Chapter 309: Sun Moon Academy

"In that case, let us split into two groups."

Shi Quan nodded upon hearing this, then raised a finger to point at a city located toward the center of the map, marked with two characters in the Sun Moon Continent language: "Ming Du"!

"I will go to Ming Du, the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, to see if I can reach a cooperation with the Empire."

"The situation in Ming Du is still unclear, and it will certainly take more time, so I must go first to understand the circumstances. Gu Yuena, you and Di Tian go to the Evil Forest together. With the two of you there, there should be no problem with the Spirit Beasts, and the speed of handling things will be faster. Once you have finished dealing with the Spirit Beasts, you can come to Ming Du to find me."

"No problem." Di Tian and Gu Yuena nodded.

After everything was discussed, Shi Quan called the two of them to go taste the local delicacies of Sea City together. They stayed in Bianhai City for one day, and early the next morning, the three of them parted ways.

This spread of Underworld rhetoric was only the initial dissemination of Faith; to achieve true Faith, it would still require the accumulation of time and the manifestation of miracles.

According to Shi Quan's plan, he would first spread the Underworld rhetoric across the entire Douluo Star, then select some people to establish an existence similar to a religion, and further expand the influence of the Faith. The dissemination and collection of Faith would require a massive amount of manpower and energy; it had to be done step by step.

Setting off on his journey, Shi Quan followed the map, summoned Juntian, and flew toward the south.

Looking at the terrain along the way, one had to admit that in terms of living environment, the Douluo Continent was indeed much better than the Sun Moon Continent. The southwestern region of the Sun Moon Continent consisted of plateaus connected to deserts, covering a vast area, and was not very suitable for long-term human habitation.

Along the way, traces of Soul Guidance Devices could be seen everywhere.

It was no wonder the Sun Moon Continent placed such importance on the research and development of Soul Guidance Devices; its primary purpose was to allow humans to live better lives.

But this also led to a problem. Although Soul Guidance Device technology was relatively advanced, the path of cultivation was like sailing against the current. While Soul Guidance Device weapons were convenient, their research and application also required energy. Combat-type Soul Guidance Device technology was fine, but civilian-type Soul Guidance Devices would consume a vast amount of manpower and material resources.

Spirit Masters obsessed with the research of Soul Guidance Devices would naturally also affect their cultivation of soul power; this was one of the reasons why the strength of Spirit Masters on the Sun Moon Continent was weak.

Sun Moon Empire, Ming Du.

Shi Quan had already changed into the attire of the Sun Moon Empire, and he had already stored Juntian in his Storage Bag before reaching the outskirts of Ming Du.

Walking into the city and looking at the stone-pointed tower buildings surrounding him that reached into the clouds, Shi Quan had the feeling of having arrived in Athens. With marble walls and carved metal trim, each one felt like a castle—elegant yet substantial, full of artistic flair.

The streets were also paved entirely with large stone slabs, and street lamps were neatly arranged on both sides, with their main bodies crafted from metal.

"The development of Soul Guidance Devices on the Sun Moon Continent is indeed far faster than on the Douluo Continent; the two are completely not on the same level."

Walking into Ming Du, the gap between Soul Guidance Devices became even more obvious. Compared to Heaven Dou City, everything in Ming Du appeared so novel, just like a person from a rural town arriving in a first-tier metropolis.

"The Sun Moon Empire's level of control over Soul Guidance Devices is surprisingly high."

Along the way, Shi Quan discovered that the Sun Moon Empire did not sell any books regarding Soul Guidance Devices to the outside world; from this point alone, one could see the degree of control the Sun Moon Empire had over them.

All production of Soul Guidance Devices belonged to the authorities, whether they were civilian or combat Soul Guidance Devices.

Furthermore, regarding materials for Soul Guidance Devices, trading them on the ordinary market was not permitted.

Ordinary people only had the right to use Soul Guidance Devices, not the right to manufacture them; even most Spirit Masters were the same, and only some high-level Spirit Academies provided systematic learning of Soul Guidance Devices.

It seemed the Sun Moon Empire also knew that the research of Soul Guidance Devices would delay a Spirit Master's cultivation; they likely established such regulations out of concern that Spirit Masters would waste their golden years of cultivation.

"A Divine Artifact like the Haichenzhixin is actually, in a different sense, a god-level Soul Guidance Device."

If that were the case, the Sun Moon Empire's knowledge of Soul Guidance Devices had aspects worth learning and drawing from.

When ascending to godhood, the soul bones within a Spirit Master's body could transform into god-level armor. If these concepts of Soul Guidance Devices were integrated, perhaps the refined god-level armor would be even stronger.

