Sect Leader! Please strengthen our Dao Sect!

As evening approached, Shen Shanshui still didn't know the location of the East Tower Academy, and besides, it wasn't a good time to visit, so he took his junior sister and Tang Yan to find an inn to stay temporarily.

As the capital city of Jiangnan Prefecture, even a simple inn in the outer city of Jiangling City charges a hefty price for a room, costing as much as one hundred gold coins, equivalent to ten low-grade spirit stones.

No wonder Liu Jiujiang called this place a den of iniquity; the prices are indeed outrageous.

This place is a gathering place for merchants from all over the country, as well as wandering cultivators.

Among the group of people with a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world), Shen Shanshui and his two companions did not stand out much.

Once the waiter brought out the food, Shen Lingxi and Tang Yan couldn't wait any longer and began to feast.

During their stay on the treasure ship, they ate food prepared by Tang Xiao and hadn't had any fresh dishes in a long time.

Shen Shanshui sat there, seemingly resting with his eyes closed. A layer of divine sense covered his face, making it impossible for those with lower cultivation levels to see his unusually pale face.

In his world, the swirling winds made it impossible for him to open his eyes, and even the slightest movement of his body caused him extreme pain, as if his flesh was being cut inch by inch.

This is a silent, relentless torment with no end in sight.

To outsiders, however, it appeared as if nothing had happened.

Senior brother, you seem to be in a lot of pain.

Shen Lingxi silently ate her meal, her head bowed. She had been quiet the whole way, unlike her usual lively self.

Even though Shen Shanshui concealed it well, she still noticed something was wrong.

……

late at night.

Shen Lingxi rested her hands on her jade-like neck, leaned against the window, and gazed at Jiangling City, which was still brightly lit at night.

Accustomed to the pitch-black nights in the mountains, she found this place lively and novel.

However, the excitement and novelty did not make her feel at ease, and for the first time, she even had the idea of ​​returning to the mountains.

In another room, Tang Yan was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Although he is now at the second level of Qi Refining, it is not something he cultivated himself, but rather something he absorbed from the residual medicinal power of the Crimson Spirit Pill.

Shen Shanshui did not rush to pass on the cultivation technique, but instead let him familiarize himself with the flow of spiritual energy in his body and explore the meridians and acupoints through which every inch of his spiritual energy would pass.

The initial stages of cultivation are extremely important; it's not something that can be done by simply having a master casually hand you a cultivation manual and then ignoring everything else.

If that's the case, then what's the point of having a master?

Meanwhile, Shen Shanshui, enduring the calamity of the Bifeng wind, was dismantling the "Supreme Yang Immortal Scripture." The difficulty wasn't high; it was simply a matter of simplifying complex problems. However, the process was extremely time-consuming.

The more powerful the cultivation technique, the more cautious one must be in its practice. Although this technique is a system-generated one, it was issued based on Tang Yan's unique physical characteristics.

However, Shen Shanshui did not dare to let Tang Yan cultivate at will.

The technique itself is fine, but the person practicing it has a problem!

Many independent cultivators progress slowly and never reach higher realms because they suffer from a lack of proper guidance in their initial cultivation. Forcing the circulation of energy through the body without a master to help them break down the techniques can easily leave indelible, hidden injuries.

This also highlights the importance of inheritance. Those independent cultivators who embark on the path of cultivation by chance will find it difficult to make amends even if they later become aware of the hidden wounds they left behind.

……

……

East of Jiangling City.

After asking around, the three of them finally found the East Building Academy and learned some information about it.

The Celestial Dynasty established official schools in various places, just like the Imperial Academy in the previous life.

The purpose is to discover promising immortal talents among independent cultivators, and it is also a place specifically for training immortal officials and clerks. Even disciples of those prestigious immortal sects who want to enter the imperial court as officials will mostly choose to study in the official academy for a period of time first.

Within the Immortal Dynasty system, it is almost impossible to achieve long-term development without studying at various academies.

Before the grand gate of the East Building Academy, the three waited quietly, while the guards at the gate went in to announce their arrival.

"Waaah..."

Shen Lingxi wiggled and twisted in front of her senior brother, who then silenced her.

Such a pretty and lovely girl, but now she looks like she's cosplaying a maggot.

"Master, are you really alright?"

Since last night, Shen Shanshui has not opened his eyes again. But strangely enough, even with his eyes tightly closed, his master behaves no differently than an ordinary person, as if he can still see.

For Tang Yan, who hadn't even truly embarked on the path of cultivation yet, this was incredibly impressive.

Heaven is unjust, and the world is corrupt. If I open my eyes, the seas will be calm and the rivers will be peaceful!

"It's nothing..."

Shen Shanshui shook his head. He had said those two words countless times today. He was thoroughly annoyed by the two of them.

Either Shen Lingxi asks, or Tang Yan will ask later.

The only difference is that the junior sister's concern was genuine, while Tang Yan's concern seemed to be mixed with a hint of envy.

Hmm... Shen Shanshui couldn't even fathom what his disciple was thinking, so what was there to envy?

"Master, Master Dongzhu invites you in."

The guard trotted back and respectfully led the three of them through the door.

Thank you.

……

The academy occupies a vast area, nearly half of the entire eastern city. Moreover, the concentration of spiritual energy here is extremely high, suggesting the presence of a massive spirit-gathering array.

This indirectly illustrates the status of Donglou Academy in Jiangling.

That makes sense. As an official school and talent training base established by the Immortal Dynasty, it has produced countless high-ranking officials with great power and influence.

The officials of the Qin Dynasty were different from the pedantic scholars in the TV series of my previous life; their influence and connections were truly extraordinary.

Those so-called civil officials are all the same kind of people as Liu Jiujiang. If they can't reason with me, then I'm better at using my fists!

Along the way, you can see many monks dressed as scholars.

Although Shen Shanshui is blind, he sees the world more clearly through his divine sense.

The combination of a scholar and a practitioner always seemed extremely strange to Shen Shanshui; it was as if two completely incompatible things were mixed together.

The deeper one goes into the academy, the quieter the surroundings become, the fewer people pass by, and the higher one's cultivation level becomes.

Clearly, even though Donglou Academy is called an academy, it probably still has a strict hierarchy within it.

Before long, a large lake appeared before them.

In the center of the lake is a small island, surrounded by thick water vapor, appearing and disappearing, giving it a mysterious feel.

In Jiangling City, land is incredibly valuable, so it's one thing for wealthy families to build some artificial hills and ponds.

To directly carve out a lake tens of thousands of feet long and wide is simply too extravagant.

"Master, the chief priest is in the small courtyard on the island. I am of lowly status and cannot escort you up there. Please find a way yourself."

After the guard finished speaking, he bowed and then did not linger any longer.

"Master, this High Priest is testing us!"

Tang Yan, standing to the side, gazed at the calm lake surface, his eyes suddenly becoming deep and thoughtful.

"Waaah..."

Although Shen Lingxi couldn't speak, she still called out twice to express her confusion.

Shen Shanshui didn't quite understand Tang Yan's meaning either. How could he tell that this was a test?

……