A World Worth Protecting

The weathered voice resounded throughout the Dharmic Armament faculty, filled with stateliness. All the students outside the building could not help but jolt when they heard it, especially those who had been gloating prior to the announcement. They widened their eyes and struggled to close their jaws. It was unbelievable.

Instantly, there was silence outside the building. All eyes landed on Wang Baole as they watched him walk out in triumph. His red specially-recruited student robes stood out even more.

Everyone subconsciously took a step back and made way for him. They watched Wang Baole depart, and after a long while, there were audible gasps heard, which developed into an uproar.

“He actually walked out fine!”

“How is that possible? Didn’t he cheat? Why did the announcement say that he did not violate the rules?”

Amid the uproar, Liu Daobin stood among the crowd. He was stunned as well. Heroic scenes of Wang Baole’s performance in the test and the surprising scene of him pulling out a megaphone in the lecture hall surfaced in his mind.

Truly unfathomable! A moment later, Liu Daobin took a deep breath. He immediately realized that the reason Wang Baole had become a specially-recruited student was definitely not a result of plain luck. He could sense an extraordinary quality from Wang Baole.

Liu Daobin was not the only one stunned. Not far from him, the College Discipline Department seniors that had escorted Wang Baole to the building exchanged looks and saw the disbelief in each other’s eyes.

While others were in an uproar, Wang Baole returned to his cave abode. News of the Dao College clarification that he had not violated any rules had been spread throughout the Lower Academy Island over the Spirit Intranet. Everyone that had paid attention to the matter was left shocked and baffled.

Instantly, Wang Baole’s name filled the Spirit Intranet. And at that moment, Wang Baole was sitting on his cave abode’s veranda, watching the Spirit Intranet with glee. Unlike how he had sullied his own reputation previously, he was feeling very pleased that he was becoming famous.

To become a Federation high official, the people’s impression is extremely important. It looks like I have the necessary foundation. Wang Baole beamed with joy, feeling like he was one step closer to his dreams.

However, I must not let my guard down. Wang Baole recalled the black-robed man in the building. His vicious words and actions that were bent on dooming him left Wang Baole’s heart palpitating.

This person is a high official of the Lower Academy Island, and I do not know his exact identity. I am in a very passive state. With this thought in mind, Wang Baole rushed to search on the Spirit Intranet. Only when dusk fell did he finally identify the person. His breathing turned rapid.

He’s… the Vice-Chancellor! Heavens… Wang Baole’s heart began thumping in his chest as he rubbed his eyes. After confirming that he had not seen wrong, he immediately turned nervous. The man’s position was too high. From Wang Baole’s point of view, the Vice Chancellor of the Lower Academy Island was a relatively high post.

I did not offend him. Does my family have some secret I’m unaware of? Did we once offend him? Wang Baole’s thoughts ran wild. It was quite a headache. After a while, he recalled the high officials’ autobiographies he had researched. His eyes revealed a look of determination.

Nearly all high officials will encounter political enemies successively in their lives. It can be said that as they rise up the ranks, they will battle their political enemies again and again!

This Vice-Chancellor is probably my first political enemy!

Having designated the man as his political enemy, Wang Baole immediately stopped panicking. Instead, his fighting spirit rose. He began considering the advantages he had as a specially-recruited student.

Although he had not left his residence during the past few days, he had learned about the privileges a specially-recruited student had on the Spirit Intranet. One of the privileges allowed him to go to the Treasure Repository of any faculty and borrow a Dharmic artifact for free. The lease lasted five years.

With this thought in mind, Wang Baole quickly got up, left his cave abode, and found the Treasure Repository. With his identity as a specially-recruited student, he walked into the Treasure Repository after a series of identity verifications. There were students present, and they immediately recognized him on sight. Although some ignored him and continued their selection processes, most whispered excitedly.

The Treasure Repository appeared ancient. It looked like a five-floor pagoda from the outside, but inside, there were rows of shelves. Placed on them were Dharmic artifacts filed by the Dharmic Armament faculty.

Some looked inconspicuous, others resplendent. One could see thousands of Dharmic artifacts at a glance. It also showcased the deep heritage of the Dharmic Armament faculty. After all, every single item was top quality, meant to be rented or borrowed by students.

The rental prices depended on the Dharmic artifact, but that was something Wang Baole did not need to consider.

Since it’s free, I obviously have to borrow an expensive one. After scanning the first floor, he headed straight for the fifth floor under the envious gazes of the students on the first floor. Standing in the empty fifth floor, Wang Baole became increasingly aware of the perks of being a specially-recruited student. He began his selection.

This sword is not bad!

This bell looks beautiful, too.

This glove is good. It’s completely silver in color, and it’s obvious it’s something impressive! After looking around, Wang Baole fell into a dilemma. He liked all the Dharmic artifacts that were on display. He was momentarily unable to decide. This went on until his eyes landed on a white pillow made of jade. He was instantly attracted to it.

The pillow’s name was Hallucination Dharma Pillow. It shared similar effects to the Hallucination Nexus, which was used during the test. It could create illusionary scenes, but due to its low grade, it was difficult to do overly complex things inside. Thus, few people borrowed or rented it. Besides, it was expensive.

If not for his experience with the black mask, Wang Baole would not have taken notice of the Dharma pillow. After some thought, he decided to borrow the Dharmic artifact.

After registering the rental, Wang Baole left with the Dharma pillow. He was filled with anticipation along the way. He moved increasingly quickly before he began dashing back to his cave abode. He planned on unraveling the black mask’s secrets.

In the dusking sky, there was still an evening glow, which spread across Dharmic Armament Peak, seemingly dyeing it with a thin, red veil. The warm colors exuded an indescribable beauty. It was made even better as the night breeze brought away the heat, replacing the area with a coolness. It made many students leave their dormitories and chat happily on the peak.

