Xing Tie: Wait a minute! How come Weng Xing has two saviors?

She shrugged, somewhat helplessly, "The students he teaches often have this 'rebellious' temperament, like to challenge the existing system, and are indeed... not very popular in the eyes of other schools of thought in the Tree Court."

Feng Jin looked at the three of them and added firmly, "But! I assure you! At that moment, Professor Xia was absolutely a knowledgeable and insightful teacher! He was just... a bit strict and direct in his speech."

“Alright,” Feng Jin smiled again, “Now, you can consider which school of thought you are more interested in.”

Although Tree Garden encourages interdisciplinary learning, it is still necessary to choose a major school of thought..." Before she could finish speaking, a communication stone slab at her waist suddenly emitted a soft hum.

Feng Jin picked up the stone slab with a puzzled look and glanced at the information. A few seconds later, her smile froze on her face, and her expression became extremely interesting.

She looked up at the three curious-looking people, coughed lightly, and said with deep apology, "Uh... um... I'm very sorry, everyone. The plan... has changed."

"Lady Aglaia just sent a 'special instruction'..." She held up the stone tablet, as if she could see Aglaia's expressionless face reflected in it, "She demands—the three of you must choose the [Intelligent Seed School] as your major."

(In the Garden of Life in distant Ohma, Aglaia calmly placed the communication stone tablet. In the depths of her emerald eyes, a tiny, almost "pleasant" glint flashed: Plans succeeded~)

Bai Mo, Bai E: ...

Xia Die: Do I have to study under such a strict mentor? (?﹏?) I'm so nervous...

In the afternoon, in a lecture hall with a completely different style, the air seemed to be filled with an invisible pressure. On the scattered cushions and low tables, ever-changing formulas and star charts were projected, and the light and shadow flickered on the faces of Bai Mo, Bai E, and Xia Die, adding to the tension.

At that moment, Xia's—or now he should be formally called Professor Anaxagoras—slowly swept his gaze over the three of them, finally settling on Bai Mo's slightly limping right leg, before moving away and letting out a barely audible hum.

(That summer: Which unlucky school will get its people sent by Aglaia? It's so hard to guess~)

“My name is Anaxagoras, one of the Seven Sages of the Tree of Knowledge, and the founder of the School of the Wise.” His voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the low hum of the projector, carrying a cold, hard quality like metal and stone.

“I don’t need to say more. First, don’t call me Na Ke Xia.” He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over Bai Mo and Bai E, as if to confirm whether they remembered. “Second, don’t interrupt me—silence is golden. Remember that.”

Chapter 35 Bai Mo: The Wonderful Uses of the Hundred Realms Gate 1

The light from the dawn machine spilled onto the bustling marble market, making the smooth marble floor shimmer and sparkle.

The air was filled with the unique aromas of various spices, biscuits, cooked food, and crystal powder, while the hustle and bustle of people and the hawkers' cries created a vibrant symphony of the marketplace.

Bai Mo walked briskly through the crowd. The soreness that had once troubled him had almost disappeared, and his former pain was barely visible as he walked.

Beside him stood Feng Jin, carrying several exquisite gift bags. Her short pink hair looked exceptionally soft in the sunlight, and her cheeks had a barely perceptible blush.

"Miss Feng Jin, thank you for taking care of me these past two weeks. I feel much better now."

Bai Mo stopped and sincerely thanked the dedicated nurse and teaching assistant.

"No, no!" Feng Jin quickly waved her hand. "Healing the injured is also my duty as a nurse. I was just saying that Mo Bao has gone to so much trouble to buy me so many gifts."

She lifted the obviously expensive bag in her hand, which contained exquisite crystal jewelry unique to Ohma and soothing aromatherapy.

Bai Mo laughed heartily and waved his hand: "Not at all, this gift is not only to thank you for healing my leg, but also to thank Miss Feng Jin for taking care of me, Bai E, and Xia Die as a teaching assistant."

If it weren't for you, we would probably have been even more embarrassed in Ms. Xia's class at that moment. Please accept this, Miss Feng Jin.

