Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

"As you all know, the world we live in is called the Great World of Mountains and Seas, which is vast and boundless, far beyond your imagination."

Inside the private school, the old teacher's voice, gentle yet clear, reached Shen Moyan's ears through the window:

"The Mountain and Sea are centered on the Holy Court, with three thousand states surrounding the four seas and eight wastelands. Among them are twenty-one immortal lineages that control the most advanced cultivation resources. Demon races reside in the four seas, and powerful beings in human form emerge one after another. Countless demon beast tribes are scattered in the wilderness, and ancient secret realms are also hidden among them."

Shen Moyan listened carefully and wrote down the key information one by one.

"The city of Dongshan where we are located is a newly built city, and the city lord is a Foundation Establishment cultivator." The old man paused, adjusted his glasses, and opened the book.

"Cultivation in this world begins with absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, which is the Qi Refining stage. After Qi Refining comes Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, and Dao Integration. Each breakthrough in the realm is accompanied by an increase in lifespan and a leap in power. Mortals live no more than a hundred years, while Foundation Establishment cultivators can live to two hundred years old, and Golden Core cultivators can even reach a lifespan of six hundred years..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Moyan's expression froze.

Why does he teach the old ways of immortality?

Shen Moyan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the lecturer.

The old gentleman in the lecture hall explained in detail: "To absorb spiritual energy, one must have spiritual roots."

"Spiritual roots are divided into five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. There are also mutated attributes such as thunder, wind, and ice. The purer the spiritual root, the faster the cultivation speed. Every three years, cultivators from the upper sects in Dongshan City will come to test spiritual roots. If you can find a superior spiritual root, you can join the sect and ascend to the top in one step."

Shen Moyan was speechless. "Screw your wish to ascend to heaven in one step. You'd be more like ascending to the Western Paradise."

What is the purpose of telling stories of ancient immortals in the Mountain and Sea World, and turning people into ginseng after they inhale spiritual energy?

Looking at the bright-eyed children below the stage, Shen Moyan sighed deeply.

According to information gleaned from the Cen family father and son on the way, Dongshan City is a gray area, governed only by a city lord at the Transcendent Realm.

Shen Moyan's thoughts continued to wander. Dongshan City was surrounded by mountains on all sides, and there were very few cultivators passing by; most of the people who stayed there were ordinary people.

It's as if the entire city is a nursery, starting with education to control the minds of ordinary people from a young age, so that it's easy to harvest them later.

Shen Moyan snorted coldly.

Enough, let's leave this place.

Just as he was about to leave, the wooden door of the private school was pushed open with a bang, and a tall figure stood against the light.

The newcomer was a man dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with a jade belt around his waist. His black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and his face was handsome and sculpted. There was a faint light flowing around him, which was completely different from the old gentleman standing on the podium.

He scanned the hall, his gaze finally settling on the elderly gentleman in the blue robe on the podium, his voice clear and melodious like the clinking of jade stones:

"Sir, I'm afraid your words are misleading."

The hall fell silent instantly. The children shrank back in fear, and the old gentleman in the blue robe's face darkened: "Who are you? What brings you to this private school?!"

A scholar in a moon-white brocade robe walked in slowly, casually brushing the dust off his robe. His tone was filled with both pity and determination: "I am Jiang Zhi Qiu, just a passing scholar. I simply cannot bear to see children being deceived by outdated lies."

Upon hearing this, Shen Moyan, who was about to leave, became interested.

"This person looks familiar. I think I saw him once when I entered the city?"

Just now, when Shen Moyan was entering the city with the Cen family father and son, it seemed that he almost bumped into this person.

Jiang Zhiqi turned to the children below the stage, his voice softening: "The so-called spiritual root cultivation is an outdated method. After the ancient war, the rules of heaven and earth changed, and the old immortal path is long dead!"

"Nonsense!" The old man in the blue robe trembled with anger.

