Chapter 138: Shock!
Chapter 138: Shock!
Divine Wind Academy!
The true overlord of the Divine Wind Continent, its strength lay not in the vast territory it controlled nor its nearly inexhaustible resources, but in its profound heritage and influence.
Across the entire Divine Wind Continent, among all major powers that could be named, those individuals who held the reins of power—well over half of them—had walked out of the Divine Wind Academy. Therefore, the extent of its influence was easily imaginable.
Though dubbed an academy, Divine Wind Academy was far more complex than a mere institution. It was a colossal city spanning over a hundred li. Legends spoke of countless years ago when it truly had been just an academy. However, as history unfolded, the original city had its name forgotten by the people and simply became known as Divine Wind Academy.
…
Two days later!
With Chu Zhongtian’s assistance, Tang Jinbiao finally teleported to a city located a hundred li outside Divine Wind Academy. After resting and recuperating there for a day, he followed a map and arrived at the gates of the Divine Wind Academy.
“Wow!”
Standing before the towering and majestic city gate, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t suppress a gasp of astonishment.
The academy’s city walls rose over thirty meters high. While the bricks seemed like ordinary blue stone, a faint, white barrier protected the wall’s surface, making those bricks appear utterly indestructible.
The massive walls and the four ancient, grand characters inscribed above the gate lent Divine Wind Academy an even more imposing presence.
At the entrance stood seven or eight cultivators, both men and women, most possessing a Cultivation Level at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
The male cultivators wore flowing blue robes, appearing rather elegant, while the women were clad in pristine white dresses, looking graceful and dignified.
“Hm?”
As Tang Jinbiao stood observing the gate for a while, one of the cultivators, a man at the Late Foundation Building Stage, seemed to notice him. Frowning slightly, he walked over.
“Fellow Daoist, may I inquire the purpose of your visit to our Divine Wind Academy?”
The Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator, clad in a blue robe and looking quite dashing, approached and asked politely.
As for Tang Jinbiao being a Body Refiner—he seemed identifiable at a glance, likely due to some detection Spirit Artifact.
“Ah, hello there, Brother! I’m a student here to participate in the Divine Wind Academy entrance tests. Unfortunately, there was a mishap during the teleportation, causing me to arrive a bit late. I was wondering if you might perhaps… make an exception?”
Noticing the man approaching, Tang Jinbiao spoke with a smile on his face.
Of course, the cultivators at the gate had also noticed Tang Jinbiao. Their glances turned his way, though most wore expressions of haughty condescension, radiating distinct disdain—especially after determining he wasn’t a cultivator but merely a Body Refiner. That disdain became even more pronounced.
“Oh, I see!”
The Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator scrutinized Tang Jinbiao carefully, clearly sensing the vigorous blood energy within his body. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke: “Hmm, there are always students like you every year. A while back, it seems a batch of students was delayed en route and arrived quite late… but that was two months ago already. If you wish to enter and register now, I’m afraid…”
As he spoke, the Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator’s face showed a troubled expression, and his hand made a subtle, suggestive gesture.
“Oh, is that so? Then, Brother, please see if perhaps… this would work?”
Tang Jinbiao immediately caught the implication that the cultivator expected a bribe. Reacting swiftly, he pulled out a small pouch of Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch.
“A mere trifle, for the trouble!”
Tang Jinbiao pressed the Spirit Stone pouch into the Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator’s hand while speaking with an ingratiating smile.
“Hmm, it is a bit on the scanty side… but just barely acceptable, I suppose.”
The Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator slightly opened the pouch, took a look inside, and furrowed his brow slightly as if finding the amount insufficient. However, seeing that Tang Jinbiao was only a Body Refiner, he stashed the Spirit Stones away anyway.
Fuck me, that was a hundred Spirit Stones! And he calls it ‘scanty’?
Upon hearing the Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s words, Tang Jinbiao cursed under his breath, though his face remained plastered with a wide smile. “Hehe, then I’ll trouble you, Brother!”
“Mhm, alright. What’s your name? Which faction are you from? Who recommended you? Do you know anyone inside the Academy?” The Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator produced something resembling a Compass Disk from his Storage Pouch and infused it with a trace of Spiritual Energy, ready to begin his inquiries. He fired off a barrage of questions in quick succession.
“The humble one is Tang Jinbiao, from the Tang Family in Wuzhou. I was recommended by Senior Wang Ruhai. There should be people within the Academy who know me: Tang Yilin and Tang Song!” Seeing the Compass Disk, a flicker of excitement crossed Tang Jinbiao’s face, anticipating his long-awaited entry into the Divine Wind Academy. He answered just as rapidly.
“What?” The instant Tang Jinbiao finished speaking, the Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator’s face turned to shock. The Compass Disk nearly slipped from his hand. He sounded disbelieving as he asked again, “What? What did you just say? Say it again!”
Thud!
Seeing the man’s expression change sent an ill omen through Tang Jinbiao’s heart. Nevertheless, he repeated, “The humble one is Tang Jinbiao, from the Tang Family in Wuzhou. I was recommended by Senior Wang Ruhai. There should be people within the Academy who know me: Tang Yilin and Tang Song!”
“You insist you’re from the Tang Family in Wuzhou? You’re sure you aren’t lying?” The man looked completely spooked, stopping the flow of Spiritual Energy into the Compass Disk as he questioned Tang Jinbiao.
“Yes, I really am from the Tang Family in Wuzhou. I traveled here with Tang Yilin and Tang Song (child), but we got separated along the way. I was delayed for two or three months. I’m only arriving now.” Tang Jinbiao carefully recalled, certain he hadn’t misremembered, and answered with absolute conviction.