To learn systematic knowledge of Soul Guidance Devices, only Spirit Masters who entered a Spirit Academy were qualified to learn.

Therefore, Shi Quan now had two choices: one was to join a Spirit Academy, and the other was to sneak into a Spirit Academy to learn.

Of course, there was a third: finding the so-called black market.

Money makes the world go round; no matter where one was, as long as there was money to be made, there would always be people willing to take risks. Although the state strictly prohibited it, there would still be people trading in Soul Guidance Devices in the shadows.

However, this plan was immediately extinguished by Shi Quan. After all, the things obtained in the black market were not comprehensive, and there was no guarantee of quality; it was time-consuming, laborious, and thankless.

Shi Quan thought as he walked toward the city.

As he walked, he arrived before a luxuriously decorated gate. Above the gate were four gold-stamped characters: Sun Moon Academy.

Sun Moon Academy was the top institution of learning in the Sun Moon Empire.

Both commoners and nobles could attend, which showed the Empire's emphasis on Spirit Masters. As for whether there was discrimination against commoners by nobles inside the academy, that was unknown.

As the highest institution of learning in the Empire, its knowledge reserve was naturally the richest place in the entire Sun Moon Continent.

Shi Quan walked straight to the gate of Sun Moon Academy.

"Sir, may I ask what your business is?" Looking at Shi Quan's handsome appearance and luxurious clothing, the guard could not help but ask politely.

"Clothes make the man"—it was true indeed. To enter high-end places, one still had to maintain appearances; Shi Quan deeply agreed with this.

Shi Quan said directly: "Hello, I would like to join the academy to study."

If he wanted to reach a cooperation with the Sun Moon Empire, Sun Moon Academy was a very good stepping stone. Rather than sneaking in, joining the academy directly to learn was more straightforward.

"?" The guard was stunned upon hearing this. Looking at the young Shi Quan before him, he once doubted whether this person was here to cause trouble. Anyone would know that now was not the academy's enrollment period, right?

But thinking that this was the Empire's highest institution, Sun Moon Royal Academy, representing the Empire, and seeing Shi Quan's gorgeous attire, he figured he wouldn't be stupid enough to do that.

He immediately reminded him politely: "The academy has already passed its enrollment period."

Shi Quan said indifferently: "I am a Spirit Douluo."

The guard was amused upon hearing this, but the corners of his mouth, which had just lifted, quickly stiffened in place, because one after another, Soul Rings were rising from beneath Shi Quan's feet.

The guard trembled all over, only feeling an invisible pressure radiating from Shi Quan. His spine went cold by instinct. After seeing clearly the eight Soul Rings floating around Shi Quan, his body went limp: "My lord, please wait a moment!"

Shi Quan did not hide the color of his Soul Rings. He wanted a sensation; only then could he quickly come into contact with the high-level figures of the Sun Moon Continent, which would be beneficial for the promotion of his subsequent plans.

This world was a world of the strong; as long as one's strength was sufficiently high, there was no need for so many twists and turns.

A Spirit Douluo—experts of this level were few and far between on the Sun Moon Continent. He did not dare to have the slightest delay, especially after seeing Shi Quan's exaggerated Soul Ring configuration, he felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly lifted his weak feet to turn around.

"No need!" Just as the guard turned around, a tall and sturdy figure appeared outside the gate.

"Dean Ming." The guard bowed respectfully.

The middle-aged man called Dean Ming by the guard saw the Soul Rings on Shi Quan's body clearly, and his expression was filled with significantly more shock. He looked at Shi Quan and asked seriously: "This young friend, I am Ming Huo, Vice Dean of Sun Moon Academy. May I ask what brings you here today?"

"I am Shi Quan. I wish to enter the academy to study knowledge related to Soul Guidance Devices." Shi Quan withdrew his Soul Rings and stated his purpose directly.

"Study Soul Guidance Devices?" Ming Huo was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but he still invited him very enthusiastically: "Young friend, please come inside first."

Walking into the academy, Ming Huo could not help but ask curiously: "I have never heard of the name 'Shi' before. May I ask where you are from, young friend?"

Shi Quan said with a faint smile: "I am from overseas."

"Overseas!?" Ming Huo's voice rose by several degrees, and the gaze he directed at Shi Quan held a bit more gravity and scrutiny. "I wonder what 'overseas' you are referring to, little friend Shi?"

"Another continent beyond the great ocean."

Ming Huo only felt his throat go a bit dry and hoarse, and he chuckled dryly: "Little friend, you aren't joking with me, are you?"

