Inside the chapel, Li Yanxi pulled over a bench and sat on the lecture platform, holding an insulated tumbler. As a Swordsman, his back was straight and his posture impeccably upright.
Once the trainees had trickled in, he checked his wristwatch and said in a gentle yet resonant voice, "Class monitor, take roll call."
Xiahou Aotian rose slowly, clasping his hands behind his back in the manner of an immortal standing at the world's summit, looking down upon creation:
"Zhao Chenghuang, Sun Miaomiao..."
The trainees called upon complied with a "Here."
Xiahou Aotian deliberately put Yuanshi Tianzun last to give him a hard time, avenging yesterday's grudge over the four glasses of juice.
Once roll call concluded, Dean Li Yanxi smiled warmly and said, "In terms of combat, quite a few of the trainees seated here are probably stronger than me, right, Yuanshi Tianzun? But when it comes to theoretical knowledge, I am still qualified to be your instructor.
"Today's lecture covers the history of the Spirit Realm. Having advanced from Transcendent to Saint, you should all be intimately familiar with the Spirit Realm. Can any student tell me in what year the Spirit Realm appeared?"
His voice was warm and kindly, the sort of teacher who easily won the trainees' favor.
Just as Xiahou Aotian was about to speak and display his erudition as class monitor, he heard someone behind him answer:
"1912, the very year the Republic of China was founded."
The one who chimed in first was Zhu Mingxu. Resembling an idol trainee, the young man crossed his legs and leaned lazily against the backrest of his chair, the corners of his mouth curling into a wicked, suave smirk.
His grin was reminiscent of a certain pretty-boy idol who favored smoky eye makeup—well, a seasoned veteran by now.
Showing off his knowledge, Zhu Mingxu continued, "It has been a hundred and ten years since the birth of Spirit Realm walkers. But few people actually know that before Spirit Realm walkers appeared, ancient cultivators existed.
"They cultivated by drawing upon the spiritual power of heaven and earth. They had no stat panels and no dungeons, living unconstrained just like figures in xianxia novels. They possessed their own lineages of inheritance, and in terms of combat capability, they were even stronger than Spirit Realm walkers.
"Yet for reasons unknown, the spiritual power of heaven and earth grew thinner by the day, and each generation of cultivators was worse than the last. In the dungeons we encounter, the Transcendent stage corresponds to modern and Ming dynasty settings; Saints correspond to the Song and Tang dynasties; Dominators correspond to the Qin, Han, and Three Kingdoms periods, which reflects the ceiling of cultivators in those respective eras.
"By the late Ming, spiritual power was completely depleted. Ancient cultivators died off one after another, and their lineages were broken. For the next 276 years, there were no ancient cultivators at all until the Spirit Realm appeared.
"Oh, by the way, the Spirit Realm is divided into three major districts. The First Major District is overseas, opening twenty years earlier than ours, while the Third Major District has yet to open to this day."
Finishing his explanation, he smiled and asked, "Dean, is there anything you'd like to add?"
The official Saints voraciously chewed over and digested this knowledge.
They had only known that ancient cultivators once existed, and that after advancing to Saint, dungeon settings shifted to the Song dynasty, but they had never understood why.
Zhu Mingxu's words resolved many lingering questions in the official Saints' minds.
"As expected of someone from a prominent Spirit Realm clan, his knowledge is vast," the female Saint Xia Chaoxue sighed in admiration.
"That is a foundation unique to them," another Saint said enviously.
The dean unscrewed his insulated tumbler, took a sip, and said at an unhurried pace, "Very well put. But since you've said everything I was going to say, what am I supposed to teach?"
The trainees broke into laughter.
Zhu Mingxu shrugged, looking rather pleased with himself.
The dean chuckled and said, "Just as Trainee Zhu Mingxu mentioned, Dominator-grade dungeons correspond to the Qin, Han, and Three Kingdoms. Qinfeng Academy is a Dominator-grade dungeon. Anyone familiar with history should know that the Qin dynasty was associated with the Wood element in the Five Elements, which is why this place is also Baihui's faction dungeon.
"Qinfeng Academy was formerly the royal academy, preserving many records of Qin dynasty cultivators, catalogs of artifacts collected by the First Emperor, and more. Photocopies of those materials and catalogs will be distributed to everyone after class, so anyone interested may peruse them.
"Scholars who study Spirit Realm history have assigned titles to each dynasty based on the shifts in ancient cultivators' strength: Immortal Qin, Divine Han, Saint Tang, Dao Song, and Martial Ming.
"Immortal Qin was characterized by the Hundred Schools of Thought, where Dominators and demigods actively entered politics, promoted their own doctrines and philosophies, and took part in the struggles between states. The Hundred Schools of Thought was the most splendid era, but also the most chaotic.
"By the Han dynasty, cultivators were completely integrated into the state apparatus, being invested as kings and appointed as generals, commanding armies, and administering state affairs. Military might reached a pinnacle. Every other dynasty perished in weakness; only the Han fell while still at its peak of strength. That is why it is called Divine Han.
