Chapter 60: Opening Day
Though Heavenly Path Advanced Soul Academy was new, its popularity rivaled that of long established institutions. The first round of admissions attracted 413 students for its general training track a number equivalent to several grades combined at most other advanced academies. The students came from both noble and common backgrounds, each boasting a soul power level of at least 20. Among them were some lower ranked nobles; however, most prominent families already had training environments superior to many high level academies, so they opted to keep their heirs at home.
Still, both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, owing Ye Wen a favor, sent a few less prized branch family members, all of whom carried their sect's legacy martial soul, which helped maintain a respectable showing. As for Spirit Hall, they had the most prestigious academies on the continent and wouldn't send students elsewhere for training. Nonetheless, they presented Ye Wen with a generous opening gift: a million gold soul coins.
Not to be outdone, the two great empires each matched Spirit Hall's contribution with their own million coin donations. It seemed these additional gifts were last minute additions, perhaps to avoid being overshadowed by Spirit Hall's display. Although the combined 3 million coins resolved immediate liquidity needs for the academy, Ye Wen found himself slightly disappointed; he had hoped one of the powers might have gone as far as offering a rare ten thousand year spirit bone as a gift. Even the most basic ten thousand year spirit bone could fetch millions at auction. Though Ye Wen personally had no need for one, it would have been a great asset for fortifying his disciples' talents.
That said, Ye Wen had already found a steady revenue stream. While commoners didn't have much money individually, the cumulative demand for basic medications created a huge market. Through the sale of effective medicinal cures targeted treatments for ailments that resolved most common health issues without requiring elaborate medical skills Ye Wen could address the majority of basic medical needs for the average person.
Handling production and distribution at scale would, however, require substantial resources, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the ideal partner for this. With a technology based partnership, they took responsibility for manufacturing and sales, with Ye Wen retaining a ten percent share of profits a substantial sum. Calculations suggested this alone would generate an annual income of around 600,000 to 700,000 gold soul coins.
With the academy's main funding needs covered, Ye Wen allocated the 3 million donated coins towards rare metals as a reserve for researching soul tools.
As for the risk of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect profiting too much from his formula? Ye Wen had little to fear in this feudal era, where reputation was everything. Unlike in a capitalist society, where legal loopholes provided opportunities for exploitation, the feudal system demanded trustworthiness to maintain alliances. For a sect like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, which thrived as an auxiliary soul sect, fairness was paramount exploiting partners could ruin their credibility permanently.
Meanwhile, recruiting students for the second track the Special Variant Martial Soul category yielded three unique cases. Each student had strange martial souls and met the academy's entry requirements:
Fang Qiaoqiao: Age seven, Black Shadow martial soul, innate soul power level six, current soul power level ten.
Bisi: Age fifteen, Mist Sprite martial soul, innate soul power level six, current soul power level twenty five.
Kong Hua: Age eight, Scroll martial soul, innate soul power level five, current soul power level ten.
All three were local children. Bisi, who came from a relatively well off family, had managed to acquire two hundred year spirit rings despite being unable to progress meaningfully due to the unusual nature of his martial soul, prompting his family to enroll him in hopes of benefiting from Ye Wen's expertise.
The other two children came from humble backgrounds. Their families had refrained from hastily granting them spirit rings, as they were uncertain how to channel the unusual powers of their martial souls. However, in Ye Wen's eyes, their cases weren't so complicated his knowledge surpassed what the times had to offer. Although martial soul mutation cases were rare and sometimes resulted in entirely new, superior versions of a martial soul, he surmised that only a handful of those who had innate soul power were akin to Yu Xiaogang, whose cases required intricate knowledge and resources to correct.
Additionally, given the high rate of illiteracy among commoners, few even understood his recruitment announcements, making it understandable that only three students qualified. With Fang Qiaoqiao and Kong Hua still young, they held promise similar to Ye Wen's own disciples. As for Bisi, his potential was limited. His initial two rings might soon be obsolete, and while he might reach Soul Sage level, his chances of becoming a Soul Douluo without significant breakthroughs were slim. At his age, his soul power was still only at twenty five, suggesting a lack of discipline that further decreased his future prospects.
The three special students attended general classes alongside the others, though Ye Wen provided them with individual guidance. Although Ye Wen was not particularly interested in studying martial soul mutations, he sought to discover any hidden talent who had gone unrecognized.
Finally, Ye Wen welcomed his new team of eleven instructors, though recruitment had been challenging given his precise requirements. Among the newly hired staff were three highly skilled gravity aligned soul masters: Niu Sanshi, a level 65 Earth Barbarian Bull; Tie Man, a level 68 Ironclad Rhinoceros; and Lu Feng, a level 78 Taipan Rock Python Soul Saint and an old friend of Dugu Bo. To Lu Feng's surprise, Ye Wen's extensive knowledge and teaching methods earned his respect, and he accepted a position as the academy's director of training.
In addition to these specialists, he recruited a rare, self taught Soul King healer, Fang Fei, who possessed the 53rd ranked Linglong Flower martial soul, ideal for healing. Fang Fei's skill allowed her to use her fifth skill, Fragrant Healing, to alleviate injuries and replenish energy across a 200 meter radius up to three times a day. Ye Wen predicted that, under the influence of Ah Yin's domain, both her range and potency would likely increase.
Although Ye Wen's aim was twenty teachers, eleven still met his needs and expectations. Most of these teachers were accompanied by their children, young apprentices whose initial potential averaged five or more in innate soul power. Helping to test their attributes and chart their training path, Ye Wen organized opening day festivities that would set his academy apart.
Ye Wen's inaugural event for the new school attracted several distinguished guests, including representatives from both the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, as well as Spirit Hall itself. The academy was bustling with the energy and promise of new beginnings.
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