Chapter 808: Bright Pearl Wulan, Dragon Subduing Academy
Swoosh!
Everyone’s gaze immediately turned over.
“Teacher Jiang, don’t act recklessly. If you want to compete, do so in the examination.”
Tong Yiming sincerely persuaded him.
Jiang Ji was a very competitive person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have participated in the 3-star great teacher examination because of Sun Mo. Therefore, his invitation to a duel wasn’t a joke.
If Sun Mo dared to receive it, he would be given a harsh bashing.
In Tong Yiming’s opinion, it was a good thing for youngsters to be competitive and like to win. The more this was so, the more motivation they had to move forward.
If they were to become chill in their twenties and had no desires but to idle their life away, then they didn’t need to be great teachers anymore.
Sun Mo shrugged.
“Teacher Sun, answer to the challenge. Beat him up and you’ll be in first place in the Great Teachers Hero Rankings.”
Liu Zongyuan grinned and added fuel to the flame.
Regardless of who became crippled and thus dropped out from the examination, the ones to benefit would be elites like them.
“I’ve been into vegetarianism recently, nurturing my mind and body. I don’t wish to play rough.”
Sun Mo thought to himself, (There isn’t any benefit to gain, so why the hell should I fight? The most important thing is, what would happen if I were to get injured and it affected my chance of getting first place?)
“Into vegetarianism?”
Liu Zongyuan shook his head. “Tsk tsk, eating meat [1] is the romance for men. If you’re free at night, let’s meet up and visit the brothel. It’ll be on me. Don’t worry, I’ve earned some money recently, so you can feel free to enjoy yourself, picking the most popular semi-courtesan [2].”
“Your interpretation of eating meat seems a little different from what I understand!”
A middle-aged man scratched his slightly baring head and smiled in a perverted manner.
“It’s inappropriate for great teachers to speak such vulgar words!”
Tong Yiming reproached.
Such words should only be privately spoken between good friends. After all, they weren’t saints, and indulging in love and sex was normal. However, it was disgraceful to be saying such things in public.
Sun Mo had long since gotten used to such things. This world was comparable to ancient China. When someone was off on a long trip, it’d be common for them to give their concubines to a close friend.
Even Su Shi[3] had done this before.
“If there are no objections, you guys can leave!”
Tong Yiming had a good impression of Sun Mo and wanted to treat him to a drink. However, as Sun Mo’s reputation got increasingly bigger, it became hard for him to say this.
After all, it’d make others misunderstand that he was hankering after his God Hands.
Everyone bowed and took their leave.
“Teacher Sun!”
Liu Zongyuan walked quickly and caught up to Sun Mo, teasing. “Even though Jiang Ji challenged you, don’t be angry. After all, he was born a little uglier, so that’s understandable!”
The two of them were comparable in terms of their talent, no, Sun Mo was on the rise. However, in terms of appearances, Sun Mo would definitely clinch the win.
There was no way that Jiang Ji would feel happy about that.
Even the most broad-minded person would care a lot about their appearances.
“I don’t think that he’s ugly. On the contrary, I feel that it is an extraordinary look of someone who can achieve great things.”
Sun Mo’s tone emitted a strong barrier.
(Even though you share the same name with the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Zongyuan, I won’t show you any respect.) Moreover, Sun Mo didn’t like this guy’s frivolous attitude.
Jiang Ji, who was walking in front, had felt displeased when he heard Liu Zongyuan’s words. However, after hearing Sun Mo’s reply, he was stunned and couldn’t help but turn back.
(Is that for real? Are you just trying to sound polite?)
However, after some careful thought, he felt that it might not be the case. After all, there was no need for Sun Mo to curry up to him!
(Doesn’t this mean that I’m the one being narrow-minded?)
At the thought of this, Jiang Ji suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
(I must take note of my attitude in the future and not flare up recklessly, venting on others.)
Ding!
