Chapter 298 Dragon Pavilion Registration Encounters Exorbitant Threshold? Holy Son: Wait a Moment!

The Elder in charge heard Zhao Tiezhu's resolute declaration and looked up to carefully examine the four young people before him, his gaze lingering for an extra moment on Jiang Yun's placid, unreadable face.

On his aged face,

that trace of astonishment gradually transformed into understanding.

Then it shifted again into deep helplessness and a hint of something barely perceptible... pity?

He put down the pen in his hand.

And let out a soft sigh.

His voice was gentler than before,

but carried a clear note of admonition.

"Young people, having ambition is a good thing. But... some matters are not resolved by ambition alone."

His gaze swept over the not-yet-faded scars on the bodies of Zhao Tiezhu and the other two, and their faded, threadbare academy uniforms, then looked at Jiang Yun, who, despite his imposing demeanor, was clearly also a new student. He spoke slowly:

"C City... that name, in the provincial capital, especially within our Sky Dome Academy, is indeed... not very prestigious. One could even say it carries a somewhat unfavorable reputation. The waters here are far deeper and murkier than you imagine."

"Your desire to establish your own foothold, without relying on any provincial capital faction, is... very brave, but also extremely naive."

The Elder's tone grew serious.

"This means you will have no backing or buffer, standing directly opposite all the local factions of the provincial capital! They will see you as outsiders, as a threat challenging their established order! Open attacks and hidden schemes, suppression and exclusion—you will face no shortage of them."

He paused.

His gaze turned toward the hall's entrance,

as if recalling something.

"I have been stationed in this Student Group Management Division for decades, witnessing too many rises and falls. About fifteen or sixteen years ago, there was also a group of students from C City. Their talent and spirit were not bad. Like you, unwilling to suffer humiliation, they wanted to band together for warmth and formed a group called the Hometown Association."

"And the result?"

The Elder's voice lowered.

"In less than three months, the Hometown Association vanished without a trace. The best outcome among the leaders was having their Cultivation crippled, leaving the academy in disgrace. The others were injured, maimed, their spirits completely broken, ultimately fading into obscurity or leaving the academy early. It was a... very painful lesson. The combined pressure from students of the various provincial capital Families and the unspoken rules of exclusion within the academy... they were utterly powerless to resist."

"Children,"

the Elder looked at Jiang Yun and the other three, speaking earnestly.

"Learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones. Take an old man's advice: give up this unrealistic idea. Find a reliable provincial capital Family to pledge allegiance to, or simply keep a low profile, bury yourselves in Cultivation. Perhaps then you might still have a chance to rise. Forcing your way into the spotlight will only make you a target for all, repeating the same mistakes!"

These words

were a rare display of well-intentioned advice from this Elder in charge.

He could see that Jiang Yun seemed somewhat different, but in his long career, he had witnessed too many brilliant new students ultimately worn down by reality. He didn't believe these kids from C City could break through that seemingly invisible yet indestructible barrier.

As for the young man from the Feng Family in the corner of the hall,

he was now sneering repeatedly.

The mockery on his face grew even thicker:

"Hear that? Even the Elder says so! You truly don't know your place!"

"It seems some country bumpkins from the boondocks aren't just weak in strength, but also not quite clear-headed! Do you really think the academy is child's play?"

"Longxiang Pavilion? I think 'Crawler's Nest' would be more fitting! A bunch of Bronze trash gathering together, thinking they can overturn the heavens?"

"Save it! Just obediently crawl back to your Servants Quarters, sweep the floors, take out the trash, muddle through until graduation, and hurry back to that godforsaken C City. Don't embarrass yourselves here!"

"Wanting to be independent of any faction? Utterly delusional! Without the recognition of our provincial capital Families, you wouldn't last a single day in this academy!"

His two companions beside him also joined in raucous laughter, their eyes filled with utter disdain, as if watching a few ants trying to shake a great tree.

Zhao Tiezhu, Lin Kuo, and Xiao Yutian were stung red-faced by these words and the laughter, rage boiling in their chests, yet they couldn't refute it.

