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*****
Su Wen maintained that he was speaking the absolute truth. As for how it was interpreted, that was a matter of the Shangguan brothers' own cognitive limitations. Su Wen felt no need to explain the vast conceptual gap between them.
"The basic plan for the Academy," Su Wen began calmly, "is to disseminate cultivation theories and expand across the entire continent. Ideally, there should be a branch in every single city."
Shangguan Tianyang visibly relaxed. However, he kept his expression neutral, masking his relief with a look of feigned gravity as if considering the logistics on Su Wen's behalf. "Expanding across the entire continent is no easy feat. There are three or four hundred empires, if not a thousand, and as for cities—they are countless. Establishing an Academy in every single one..."
Su Wen waved his hand dismissively, acting as if it were a trivial matter.
"It's no issue. There are already academies all over the continent. My plan is to integrate the 'Academy' into the existing school system, consolidating the world's educational institutions to establish a unified academic framework. We will spread cultivation theories for the benefit of all Heavenly Jewel Masters."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Tianyang felt even more at ease. This is just a carbon copy of the Skill Storing Palace, he thought.
By cooperating with local powers, each city's Academy would inevitably be fragmented, becoming the private property of that specific locale. The title of "Academy Branch" would be nothing more than a label. Not only was this harmless, but it also allowed local factions to wrap themselves in the prestige of a Heavenly Emperor like Su Wen.
In other words, the basic infrastructure would go quite smoothly. The only "difficulty" was the sheer scale of opening so many locations. But even that wasn't truly hard. As for resistance?
Heh, Shangguan Tianyang thought, if a Heavenly Emperor wants to find a sense of purpose and do something big, who would be bored enough to offend him? It was just consolidating schools; whose interests would it actually hurt? Very few. At the very least, the interests of the Boundless Palace remained untouched.
The entire academy system seemed even "thinner" than the Skill Storing Palace; it looked like a vanity project designed solely to garner fame.
Su Wen observed Shangguan Tianyang's expression but offered no further explanation. I really am telling the truth, he thought. This is exactly what I plan to do. If the final result of the Academy isn't what you imagine, don't blame me for not being clear.
"Hearing you put it that way, the establishment of the Academy would indeed benefit the Heavenly Jewel Masters of the continent," Shangguan Tianyang remarked with a sigh. "With shared cultivation theories, who knows how many more geniuses the various academies might produce?"
Su Wen nodded. "Exactly. Academies are the initial cradle for a Heavenly Jewel Master's growth. It is vital to create an optimal cultivation environment through a comprehensive training mechanism."
Though Shangguan Tianyang's remark sounded like a mere observation, it was actually a probe. Su Wen's answer indirectly reassured the Palace Master: the Academy would consolidate the school system and share theories only to improve the environment—meaning it wouldn't interfere with where students went after graduation.
Satisfied, Shangguan Tianyang's expression grew warmer. Under this model, the Academy was indeed very similar to the Skill Storing Palace. It would provide convenience for cultivation across the continent, and once more Jewel Masters were produced, the major powers could simply swoop in and recruit the fresh blood.
It was acceptable. From the perspective of a major power, at least.
"The Boundless Palace can issue a formal statement supporting the construction of the Academy," Shangguan Tianyang agreed, though he only agreed to the surface-level proposal. "However, the official governments of the various empires may show some resistance. You will have to find your own way to deal with that."
A statement was just words; there would be no material aid. Of course, this was where the current trade ended. The Boundless Palace could certainly engage in deeper cooperation with the Academy later, but those details would not be part of the bargain for the "Attribute Expansion Method."
There were many potential profits in the construction of the Academy, much like the Pavilion or the Palace. While they lacked direct military deterrence, they were not without advantages. The benefits the Consolidating Equipment Pavilion brought to the Boundless Palace were clear: it made the management of Heavenly Jewel Island more effective and turned the Palace into the ultimate authority for Consolidating Equipment Masters. Combined with the natural advantage of occupying the island, the Pavilion had no choice but to depend on the Palace.
Could this not be seen as the Boundless Palace holding supreme authority over the entire profession? In fact, the Boundless Palace currently represented the pinnacle of achievement for all Consolidating Equipment Masters.
The Skill Storing Palace operated similarly. By cooperating with major powers early on, all other "disorganized" institutions for keeping Heavenly Beasts were eventually abolished, leaving the Skill Storing Palace as the sole provider. This brought massive dividends to the powers that had supported its inception.
The Academy would be no different. By cooperating early and taking a "stake" in its infancy, the major powers would be ready to "harvest the crop" once the Academy truly matured.
Su Wen saw through Shangguan Tianyang's thoughts with perfect clarity, but he didn't point it out, nor did he pass up the chance to cooperate.
Harvesting the crop? Su Wen thought. In your next life, maybe.
the development of the Academy would exceed everyone's expectations. On the day the "Academic Realm" opened—once the preliminary construction on the Boundless Mainland was complete—the Academy would truly become a Great Sacred Land in its own right.
Who said a Sacred Land needed a mountain gate? His Academy would be everywhere, belonging to no sect or faction, yet it would become the Sacred Land of the entire continent, reaping the worship and faith of every Heavenly Jewel Master.
With the terms of the Attribute Expansion trade successfully amended, Shangguan Tianyang grew curious about Su Wen's origins. A Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouse appearing out of thin air was a mystery that begged to be solved.
The brothers had already learned from Tang Xian about Su Wen's "re-cultivation." They truly admired his divine abilities. Whether the Attribute Expansion method was an innate talent or a developed technique was no longer the main point; the fact that he could use mental power to preserve his previous cultivation while discarding his Heavenly Energy to start over spoke volumes about his capability.
"I heard from my brother that you had some questions regarding the creation of a Consolidating Equipment Set," Shangguan Tianyang said. "Could I ask about the current state of your set?"
"My set..." Su Wen paused to think before giving his answer. "Actually, it's still in the conceptual stage. Every part of the set needs to be developed from scratch."
The Shangguan brothers were stunned. Good heavens, you're not just re-cultivating your energy. You're truly starting from zero.
"Developing an entire set from nothing..." Shangguan Tianyang took a deep breath. Even for a nine-piece set, the cost of developing it from scratch was astronomical.
What was this Su Wen thinking? The more Shangguan Tianyang learned, the less he felt he understood the man. He even began to wonder for a brief moment if the construction of the Academy was really as simple as it seemed on the surface. But he quickly dismissed the doubt.
"Surely you must have some ideas regarding the composition and desired effects of the set?"
(End of Chapter)