Chapter 48

With Tang Jie's bluff, the crowd immediately became lively. The students, who had been suppressed by the Xiyue Sect and dared not speak out of turn, immediately began to talk loudly when they saw that Tang Jie was unharmed. Of course, they also discussed Tang Jie's actions just now.

"Who is that guy? How dare he be so audacious?"

"Look at his clothes; he's clearly just a servant student."

"Can a servant student be so bold?"

"Probably some ignorant bumpkin from somewhere, actually boasting about being sure to enter the top ten, truly arrogant to the extreme!"

"Let's see what he can do."

"What's there to see? Clearly just trying to win favor with the crowd."

"I think so too. Such an arrogant person, once he enters the school, we must find an opportunity to teach him a lesson."

The discussions were varied, with some admiring, some jealous, and even some inexplicably harboring hatred towards Tang Jie...

Amidst the noise, the students finally all boarded the boat. Then, without any oars moving, the boat rose on its own and headed towards Qingyun Mountain.

Since they were new arrivals, most of the students gathered on the deck to enjoy the scenery.

The Yudai Lake was beautiful, with silver waves shimmering on the surface, and fish could be seen swimming below. In the middle of the lake was a small island, and through the dense forest, the shadows of pavilions and terraces could be faintly seen, though it was unknown what place it was.

In the distance, the peak of Qingyun Mountain was topped with a cluster of buildings that soared into the clouds, which was the Xiyue Academy.

Those familiar with the academy's internal affairs were already pointing out various buildings, saying, "Look, that's the Tianyi Pavilion, the Moxiang Hall, and the Wanhe Garden, Taibai Hall, Wufang Pavilion, and Zhou Tian Terrace... Unfortunately, you can't see the Divine Weapon Arena from here."

A student who didn't understand asked, "What are these places?"

The young man who spoke earlier answered, "The Tianyi Pavilion is the scripture hall of the Xiyue Academy, named after the concept of 'Tianyi Sheng Shui,' where various immortal cultivation techniques collected by the Xiyue Sect over the years are stored. The Moxiang Hall is where we will receive teachings and resolve doubts. The Wanhe Garden is where we will live. The Taibai Hall is the talisman area, the Wufang Pavilion is the alchemy area, and the Zhou Tian Terrace is the array path area. There are also the Gold Forging Platform and the Divine Weapon Arena, the former being the alchemy area and the latter being the martial arts arena, but you can't see them from here."

"Ah, I see. Thank you for the information. You really know a lot."

"Not at all. From now on, we will live in the Xiyue Academy for ten years. We must understand it beforehand."

Ten years is the term set by the Xiyue Academy. Regardless of one's achievements, one must leave the academy after ten years. Those who can enter the Transcendent Realm during this period can freely choose whether to continue staying in the academy.

"That's right. From today on, we are all classmates. Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Mo Wencai, a descendant of the Mo family from Minzhou."

"My name is Li Xuxi, my father is Li Yun."

"Originally, I thought it was the son of General Huwei. I am Xu Lexiang, my father is Xu Yourong, the current Chief Inspector of Hongwu City."

"Jin Jiajun, a local from Wanquan City."

"Jin? Could you be a talent from the Anqin Wang family?"

"I dare not, that's exactly who I am."

The students began to introduce themselves one by one. If you looked closely, you would notice that they had already divided themselves into several groups during the introductions.

The officials were one group, the wealthy were another, the servants were another, and the few with exceptional talent but humble backgrounds were another. Essentially, people gathered according to their types.

Networking is always the most important lesson for the children of the nobility. A wealthy child can be ignorant of everything, but they must know enough influential people. These influential people are the most valuable resources, just like Tang Jie trying to curry favor with the Wei family. The children of wealthy families are born with the opportunity to monopolize these resources. When they come to the academy, regardless of their future achievements, as long as they know enough influential people and build deep friendships, this is a form of success.

Some modern entrepreneurs are enthusiastic about MBA courses, not necessarily because these courses can teach them anything, but because those who can enter such courses are often powerful entrepreneurs. The more people they know, the more opportunities they have.

For this reason, Wei Tianchong also mixed in, quickly getting to know a few classmates and making friends, and even Shidream made a few servant friends.

In comparison, Tang Jie was much quieter. He did not actively try to get to know anyone, but just looked at the distant mountain peak, with the image of Xu Muyang floating in his mind.

"Big Brother Xu, I have finally lived up to your expectations and come to the Xiyue Academy."

Tang Jie murmured in his heart.

As they talked, a huge wave suddenly rose from the lake, and a giant golden carp emerged from the water, lashing its tail and splashing water into the sky.

"Look at that!"

"It's a demon carp! It's a demon carp!" The students shouted.

"There are demons in the Yudai Lake!" Some even shouted.

"Don't be afraid. This is a divine boat. The carp demon won't attack this boat," someone reassured them.