The Elder's words, though harsh, spoke the cruel truth.

The Feng Family youth's mockery was even more venomous,

yet it seemed to voice their current predicament.

Could it be... truly impossible?

Their newly kindled hope,

was it to be extinguished so mercilessly?

The gazes of the three

involuntarily turned toward Jiang Yun, who had remained silent all along. Their eyes held inquiry, unwillingness, and a sliver of final hope.

Jiang Yun met the gazes of the three.

His expression remained as calm as still water.

He simply gave Zhao Tiezhu

an almost imperceptible nod.

His eyes conveyed clear resolve and reassurance.

Seeing Jiang Yun's steady, unshakable attitude,

Zhao Tiezhu's heart settled.

As if he had found his pillar of support.

He took a deep breath,

forcibly suppressing the anger and humiliation in his heart.

Turning back to the Elder in charge,

his tone became firm once more.

"Elder, thank you for your reminder and goodwill. However, our minds are made up!"

"We are not afraid of becoming targets for all, nor are we afraid of any suppression or exclusion!"

"The failures of our predecessors do not mean we will fail too! Students from C City cannot forever hang their heads in shame!"

"Please... proceed with the registration for Longxiang Pavilion!"

His voice was not loud,

but carried a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve,

ringing especially clear in the quiet hall.

Lin Kuo and Xiao Yutian immediately straightened their backs, their eyes turning sharp.

If Jiang Yun wasn't backing down,

they couldn't afford to be cowards either!

Hearing this, the Feng Family youth first froze, then burst into exaggerated laughter as if hearing the world's biggest joke, pointing at Zhao Tiezhu and the others.

"Hahaha! You really won't turn back until you hit the wall, won't shed tears until you see the coffin! Good! Very good! Since you insist on inviting humiliation, we'll oblige you!"

"Once the news of your so-called 'Longxiang Pavilion' successfully registering gets out, let's see how many days you can last! When the time comes, don't come kneeling and begging us to take you in! Though, trash like you isn't welcome in our Feng Family anyway!"

"Let's go! Hurry and spread this good news to the others! Let everyone see what remarkable figures C City has produced this year!"

So saying, he led his two companions, laughing loudly as they headed for the hall's exit. Before leaving, he shot Jiang Yun and the others a look of extreme contempt and provocation.

Jiang Yun cast a faint glance at the Feng Family youth.

His eyes remained calm and unrippled.

But in his heart, he had already marked him.

The higher they jump, the harder they fall.

Just as well.

A newly established faction

always needs some targets for a sacrifice to establish authority.

Your Feng Family... seems quite eager.

Seeing that persuasion was futile,

the Elder in charge could only shake his head helplessly.

"Very well, kind words cannot persuade those destined to die. Since you insist, I'll say no more. I hope you... will take care."

He picked up his pen and a blank registration Jade Slip again, resuming his official, businesslike tone.

"Proceed according to procedure. Fill in the registration information. The group name 'Longxiang Pavilion' has been recorded. Now, register the list of core members and their student ID numbers. The group's stated purpose was mentioned earlier, so we'll skip that. Special note: the founder, i.e., the group leader, writes their name at the very top and bears primary responsibility for the group's actions."

Jiang Yun gestured for Zhao Tiezhu to fill it out.

Zhao Tiezhu took the Jade Slip and, following the order, neatly wrote Jiang Yun's name and ID number at the very top, then wrote down his own, Lin Kuo's, and Xiao Yutian's information in sequence.

The Elder took the filled Jade Slip.

His Divine Sense swept over it, confirming everything was correct, and he nodded.

Just as Zhao Tiezhu and the other two thought everything was going smoothly, their faces showing delight, the Elder's next words poured ice-cold water over them, chilling them to the bone.

"The information is correct. According to academy regulations, the registration of a new student group requires a one-time registration fee: 2000 contribution points."

The Elder's voice was flat and unemotional,

as if stating the most ordinary thing.

"What?!"

