“Why are you here so early? Isn’t your Shishu at the Ascending Immortal Academy?”

Luo Yuzhu invited him into the room, his gaze catching a glimpse of Jiang Baiyu clutching a skull, but he showed no unusual reaction, his expression serious and clearly preoccupied. Bai Xianzhong shared the same heavy demeanor, both of them sitting together in a quiet atmosphere. It was only when Jiang Baiyu returned and curiously spoke up that the silence was broken.

Luo Yuzhu casually poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Jiang Baiyu, saying earnestly, “My Shidi and I have discussed it and decided to enroll in the Ascending Immortal Academy.”

Jiang Baiyu was slightly surprised and pondered for a moment, “About the Tianji Sect…”

“The dean personally met with us and said it was fine. Once we enter the Ascending Immortal Academy, we will be students of the academy,” Luo Yuzhu’s tone was complex, a bit obscure and melancholic. “This is also Shishu’s intention.”

He slowly recounted the results of their inquiries today. “Shishu’s visit to Yaozhou is indeed related to the Ascending Immortal Academy; he has become a teacher there. It is said that the academy has a mysterious immortal pool that greatly benefits cultivation, and understanding the Dao can also provide assistance, allowing one to glimpse into their heart and help achieve a perfect realm. However, this immortal pool is only available to academy members and is not open to outsiders. Shishu entered the academy as a teacher, gained the dean’s favor, and successfully accessed the immortal pool for cultivation.”

“When the Tianji Sect was under siege, Shishu was in a critical moment of closed-door training. Upon hearing about the Tianji Sect, he left the immortal pool without hesitation to inform the dean, and we just missed him.”

“Before leaving, Shishu mentioned that if any disciples of the Tianji Sect managed to escape the extermination and came to the Ascending Immortal Academy, he hoped the dean would take care of them for his sake.”

“The dean said he would contact Shishu and inform us of the two of us, and suggested that we enroll.”

“In a month, it will be the academy’s enrollment day, and we can take this opportunity to enroll openly. The forces that attacked the Tianji Sect wouldn’t dare to act recklessly against the Ascending Immortal Academy, so we can feel at ease.”

Luo Yuzhu’s tone was heavy. “If my Shidi and I want to restore the Tianji Sect, we must continue to cultivate. Enrolling in the Ascending Immortal Academy will only benefit us and not harm us.”

“So, we discussed it and decided to follow the dean’s suggestion and enroll in the Ascending Immortal Academy in a month.”

Jiang Baiyu, intrigued, thought of the patrol team in Tianxiang City and couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of organization is the Ascending Immortal Academy? I only heard you mention it briefly before, and I know it’s a remarkable power, but I don’t know anything else.”

“I just went out for a stroll and found that the atmosphere here seems quite good.”

Luo Yuzhu hesitated, his eyes awkwardly drifting. “Well… my Shidi and I rarely went out before, and we only heard about the Ascending Immortal Academy. As for what kind of power it is, we don’t really know how to describe it. However, our master has a good opinion of the academy; it’s different from those aristocratic sects that submit to the imperial court.”

“Shishu is a disciple of the Tianji Sect, yet he can be a teacher at the academy and even gain the dean’s favor to enter the sacred cultivation place, the immortal pool. This shows that the Ascending Immortal Academy is not rigid about talent; it values ability and character. Graduates from the academy are always highly sought after by major organizations. Not only do aristocratic sects recruit them, but the imperial court is also very interested in the academy’s outstanding students, offering generous conditions to recruit them to serve under their banner.”

“So, the Ascending Immortal Academy can be considered a neutral organization, powerful and deeply rooted, focusing solely on cultivating talent. Other major forces generally won’t take the initiative to offend the academy.”

Luo Yuzhu paused and added, “However, such a force will inevitably have people who look down on it; they just won’t say it out loud. The Chen family has a rather unfriendly attitude towards other major forces, showing a bit of a self-appreciating flavor, and they feel the same way about the Ascending Immortal Academy.”

“Yet, people from all over send their children to the Ascending Immortal Academy to study; it’s a great place to make friends and gather talent. Even if they look down on it, it doesn’t stop them from sending their kids there to gain some prestige.”

He hesitated and lowered his voice, “I mentioned the matter of the Chen family’s young lady to the dean.”

Jiang Baiyu smiled, “Oh?”

Luo Yuzhu quickly clarified, “Don’t misunderstand; I didn’t betray you. Although the residents of Fumo Town have escaped, it’s still easy to investigate this matter. Rather than wait for the dean to find out, it’s better for us to come forward.”

“I told the dean that when we passed by Fumo Town, the Chen family suddenly appeared with a giant ship, intending to massacre the townspeople out of anger, but then inexplicably returned.”

“This isn’t a lie.”

Who would have thought that the giant ship filled with the Chen family’s thugs would be crushed by a collapsing spatial tunnel for such a reason, completely turning to dust?

Moreover, Luo Yuzhu and Bai Xianzhong didn’t really know what Jiang Baiyu had done; they only knew that this incident was Jiang Baiyu’s doing, and only two people escaped from the entire ship.

As half-participants, they weren’t very clear, and the residents of Fumo Town were even less informed. They only knew that a crazy woman suddenly wanted to kill everyone in the town out of anger, and a disciple from the immortal sect stood up to resist. At a critical moment, the giant ship the crazy woman was on vanished, and the town’s crisis was resolved.

Bai Xianzhong said quietly, “The dean is a good person. He took us in because of Shishu’s favor; otherwise, given our current situation, it wouldn’t be good for us anywhere.”

