Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Blackie's question was also the question of many trainees under fifty years old present.

Although their cultivation levels are mostly only at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, and their professions are only at the first or second tier, making it impossible for them to compete for gold and silver, let alone the top ten or hundred, even if they make it into the top ten thousand, wouldn't they still earn some points for the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom? They can also compete with cultivators from various sects and improve their combat experience. Why does Master Su forbid them from participating? He doesn't even forbid those over fifty years old!

"This competition is too dirty, we can handle it. The important thing for you guys is to focus on learning skills!"

Su Qing didn't explain the reason to them, but patted Hei Ba's head again and said to him:

"I've acquired a Void Golden Horned Beast, a highly nourishing creature. Come to my residence tomorrow, and I'll let you feast on it!"

"Void Golden Horn Beast? Never heard of it. Is it expensive? If it is, I won't eat it. My great-grandfather said that although the Holy Lord can earn money, it is still the Holy Lord's. I have enough to eat and drink at the Martial Arts Hall. I can't shamelessly go to the Holy Lord's house to freeload anymore!"

"How can you call it freeloading? I'm waiting for you to eat your fill, grow strong, and help me kill demons. No, wait until you're older. Don't rush to give birth to demons yet. Marrying a few wives and having lots of kids is the real deal. You can't waste your good genes!"

"What's so great about a wife! She can't eat or drink, I don't want her!"

"Haha, you don't want it now, but when you grow up, you'll be crying and begging for it!"

Seeing that Su Qing, Hei Ba, and the other students who had joined the conversation were having a great time, Taoyuan Zhenjun, who was quite interested in the martial arts academy, started wandering around aimlessly.

And after exploring the place, I discovered its wonderful features even more.

The courtyard is small but vast, with a Sumeru Mustard Seed Formation set up inside. The interior space is hundreds of times larger than what appears on the outside. There are tall bamboo groves, artificial mountains and spiritual waters that separate different areas, along with beasts, birds, insects and fish to make this place full of life.

As you walk, you occasionally encounter squads of armored lizard warriors passing by. At a glance, they all appear to be at the third level of cultivation. At the entrance to each area, there are also fourth-level lizard captains wielding two swords and wearing heavy armor, eyeing the passersby with predatory intent.

Upon entering the living area, one sees over a thousand houses arranged in a grid pattern, distinguished by the colors of Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. The Heaven-class dormitories are clearly the best, comprising twelve rooms, all of which are third-tier spirit houses with green tiles and eaves resembling wings. True Monarch Peach Blossom Spring is very familiar with these spirit houses, as he is their creator. They are the flagship product he crafted to secure spirit stones for the Peach Blossom Spring Sect, named the Swallow House. Normally, it functions like a regular spirit house, with all the necessary living functions. Its defensive and offensive capabilities are slightly inferior to other third-tier spirit houses, but its greatest feature is that it can transform into a swallow to escape in case of danger. During this process, it does not emit any spiritual energy fluctuations, meaning that opponents cannot easily track its whereabouts with divine sense. After he created this house, it received a great response throughout the heavens, with many parents and elders of second-generation immortals willing to pay exorbitant prices to purchase it.

He sold these twelve swallow houses to Su Qing for a total of over 700,000 spirit stones. At the time, he was worried that Su Qing would act as a middleman and resell the houses at a high price. He never expected that they would be used by the Martial Arts Academy.

Looking at the other three numbers, the Earth-level number represents the second-tier spirit houses, of which there are ninety-nine. In front of each house is a wooden plaque engraved with the student's serial number, date of birth, place of origin, and other information. True Monarch Peach Blossom Spring was not interested in the second-tier spirit houses, and only glanced at one of the wooden plaques with his divine sense. It belonged to a Foundation Establishment student who was over a hundred years old and seemed to have some special skills in brewing, which allowed him to be among the Earth-level students.

Both the Xuan and Huang classes consist of first-tier spirit houses, totaling over a thousand rooms, with considerable open space at the far end, indicating that expansion will likely follow if needed. The students in these classes generally have average strength and potential, roughly equivalent to outer disciples of the Peach Blossom Sect. True Monarch Peach Blossom had no interest in examining them further, but then he thought:
"Our Peach Blossom Sect's outer disciples are not bad either. Since the founding of the sect in ancient times, we have been a famous sect. After going to the heavens, we cultivate our own disciples and recruit talents from all over the heavens. Those who can be selected into the sect, whether they are outer or inner disciples, are all outstanding talents. How many years has the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom been established? How can it have gathered such a number of outstanding talents!"

Thinking of this, True Lord Taoyuan was somewhat shocked, but he had already been shocked several times in this martial arts hall today. After getting used to it, he immediately regained his True Lord demeanor and nodded to the two female students who passed by.

The two women were tall with indigo skin, suggesting they were of witch blood. They were also quite bold, even greeting the True Lord with a smile. This made True Lord Peach Blossom Spring wonder if the students here often saw True Lord-level beings, and thus, like him, they were used to being shocked by True Lords.

