Chapter 248: Points and Permissions
After getting used to her new state, Hu Liena was ready to leave. Staying in this enclosed space for too long felt somewhat oppressive.
As soon as she opened the door, a bright light filled her vision, and she suddenly realized she had returned to the real world the entrance of the Soul Tower.
"You're already out?" The staff member at the reception counter looked at her in surprise. "Why not stay inside and cultivate a little longer? Opportunities like this don't come often."
"Opportunities don't come often?" Hu Liena was puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
"So you really don't know." The staff member shook his head and explained, "Didn't you notice anything different while cultivating in the chamber?"
"Different?" Hu Liena thought back but found nothing unusual except that it was extremely comfortable, and cultivation had progressed surprisingly fast.
Seeing her confusion, the staff member finally revealed the truth. "The Soul Tower has nine floors, each designed to enhance cultivation. The higher the floor, the stronger the effect. Every floor creates an optimal environment suited to your martial soul."
"You were just on the first floor, which provides double the usual cultivation efficiency. The second floor offers triple efficiency, and so on. The ninth floor grants ten times the efficiency!"
"So that's why…" Hu Liena suddenly understood. No wonder cultivation had felt so smooth. She had been wondering why her progress was so fast, even considering that restarting from a high level should be easier.
It turned out the environment had been boosting her all along.
"But what did you mean by 'opportunities don't come often'?" she asked politely. Despite this staff member's seemingly ordinary appearance, she dared not underestimate him.
"The Soul Tower may enhance cultivation, but it isn't free to use," the staff member explained. "To prevent students from becoming too reliant on external help, the academy requires a fee to use it. The higher the floor, the more expensive it becomes and you are charged by the hour."
"This time was an exception since you're a new student. There were no time restrictions you could stay as long as you wanted, as long as you didn't leave the chamber."
Oh, so this was a one time freebie.
Hu Liena understood now, but she wasn't too concerned. As the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, she had never lacked money and had no need to exploit such minor advantages.
"How much would it cost to train on the ninth floor for a day?" she asked confidently.
The staff member gave her a strange look. "Money? You think such a valuable training resource can be bought with mere coins? The 'fee' I mentioned has nothing to do with gold soul coins or any other currency."
Hu Liena froze for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Then what is the required fee?"
"You received a phone when you got your admission letter, right?"
"Yes," she nodded, taking out her phone as if to hand it over.
The staff member waved his hand dismissively. "No need to give it to me. Your phone has many hidden functions you're not aware of. One of them is the points system."
"Points system?" Hu Liena felt like a complete beginner.
"That's right," the staff member nodded. "Your teachers will explain this sooner or later, but I'll tell you now. Points function like virtual currency within the academy. You can use them to purchase items, privileges, and even knowledge."
"While basic necessities like food and housing are free in White Cloud Academy, some resources and knowledge must be purchased. For example, even entering the first floor of the Soul Tower for training requires 10 points per day."
"If you want to learn more advanced meditation techniques or access special knowledge, you must use points to exchange for them."
The staff member gave her a meaningful look.
"Anything can be exchanged?"
Hu Liena's mind raced could this mean she could obtain the secrets of the Soul Ring Condensation Method using points?
"Some things can be exchanged directly," the staff member replied, "but others require certain permissions as well."
"Permissions?"
"Exactly. Your phone's network access is divided into six levels. Right now, you're at Level 1, the lowest. The highest, Level 6, is only available to Lord Ye Cheng and the Vice Deans."
'Could it be… that unlocking the Soul Ring Condensation Method requires Level 6 permission?'
Hu Liena speculated but kept her thoughts to herself.
"How can I increase my permission level?" she asked.
"It's simple. Complete academy missions." The staff member stated. "Completing missions will also earn you points."
"Missions? What kind of missions?"
"They range from simple to difficult, with rewards varying accordingly. A basic mission might be cleaning the academy grounds. However, if you want to increase your permission level, you'll need to complete far more difficult missions such as hunting a 100,000 year soul beast deep in the Spirit Beast Forest."
"…..."
Hu Liena fell silent.
After a moment, she composed herself and thanked the staff member sincerely. "Thank you for explaining all this to me."
"You're welcome." The staff member smiled. Ever since he had been assigned to this job, his days had been monotonous. It was nice to have someone to chat with.
Unraveling the Academy's Hidden Intentions
Points? Missions?
To obtain points, she needed to complete tasks.
To increase permissions, she also had to complete tasks.
Hu Liena carefully analyzed everything she had just learned.
The more she thought about it, the more certain she became White Cloud Academy had a hidden agenda.
'I must report this information to the teacher immediately!'
She made a firm decision.
Returning to Reality
Soon, more and more students emerged from their closed door training chambers.
However, their teacher, Mr. Cao, was nowhere to be seen.
No one dared to wander off, so they decided to wait in the hall.
The staff member, seeing the growing number of students standing around awkwardly, casually waved his hand
Immediately, rows of chairs materialized out of thin air in the hall.
The students, surprised but grateful, thanked him before sitting down to wait.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10