Chapter 143: Acquiring the Treasure and Returning

Having wrapped up the major affairs of the Underworld, Qin Ye returned to the mortal realm and took a good, thorough rest.

Aris also went back to Bao'an, mentioning to Qin Ye along the way that the "Mirror Hanging High" had been brought there as well. Qin Ye couldn't be bothered to converse with that internet troll.

The next day, he immediately requested a three-day leave from Zhou Xianlong. Amidst the bitter resentment of seeing his faculty score drop by one point, he immediately set off to tour various major cities in Anhui Province.

Gumo City, Hengchuan City, Zhou'an City... City by city, he swept through them following the addresses provided by Huang Liangchuan and the others, taking a full two days and a bit more.

One had to admit, even though he was mentally prepared, he was still startled by the sheer extravagance of these deceased billionaires.

Huang Liangchuan's villa, for instance, was located right beside the renowned Sanqing Temple in Gumo City. It was the only privately owned residence approved to be built within the 4A-class scenic area of Mount Mo. Not only that, but Huang Liangchuan had even lavishly paved a private road stretching directly from the foot of the mountain into its very core!

Swimming pools, sports courts, a sprawling and magnificent classical Chinese interior decoration, palace lanterns everywhere, successive screen walls... It felt like stepping into the residence of an ancient prince, showcasing the ultimate in luxury.

The luxury mansions of the other wealthy individuals were no less impressive. Qin Ye forcefully suppressed the urge to loot these estates clean, rushing about busily like a mouse that had fallen into an oil vat. Two days later, he had already returned to the main campus of Anhui University on Daishan Mountain.

No one paid attention to his return; far too many students walked back and forth across the campus every day carrying suitcases. It wasn't until he slid his suitcase under his bed that he finally let out a long breath of relief.

A treasure worth at least sixty-odd million was resting right beneath him... Even though he knew there was no real danger, it still kept him from closing his eyes in peace.

"Soon... Just seven more days... Once I'm back in Bao'an, that's my territory. I won't have to live in such constant anxiety..."

The next few days passed quickly. All the instructors were making their final sprints. The instructor group chat was dead silent. Finally, the two months of study time had come to an end.

That night, the first message in a month and a half was sent to the instructor chat. Zhou Xianlong disabled group chat and sent a voice message: "Respected instructors, the two-month faculty training will conclude tomorrow."

"Everyone has worked extremely hard, but hard work alone does not necessarily guarantee success."

"Teaching is a special profession. It is different from our usual work of slaying ghosts; what we must do is impart and guide. Doing it yourself and explaining it to others are two entirely different matters. These past two months were supposed to be winter break, yet the professors and instructors of Anhui University stayed behind to teach specifically because of our institution's request. I hope everyone will attend tomorrow's session."

Qin Ye listened quietly to the voice message. This was the competition among cultivators—resources and status all had to be fought for by oneself. When some forged ahead, others naturally fell behind.

Sympathy was meaningless. From the moment he arrived at Daishan, Li Tao had already hinted at it on the bus: opportunities were equal for everyone, except that some seized them while others failed to.

"Tomorrow at nine o'clock in the morning, in the computer science tiered lecture hall, the quotas for official instructors and outstanding instructors will be announced. At the same time, we will announce the student enrollment quotas, qualifications, and backing factions for each major department. This is Phase One."

"Phase Two: Announcement of welfare allocations for all official instructors and outstanding instructors, along with the faculty promotion scores and necessary conditions."

"Phase Three: Announcement of the second stage of instructor evaluation, which consists of the school's internal assessment criteria."

"This first-ever achievement acceptance meeting of the First Cultivation University will be presided over by President Xu Anguo. Please inform one another. Anyone who is absent or late tomorrow will be deemed to have voluntarily forfeited their instructor quota."

After two months of training, tomorrow was finally the time for harvest.

Qin Ye was just about to close Momo when a notification suddenly lit up.

"Huge Tool, Great Skills" has sent you a friend request.

Instant rejection.

"Huge Tool, Great Skills" has sent you another friend request.

Rejection again.

How could such a vulgar ID appear in my pure friend list?

Right at that moment, the S-rank qualification group chat suddenly lit up. Qin Ye had long since set it to receive messages without notifications, and he wasn't sure who had tagged him.

"I am the Overlord! Why the hell are you rejecting me?!" — Huge Tool, Great Skills.

What the hell... Qin Ye almost rolled his eyes up to heaven. Vengefully, he typed out four characters: You absolute moron!!

"Huge Tool, Great Skills" has sent you a third friend request.

Resisting the urge to shatter his phone into pieces, Qin Ye accepted it.

"How is it? Are you confident about tomorrow?" Lin Han immediately sent a voice message as soon as they added each other.

"Not bad... I took a three-day leave earlier, got some points deducted for messy notes, and even had some points docked because of an idiot like you! Otherwise, your daddy would right now be saying: If I dare claim second place, who dares claim first!" — Muscular Little Milk Dog.

I always feel like there's some ambiguity in the conversation between Muscular Little Milk Dog and Huge Tool, Great Skills... Qin Ye's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he casually changed Lin Han's nickname remark to "Overlord." Then he replied: "What about you?"

"Don't even mention it," Lin Han said gloomily. "Daddy only completed a D-rank mission. The title of outstanding instructor is probably out of the question, at best I'll get retained for observation... Is there any way around this? For example, adding twenty or thirty points to my score tonight?"

Qin Ye thought for a moment and sent over a heavily filtered, triple-beautified selfie of himself.

Huge Tool, Great Skills: ?????

Qin Ye calmly replied: "Forward this little milk dog, and you'll pass every exam."

