Chapter 573: Long Life Academy

“Master, isn't this too expensive? Foundation Establishment Pills auctioned at the Baose Market usually go for just over ten thousand spiritual stones. A set of third-tier immortal's cave for one hundred thousand spiritual stones, even with a guaranteed Foundation Establishment Pill, seems like a loss no matter how you compare it. O'Yun couldn't imagine who would buy a third-tier immortal's cave for this reason.”

“Do you know about the Immortal Ascension Token?” Chen Mobai asked with a smile. O'Yun, known for his extensive knowledge within the sect, pondered for a moment before recalling something he had read in an Eastern Realm miscellany.

O'Yun replied, “Those are tokens granted by the Holy Lands of the Eastern Lands to disciples who have made great contributions. As long as their descendants possess spiritual roots, they can use the Immortal Ascension Token to enter a Holy Land and are guaranteed a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

Chen Mobai said, “Exactly. This third-tier immortal's cave is like an Immortal Ascension Token issued by our Divine Wood Sect. Anyone who purchases it can, within the two-cycle property rights period, use the proof of purchase to enter our Divine Wood Sect and receive a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

O'Yun questioned, “But why would someone who can afford one hundred thousand spiritual stones for a third-tier immortal's cave not just go to Baose Market and directly bid for a Foundation Establishment Pill for a mere ten thousand spiritual stones?” O'Yun felt his mind couldn't keep up with Chen Mobai's reasoning; he couldn't quite grasp it.

Chen Mobai explained, “This third-tier immortal's cave is a fallback for cultivation families. After all, no one can guarantee that their family will always have Foundation Establishment cultivators. If, in the future, their Foundation Establishment lineage is broken, their family's vast assets will be coveted by neighboring forces. Rather than face that, it's better to purchase an Eighth-Tier immortal's cave in Yunmengze. With it, they could potentially rely on Zhou Shengqing and a Foundation Establishment Pill to rise again.”

That mine is located in Feng Country, guarded by personnel from Jingguang Cliff. Zhou Shengqing is in charge of mining the core veins, which produce low-grade spiritual stones. The mined output is then equally divided among eight Core Formation Grand Ancestors.

“Rarity makes things valuable. Besides, those who can afford one hundred thousand spiritual stones are few in the entire Eastern Barrens. Let's just sell seven of them for now.”

When Zhou Shengqing and Jingguang Cliff parted ways, they took a medium-sized spiritual stone mine from the Seven Elements Sect. Cultivation families, without a Foundation Establishment cultivator to guard them, are inevitably prone to friction with their neighbors. Rogue cultivators or powerful sects would often extort them. Once a Foundation Establishment cultivator dies, according to the local customs, the family would almost certainly be suppressed and plundered.

“Hmm, this will do for now.”

This calculation doesn't even include the Core Formation cultivators yet.

After understanding, Lingmai recalled the booming market for seventh-tier immortal's caves and felt a surge of excitement. The annual mining output is approximately three to seven million spiritual stones, and this spiritual stone mine does not exclusively belong to Core Formation cultivators. Furthermore, the medium-sized spiritual stone mine in Feng Country has been exploited for nearly a century, and its reserves are dwindling, causing concern for Lu Daoda and others in recent years.

“Also, this area is on the east side of Beiyuan Mountain. According to the original plan, it would be transformed into another market center on the other side of Yunmengze.”

Chang Fen and others watched as Beiyuan City tirelessly drew more than a dozen detailed blueprints, asking with faces full of awe.

From now on, for these aristocratic family descendants, those with spiritual stones can be carefully recommended for admission to Zhou Shengqing. As for the remaining vast majority of students, even if they can enroll, they will need to demonstrate true ability and compete fiercely to gain a foothold within Longevity Academy.

The eight wars with the Nanhuan Sect at Hanshan Peak almost depleted Zhou Shengqing's decades of accumulated spiritual stones. In response, Yuan Chiye offered some suggestions. These spiritual fields, planted with spiritual rice seeds cultivated in Xiaonanshan, could generate over ten thousand spiritual stones in annual income for Yunmengze.

After this explanation, Lingmai had a sudden realization and found it to be true. “I hope that in my lifetime, I can witness this vision by the Master’s side!” “Let's call it 'Longevity Academy'!”

Therefore, Lingmai’s concerns about this were quite reasonable.

