Chapter 89: Choice
"You two performed very well this time, especially you, Student Su. You gave us teachers a big surprise!"
Hearing Chen Fugui's words, Su Chen did not comment and nodded calmly. It wasn't that he liked to keep quiet and pretend to be an expert, but simply because there was nothing to say. After all, he couldn't tell Chen Fugui that the reason he was able to cultivate sword intent in the Qi Gathering Stage was entirely because of playing games, right? Besides, what was there to explain about comprehension?
Chen Fugui looked at the "cold" Su Chen and, instead of thinking of him as too proud, felt it was reasonable. After all, if you could comprehend sword intent in the Qi Gathering Stage and dared to attack the Golden Elixir Stage during the Qi Gathering period, you would be arrogant too! He believed that Su Chen's achievements stemmed from a kind of pride that made him feel unique in the world. After all, without this kind of pride, what could he use to challenge the Black Rock King in the Golden Elixir Stage? Besides, if young people are not full of energy, what kind of young people are they?
However, Chen Fugui called the two of them over to discuss their plans, not to evaluate Su Chen's character. "How much do you know about the four major Taoist academies? Do you have a favorite one?"
Upon hearing Chen Fugui's words, Su Chen and Lu Xiaoye looked at each other. Su Chen then spoke up, "I don't know much, so I'd like to ask the two teachers to help clarify my doubts."
Chen Fugui nodded and proceeded to explain detailed information about the four major Taoist academies in the Immortal Alliance. As for the Taoist academies other than the four major ones, it was better not to talk about them since Su Chen and Lu Xiaoye couldn't go there.
After Chen Fugui's explanation, Su Chen quickly grasped the characteristics of the four major Taoist academies. The so-called Four Great Taoist Academies of the Immortal Alliance were originally mortal temples established within their respective spheres of influence, led by the four holy places of the Immortal Alliance. By doing so, the four holy places could both expand their influence in Kyushu within their jurisdictions and help the sects select talents, thus killing two birds with one stone.
To this day, the four major academies have become the primary places for the significant sects of the Immortal Alliance to select disciples. To recruit capable disciples, many second-rate sects would send some guardian elders to the four major Taoist academies to serve as lecturers. In exchange, they gained the opportunity to select disciples from the four major academies. The four major academies not only did not object to this but were also quite pleased, as it inadvertently deepened the connection between other sects and major holy places, further strengthening the influence of the four holy places in Kyushu.
Based on this point, the characteristics of the four major academies can be easily summarized:
- Qinghe Taoist Academy is located in the east of Kyushu. The holy sect behind it is the Shangqing Taoist Palace, which mainly studies wood magic and swordsmanship.
- Lihuo Taoist Academy is located in the south of Kyushu. The holy sect behind it is the Wanye Immortal Sect, which specializes in fire magic and alchemy.
- Savage Taoist Academy is located in the west of Kyushu. The holy sect behind it is Jiuyao Tiandu, which mainly practices gold magic and physical skills.
- Xuanshui Taoist Academy is located in the north of Kyushu. The holy sect behind it is Canghai Xuanzong, which specializes in water magic, earth magic, talismans, and divination.
Although the four major Taoist academies have their characteristics, it does not mean that once admitted to a certain academy, students can only practice in the direction that the academy excels at. The term "major" only indicates the knowledge that these Taoist academies are best at teaching; it does not mean that they lack expertise in other areas.
For example, Bai Ling studied at the Qinghe Taoist Academy. She is a standard physical practitioner. However, the place where she studies is not the Savage Taoist Academy, which focuses on physical skills, but the Qinghe Taoist Academy. Does it matter to her? To be honest, yes. But not very much. There are also cultivators at Qinghe Taoist Academy. Although their teachings in physical training are not as advanced as those at the Savage Taoist Academy, they are sufficient to teach her all the practices before reaching the Golden Elixir Stage.
As for practices after reaching the Golden Elixir Stage, they are even less relevant, as it is difficult for external forces to help once a cultivator reaches this level. Therefore, in a sense, while the four major academies have their advantages and disadvantages, the gap between them is not that significant.
If we compare the areas in which each Taoist academy excels to a full score of 100, even in areas they do not perform as well in, they can still score around 90 points. The gap with the other three Taoist academies is only within 10 points. Therefore, regardless of what students excel at, in theory, as long as they enter any of the four major academies, they can receive the best training. After all, the four major academies have gathered resources from the top sects and countless cultivation families across the entire Immortal Alliance.
Even in fields where they are not as strong, they outpace the Taoist academies outside the four major ones. Thus, this saying has been circulating within the Immortal Alliance: there are only two types of young cultivators: those who come from the four major academies and those who are not wanted by them.
