Chapter 145: Power and Trainees (Part II)

Dead silence.

This was a sword forged of gold, still in its scabbard. Countless incomprehensible characters, perhaps decorative patterns, were engraved upon the sheath. Yet simply holding it gave one the feeling... as if uttering a single word of disrespect toward this sword would cause its blade light to span ten thousand miles and strike right before one's eyes.

This sensation was so vivid that even Qin Ye felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead.

A supreme divine treasure.

It was hard to even imagine what it looked like when drawn.

Zhou Xianlong's expression was more solemn than ever before. He actually bowed toward the sword, then turned around and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, there is a rumor in the cultivation world."

"The rumor goes... through all dynasties, there has always been an organization similar to the Special Investigation Office. No matter the rise and fall of dynasties or the collapse of imperial houses, they would always pass down all these accumulated treasures to the next successor organization. From ancient times to the present, this organization exists all over the world. Foreign cultivators call them the Grave Keepers. And in our China, similar rumors exist."

He scanned the entire room, meeting one burning gaze after another, took a deep breath, and said, "Now, I am here to verify this rumor for you."

"It is true."

Thud! It was like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart. Even the most composed people could no longer remain calm.

Thousands of years of treasures!

Thousands of years of accumulation!

Now... why were they being told this?

Was this the perk of being an official instructor?

"The Special Investigation Office was formerly known as the Protectorate of the State, the most elite disciples selected from the Upper Three Banners of the Manchu Eight Banners: the Plain Yellow Banner, the Bordered Yellow Banner, and the Plain Blue Banner. This organization existed right up until the founding of China, until the country's Special Investigation Office was established, and they officially handed over the treasury. Only then was it declared dissolved."

"The Special Investigation Office has always guarded this treasury. This is your greatest perk! And it is a perk specially approved by the state today!"

Gulp... Someone swallowed hard, and another person grabbed the armrests of their chair, their hips hovering slightly off the seat. Dozens of pairs of eyes stared fixedly at Zhou Xianlong's mouth. Qin Ye gripped his fists tightly just to suppress the surging excitement in his heart.

It's right there...

Who knows how many items inside can be used by the Underworld! Their value far exceeds Nether Spirit Stones! If he couldn't summon Kael'thas right now, he would have wanted to summon him immediately to draw up a "clear out the treasury" plan!

The husky had successfully infiltrated the wolf pack, coveting all the treasures and the female wolves...

"This treasury is divided into seven levels, named after the Big Dipper: Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, and Yaoguang. According to some ancient texts, Tianshu corresponds to treasures of the Ghost Official rank. Tianxuan corresponds to Soul Binding, Tianji to Impermanence, Tianquan to Judge... and so on."

Living cultivators graded themselves based on the Underworld's ranking system, which was probably a habit passed down from ancient times. Qin Ye didn't mind; such uniformity made things more consistent and less likely to leak secrets.

"The final Yaoguang Treasury... holds things you wouldn't even dare to imagine." Zhou Xianlong said with burning eyes, "For instance, this sword—do you know its name?"

At that very moment, as if responding to his words, the placard in front of the sword on the screen was flipped over by a hand. In the next second, the entire hall fell dead silent.

Qin Ye's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the screen. Su Feng gently shook his head in absolute shock, even rising slightly from his seat.

Further away, an old man rasped, "This... how is this possible..."

He couldn't help standing up... Not just him, but every single instructor present, aside from the department professors and President Xuanguang, rose in unbroken silence amidst a rustling sound.

There were only three characters on the placard.

Xuanyuan Sword!

***

"The Sword of Humanity, the Xuanyuan Sword..." Zhou Xianlong felt goosebumps break out all over his body. He closed his eyes and rasped, "When I first saw it, I couldn't believe it. Yet... this sword has remained un-drawable for thousands of years..."

"Holy cow... The three Dao Lords are in deep trouble..." Qin Ye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sat back down. The Xuanyuan Sword... Such a legendary item actually existed! Although it could no longer be drawn, once the three Dao Lords went on a rampage in China, who knew if it might leave its scabbard!

Suddenly feeling that the wolf pack was extremely dangerous, how to break this?

Better to quietly remain a husky... The mortal realm runs deep indeed...

Although he didn't know how terrifying a Prefecture Lord-level fierce ghost was, he figured... no matter how terrifying they were, they couldn't possibly be more terrifying than this thing, right?

"Wait..." The moment he sat down, a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and he abruptly raised his head to look at the screen.

No... no!

What kind of divine artifact is the Xuanyuan Sword? Who could casually hold a sword that cannot be drawn?

Then... this hand holding the sword... whose is the owner?

A cultivator at the level of the Six Directions Ghost Kings...?

He looked closely at the hand. Earlier, his gaze had been entirely captured by the Xuanyuan Sword, but now he noticed that this hand was covered in wrinkles, looking like aged pine wood. Yet it was exceptionally powerful and exuded a vibrant, healthy glow.

"At the very least... it's at the Prefecture Lord level..." He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "The mortal realm has hidden trump cards... No wonder they dare to forcefully suppress supernatural riots nationwide... No wonder the three Dao Lords have long hesitated to make a move... No... It's very likely the state has already guessed the identities of the three Dao Lords, but at the Prefecture Lord level... with hundreds of millions of nether spirits and ten thousand ghosts pouring out of their nests, facing humanity's heritage of several thousand years... no one dares to rashly ignite this war."