A stray dog isn’t just a saying; because the Emperor ordered the extermination of the sect, any disciple from that sect could be trampled upon.

Jiang Baiyu’s lips twitched, realizing that the dean of the Ascending Immortal Academy was a cunning old fox. With just these two garlic cloves, it seemed they weren’t the ones who voluntarily disclosed the matter of the Chen family’s young lady, but rather they had unknowingly been led into revealing the secrets they had kept hidden.

Fortunately, the two still knew to keep secrets and didn’t directly sell him out, but the difference wasn’t much.

With someone as shrewd as the dean, some things didn’t need to be explained too clearly; he could piece together the most realistic conclusions based on the conditions presented.

They thought they had concealed the most crucial information, but their unconscious reactions had already revealed everything.

To keep a secret from leaking, one either needed the ability of an undercover agent or had to forget it entirely and not mention it at all.

Sure enough, Bai Xianzhong happily said, “The dean said you can also enroll in the Ascending Immortal Academy; the academy welcomes all talented young people.”

Jiang Baiyu went along with the flow, showing a surprised expression, “Really? Is it true?”

Bai Xianzhong nodded seriously, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Jiang Baiyu. “Restoring the Guantian Pavilion requires continued cultivation. Only by becoming stronger can we bring the sect back into everyone’s sight. The resources and opportunities needed during this time are countless, and it’s hard to obtain them on our own; most will be plundered and occupied by the imperial court.”

Jiang Baiyu lowered his head, his body trembling, his expression twisted.

The skull suddenly bit his stomach!

The little soft flesh was being gnawed on by two rows of big teeth, almost making him cry out.

“I… I…” Jiang Baiyu brought out his lifetime acting skills, “The dean is really a good person!”

He choked up, trembling as he said, “Without the Guantian Pavilion, I thought… I thought…”

The rest is left to your imagination; saying it out loud would only diminish the space for imagination.

Sure enough, Luo Yuzhu and Bai Xianzhong, seeing him so happy and excited that he was at a loss for words, felt a surge of protective instincts and immense sympathy.

Luo Yuzhu comforted him, “Things will get better in the future.”

Bai Xianzhong nodded affirmatively, “Although the imperial court is bad, there are still good people.”

Jiang Baiyu hung his head, feeling very dejected, “The treasure my master gave me for self-defense… there’s only that one piece…”

Luo Yuzhu immediately took the bait, “To escape from the clutches of the Chen family, the master will definitely understand.”

Jiang Baiyu still kept his head down, trembling, his hands gripping the skull tightly, his face contorted, baring his teeth and letting out a low sound that resembled a sob.

This made the two feel even more sympathy.

The young boy looked even more innocent than the two of them, having persisted alone until now. Hearing a piece of good news, he finally couldn’t hold back and revealed his true feelings.

He secretly decided that once he enrolled, he would definitely take good care of him.

Jiang Baiyu suddenly stood up, “I… I want to go back to my room to rest for a while!”

The force was so great that he almost flipped the stool over.

After dropping that line, he turned around without hesitation, keeping his head down the whole time.

He rushed back to his room and slammed the door shut, using both hands to forcefully pry the skull’s two rows of big teeth apart.

Jiang Baiyu gritted his teeth, “If you’re unhappy with them, why are you biting me?”

Skull: Two fools.

Jiang Baiyu: “Did you just realize today that they’re idiots? Besides, someone who can be the dean must have some cunning; how else could they lead the academy to remain neutral amidst so many organizations? It’s not surprising at all.”

Skull: Aren’t you afraid the Ascending Immortal Academy will sell you to the Chen family?

Jiang Baiyu: “The treasure my master gave me protects my life; once it’s used up, it’s gone. What does that have to do with me?”

Skull: Heh.

Jiang Baiyu remained unfazed, “If it really comes to that, I’ll just throw you out.”

The skull fell silent for two seconds before suddenly lunging forward, biting Jiang Baiyu’s nose with all its might.

Jiang Baiyu inhaled sharply, feeling like his nose was about to be bitten off, “Let go!”

The skull ignored him.

“If you bite my nose again, do you believe I’ll blow my nose on you?”

The skull bit down hard, then released, its head heavily bumping against Jiang Baiyu’s forehead with a thud.

Jiang Baiyu was furious; this annoying creature was becoming more and more audacious, had a bad temper, and loved to bite. He let out a villainous cold laugh, mocking, “What’s wrong? Afraid to see the dean of the Ascending Immortal Academy? Do you know how many benefits I could get by reporting you to the dean? If you’re scared, hurry up and please me. Do you know what your current situation is? I’m your breadwinner!”

In response, he got the skull’s two rows of big teeth.

Jiang Baiyu was furious, grabbing the round skull and wanting to bite back, but looking left and right, he found no place to bite. In the end, he steeled his heart and bit down hard on the jawbone, almost breaking its teeth.

Damn, even angrier now.

He pressed down on the skull and suddenly spat, hocking a loogie.

This move was very effective for the cleanliness-loving skull, instantly silencing it.

Jiang Baiyu spat several times, and suddenly felt a chill all over, watching as two red dots ignited in the eye sockets of the skull, a sign of great misfortune approaching.

He stayed quiet for two seconds, nonchalantly wiping the skull with his sleeve.

The next second, the skull suddenly sprang up, and Jiang Baiyu reflexively covered his forehead and nose, resulting in a painful jab to his chin.

In the end, he soaked the skull in water and scrubbed it three times, using fragrant powder and flower petals, before the red dots in the eye sockets finally disappeared.

Was this dead ancestor a young lady in life? Such a delicate temper!