-tier university. If not for special government support, the academy would have likely gone bankrupt long ago.

The tolling of a bell echoed across the campus. Students, puzzled, turned their gazes toward the school gate. A decrepit hearse, drawn by four gaunt horses, slowly entered the campus. The driver of the hearse was a frail old man. He wept as he drove, tears wetting the paths of the campus. Before long, news spread throughout the entire school.

The strongest protector of White Deer Academy, Vice President Gu Changsheng, had died. In order to fend off the invading Beast Emperor, the grade nine Beast Emperor known as the Devouring Demon Corpse near the outskirts of Xiajing, countless powerful figures from the city had joined the battlefield. Gu Changsheng, the academy’s only Saint, had sacrificed himself in a desperate moment to help the Great Xia’s city defense forces turn the tide.

The Beast Emperor had been forced to retreat, but Gu Changsheng was gone. He had died a heroic death. For certain reasons, the honors that should have been bestowed upon him as a martyr were never publicly announced. His sacrifice remained hidden in the shadows. As a result, White Deer Academy received a small amount of resources as a reward and compensation. That was all.

The day after Gu Changsheng’s sacrifice, one of the academy’s spirit fields was reclaimed. Without a Saint, they could no longer own a spirit field.

The aging headmaster locked himself in his office for three days and nights. A heavy cloud of grief hung over the students, as if a weighty stone pressed on each of their hearts. Yet, to the relief of the academic director, despite the tragedy, not a single one of the academy's 1,362 students applied for withdrawal or transfer. The people of White Deer stood united.

When the old headmaster finally emerged from his office, his face bore deeper wrinkles than ever before. It was as though someone had taken a carving knife and cruelly etched more lines into his already deeply creased face in those three days. But no matter how much he had aged, the spiritual leader of White Deer Academy stood tall, his frail frame as straight as a sword pointing toward the heavens. He was unyielding, no matter the cost.

“I’ve decided to allocate a portion of the compensation from Changsheng’s sacrifice into this year’s enrollment budget. I will personally visit some of the smaller base cities across the country to recruit new students for the academy.” The old headmaster suddenly proposed during a school staff meeting.

The teachers and administrative staff were visibly surprised. White Deer Academy hadn’t conducted a national recruitment tour in over a decade. It wasn’t for lack of trying. But no one was interested.

The once-renowned name of White Deer Academy had lost its appeal in this era. They simply couldn’t compete with the prestigious schools anymore. In the past, every time they invested resources and effort into recruitment, it ended up being a waste, with nothing to show for it. It was a losing battle.

“Headmaster, which base cities are you planning to visit?” the academic director asked.

The old headmaster replied, “I will go to the smaller base cities. We may be able to compete with the prestigious schools there. We have to try. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to revive White Deer Academy.”

***

Cultivation. Unlocking potential. Dual cultivation. Livestreaming. Li Xiaofei’s life was simple yet fulfilling.

Thanks to the energy from the star cores, Li Xiaofei had finally condensed all one hundred and twenty acupoints in his twelve meridians. For most people, this would signify the achievement of a perfect Acupoint Opening Realm, allowing them to advance to the Fourth Realm, the Meridian Expanding Realm.

But for Li Xiaofei, this was far from the end. He was cultivating the secret art of the Dual Sacred Body of Blade and Sword. The manual clearly recorded that, in addition to the twelve main meridians, there were also eight extraordinary meridians. These eight meridians also contained hidden acupoints. This was a Hidden Realm, unknown to most.

Only after refining the eighty acupoints within these extraordinary meridians would he truly reach the pinnacle of the Acupoint Opening Realm. Li Xiaofei was excited to see what kind of miraculous effects would come once he completed the Dual Sacred Body of Blade and Sword.

Currently, with his true legacy in ancient martial arts and his exceptionally strong physique, he could already rival experts in the Golden Body Realm. Once he fully mastered the Dual Saint Body, could he possibly challenge those in the Dao Union Realm?

Meanwhile, Li Xiaofei had advanced through each stage of the Online Martial God Tournament to the finals alongside Zhang Zhihong, whose bizarre ability could cause opponents to experience sudden bouts of stomach distress during battle.

A total of two thousand martial artists had made it through the grueling rounds to reach this final stage. The tournament’s popularity was surging, becoming a major event in the martial arts world across Great Xia.