Huge Tool, Great Skills has added you to their blacklist.

People these days... Truly lacking a sense of humor... Qin Ye curled his lips, tossed his phone onto the bed, tilted his head, and drifted off to sleep.

At 8:30 the next morning, when he arrived at the computer science tiered lecture hall, all the instructors were already in their seats across the vast space.

The podium had also been rearranged. Hanging behind it was a banner reading "First-ever Achievement Acceptance Meeting of the First Cultivation University," flanked by two national flags on either side. A few potted plants were placed around, making the whole setup look very simple and unpretentious.

Yet despite such a simple venue, not a single instructor present wore a relaxed expression. They sat silently in their respective seats.

No one sat together. Those who estimated they wouldn't make the cut probably didn't want others to witness their disappointment. Those who thought they might stay didn't want to further provoke their schoolmates who had lived and eaten together with them for two months. Everyone tacitly left three seats empty between them; even Lin Han didn't come over to sit with him.

The atmosphere at the venue was somewhat oppressive. After a long while, someone let out a dry laugh: "The waves of the Yangtze River push the waves ahead... I probably won't make the cut this time. Everyone, I wish you all great success in your endeavors at the First Cultivation University."

"Old Li is too modest." "You never know for sure." Scattered responses rang out. Qin Ye raised his eyebrows and glanced over; it was a middle-aged man whose name he hadn't memorized.

"I reckon I won't make it either." Someone else started a conversation, and an elderly man with graying hair also smiled bitterly: "Comrades who manage to stay, keep it up! Once you step out with the First Cultivation University on your resume, it will be a thick and heavy chapter. We all know that making a region prosperous isn't about giving resources, but giving policies. The policy inclination toward the First Cultivation University is so massive that if it were placed in an urban zone, it would be a newly risen Shenzhen."

After a few remarks exchanged, silence fell once more. The atmosphere eased slightly until exactly nine o'clock. Accompanied by a melodious tune, a group of figures slowly walked onto the stage from the side door. The instructors, who had been sitting casually, instantly straightened up into rigid postures.

It was starting...

The elites invited from all over the country, possessing at least S-rank qualifications—after two months of evaluation, who would remain in this supreme institution of the cultivation world was about to be revealed!

Xu Anguo led the group at the very front, followed by the department heads and professors. They bowed slightly to the instructors. The professors and department heads took their seats in the front row, leaving only a smiling Xu Anguo to walk up to the podium.

He swept his gaze across the room with a smile, then bowed deeply: "Comrades, the First Cultivation University will undoubtedly become the supreme sacred ground of the cultivation world in the future. That you have all traveled thousands of miles here, yet we cannot retain every single one of you, is a failing in my administrative duties."

He straightened up and sighed: "You are all elites from various regions, and your ghost-slaying merit points rank among the highest in your respective localities. However, some people excel at physical action, while others excel at verbal instruction. And at the First Cultivation University, the tongue is more important than the hands. Therefore... we have had no choice but to make some difficult choices, and I ask for your understanding."

A pin could be heard dropping in the entire tiered lecture hall. In full view of everyone, Xu Anguo retrieved a kraft paper envelope, slowly unwound the string around it, pulled out a sheet of white paper, and turned solemn.

"Following two months of inspection, the Human Resources Department of the First Cultivation University has established the list of official instructors as follows."

He paused. Everyone present slowed their breathing slightly, and Qin Ye was no exception.

"First place: S9527, 90 points."

Hoo... Qin Ye let out a long breath of relief.

This massive treasure vault—he, this steppe husky, had finally managed to squeeze his way in.

"Evaluation remarks: Bold yet meticulous, possessing formidable strength, he is the first master within a century to advance to the Soul-Detainment realm under the age of twenty. His powers of observation are meticulous to the finest detail, and he excels at handling sudden contingencies. The only instructor to complete a C-difficulty mission..."

After a full minute of reading the evaluation remarks, Xu Anguo paused once more, looking deeply in Qin Ye's direction: "S9527, promoted to official instructor, enters the candidate pool for outstanding instructors. Granted partial viewing access to associate professor materials."

Countless gazes converged upon Qin Ye—some filled with envy, some with admiration, and others with unwillingness. Qin Ye accepted them all with equanimity.

"Second place: S2328, 80 points."

Qin Ye looked in surprise toward Su Feng's direction, who calmly pushed up his glasses. His phone vibrated. He quietly opened Momo, and Huge Tool, Great Skills' resentful words almost leaped out of the chat box: "What right does he have to be second!"

This was sent in the S-rank qualification group. The moment it was sent, the administrator Canghai Xiao posted a message: "Because all the time you spent acting like a fool, I used on studying."

Qin Ye closed his phone and listened closely.

Xu Anguo was reading the names of those who stayed. This conveyed one piece of information: the failed competitors made up the vast majority. Otherwise, no one would bother reading out the long list of names to no avail.

As if confirming his guess, after reading through a sprawling list of two hundred people for some thirty-odd minutes, Xu Anguo had reached the very end of the paper in his hand.

Aside from the top three, there were no evaluation remarks for the rest; their ID numbers were simply read off one by one.

Many people's gazes grew burning hot as one name concluded, only to dim into darkness as the next name was called.

"Next is our final instructor." Xu Anguo raised his head, smiling as he looked at everyone: "You are all exceptional, and our choices were extremely difficult. Out of the preliminary faculty team of two hundred, sixty-five have been retained. It is a deficiency in the school's work, and I hope that after returning to your original posts, you will all continue to achieve brilliant results."

"A4329, congratulations."

*(End of Chapter)*