Chapter 51

In the early morning, while the sky was still dark, Wei Tianchong was already awakened. He was still very sleepy and shouted irritably, "Don't bother me!"

Tang Jie's voice then sounded, "Young Master, it's time to go to class."

"I'm not going, I'm not going, I want to sleep."

"If you go late, you might have to stand during the lecture."

"Then I'll stand." Wei Tianchong answered impatiently.

In the next moment, Tang Jie had already pulled Wei Tianchong out of bed and dragged him out.

"Jie Tang, how dare you!" Wei Tianchong punched at Tang Jie, but Tang Jie casually caught his arm, leaving Wei Tianchong no chance to resist.

"I'll tell my mother, I'll tell my mother!" Wei Tianchong shouted desperately.

"You can tell her after you go to class. Shimeng, quickly help the Young Master wash up!" Tang Jie ignored him completely.

Shimeng rushed over, angry, "Why me again? Why don't you do it?"

"Or we can switch. You can supervise the Young Master to go to class, and I'll help him wash up." Tang Jie lifted Wei Tianchong.

Shimeng looked at Wei Tianchong, who was flailing and cursing, and swallowed hard, "Forget it, I'll do it."

After a while, Wei Tianchong finally woke up more.

The three of them arrived at the Moxiang Hall, where many people had already gathered. It seemed that yesterday's incident had taught many students a lesson.

The Xiyue Academy didn't have the habit of dividing classes, and all 1,500 students were taught together. There were only about a hundred seats, but they had arrived early and managed to secure seats in the front row.

The key was that there weren't many servants who could drag their young masters to class like Tang Jie. Most servants could only beg their young masters to get up.

As the sky gradually brightened, the students finally gathered. Most of them had no seats and were cursing, but with the presence of the monitors, no young master dared to force others to give up their seats.

At this moment, Tang Jie suddenly held up a sign:

"Seats for sale, three spirit coins."

Wei Tianchong was shocked, "You're selling the seats?"

Tang Jie smiled, "We servants are used to standing."

"But three spirit coins is too expensive, right?"

"It doesn't matter. I only have one seat. If I can't sell it, I'll use it myself."

Although he said that, three spirit coins was not a small amount.

Tang Jie's behavior gave inspiration to many servants who had already secured seats, and they also started selling their seats, but at lower prices. Even Shimeng sold her seat. However, no one was interested in Tang Jie's seat, but he didn't care.

He just wanted to have some fun.

Not long after, a lecturer arrived.

The lecturer was a middle-aged man with a long beard, his face dark as if everyone owed him money.

He scanned the room, and the students, who had been whispering, immediately fell silent.

The lecturer then nodded, "Close the door, take attendance. Those who are late need not enter."

Without raising his voice, his words echoed throughout the hall.

Without anyone pushing, the main door of the hall slammed shut.

A moment later, the attendance was complete, and a monitor student stepped forward, "Reporting to Master Xin, there are 1,500 students in this session, 1,342 are present, and 158 are absent."

The dark-faced lecturer said, "Those who are absent will be marked as truant and lose five points."

The students all broke out in a sweat. This was a way to drive people away!

The dark-faced lecturer seemed to see through their thoughts and coldly snorted, "The path of immortality is rugged and difficult. To seek the great way, one must have a strong will and be brave. Otherwise, if it were easy to seek the way, who would cherish it? Yesterday, you must have felt the rules of this academy. Yet, some still dare to be late! If you can't even wake up early, what kind of immortal are you trying to become? Go home and sleep!"

His words were sharp, making everyone shudder.

Tang Jie, however, found the lecturer's words very reasonable.

Although the Xiyue Academy had strict rules, they were not unreasonable. For example, not allowing students to fight or be late were very normal rules. The young masters were just not used to such discipline.

The dining hall rules seemed a bit excessive, but they could correct the young masters' habit of putting themselves first, making them realize that everything comes at a cost, and helping them get rid of bad habits like extravagance and lack of discipline.

