Chapter 96

A woman in a white dress walked out of the Heavenly Hall. The guard captain who had led Li Mang to the hall respectfully called out, "Snow Goddess."

Goddess? What a grand title. Li Mang immediately withdrew his gaze from the Heavenly Hall and looked at the woman in the white dress. His eyes flashed with amazement.

Her white dress was spotless, giving an immediate impression of purity and flawlessness. Her figure was perfectly proportioned, with a slender waist, a chest that seemed about to burst out of her clothes, and long, shapely legs. Every part of her body was extremely alluring.

But Li Mang looked at her without any improper thoughts, only a chill. Her face was like a lifelike snow sculpture, with skin as white as pure snow except for her red lips. Despite this, there was no sense of disharmony; instead, she was stunningly beautiful.

Unfortunately, she was inexplicably cold, and just looking at her made one feel a chill. At the same time, she gave Li Mang a sense of danger. Coupled with the guard captain's respectful attitude, he understood that this woman was not to be trifled with. He glanced at her a few times and then looked away.

The "Snow Goddess" gave Li Mang a faint, emotionless glance and asked with her ruby lips, "Who is this person?"

Her tone was cold and haughty, yet there was no sense of disharmony; it seemed fitting.

"The Snow Goddess, this is Li Mang, who has just joined Tianyi. I brought him here to report in," the guard captain answered cautiously.

"Oh!" The Snow Goddess merely responded with a faint "oh" and then left without another word or glance at Li Mang.

"..." Li Mang felt a bit of pain in his teeth but only twitched his lips at her back. In the end, he did not stop her and waited until she was far away before asking the guard captain with a slight frown, "Who is that woman?"

"Shh..." The guard captain quickly hushed Li Mang. His face turned pale with fear, and he only relaxed when he saw that the Snow Goddess was not paying attention. He then cautiously advised Li Mang, "Brother, the Snow Goddess is also part of Tianyi, but she is not someone you can provoke. It's always better to be respectful when you encounter her... Forget it, you'd better go report in the Heavenly Hall!"

After saying this, the guard captain irresponsibly left Li Mang at the door. He was truly frightened by Li Mang's lack of tact. Who was the Snow Goddess? Though not a true goddess, her status in the Secret Academy was even higher than that of a goddess. Li Mang did not understand the gravity of the situation, but he did not dare to take any risks.

"Isn't that a bit much?" Li Mang muttered, but he kept a mental note. The guard captain's fear of the woman... the Snow Goddess, was not an act. This woman must have a significant background and was indeed not to be trifled with.

However, what did this have to do with him? Therefore, Li Mang was not very concerned and walked towards the Heavenly Hall.

This was called the Heavenly Hall, not the "Tianyi Hall." Perhaps only the Tianyi group had this privilege. Among the three groups of the Tian group, the status of the Tianyi group was clearly extraordinary.

At the entrance, there were attendants. After confirming Li Mang's identity, one of them led him inside. It was a spacious hall with jade tiles on the floor and gold and silver statues on the pillars. The entire hall was grand and majestic, surpassing even the imperial palace.

On both sides were redwood seats, and the main seat on a raised platform had a large table. Behind it, a single character was carved on the wall: "Heaven."

The side seats were empty, but a middle-aged man in a green robe sat in the main seat. He was about fifty, with a handsome appearance and a noble and elegant demeanor, yet with the firmness of a ruler. Just sitting there, he could not be ignored.

"Manager Changfeng, Li Mang has come to report in," the attendant said neither too loudly nor too softly, afraid that a loud voice might disturb the middle-aged man who was reading documents.

"Hmm, you may leave," Manager Changfeng gently waved his sleeve, dismissing the attendant, and then turned his gaze to Li Mang, examining him before asking slowly, "Li Mang, do you know why the organization has made an exception to let you join the Tian group?"

Joining the Tian group required at least two years of experience as a member of the Yanhuang organization, but Li Mang clearly did not meet this requirement. Being invited to join the Tianyi group was indeed an exception.

"..." Li Mang was taken aback and answered honestly, "I'm not sure." Indeed, no one had told him this. The old Daoist from the personnel department had said nothing, leaving him with a token and walking away. Now, thinking back, the senior had been quite negligent.

