Chapter 149 The Academy

Zhongzhou is the most prosperous and flourishing of the five regions in the Mountain and Sea Spirit Wilderness, a place where mortals and cultivators coexist, all yearning for the Great Dao.

The root cause of all this lies in the existence of the most powerful nation here—the Great Tang.

Looking back across the long river of history in the cultivation world, no mortal nation has ever held such immense power above the Spirit Wilderness.

In a certain era of the past, nations were merely tools for cultivators to acquire resources and magical treasures. Cultivators wantonly enslaved mortals, and those so-called royal monarchs were, at best, slightly larger ants.

Yet all of this completely changed with the rise of the Great Tang, for the Great Tang became the overlord of this realm, an existence capable of standing on equal footing with the Nine Sacred Lands.

Across the boundless earth, an ancient, weathered city wall lay horizontally along the horizon, stretching endlessly to the left and to the right.

It resembled a single black thread.

Looking far into the distance, hanging upon that lengthy city wall was a plaque that had clearly weathered countless years of wind and rain, inscribed with two characters:

Imperial Capital.

Two figures arrived outside the wide city walls. Both looked travel-worn as they came to a halt.

The Imperial Capital symbolized the Great Tang.

And within the Imperial Capital stood the Academy.

Naturally, these two were Su Mo and Shen Yu.

Within Zhongzhou, flying freely through the skies and disrupting the lives of mortals was strictly forbidden—this was a crucially important rule established by the Academy.

As everyone knew, the Academy of the Great Tang in Zhongzhou loved making rules, and their rules were, to a certain extent, even more authoritative than imperial decrees. Naturally, no one dared to casually flout them.

Although Su Mo and Shen Yu, as disciples of the Daoist Sect, would not be restricted by such so-called rules, they still walked slowly on foot to demonstrate their sincerity.

And so, their journey had taken several months.

"We've finally arrived," Shen Yu said, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, a hint of emotion in his voice.

Over these past days, the bizarre energy rules within his body had stabilized to a very calm degree, yet his expression could hardly be described as joyful.

Because during this period, he could not sense even the slightest trace of heaven and earth spiritual Qi. To say nothing of cultivation, even his realm was faintly and slowly regressing.

The power entwined around his form was like a funnel; above him, spiritual Qi flowed through that force toward some unknown place, vanishing forever.

Su Mo gazed at the distant city wall, a trace of reminiscence flickering in his gaze. After a moment, he said, "Let's go."

Shen Yu nodded and stepped forward through the city gate.

Their imposing and extraordinary temperaments should have made them extremely eye-catching, yet the guards patrolling the city gate paid them no particular heed.

As people living beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven, regardless of official rank or status, they held an innate sense of superiority when looking upon outsiders.

It had nothing to do with anything else; it was simply the confidence bestowed upon them by this city.

Even so, the soldiers responsible for inspecting the checkpoint spoke with complete ease and calmness, showing not the slightest trace of contempt or a holier-than-thou attitude. Their expressions were mild, and upon hearing that Shen Yu and his companion were heading to the Academy, they even carefully pointed out the direction.

Passing through the city gate, the two walked along the grand avenue, and Shen Yu remarked indifferently, "Not bad."

Su Mo looked at the surging crowds on either side with keen interest and asked with a smile, "What's not bad about it?"

Shen Yu replied calmly, "Mortals must not be humble, for humility breeds a lack of backbone. This city grants them formidable glory and a sense of security. As a tribe or a nation, that is naturally quite commendable."

The fact that the soldier was merely a mortal yet showed no change in expression upon learning they had come from the Daoist Sect spoke volumes.

Su Mo smiled. "Since the Great Tang can flourish for so many years, it naturally has its reasons for existing."

Shen Yu paused and said, "The Academy does a very good job."

Just as he had said to the Saint of that era three thousand years ago, a place of teaching and educating people ought to be rooted in the mortal world. What good was it to insist on placing oneself high above, out of reach and impossible to look up to?

Su Mo did not understand the meaning behind those words, but he suddenly looked toward a certain distant spot and sighed, "Actually, that Emperor within the palace is the one who is truly remarkable."

...

The current monarch of the Great Tang was praised by the common folk as an emperor through the ages, deeply revered by all under heaven.

Yet Su Mo was speaking of another meaning entirely.

No matter how powerful the Academy was, or how admired it was by the masses, the fact that the world's very first impression upon encountering Zhongzhou was the Great Tang rather than the Academy was proof enough of that Emperor's capability.

Yet none of this held any significance for Shen Yu at present.

The two walked slowly toward their destination.

Gradually, noon approached. The clouds dispersed, and the warm sunlight fell upon the streets and alleys of the city, casting a golden radiance.

The two stopped and looked ahead.

Verdant groves of trees appeared on either side, leading to a straight, wide street at the end of their line of sight.

Arriving here, the bustling cries of the main street seemed to cease instantly, and not a single trace of noise remained, evidently due to the operation of some kind of formation.

A gentle breeze blew, carrying a fresh fragrance accompanied by the faint sound of children reading aloud from afar, involuntarily relaxing both body and mind.

To read books is to understand principles.

From a school-like building ahead in the air came a gentle, mellow voice: "Rectify oneself and make no demands of others, and there will be no resentment. Blame neither Heaven above nor men below."

Immediately afterward, countless childish voices chimed in unison: "Rectify oneself and make no demands of others, and there will be no resentment. Blame neither Heaven above nor men below."

Shen Yu stopped beside the window and looked inside. A middle-aged man with a gentle expression matching his voice held a half-opened ancient scroll, wearing a grey robe that exuded an approachable aura.

The middle-aged man seemed to sense something, turned his head to study Shen Yu for a moment, and smiled slightly.

Then, the middle-aged man looked at Su Mo and shook his head.

Su Mo acknowledged the gesture and turned away.

The two continued onward. More and more schoolhouses clustered side by side; the teachers did not teach Daoist magic, but only classical texts.

Su Mo asked again, "How does it feel?"

Shen Yu offered the same two words: "Not bad."

"Not bad," in Shen Yu's lexicon, meant satisfaction.

Among the Nine Sacred Lands, the place where the Academy resided was the least concealed. All ignorant children and students, regardless of high or low birth, were treated as equals in the classroom.

More importantly, who would ever suspect that an ordinary-looking schoolteacher they casually passed by might be a Confucian sage of unfathomable realm?

Su Mo was quite satisfied with this answer. Disciples of the Daoist Sect had always been resolute in nature and felt nothing but disdain for the Academy's seemingly pedantic and rigid practices. Thus, members of the two sects felt only mutual respect, devoid of any other kindred sentiment.

Su Mo slowly said, "That teacher's reputation outside is obscure, but he is a rare Confucian sage. Unlike others who love delving into Confucian classics on ordinary days, he actually takes joy in teaching and educating people."

Su Mo suddenly sighed, "This teacher possesses immense ability. I originally wanted him to examine your problem, but from the looks of it just now, even he seems helpless."

Shen Yu suddenly raised his head to look at the sky and smiled, "Then what should be done?"

Su Mo replied earnestly, "The one with the greatest ability in the Academy is, naturally, the Master."

Shen Yu asked, "Is that Master in the Academy right now?"

Su Mo answered honestly, "I do not know. He usually loves wandering the world, and wanting to meet him is actually very difficult."

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and suddenly asked, "Does the Academy have a back door?"

Su Mo smiled. "The Academy has a back door, but the Academy never lets anyone take the back door."