However, before he finished speaking, the golden demon carp flipped in the air and transformed into a bearded man, laughing loudly, "A bunch of brats, do you really think this small talisman boat can stop me? I'll board the boat and show you!"

He then walked on the water as if it were solid ground.

"It's a demon that has transformed!" Seeing the carp transform into a human, everyone retreated in fear.

Demons and spirits are different. Spirits are plants that have become sentient, lacking blood and thus having no fixed form. They can transform at will, and their form is primarily based on spiritual energy, unrelated to their strength. However, demons are animals like birds, beasts, insects, and fish, with flesh and blood, and are limited by their nature. They cannot transform immediately after becoming sentient and must undergo long and arduous cultivation to reach a certain level of Dao before they can transform into a human form.

Therefore, those with the ability to transform are called great demons, and their strength is at least at the Heavenly Heart Realm, with some even reaching the Purple Mansion Realm.

In a few steps, the carp demon man reached the boat. The students, seeing this, retreated in fear, huddling together, and some even fell into the river.

The man found this boring and waved his hand, saying, "A bunch of cowards. If you're so scared, you might as well go home and drink your mother's milk."

"Your words are off the mark. Facing someone stronger than you, fear is a way to protect yourself. If you encounter a tiger or a wolf and don't know fear, aren't you just asking for death?"

A voice suddenly spoke up.

The carp demon's eyes widened, "Who? Who dares to say I'm wrong?"

Although he asked who it was, his gaze was already fixed on Tang Jie.

Those words were spoken by Tang Jie.

Tang Jie was not afraid and stepped forward, bowing to the carp demon, "Xiyue student Tang Jie greets the senior."

The students looked at Tang Jie, surprised that he dared to contradict the great demon, and showed sympathy.

The carp demon looked at Tang Jie and shouted, "You little brat, your words make no sense. We cultivators should be brave and advance, overcoming all obstacles. If you fear death, why cultivate?"

"Why cultivate if you don't fear death?" Tang Jie countered. "Cultivators have great aspirations, seeking immortality and eternal life. If you don't fear death, why seek immortality? A hundred years in the human world pass quickly, and death comes just as quickly. Why go through the trouble of cultivation? If you don't want to live, why not just cut your own throat?"

"Ah..." The carp demon was momentarily speechless.

Tang Jie continued, "Cultivators value bravery and advancement, which means having a strong will. However, a strong will cannot replace boundless immortal techniques. If faced with an insurmountable obstacle, retreating is also a wise choice."

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" The carp demon, speechless, pointed at Tang Jie and asked.

Tang Jie smiled, "That's because I've heard of Senior Li Yu, who has long guarded the Xiyue Academy, one of the three great demons protecting the academy. He is known for his generous and righteous nature, often mingling with the students. There's no need to be afraid. If I didn't know your background, I would have run faster than anyone else."

The man was taken aback and burst into laughter, "Good, you are indeed knowledgeable and brave. I like that. Yes, I am Li Yu, invited by Feng Hongluan to watch over the place!"

The students finally relaxed, realizing that Li Yu was a guardian of the Xiyue Academy. Indeed, no demon would dare to cause trouble here without the academy's permission.

Actually, Tang Jie was not the only one who knew Li Yu's identity, but the demon's imposing presence and fierce appearance had intimidated everyone, and they had momentarily forgotten about him.

Of course, there were some who were not afraid, but they just stood at the bow of the boat, coldly observing, without speaking to Li Yu like Tang Jie. They disapproved of Tang Jie's attempt to curry favor and found it despicable, thinking he was just trying to show off and please the demon, which was not the right path. Those who wanted to curry favor saw their master putting on airs and did not dare to speak, giving Tang Jie the chance to stand out.

There were not many who could ignore their master's presence.

At that moment, Li Yu magically produced a jar of wine, patting Tang Jie on the shoulder, "Come, come, you have some courage. Come and drink this jar of wine with me."

"Very well, I will follow your command," Tang Jie did not hesitate, took the wine bowl, and drank it. The wine burned his stomach, spreading heat throughout his body, making his blood boil, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine!"

This exclamation drew the attention of the other students, who thought he was just putting on a show and looked down on Tang Jie.

"Who else wants to drink? Come on!" Li Yu shouted.

The other students looked at each other, and some stepped forward.

Wei Tianchong was hesitant but saw Tang Jie say, "Young master, please come and try. This wine is very good."

With this encouragement, Wei Tianchong went over, took the wine bowl, and drank it. The wine heated his body, and he blurted out, "Is this spirit wine?"

He immediately regretted saying it.

Indeed, Li Yu laughed, "Hahaha, you finally figured it out? I came to give you spirit wine, but you didn't appreciate it. Since you didn't, you might as well drink it now!"

"It's spirit wine?"

"I want to drink!"

"I want to