"By the Tang dynasty, as spiritual power depleted, demigods vanished, and the number of Dominators plummeted, Saints became the pillar of society, which is why it is called Saint Tang. Here I must correct Trainee Zhu Mingxu: the ceiling of Tang dynasty dungeons is Dominator, not Saint.
"Furthermore, Tang dynasty cultivators were also part of the state system, forging a glorious empire."
The old dean unscrewed his tumbler again and took a sip, giving the trainees time to absorb the information.
Putting the cap back on, he continued slowly, "After the fall of the Tang dynasty, the Central Plains fractured and underwent sixty years of chaos. Cultivators went into seclusion one after another, establishing numerous sects. From then on, cultivators shifted from the imperial court to the martial world, and Dao Song arose, with orthodox and demonic sects standing in great numbers."
*I actually know this part of history quite well. As an imperial princess, the old crone only began cultivating after entering an immortal sect...* Zhang Yuanqing nodded inwardly as he listened.
The trainees listened enraptured; this was knowledge they had never heard or encountered before.
It truly lived up to its reputation as an advanced research class cultivating the backbone of the official faction.
Brother Red Chicken raised his hand, interrupting loudly, "Then why are there no Yuan dynasty dungeons?"
The old dean smiled and said, "Don't rush, we'll get to that shortly. After going through the history of ancient cultivators, let us discuss the Mythological Era. In fact, the myths handed down to this day are simply another history of ancient cultivators.
"In the primordial era when human civilization was just dawning, cultivators already existed. In the eyes of mortals, they were like gods possessing unfathomable might.
"At present, the only mythological figure who has been confirmed is Empress Wa."
Hearing that name, Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted. He raised his hand and asked, "How was she confirmed?"
Dean Li Yanxi explained, "When the First Elder of Baihui cleared Qinfeng Academy, he obtained an item called the 'Embrace of Nuwa.' According to the item's attribute description, it was a magical artifact forged by Empress Wa and belonged to the Musician profession.
"After thorough analysis and research by official scholars, alongside numerous gathered clues and pieces of evidence, it has basically been confirmed that this ancient cultivator was indeed the legendary Nuwa of mythology."
*The Embrace of Nuwa was obtained in Qinfeng Academy, which is a Qin dynasty dungeon—the academy within the First Emperor's palace. That means the First Emperor held certain clues regarding Empress Wa, and it was precisely based on these clues that he confirmed there was a supreme treasure in Takamagahara...*
*So behind the stone gate, there really is something related to Takamagahara's Bronze Sacred Tree—something Xu Fu longed for, but the First Emperor sealed away...*
Piecing together these known clues, Zhang Yuanqing was entirely certain that behind the stone gate lay the key to unlocking the secrets of Takamagahara.
At that moment, Xiahou Aotian asked, "Mythological legends contain countless figures, most of whom are fabricated. Dean, how does one distinguish between authentic myths and false ones?"
At this moment, the protagonist showed none of his usual grandiose, pretentious posturing; he looked more like a top scholar immersed in academic inquiry.
And an exceptionally handsome one at that.
Li Yanxi did not rush to reply. He unscrewed the tumbler's lid, drank some water to moisten his throat, and said slowly, "Deities related to Daoism and Buddhism are all fabricated. Unsystematic myths possess higher credibility. Daoism as a religion budded in the Eastern Han, while Daoist philosophy originated in the Warring States period—eras that corresponded to Immortal Qin and Divine Han. Consequently, the gods and immortals of religious Daoism are entirely fictional. Buddhism goes without saying.
"Myths found in literary classics are also false, purely invented. Once you filter those out, looking at the mythological systems that remain, there actually aren't that many; they are simply disorganized."
Xiahou Aotian nodded, indicating he understood.
While the rest of the room was still lost in thought, Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand and asked, "I've heard that among myths, those of the First Major District, and even Norse mythology—which is suspected to belong to the unopened Third Major District—are exceptionally intact. Only the myths of our Second Major District are a patchwork of fragments lacking any system. Why is that?"
Li Yanxi immediately looked at him with newfound respect. Without a certain level of insight and a deep grasp of Spirit Realm history, one could not ask such a question.
*Norse mythology belongs to the unopened Third Major District?*
Everyone was startled.
Several Saints from prominent Spirit Realm clans, along with Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang, could not help but turn their gazes toward Yuanshi Tianzun.
Even they had not known this, having never heard their elders mention it.
"The current prevailing theory is that in ancient times, our Second Major District suffered a great catastrophe—or perhaps more than one. In any case, catastrophe fractured our civilization, which is why our myths and legends became so disordered," Li Yanxi said. "As for what that great catastrophe was, no one knows."
Having answered Yuanshi Tianzun's question, he paused for a few seconds. Seeing that no one else had questions, he continued the lecture:
"Having covered ancient history, let us discuss the history following the birth of the Spirit Realm. At the beginning of the Republic of China, the first generation of Spirit Realm walkers emerged. Back then, there were few Spirit Realm walkers, no dungeon guides, and no knowledge of the Spirit Realm. Everything had to be explored blindly, resulting in an extraordinarily high mortality rate. For a long time, our predecessors remained stalled at the Transcendent stage.
