Chapter 6: Cultivation Academy

The Star Dou Great Forest is located in the southern part of the Tian Dou Empire; the forest stretches across two empires and is one of the three major gathering places for wild soul beasts.

Ordinary people only dare to build cities around its perimeter, and only Soul Masters dare to enter it to seek the soul rings they need.

However, in the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, inside a giant tree, there are traces of human habitation.

However, strangely enough, from the outside the tree appears completely intact, with no signs of damage.

However, if someone could see through the illusion, they would discover that this towering tree over ten meters in diameter actually has a door at its base, carved with the four characters "Cultivation Academy"; looking closer, one would see that windows appear every few meters up the wooden door.

If you count them, the whole tree has eight windows and one wooden door, meaning someone lives inside the tree and has built a nine-story building.

It is precisely because of the illusion enveloping the entire tree that those wild soul beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest have not discovered it.

Suddenly, a figure darted out from the surrounding treetops.

This person is none other than Bai Yuan.

He then carefully surveyed his surroundings for a moment; after confirming there was no danger, he cautiously walked to the tree, merged into the illusion, and "disappeared" there.

He reached out, pushed the door open, and what came into Bai Yuan's view was a living room.

The living room is not large; it contains a wooden round table, with wooden stools around it, all fused with the wooden floor, obviously carved out when the tree was hollowed out.

Bai Yuan followed the wooden staircase built into the wall upward; upstairs is a wood-burning kitchen.

However, because he often uses magic to handle things, he does not fear setting the whole tree on fire when lighting a fire.

Bai Yuan continued up the stairs; the third floor is a single bedroom with only a simple wooden bed.

The fourth, fifth, and even the sixth and seventh floors are similarly crude, as simple as they can possibly be.

However, once one steps onto the seventh floor, they discover that the world has changed dramatically; although they are still inside the tree, going upstairs reveals they have entered a lake several hundred meters in diameter.

The lake's water is exceptionally clear in the morning, yet strangely its bottom cannot be seen; in the center of the lake sits a green lotus, with no other living things present.

"Master, you have returned."

The green lotus transformed into a white-haired little loli, who instantly flew into Bai Yuan's embrace; the surrounding lake vanished like a mirage, turning into a simple room just like the one below.

Bai Yuan reached out to catch Bai Yu, affectionately rubbing her little head and said, "Bai Yu, have you been practicing diligently lately?"

Bai Yu raised her eyes and smiled, saying, "Of course I've been practicing diligently; I've reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. But speaking of which, Master, what about the junior brothers and sisters you promised to bring me? I can't sense their presence—did you hide them away?"

Bai Yu lay on Bai Yuan's shoulder, looking downstairs, but felt and saw nothing.

Bai Yuan gave an embarrassed laugh and said, "Bai Yu, this time I failed to take on any disciples, and nobody believes me as a teacher."

Bai Yuan let out a sigh, truly at a loss for words; even when he performed magic in front of ordinary people, they still thought he was a Soul Master merely hiding his soul ring through special means.

Thus, still no one became his disciple; those without innate soul power called him a fraud and refused to take him as a teacher.

Those with innate soul power, on the other hand, thought he was a madman—clearly a Soul Master yet insisting he was a cultivator—so they also refused to become his disciples.

Bai Yu wrapped her arms around Bai Yuan's neck, gently patting his back to comfort him, saying, "Master, their refusal to become your disciples is their loss; we need not worry about it."

Bai Yuan held Bai Yu, turned his head to look at the room downstairs, and fell into silence.

Six years ago, Bai Yuan brought Bai Yu to the Star Dou Great Forest to evade the Spirit Hall's search and Tang Hao's pursuit, painstakingly carving out eight rooms inside this tree.

He had thought he would soon find new disciples to fill these rooms, but eight years later today, only he and Bai Yu remain here.

Over these six years, Bai Yuan's appearance has basically remained unchanged thanks to his cultivation, while Bai Yu is even more extraordinary—she shows no signs of growing up.

It seems that after a monster transforms, its appearance becomes permanently fixed; alternatively, a monster's lifespan is so long that six years is nowhere near enough for it to grow even a little.

This left Bai Yuan speechless; a perfectly fine older-sister-type disciple had, due to a mistake, become a permanent little loli.

As for these six years, Bai Yu has only raised her cultivation by six levels; the reason she once gained three levels in a single night is...

Besides the fact that cultivation slows down later on, that night she converted several hundred years of her soul beast power into her own cultivation.

That is why she could increase so much at once.

Now, having increased six levels over six years, this can only be attributed to the effect of the Transformation Pill, since monsters can only take human form upon reaching the Golden Core stage; prematurely assuming human form amounts to enjoying the benefits of the Golden Core ahead of time.

Seeing Bai Yuan remain silent, Bai Yu suddenly said, "Master, since those humans don't know gratitude, why not take on a few soul beast disciples instead~~"

Bai Yuan said nothing.

Taking on soul beast disciples, he had naturally considered that as well.

But he currently lacks the most needed treasure chest, and the shop price of the Transformation Pill is ten thousand Virtue Points!

After completing system tasks over these six years, Bai Yuan has just barely earned over twelve thousand Virtue Points.

If he were to exchange them for Transformation Pills, the point at which he could exchange for his desired cultivation technique would become even more distant.

"Master, just take on a soul beast as a disciple! Since you can't communicate with them, I'll do it for you—or take this Big Tree Little Sister as a disciple; she has long wanted to become your disciple." Bai Yu said coquettishly in Bai Yuan's embrace.

Bai Yuan pondered for a moment and then asked, "You say, your Big Tree Little Sister wants to become my disciple?"

Bai Yu nodded and said, "Yes, it indeed wants to become your disciple; after you left, it keeps asking the disciple when you will return, and asks the disciple whether it can become your disciple."

Bai Yuan stared blankly for a moment; he had searched high and low in the human world for someone willing to become his disciple, to no avail, yet Bai Yu has a Big Tree Little Sister who every day wants to become his disciple.

"Where is this Big Tree Little Sister you speak of?"

Bai Yu replied, "We are inside the Big Tree Little Sister's body."

Bai Yuan: ……

"I basically hollowed out its interior; does it hate me?" Bai Yuan asked.

Bai Yu blinked and said, "Master, let me ask."

Bai Yuan fell into contemplation.

After a few seconds, Bai Yu said, "The Big Tree Little Sister says it hates us; it originally wanted to kill us, but after I awakened its spiritual wisdom, it no longer hates us as much, and it says it wants Master to give it a chance."

Bai Yuan still did not answer.

Because he was worried the tree might be lying.

The attribute panel opened.

【Host: Bai Yuan】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Ninth Layer】

【Item: Foundation Establishment Pill Recipe】

【Special: Junior Alchemist, Junior Artificer, Junior Formation Master, Junior Talisman Master】

【Disciple Count: 1】

【Bound Disciple: Bai Yu (Current Binding Limit: 1) (After Binding a Disciple, Each Time the Disciple Advances, the Host Will Also Advance by the Same Amount of Cultivation.)】

【Teacher Virtue Points: 12300】

【Shop: Click to Open】

【Current Task One: Refine Foundation Establishment Pill, Reward: Intermediate Alchemist, One Thousand Teacher Virtue Points】

【Current Task Two: Recruit Three Disciples (Already Recruited One), Reward: Current Most Needed Treasure Box, Three Thousand Teacher Virtue Points。】

【Current Task Three: Break Through Foundation Establishment Stage, Reward: Bound Disciple Limit *2, Ten Thousand Teacher Virtue Points。】

(End of Chapter)