Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

"Of course! The Heaven Dou Royal Academy is now the best, the number one academy on the entire continent. All young soul masters consider it an honor to study at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"

Speaking of this, Xue Ke was extremely proud, as it was thanks to her older brother and sister-in-law.

As she spoke, Xue Ke introduced the academy to the two children, “Nowadays, the Tian Dou Royal Academy is divided into two parts: the outer academy and the inner academy. The academy now recruits about a thousand new students every year, but the total number of students in the academy has never exceeded five thousand.”

From the time Tang Yin became the dean, it takes twelve years for students at the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy to graduate from all subjects. However, since this system was established not long ago, the first batch of students admitted under this system have not yet reached the graduation standards.

The Heavenly Dou Royal Academy has an extremely high dropout rate every year. Those who fail the academy's assessments will be ruthlessly expelled; the process is very strict.

As soon as Xue Ke finished speaking, Qian Shui's eyes narrowed. Xue Ke probably heard this from Tang San, right?

They changed his reform back. Tang San is indeed Tang San. This is probably the template for Shrek Academy.

"Hong'er, after you enter the academy, you will be training in the outer court. The outer court is divided into many departments. You have twin martial souls. According to our royal family's swan martial soul, plus the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, you should be able to cultivate both the offensive and support departments. What do you think?" After briefly introducing the current situation of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Xue Ke offered her opinion to Qian Qingyu.

"Xiaoqian and Qianqian are still young, so they can take theoretical classes in the intermediate department of the academy to build a solid foundation."

Without giving them a chance to object, Xueke pulled the two children through the back door of the council hall into the room.

Xue Ke was clearly very concerned about taking care of the children, and she hurriedly interrupted Ning Rongrong, who was cursing, "Rongrong, Tang Yin, I'm discussing with the children about their enrollment in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. You're both here, so let's see if we can discuss it together."

"No problem, I'll take care of it!" Tang San agreed readily.

But Ning Rongrong was different. Her small eyes narrowed as she stared at Qian Shui, whose gaze had died, filled with schadenfreude. She was secretly delighted, thinking, 'Hahaha! Serves you right for pretending!'

"I agree, kids need to go to school!" With a wave of his hand, the Supreme Ruler made the decision. "It's settled then. I'll personally take them tomorrow morning!"

This is also to avoid any unforeseen complications that might cause Qian Shui to suffer a setback, something Ning Rongrong fully supports.

Tang San naturally agreed wholeheartedly. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy was now under his complete control, and with the Crown Prince enrolling, there would be much more he could do.

"It's quite a coincidence that this month is the time for annual enrollment, and young soul masters from all over the country will pass the examinations and enter the academy during this period."

Ning Rongrong narrowed her eyes, "You did do something decent. Now it's recruiting students from all over the continent. The journey is long, so a month for the application period is reasonable."

Faced with such a mix of praise and mockery, Tang San could only chuckle awkwardly. This was the only time Ning Rongrong had given Tang San a kind look that day; she had completely overwhelmed him with political matters.

"Stop looking! There are still hundreds of issues to discuss. We need to continue when we take the kids to school tomorrow!" Ning Rongrong's expression immediately turned sour.

But Tang San wanted to use this opportunity to escape; he had stayed long enough. "Rongrong, the weather is getting dark..."

Seeing that Tang San was trying to run away, Ning Rongrong immediately started scolding him, "You can't even handle such a simple matter! Do you think you have time to rest? I have to handle the affairs of the entire country, and I haven't even said I want to rest!"

Seeing Ning Rongrong so busy, Qian Shui, who was going back to school, seemed to feel a little better. Compared to being the boss, going to school was much easier!

Tang San's face darkened again. He hadn't accomplished anything, couldn't leave, and was being scolded without being able to refute it. He was even more tragic than a newcomer in the workplace.

"Let's go!" Seeing that they were arguing again, Xueke quickly led the children away. "Are you hungry? Auntie will make you something delicious!"

Chapter 327 Corruption from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy

The next day, the three children were taken on board a soul-guided carriage that looked to be about the size of a minibus. Before they left, Qian Shui was gloating over by a group of people who were with them.

"Shui Shui, you're the best!" Qian Shui said to her little apprentice, deeply moved.

Because only his youngest apprentice didn't laugh at him; he remained serious.

But his fantasy was shattered the next moment. "Teacher, does this mean you're my junior now? Don't worry, teacher, I'll take care of you!"

As a result, the Qianshui sank completely.