"2000 contribution points?!"

Zhao Tiezhu, Lin Kuo, and Xiao Yutian exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide, the blood draining from their faces.

Had they heard correctly?

Establishing a faction... required contribution points?

And this many?!

Seeing their shocked and panicked expressions,

the Elder frowned again.

His tone carried a hint of impatience and an 'I-told-you-so' meaning.

"You lot... couldn't possibly be unaware of this, could you?"

"Naturally, establishing a faction requires a threshold! If there were no cost, and any random group of people could just get together and register, wouldn't every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the academy be able to raise a banner, forming this 'Society' or that 'Pavilion'? How would the academy maintain order? How would resource allocation proceed?"

"The 2000 contribution point registration fee serves two purposes: first, as a threshold to filter out those without any foundation, mere ragtag groups formed on a whim; second, as a cost for the academy's management, record-keeping, and potential provision of some basic services later. This is an explicit academy regulation; all groups must pay it upon establishment!"

The Elder's explanation was reasonable.

But for Zhao Tiezhu and the other two,

it was no less than a bolt from the blue.

2000 contribution points!

In the half-month since they arrived at the academy,

suffering endless exclusion and suppression, scraping together everything,

the total contribution points among the three of them... amounted to a mere 50 points!

And this was only after they scrimped and saved,

completing several of the lowest-tier F-rank tasks!

Compared to 2000 points,

it was an astronomical figure!

A massive sense of powerlessness and shame instantly overwhelmed them.

Their newly ignited ambition

seemed utterly shattered by this cold number.

They couldn't even cross the registration threshold.

How could they talk about establishing a faction to protect their fellow townspeople?

It was the biggest joke!

The three turned deathly pale, fists clenched, yet unable to utter a word.

The cruelty of reality

had once again slapped them hard across the face.

Meanwhile, the three Feng Family youths, who had walked to the hall entrance but hadn't truly left—instead deliberately slowing their steps to watch the spectacle—now erupted into a burst of piercing, unrestrained laughter!

"Hahaha! This is killing me! Really killing me!"

"Hear that? 2000 contribution points! Registration fee!"

"Paupers who can't even scrape together 2000 contribution points, still trying to imitate others by establishing a faction? Are you here to be comedians?"

"I get it now. You're not here to register; you're here to perform a comedy skit! No contribution points, yet filling out information? What a waste of the Elder's time!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, is that all? Is that it? Where's that grand ambition from earlier? Why so quiet now?"

"Can't even get past the most basic threshold, yet dreaming of a 'Longxiang Pavilion'? I think 'Beggar's Nest' would be more fitting! You're truly an embarrassment to C City!"

"Get lost already! Don't embarrass yourselves here any longer! Go look in a mirror and see if you're worthy!"

The venomous mockery fell like a storm,

pummeling them relentlessly.

Zhao Tiezhu and the other two felt their faces burning, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into. Their hearts were filled with humiliation, rage, and a deep sense of defeat.

They looked at Jiang Yun in unison,

their eyes filled with guilt, unwillingness, and a plea for help.

They had been too naive.

They hadn't even understood this most basic situation

before dragging Jiang Yun into such an awkward predicament.

However,

facing this sudden predicament and the biting mockery, Jiang Yun's face still showed not a trace of panic or embarrassment.

Establishing a faction required contribution points... This was indeed information he hadn't looked into in detail beforehand, a minor oversight.

But, that was all it was.

He slightly raised his hand,

signaling Zhao Tiezhu and the others to keep calm.

Then,

he took a step forward, his gaze calm as he looked at the Elder in charge. His voice was clear and steady, as if the 2000 contribution points were merely a trivial matter.

"Elder, we understand about the 2000 contribution point registration fee."

"This sum of contribution points is not a difficulty."

He paused.

His gaze swept over the three sneering Feng Family youths at the entrance, a faint curve lifting the corner of his mouth—a smile so subtle it would make those familiar with him feel inexplicably reassured.

"Please wait a moment, Elder."

"We will go earn them now."