If these bad habits were not corrected and brought into the world of immortals, they would surely have no good outcome.

Moreover, Tang Jie felt there was a deeper meaning behind these rules, but he couldn't figure it out yet.

The lecturer continued, "In the future, you must be careful in your actions. Our Xiyue Academy does not like empty talk. Everything must be done in action. So, I will only say these words of warning once. If you understand, that's good. If not, you will suffer the consequences."

After saying this, the lecturer added, "Now we will begin the lecture. My name is Xin Yue. According to the academy rules, all lecturers should be addressed as 'Master,' and their surnames can be used. Violators will be considered disrespectful. The classroom must be kept quiet, and no questions are allowed. Those who disrupt, make noise, or ask questions will lose one point each time."

If everyone asked questions, he wouldn't be able to teach.

"Since it's the first day, I will start by explaining the history of the Xiyue Sect, the purpose of the Xiyue Academy, and some history of the immortal world. The historical records of the Qixia Realm can be traced back 15,000 years, but before that, it is unknown. Only a few things can be inferred from relics. Among the confirmed immortals, Wenxian was the earliest, followed by Zhengfa, when the world was still full of spirit..."

To everyone's disappointment, he didn't start teaching them how to cultivate.

The history of the Qixia Realm is long and complex, divided into four major periods: the Ancient Age, the Upper Ancient Age, the Near Ancient Age, and the Modern Age. The Ancient Age was 15,000 years ago, too long ago for even the immortals who cultivate longevity to have lived then, so it is unverifiable. The Upper Ancient Age has some historical records, and the great figure Jiuli Bingzhu lived about 10,000 years ago. These immortals have either fallen or transcended, and it's unknown if any are still alive.

The Near Ancient Age is from 5,000 years ago to the present, and the true history of the Qixia Realm began during this period.

The Near Ancient Age experienced three major upheavals, each bringing drastic changes. The Xiyue Sect rose during the third upheaval, the "Hongmeng Disaster," and has grown and developed over the past 3,000 years. It has been 1,800 years since its rise, and it has been 1,000 years since its peak. The Xiyue Academy has existed for 1,200 years, and its establishment is closely related to the Xiyue Sect's glory.

Most students were not interested in the history of the Qixia Realm, but Tang Jie listened with great interest.

Since arriving in the Qixia Realm, although he had read and written, he had not received systematic education. To succeed in a world, it was essential to understand it comprehensively and deeply.

Those who had experienced society would always miss their student days. Tang Jie, who had once lamented, "I was happier as a student" and "If I had the chance to return to school, I would study hard," would not waste this opportunity again.

Therefore, he not only listened attentively in class but also took notes.

In this era, students rarely took notes, and Tang Jie's behavior caught Xin Yue's attention.

When the class ended, and Xin Yue left, everyone thought they could rest, but another lecturer came up.

This time, it was a female lecturer with a voice as sweet as a nightingale, but her words chilled everyone's hearts.

"My name is Simo Yue, and I will be teaching you about the geography of the Qixia Realm."

No one expected another class, and it wasn't about cultivation. Everyone grumbled, and even the threat of losing points couldn't stop the "public anger."

They had been standing for over half an hour!

Simo Yue had a good temper and didn't threaten to deduct points. She just smiled, "I know it's not easy for you to come here, and you are here to cultivate and achieve immortality. But if you don't understand the principles, how can you achieve immortality? Our Xiyue Academy is a great sect. We not only teach you immortal techniques but also the principles of life. If the immortals we cultivate don't understand how to interact with others, they will become demons, and it would be better not to cultivate at all. Besides, these principles are not without their uses. For thousands of years, immortals have come and gone, and the world has changed, but some things remain constant. If you understand the world, you can go anywhere. For example, if you encounter strange things in the mountains and rivers, you might make a discovery. If you don't understand the basics, you might not have a chance for a great encounter and might even end up dead. You should know that the Qixia Realm has many dangerous and forbidden places. If you enter them without understanding the risks, your hard work in cultivation will be in vain..."