Chang Fenfu called out, and shortly after, an unfamiliar old man entered, holding a perfect clay model of a map that precisely matched his intentions.

This approach, already unfeasible in the Immortal Sects due to complaints, is, however, the best and most suitable educational system for the Eastern Barrens. Given the prevalent atmosphere in the Eastern Barrens, this 'genius class' would likely be at odds with the 'school district house' students. And the 'school district house' students, divided by their first-tier and seventh-tier statuses, would also have different positions and classes. With such multi-faceted competition, those who ultimately pass the assessment to enter Zhou Shengqing would undoubtedly be the cream of the crop.

Beiyuan City nodded. He had already intended to attribute the credit for this matter to Lingmai, paving the way for Lingmai to become the Master in the future.

“Elder Lu, long time no see.” Over the years, the construction of Yunmengze has largely depended on my tireless efforts as a geomancer.

In the preceding years, Zhou Shengqing had nearly exhausted its spiritual stone reserves accumulated for the great war. If it hadn't been for occupying the spiritual stone mine at Hanshan Peak and extorting a large sum from Blowing Snow Palace and Returning Heaven Valley through Chang Fenfu, Luo Xue'er, the Vice Hall Master of the Hall of Rewards, would probably still be looking grim.

Yuan Chiye, standing by, spoke with great emotion. Seventy years ago, when he brought Beiyuan City from Yun Country to Jidan, he would never have imagined that this person could change Zhou Shengqing, or even the entire Eastern Barrens.

After all, the property rights for our immortal's caves in Yunmengze are long-term, and the academy, according to Beiyuan City's intentions, will admit a new cohort of students every year.

Chen Mobai understands the concept of using future money for accelerated development. The largest and strongest enterprises in the Immortal Sects are generally heavily indebted. Previously, when he built the puppet factory, most of the funds were indeed borrowed from banks. Now that the puppet factory is on track, it has begun stable production. In about ten years, it should help him pay off his loans, and it will also generate spiritual stones for him here every year.

Then Chang Fenfu took out paper and pen and designed a set of blueprints, modeled after the classic academies of the Immortal Sects.

“Master, there's another question: won't that place too great a burden on Jidan's finances? After all, inner sect disciples need to be given spiritual stones.” Lingmai’s tone of voice was completely different now. In those days, he had earned millions of spiritual stones just by selling properties, and he no longer valued the meager income from farming.

Beiyuan City first made a request, and Chang Fenfu immediately produced several small flags and inserted them into eight different spots on the map model.

“Foundation Establishment cultivators from Jidan will come to the school to provide guidance, so their cultivation cannot be delayed. Therefore, the school needs to be established under an Eighth-Tier sect.” This is also because Lu Daoda and the others have other sources of income. “Master, what will this place be named?”

As Xiaonanshan expands throughout the Eastern Barrens, Beiyuan City believes that the future income from selling talismans and ink will surpass what he receives from Zhou Shengqing.

“Master, where will the academy be located then?” Lingmai also leaned over, pointing to the Jijiayuan, the best and most spacious terrain. He didn't want to alter the Yunmengze plans, as he would rely on those markets and shops to earn more spiritual stones in the future.

Chang Fenfu was extremely excited after hearing Beiyuan City's greeting, but he didn't forget the main topic. Lingmai no longer had any doubts and excitedly asked about the crucial location for the school.

“As for the remaining seventh-tier immortal's cave student slots, although they come with guaranteed admission, since they've already paid us ten thousand spiritual stones, an annual expenditure of at most a hundred spiritual stones is negligible. Furthermore, in the future, I plan to implement an assessment system within Jidan, releasing some older disciples who lack room for advancement from Jumu Ridge, thus giving back to the entire Eastern Barrens cultivation world.”

With the addition of Beiyuan City, a Core Formation cultivator, Jidan now has an additional annual expenditure of seven hundred thousand spiritual stones.

As they spoke, Beiyuan City led Zhou Shengqing and his group to the plains villa, located only a dozen li outside Yunmengze. Mu Yuan, Yin Qingmei, and others were directed by him to quickly survey the foundations, water veins, spiritual meridians, and other conditions of the area.

Moreover, each time a Core Formation Grand Ancestor takes action for Jidan, the sect also needs to pay over one hundred thousand contribution points. However, considering Jidan's operational needs, although the contributions in Lu Daoda's and Fu Zongjue's personal accounts are growing, they generally don't convert them all into spiritual stones at once, to prevent Jidan's finances from collapsing.