He imitated Naksha's signature cold tone, deliberately lowering his voice as he read: "'The core of the School of Intelligence is not the accumulation of knowledge, but the honing of an ability—'questioning'."

Question what you see. Question what you hear. Question what you believe.

Questioning those 'truths' that are held in high esteem and beyond question... the world is not as stable and reliable as it appears on the surface...

He paused, shrugged, and resumed his normal tone: "To be honest, if it weren't for Miss Feng Jin helping us sort out those convoluted logics and supplement the background information after class, we would all be having headaches over our homework."

How could I possibly become Teacher Xia's most 'outstanding' student at that moment?" He deliberately emphasized the word "outstanding," with a mischievous smile.

"Pfft!" Feng Jin burst out laughing at his exaggerated imitation and self-deprecation; his sunny smile brightened her face once more.

"Mo Bao, you're so funny. Does the 'most outstanding student' refer to the student who asks the most questions of Teacher Xia in class?"

Bai E's question yesterday about whether the existence of the Earth Beasts was even questionable almost made the professor's veins bulge out!

She couldn't help but laugh again when she recalled the scene where Professor Xia suppressed his displeasure and tried to refute Bai E with a more complex chain of logic.

"Alright, alright," Feng Jin finally managed to stop laughing, shaking the gift bag in her hand.

"I still want to thank Mo Bao for the gift. I'll be going now. I still have a nursing report to work on tonight." Feng Jin seemed to want to remind Bai Mo of something, and deliberately blinked.

"Well, goodbye, Miss Feng Jin." Bai Mo smiled and watched Feng Jin's graceful figure disappear into the crowd, her pink hair quickly vanishing among the colorful stalls.

After bidding farewell to Feng Jin, Bai Mo did not leave the market. Instead, he changed direction and headed directly towards the blacksmith shop of "Great Craftsman" Hattonus, deep within the market. He walked with ease, his gaze casually sweeping over the dazzling array of stalls and the throngs of people on both sides.

A very striking sight came into view: many students dressed in the iconic robes of the Divine Tree Garden were moving about in the market.

Some of them strolled around in twos and threes, curiously observing the local handicrafts and food stalls in Ohmma, while others sat on the ground in a relatively quiet corner with a book or two in their hands, immersed in reading or whispering discussions.

This contrasts sharply with the past when students from Shuting rarely set foot on the streets of Ohmma.

As for the reason? A barely perceptible smug smile appeared on Bai Mo's lips.

Aside from the fact that today is a regular day off for the Tree Garden, the biggest contributor to its success is the several stable Hundred Realms Gates that he erected between the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden and the Ohma Garden of Life.

Initially, he only did it for his own convenience—so he could go back to Ohmma to visit Sister Xilian at any time, or help Teacher Tibao use the Hundred Realms Gate.

As a result, his secret of "smuggling" was discovered by a few sharp-eyed classmates. These students, who were usually stifled by heavy academic workloads and the relatively closed environment of Shuting, immediately felt as if they had discovered a new continent.

They all came with smiles that were either pleading or ingratiating, and some even offered carefully prepared small gifts, asking Bai Mo to "give them a ride".

"Junior Bai Mo, please help me out! I really want to go to Ohmma and try that legendary 'Star Dew Honey Roll'! I'll even bring you one, how about it?"

"Bai Mo, this is a specialty from my hometown. How about we exchange it for a round trip?"

"Please! I urgently need a rubbing of that rare historical document from the Ohmma Library!"

Bai Mo initially found it amusing and helped a few times. But the number of people making requests kept increasing, and some even formed a queue.

While accepting the "bribes," he also found it troublesome. So he simply went all out and, on his days off, Bai Mo steadily maintained several small Hundred Realms Gates in an inconspicuous but conveniently located branch fork beside the main road of the Tree Garden, and in a secluded but safe corner of the Ohema Life Garden.

Then, he moved a table and sat down next to the door on the tree-side side. Next to him was a sign that read in clear handwriting: "Fast Track, to and from Ohm. Single pass fee: 3 Liheng coins, monthly pass available!"