For most students in the Immortal Alliance, whether or not they can be admitted to one of the four major academies is not only a reflection of their abilities but also relates to their future. However, nothing is absolute. Throughout the history of the Immortal Alliance, there have been students who were not from the four major academies but achieved accomplishments that drew the attention of more prominent academies. Nevertheless, such examples are rare.
From an objective standpoint, the most suitable Taoist academy for Su Chen is undoubtedly the Qinghe Taoist Academy, which focuses on swordsmanship. After all, it is there that his swordsmanship potential can be fully realized. For Lu Xiaoye, Lihuo Taoist Academy is undoubtedly the most suitable place for her. This is not only because Lihuo Taoist Academy specializes in fire magic but also due to a significant reason: the Wanye Immortal Sect behind Lihuo Taoist Academy has a complete method of practicing the "Red Flame Phoenix Tribulation."
The founder of Wanye Immortal Sect was the first-generation Phoenix Tribulation cultivator. All subsequent Phoenix Tribulation cultivators are trained by Wanye Immortal Sect as future sect leaders. Thus, don't think that Lu Xiaoye appears to be starting at the same level as everyone else right now; once she enters the Taoist Academy, the gap between her and others will widen instantly. This gap encompasses inheritance, resources, system fit, and so on.
Moreover, Lu Xiaoye's special feelings toward Wanye Immortal Sect have led them to send people to look for her and her father many times over the years. They want Lu Xiaoye to enroll in Lihuo Taoist Academy as soon as possible and not waste time on high school studies. However, due to Lu Xiaoye's strong opposition, nothing has materialized.
After all, Lu Xiaoye has no apparent relationship with the Wanye Immortal Sect. But in the eyes of others, she is nearly the true future successor and young master of Wanye Immortal Sect. Consequently, when confronted with the young master's slogan — "Flowers may bloom again, but people can never be young again" — she is determined to spend her entire youth in high school. What could those cultivators from Wanye Immortal Sect do to persuade her?
Okay, you dare to object, right? Then the young sect master will remember you in her little notebook! The young sect leader has not yet risen to power, so you can still live peacefully. But when the young master rises completely, everyone who disobeys will prepare to be sent to the boiler room of Wanye Immortal Sect!
Thus, Wanye Immortal Sect chose to respect Lu Xiaoye's wishes and let her finish the last three years in Jiangcheng. However, considering her safety, they still assigned the people of Shangqing Taoist Palace to protect their young master. Eventually, Shangqing Taoist Palace entrusted this task to Golden Elixir monk Yu Tianqi.
Otherwise, even if Yu Tianqi wanted to investigate the Black Lotus Rebellion ten years ago in Jiangcheng, he wouldn't need to open a small, unremarkable noodle restaurant near Su Chen and Lu Xiaoye's home. Do you think a Golden Elixir Stage cultivator has so much free time that he can operate a small noodle shop in one place for ten years?
Investigating the Black Lotus Rebellion is Yu Tianqi's wish while protecting Lu Xiaoye is his responsibility. Soon, this job will conclude as Lu Xiaoye approaches high school graduation. Therefore, while Chen Fugui and Li Youquan currently appear to be guiding Su Chen and Lu Xiaoye on their future aspirations in the Taoist Academy, the only person in need of guidance from beginning to end was Su Chen.
Li Youquan was also here to do some ideological work for Lu Xiaoye! He was deeply concerned that Lu Xiaoye might learn that Su Chen chose not to attend Lihuo Taoist Academy and instead went elsewhere. If that were the case, it would be a serious issue.
After all, if the young master of Wanye Immortal Sect sought to study at other holy places, one would not only question whether those places would dare to accept him but also that Wanye Immortal Sect could never allow such an outrageous situation to occur!
What if the young master has been brainwashed by these other holy places? Wouldn't the future of Wanye Immortal Sect be bleak then? Thus, in a sense, Su Chen's choice of Taoist Academy this time is linked to the relationship between the Wanye Immortal Sect and other sects and holy places. A careless decision might plunge the entire Kyushu into chaos!
When Chen Fugui and Li Youquan considered this, they felt an inexplicable pressure. Before Su Chen displayed such terrifying talent, there wasn't much pressure on them. After all, they thought Su Chen wouldn't be able to get into the four major academies anyway.
At that time, Lu Xiaoye would simply employ her connections within the Wanye Immortal Sect to send Su Chen to the Lihuo Taoist Academy easily. But after Su Chen showed his sword intent, things became complicated. No one understands better than Chen Fugui and Li Youquan what it means for a person to cultivate sword intent during the Qi Gathering Stage.