This is a carriage with a strong punk style. Not only does it have eight horses, but it is also semi-soul-guided. In Qian Shui's eyes, it is a product of utter nonsense.

The only advantage is that the interior space is large enough to comfortably accommodate five teachers, six students including Tang San, plus Xue Ke and three children, making a total of fifteen people.

The group consisted of parents, teachers, and students. After all, nominally, Yin Jin and the others were still teachers at the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, and Ning Rongrong and the others had not yet graduated.

"The current Heaven Dou Royal Academy is divided into inner and outer academies, and there are two requirements for admission. The first is that the student must be no older than twelve years old, and the second is that their soul power must be no less than level fifteen. If we look at it purely from the perspective of the assessment, the grandson of the Crown Prince is perfect."

As the current Minister of Education and the principal of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Tang San introduced the various aspects of the event as he walked.

"This time, it just so happens that the academy is recruiting new students, and His Highness the Crown Prince is joining this year's freshmen. Ordinary freshmen not only have to pass the assessment, but also need a recommendation letter of at least the level of the main city. However, His Highness the Crown Prince certainly doesn't need that!"

"A recommendation letter at the level of a city lord?" This was something that didn't exist when Yin Jin was around.

"Yes, it's also to solve the problem of too many applicants," Tang San explained, while also adding a compliment, "Ever since our teachers and seniors became famous throughout the continent, the academy's reputation has soared!"

"Have you considered that while the problem of too many people has been solved, these recommendation letters have caused other negative consequences, such as unfairness in admissions and the resulting chain of interests?" Chen Sha, who came from a commoner background, immediately pointed out the problems.

From the perspective of the entire continent as a whole, this is indeed the case. It is clear that Tang San does not have this vision; he only knows how to treat the symptoms rather than the root cause.

With a cold snort, Ning Rongrong never gave Tang San a kind look. "Tang San, it seems you haven't even managed to manage this little corner of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"

"But what if we don't do it this way?!" Tang San's face flushed red as he was mocked by the crowd.

Yin Jin, the most experienced, immediately pointed out a way: "The simplest way is to build branch academies so that students with different cultivation methods can cultivate in a targeted manner."

“Constructively speaking, we should start with the talent selection system itself.” Then, Yin Jin began his lecture, as if he had returned to the days when he was a teacher.

"For example, the original junior high school-high school academy system fundamentally diverted students. After all, many basic cultivation methods can be taught by academies across the country, and there is no need to complete them in one academy, such as theoretical courses."

"The Heaven Dou Royal Academy can serve as a top-tier institution of learning, cultivating only those selected through rigorous processes. Meanwhile, ordinary talents can be sent to advanced Soul Master academies across the country, preventing a surplus of talent in any one region."

Amidst the stunned gazes of the crowd, Yin Jin explained his point of view.

"Why are you looking at me? This is the ultimate version of the education reform back then, applicable to the unified mainland. If there hadn't been a shortage of time, it would have been piloted nationwide long ago." As he spoke, Yin Jin looked at Qian Shui with a face full of pride.

This wasn't just his idea; someone else had already given their opinion.

"But Tang San, I don't quite understand. With your reforms, the outer and inner courtyards don't seem like you're running a school; they seem more like you're running a sect."

Tang San, however, was unconvinced. "Shouldn't the number one academy on the continent be training the strongest Soul Masters?"

"This is the meaning of the 'Soul Alliance Institute': to gather the most talented students from all over the continent to develop their abilities."

This puzzled Tang San even more. "How is this any different from the existence of the Inner Academy?"

"This is a place for pure research, there's no enforcement, okay? You're not even a student at the Soul Alliance anymore." Coming to his senses, Yin Jin said incredulously, "You're not going to shut down the Soul Alliance, are you?!"

Tang San's silence was essentially a tacit agreement.

This infuriated Yin Jin. "Your so-called inner courtyard is built on the foundation of the Soul Alliance, isn't it?"

Not everyone has the talent to become a top expert, but everyone has their own potential. The purpose of teaching is to tap into these students' potential so that they can become useful talents in various fields for the mainland in the future!

You've brought them all together, what are you trying to do? Is the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy a school, or a super sect independent of the empire?!

Different perspectives lead to different ways of thinking, and for his own sake, Tang San naturally thought this way.

However, from the perspective of the whole continent as a whole, the top-level institutional design is to serve the entire national apparatus, and it is only right for each to be in its proper place, including the academy.

They would never be as short-sighted as Tang San, who seemed to be sucking the blood of the entire continent, creating an academy on the surface but actually another Spirit Hall power on the inside.