This move initially caused a huge uproar among the mentors at Tree Garden.

Several conservative senior scholars were heartbroken, believing that this move "polluted the sanctity of the academic hall with the stench of money" and "diluted the pure atmosphere of seeking knowledge that Shuting should have with the impetuous atmosphere of the marketplace." They even jointly requested that Professor Xia step in to stop it.

Professor Xia's reaction at that moment was beyond everyone's expectations.

He simply raised a few questions in his usual cold tone during a joint meeting of mentors:

Is prohibiting students from accessing the real world itself a form of escaping from the 'truth'?

Is forcibly separating 'knowledge' from 'life' a 'traditional dogma' that needs to be questioned?

Will the students' experiences in Ohmma become a 'variable' that prompts them to question their existing knowledge and trigger new thinking?

A series of probing questions, coupled with his extremely imposing gaze, quickly silenced the dissenting voices.

Later... perhaps because it was indeed too convenient, or perhaps because people got used to this "paid convenience," the matter eventually came to nothing.

Now, the students of Tree Garden are used to spending a few Liheng coins on their days off to easily cross the Hundred Worlds Gate and come to Ohema to relax, forage, shop, and even have some "informal" academic exchanges.

As a result, the marble market in Ohmma has seen an influx of many bookish and curious figures from the Tree Garden.

Chapter 36 Bai Mo: The Wonderful Uses of the Hundred Realms Gate 2

P.S.: Thank you all for your support. I'll still be posting three updates today.

After saying goodbye to Feng Jin, Bai Mo's relaxed smile quickly faded, and he walked through the bustling marble market with a clear goal in mind.

After avoiding the food stalls with their enticing aromas and the dazzling array of handicrafts, he headed straight for the edge of the market.

The air temperature here is noticeably higher, and the air is filled with the scorching smell of metal, sweat, and the unique aroma of burning furnaces. The rhythmic clanging of blacksmithing can be heard incessantly.

He arrived at a shop with practiced ease. Deep inside the shop, a figure as imposing as an iron tower was wielding a giant hammer that was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Each strike sent sparks flying, and the marble floor beneath his feet seemed to tremble slightly.

That was none other than Hattonus, the "Great Craftsman," the most renowned master blacksmith in the holy city of Ohma.

Bai Mo patiently waited until Hatonus completed a stage of forging, immersing the red-hot metal block in coolant, and a large plume of white smoke rose before stepping forward.

"Master craftsman." Bai Mo's voice remained clear amidst the clamor of hammering.

Hatonus turned around and replied in the deep, slow tone characteristic of the mountain people: “What is it, stranger?” His voice was like two rough rocks rubbing against each other.

Bai Mo bowed slightly to express his respect for the master: "I apologize for bothering you. That special material I asked you to find before... high density, extremely hard, able to withstand extreme high temperatures... I wonder if there's any progress?"

His tone carried a barely perceptible urgency.

Hatonus was silent for a few seconds, as if assessing Bai Mo's sincerity.

He walked to a specially made, high-temperature furnace engraved with intricate runes before slowly speaking, each word like a heavy hammer blow: "High density. Hard. High temperature resistant. Indeed, Seeking the essence."

Bai Mo's eyes lit up instantly, and he almost immediately wanted to ask for more details: "That's great! Then..."

However, Hattonus interrupted him by raising a large, calloused hand covered in burn scars: “But casting requires a great deal of indigo.”

He paused, as if to emphasize the weight of the word, "This stone is rare and expensive. Have you thought it through?"

Bai Mo's heart sank, but he still took a deep breath and asked, "If... if you want to cast a solid cylinder, about 1 meter in diameter and about 3 meters in height..."

"Excuse me... how much material do you need? What is the total price?" He asked cautiously, so much so that he could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

Hatonus's gaze sharpened, even taking on a scrutinizing quality.

He barely did any calculations and directly quoted a number that made Bai Mo's eyes go black: "Required materials: 100 tons; finished product: about 50 tons; price: about 8 million Liheng coins."

