Chapter 31

Xiao An'an thus began her life in Maple Forest City. Aunt Song later sent a letter, saying she had married into the city of Wangjiang. As a city renowned for its commercial prosperity, Wangjiang was second only to the capital city of Qinghe in the entire Qinghe Prefecture. Moreover, her husband's family name was Lin, a prominent local clan. In this sense, she had found a good home.

It was no wonder she couldn't bring her daughter.

As for the remaining assets of the Jiang family in Fengxi Town, Jiang Wang did not inquire further. After all, Aunt Song had been his father's wife and had taken good care of him after his illness. Sending her some dowry was reasonable.

However, this was probably the end of their communication, and there was no need for further contact.

At the age of four or five, it was time to start formal education. Jiang Wang arranged for his sister to attend a private school, the best one outside the three major clan schools, which usually did not accept ordinary families. Jiang Wang, who had been a standout at the outer gate of the city's Dao Academy, still had some influence. Especially now that he had entered the inner gate, with his Dao lineage manifesting, he was a future pillar of the nation, and few would dare to offend him easily.

Every day, after attending the scripture classes at the Dao Academy and practicing, he would go to the private school to pick up An'an on time. He chose tasks that would not take more than a day, usually going and returning on the same day to avoid neglecting An'an's care. If there were tasks that could not be avoided, he would have Ling He, Zhao Rucheng, and others take turns helping to look after her.

Time flowed by in this fulfilling manner. The foundation array diagram in the Heavenly Palace became increasingly complex, and its initial form was beginning to take shape. However, the more advanced the foundation array became, the more difficult it was to set up. Especially before the foundation was laid, moving the Dao essence was extremely delicate; any mistake would cause the Dao essence to dissipate, wasting the effort of channeling the meridians. Because he chose the Zhou Tian Star Array, his foundation process was slower than others, so Jiang Wang did not allow himself to fail in any array point movement during the foundation process.

Due to the incomplete foundation, he could not practice Dao techniques. Jiang Wang could only put more effort into the Purple Qi Sword Technique. This sword technique had nine practice forms and five combat forms. As the names suggest, the practice forms were for cultivation, and the combat forms were for battle. The practice forms honed the body and cultivated the sword path, while the combat forms were used for attacking and defeating enemies.

Fortunately, after mastering the nine practice forms, their effect on nurturing the physical body and qi was astonishing. Jiang Wang could even clearly feel the physical body giving more feedback to the Dao lineage's true spirit, accelerating the condensation of Dao essence.

Over time, he gained an additional opportunity to practice channeling the meridians, allowing him to condense three Dao essences daily, which undoubtedly greatly shortened the time to successfully lay the foundation.

Life was fulfilling and satisfying. In such a life, Jiang Wang welcomed his first major task since entering the Dao Academy in Maple Forest City.

...

"Emergency mobilization task, no one is allowed to leave!"

In the scripture hall, the morning class had just ended when a man in a dark robe burst in.

"Who is this guy?"

"What's he here for?"

The disciples whispered among themselves, but soon someone pointed out the truth, "Keep it down, that's Wei Yan!"

The entire scripture hall instantly fell silent.

Second on the Dao Merit List, a powerful general of the city guard, either identity was enough to command respect. Especially known for his tough and cold style, Wei Yan was not someone to be trifled with.

Wei Yan seemed indifferent to the disciples' attitudes, or perhaps he only needed to show his own stance.

"Since last week, there has been no news from Xiaolin Town for five days."

Jiang Wang and Ling He exchanged glances. Xiaolin Town, a major town under the jurisdiction of Maple Forest City, usually reported regularly, even if not in great detail.

Five days without news almost meant that Maple Forest City had lost control of the town. A town with thousands of people suddenly cut off from the outside world was no small matter.

Wei Yan continued, "I hold the city lord's seal and am mobilizing at least thirty inner gate disciples from the city's Dao Academy to investigate the situation in Xiaolin Town."

"Isn't this the responsibility of the Criminal Investigation Bureau?" a disciple asked, dissatisfied.

Such a large task, mobilizing thirty inner gate disciples from the city's Dao Academy, would not be without significant danger. Therefore, many were unwilling.

"Xiong Wen, the Heart-Eating Demon, has appeared in San Mountain City. Most of the Criminal Investigation Bureau's forces in the entire Qinghe Prefecture have been dispatched to San Mountain City," Wei Yan's deputy, Zhao Lang, explained.

The official system of Zhuangguo followed that of Yongguo. Ordinary cases were handled by the local government, while extraordinary cases were handled by the Criminal Investigation Bureau. The bureau was responsible for extraordinary events nationwide, theoretically under the control of the local government, but due to its direct subordination to the capital, local governments often could not command it as they wished.

