Chapter 68: Then I'll Send Him to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute
[Ding, host's first disciple has broken through a minor realm. Reward: twenty years of cultivation.]
[Ding, host's second disciple has broken through a minor realm. Reward: twenty years of cultivation.]
[…]
In the main courtyard of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute.
For the past half-month, Chu Feng had been in a great mood. His three disciples—Xiao Chen, Cao Youqian, and Qin Qin—had brought him a total of fifty years' worth of cultivation.
In short, he was thoroughly delighted.
After brewing himself a nice cup of tea, he lay back leisurely on a rattan chair, basking in the sunlight.
After finishing his tea, Chu Feng muttered to himself, "Time to find a new hobby."
After some deep thought, he suddenly remembered—he hadn't tried fishing yet.
No, to be precise, in his past life he only ever fished for beauties by the sea.
He had never fished in a river before.
It was time to experience the joy of being a fisherman.
'I wonder if Emperor He Qiang has gone home?'
Chu Feng went to the storeroom of the Miscellaneous Dao Institute to rummage for fishing gear. After a while, he found an old, dust-covered set of equipment.
After giving it a good wipe down,
Chu Feng grabbed the fishing rod, planning to dig up some worms in the mountains before heading to the stream under the waterfall for some peaceful fishing.
Just as Chu Feng was about to begin his leisurely life—
Outside the Wendao Academy.
A chubby young boy with pale skin and a face far too mature for his age stood curiously in front of the academy gate.
"So this is Wendao Academy? Grandpa said that once I get in, I'll be able to eat all kinds of delicious food every day."
Thinking of that, the chubby boy's mouth curled into a sinister smile as he headed for the main gate.
"Stop right there!"
Two disciples guarding the Wendao Academy gate quickly blocked the boy's path.
"What do you want?"
The chubby boy smiled and said, "Big brothers, I'm here to become a disciple."
"Scram! Get lost! Our Wendao Academy isn't some place any random stray cat or dog can just walk into."
One of the disciples snapped impatiently.
He had seen this kind of situation countless times and had long lost all patience for it.
The chubby boy wasn't angered by the response. He fished around in his pocket and eventually pulled out an ancient-looking token.
"But my grandpa said, as long as I have this token, Wendao Academy will accept me as a disciple."
The two disciples were stunned the moment they saw the token and exclaimed in unison:
"The Wendao Token—how do you have something like that?!"
The chubby boy didn't answer their question, speaking instead with a hint of arrogance.
"So, can I become a disciple or not?"
Though these two were merely outer disciples of the External Affairs Institute,
they had been in Wendao Academy long enough to know a thing or two.
Those who possessed a Wendao Token were all descendants of powerful figures from the academy's past.
Only figures at the level of Head Seat or higher had the right to possess one.
And anyone who could become a Head Seat—
even after leaving Wendao Academy, would be a ruler in their own right.
Thus, the two dared not be careless.
One of the disciples said, "Junior Brother, it was our mistake just now for not recognizing you. Please wait a moment while we go report this."
"Hurry up."
The chubby boy didn't mind their earlier attitude and continued to fiddle with the Wendao Token in his hand.
After a short while, Deacon Bai from the External Affairs Institute arrived at the gate and brought the chubby boy into Wendao Academy.
Deacon Bai asked, "Little brother, what's your name?"
"I'm Wang Baole."
The chubby boy replied cheerfully with a beaming smile.
"Good name."
Deacon Bai complimented him, though in his mind, he was quickly trying to recall any powerful figure with the surname Wang in Wendao Academy's history who might have passed down a token.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall such a person.
The most crucial part was—this kid was only at the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm, not even qualified to pass the basic threshold to enter Wendao Academy.
He then asked, "Who gave you this token?"
"My grandpa."
The chubby boy chuckled as he answered.
Deacon Bai continued, "And what's your grandpa's name?"
"I don't know. Grandpa is just Grandpa."
The chubby boy's response was blunt and straightforward.
Deacon Bai was momentarily at a loss.
He could only follow procedure and test whether the boy's bloodline matched the original owner of the Wendao Token. If there was no match, he'd have to expel the boy from the academy.
After all, Wendao Academy didn't just recognize the token—it had to be backed by bloodline.
Only if both the token and the bloodline matched would Wendao Academy accept a new disciple.
Of course, if the token's original owner brought someone in person to exchange the token for a disciple slot, that was also acceptable.
But a titled lord wouldn't usually bother with such things.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the External Affairs Institute.
Deacon Bai followed the procedure and arranged for the boy to undergo the bloodline test. Then he added an extra meal for the boy while waiting for the results.
The results came out quickly.
Elder Zhang from the External Affairs Institute sighed, "I didn't expect this boy to be a descendant of the former Half-Saint Heavenly Blade."
"But I remember the Heavenly Blade Half-Saint's surname was Mo. How do we have a descendant with the surname Wang?"
Deacon Bai responded, "Elder Uncle, who cares if the boy's surname is Wang or Mo?
Since he meets the academy's rules, we should accept him into Wendao Academy.
Anyway, it's not our External Affairs Institute's headache."
"Hmm."
Elder Zhang nodded slightly. "You're right. Our Wendao Academy's rules can't be broken. Go draft a note and send it to the Eight Institutes. See if any of them are willing to take this boy in."
"If no one wants him, just send him to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute and let Chu Feng deal with him."
Deacon Bai said, "Why not just send him directly to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute? Save the trouble."
Elder Zhang replied impatiently, "If you want to save yourself the trouble, take this boy to the Registrar's Office and let the outer elders of the Eight Institutes choose.
That way, those fellows won't come bothering me later."
Upon hearing that, Deacon Bai glanced at the courtyard where the chubby boy was happily gnawing on a pig's trotter, grease covering his mouth, and asked in disbelief:
"Elder Uncle, you don't actually think Chief Chu could train this chubby boy to be like Senior Brother Cao, do you?"
Elder Zhang shook his head. "Of course not. But this kid has Half-Saint blood, after all. Even if he doesn't awaken a Saint Physique, awakening a Royal Physique would still be highly coveted."
Deacon Bai flattered him, "Elder Uncle is truly wise."
Half an hour later.
The outer elders of all Eight Institutes gathered outside the Registrar's Office.
After thoroughly examining the chubby boy, who was only at the Body Tempering Realm, they all turned their gazes toward Deacon Bai.
Everyone had the urge to give him a good scolding.
Seeing their unfriendly expressions, Deacon Bai asked, "Everyone, which of your institutes is willing to take Junior Brother Wang into the fold?"
Silence.
All the outer elders present remained silent for a long time.
As if already expecting this reaction, Deacon Bai said, "Since no one's willing to accept him, then I'll just send him to the Miscellaneous Dao Institute?"
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