Chapter 176: Zhongli Tianyu

Inside the wooden cabin on Mount Chicheng, Chen Mobai sat on a futon. In front of him, on the floor, lay the 20 spirit stones he had earned from two days of chopping wood. He felt how arduous it had been.

Nevertheless, chopping wood was indeed a path to wealth. This was from selling to Liu Wenbai; if he had sold to Yu Lian instead, the earnings would have been double. However, Chen Mobai remembered Liu Wenbai's favor of giving him the Scripture of Eternal Life, so he still gave the Scarlet Sun firewood to him. After this incident, their friendship deepened considerably.

"I now have 50 spirit stones," Chen Mobai murmured to himself. "Unfortunately, I'm still quite a bit short of the 90 stones needed to cultivate the Twin-Yang Body. But these stones are enough to last half a year. Should I start trying now?"

Ultimately, however, he decided to consult with a teacher from the Wuqi Dao Academy before proceeding. Although he possessed the Turtle Shell, a supreme treasure that allowed him to travel freely between two realms, Chen Mobai increasingly felt his energy was limited and he could no longer manage what he considered the best plan. He even wondered if he should abandon the Scripture of Eternal Life and the Twin-Phase Art, focusing solely on cultivating the Pure Yang Scroll. He hoped to find a teacher after the academy started who could answer his lingering questions.

Amidst these swirling thoughts, Chen Mobai finally managed a rare night's sleep.

Early the next morning, Chen Mobai left his wooden cabin, a small backpack on his back, and walked onto the mountain path heading towards Wuqi Dao Academy.

"Huh!" A familiar voice came from behind him, and Chen Mobai turned his head to look. He saw a girl with delicate features, slightly curly long hair, wearing a white shirt and light-colored jacket, with tight jeans outlining a perfect waist and hip curve. She was standing on a floating skateboard; it was Meng Huanger.

"What are you doing here? Morning run?" She took off her headphones and raised a hand to greet Chen Mobai.

"I've been used to sleeping alone since I was little, so I rented a place outside," Chen Mobai explained. He gave a reason, but to avoid misunderstanding, he didn't mention that his cabin was in the gully below her villa.

"Really? Well, I'm off then. Don't be late!" Meng Huanger didn't suspect anything else. She channeled her spiritual energy into the skateboard beneath her feet, put her headphones back on, and instantly glided past Chen Mobai, floating along the winding mountain path.

"That's a nice skateboard. Maybe I should get one too." Chen Mobai pulled out his phone and searched for similar products on the Immortal Gate Network, finding a range of prices. He tapped to sort by price, and the most expensive item was exactly what Meng Huanger had been riding: 880,000 merit points.

He gasped sharply. What kind of item dared to be sold for so much? Chen Mobai clicked on it to see. Oh, it turned out to be a Tier 2 magic artifact. Its core was a piece of Earth Magnetite, allowing it to float and fly freely along various terrains, lakes, and mountains, as long as it was within the Earth Yuan Star's magnetic field. Watching Meng Huanger only float along the mountain path earlier, he had thought its function was simple. He hadn't realized she was just obeying traffic rules, not crossing mountains and ridges.

If he took this item to the Tianhe Realm, Chen Mobai could sell it for 888 spirit stones. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford it, and it was a Tier 2 magic artifact specifically designed for Earth Yuan Star's magnetic field; it would likely be useless in the Tianhe Realm.

He checked the time, feeling he might be late, and immediately affixed two Swift-Travel Talismans.

"Hey." Half an hour later, Chen Mobai caught up with Meng Huanger at the foot of Wuqi Dao Academy and greeted her.

"Why don't you go on ahead?" Meng Huanger hesitated, seemingly concerned she might disturb Chen Mobai's peace at school, and quietly offered the suggestion.

"Alright, I'll go reserve a seat for you in the auditorium then." Chen Mobai, however, misunderstood, thinking Meng Huanger might have something to do. Taking advantage of the lingering effects of the Swift-Travel Talismans, he leaped lightly, instantly covering a dozen steps. After six or seven such bounds, he arrived at the stone platform of the new student reception area, where he had last spoken with Qu Hongyu and Meng Mu. However, the place was already empty.

Following the arrows marked throughout Mount Chicheng, Chen Mobai finally reached a domed auditorium on the mountainside after climbing nearly a thousand steps. There was someone at the entrance to greet him, and after he scanned his student ID, he was allowed inside.

Chen Mobai found a seat in a back corner, continuing to browse magic artifacts similar to the magnetic skateboard on his phone, while also keeping an eye on the entrance for Meng Huanger. However, he waited until the academy's leader took the stage to begin their speech, but Meng Huanger still hadn't appeared.

"What's going on?" He wanted to ask, but then remembered he hadn't added her as a friend.

"Alright, I'm done speaking. Now, let's invite this year's new student representative to the stage." The Wuqi Dao Academy leader's speech was so concise and direct that Chen Mobai hadn't even fully registered it before they stepped off the stage.

The new student representative was a short boy with straight bangs covering his eyes. His opening words, however, left everyone seated below somewhat flustered.

"My name is Zhongli Tianyu."

"My first choice was originally Kunpeng Dao Academy, and I had already been admitted."

"But after my aptitude was assessed, they said I was more suited to cultivate the *Cantong Qi* than the *Six Imperial Scriptures*, so I had no choice but to come here."

"That's all. Done!" After speaking, he walked straight off the stage and returned to his seat in the first row.

Chen Mobai had only one thought. This person was incredibly arrogant. Not just him, but all the new students attending the opening ceremony in the entire auditorium, and even the senior students who had been there for several years, looked at the seated Zhongli Tianyu with indignation.

"Is he the monster who already achieved Foundation Establishment before enrolling?"

"Yes, the Zhongli clan of the Grand Profound Cave Heaven. After all, they are blood descendants of a Soul Transformation Patriarch."

"No wonder he's so arrogant. He certainly has the backing for it."

After hearing these words, Chen Mobai felt it all made sense. If he had that background and had already achieved Foundation Establishment, he'd probably be even more arrogant than this kid.

"Next, let's invite our student representative to the stage..."

Chen Mobai simply went through the motions for the series of ceremonies that followed. He had expected the opening ceremony of the Four Great Dao Academies to be somewhat novel, but it was no different from high school.

After the opening ceremony ended, he still hadn't seen Meng Huanger. Just as he was about to leave, an unfamiliar call came in. After a moment's hesitation, Chen Mobai answered.

"Hello, I'm a teaching assistant at the academy. Since your mentor, True Person Shaoyang, is currently in secluded cultivation, I will temporarily guide your cultivation to avoid affecting your studies. Do you have time now?"

"Yes, I do."

"Great, please come to the principal's office in the teaching building on the mountaintop. I'll be waiting for you there."

After the call ended, Chen Mobai suddenly realized something. The principal's office! Aren't the principals of the Four Great Dao Academies all Nascent Soul Venerables? Why would they choose this place to meet?