Favorable impression points from Jiang Ji +50, prestige connection initiated. Neutral (50/100).
Hearing the notification, Sun Mo was dumbstruck and looked at Jiang Ji.
(You are very confident.) Sun Mo didn’t believe that Jiang Ji hadn’t heard of his achievements before, but this guy really hadn’t contributed any favorable impression points to him in the past.
So why was he contributing now?
Noticing Sun Mo’s gaze, Jiang Ji cupped his fists together then left quickly.
“Teacher Sun, do you want to go to the brothel tonight?”
Liu Zongyuan invited him again.
“Thank you Teacher Liu for your kind intentions, but I have to prepare for my classes.”
Sun Mo rejected.
Everyone walked out of the auditorium.
Liu Zongyuan had wanted to extend an invitation again when he saw a beautiful girl with long black hair waving at Sun Mo.
“Hehe, it’s no wonder Teacher Sun isn’t willing to have a taste of the top lady’s charms at the brothel. Turns out that you already have such a great beauty by your side. I’ve been abrupt.”
As Liu Zongyuan said this, he chatted up Mei Ziyu, “May I ask how to address this great teacher?”
Mei Ziyu nodded at Liu Zongyuan but didn’t reply, clearly refusing him.
If it wasn’t because of the good upbringing she had from a big clan that taught her to conduct herself in a cultured manner, she wouldn’t want to pay any heed to this frivolous guy.
“I’ll be taking my leave.”
After saying that, Sun Mo grabbed Mei Ziyu’s hand and left quickly.
At the sight of this scene, Liu Zongyuan’s eyes contracted abruptly.
“Hmph. Sun Mo, you look at me in contempt right now, but in the future, I will be at a level too high for you to reach!”
Sun Mo wasn’t willing to go even though he had offered to treat him to the brothels. Liu Zongyuan felt that this guy was putting on airs.
…
The next day, after everyone gathered, they collected their horses and headed for the Dragon Subduing Academy.
This famous school was situated 20 lis north of the Wulan City in the northern great plains.
This city had the meaning of ‘the most beautiful pearl’ when translated to the Central Plains’ language. It was the sacred land for all the tribes in the north, and the most majestic and beautiful royal palace was also here.
The leader of every tribe craved to become the Great Khagan who could live in this palace.
Five days later, the group of examinees entered the great plains.
As it was in the late autumn, the plants looked a little withered and the scenery a little sad. The herdsmen were also herding the cows and sheep, trying to buff the animal up before the cold winter came.
“In everyone’s eyes, the Nine Greats are the nine strongest famous schools in Middle-Earth Nine Provinces. Being able to get into any one of them is something to be proud of. However, the truth is that there’s a further distinction amongst the Nine Greats.”
Mei Ziyu rode on the warhorse, following beside Sun Mo and explaining things to him.
“I’d like to hear them!”
Sun Mo didn’t know much about these things.
“Liang Province’s Jixia Learning Palace, Xia Province’s Westshore Military School, Serene Province’s Black-White Academy, Yue Province’s[4] White Deer Academy, Nanyue’s Myriad Spirits Academy, as well as the Sea Province’s Neptune Palace are known as the minor Six Greats. Each of them has a domain they specialize in.
“Out of which, the Westshore Military School is the best in combat, even more so in combat formations. Many military gods in history came from this famous school. The Myriad Spirits Academy has a unique research perspective toward plants, insects, beasts, as well as in the art of witchcraft, venom, and gu poison. The White Deer Academy, as its name suggests, has gathered the most precious book collections from across the world, many of which are the only existing copy. If it is a book that the White Deer Academy doesn’t have, then it will be practically impossible to find from the other schools.
“The Neptune Palace has the most extensive excavation of the ocean. They never have much interest in the competition on land, but if anyone were to reach their hands toward the ocean, they’d fight it out to the bitter death.
“The Black-White Academy doesn’t excel in anything, but they are jack of all trades. They were the ones who had pushed out the Central Province Academy and become a new member of the Nine Greats.”
