Chapter 592: Qingmu Village

As for those with average skills, many sects had also offered them "Outer Disciple" status along with various generous stipends.

So far, Xiushui City’s trading operations center still maintained its policy: as long as the goods met quality standards, they would accept as much as was delivered. It seemed like their demand was endless.

Because of this, the cultivators in the mortal realm were perpetually busy.

Busy producing goods, busy working, busy studying, busy cultivating—they had no time to engage in mischief.

After all, doing mischief couldn’t compare to the stability and profit they earned from legitimate work.

Plus, there was no risk to their lives.

When one can live well and cultivate steadily, who would willingly seek death?

Regarding Sun Yigao's plan to travel outside and establish academies, Lingxian Sect quickly began arranging related tasks.

For the past two years, trade between Xiushui City and various sects and royal families had remained stable. Over time, these relationships naturally deepened. Qin Jianghe, upon learning that Sun Yigao planned to settle first in Huanyou Country, immediately contacted its ruler, Zhao Yunzhong.

When Zhao Yunzhong heard that a Nascent Soul cultivator from Lingxian Sect was coming to establish a Lingxian Academy in his country, he quickly convened his trusted advisors for discussion.

Considering their relationship with Lingxian Sect, having a Nascent Soul cultivator reside in their country was equivalent to gaining a powerful guardian. If a crisis arose, this cultivator might even step in to assist.

Moreover, the purpose of this arrival was to establish an academy. Zhao Yunzhong was already somewhat familiar with Lingxian Academy in Xiushui City. The academy didn’t indoctrinate loyalty to kings or promote nationalism; instead, it focused on personal development, governance, and universal values. Such teachings were applicable anywhere and posed no threat to the country.

Huanyou Country, still grappling with the aftermath of the Jishi faction’s rebellion, had struggled in various aspects. Ever since Zhao Yunzhong took the throne, he had been overwhelmed with efforts to restore order, leaving little time to address the educational needs of different regions.

For someone like Sun Yigao, a Nascent Soul cultivator with a reputable sect background, to come and establish an academy—even if it only taught mortal studies—was a great boon for Huanyou Country.

From any perspective, this was an unequivocal advantage.

After a quick consultation with his inner circle, Zhao Yunzhong eagerly agreed. He promised to provide Sun Yigao with every possible convenience and even proposed contacting local authorities to assist in building the academy.

However, understanding Sun Yigao’s intention to train his disciples through experience, Qin Jianghe made it clear that no assistance was required. He emphasized that this was part of their disciples’ training. Only then did Zhao Yunzhong back down.

Everything was arranged smoothly and efficiently.

A month later, Sun Yigao departed from the sect with five disciples.

Although he had more disciples, he decided, after careful consideration, to bring only five. His journey was about establishing academies, and too large a group would be cumbersome.

Besides, while the sect wasn’t overly busy anymore, having extra hands was always useful.

Since Sun Yigao planned to travel extensively, he figured he could rotate his disciples. When moving to the next country, he could bring a new group for training.

Under the ten-mile peach blossom trees at the mountain gate, a crowd had gathered to bid farewell to Sun Yigao and his disciples.

Among the crowd, Liao Pantu watched Sun Yigao’s upright figure as he walked away, feeling a deep sense of pride. This disciple of his had advanced from a mere Qi Refining cultivator to a Nascent Soul cultivator in just a few years. Each breakthrough had been natural and fluid, a testament to his unwavering resilience and determination.

Now, despite his Nascent Soul-level cultivation, Sun Yigao was still willing to ground himself by venturing into the mortal world to spread knowledge and teach others. Such a mindset was both rare and commendable.

Liao Pantu couldn’t have been more pleased with this eldest disciple of his.

Huanyou Country bordered Pusi Country, making the distance relatively short for cultivators.

It didn’t take long for Sun Yigao and his five disciples to cross into Huanyou’s territory aboard their spirit ship.

When considering the location for their first academy in this country, Sun Yigao had given it much thought. He deliberately avoided the bustling provinces near the capital and instead chose a remote area.

A place called Qingmu Village.

Interestingly, the chosen site wasn’t in a city or even a county seat but in a rural village.

Qingmu Village was located on the far western edge of Huanyou Country.

The village encompassed nearly thirty smaller surrounding hamlets.

Due to geographical and climatic conditions, the area was extremely isolated and impoverished. Forget about reading and writing—many villagers couldn’t even afford to feed or clothe themselves adequately. Every winter and during times of famine, many froze or starved to death.

While aboard the spirit ship, Sun Yigao briefed his disciples about the situation in Qingmu Village.

Among the five disciples he brought, two had prior teaching experience at Lingxian Academy near the sect’s base—Wen Yuejun and Shen Yingzi.

The other three were younger, around fifteen or sixteen, and had no teaching experience.

Upon hearing about the dire conditions in Qingmu Village, Wen Yuejun couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He didn’t understand why his master had chosen such a location for their academy.

Previously, while working as an instructor at Lingxian Academy, Wen Yuejun had observed that even in Xiushui Village—under the sect’s protection—families only sent their children to school when they were confident they could afford it. Only after the village reached a state of general prosperity and expansion did the academy achieve universal enrollment.

From what Wen Yuejun had heard, the situation in Qingmu Village seemed far worse than Xiushui Village ever had been. Would they even be able to recruit students for the academy?

The other disciples, though lacking the same level of understanding, shared similar doubts.

However, none voiced their concerns immediately.

Their master had taught them to observe and think critically. Blindly asking questions without reflection yielded little benefit. It was better to ponder deeply, then ask specific questions when answers could not be found.

Carrying their unanswered questions, the five disciples resolved to assess the situation upon arrival.

Sun Yigao landed the spirit ship at the foot of a remote mountain near Qingmu Village.

“Change your clothes first,” he said, pulling six sets of coarse hemp robes and shoes from his storage ring and handing five to his disciples.

The disciples quickly changed into their new outfits.

The hemp robes were mostly dull colors—grayish-blue or brown—and the shoes were simple black cloth slippers. Once they had changed out of their sect uniforms and removed their jade hairpins and accessories, they looked vastly different.

Sun Yigao also changed into his plain robe. With a wave of his hand, he concealed the storage rings on everyone’s hands, rendering them invisible to the naked eye.

To an outsider, the group no longer bore the divine, otherworldly appearance of cultivators. Instead, they looked like ordinary villagers.

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