I flew on a sword at the magic academy

Chapter 90 A Separate Courtyard (Part 2)

Shi Daohan didn't know what the old academy master was thinking, but since he had given her the privilege of designing a courtyard house on her own, she was naturally happy to accept it.

The dozen or so students who had been detained by Shi Daohan at the foot of the mountain to weed and repair the mountain road were all feeling very uncomfortable. They had originally looked down on Shi Daohan, but they never expected that he would suddenly become the head of the college. They were filled with mixed feelings.

Shi Daohan raised his hand and released the restraints on them, letting them leave.

However, they had all overheard the students discussing various matters related to cultivating immortality. It would be a lie to say they weren't tempted. They were all lingering in place, eager to become disciples of Shi Daohan.

Shi Daohan arrived at the gate of Shengdajia Peak. Her long purple-blue robe fluttered in the wind, making her appear ethereal and otherworldly. She surveyed the crowd and said, "You all wish to become my disciples?"

"Yes! We want to cultivate immortality!" Many people answered loudly.

At this time, academicians from the other academies also brought their students to the foot of Mount St. Daga and treated Shi Daohan with great courtesy.

These elderly high-ranking mages all had eyes as sharp as lightning, yet they still couldn't fathom the depths of the young woman before them.

"We've come to send you students. The old academy master has spoken. Your academy has just been established, and he wants the other academies to select some students to send over and support you."

One of the academicians spoke up, seemingly feeling quite bitter, but it was an order personally given by the former head of the academy, and he had no choice but to reluctantly give it up.

"Actually, you don't need to do this. Everyone has a different path to take, and our Chinese lineage is certainly suitable for them to learn," Shi Daohan said.

An elderly-looking academician nodded and said, "They have the right to make their own choices."

"We are willing to become disciples of Academician Shi Daohan and seek enlightenment!" many students shouted.

"Um...we also want to learn immortal techniques..." In front of the mountain gate, the dozen or so students who were older than those from Xici Academy also expressed their desire to become disciples of Shi Daohan and learn the immortal techniques.

"Some of you may just be on a whim, thinking that cultivating immortality is a cool thing, and I'm happy to accept you as my disciples, but I don't accept disciples indiscriminately."

"I will set up three great formations at the foot of this mountain to test whether your aptitude and qualities are suitable. As long as you can successfully pass through the three great formations, you can become my disciple."

Shi Daohan raised his hand and set up three large formations. They were not dangerous formations, but only to test the students' character, aptitude, and talent.

After explaining everything that needed to be explained, Shi Daohan returned to Mount Sintajam.

In the following days, students continued to arrive at several departments within the Horagaka Academy.

There are already rumors circulating within the academy that Shi Daohan is a master of immortal arts who can rival the gods, and that if one could follow such a teacher, their future achievements would be limitless.

Moreover, the three Heart-Testing Arrays that Shi Daohan set up at the foot of the mountain set a threshold for those who wanted to become his disciples, which further aroused the students' curiosity, and they all wanted to try to see if they could pass through those three Heart-Testing Arrays.

In just three days, more than a hundred people have successfully passed the Lixin Grand Array and become disciples of Shi Daohan.

However, more than two hundred people failed to pass the Heart-Tracing Formation, and they were all very discouraged.

"Rodrig, tell me, how did you get through those three Heart-Testing Arrays? Was there some kind of trick?" A student who failed the test pestered a student who had passed, relentlessly pressing him for answers.

The others who failed the test also pricked up their ears to eavesdrop, wanting to know if there was any trick to it.

The student who passed the Heart-Tracing Array test pondered, stroking his chin: "I just walked right through; there's no trick to it."

"You... just walked right past? How is that possible?"

The group of people around them looked surprised, because they had encountered countless difficulties and dangers after entering the Heart-Tracing Array.

Some encountered unknown monsters and were so frightened they tumbled and crawled away, while others entered a peach blossom forest, where they saw fairies bathing, and then became so captivated by their beauty that they could not extricate themselves...

All of their experiences felt like a dream. When they woke up, they had already been sent out of the Trial Array and learned that they had failed the test.