"Impossible! Although Su Qing has the ability to help people break through to the fifth level with his Heaven-Opening Blood Axe, and has recruited a group of fourth-level True Immortals from Tianyuan and the myriad heavens to serve him, there are no fifth-level True Monarchs among them. Besides, a Nascent Soul True Monarch is a figure of considerable importance in the myriad heavens. Why would he condescend to come to this small school and lecture a group of second and third-level cultivators? No matter how many spirit stones he gives, it's too humiliating!"

Taoyuan Zhenjun muttered to himself, shook his head and stepped into the lecturer area. As soon as he entered, he felt that the world had changed color. The yellow was decadent, the red was decadent, and the green was intoxicating.

A row of three-tiered spirit houses, each with its own unique style and considerable cost, such as the House of Joy, House of Leisure, House of Happiness, and House of Meditation, stand side by side, numbering over a hundred. In the center of the spirit houses, a distinctive street with bright lights and bustling activity features leisure and consumption venues such as the Red Sleeve Pavilion, the Paradise Pavilion, the Gluttonous Restaurant, and the Mythical Beast Garden. Upon entering, one can see beautiful fish-men serving the various real lecturers with smiles and laughter.

On the faces of these lecturers, Peach Blossom Spring True Lord saw not a trace of reluctance or displeasure; each one was beaming with joy, completely absorbed in their conversation. He couldn't help but stop one of them to inquire about the reason.

"Taoyuanzi of Taoyuan Sect greets this fellow Daoist!"

"It is the True Lord of Peach Blossom Spring in person. The name of the True Lord is well-known to me. Today I have the pleasure of seeing you. You are indeed a man of great talent and beauty, attracting attention. I am Wu Tianyang, a humble cultivator from Black Phoenix Mountain in the Burial Immortal Realm. I have the pleasure of seeing the True Lord."

"Fellow Daoist Wu, was Su Qing sent here to serve you so that he could help you break through your cultivation barrier?"

"I originally came for this reason, but several years ago, after accumulating enough contributions, I asked Master Su to help me break through my cultivation barrier. The Xing Tian Blood Axe was indeed as rumored, able to help me break through the profound barrier within my body and cleave out the world within. It's just a pity that my own abilities were insufficient. The world was created, but the Dao patterns couldn't bear its weight, wasting Master Su's good intentions. After failing to break through, I was fortunate enough to have Master Su's favor and thus have the opportunity to find a job here in the Martial Arts Hall." "Oh? With your cultivation level, what job couldn't you get in all the heavens and myriad worlds? Why waste your time here? If you are greedy for the prosperity here, there are plenty of such things in this Western City. Why be tempted by them!"

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but there are many benefits to working at this Martial Arts Academy. For example, food and lodging are all provided, expenses are halved, monthly income exceeds ten thousand, there is an end-of-year bonus, and Tianyuan specialties such as longevity peaches, divine incense, and puppets are delivered from time to time. In terms of welfare and treatment, it is slightly better than what the various sects and heavens give to us fourth-level Nascent Soul cultivators. More importantly, this Martial Arts Academy offers three-year, five-year, and ten-year contracts. After the contract expires, we can only renew it if we pass the assessment. If we do not want to renew, we can leave at any time. It does not restrict our freedom, unlike the various sects and heavens, which want us rogue cultivators to serve them and bind us to all living beings, so that we rogue cultivators cannot be as free and unrestrained as before."

"Wow, I didn't expect that being a lecturer at the Military Academy would be such a sought-after position!"

"Of course, it's only because Master Su is kind-hearted that he thought of taking care of us old folks who have worked with him before. Otherwise, if he had offered the terms, countless fellow cultivators from all over the world would have competed for this position. Not only fourth-level Nascent Soul cultivators, but also several fifth-level True Monarchs have joined thanks to the Heroes' Assembly. True Monarch Peach Blossom, didn't you come here for this reason as well? It's just that you're not a rogue cultivator and you still hold a position in the Peach Blossom Sect, so you can only be a guest lecturer at most in this Martial Arts Hall. That's not bad either. Coming here once or twice a year, you can earn at least 50,000 spirit stones!"

"No, I didn't. I was just browsing around. I have no intention of being a lecturer here. Part-time job? No way! Don't go spreading rumors. I, True Lord Peach Blossom Spring, am too busy serving my sect to have time to earn extra money for my own benefit!"

"Tsk tsk, if that's how you put it, then how dare I say anything more? Well, since you're just idling around anyway, why don't you come with me to Red Sleeves Pavilion? It's on me. I have a Level 4 Lecturer Card with a 40% discount card!"

"Oh, there's such a perk? What kind of discount do fifth-level instructors get?"

“Let’s offer a 30% discount. The difference in cost will be reimbursed by Master Su! Why is Master asking this? You have no interest in being a lecturer anyway!”

"I'll ask for my friend. He's a rogue cultivator, he might be interested!"

"It's even easier for independent cultivators. They can become full-time lecturers, and 500,000 spirit stones a year is considered a small amount. I heard that True Person Su will also prepare an induction gift package for them, including a set of fourth-order formations, magic weapons, talismans, and puppets. Tsk tsk, we fourth-order Nascent Soul cultivators can only envy this treatment. Do you think your Peach Blossom Sect offers such good treatment that you wouldn't even bother with a part-time job that costs 100,000 spirit stones?"