As Mei Ziyu came from Jixia Learning Palace, she knew about these things clearly like the back of her hand.
Sun Mo was very engrossed in listening.
“Further up would be the major Three Greats, which even these six famous schools recognize. Out of which, Cloud Province’s Heavenly Mystery Academy is the school that Sister An Xinhui graduated from.
“This school specializes in astronomy and geography, astrology, as well as divination. They would mutter mysterious things all day long and are said to not concern themselves with the secular world. However, it’s said one could find traces of their action in the change of every dynasty.
“If there’s one school no one wants to face, it’d be the Heavenly Mystery Academy.
“The Skyraise Academy is the number one in Nine Provinces. This school has been around for the longest and even has a longer history than some dynasties. They also helped the Great Zhou Dynasty become the most powerful and prosperous empire in Nine Provinces.
“There are no great teachers in the world who don’t have a lifelong pursuit of teaching in the Skyraise Academy. There are no children in this world who don’t feel proud of being able to study in the Skyraise Academy!”
Even the people from the Western Country knew about the Skyraise Academy’s existence. Some of their great teachers would even travel great distances to study here. This showed how great this famous school’s influence was.
All the students who came from the Skyraise Academy would achieve great things in life as long as they didn’t do things that could bring about their own demise. They deserved the title of being winners in life.
“The last one is the Dragon Subduing Academy. As they gather all the elites of all the tribes in the north, in addition to receiving support from the royal family, this famous school has an extremely strong competition.
“It’s because of this school’s existence that all of the tribes in the north stop fighting and killing each other. If there were any problems, they’d try to negotiate to resolve matters. This was what led to the confrontation between the south and the north. Otherwise, these tribes in the north would have been eradicated by the Great Zhou Dynasty.”
Mei Ziyu was very familiar with these political matters. “This famous school’s greatest treasure is known as the Dragon Subduing Palace. It’s a formation that is formed using 18 Dragon Capturing Pillars. Rumor has it that the formation suppresses an ancient giant dragon, but no one knows of the rumor’s credibility.”
“What does this school excel in?”
Sun Mo furrowed his brows slightly. “I don’t think that they’ll have much interest in the study of spirit runes, right?”
“The Dragon Subduing Academy has obtained great achievements in the area of beast taming, raising battle pets, and herbology. They have the greatest Valuable Beasts Garden in Nine Provinces, and you can check it out later on.”
Mei Ziyu’s had a broad-minded mentality and didn’t discriminate against the barbarians.
“Beast taming…”
Sun Mo appeared torn.
Every examinee needed to teach two subjects.
Sun Mo was at the grandmaster-level in the study of beast taming, but he hadn’t used it before. If he tried to teach it, he might turn out to be showing off his incompetence before experts. However, if he were to teach the study of spirit runes, he was afraid that the take-up rate might not be high.
As for herbology, Sun Mo was not good at it.
Hold on. The subjects he taught would also be dependent on the choices his competitors picked. To speak the truth, Sun Mo wanted to pick the same ones as Jiang Ji.
“Oh right, what’s the Dragon Subduing Academy’s ultimate divine art?”
Sun Mo then thought of another thing. “I heard that this divine art has a mystical origin?”
“[Great Desolation Dragon Subduing Scripture].”
Mei Ziyu smiled. “That’s right. It’s said that the founder of this school was originally just a lowly worker for miscellaneous work. When he came out to procure things, he spent some money at a stall and bought a burned and battered wooden sculpture. In the end, he ended up summoning an ancient giant dragon and was imparted with the Great Desolation Dragon Subduing Scripture.
“Therefore, this miscellaneous worker rose. Within 20 years, he became the most brilliant great teacher across the land and founded the Dragon Subduing Academy.”
There was a legendary story to each of the Nine Greats’ founding history. However, out of them all, the Dragon Subduing Academy’s founding history was definitely the most exciting one.