After this speech, the noise finally subsided, and Simo Yue nodded in satisfaction, "That's better."

Someone asked, "Does this mean there will be more classes after this one?"

Simo Yue smiled, "Of course. Astronomy, history, nature, geography, metaphysics, mathematics, calligraphy, miscellaneous studies... none of them can be missed. Our Xiyue Academy students, even if they can't fight, must have a broad knowledge and must not be rude and uncultured, losing the face of our academy!"

Everyone was annoyed, and someone pounded their chest, "I came here to cultivate, not to be a scholar. When will we start real cultivation? This is driving me crazy!"

Wei Tianchong also wanted to shout but was silenced by Tang Jie.

Simo Yue continued, "That's why the schedule is tight. In the morning, we study literature, and in the afternoon, we teach cultivation. Once you pass all the literary exams, you won't need to study literature anymore, and you can focus on cultivation all day."

"Is that so?" Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But the thought of standing until noon made everyone's heads ache again.

Tang Jie raised his sign again.

"Seats for sale, five spirit coins."

The damn scoundrel had raised the price.

Finally, a young master couldn't stand it and decided to buy a seat.

Tang Jie took the money and stood next to Wei Tianchong, taking notes while standing.

Simo Yue smiled, "Since you understand, let's follow the rules."

What?

What rules?

Simo Yue's smile turned cold, "No noise or questions during breaks. Didn't Master Xin tell you? You wasted so much time with all that talk. You, you, you... one point for each disruption. You, you, you... two points for two disruptions. You, two disruptions and one question, three points!"

She pointed at everyone who had been noisy, and those who were named turned pale. The monitors came to record the points.

Someone was indignant and pointed at Tang Jie, "Why isn't he penalized for selling seats? I'm not satisfied, I'll ask even if it costs me a point!"

Simo Yue replied, "The rule is no noise. As long as you don't disturb the lecturer, you can do anything. I don't care if you listen or even sleep, but no snoring! He sold seats without speaking, so he didn't violate the rules. What can I do about it?"

Everyone finally understood why Tang Jie had written a sign to sell seats. He had prepared in advance and hadn't said a word while selling seats.

Wei Tianchong finally understood what it meant to "know what not to do, and you know what you can do."

For Tang Jie, this was just a test.

When rules are strictly enforced to the point of being harsh, they often become rigid.

He wanted to know how rigid they were.

It seemed that the rules of the Xiyue Academy were already extremely rigid.

After answering the question, Simo Yue smiled, "As for you, one point for asking a question, three points for being disrespectful and questioning the lecturer, a total of four points."

The student immediately wilted.

Simo Yue then hummed and said proudly, "1,500 students are too many. The academy has only so many lecturers. How can they handle it? Those who are unsuitable should be driven out early to save effort. Xin Yue, that fool, who would dare to violate the rules with his dark face? But I'm clever, and I've already penalized a batch."

This made everyone tremble.

Tang Jie couldn't stop Wei Tianchong from blurting out, "This woman is really devious."

Tang Jie wanted to kick the idiot to death.

Sure enough, Simo Yue turned around and smiled at Wei Tianchong, "Speaking disrespectfully and defaming the lecturer... five points!"

A monitor student rushed over, snatched Wei Tianchong's points card, and erased five points.

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PS: Three patrons joined at the beginning of the month, which is very exciting. Thank you, God's Pattern, kpax777, and Black Eye. However, two updates a day is already a bit of a stretch for me. After three updates the day before, I hastily wrote one chapter, but I wasn't satisfied with it and deleted it. I can't rush my writing. So, I'm currently one chapter short, and to avoid overworking myself, I won't add the extra updates for 77 and Black Eye for now. We need both quantity and quality, so I hope everyone understands.