Swish... The screen abruptly went dark. Only then did everyone snap out of their daze. They exchanged looks of ecstatic joy and silently sat back down.

"Everyone," Zhou Xianlong said in a deep voice, "I solemnly announce that from the moment the First Cultivation University was founded, this treasury has been open to all instructors of the First Cultivation University!"

Countless people closed their eyes and let out a long, hot breath.

That was excitement.

"Teaching points are your score for advancing upwards, and merit points are your way to redeem items from the treasury here. Instructors can redeem items from the Tianshu and Tianxuan treasuries. Outstanding instructors have one chance per year to redeem items from the Tianji treasury. As for associate professors and professors..."

He smiled slightly: "You have the opportunity to redeem items from even higher-level treasuries at any time!"

"At the same time, instructors get a 10% discount on redeeming Nether Spirit Stones. Outstanding instructors get a 15% discount. Associate professors get a 20% discount, senior associate professors get a 30% discount, and professors... get a 50% discount!"

"All redemption lists will be sent to your Momo app after we return to Bao'an."

"Everyone." He pressed both hands on the podium, his eyes burning as he said, "The state is providing this level of support—you should know what kind of talent we need!"

"We know!!" This time, more than sixty people shouted in unison.

This perk was simply too massive... It almost knocked them senseless!

This was what you called policy!

"Very well. Then... I leave it in everyone's hands." Zhou Xianlong cupped his fists in salute. "As for Stage Three, the content for the second phase of the instructor evaluation... is that there is no content."

"Every word and every action of yours will be observed by us. Everyone... the day after tomorrow, your studies conclude, and you will return to Bao'an. Five days from today, the First Cultivation University officially begins classes!"

"I wish you all great success! Meeting adjourned!"

Zhou Xianlong and the others left, but the moment they departed, the previously silent lecture hall instantly erupted!

"Holy cow... Holy cow... I'm dying of happiness..." Dull Tyrant stared blankly at the ceiling, too lazy to even move a muscle.

***

Su Feng sat next to him and pushed up his glasses: "What are you getting so excited about? The first round of instructor evaluations has only just ended, and the upcoming second round is where the real trials begin. S9527, am I right?"

Dull Tyrant glanced at him sideways: "If you're not excited, why is your leg shaking?"

Qin Ye walked over, smiling as he nodded at Su Feng: "What, trying to steal my first place?"

His voice wasn't low, and immediately, a chorus of laughter and banter rang out across the classroom: "S9527, you took top honors in Dingshan City. In the second round of evaluations, there's no guarantee you'll be sitting in first place."

An old man stroked his goatee, narrowing his eyes with a smile: "This old man also has some insights into teaching and educating people..."

"Right, I want to try out what the first-place seat feels like too." "First place in the first stage doesn't mean it'll be that easy in the next stage." "Hahaha, well said, first place takes turns—that's what makes it interesting."

Qin Ye rolled his eyes.

The next stage?

So sorry... This Husky specifically saved a trump card, and I hope you guys don't cry too miserably... This Husky buttered up a certain academician to absolute perfection... Ten out of ten for flattery skills.

"Going out for a meal?" Zhu Qinfen also walked over, still wearing his deadpan expression: "We're leaving the day after tomorrow, why don't we properly tour Dingshan tomorrow? Once we go back to school, who knows if we'll be able to come out for years."

"Deal." "Let's go!" "Dull Tyrant leads the way." "Who the hell is a Dull Tyrant! Your daddy just happened to attend high school in Dingshan!"

A night of joy, eating and drinking to their heart's content. Aside from Qin Ye, everyone else drank until they were completely unrecognizable. After resting well for a day, the next day, led by Dull Tyrant, they rented two vans and toured Dingshan City and its surrounding attractions from top to bottom.

How truly wonderful it was... On the way back, Qin Ye looked with complicated eyes at the others, who were busy posting photos on their social feeds. The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile, then pressed down again.

How many years had it been?

How many years had it been since he had completely let loose and happily played with friends?

The word "friends" felt very distant to him.

It was too hard to entrust sincerity, too hard to trust human nature. No matter which school he attended, he always maintained the persona of an invisible person.

He had never attended any class reunions; attending them meant getting entangled, getting entangled meant attracting attention, and attracting attention meant trouble... He was an invisible man walking through human society, always lingering on the edges, never diving deep.

It wasn't that he had no friends, such as Zhang Baoguo and a few others, but those were connections forged by circumstance in extraordinary environments.

He had never proactively extended an olive branch to anyone. He hadn't expected that one day, he would gain people who could be called "colleagues" or perhaps even "friends."

Click... A crisp sound came from beside him. Lin瀚 leaned his big head in out of nowhere, snapped a quick selfie with him, and instantly posted it on his social feed titled: *The First Cultivation University's First Class of Instructors - Visual Peak Representatives*. It received dozens of likes.

"No need for photos," Qin Ye smiled faintly. "When you die, I guarantee we'll see each other every single day, whether you want to or not."

Probably... as a friend, hoping for the other person's death quite like this... he was probably the very first.

The joyful day passed quickly. Two days later, two large buses carrying over sixty instructors, several professors, and department heads headed straight for Bao'an City, a place they had been away from for two months.

The First Cultivation University—the days of teaching had finally arrived!