Tang San's mouth twitched. Now, he truly had no money left at all.
"Teacher, this looks like east. We might have taken the wrong direction," Tang San suggested. He never would have imagined that his seemingly all-powerful teacher would one day get disoriented and lost.
"East? How could that be?" Hearing Tang San's words, Yu Xiaogang hadn't yet grasped the seriousness of the situation. Preoccupied, he continued walking forward. "Little San, your experience isn't quite enough yet. Don't worry, follow me, and we'll reach Heaven Dou City very soon!"
At this point, Yu Xiaogang paused, calculating the time. Flender and the main group from Shrek Academy should be arriving at Heaven Dou City soon. It was already late today, so he and Tang San would rest for the night. They should be able to reach Heaven Dou City successfully before dark tomorrow, though they would need to push harder. Crucially, Yu Xiaogang only had enough money left for one night's stay. If they didn't arrive tomorrow, they would be sleeping on the streets.
"Teacher, it's not me saying it; it's the compass pointing," Tang San stated, immediately stumping Yu Xiaogang. It was essentially asking, 'Teacher, are you more accurate than a compass?'
A... a compass!
He turned around stiffly, his gaze falling on the compass in Tang San's hand. The next second, Yu Xiaogang completely froze. The needle was clearly pointing to his left! Even then, Yu Xiaogang still doubted his own judgment. He stubbornly ran ahead, found a local resident, and asked for directions before finally giving up. He really had gotten lost.
If they hadn't taken the right way, then where exactly were he and Tang San now? Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang felt completely unwell. The fatigue from many days of travel, coupled with this sudden blow of realization, made him stumble, nearly fainting.
Since it was late and they had taken the wrong direction, Yu Xiaogang could only use his remaining money to find an inn to stay in, while also asking the owner for directions.
On the other side, Flender had clearly explained their purpose to Teacher Sun Buyu of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He revealed a slight smile and spoke calmly.
"We are here to find Qin Ming. Just now, your academy's students called us beggars and told us to get lost, which is why the conflict occurred."
"You're looking for Teacher Qin?" Sun Buyu's heart stirred. "May I ask if you are from Shrek Academy in the Balak Kingdom?"
Flender nodded. "Precisely!"
Sun Buyu's expression immediately became respectful. "To be able to teach a genius like Teacher Qin, I am filled with admiration. Regarding what just happened, I sincerely apologize to everyone on behalf of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Please, come in." As he spoke, he made a welcoming gesture. At the same time, he glared at the students of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, as if warning them, 'I'll deal with you later.'
The Shrek Academy group then followed Teacher Sun Buyu up the mountain path towards the academy nestled within. Upon entering the mountain, they could truly appreciate the scale of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The stone steps leading up the mountain were carved from white marble, with each step featuring different Spirit Beast patterns, exquisitely crafted. The evening glow of the sunset cast dappled, pale red tree shadows on the steps, adding a unique sense of tranquility and charm. Breathing in the fresh air, everyone felt as if they had entered a world of plants.
One important reason why Flender had decided to bring the Shrek Seven Devils here was because, as a high-level Spirit Master academy founded by the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family, all its facilities were of the highest quality. While external facilities were not the decisive factor for Spirit Master cultivation, they did play an undeniable auxiliary role.
Among these facilities, the most significant were the simulated cultivation grounds for Spirit Masters of various attributes. These 'simulated cultivation grounds' were places where Spirit Masters could cultivate their Spirit in the environment most suitable for them. While this couldn't be described as achieving twice the results with half the effort, it certainly provided a considerably good auxiliary effect.
Given Shrek Academy's poor conditions, it was naturally impossible for them to provide comprehensive simulated cultivation grounds. But the Heaven Dou Royal Academy was different. One very important reason this academy occupied a vast area and was built outside Heaven Dou City was precisely due to the construction of its simulated cultivation grounds.
As a comprehensive advanced Spirit Master academy, it needed a full range of simulated cultivation grounds. For plant-system Spirit Masters and food-system Spirit Masters, this was relatively straightforward. However, building simulated cultivation grounds for all sorts of Beast Spirit Masters was not so easy. It was impossible to build a simulated cultivation ground for every single type of Beast Spirit, but after proper classification and categorization, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy still had nearly a hundred different simulated cultivation grounds. As their enrollment advertisement claimed, there was always one suitable for you.
The mountain air was not only fresh but also very humid. This refreshing feeling quickly made the Shrek Academy group forget their earlier unpleasantness. Sun Buyu was clearly unwilling to mention the rude students again, so he simply introduced the scenery along the way.
"The academy's main campus is on the mountainside, while the simulated zones are distributed all over the mountain, both up and down, and by the lake as well," he explained.
Flender, walking at the very front with him, casually asked, "Teacher Sun, how many students does the Heaven Dou Royal Academy currently have?"
Sun Buyu smiled. "There are about five hundred students, mostly noble children from the Empire and its affiliated kingdoms."
For Spirit Masters, this mountain path was nothing. Soon, they arrived at the mountainside. The main campus of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy consisted entirely of single-story buildings, giving it the feeling of a fortress. The outer courtyard wall was five meters high, uniformly bright yellow, and looked extremely beautiful. Even the top of the courtyard wall was covered with glazed tiles, which shone brilliantly under the setting sun.
By this time, the sky had gradually darkened. As the distant colorful clouds slowly disappeared, specks of light had already begun to glow within the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Upon entering the academy, not many students were seen. According to Sun Buyu, most students were distributed in various simulated zones for cultivation, so the main campus conversely had few people.
He led the Shrek Academy group directly to a reception room, asked them to wait for a moment, and hurried off to find Qin Ming.
"What do you all think of this place?" Flender's question was directed at the other teachers.
Shao Xin, the Candied Bean Spirit Master, smiled and said, "It's very good, even better than I imagined."
Zhao Wuji also nodded. "The environment here is certainly good, even if the students are a bit trashy. But this place is definitely a good choice for retirement, and it's so close to Heaven Dou City."
Flender let out a sigh. "It seems we really will be retiring here."
In the inn room, Tang San looked at the map he had borrowed from the owner, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. Their current location was approximately two hundred kilometers off the correct route. At his and Yu Xiaogang's speed, this would take at least two more days. The most crucial point now was that he and his teacher had no money left at all.
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