Garden of Shadows
Page 29
Now the new rumors said that this academy had kept its founder captive for many many years, using her as a battery to fuel the Soul Tower.
Many were filled with disgust and indignation. The ones they had thought were so noble were, in fact, the worst scum of society.
Those who had previously looked forward to the reopening of the Soul Tower were now against it, claiming that it was immoral and a grievous affront to its founder.
Most of the students left the Garden of Shadows, one by one, never to return.
Seeing this trend, the Gu and Yuan families came together to discuss their options.
“The Garden of Shadows has lost its fame,” the grand elder of the Gu family said with a slight smile on his face, “If we are smart, then we will be able to reap the benefits.
“Right now, everyone is curious about the Qi methods that we have at hand. Knowing that spiritual energy is powerful is good, but being aware that coupled with Qi cultivation, one can become almost invincible makes the youngsters dream about studying our techniques.
“Why don’t we open our own academy? Let us buy out the Garden of Shadow’s facilities. Right now it is a sinking ship, and they can’t wait to leave it.
“We can keep the teachers who teach spiritual energy and everything that is made for spiritual energy, but at the same time add some teachers from our families to teach Qi methods and techniques.
“There is a facility for Qi methods already at the Garden of Shadows, but it is neglected. If we improve it, we can earn a lot of merits, but also gain riches from all the school fees, not to mention the point system.
“Think it through, if we take over the Garden of Shadows, we can begin a new era.”
The Yuan family elders were stunned when they listened to the grand elder of the Gu family speak.
In the beginning, they had listened out of politeness, but after a bit of time, listening to his persuasive words, they went from tentative to interested, and soon from interested to convinced.
Like this, the Gu and Yuan families started talking business with the principal of the Garden of Shadows.
The principal was incredibly embarrassed and felt awful about the horrible truth of the academy’s success. He felt he had lost all face, and had lost any urge to continue trying to go against the current to save the academy’s destroyed reputation. He knew that what had been done this time was simply unforgivable.
And thus he agreed to the offer brought to him by the Gu and Yuan families. The academy, which previously had been known as the Garden of Shadows, was now renamed to the Snowfall Academy.
While all this was happening, Xue Wei was spending his time in the capital, leisurely living life to the fullest.
He had already solved the mystery of the academy, but there was one mystery that kept gnawing at him from the back of his mind, and that was the bloody scratches on the ninth floor of the Soul Tower.
There was still a year and a half until the next delegation from the Demon Phoenix Continent arrived, and this meant that for the next year and a half, he had nothing to do other than wait.
This was the first time in his life that he could leisurely enjoy life without having to focus on something other than cultivating. No one bullied him. No one hunted him. No one pressured him to solve their problems. It was the first time he had been truly free to do as he pleased since he was a young child.
The calm life was different than what he had expected. He would go out with Luoluo frequently, browsing the stalls in the marketplaces, buying her snacks and other things.
He would stock up on clothes and other necessities that he might need when he entered the Demon Phoenix Continent.
He had been given many gold pieces, valuable treasures, and gems, and he had been showered with rare herbs and ores. Every time the Gu and Yuan families came across something they thought was useful to Xue Wei, they would hand it over to him with gratitude.
One day he would be cultivating, another he would be shopping. Some days he would create pills and another he would write formations. He even had time to master the new techniques from his Heritage Ring that he had not had an opportunity to practice since arriving at the continent.
Time went by slowly, and during this year and a half, things were changing over all of Yan Dalu.
More and more Qi cultivators appeared around the continent. Even the old monsters who focused on spiritual energy would consume a Sky Knight Pill—purchased at a tremendous price—and reach the rank of Sky Knight within a short span of time.
The Snowfall Academy became a great success, with more and more students applying to study there. Now eyes were no longer the only measurement for cultivation, Qi talent was also considered, and the academy accepted many students based on these talents.
The prophecy that had stated that the continent’s problems would be solved when the foreigners arrived had held true. Yan Dalu had changed for the better, and the winds of change would be blowing for many years to come, making it flourish and prosper.