They can even use the name of the academy to shirk many obligations, such as the responsibility of awakening martial spirits in the various sub-halls of the Spirit Hall.

This is where Yin Jin and Tang San's differences lie.

Due to the impending war, the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy was closed down, and the original Soul Alliance School did indeed have many similarities with the so-called Inner Academy.

However, Qian Shui's original intention was not for this at all, but to create a more open environment for high-level Soul Masters to cultivate and research, so as to facilitate communication and common progress.

The original plan was that everyone would settle down after the war, but Tang San just happened to take advantage of the situation.

As they argued, the group arrived at the gate of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, although Tang San was the one being scolded and berated.

The group disembarked from the carriage in twos and threes. Yin Jin and his brothers rode with great fanfare, as if they were returning home. Tang San, however, was rebuffed and ended up walking at the very back.

However, as soon as they got off the carriage, they saw several people arguing, and it seemed like they were about to fight.

"What's going on?" Yin Jin separated the arguing group and asked one of the teachers, who was about forty years old and wearing a teacher's uniform.

The female teacher seemed to be new and didn't recognize these people at all. They were about to fight with her, and judging from their plain clothes, they seemed to be ordinary people.

Seeing the carriage, the woman seemed to realize that this group of people were no ordinary people. "Friends, you be the judge! I just wanted to buy some jewelry, and these people surrounded me!"

Keep your eyes down and your mind at ease. This is a civil dispute, and Ning Rongrong, who felt she had no one else to rely on, had to step in temporarily and take the civilians to understand the situation.

"Hey lady, what's wrong? Did you go stealing or robbing?"

"Who are you? I don't do those kinds of things!"

"How did they buy it? How did they get surrounded?"

"It was bought by the student's parents!" the woman said, pointing to the large gold chain around her neck and striking a pose to show it off.

Upon hearing this, Yin Jin's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Oh, teacher, you accept gifts? The students' parents bought them on their own initiative?"

The woman held out her hand, looking at her fingernails from side to side, and said nonchalantly, "No, I just ordered it."

Qian Shui, who was originally just watching the show, almost popped his eyes out. Did they think he hadn't practiced his sword skills in a long time? Why did he always run into such oddballs?

Yin Jin paused, clearly surprised as well. "Wow, it's completely rotten! It even asked for it willingly?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" The woman suddenly became serious, as if she had a reason for doing this. "The purpose of what I did was to see which parent was more willing to put effort into their child's education!"

As she spoke, the woman said with a proud expression, "What makes me happy is that all the parents in our class are willing!"

"Except for them!" This was unless the final statement was directed at the civilians who had spoken to Ning Rongrong.

Silver Gold: You shameless bastard!

Those who understood were speechless. Even Ling Yunzhi opened his narrow eyes and said calmly, "So you're just going to collect them all? Using education as a pretext to satisfy your own interests."

"Hey, handsome guy~" The woman leaned closer to Ling Yunzhi as she spoke, "It's not for my own benefit. The parents pooled their money to buy me a soul-guided carriage so that I could get to school faster every day to educate my child. So, it's all for the child!"

"So, not only jewelry, but also a soul-guided vehicle? Do you know how expensive that thing is?" Silver and Gold's eyes widened.

Things are valued for their rarity and novelty. The price of Huan Hongchen was determined by these gentlemen to profit from the noble patrons.

The female teacher casually remarked, "It's only a few hundred thousand gold soul coins, nothing special."

"You dare to accept something so expensive?" Xue Ke, who was with her child, was stunned, because as a princess of a country, she didn't even have a penny to her name.

"I have to accept it. It's a token of the parents' love. They won't feel at ease if I don't accept it." The woman was quite self-righteous, her serious brows furrowed with wrinkles.

"Are you at ease after you've collected it all?!" This time, Yin Jin was truly enraged.

The woman, on the contrary, acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Why wouldn't I feel at ease? Once I've collected them all, I'll distribute the simulated training grounds to the students, and then I'll know exactly what to do!"

"I see, so you're classifying students based on the amount of gifts they receive? How can there be a black sheep like you in the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy?" Yin Jin was so angry that she was ready to take action herself.

"Who's the troublemaker! If our students aren't doing well, I take them home and tutor them!" she even protested.

"Taking them home for tutoring? Is it so you can charge extra for extra lessons?" Ling Yunzhi added from the side.

"Hey, handsome, you can't talk nonsense. I'm not that shameless."