Let's put it this way: if Su Chen is willing to go to Qinghe Taoist Academy, he has a great chance of competing for the position of Holy Son of Shangqing Taoist Palace. Furthermore, he could potentially become the headmaster of the Shangqing Taoist Temple.
Although Qinghe Taoist Academy hadn't sent investigators to observe the joint entrance examination, they believed the academy had received the news and would arrive soon, eager to entice Su Chen to choose them.
"So, Xiao Chen, have you decided which Taoist Academy you want to attend?" Chen Fugui and Li Youquan looked at Su Chen, who was lost in thought. They appeared calm on the surface but were incredibly anxious inside.
They had already prepared for the scenario in which Su Chen chose the Qinghe Taoist Academy, and then the two would work together to persuade Lu Xiaoye to select the Lihuo Taoist Academy. Though challenging, it would be better than a potential conflict between the two Taoist academies in the future. Being able to de-escalate the situation in this small office would undoubtedly be the best-case scenario.
Su Chen suspected what Chen Fugui and Li Youquan were thinking. However, what the two of them did not know was that Su Chen had never seriously considered attending the Qinghe Taoist Academy from the beginning.
Qinghe Taoist Academy indeed specializes in swordsmanship, but there is no need for Su Chen to study swordsmanship at a Taoist Academy. After all, no matter how powerful a Taoist Academy is, it can never be stronger than the Qingyun Sect in the game.
Moreover, he could improve his swordsmanship level simply by gaining experience points. Even if he wished to practice swordsmanship, wouldn't it be more convenient to find the elders of Cangjian Peak from Qingyun Sect than to search for teachers at Qinghe Taoist Academy?
Remember, ten days in the game pass as only one day in reality. Thus, regarding training efficiency, he can learn swordsmanship in-game much faster than in reality. Therefore, among the four major Taoist academies, the first one Su Chen ruled out was the Qinghe Taoist Academy.
No other reason existed; simply put, the advantages of this academy have been completely overshadowed by his gaming experience. This way, Su Chen's options were limited to the Savage Taoist Academy, Xuanshui Taoist Academy, and lastly, Lihuo Taoist Academy.
While the Savage Taoist Academy focuses on physical training, and Su Chen intends to dabble in that aspect, his main focus will remain on swordsmanship. Thus, he can also rule out the Savage Taoist Academy.
Xuanshui Taoist Academy centers on talismans, divination, and other strange techniques. Although Su Chen knows some talisman techniques, he does not plan to delve too deeply into that area.
After much contemplation, the most suitable place for him emerged: Lihuo Taoist Academy! Lihuo Taoist Academy emphasizes the art of alchemy, and Su Chen is also earnestly studying alchemy in the Qingyun Sect.
Not to mention, he also needed a valid reason to openly utilize his alchemy skills in reality. In this regard, Lihuo Taoist Academy's purpose aligns perfectly with Su Chen's goals.
By choosing Lihuo Taoist Academy, he will not only have the opportunity to integrate alchemical knowledge from both worlds and apply it to his gaming experience, but he can also further enhance his status within the Qingyun Sect.
As his status grows, he will gain more benefits within the Qingyun Sect. Therefore, from every angle, Lihuo Taoist Academy undeniably stands as his best choice.
Thinking of this, Su Chen informed Chen Fugui and Li Youquan of his decision: "Teachers, I... want to go to Lihuo Taoist Academy."
"Ah!"
Three exclamations resonated throughout the office immediately. Chen Fugui, Li Youquan, and Lu Xiaoye regarded Su Chen, each displaying a complex expression in their eyes.
Chen Fugui was shocked, seemingly unable to comprehend why Su Chen would make such a choice. Li Youquan admired him, perceiving Su Chen's choice as a level of sacrifice. As for Lu Xiaoye, her reaction was pure joy.
While everyone was pleased that Su Chen selected Lihuo Taoist Academy, Chen Fugui couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Chen, Lihuo Taoist Academy's sword training department is the weakest among the four Taoist academies. Are you sure you want to go there?"
Su Chen nodded and replied earnestly, "Yes, Teacher Chen, I will go to Lihuo Taoist Academy."
Chen Fugui paused for a moment before asking, "Why?"
A peerless swordsman who comprehended sword intent during the Qi Gathering Stage did not choose Qinghe Taoist Academy, which has produced many great swordsmen, but instead decided on Lihuo Taoist Academy, which has a reputation for churning out alchemists. This inconsistency perplexed Chen Fugui!
He couldn't possibly believe that Su Chen, with exceptional talent in swordsmanship, also had an equally remarkable talent in alchemy, right? Stop kidding! Sword cultivators and alchemists are two completely different fields! Additionally, he had never seen or heard of Su Chen exhibiting any unique talent for alchemy.
