Over the next three days, Zu An busied himself with taking over the businesses and connections of the Plum Blossom Sect under the aid of the academy.
Shi Kun was aware of his movements, but he chose not to make a move at all. That fellow is dead meat once we enter the Ursae Dungeon anyway. There’s no reason for me to deal with him right now.
Meanwhile, the academy also began holding selections for the dungeon slots. All fifth rank cultivators received a free pass whereas the others had to undergo an intense tournament to prove themselves qualified.
The dungeon was filled with dangers after all. A weakling who couldn’t protect himself in the dungeon was likely to end up dying in vain.
At the end of the selection, the weakest cultivator to get selected to enter the dungeon was at third rank.
The world of cultivation was truly pragmatic.
Just like what Jiang Luofu had mentioned, chances were reserved only for those who proved themselves worthy. The round of selections ensured that those who could enter were all experts, and the opportunities offered in the dungeon would only further widen the disparity between the strong and the weak. This meant that the weak would never be able to catch up with the footsteps of the strong.
It looks like it’s the same for all worlds, huh? Lag behind others for one step, and you’ll lag behind them your entire life.
Once again, Zu An was gladdened by the connections he had. He was able to reserve a slot for himself without having to undergo the selections at all. Wahahaha!
The morning of the third day, the selected students marched off to the mountain at the back of Brightmoon Academy, a place which was usually forbidden to both students and teachers alike.
A major reason why the royal court had been able to monopolize the dungeons was because most major academies were established in the vicinity of dungeons. There were even some academies where a dungeon was located on the academy compound, and such was the case for Brightmoon Academy.
Dungeons had existed in this world since time immemorial, and the ki around them tended to be far richer. Having academies established near dungeons created favorable cultivation conditions for the students.
There was a clearing in the middle of the bamboo forest behind Brightmoon Academy, where several straw huts stood. In each of these straw huts resided a senior teacher of the academy. It seemed like they were camping out here to guard something.
At the very center of the clearing was a gate-like structure that somewhat resembled a door. Space in the center of this door appeared a little distorted, creating something reminiscent of a vortex.
“This is the entrance into the dungeon. This door usually looks no different from the gates you would see in the city, and only on specific days would you see it in its current state. It should take a while longer before the portal is fully opened.” Chu Chuyan was here with Zu An today. Noticing the curious gleam in his eyes, she began explaining to him how things worked here.
“You seem to be very knowledgeable about all of this. Have you entered this dungeon before?” asked Zu An.
Chu Chuyan shook her head and replied, “This dungeon only opens once every few decades, so it’s my first time here too. It’s a pity that Huanzhao is missing this opportunity due to her injuries.”
Chu Huanzhao wanted to come too, but the injuries she had sustained at the Clans Tournament were simply too severe. Her fighting prowess was only so-so even at her peak condition, let alone in her weakened state. Out of worry for her, Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru forbade her from entering the dungeon.
Due to this, she threw quite a huge tantrum. In the end, she forced Zu An to bring back some ‘local specialties’ from the dungeon for her before finally revealing a smile.
“I still don’t understand why you insist on entering this dungeon. You should have heard of the dangers that lurk within dungeons, right?” asked Chu Chuyan.
A smile formed on Zu An’s lips as he replied, “Are you worried about me?”
Chu Chuyan replied impassively, “I’m just giving you a warning lest you die foolishly in there. It would be troublesome for our Chu clan to find another son-in-law!”
“Rest assured, I’m a person born under a lucky star. I’ll definitely be able to walk out of the dungeon alive,” replied Zu An cheekily.
Chu Chuyan turned her head away with a cold harrumph.
“Chuyan, your husband is going in too? Do you need us to look after him as well?” a seductively sweet voice suddenly sounded.
Zu An turned around to take a look, only to find himself faced with huge racks.
Pei Mianman keeps strutting around parading that good figure of hers. Does she not know how embarrassing it is for men to have a bleeding nose in public?!
