Chapter 556: It

The Zhengdao Class is located in a remote area, even outside the main immortal spirit vein of the cultivator student classes.

When Ding Huan arrived at the Zhengdao Class, there was only one cultivator student inside; judging by his appearance, he seemed to be borrowing the academy's immortal spirit vein to cultivate.

You're working hard.

But his dao aura is imperceptible, and the immortal spirit vein's energy gathering is scattered and disordered.

Clearly, this guy's cultivation technique is terrible, and his talent is terrible.

"Who are you looking for?" The cultivator student stared at Ding Huan in surprise.

"What's your name?" Ding Huan asked.

"Ji Xing." The cultivator student stopped cultivating.

Ji Xing had been the only one practicing in the Zhengdao Class lately, so Ding Huan's sudden entrance startled him.

Ding Huan walked to the communication array in the corner of the Zhengdao Class and activated the array with his Dao Master array token.

Seeing Ding Huan activate the Zhengdao Class's communication array with a Dao Master array token, Ji Xing immediately realized this young man was their new Dao Master.

He quickly halted his cultivation and sat respectfully in place.

After activating the communication array, Ding Huan announced loudly: "I am Ding Huan, the new Dao Master of the Zhengdao Class. All students of the Zhengdao Class have two hours to return to this class."

Those who arrive after the time limit will be immediately expelled from the Zhengdao Class. Timing begins now."

After saying this, Ding Huan sat directly on the Dao Master's seat and closed his eyes to rest.

The class-affiliated Dao Master has a time limit for summoning students back to class.

The shortest allowed time is no less than two hours; the longest is no more than three days.

Clearly, Ding Huan is now using the shortest possible time.

But whether it's the shortest or longest time, once set by the class Dao Master, it must be followed as prescribed.

If a student fails to arrive on time, the Dao Master has the authority to expel them.

Ding Huan is using exactly this method.

He hopes to teach fewer cultivator students; this method is the simplest and most direct way to eliminate them.

He had previously studied the combat tournaments held by the Great Dao Corridor Dao Academy.

The Great Dao Corridor's Dao Academy tournaments have three formats: the first is by class, which emphasizes collective performance.

Once a class is registered, no personnel changes are allowed during the competition.

The second is individual participation, which demands outstanding personal ability.

The third is team participation.

This team may consist of students from a single class, or it may be formed by selecting students from multiple cultivator classes across the academy.

It's not much different from the Immortal Sect Grand Competition Ding Huan participated in during the Pangu Great World.

The class-format competition assesses overall strength.

Generally, mediocre Dao Academies use the class format to compete and secure collective results.

This is also why many cultivator students with poor Dao skills are expelled—they are seen as dragging down the class.

There are two registration methods: the first is academy registration, where each cultivator class represents the academy according to the academy's arrangement.

Any participation in the Great Dao Corridor's academy tournaments under a cultivator class's name is done under the academy's banner.

If participating under an individual or team name,

one may register directly with the Great Dao Corridor Academy Alliance under either the academy's name or the cultivator class's name.

For a mid-tier Dao Academy like Yonghuang Divine Skill Academy, the chance of securing a ranking by registering individually or as a team outside the academy is virtually zero.

But Ding Huan intends to do exactly that.

Registering under the academy's banner, even if you win a ranking, the rewards are distributed by the academy—not by the Dao Master.

A conscientious academy might be fair, but an unscrupulous one will seize his rewards, leaving him nowhere to appeal.

Registering directly as a cultivator class, if you win a ranking, the points go to the academy, but all other rewards are distributed solely by the Dao Master.

However, bypassing the academy and registering as a class for each event requires payment of ten million superior-grade immortal crystals.

Ding Huan is wealthy; his ring is piled high with immortal crystals.

Other Dao Masters won't be as wealthy as Ding Huan; very few can afford ten million superior-grade immortal crystals.

Ding Huan waited in the Zhengdao Class for less than half a stick of incense before the first person arrived—a thin young man.

Ding Huan assumed he was a student, but the young man bowed deeply to Ding Huan: "I am Li Jiuqing, class administrator of the Zhengdao Class, greeting Dao Master Ding."

So he's the class administrator. Ding Huan nodded and gestured for Li Jiuqing to sit and wait.

Ding Huan was quite satisfied with Yonghuang Divine Skill Academy's practice of assigning a class administrator to every class.

The class administrator is not a Dao Master.

Their role is similar to a Dao Master's assistant; they handle time-wasting tasks.

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Such as collecting cultivation resources for students, applying for cultivation venues, and processing various competition registrations.

An hour later, cultivator students began returning to the class one by one.

As soon as the two hours were up, Ding Huan stood immediately and sealed the door with a forbidden array.

A total of seventeen students returned to the Zhengdao Class.

Ding Huan scanned them with his spiritual sense; the highest among them barely reached Xuan Immortal Late Stage—equivalent to Xuan Immortal Level Seven—while the weakest were only at Xuan Immortal Level One or Two.

This entire class consists of cultivator students who were filtered out from the Xuan Dao Classes.

