Chapter 215: Chapter 212: The Shifty-Eyed Mo Qi
Ignoring Mo Qi’s reproachful gaze, Li Shimu smiled. "This residence is a gift to you. Make sure you take good care of it."
Li Shimu heavily stressed the words "take good care."
Mo Qi’s heart jolted. ’Things are probably not that simple.’
’I may have never eaten pork, but I’ve certainly seen a pig run.’
’There’s definitely a catch!’
"This is your credential for skipping the formal procedures. It also contains information on the Imperial Academy. See for yourself."
The moment Li Shimu finished speaking, there was a flash of light, and a Jade Ring engraved with the character for "Imperial" landed in front of Mo Qi.
Mo Qi reached out. The instant he touched the Jade Ring, it transformed into a streak of green light and sank into his body.
A jade-green tattoo appeared on his left thumb. From a distance, it looked just as if he were wearing a Jade Ring.
’This design is actually quite convenient. As a tattoo, it won’t interfere with my grip, which means it won’t affect me in a fight.’
Mo Qi curiously traced the ring-like tattoo with his finger and channeled a wisp of his Power of the Soul into it.
Instantly, a flood of information appeared in his mind, ready for him to browse at his leisure.
It contained the Imperial Academy’s history, structure, rules, customs, and more—everything was there, comprehensive and detailed.
It took Mo Qi nearly a full day to give the contents a preliminary review.
’The Imperial Academy is truly worthy of its name. It’s vastly more advanced and powerful than the Void Sect!’
Like the Void Sect, the Imperial Academy didn’t excessively interfere with its disciples’ development, preferring a hands-off approach.
However, this hands-off approach came with much stricter standards.
Every year, the Imperial Academy assessed its disciples, judging them not by their Cultivation Realm, but by their actual strength.
If your strength hadn’t improved compared to the previous year, or if the improvement was negligible, it meant your potential had been exhausted.
If your Cultivation reached the Void Realm, the Imperial Academy would then give you two choices.
First, serve the Imperial Academy for a hundred years without compensation, after which you would be free to leave with all ties severed.
Second, become a Tributor of the Imperial Academy, receive a stipend from the Empire, and work on its behalf.
If your Cultivation hadn’t reached the Void Realm, then too bad. You’d be kicked out, and good riddance.
Of course, this rarely happened.
After all, without exception, those who could enter the Imperial Academy were the most brilliant geniuses in the entire Empire.
And as for the Imperial Academy’s facilities, the Void Sect couldn’t even begin to compare.
The Void Sect had only one Secret Realm, and only the Elders with profound Cultivation were qualified to use it long-term.
But the Mountain and Sea Empire had three!
One was specifically set aside for the Imperial Academy’s disciples to use for their Cultivation, and even those in the Refining Essence Realm could enter.
Such a grand gesture was something the Void Sect wouldn’t even dare to dream of.
The Imperial Academy also boasted many incredible Cultivation Rooms that the Void Sect lacked.
For example, there were Fighting Cultivation Rooms for honing combat skills, Gravity Cultivation Rooms for tempering the physical body, and Soul Refining Cultivation Rooms for strengthening one’s state of mind.
In total, there were no fewer than ten different types of Cultivation Rooms!
In addition to the Cultivation Rooms, there were also training grounds sectioned off from the Imperial Beast Forest. These grounds housed countless Demon Beasts and heinous death-row criminals for the disciples to use for live combat practice.
’The Mountain and Sea Empire really knows how to make use of its prisoners. You see this kind of thing everywhere,’ Mo Qi thought, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
He knew, however, that the prisoners in the Beast Forest were completely different from the ones Within the Pass.
The prisoners Within the Pass, like Wu the Old Ghost, were all incredibly powerful experts whom the Empire was reluctant to kill.
But the prisoners in the Beast Forest were treated as less than human—nothing more than whetstones for the Imperial Academy’s disciples to sharpen their skills on.
As for how the Imperial Academy’s disciples obtained Cultivation Resources, that was even more interesting.
All disciples had the right to apply to the Imperial Academy for the materials they needed. The amount each person could request was different, determined by the level of their Identity Token.
As long as the request didn’t exceed their allotted quota, the Imperial Academy would promptly distribute the resources.
But there was a catch: these resources weren’t supplied without limit, nor were they handed out without any requirements or conditions.
When applying for resources, a disciple had to submit a formal pledge to the Imperial Academy. If they failed to fulfill the terms of their pledge within the specified time limit, they would have to pay a corresponding price.
For example, a disciple at the Refining God First Heaven with a Silver Level Token could apply for resources within their quota while pledging to reach the Refining God Third Heaven within half a year.
If they succeeded, the resources would be considered a gift, and the Imperial Academy would continue to provide them with further Cultivation Resources.
If they failed, the disciple would be required to repay the cost of those resources.
If they couldn’t afford to repay it, their Cultivation would be suspended, and they would be forcibly sent by the Empire to a mining district to work off their debt.
Mo Qi was very pleased with this system for acquiring resources.
’As long as you’re talented enough, capable enough, and confident enough, you can continuously request Cultivation Resources from the Imperial Academy. That way, you don’t have to worry about being maliciously held back over trivial matters.’
Of course, this rule couldn’t completely eliminate the possibility of suppression, but it did guarantee fairness and impartiality to the greatest extent possible, far more than any other system.
At that moment, Mo Qi’s mind raced as a thousand wild ideas surged through him.
After a long moment, he suppressed his excitement and shook his head. ’I’m new here and I don’t know the full situation yet. It’s best not to be too conspicuous before my main body returns. I should focus on improving my strength first.’
Mo Qi didn’t want to waste any time. In Cultivation, every second counted.
After some thought, he decided to head to the Fighting Cultivation Room.
Aside from honing combat techniques, any other form of training done in this External Incarnation would be useless to his main body.
Furthermore, after having acted as a "Summoning Tube" during the duel between the King of Kaosan and Mo Xiao, Mo Qi had gained many new insights into close-quarters combat.
Following the directions from the ring-like tattoo, he stepped out of his residence, and his eyes immediately widened at the sight.
A fresh, exotic fragrance wafted toward him, and Mo Qi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
Looking around, he saw that the area was covered in all sorts of spiritual flowers and exotic herbs. Although they were all low-grade, their sheer number created a spectacular and beautiful sight.
’The Imperial Academy truly lives up to its name. Even the environment is so refreshing and delightful!’
Glancing around, Mo Qi discovered a courtyard identical to his own every hundred zhang or so.
’Is this the disciples’ residential area? The conditions are a little too good, aren’t they? But... why do the color schemes of these courtyards feel so strange? They’re either incredibly plain and elegant or extremely gaudy and vibrant. How odd!’
Mo Qi muttered to himself and set off toward the Fighting Cultivation Room.
He failed to notice that in a courtyard far in the distance, a pair of large, watery eyes were staring daggers at him, filled with shock, confusion, and anger.
The owner of the large eyes took out a Communication Talisman. Her voice, as melodious as a songbird’s, was laced with anxiety. "Sister Xue, there’s a huge pervert wandering around our residential area... Yes, I got a clear look, he’s definitely a man... I don’t know how he got in, but he has this shifty, sneaky look... He keeps glancing all over the place, and his expression is so creepy, like some weird old man... Oh, okay, I’ll follow him discreetly from behind while I wait for you."