Now, when people who successfully passed through the Heart-Traversing Array say that they simply walked through without encountering the things they had gone through, everyone finds it somewhat unbelievable.

"I think the purpose of 'Li Xin' is to see how we make choices when faced with our inner fears or various temptations," one student speculated.

The three mental challenge arrays set up by Shi Daohan have no limit on the number of attempts; if you fail the first time, you can try a second time. Therefore, every day, many students gather at the foot of Mount Shengdajia to try them out.

On the summit of Mount Santa Maria, Shi Daohan assigned accommodations to each student who successfully passed the test. The once empty palaces and pavilions are now inhabited.

On this day, Shi Daohan summoned Kalman to his side and said, "Although you are only a nominal disciple, you are, after all, my first disciple. I think it's time to give you a Daoist name."

"What is your Daoist name?" Kalman asked, puzzled. He then inquired about the differences between a disciple with a formal name and a regular disciple.

He had been studying Chinese characters and language on his own for some time, but he had never seen the title of "disciple" or any related explanation, and he had never known what the title meant.

Shi Daohan explained, "In our cultivation world, there are several categories of disciples: outer disciples, entry-level disciples, and personal disciples."

"For example, those who have passed the Trial of the Heart-Tracing Array are now outer disciples and can only learn basic profound techniques."

"Entry-level disciples can learn more advanced profound magical abilities, while personal disciples are those who can inherit my entire mantle."

At this point, she explained what a disciple by name is.

"Outer disciple, inner disciple, personal disciple—you don't belong to any of these three categories because you haven't passed my test yet; you're just someone whose name is on my register."

By the end, Kalman roughly understood that because he had not yet passed the test, he could only be listed as a disciple under Shi Daohan. In a serious manner, he was not even as good as an outer disciple.

"If I go down the mountain now and go through those three Heart-Testing Formations, can I be promoted from a registered disciple to an outer disciple?" Kalman asked.

Shi Daohan shook his head and chuckled, "Your foundation and aptitude are good enough to pass the test, but there is still a karmic debt that hasn't been settled."

"Cause and effect?" Kalman scratched his head.

"You'll find out later." Shi Daohan didn't say much, then added, "Although you're only a nominal disciple now, you are my first disciple after all. When the time is right, I will directly accept you as my personal disciple, without having to go through the outer and inner sect assessments."

Hearing her say that, Kalman felt a little better and less resentful.

"By the way, Master, you just said you would give me a Taoist name. What is that name?" Kalman asked.

"Your Taoist name is another name you can choose yourself or be given by your teacher."

Kalman nodded, having roughly understood.

"After some thought, I've decided that your Taoist name should be [Mingxin], what do you think?"

"Enlightenment?"

"Yes, to understand the Way, to understand the mind, to understand the true self."

"Alright, from now on my Taoist name will be Mingxin!"

Kalman nodded emphatically, liking the Taoist name that Shi Daohan had given him, and even more so the meaning behind it.

Shi Daohan chuckled and patted his shoulder, saying, "Although you're only a nominal disciple, you're my first disciple and will be their senior brother from now on. You'll not only have to help me manage the disciples, but you'll also have to set an example so they'll respect you as their senior brother. Understand?"

Kalman felt a great sense of responsibility and nodded earnestly.

In the days that followed, Shi Daohan carried out a major overhaul of Shengdajia Peak and was busy with the new government building.

Following the layout of Mount Shu, she established several specialized academies focusing on swordsmanship, talismans, medicine, music, formations, military skills, physical fitness, puppetry, and beasts.

"You've set up so many specialized departments, can one person teach them all?" That day, Shen Tianyu came over for a visit.

Upon hearing this, Shi Daohan was stunned for a moment before realizing that she was the only one who was proficient in all aspects of the Immortal Dao Academy. With so many specialized academies, she simply couldn't teach them all by herself.

Shi Daohan smiled and looked at Shen Tianyu, saying, "Why don't you come and help?"

Shen Tianyu rolled her eyes at her: "I won't do it."

"Here's a spirit stone for you."

"No matter how much you offer, I won't come!"

Shen Tianyu didn't fall for it, so Shi Daohan had no choice but to close some of the specialized colleges, keeping only the three specialized colleges of sword cultivation, talisman cultivation, and music cultivation.