Eight million! This number was like a red-hot iron, burning deeply into Bai Mo's heart.

What does eight million Liheng coins mean? It's safe to say that apart from a few demigods who have lived for hundreds of years, no one in the Holy City could produce that much!

For an informal city-state like Janusapolis, which was founded on faith in the Titans, eight million pound coins represent almost half a year's worth of tax revenue!

Keep in mind that Janusapolis has a population of nearly 100,000!

I remember saving 300,000 in Janusapolis. Eight million? That's an astronomical figure!

Bai Mo felt his throat go dry. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly, yet he continued with unusual determination, "Master Craftsman... if, I mean if, I can gather enough Liheng coins, how long would it take to cast such a cylinder?"

Hatonus seemed somewhat surprised that Bai Mo wasn't immediately intimidated by the number; he gave Bai Mo a second look.

His tone remained flat, yet it exuded an undeniable confidence: "Seven days is enough." It was as if forging a superalloy weighing tens of tons was as simple as forging a few kitchen knives for him.

"Phew—" Bai Mo let out a long, almost silent breath, as if encouraging himself. "Okay. I understand."

He seemed to have made up his mind. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Master Craftsman, before formally commissioning, could I... take a look at a sample? Just a small piece, so I can confirm the properties of the material."

Hatonus said nothing more and turned to walk toward the special high-temperature furnace.

The runes engraved on the furnace walls shimmered faintly, while inside burned orange-red flames powerful enough to melt ordinary steel. With a pair of huge, precise rune tongs, he carefully pulled a metal particle no bigger than a fingernail from a sealed furnace cavity.

“Look.” Hatonus’s voice carried a hint of barely perceptible pride.

Even in the terrifyingly high temperatures at the core of the furnace, this tiny metal particle only emitted an extremely restrained, almost imperceptible dark red hue.

Ordinary metals would have melted into liquid at this temperature, but this one only blushed slightly.

Bai Mo held his breath as he watched Hatonus place the scorching hot metal pellet into a specially made coolant.

With a soft hiss, white smoke rose, and a moment later, a metal particle with a deep matte gray color and a surface that seemed to shimmer with tiny, star-like specks of light was handed to Bai Mo.

It was unusually heavy, far exceeding the weight of gold of the same volume.

“Take it. No need, just pay,” Hatonus said curtly.

"Thank you, Master Craftsman!" Bai Mo solemnly gripped the valuable sample, feeling its heavy weight and cool touch in his palm, before turning and leaving the scorching blacksmith's shop.

As soon as he stepped out of the shop, away from the noisy sounds of blacksmithing and the intense heat of the furnace, the solemnity on Bai Mo's face was immediately replaced by an almost fanatical focus.

Bai Mo opened his palm, his gaze fixed on the tiny metal particle.

"Gate of a Hundred Realms, open!" he shouted in a low voice, completely focused.

Above his palm, a tiny, remarkably stable portal, no bigger than a ping-pong ball, opened instantly and precisely swallowed the heavy metal particle.

Onpharos edge, exosphere.

Hundreds of kilometers above the surface of Ohma—this is the outer edge of the planet's atmosphere. Gravity still exists, but the air is so thin as to be almost nonexistent, a near-perfect vacuum!

A tiny metallic particle appeared out of thin air. The next moment, the planet's gravitational hand gripped it firmly. With negligible resistance, it began a silent and frantic free fall, its speed increasing by nearly ten meters per second.

Time passed in the silent void.

In just one minute! Its speed has already exceeded twice the speed of sound, and it's still going at full speed.

Three minutes... five minutes! The speed broke through the 10,000 meters per second mark! The metal particles turned into a deathly gray line that was absolutely impossible for the naked eye to detect.

The extremely thin atmospheric molecules violently rub against it, tearing the particles apart and ionizing them. Behind it, an extremely faint, fleeting, eerie blue ionization trail, like the trailing cloak of death, quietly appears and disappears against the dark backdrop of the universe.

Ten minutes! The speed is approaching six thousand meters per second! This is a speed sufficient to escape the reach of some small celestial bodies!