"Naturally not." Shi Quan continued calmly: "In this world, besides the Sun Moon Continent, there are other continents. I come from the Douluo Continent, which is the largest continent in this world. The Sun Moon Continent is slightly smaller than the Douluo Continent. Besides these, there is another continent named the Longteng Continent, the area of which is even smaller than your Sun Moon Continent. Other lands can only be called larger islands."

Upon hearing this, Ming Huo was stunned in place. His worldview had clearly received a very serious shock. He only spoke after a while: "Little friend, how can you prove that you come from overseas?"

"Proof?" Shi Quan thought for a moment, reached into his bosom, and took out some clothing, currency, and items from the Douluo Continent and the Longteng Continent. "The Douluo Continent and the Longteng Continent have great differences from the Sun Moon Continent in terms of culture, language, clothing, and every other aspect. The ones on the left are from the Douluo Continent, and the ones on the right are from the Longteng Continent. Moreover, with my strength, there seems to be no need for me to deceive you, right?"

Ming Huo's expression paused as he looked at the strange clothing and currency floating in mid-air. "It is mainly because this is the first time I have heard the content you mentioned, little friend, so it is inevitable that I am curious."

"Since you come from overseas, little friend, may I ask what your purpose is in coming to my Sun Moon Continent? And why do you wish to learn about Soul Guidance Devices?" Ming Huo's expression gradually became serious, because to him, Shi Quan's answer would affect the entire Empire.

"I came to the Sun Moon Continent to spread a legend. As for Soul Guidance Devices, they also exist on the Douluo Continent, but the Douluo Continent does not care about the research and development of these external objects, focusing more on the cultivation of soul power. I want to learn about Soul Guidance Devices simply because I like coming into contact with all kinds of new things."

"Spread a legend?" Ming Huo frowned slightly, his face full of suspicion. How dangerous is the great ocean? If Shi Quan really crossed the sea, going to such great lengths just to spread an obscure legend? How could this make him believe it?

"Little friend, if you were a person of my Sun Moon Empire, you could naturally learn knowledge regarding Soul Guidance Devices, but if you are a person from overseas, you cannot." Ming Huo shook his head and explained: "You should also know that the Empire has always had corresponding control regulations for knowledge regarding Soul Guidance Devices; it is for internal use and not for outsiders."

Shi Quan smiled and nodded, not feeling surprised. He had long anticipated this situation and said slowly: "I can exchange the Spirit Master theories of the Douluo Continent with you."

Ming Huo had wanted to refuse directly, but Shi Quan said: "Do not be in a hurry to refuse. You pass this news to the high-level officials of the Empire and the powerhouses of your Empire; I can wait for them at the academy."

"Fine!"

Ming Huo thought for a moment and agreed. He brought Shi Quan to a gorgeously decorated hall. After giving an instruction to the people outside, he was just about to turn and leave when he was called back by Shi Quan again.

"By the way, Dean Ming, could you order someone to prepare some meat for me? My mount is a bit hungry," Shi Quan said with a faint smile.

"No problem, please wait a moment." Ming Huo was a bit confused, but he still ordered people to make arrangements, while he himself strode quickly toward the palace of the Sun Moon Empire.

Half an hour later, three powerful auras appeared in succession outside the academy. Besides them, there was also a middle-aged man wearing red and white patterned magnificent robes.

"What happened? Why did the Emperor come to the academy in person?"

"Didn't you notice? Even the three Elders of the Empire have come together."

"Something big must have happened in the academy."

There was much discussion outside the academy, while Ming Huo led the four people and walked quickly toward the academy.

"What is going on?"

Just as they arrived outside the hall, Ming Huo saw a group of guards looking terrified, continuously carrying large platters of meat in and out of the hall. He immediately called one of them over to ask.

"This subordinate greets the Emperor, the three Elders, and Dean Ming." The guard hurriedly knelt on the ground and rushed to explain: "We are delivering food to that lord's mount."

"Why is so much needed?" Ming Huo's brows locked tightly. Only then did he remember that before he left, Shi Quan had asked for some food for his mount. He had been gone for almost half an hour; if they had been delivering it the whole time, how much had they sent?

"Dean, you don't know, but that lord's mount is not an ordinary wild beast or animal at all, it is a Spirit Beast!" the guard said in terror. "And the aura of this Spirit Beast is extremely terrifying..."

The middle-aged man in the middle wearing magnificent robes said with dignity: "Dean Ming, we will know once we go in and see."

"Very well, Emperor." Ming Huo replied, "You may go."

After instructing the guard, Ming Huo continued to lead the group toward the hall.

When Ming Huo and the others arrived in the hall and saw that massive figure clearly, their expressions could not help but freeze. Who among them had not seen a Spirit Beast? Some of them had even encountered a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but they had never heard of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast being used as a mount...

(End of this chapter)