“There’s no need for that. How can he mature under the protection of others? Besides, he’s entering the dungeon as a teacher. It wouldn’t do for him to be taken care of by his students instead,” replied Chu Chuyan.
“Oh? You’re finally acknowledging that I’m a teacher now, uh? Come, call me Teacher Zu~” said Zu An.
Chu Chuyan choked on her breath. Unable to stand this fellow anymore, she ignored him and stomped away.
“How does it feel to have a beautiful wife whom you can see but not touch?” Pei Mianman walked over to Zu An’s side and asked teasingly.
“Why don’t you let me touch you, and I’ll give you an answer to your question?” replied Zu An.
“Are you cheating on your wife in public? What a horrible man you are~” Pei Mianman giggled softly.
Seeing their interactions, Chu Chuyan frowned a little. “Mianman, what are you doing over there?”
While she didn’t think that she was fond of Zu An, he was still her husband in-name. How could he flirt together with other women right in front of her?
“I’m coming~” replied Pei Mianman. She blinked at Zu An and said, “Your wife is getting jealous. This is a good start. Don’t forget our deal. You need to help me look for my accounting book.”
Leaving behind a peal of seductive laughter that seeped right into one’s bones, she turned around and took her leave. The men in the vicinity felt their hearts tingling in response to her laughter, which induced them to direct irked looks toward Zu An.
Just what’s so great about this guy that he’s able to win the fancy of so many beautiful women?
Shi Kun had also been watching their interaction, and his eyes flickered in worry. “I didn’t think Pei Mianman is on such good terms with that scoundrel. Will she get in the way of our plans?”
Shi Lezhi shook his head and replied, “I don’t think so. However, to be safe, we can get someone to lure her away first before making a move.”
Shi Kun nodded in agreement. “It’s a pity that you aren’t able to enter the dungeon with us, or else assassinating Zu An would have been a walk in the park.”
Shi Lezhi looked at the teachers guarding the dungeon’s portal and said, “Jiang Luofu will be personally standing guard with these teachers while the portal is active in order to prevent unauthorized cultivators from entering the portal and threatening the students. I don’t think it’s possible for me to sneak in under their eyelids. However, the squad we have prepared is more than enough to kill Zu An ten times over, so I reckon that nothing will go wrong.”
“It’s fortunate that we spent a great deal of effort to slip Snow into the academy back then. It looks like we’re finally reaping the fruits of our labor,” replied Shi Kun with a nod.
“Speaking of which, the cultivation technique Snow practices is rather queer. It’s bizarre how no one in the academy has found out about her yet,” remarked Shi Lezhi.
“It seems to be a special ability of her clan. We should ask her more about it after this.” Shi Lezhi looked at a slender figure standing amidst the students with a satisfied smile on his lips. He was confident about his preparations too.
More and more people were gathering in this clearing, and all of them had excited looks on their faces. They were looking forward to entering the dungeon and stumbling upon all sorts of fortuitous encounters. If things go well, it might just spell their rise to greatness.
Zu An noticed that there were quite a few familiar faces amidst the crow, such as Bai Susu, Lu De, Xie Xiu, Wu Qing, Zheng Dan, Ji Xiaoxi, and many others. Of course, there were many more students that he didn’t recognize, but they were likely to be students from the Sky class or Earth class.
Spotting Zheng Dan amidst the crowd, Zu An couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t been using her honey trap on him in recent days. News of Mei Chaofeng’s death had already spread far and wide, so it should have been an opportune moment for her to strike so as to claim the businesses of the Plum Blossom Sect. Or was she remaining idle because she thought that the 7,500,000 silver taels debt note had become scrap paper?
Ji Xiaoxi still looks as adorable as ever; it’s just a pity that she’s lathered with poison all over. I can’t even touch her hand.
While scanning through the students, Zu An caught sight of a slender figure dressed in light green. Despite having concealed her face with a translucent veil, the faint outline of facial features left hardly any doubt that she was a beautiful woman.