The specialized departments have been established, and now it's up to the students to choose.

On that very day, Shi Daohan displayed the recruitment slogans of the three colleges on a huge stone tablet.

"Talisman Cultivation Branch: The Three Pure Ones touch my head, three golden dots on the left, the chariot moves and the dragon's body appears, the character '斤' slays demons, I hear thunder in my ears, and command all the gods. Come to the Talisman Cultivation Branch, and I'll show you the many wonders of talismanic power connecting with the divine!"

"Music Cultivation Department: A melodious tune resonates through the heavens, and countless gods and Buddhas manifest their wondrous forms. Want to defeat your enemies without bloodshed? Then the Music Cultivation Department is the place for you! It will allow you to maintain your elegance and grace while simultaneously dominating the competition!"

"Sword Cultivation Department: I possess a sword capable of moving mountains, filling seas, severing rivers, subduing demons, suppressing monsters, commanding gods, plucking stars, demolishing cities, and splitting the heavens! Come to the Sword Cultivation Department, where all your fantasies about immortal cultivation can be fulfilled!"

With the display of these three announcements, the area in front of the stone tablet was almost completely filled with people, all of whom were discussing it enthusiastically.

"The talisman cultivation system seems so cool!"

"My talismanic powers are divine! I want to join the Talismanic Cultivation Department!"

"The music department sounds pretty good too. A beautiful melody reaches the heavens, and countless gods and demons manifest wondrous forms. The level of sophistication is off the charts!"

"No need for close combat, a beautiful melody can subdue all rivals without bloodshed—this profession is so cool!"

Many female disciples were attracted by the slogans of the two majors: Talisman Cultivation and Music Cultivation.

However, for those hot-blooded and impetuous young men, the slogan of sword cultivation undoubtedly gave them endless imagination, and they all clamored to join the sword cultivation department.

Shi Daohan was not surprised by their reaction at all, because these professional systems were also very popular in Eastern China.

Over a thousand students have successfully passed the Trial of the Heart-Tracing Array, which is an astonishing number. It should be noted that the entire Horagaka Academy has only a little over three thousand teachers and students in total. As soon as Shi Daohan's new academy opened, it immediately took away more than half of them.

At this moment, Saint Daga Peak has become the most bustling academy within Horagaka Academy, with the three majors of swordsmanship, talismans, and music igniting the interest of almost all disciples in cultivating immortality.

It took Shi Daohan more than a week to determine the specializations for all his disciples.

The Talisman Cultivation Department has over 300 disciples, and the Music Cultivation Department also has over 300 disciples. Most of the students who choose these two majors are girls.

The sword cultivation branch has more than 400 disciples, most of whom are hot-blooded young men.

Because three specialized departments were designed, Shi Daohan also created three clones. This allowed her to teach all three departments simultaneously without affecting her main body's cultivation, and the energy expenditure was completely acceptable.

"Phew! Finally, everything is back on track!"

Shi Daohan returned to her palace and fell asleep immediately. For the past two weeks, she hadn't slept a wink, but she had finally managed to get everything settled.

However, just as she was about to get a good night's sleep, the Libyan academician arrived and asked her about the auction.

"Student Shi Daohan, no, it should be Academician Shi Daohan now. It's been almost a month, are you still going to hold that auction?"

The last time Shi Daohan said that the auction would be held in a week, he ended up sitting in a state of enlightenment for half a month the very next day.

Now, because of the new government office, another half month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The Libyan academician waited for nearly a month, but today he finally couldn't wait any longer and came over in person to ask Shi Daohan whether he should still report the auction.

Shi Daohan had been so busy lately that he had completely forgotten about the auction. A little embarrassed, he touched his nose and said, "I think we should probably cancel the auction."

"What?!" The Libyan academician jumped to his feet, glaring at Shi Daohan with a mixture of anger and rage. "I've been working tirelessly for over a month, and you're telling me it's canceled?!"

The Libyan academician was truly enraged. He felt that Shi Daohan was playing a trick on him, and that the month or so he had spent working tirelessly for the auction had been a joke!

(End of this chapter)