The accommodations at Qiming Academy were as dilapidated as everyone had imagined.
The moment Xu Yi pushed open the door, her heart sank by half.
At this moment, she even had the urge to grab the Dean by his collar and demand her tuition fees back.
But considering the gap in strength between them, Xu Yi ultimately chose to quietly clean the wooden house.
Lying on the hard wooden bed, Xu Yi gazed up at the ceiling, lost in thought, wondering what trials awaited them at Qiming Academy.
The next day, as the sky brightened, the melodious sound of the morning bell echoed.
Xu Yi changed into Qiming Academy's uniform and stepped out of the wooden house to find everyone else already assembled.
Upon seeing Xu Yi, Bai Shan greeted her with a bright smile.
He had figured things out the previous day; a relationship based on mutual benefit might be more effective in bringing him closer to Xu Yi.
Now that Xu Yi should feel more inclined towards him, he naturally had to strike while the iron was hot and intensify his pursuit.
Xu Yi's expression remained unchanged at Bai Shan's smile, but her heart gave a sudden jolt.
Bai Shan was no longer just a friend in her eyes; he was a walking spirit stone, making her feel quite complex.
Fortunately, this feeling did not last long, as two people walked in from outside, and they were people they knew.
"Senior Yu, Senior Liu."
Everyone called out in unison, their gazes flickering slightly.
They hadn't expected Yu Chun Dao and Liu Yin Xiao to reappear so soon.
It seemed that Qiming Academy and Kunlun Academy were closely related.
"Within the academy, you should call me Teacher Liu."
After a month's absence, Liu Yin Xiao's attitude towards them seemed to have become even colder.
His alluring peach blossom eyes were filled with a chilling intent. Before the others could respond, he continued, "Xu Yi, Lu Zai Ye, Bei Xing Han, Xiong Zhuang Zhuang, and Hong Jing, the five of you will follow me. The rest will be under Teacher Yu's charge."
After speaking, he strode out, and the five of them, not understanding why, hurried to follow.
Bai Shan watched Xu Yi's receding figure and asked with some reluctance, "Teacher Yu, why are we being separated?"
The people called away by Liu Yin Xiao happened to be the top five in the current competition, which made Bai Shan feel discriminated against.
Moreover, he worried that if they were separated from Xu Yi for a long time, it would cause changes in their relationship.
This was not what he wanted to see.
Yu Chun Dao swept him a glance and said faintly, "If you feel dissatisfied, you may leave now."
Bai Shan's eyes darkened for a moment. He gritted his teeth and fell silent.
Yu Xiao Yu looked enviously at the five people, Xu Yi included, walking away, nervously clenching the corners of her clothes.
"Follow me."
Yu Chun Dao led the remaining people down another path.
Xu Yi had expected Liu Yin Xiao to group the five of them together, but instead, he had them dispersed and assigned to five different classrooms.
As Xu Yi entered the classroom, she was met with the curious gazes of over a dozen pairs of eyes, experiencing a familiar sense of awkwardness.
At the very front of the classroom stood a refined middle-aged man, whose cultivation was at the Golden Core mid-stage.
Xu Yi obediently stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Master."
"Name."
"Xu Yi."
"Mm, go sit at the back."
The Master did not show any deference due to Xu Yi's cultivation; his attitude was the same as towards any new student.
Xu Yi nodded and, walking past several low wooden tables, sat cross-legged at a vacant table in the last row, observing everything in the classroom with interest.
This was her first time attending a class at an academy, and she found it novel.
The young students sharing the class with her were clearly equally curious, craning their necks to steal glances at her and fidgeting in their seats.
These youths were all descendants of cultivators who had already passed the Qi-gathering stage, with most of them being in the Qi Refining stage.
They had mostly heard about Xu Yi and the others' backgrounds from their elders. Now that Xu Yi herself had appeared, they couldn't contain their excitement.
The Master glanced at the situation in the classroom, feeling that it was not suitable for continuing the lecture. He closed the book he had opened, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "Today, we will not discuss talismans. Each of you will share about the person you admire the most, making sure to explain the reasons and their deeds."
The Master clearly understood the principle of teaching according to aptitude. With everyone's minds unsettled, lecturing would not yield good results. It was better to let them vent their thoughts.
The youths' faces immediately lit up with joy.
For students, skipping lessons always brought happiness.
"I, I'll go first!"
A young man sitting at the very front suddenly stood up, facing Xu Yi's direction, and said loudly, "My name is Wang Yao, I am fifteen years old, and I live on Xinghua Street in Mo City..."
"Ahem! Don't say unnecessary things, just answer the question."
The Master frowned slightly and sternly interrupted the youth's further speech.
He feared that if he didn't intervene again, Wang Yao would recount every detail of his family's affairs.
"Hahahaha!"
The classroom erupted in good-natured laughter.
Wang Yao didn't mind, scratching his head and laughing along.
When the laughter subsided, his expression turned serious, and he said earnestly, "The person I admire most is Mo City's first City Lord, True Master Dan Zhai. He entered the Dao through Confucianism, excelling in both calligraphy and painting. He established Mo City at the age of five hundred and founded Qiming Academy at the age of one thousand, establishing the rule of not collecting tuition fees, allowing children of scattered cultivators from humble backgrounds to study at the academy."
Wang Yao's eyes sparkled, and his words conveyed great admiration for True Master Dan Zhai.
He had grown up in Mo City and had always taken it for granted that he could study at Qiming Academy. It was only after he enrolled and heard news from outside from various masters that he realized how fortunate he was.
Without True Master Dan Zhai, he might not even have been able to gather Qi.
It was important to note that Qiming Academy not only taught literacy and knowledge but also provided basic common sense for cultivation, as well as some simple formations and talismans.
It could be said that Qiming Academy was a place for training cultivators in their initial stages.
Even more commendable was that Qiming Academy did not charge any tuition fees; all residents of Mo City could enroll for free, without any barriers.
As a beneficiary, how could Wang Yao not be grateful?
Xu Yi had initially listened with great interest, but when she heard Wang Yao's last sentence, her face almost turned green.
No tuition fees?
What was that one million high-grade spirit stones about?
Xu Yi's thoughts raced, and after a moment of consideration, she quickly understood the situation.
Qiming Academy did not charge tuition fees, but it was for the local residents of Mo City. For outsiders like them, they naturally wouldn't be treated the same.
For Qiming Academy to operate, it naturally relied on a large amount of spirit stones for support. If it didn't charge tuition fees, where would these spirit stones come from?
They must have been extorted from them, the foolish fat sheep who had willingly delivered themselves.
Although the Dean had made an exorbitant demand, asking for ten thousand high-grade spirit stones from them, these spirit stones would not enter the Dean's pockets but would be used to continue maintaining the operation of Qiming Academy.
This was truly a brilliant idea, Xu Yi thought bitterly, shaking her head.