Consequently, Chen Fugui could not fathom why Su Chen sought admission to the Lihuo Taoist Academy without attributing it to "love." As for alchemy? What does Su Chen even know about alchemy?
He would rather believe Su Chen is a reincarnated god than accept that Su Chen can make alchemical elixirs! At least the former explanation seems more reliable.
Observing Chen Fugui's shock, Su Chen stated sincerely, "Teacher Chen, I believe my talent in alchemy... might not be much weaker than my talent in swordsmanship."
"Ah!"
Realizing that he had guessed correctly regarding their disbelief, Su Chen immediately retrieved a portion of medicinal materials suitable for refining Qi Gathering Pills from his storage bag. These herbs had been privately purchased by Su Chen during this time, using the funds exchanged for cultivation resources from Chen Fugui.
"I have tried to refine the elixir myself before and found that creating this particular elixir... is not that difficult."
As he spoke, Su Chen began refining the Qi Gathering Pill before the three of them, using only his bare hands. With his current achievements in alchemy, combined with his knowledge of Qi Gathering Pills, he found himself capable of easily refining the elixir, even without a furnace.
The three onlookers quickly realized that this was not Su Chen's first experience with this process, as they marveled at his adept movements and relaxed demeanor. Under the astonished gazes of his audience, Su Chen managed to refine ten Qi Gathering Pills in less than two hours.
He produced a medicine bottle and carefully placed the ten Qi Gathering Pills inside before presenting it to Chen Fugui and Li Youquan. "Teachers, now you should understand why I want to go to Lihuo Taoist Academy, right?"
"Alchemy is indeed a beneficial direction for me to cultivate."
"…"
Chen Fugui and Li Youquan exchanged glances and nodded as if they had established a kind of tacit understanding. Then, Chen Fugui regarded Su Chen seriously and remarked, "Xiao Chen, I hope that after you leave, you should find a suitable opportunity to spread the word that you can make pills."
Upon hearing this, Su Chen momentarily stiffened before contemplating Chen Fugui's reasoning. He then replied, appearing confused, "Teacher Chen, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
"Inappropriate?" Chen Fugui sprang to his feet, adjusting his glasses with excitement, and countered, "What's wrong with that? Business is business! If you don't take advantage of it, you're a fool!"
"Right now, Qinghe Taoist Academy probably believes you will choose them first, so even if they want to win you over, their offers likely won't be very appealing."
"But if they discover your capability in making pills, especially considering your connection with Xiao Ye, they will sense a huge threat."
"After all, Lihuo Taoist Academy has Xiao Ye, a Phoenix Tribulation cultivator, this year, enough to give other Taoist academies a headache."
"If another peerless swordsman like you, comparable to the Holy Son, emerges, then Lihuo Taoist Academy, which has been ranked fourth for thousands of years, will have a chance to rise from its past decline!"
"So to prevent that from occurring, Qinghe Taoist Academy will offer incredibly generous incentives to try to win you over, and the same applies to Lihuo Taoist Academy."
"Once that happens, all you need to do is not rush to express your position, keeping both Taoist academies in suspense. They will show tremendous goodwill in their attempts to win you over."
"What you have to do is straightforward: don't take the initiative, don't explain, don't refuse — accept all the gifts but make no promises!"
"Don't worry. I'll take the gifts and the blame; you'll reap the benefits! Just don't feel any psychological burden. After all, these two Taoist academies are both rich and can easily afford such small amounts!"
"Besides, many things in this world cannot be bought except through these means. Now that such a golden opportunity has arisen, if we don't make the most of it, my family education as the richest man in Chen Fugui's family will be in vain!"
"Alchemy, hahaha! Who would've thought that a genius who cultivated sword intent in the Qi Gathering Stage is also an alchemical genius behind the scenes?"
"A rare treasure is worth a fortune. We have a rare commodity worth its weight in gold!"
Looking at the animated Chen Fugui, Su Chen was momentarily at a loss for words.
If he followed Chen Fugui's plan, wouldn't he merely be treating the Qinghe and Lihuo Taoist Academies as his playground? Much like what Chen Fugui said: there are many things in this world that cannot be bought with mere money.
And just as Chen Fugui stated, as long as he does not take the initiative, does not explain, and does not refuse, the act of giving gifts is entirely voluntary between the two academies. No one stipulated that he must commit to accepting their gifts.
It must be acknowledged that Su Chen's opportunistic behavior is slightly immoral. Fortunately, a flexible moral compass has always been one of Su Chen's advantageous traits. Thus, the already small burden in his heart disappeared completely!
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(end of this chapter)