"It was a time of national turmoil, when the land was plunging into ruin and the people suffered bitterly. To protect their homes and kin, many Spirit Realm walkers had no choice but to kill enemy soldiers. This caused their merit points to fall below the red line, making them wanted fugitives of the Spirit Realm. As an aside, during wartime, killing enemy troops is not considered punishing evil and promoting good; it is treated as slaughtering ordinary humans.
"At that time, Spirit Realm walkers of the First Major District had already developed for twenty years. While Dominators were rare, they had plenty of Saints. By hunting our Spirit Realm walkers, they reaped tremendous rewards.
"The reason Heaven's Punishment is so dominant today is entirely due to the foundation laid back then—glory built upon the corpses of our forebears. During those two or three decades, native Spirit Realm walkers, whether orthodox or evil, were killed off as soon as they arose. Neither numbers nor levels could accumulate.
"It was not until the end of World War II, when peace returned to the world, that nearly a century of accumulation allowed our numbers to reach the scale we see today."
As the dean recounted the story, a tapestry steeped in blood and fire seemed to unfurl before everyone's eyes.
The pioneers had indeed faced tremendous hardship!
Li Yanxi gave everyone thirty seconds to process the information, then said, "Next is the focal point of today's lesson. In the study of Spirit Realm history, four great enigmas remain unsolved to this day."
He paused for dramatic effect, and seeing the trainees prick up their ears with rapt attention, he said slowly:
"First, the cause of the depletion of spiritual power. Second, why the Spirit Realm contains no dungeons set during eras of wartime chaos. Third, the reason the Third Major District remains unopened. Fourth, how the Spirit Realm was born.
"For a hundred and ten years, countless Spirit Realm scholars have dedicated themselves to cracking these four enigmas, but none have succeeded. They remain unsolved mysteries."
He glanced across Zhu Mingxu, Liu Yushu, Zhao Feiwen, Sun Miaomiao, and the other trainees of prominent lineage, smiling as he asked, "You all come from formidable backgrounds. Have the elders in your families ever mentioned these topics? Bring them out so we can discuss them together. Knowledge only fulfills its value through dissemination and debate."
The trainees turned expectant eyes toward the scions of the prominent clans.
Zhao Feiwen frowned. "I heard from clan elders that the depletion of spiritual power might simply be resource exhaustion."
Xiahou Aotian scoffed, "Foolish. If that were the case, where does the spiritual power we use come from?"
Liu Yushu pondered for a moment before speaking: "The elders of my family once put forward a theory: the Spirit Realm was artificially created. Whether it's the stat panels, Morality Points, dungeons, or item attributes, they all possess strong game-like qualities with heavy traces of artificial design, far from being supernatural phenomena.
"They believe the entity that created the Spirit Realm was an extraterrestrial civilization."
This was purely an exercise in wild imagination, lacking any evidence.
"Anything else?" The dean looked somewhat disappointed; these answers clearly had not satisfied him.
He had thought these scions from renowned families might offer some unique insights, even if unconventional.
As it turned out, their understanding of these matters was rather shallow, barely better than that of the grassroots trainees.
Perhaps their clan elders felt there was little point in discussing unsolved mysteries with the younger generation.
"Even as class monitor, I cannot answer such questions." Xiahou Aotian suddenly recalled how Yuanshi Tianzun had fleeced him of money yesterday. A spark of inspiration struck, and he immediately decided to follow suit, calling out:
"Dean, why not ask Yuanshi Tianzun? He possesses profound attainments in Spirit Realm history."
Li Yanxi promptly looked toward Yuanshi Tianzun, smiling. "Then let us hear what our genius has to say."
The trainees from the Spirit Realm clans curled their lips. A grassroots Spirit Realm walker like Yuanshi Tianzun had no clan elders to guide him and no family heritage; it was impossible for him to possess information beyond his level.
However, official Saints like Peony Fairy and Niulanshan Little Fairy looked at Yuanshi Tianzun with eager anticipation.
They had watched Yuanshi Tianzun rise—on the forums.
They had seen him step-by-step ascend to legend, pulling off one mythical feat after another.
Consequently, the official walkers held a blind faith in Yuanshi Tianzun.
Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment, then responded clearly, "Aside from the second unsolved enigma, I actually know a bit about the other three. However, these are not matters that can be discussed openly."
*He actually knows? He must be bluffing!*
Zhao Feiwen and the others wore looks of utter disbelief.
The other trainees grew intensely interested, their eyes lighting up all at once.
Dean Li Yanxi showed a flicker of surprise, suppressing the delight in his heart as he murmured, "Even related clues would be priceless, and indeed unsuitable to share openly... What are your conditions?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied immediately:
"Pay tuition. One million per person. Write an IOU, to be paid once we exit the dungeon. Anyone who doesn't wish to listen may step outside."
Even the protagonist Xiahou Aotian was dumbfounded, thinking to himself: *Why didn't I think of this way to make money?*
Then, he realized with sorrow that he was about to be fleeced of another fortune by Yuanshi Tianzun.
Because he desperately wanted to stay and listen.
Chapter 422