125: Imperial Academy

"Not bad, Yu Ming."

Afterward, Xia Yuan explained, "It's exactly as the name implies: resisting the Netherworld, Nether Spirits, and the like. It's just what you're thinking."

"..."

What am I thinking?

Lin Chuan thought, I'm good at killing Yao Beasts, but why am I suddenly asked to catch ghosts? That's a Daoist priest's job.

After some thought, Lin Chuan still asked, "The Netherworld and the underworld—are they what I understand them to be? Ghosts, specters, skeletons?"

"Not entirely. What you mentioned actually includes some Yao Beast types, which are Soul-type or Undead-type Beasts that can be contracted.

As for the Netherworld, it's completely different.

Every time a living being dies in reality, it almost always corresponds to the birth of a Nether Spirit in the Netherworld. It could take the form of a Yao Beast or even a human, but they have no relation to normal living beings whatsoever and are mortal enemies to all living beings. Fortunately, Nether Spirits also devour each other, otherwise they would have long since burst out of the Netherworld and spread across the entire world."

"Soul energy?"

"Possibly, there's no definitive conclusion." Xia Yuan was somewhat surprised that Lin Chuan had even delved into the Soul, understanding it immediately.

Then, he continued, "Fortunately, they all have physical bodies and are not the same as ghosts, so you can treat them as normal Yao Beasts to kill. However..."

At this point, Xia Yuan paused.

Lin Chuan knew that the main point was coming.

"However, the attributes of Nether Spirits are much more extreme than those of Yao Beasts. You know about Rank suppression, right? When facing Nether Spirits, even at the same Rank, there's a similar suppressive effect, though it's not comprehensive.

For example, an Elite Rank Nether Beast of the attack type—when you, a Silver Rank, face it, its attacks can unleash 200% of their effectiveness. When facing a defense type, it's the same, with a corresponding doubling of defensive effectiveness."

Lin Chuan understood.

This was just an Elite Rank. What about Commander Rank and Monarch Rank?

Just thinking about it was despair-inducing.

"I understand. So, what are the conditions and requirements of Yu Ming Academy?"

Lin Chuan didn't waste words asking why they chose him, going straight to the point.

"To be honest, before I came, I listed many resource inventories—Spirit Stones, