Chapter 54: Entering the Academy

After a while, the miscellaneous disciple who had taken the letter into the academy came out.

"Your name is Yang Qi, right? Follow me in. The academy has basically agreed to admit you as a student, but we still need to test your cultivation in Qi Gong."

"Alright."

Yang Qi felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He had been worried about encountering some obstacles in the Tianwei Academy, but now that things were going so smoothly, he decided to wait and see. After all, with his cultivation, even if the Tianwei Academy was filled with experts, he could still stand out.

He followed the miscellaneous disciple inside.

This was just a simple hall for recruiting disciples in the Tianwei Academy, yet it was dozens of stories high. The entire building was constructed from large blocks of white jade stone, adorned with lavish calligraphy and paintings on all four sides. The walls were carved with various martial arts techniques, sword moves, and wise sayings, exuding an aura of both knowledge and power.

Following the miscellaneous disciple, they ascended the spiral staircase, floor by floor, for a total of eighteen floors, until they reached a spacious hall. Around the hall were tall bookshelves, made of precious sandalwood, filled with thick books, likely numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

In the center of the hall stood a man, his body straight, holding a book and reading it intently. Outside the window, the view was beautiful, and standing on the eighteenth floor, one could overlook the plains and rivers below.

Yang Qi's heart tightened as he sensed the aura emanating from the man. He was a Qi Master, and an extremely powerful one at that. His true qi was far more robust than Yang Zhan's, who had consumed the Sky Absorbing Grass!

Yang Qi had originally thought that the strongest Qi Master was at his father's level.

Now, he realized he had been like a frog at the bottom of a well, with a limited view.

If Qi Masters were ranked, Yang Zhan would be considered middle to lower compared to this man.

However, Yang Qi quickly found balance in his thoughts. If there were prodigies like him, why couldn't there be others?

This was the Tianwei Academy, the colossal existence on the continent, where all sorts of extraordinary things could happen.

"Uncle Chu, this is the disciple who wants to enter the academy. He has a letter of recommendation from the academy," the miscellaneous disciple bowed deeply, "I've brought him here."

"Good, wait at the door."

The man casually tossed the book, which flew to a distant bookshelf, and picked up the letter on the table. His eyes shot a piercing gaze at Yang Qi: "Young man, your name is Yang Qi, right?"

"Yes."

Yang Qi made every effort to hide his cultivation, leaving only the true qi of the Invincible King Fist circulating in his body. The rest of his true qi was deeply hidden in the dantian, condensed into a microscopic particle.

The Divine Elephant Subduing Evil Technique could transform true qi into microscopic particles, which would burst forth and transform into a giant elephant.

"Your cultivation in Qi Gong has reached the eighth level, which is quite impressive. You're only eighteen years old? To reach the eighth level of Qi Master before the age of twenty, your talent is considered upper-middle. However, Yan Du City is a small place. You must have had some extraordinary encounter, right?"

The man's keen eyes immediately saw through Yang Qi's "reality."

"Yes, the teacher is truly remarkable. I was once struck by lightning, which strengthened my meridians, allowing me to reach this level of cultivation," Yang Qi answered honestly.

"Oh? Struck by lightning and survived?" The man became interested and suddenly flicked his finger, sending a stream of true qi into Yang Qi's meridians, which began to circulate.

Yang Qi's face showed surprise, but he had secretly contracted his meridians, reducing them to one-tenth of their usual size.

The man's true qi, as flexible as a fish, seemed to have its own intelligence, circulating through Yang Qi's meridians and then searching his dantian for a while before leaving his body and returning to the man's hand.

"Your meridians are strong, and your physical constitution is good. What Qi Gong and martial arts did you learn? Demonstrate them for me," the man said again.

"Yes!"

Yang Qi performed the Invincible King Fist, his movements powerful and swift. He unleashed six consecutive moves, each one seamlessly flowing into the next, displaying a master's demeanor.

"The Invincible King Fist," the man recognized it immediately, "Unfortunately, you haven't fully mastered this martial art. It's originally a King-level Qi Gong with nine moves, but you only know six. In the scripture hall of our Tianwei Academy, there should be the complete set of this King-level Qi Gong, but you need to contribute to the academy to learn it, so I can't teach it to you. Now, go and change your clothes. From now on, you will be the lowest-ranking miscellaneous disciple. You can gradually rise in rank. Understand?"

"Miscellaneous disciple?" Yang Qi was taken aback; he hadn't expected his status to be so low.

"What, are you dissatisfied?" The man seemed to see through Yang Qi's thoughts, "Initially, everyone who enters the Tianwei Academy is a miscellaneous disciple. You can gradually rise in rank as long as you have enough contributions, strength, and learning speed. Go, let the senior disciple outside take you to change your clothes, bathe, and be assigned a room. Your name will be recorded in the archives for regular assessments."

"Yes!"

Yang Qi had thought he would immediately see his aunt, or even Yun Hai Lan and Song Hai Shan, but now he realized it wasn't that simple. The entire Tianwei Academy had a strict hierarchy.

He decided to first familiarize himself with all the rules of the Tianwei Academy and gradually understand the situation. Being a stranger in a new place, it was best to be obedient and cautious.

He didn't even dare to use his true qi to sense the powerful auras around the academy, for fear of attracting the attention of experts.

As he walked out, the miscellaneous disciple stood with his head bowed, nodding at him, "Junior Brother, congratulations on becoming a member of our Tianwei Academy. From now on, you will be among the elite on the fertile continent."

"Congratulations to you too. I hope Senior Brother will take good care of me. May I ask for your esteemed name? This is a small gift from your junior brother, please accept it and take care of me in the future."

Yang Qi smiled and handed over a silver ticket for ten thousand Qi Gathering Pills.

A considerable amount.

The disciple, upon seeing it, nodded inwardly, recognizing that Yang Qi was a sensible person, "Of course! Follow me, I'll take you to change your clothes and get a badge, making you an official student of the Tianwei Academy. My name is Li He."

"I'm new here and don't know the rules of the Tianwei Academy. Please, Senior Brother Li, explain them to me so I don't inadvertently offend anyone," Yang Qi followed Li He, inquiring about everything.

"Of course, of course." Li He led the way, and they soon descended the eighteen-story staircase, heading deeper into the academy. Along the way, pavilions and buildings were grand and magnificent, making the entire Yan Du City's governor's residence seem like an ant's nest in comparison.

Walking through the Tianwei Academy, Yang Qi felt as if he were in heaven.

"In our Tianwei Academy, the lowest rank is the miscellaneous disciple. Above that are the outer court students, then the inner court students, followed by the elite students, and the core students. Above the core students, the academy will confer the title of Saint," Li He said enviously, "Alas, I've lived in the Tianwei Academy for eight years and haven't even met such legendary figures."

"What? Senior Brother Li has studied for eight years and hasn't even advanced to an outer court student? How difficult is it to advance in the Tianwei Academy?"

"Very difficult... extremely difficult..." Li He said bitterly, "Unless you are a truly outstanding genius with rapid cultivation, you can directly advance. The rest of us just accumulate seniority. According to the academy's rules, you need to make sufficient contributions to the academy and reach the ninth level of Qi Master, passing various assessments, to advance to an outer court student."

"What? A Qi Master is just an outer court student? How powerful are the inner court students?" Yang Qi was shocked.

"Most inner court students are Qi Masters, but they are the best among Qi Masters. For example, the teacher who interviewed you is actually an inner court student. Elite students have surpassed the Qi Master realm and reached the Life Seizing stage."

Li He, having received ten thousand Qi Gathering Pills from Yang Qi, was more than willing to explain everything about the academy.

"If you want to advance quickly, the first step is to make contributions to the academy, and the second is to rapidly improve your cultivation. If you can surpass the Qi Master realm and challenge the heavens, the academy will definitely promote you to an elite student. This is a shortcut, but also the most difficult path," Li He smiled bitterly, "I'm still at the eighth level of Qi Gong, unable to become a Qi Master. Most miscellaneous disciples are at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Gong."

"The Tianwei Academy is the Tianwei Academy..." Yang Qi shook his head, thinking that in Yan Du City, seventh and eighth-level Qi Gong practitioners were the heads of families, but here they were just miscellaneous disciples. "However, I can see Life Seizing experts here and see how powerful they are."

So far, Yang Qi had only seen Qi Masters. He had heard of Life Seizing experts but had never seen one. He was eager to witness their power.

Soon, Li He led Yang Qi to a room, which opened to reveal a bed, a desk, and various facilities, all very spacious.

"This is your bedroom. Inside, you'll find clothes. After changing, you will officially become a student of the Tianwei Academy. There will be a schedule for your daily activities. Among the miscellaneous disciples, there are leaders, so be sure not to offend them, or you won't be able to survive here," Li He waited outside as Yang Qi changed his clothes and gave him a warning.

Yang Qi changed into a white, loose-fitting robe made of snow silk, which was smooth, delicate, and warm in winter and cool in summer, a treasure in Yan Du City.

In addition, he received a jade pendant with the character "Tian" carved on it.

"By the way, Senior Brother Li, do you know if there is a woman named Yun Hai Lan in the academy? She entered a few months ago?"

Yang Qi asked.