The Xuan Dao Classes naturally consist entirely of Xuan Immortals.

"All of you, I am your new Dao Master, Ding Huan. Look at my Dao Master token—I am also a newly joined probationary Dao Master of Yonghuang Divine Skill Academy…"

As expected, upon hearing Ding Huan's words, the cultivator students who had rushed back looked displeased.

They didn't come here to while away the days, but to cultivate true Dao methods and divine abilities.

Being relegated to the Dao-Striving Class was already despairing enough, and now on top of that they've sent a probationary Dao Master to fob them off.

A probationary Dao Master was disgusting enough, but this probationary Dao Master didn't even know what he was, and the moment he arrived he gave everyone a show of force.

This kind of temper—no one could stand it.

But at the Divine Ability Academy, talking back to a Dao Master was no small matter; a Dao Master could expel a cultivator student on the spot.

At this moment a few more students arrived at the door of the Dao-Striving Class, but Ding Huan had already set up a restriction, so they clearly couldn't get in.

Ding Huan didn't care what these cultivator students thought, and continued:

"There are two conditions for attending my class. First, starting today, without my permission you are not allowed to leave the Eternal Wasteland Divine Ability Academy. If anyone leaves the Eternal Wasteland Divine Ability Academy on their own, they will be expelled directly.

Second, starting today, until you leave the Eternal Wasteland Divine Ability Academy, you may only study what I tell you to study. Otherwise, expelled."

This was truly unbearable even for an uncle or aunt; several cultivator students couldn't help but stand up to argue.

But thinking of the rules of the Divine Ability Academy, they could only forcibly suppress the discomfort in their hearts.

Ding Huan thought to himself, seventeen students was naturally too many; he was going to weed some out right now.

"If you can't tolerate these two conditions, leave right now. Leaving from here, you can still join other Dao-cultivation classes. Otherwise, if you leave later, you'll be expelled from the academy…"

The moment Ding Huan said this, seven or eight cultivators stood up and walked out of the Dao-Striving Class.

A mere probationary Dao Master, and one who had just arrived, talking with such a big mouth—wasn't he afraid of throwing out his back?

The students outside who had been unable to get in saw people coming out of the class and hurried over to ask.

After a round of questioning, those waiting outside also left one after another.

In their eyes, Ding Huan, a probationary Dao Master, had overestimated his own standing.

Ding Huan was a bit troubled; even after saying all that, there were still nine people here.

That was still too many.

Just how out of options must these cultivator students be, to endure staying here?

"Everyone, do you have any questions for me?" As Ding Huan spoke, he was thinking about how to weed out a few more.

"Dao Master Ding, I'd like to ask—if the Dao Master can't answer our questions, can we leave the academy to consult others?" A female cultivator stood up to ask.

"No." Ding Huan refused without hesitation.

This female cultivator hesitated for a moment, and surprisingly did not leave.

Ding Huan had no choice but to continue: "Since no one is leaving, next I'll talk about our next objective. Our next step is to take part in the Great Dao Corridor Academy Competition three and a half months from now."

The moment Ding Huan's words came out, not only the nine cultivator students who remained were stunned, even the class steward Li Jiuqing was a bit dumbfounded.

He looked at Ding Huan in disbelief, thinking to himself, what kind of cultivator students are in your class—don't you yourself have any self-awareness at all?

Ding Huan, far from lacking self-awareness, continued to say something shocking:

"Of course, I plan to have the class participate as a whole in the Great Dao Corridor Academy Competition, which means we need to pay immortal crystals.

I didn't expect us to have this many people. If we sign up for many events, we'll need close to a hundred million high-grade immortal crystals…"

At this point, Ding Huan deliberately paused, then coughed a few times:

"You know, I'm a probationary Dao Master, and I have limited immortal crystals on me, so I hope disciples who are relatively wealthy can support your master's idea.

If you give a hundred immortal crystals, I won't think it's too little; if you give ten million immortal crystals, I won't think it's too much…"

This was obviously here to scam immortal crystals, wasn't it?

How could there still be such a shameless Dao Master under heaven? And of all things, a probationary one.

Another female cultivator stood up: "Dao Master Ding, I'm very poor, I can't produce a single immortal crystal to support the Dao Master. May I leave now?"

Ding Huan nodded: "Of course you may, the door is over there."

This female cultivator turned and left without hesitation.

What surprised Ding Huan was that the one who left was not the female cultivator who had asked the question earlier.

"Are you sure you won't leave?" Ding Huan looked at the remaining eight and asked again.

His ideal number of students was two.

And now there were eight—something he hadn't expected.

He'd even said the words about borrowing immortal crystals, and these cultivator students still wouldn't leave; he had no way to deal with it.

He couldn't exactly force people to leave, could he?

"Dao Master Ding, I have a hundred thousand high-grade immortal crystals." The first to speak was Seeing Ji Xing, who had been cultivating here when Ding Huan arrived.

After speaking, he took out a storage ring and handed it to Ding Huan.

Ding Huan placed this storage ring on the table in front of him and looked at the remaining students.

(Good night, fellow Daoists!)