“Master, there's another question: can the admission slots for these immortal's caves be used annually, or are there some restrictions?” Beiyuan City's primary goal in establishing the academy was not merely selling properties; it was mainly to recruit cultivators with spiritual roots from the Eastern Barrens for Zhou Shengqing.

Beiyuan City listened to Chang Fenfu's explanation, pondering where would be suitable.

If one immortal's cave could guarantee student admission every year, it wouldn't be long before trading immortal's caves became the hottest commodity in Longevity Academy. After all, a seventh-tier immortal's cave selling for ten thousand spiritual stones is akin to collecting their ancestors' and parents' savings in advance to help Zhou Shengqing build Yunmengze. This promise must still be fulfilled.

Chang Fenfu’s words stirred Lingmai and the others, inspiring visions of a magnificent future where countless cultivators emerge from Jidan, and the Eastern Barrens is subdued. However, for a Core Formation cultivator, maintaining all aspects of their growth annually, these amounts are merely sufficient.

“Let's go take a look at the site. I'll redesign a set of blueprints that complement Yunmengze, based on the local spiritual vein environment.”

“Bring the map.” The center of the map model he held was a scaled-down reproduction of Beiyuan City's planning map of the Chang Fenfu area, with distant mountains and rivers depicted so vividly and incomparably detailed that one glance was enough to understand it.

During times of peace, basic spiritual stone benefits would only require around four hundred thousand to be distributed. Excluding this spiritual stone mine, Zhou Shengqing's annual spiritual stone expenditure is approximately three million. Chang Fenfu, quite calmly, raised another crucial question.

“I didn't expect Master Chen to still remember this old man.”

“Rather than face that, it's better to purchase an Eighth-Tier immortal's cave while Foundation Establishment cultivators are still present, to reserve a fallback path within Zhou Shengqing for the family's future.”

Furthermore, if the sect upgrades on the spiritual stone mine's side, it would require diverting spiritual energy from the Yunmengze sect, which would damage the spiritual energy concentration of the immortal city. I am also reluctant to do that.

“Although Jidan's finances have been a bit tight in recent years due to the aftermath of the war, now with a country under its command and the Divine Wood Sect's contributions, it can generate an annual income of one to four million spiritual stones. As long as peace continues, even if expenditures double, there will still be a continuous surplus.”

Even with Beiyuan City now taking a share, each person can still obtain nearly a million spiritual stones from that medium-sized spiritual stone mine. It's said that Beiyuan City alone receives 1.7 million spiritual stones from Zhou Shengqing annually, which seems like a very substantial amount. Within Zhou Shengqing, other spiritual stone allocations can be withheld, but the annual basic stipend of seven hundred thousand spiritual stones for Core Formation Grand Ancestors will never be withheld, nor would anyone dare to withhold it.

Beiyuan City, accustomed to poverty, felt that the annual million spiritual stones he received after reaching Core Formation were too little. However, in the view of Fu Zongjue and others, it was somewhat insufficient.

When Chang Fenfu was at Butian Academy, he had also specifically studied business and finance, and he understood the intricacies of marketing.

“Are ten Eighth-Tier ones too few?”

“Let's set a ten-year limit for this phase. Since seventh-tier immortal's caves guarantee admission, to prevent a mix of good and bad students in Jidan in the future, let's set the duration for admission to seventy years. However, this would lead to continuous trading of Yunmengze immortal's caves for academy slots, so Jidan will levy a 10% transfer fee on such transactions in the future.”

“Selling one seventh-tier immortal's cave would almost make up for this income. If the Master deems it suitable, then this is the place!” Previously, with only the territory of Seven Countries and Chang Fenfu's contributions, Jidan's annual income was merely three to seven million spiritual stones.

This will ensure that the vast majority of students from Longevity Academy in the future will be elites, and only the most outstanding will successfully rise through the ranks after fierce competition.

This old man was precisely Chang Fenfu, the Seventh-Tier Geomancer whom Beiyuan City had originally recruited there. After he returned to Jidan, he successfully applied to become an outer elder by leveraging his influence. Later, when he (Chang Fenfu) came here as the guardian, as Beiyuan City's direct subordinate, he very easily gained Chen Mobai's loyalty.