“Hehe, little brother, pretending to be someone else is a death sentence. You look young, yet you’re audacious! Even if you want to sneak into our Divine Wind Academy, don’t use such a shoddy excuse. The Tang Family of Wuzhou was eradicated five years ago. Thousands were reduced to ash overnight! Little brother, just go back where you came from. Given you knew some manners earlier, I won’t hold this against you!” The man’s face slowly darkened. He put away the Compass Disk and spoke in a tone laced with near-threat.
“What? What did you just say? I’m impersonating someone? And, wasn’t the Tang Family a major power? How could it have been wiped out five years ago? I only left a few months ago… a few….” Hearing this, Tang Jinbiao was struck with alarm and started to protest. But as he reached the end, a thunderous realization crashed through his mind.
“Five years… five years… So those two times I fainted truly took a long time!” Tang Jinbiao instantly remembered his two bouts of unconsciousness. He just hadn’t imagined that in what seemed like the blink of an eye, five whole years had passed.
“Hmph, get lost. Don’t let me see you!” The Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator snorted dismissively. He ignored Tang Jinbiao thereafter, walking slowly back towards the city gate.
Thump!
Tang Jinbiao crumpled to the ground, sitting heavily as despair took hold.
“Why like this? Why like this?” Tang Jinbiao sat dejectedly on the ground. This completely surpassed his expectations. He’d assumed he was merely months late, never dreaming it could be five years. For an ordinary person, how many five-year spans are there in a lifetime?
“Senior Brother Ma, what happened?” Seeing the Late Foundation Building Stage cultivator return, several other cultivators immediately approached and asked.
“Nothing. Just some imposter trying his luck. He didn’t pretend to be anyone else; no, he claimed to be from the Tang Family of Wuzhou! On top of that, he said he knows the Black-Clothed Fiend! And babbled about getting separated and only being delayed a few months. Didn’t even bother to think through his lies!” Senior Brother Ma shot a contemptuous glance back at Tang Jinbiao. Had he not taken the Spirit Stones earlier, his temper might have provoked much worse.
“What?”
“The Tang Family of Wuzhou?”
“Divine Wind, Black Fiend Woman!”
“Is this a joke?”
Upon hearing Senior Brother Ma’s words, the male and female cultivators displayed utterly incredulous expressions, a look of sheer horror on their faces.
“Hehe, I told you he probably crawled out from a pile of corpses! The Tang Family was annihilated over five years ago, yet he’s still showing up here impersonating them. Ah, tsk, the world’s morals were decaying!”
Senior Brother Ma shook his head with a helpless sigh. He glanced back at Tang Jinbiao, finding the young man slumped dejectedly on the ground, utterly unmoved, and silently cursed him in his heart.
“Hehe, Senior Brother Ma is quite right!”
“Senior Brother Ma is truly magnanimous! If it were Senior Brother Zhao and his men guarding, they’d probably have broken this impostor’s legs on the spot!”
“Exactly, exactly! Senior Brother Ma is our role model!”
A few nearby male cultivators promptly joined in the flattery.
“Hmph!”
Senior Brother Ma seemed to thoroughly enjoy the sycophancy, nodding his head in satisfaction.
“He looks strangely familiar.”
Yet, not everyone was busy flattering. One female cultivator at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage clearly disagreed. Her brows were deeply furrowed as she scrutinized the figure of Tang Jinbiao seated on the ground, a nagging feeling of recognition stirring within her.
“What?! A remnant of the Tang Family from Wuzhou?!”
Similarly, another female cultivator, at the Mid Foundation Building Stage standing nearby, hadn’t paid much attention initially. She despised her male counterparts so much she usually ignored them, but overhearing this discussion sparked an excited gleam in her eye as she too began appraising Tang Jinbiao intently.
“Hmph! Whether he’s a Tang Family remnant or not, I’d better inform the Young Master immediately. Better to mistakenly eliminate a thousand than let even one escape!”
After studying Tang Jinbiao briefly, the Mid Foundation Building Stage woman reached a decision. Seizing a moment when the others were distracted, she surreptitiously drew a Message Talisman from her storage pouch. Infusing it with Spiritual Energy, she shattered it in her grasp with a sharp crack. The talisman instantly dissolved into a streak of yellow light that vanished into the air.
“Hmm?”
“Junior Sister Li? What’s the matter?”?
The nearby female cultivators seemed to notice her sudden movement and shifted their gazes toward her.
“Uh, nothing, nothing at all!”
The Mid Foundation Building Stage woman forced a tense smile, her voice slightly strained.
Satisfied that nothing was truly amiss, the cultivators largely lost interest in Tang Jinbiao. The male cultivators turned back towards the city gate, resuming their casual chatter.
The female cultivators, though still mildly curious, glanced at Tang Jinbiao a few more times before finding it boring. They too turned back, standing silently near the gate entrance, listening idly to the men’s conversation.
“That’s it! He bears some resemblance to the portrait in the Instructor’s quarters!”
The Early Foundation Establishment Stage woman who had been intently studying Tang Jinbiao suddenly had a revelation. A flash of recognition crossed her mind.
“Oh no! That Li Ru must have secretly sent word for the Wei clan! I must notify Instructor Tang immediately! But she only went to the Hundred Thousand Mountains recently… can she return in time?”
She was quick-witted and immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, she pulled a piece of Talisman Paper from her own Storage Pouch. Channeling Spiritual Energy into it, she crushed it decisively. The paper erupted into another streak of yellow light, this one streaking rapidly westward, disappearing after only a few flickers.
“I hope I haven’t guessed wrong…?”
Watching the Message Talisman disappear into the distance, a trace of worry surfaced in her eyes as she muttered to herself.