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*****
"No, even with me holding the fort, we may not necessarily withstand the pressure from the Five Great Holy Lands."
Long Shiya's reputation was immense; even the masters of the Holy Lands, such as the strongest among them, Snow God Mountain's Xue Aotian, had to show him respect. However, this didn't mean he could act with impunity. If you are a rogue cultivator—a powerhouse of equal standing—they respect you and avoid conflict. But if you try to establish a Holy Land, destined to contend for their resources and influence, they will not grant you any face.
What truly made others wary of Long Shiya was his status as a rogue cultivator; having no attachments made his deterrent power immense. Once he had attachments—a faction of his own—he would develop weaknesses, losing the greatest advantage of being a rogue. Yet, by losing that advantage and the deterrent power that came with it, Long Shiya would still face the pressure of the Five Holy Lands while inheriting the "poverty" typical of rogue cultivators.
Hmm, rogue cultivators have advantages—great deterrence—but they also have disadvantages: they are broke. Compared to powerhouses of the same level, Long Shiya was the poorest among the Heaven Emperors. Any family fortune he could scrape together to build a faction would be trivial. At this point, Long Shiya really only had the deterrent power brought about by his personal strength.
Long Shiya pondered Su Wen's source of confidence. Unfortunately, he could never have guessed the existence of the "Academic Realm" (Xuejie). Still, as a nascent faction with such a clearly defined goal, the Academy did indeed have the potential to become a Holy Land. Moreover, according to the Academy's tenets, it would not seize too many resources or interests from the Five Great Holy Lands, which was a major prerequisite for its potential to develop into a sixth Holy Land.
With his addition as a peak Heaven Emperor, as long as the Five Great Holy Lands were convinced of the Academy's sincerity—that it would not cause substantial damage to their interests—the establishment of the Academy would have a genuine opportunity to succeed.
Long Shiya pondered for a long time before finally giving his answer. "This old man can join, but you must explain the development plan of the Academy to me." His tone was heavy. He did not want to become a mere hired gun, unaware of any plans, only for Su Wen to run away when trouble arose, leaving Long Shiya to deal with a mountain of enemies. That would be a disastrous loss.
"That is only natural. The development of the Academy is actually not difficult." Seeing Long Shiya agree, Su Wen dropped his guard. Long Shiya could not be described as a person of perfect character, but he was at least a man of principle. Since he chose to join, aiming to forge the Academy into a Holy Land, the greater the hope of that success, the less likely he would be to leave.
"The first step in the Academy's development is to announce it to the world. That won't take long. I will announce it before the finals of the Heavenly Bead Tournament. The Haomiao Palace will come forward to support us. At the same time, the Haomiao Palace has notified the other four Holy Lands. They have all dispatched emissaries to announce the establishment of the Academy to all colleges. Simultaneously, the five major branches—which can be called the headquarters—will be announced, each built within the territory of the Five Great Holy Lands."
Long Shiya frowned as he listened to the plan, raising his right hand to interrupt. "The more dispersed you are, the harder it is to guarantee the Academy's integrity. Doing this might speed up the initial formation, but it will make the final steps incredibly difficult!" The more the Academy rushed to become a great power just to earn a name for itself, the more fragile it would be. Long Shiya looked at Su Wen, hoping for a reasonable explanation.
"Emperor, please look." Su Wen felt no dissatisfaction at the questioning; instead, he smiled faintly, revealing the wonders of the Academic Realm to Long Shiya.
"Oh?" Long Shiya looked at the seal gradually coalescing in Su Wen's palm with curiosity. "What is this?"
"This is the Heavenly Bead Seal."
"The Heavenly Bead Seal? What use does it have?"
Su Wen handed the seal to Long Shiya and invited him to inject his Heavenly Power into it to test it out. Long Shiya did not hesitate. As soon as he channeled his power, he felt his consciousness being drawn into an illusion.
It was an illusion—that was something Long Shiya felt clearly. Su Wen did not hide anything, allowing Long Shiya to perceive the essence of the Academic Realm clearly.
Half an hour later, Long Shiya stood there, dumbfounded, unable to believe the novel experience he had just undergone. He had experienced illusions before and had even been dragged into them by opponents during combat, but he had never imagined they could be utilized in such a way.
"This is the Academic Realm," Su Wen explained beside him. "Anyone holding a Heavenly Bead Seal can actively enter. Within the Academic Realm, there are numerous cultivation techniques and a place for exchange, providing a 'second world' for all Heavenly Bead Masters—or even ordinary Intent Bead Masters and Body Bead Masters."
"You've experienced it yourself: spatial distance is not an issue. Communication happens in an instant. While the Academic Realm is 'illusory,' much of it is real. At the very least, I can guarantee that it can simulate the capabilities of any body under the Heavenly King level with one hundred percent accuracy."
Long Shiya took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart. The existence and utility of the Academic Realm had given him a profound realization regarding the Academy's future prospects. Without the Academic Realm, the Academy's future was almost invisible, and Long Shiya himself could not think of any way to prevent it from fragmenting. But the existence of the Academic Realm directly solved this problem.
Long Shiya asked a question, needing to hear the answer from Su Wen directly: "What is the scope of coverage for the Academic Realm?" This was the most important question.
"Using the five branches of the Holy Lands as bases, the Academic Realm can radiate across the entire continent, and there will be no issues covering the surrounding seas," Su Wen said calmly. "The realm you entered just now was only one I opened temporarily; its radiation range was only about the size of Zhongtian City."
Long Shiya took another deep breath, the shock in his eyes flickering unceasingly. Hearing the confirmation from Su Wen, his shock knew no bounds. Such means were unheard of. Covering the entire continent.
"Once the five branches are established and the Academic Realm is opened, I will subsequently open branch academies in every major city. Unless half of the academies across the continent are destroyed, the Academic Realm will not be affected. Even if all branches within a specific empire are destroyed, as long as one holds the Heavenly Bead Seal, they can connect to the Academic Realm from the deepest parts of the empire."
Su Wen delivered the final shot of adrenaline to Long Shiya. True enough, Long Shiya was invigorated, filled with anticipation for the Academy's future. He was now brimming with energy!
(End of Chapter)