"All sects in the world select disciples based on spiritual roots. The city lord is also a cultivator with spiritual roots, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator at that. How dare you speak so presumptuously about the path of immortality?"

Jiang Zhi Qiu looked at the old man with pity, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke:

"May I ask your age, sir?"

"I have cultivated the Dao for fifty-one years and have reached the fifth level of Qi Refining," the old man said without any hesitation.

"As for you, with your weak constitution, how dare you speak nonsense in this private school!"

Jiang Zhi Qiu was stunned by the old man's words and remained silent for a long time.

Similarly, Shen Moyan, hidden in the shadows, also fell into thought.

"Fifty-one years, that's quite young. He must have grown up in Dongshan City since he was a child."

As the saying goes, "You can't see the true face of Mount Lu because you are in the mountain itself."

If someone grows up in this environment from a young age and develops mature values, it's very difficult to change them.

Shen Moyan couldn't help but think deeper. Perhaps in this Dongshan City, people's understanding of cultivation was already deeply ingrained.

"Stop talking nonsense! I've witnessed the sect's disciple recruitment ceremony every three years!" the old man said, pointing at Jiang Zhi Qiu's face.

It can be said that in the past half of his life, the old gentleman has witnessed dozens of times the upper sect accepted disciples, and dozens of times the vicissitudes of life and the separation between the immortals and the mortals.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiqi's face turned deathly pale: "May I ask, which sect is the superior sect of Dongshan City?"

"Which sect? The name of the Upper Sect, who in Dongshan City doesn't know it?" The old man had figured it out; Jiang Zhi Qiu was just a nobody from out of town.

"You'll find out if you go out and ask around!"

"I understand." Jiang Zhiqi's expression grew increasingly gloomy, and he pointed a finger, silencing the old man.

"I have a general understanding of the situation in Dongshan City."

A hint of anger flashed across Jiang Zhi Qiu's face.

Since its establishment, Dongshan City has always been a safe haven for people, located outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains where monsters roam.

Unexpectedly, it became a breeding ground for certain cultivators. Every three years, countless deceived people became resources for them.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Jiang Zhi Qiu, a late-stage Transcendent Realm cultivator, and the Inspector of Langya Prefecture."

"Next, I will explain to you the true path of cultivation in the present moment."

Jiang Zhiqi's face was gloomy; he didn't want to tell these ignorant children such a cruel reality about ginseng.

"The rules have changed. Spiritual roots can no longer resonate with the core energy of heaven and earth. We are now in a new era; the key to cultivation is not the spiritual root, but the spiritual veins!"

"The rudimentary form of the spiritual vein is hidden within the meridians of the physical body; everyone possesses it." Jiang Zhi Qiu's voice was resounding.

"The new cultivation method involves shaping spiritual veins using special techniques. These spiritual veins then act as bridges, connecting with the tides of spiritual energy between heaven and earth. It doesn't matter whether one's spiritual roots are superior or inferior; even ordinary children can progress rapidly as long as their spiritual veins awaken correctly!"

Jiang Zhi Qiu took out a piece of pure white jade from his sleeve. The jade touched his fingertip and instantly lit up with a soft light. "This is the Awakening Jade. It can detect potential that ordinary spiritual root testing stones cannot detect."

After the silencing spell was lifted, the old man in the blue robe turned from green to white, but he was speechless for a moment.

The Awakening Jade in Jiang Zhi Qiu's hand was no ordinary object; the fluctuations in its spiritual light were definitely not fake.

And what kind of official position is a patrol inspector? How come he doesn't know?

The children in the hall were already dumbfounded, and the bolder ones began to ask how to awaken the spiritual veins, completely disrupting the atmosphere of the private school.

An hour later, the private school ended, and Jiang Zhi Qiu walked out of the courtyard, expressionless.

"Little friend, come out. I mean you no harm."

As Jiang Zhiqi finished speaking, Shen Moyan also revealed himself in a generous manner.

"Greetings, Inspector."