For example, this time, the mobilization of forces to pursue Xiong Wen was an order from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Even the city lord of Maple Forest City, Wei Qiji, could not intervene to bring them back.

"What about the city guard?" the same disciple asked again.

The city guard was the city lord's direct military force, suppressing all evil and rebellion. An event like Xiaolin Town, where an entire town lost contact, was enough to trigger the city guard's intervention.

"The city guard has other important tasks," Wei Yan cut off the question impatiently. "The Dao merit reward for this mission will be increased by thirty percent. In principle, it is voluntary, but if the number of inner gate disciples who sign up is less than thirty, I will use the city lord's order to forcibly mobilize them!"

"Please note that before this mission, two Ninth Rank Meridian Channelers sent by the city lord's office to investigate have already been trapped in Xiaolin Town. I hope everyone will assess the risks and act within their capabilities."

The Dao Academy system was the most important extraordinary advancement system in Zhuangguo. Local Dao Academies absorbed local cultivation talents, who would then cultivate for several years before passing the examination to enter the prefectural Dao Academies. From there, they would advance to the national Dao Academy, layer by layer, selecting the best.

Finally, all the geniuses of Zhuangguo would be gathered in the capital, advancing to compete with the heroes of other nations, or being dispatched to various regions to govern.

The Maple Forest City Dao Academy admitted only ten inner gate disciples per session, but due to the high difficulty of advancing to the prefectural Dao Academy, many cultivators spent several or even a dozen years in the city Dao Academy. Over the years, the Maple Forest City Dao Academy had accumulated about three hundred inner gate disciples, excluding those who were traveling or in seclusion.

From Wei Yan's perspective, he might actually hope for insufficient sign-ups. According to his original plan, he would directly mobilize the strongest thirty people from the Maple Forest City Dao Academy through a forced mobilization order, which would give him a greater chance of success. However, the Dao Academy and the city lord's office were not under the same jurisdiction, and a conflict would be difficult to resolve.

"Are you going, boss?" Jiang Wang asked Ling He quietly. He was actually a bit worried because the mission would definitely involve extraordinary powers, and Ling He and Du Yehu had not yet opened their meridians, making it extremely dangerous.

"Of course, I'm going," Ling He said without hesitation. He had already fallen behind in his cultivation, and he could not miss such an opportunity with a thirty percent increase in Dao merit rewards. As for the danger? If he feared danger, he should have stayed in the village to farm.

"I'm signing up!" Du Yehu shouted, "All four of us are signing up!"

Zhao Rucheng nudged him, dissatisfied, "What are you doing? I wanted to go back and catch some sleep."

Among the four, he was the least motivated, living a life of idleness and relaxation.

Wei Yan glanced at them indifferently, seeing that they had not yet completed their foundation, and did not pay much attention. He casually instructed his deputy, "Record it."

The deputy announced, "The sign-up time is limited to one incense stick, and there are still twenty-six spots left."

"We cultivators are supported by the state and should contribute to the country. I am signing up for this mission," Li Jianqiu said as he entered the courtyard.

Disciples of his caliber had a lot of freedom. They did not need to attend the scripture hall daily and could even refuse such forced mobilizations. Unless it was a national crisis, they only aimed for higher cultivation. His appearance caused a stir.

"How can I let Jianqiu have all the glory? I, Wang Changxiang, will also sign up," Wang Changxiang, who had a more peaceful demeanor, said as he walked in slowly and calmly, unlike Li Jianqiu, who carried his sword.

"With the addition of Brother Wang and Brother Li, we have a better chance of success!" Wei Yan, usually cold and hard, managed a rare smile.

Facing the seventh-ranked Wang Changxiang on the Dao Merit List, even he could not act arrogantly.

With the addition of Wang Changxiang and Li Jianqiu, the enthusiasm for signing up increased dramatically, and the quota was quickly filled.

Thirty inner gate disciples, excluding the four brothers, were all at least Ninth Rank cultivators, each with extraordinary abilities. Such a force could almost sweep through the entire territory of Maple Forest City.

Wei Yan casually glanced at the list, nodded, and said, "You people still have some courage. You haven't lost your humanity from reading scriptures."

Perhaps this was praise, but the condescending tone was still unpleasant.

The military and the Dao Academy were two different advancement systems, with both cooperation and competition. Disliking each other was common.

A disciple, dissatisfied, said, "If Brother Zhu were here, I wonder if certain people would still dare to criticize!"

He was referring to Zhu Weiwu, the top-ranked cultivator in the Maple Forest City Dao Merit List.

Wei Yan did not get angry, only flung his robe and walked out of the Dao Academy, "Let's go!"