It was unknown if it was due to the redness of the evening glow that masked Wang Baole’s specially-recruited student robes, but as he traversed the mountain trails, not many people noticed him. Instead, there were exclamations as people looked into the distance.

When he looked over, he saw a youth dressed in robes different from a specially-recruited student’s. He wore pure white Daoist robes, which seemed to exude an elegant grace. However, he had average looks and was plagued by freckles.

Even so, there were a few female students beside him, their eyes filled with an intense glint.

Other than the girls, there were more than ten other students behind him. They surrounded him, some helping to carry his bag, others carrying Ice Spirit Water for him. The entourage was walking over from afar.

“It’s the Head Prefect!”

“The Head Prefect of Spirit Stone Hall, Jiang Lin!”

Unlike the way they treated a specially-recruited student, all the surrounding students, regardless of gender, immediately went forward to greet the white-robed youth the moment they saw him. They were respectful and polite, as though they had met a teacher. It made the white-robed youth appear to have a noble air about him. He nodded in acknowledgment before departing with his entourage.

He had seen Wang Baole, but it appeared that to him, there was no difference between ordinary and specially-recruited students. One that was not a Head Prefect was simply a younger pupil and not his equal.

Wang Baole widened his eyes as he watched the departing white-robed Freckles. He felt a little green with envy, believing that Freckles had stolen his limelight.

What’s a Head Prefect? Wang Baole snorted and lowered his head to open up the Spirit Intranet. He searched for the information while walking back to his cave abode. But as he did so, his breathing slowly turned abnormal. By the time he returned to his cave abode, he was completely shaken.

This… This is a Head Prefect?

Head Prefects were those who were ranked first on the Hall Roll of each faculty. The number of halls determined the number of Head Prefects. For example, the Dharmic Armament faculty had three main halls, so there were three Head Prefects!

Apart from proving their excellence in their respective halls, Head Prefects had another title: Chancellor Disciples!

The Head Prefects of every faculty were considered disciples of the Chancellor. They addressed each other as senior and junior brothers. They were different from their fellow students. Aside from that, a Head Prefect had an authority that even specially-recruited students lacked!

Specially-recruited students only enjoyed a few more advantages compared to ordinary students, whereas a Head Prefect… held power in the Dao College. They were in charge of enforcing the college rules and regulations on the students of their respective faculties. Just this power alone left countless students nervous and awed!

This authority was considered extremely powerful in the Dao College. And most important of all, the faculty dean had no right to dismiss the Head Prefect. The reason was that Head Prefects were not appointed, but instead, promoted according to their results.

This was the rule of Ethereal Dao College. Only the Chancellor had the authority to dismiss a Head Prefect, but the altering of the rules was something even the Chancellor would not wish to employ unless it was something extremely vile.

Similarly, with such status and authority, a Head Prefect would not dare turn lazy and complacent. Once they were surpassed by others, they would no longer be first. They would instantly lose their title of Head Prefect and everything that came with it.

Wang Baole’s eyes were burning when he read the information detailed on the Spirit Intranet. However, it was extremely difficult to become a Head Prefect. He recalled that the number beside the Head Prefect on the Spirit Stone Hall’s Roll was 90. This represented that the Spirit Stones refined had a purity level of 90%.

Unless I can refine a higher purity Spirit Stone than him, it’s completely impossible.Wang Baole sighed. He stopped his pangs of envy. He was not a person willing to be envious of others. To him, the reason a Head Prefect could be so impressive was that he had something that was far beyond one’s reach.

Wang Baole stopped thinking about it amid regret and his aspirations. He took out the Hallucination Dharma Pillow and the black mask. After some thought, he activated the Dharma Pillow as the scene before his eyes turned hazy. His surroundings changed, and he found himself by an icy river.

A biting cold wind blew at him, jolting Wang Baole.

It’s truly realistic. Wang Baole gave his surroundings a quick look. The sky was filled with snowflakes and the ground was covered in ice. He could even see some arctic critters in the distance. Everything looked extremely realistic.

Wang Baole quickly turned his attention back to his right hand. He drew on the experience from before. He had held the black mask in his hand before entering the hallucination realm, so when he lowered his head, he immediately saw the black mask in his hand. It was a blur. Its surface was clear in certain parts and blurry elsewhere. They were intercrossed as though the hallucination realm could not fully decompose its features.

It worked! Wang Baole became excited as he carefully observed. The mask turned stable after some time, but it remained incomplete. However, text that had previously appeared surfaced once again.

Perhaps because he could raise the mask up in front of him or some other unknown reason, the text appeared clearer. After Wang Baole carefully studied the text, he gradually discerned it.

Great Void Qi Devouring Art?

Wang Baole blinked and continued reading until he finished reading all the text. His body turned stiff before it began trembling. His eyes revealed an intense excitement.

Great Void meant the production of something out of nothing. Qi Devouring was something much more potent than Qi nurturing. To be precise, the Great Void Qi Devouring Art was similarly a method used to refine Spirit Stones, but it did not need Empty Stones to be used as vessels. Instead, it could produce Spirit Stones out of nothing by using one’s body to devour Spirit Qi!

Due to not having any need for Empty Stones and the different method employed, the art produced Spirit Stones with purities that far exceeded those produced by the Qi Fostering Art! It could even produce the legendary perfect Spirit Stones that only Dharmic Armament grandmasters could refine, not to mention purities at the ninety-percent level. It was no longer an unreachable dream!

This… This… At that instant, Wang Baole immediately dismissed Ethereal Dao College’s cultivation technique. The position of Head Prefect filled his excited thoughts while his yearning to be Head Prefect became his motivation. He became fanatical that very instant.