The two thousand finalists had all become stars in their own right, drawing significant attention from the public. It was just like the War God League at Liuhe Base City High School. The difference, however, was that the contestants in the Martial God Tournament were nationally renowned.

Unsurprisingly, the competitors became darlings of advertisers. Almost every participant received lucrative endorsement deals from various brands.

Li Xiaofei, as one of the star contestants, was especially sought after, with sky-high endorsement fees. Li Xiaofei's fame wasn't solely due to his dominant performance in the tournament. It was his livestreams that made him a national sensation.

His fanbase had grown to over 5 million. Each livestream consistently drew an average of over 6 million concurrent viewers, keeping his channel in the top five on the Longya Group platform’s trending list.

A streamer with such influence would not entertain endorsement deals that started at less than tens of millions. For long-term contracts, it easily surpassed hundreds of millions.

Given his stable popularity, advertisers didn’t worry that Li Xiaofei being eliminated from the Martial God Tournament would decrease his exposure or reduce his commercial value.

Li Xiaofei accepted every offer that came his way, regardless of the product. As a result, his nickname, Disciple-Collecting Maniac, was soon joined by a new one, Money-Grabbing Maniac. Many people criticized him behind his back, arguing that as a top streamer, he shouldn’t put money first in every decision, as it set a bad example.

Li Xiaofei scoffed at the whispers. Talk was cheap; anyone could do it. But how many people truly saw money as worthless?

"Master, are you really that short on money?" The bald man timidly asked, watching as Li Xiaofei signed yet another endorsement contract for his livestream.

The bald man and his group of six had successfully become disciples under Li Xiaofei, now forming the Grandmaster of Heaven’s first-ever boy band. When the six men came to formally kneel and ask to become disciples, Brother Dao and the others were completely stunned. Especially Brother Dao, since he knew exactly who these six were.

They were third-generation Saint elites, spoiled and arrogant troublemakers who caused chaos throughout Xiajing. They refused to respect anyone. They were like the eccentric rockstars from Great Xia's history who always thought they were number one in the world.

To see them turn around and kneel to beg for discipleship after being killed by Ren Woyou in a livestream was beyond comprehension. Brother Dao had even gently warned Li Xiaofei to be cautious of these six, suspecting they might be sent to cause trouble. But Li Xiaofei didn’t care.

Li Xiaofei made no effort to hide the truth from the bald man. “Yeah, I’m short on money.”

“Master, why don’t I lend you some?” The bald man said with a fawning smile. “Over the years, we’ve made a bit of money from our business ventures. We don’t have billions lying around, but a few hundred million is no problem. Take it, no interest, spend as you like.”

Li Xiaofei glanced at him and said, “No one offers such favors without a reason. What do you really want?”

The bald man and his brothers chuckled sheepishly.

The blond man with earrings spoke up, “Master, we’ve already knelt, bowed, and called you Master in front of over five million people. Shouldn’t you at least teach us some of your true legacy ancient martial arts?”

Since becoming his disciples, the six had yet to receive any exclusive training from Li Xiaofei. They had simply been following the same cultivation routine as their senior brothers and sisters.

Although the martial arts they had been learning were already quite intricate, the six disciples couldn't help but feel they weren’t exclusive to them, making them seem somewhat inferior.

Li Xiaofei nodded, "Very well."

He had already prepared for this moment.

"I will teach each of you a sword technique," Li Xiaofei said. "This sword technique consists of six paths. You will each learn one path, and while each path has its own unique strength, the true essence of this technique shines when all six are combined. When you fight together, the power will multiply and you will wield an unrivaled sword art."

After he finished speaking, Li Xiaofei raised his hand and pointed.

Whoosh!

Sword qi shot through the air. It was none other than the Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Li Xiaofei split the Six Meridian Divine Sword into six distinct paths, each representing a unique style of swordsmanship, and passed one path to each of the six men. Each individual sword technique was powerful in its own right, but when combined by the six brothers, its strength would multiply exponentially.

"Master, are you... some kind of hidden Saint?" The bald man stammered, his voice trembling with disbelief.

The other five brothers were equally shocked, standing frozen with their jaws dropped. They had expected that Li Xiaofei would pass an ancient martial true legacy technique to them, and they had mentally prepared themselves for it.

But when they witnessed the sheer power and elegance of the Six Meridian Divine Sword in action, they were completely blown away. The excitement in their hearts surged uncontrollably.

Could such a divine sword technique truly be something we are capable of mastering?