"Actually, besides your own potential, the organization wants to apologize to you in this way." Manager Changfeng's words left Li Mang even more puzzled. His next sentence made Li Mang's head spin: "Yang Fan is not an internal hawk, right?"

"..." Li Mang did not know how to respond. He had indeed guessed that Yang Fan was not an internal hawk but had not dared to share this suspicion with anyone. He had not expected Manager Changfeng to bring this up so soon, which caught him off guard.

"Actually, we have already investigated the matter thoroughly. Yang Fan killed Gan Fenghua because he coveted a rare treasure, and one misstep led to eternal regret. At the time, the intelligence unit of the Secret Academy was actually watching from the shadows. They delayed taking action to uncover the spies hidden in the Yanhuang Academy, especially the internal hawk!" Manager Changfeng explained slowly.

"However, this almost cost you your life. The higher-ups are not insensitive. Seeing your great potential, they decided to make an exception and recruit you into the Tianyi group. We hope you will not dwell on this matter in the future." Manager Changfeng was very straightforward, clearly explaining the entire situation.

"I see." Li Mang finally understood. The higher-ups had unexpectedly approved the distribution of a high-quality protective spirit medicine, which was probably also due to this.

Dwelling on it? Not really, but Li Mang had been quite dissatisfied with the Yanhuang organization's sluggish response. Hearing Manager Changfeng's words, this dissatisfaction gradually dissipated. The internal hawk was a potential cancer in the Yanhuang Academy, and it was understandable that the intelligence unit had neglected his safety.

Moreover, the organization had sincerely approved the high-quality spirit medicine and specially made an exception to recruit him into the Tianyi group. Li Mang had no reason to be angry.

"The Yanhuang organization has been passed down for thousands of years. The rise and fall of great powers is an inevitable law. Various negative phenomena are bound to occur. The current Yanhuang is like a golden exterior with a rotten interior. Everyone knows this, but they are powerless to stop it," Manager Changfeng sighed.

"..." Li Mang did not respond. The phrase "rise and fall of great powers" aptly described the current state of the Yanhuang Academy.

"The righteous path is a long and arduous one. For thousands of years, the Yanhuang organization has adhered to this path, but it has also missed many opportunities for development. We cannot do as we please; there are things we can do and many things we cannot. However, the world's extraordinary individuals are often free-spirited and unbound. This has led to the Yanhuang organization's development being hindered in recent years, while the Chiyu organization has thrived..." Manager Changfeng spoke at length and then suddenly asked Li Mang, "Do you understand my meaning?"

"..." Li Mang answered without hesitation, "Manager, you want me to resist temptation, adhere to the righteous path, and endure even if I am wronged."

"Exactly, you have a good understanding. The righteous path is often misunderstood and hated. This is like the government in the secular world. No matter how good or bad their policies, no matter what actions they take, even a single act of corruption can bring the entire organization into question. Therefore, we must always regulate our behavior..." Manager Changfeng did not introduce the Tianyi group to Li Mang first but instead discussed the principles of conduct and the righteous path.

It was tedious, but Li Mang listened patiently. He would definitely encounter various dilemmas and temptations in the future. One thought could lead to heaven, and one thought could lead to hell. It was better to cleanse his soul now than to regret it later.

Unlike brainwashing, Manager Changfeng's tone was sincere and practical, so Li Mang did not find it tedious.

After finishing, Manager Changfeng returned to the main topic: "Our group is relatively free. We have only a few missions a year, and the rest of the time is up to you. You can freely enter and leave the academy, but remember not to neglect your cultivation. Your potential will determine the resources you receive in the future. As for the master, you can choose one that suits you and come back to me tomorrow."

"Alright." Li Mang nodded.

"The Qingzhu Courtyard is currently unoccupied, and the nearby courtyards are all occupied by your peers, which will facilitate integration and communication. From now on, you will live there. If you have any questions, you can ask the attendants. The attendants in the Secret Academy are orphans raised by the organization from a young age and are trustworthy." Manager Changfeng finished his instructions and then gestured for an attendant to guide Li Mang.

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PS: Congratulations to Xiaodai for becoming the second patron of the book. Thank you for your support.

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