After all, for a miscellaneous worker to rise against fate, obtaining a divine art, taming a dragon, marrying a princess from the royal family, and dominating over the northern tribes would definitely ignite the fire in every man’s heart.
“It’s the school’s ultimate divine art!”
Sun Mo had a daring thought. Of course, he wouldn’t dare to compete against the Dragon Subduing Academy’s headmaster. He’d be crossing the boundaries. However, it shouldn’t be a problem to spar with the potential successor to the headmaster, right?
If he were to use Immemorial Vairocana then, wouldn’t he be able to get his hands on the divine art?
Herdsmen were cordial. After seeing that Sun Mo and the group were wearing great teacher attire and knowing that they were heading to the Dragon Subduing Academy to participate in the examination, the horse milk wine and the fattest and most delicious roasted lambs were served to the table.
Of course, everyone hoped that the great teachers could teach a move or two to their good-for-nothing sons.
“Bellicose!”
The young lads who were heated up from drinking wine started wrestling each other with naked tops. Sun Mo felt very emotional upon seeing this.
He liked to recite poetries more.
Another three days later, everyone arrived at Wulan City. After a simple wash up, under the request of the leading examiner, they put on their masks, changed their clothes, and headed for the Dragon Subduing Academy.
The examination had officially started.
This famous school was situated midway through the tall sacred mountain known as Saint-Amour. Even though it was a school, Sun Mo felt that it looked more like a city in the mountains.
It was tall and majestic, situated amongst the mountains, looking like a giant dragon that was coiled up in its nest, giving off a mighty feeling.
The examinees got off the horses and started walking. Half a day later, they arrived in front of a huge stone door.
Rumble! Rumble!
The coil turned, causing the heavy boulder to rise slowly. The sound of singing and zither rang out from inside.
Singing, dancing, and drinking alcohol were what the students from the Dragon Subduing Academy loved the most.
Du! Du! Du!
The long sound of a horn rang out.
A bearded guy had been waiting for very long. After exchanging a few words with the examiner, he led Sun Mo and the others to a huge square.
Several hundred students had gathered here.
“These great teachers are the new teachers who have joined us this year. Tomorrow, the subjects that they excel in will be announced on the announcement boards. If there are any that you like, you guys can go take their class.”
The bearded great teacher introduced with a strong voice.
“What if we don’t like them?”
A brave examinee asked.
“Then we’ll naturally get them to scram back home. After all, our Wulan’s horse milk isn’t used for keeping trash.”
After Beardie said that, a series of loud laughter rang out.
Quite a number of examinees wore grim countenances. After all, after becoming 2-star, they had never been mocked like this.
“This is the spirit that the Dragon Subduing Academy has. They are very free.”
Mei Ziyu explained in a soft voice. “Of course, as we’re from the Central Plains, the respect we receive will be a lot lesser.”
Sun Mo expressed that he understood. As someone from another ethnic group, one had to be more outstanding to get their recognition.
He didn’t fly off the handle here, but the prideful Jiang Ji couldn’t stand such an attitude.
“Be quiet!”
Swoosh!
Profound Words erupted. As the golden light halo spread out, the entire square instantly fell silent.
“Is this how you guys treat teachers? Where’s your respect? Where’s your courtesy? You guys shouldn’t be laughing and mocking someone on the first encounter, even if they are an ordinary person.”
Jiang Ji’s words made some sense.
Some examinees looked embarrassed, but some others appeared indignant. However, they were unable to say a word due to the power of the great teacher halo.
Sun Mo threw a glance around and saw that most of the examinees were showing a hint of admiration for Jiang Ji.
“Ha, go on and retaliate. The more you say something, the more they’ll make things difficult for you. Our students from the Dragon Subduing Academy aren’t that easily subdued.”
Beardie was waiting to watch a good show.
He was intentionally creating contradictions to test these examinees’ capabilities.