"Well, how should I put it? The sect raised and taught me, even if the treatment was a bit poor, how could I betray the sect and leave..."

Taoyuan Zhenjun was deeply moved but reluctantly bid farewell to Wu Zhenren.

After talking with him, and then looking at the other real lecturers here, he felt that their smiles were so sincere and joyful, without any of the compromise he had imagined.

They truly love this job!
Of course, who wouldn't love a job with such great pay!
He loves her too!
"It's not that I can't take it part-time, it has little impact on the sect, and there's no question of betraying the sect. As a dignified Nascent Soul True Monarch, establishing a sect and building a celestial kingdom is no big deal for me. How can I come here to give a lecture for a few taels of silver? What will the cultivators of all realms think of me? What will my fellow disciples and sisters think of me? I can't afford to lose face like that!"

As Peach Blossom Spring True Lord pondered whether spirit stones or face were more important, he suddenly saw a group of people walking towards him.

Leading the way was Li Hailang, a burly man with a large face and thick neck. He was a minor cultivator of the first or second rank, holding a flower-shaped staff, and walking with his head held high and chest out, escorting a group of True Immortals and True Monarchs ahead of him.

Behind him was Su Qing, beaming with joy, and a group of students from the Martial Arts Academy. What surprised Peach Blossom True Lord was the group of people accompanying Su Qing.

Wearing white crane robes and crimson crowns, with their signature three-foot white beards, these two are Nascent Soul True Persons and Divine Transformation True Lords of the Taiyi Sect. This sect has really had a run of bad luck. Originally, its reputation in the heavens was no less than that of their Peach Blossom Sect, and they were living a good life. But after falling to the Tianyuan Realm, a sect leader appointed by the patriarch suddenly appeared. The original sect leader stepped down and made way for Su Qing to take over. The entire sect automatically became supporters of the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom and inevitably had to come to this Martial Arts Hall to serve. Peach Blossom True Lord maliciously speculated that Su Qing might not even pay these two True Persons and True Lords any reward.

Clad in simple white robes with colorful ribbons tied around their waists, these lovely young ladies, with a smile that was as refreshing as a spring breeze, were disciples of the Snail Emperor Sect. He recognized the leader; she was a contemporary of his, now at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, True Monarch Fengxia. The Snail Emperor Sect had always maintained a low profile throughout the heavens, its disciples undisturbed by worldly affairs, a breath of fresh air. Now that they had fallen into the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom, had they been corrupted as well? True Monarch Fengxia, someone of my rank, was someone I could hardly ever meet before, and now I was lecturing a bunch of brats?
Cold and aloof, this one is undoubtedly a fourth-tier sword cultivator from the Lingbao Sect. Wow! Are the disciples of the Lingbao Sect short of money and need to come here to earn extra cash?

The last one is even more impressive. He looks like a spoiled, carefree second-generation immortal, but he is the only current successor of the Supreme Sect. He is the Ancient Music True Lord who can sit at the same table as the sect leaders of the Spirit Treasure Sect and the Primordial Sect in all the heavens and myriad realms. This guy is not short of money, so why does he have to join in this fun?

The more Taoyuan Zhenjun looked, the more shocked he became, and he couldn't care less about saving face at the moment.

The Supreme Sect, the Snail Emperor Sect, the Spirit Treasure Sect—which of them is weaker than the Peach Blossom Sect? And which of the Phoenix Cloud True Monarch and the Ancient Music True Monarch is weaker than the Peach Blossom True Monarch?

They can all come to this Martial Arts Academy as lecturers, they're not afraid of losing face, so why should he be afraid? Now it seems that Master Wu was right, the position of lecturer in this Martial Arts Academy is really a hot commodity. With these great sect masters joining, being able to work with them is a qualification worth boasting about. Not only will it not be a loss of face, but it can also bring glory to the sect and oneself!

It's not only a matter of saving face, but also a way to make money. There's even a chance to get in touch with True Monarch Fengxia. If they become Daoist partners and he takes them back to his sect, the sect will get a Nascent Soul True Monarch to serve them for free, which can be considered a contribution to the sect!

Taoyuan Zhenjun quickly convinced himself and took three steps at a time to catch up with the people in front. He pushed Li Hailang, who had the position of guard but no ability to guard, aside and cleared the way for Su Zhenren. During the process, he listened carefully and heard Su Zhenren discussing with the Zhenren and Zhenren of these sects about recruiting Zhenren and Zhenren from various realms and sects. In addition, Su Zhenren seemed to be willing to make an exception and allow each sect to send disciples to study at the Martial Arts Academy.
"With the revival of the Heavenly Origin, the heavens are undergoing great changes, and new people bring new life. True Person Su dares to be the first in the world, establishing this Martial Arts Hall, abandoning sectarian prejudices, gathering talents from all sects, cultivating future generations of cultivators, and helping all realms to soar. My Peach Blossom Sect will follow suit! I said, do you have a Dao Contract? I'll sign it now!" (End of Chapter)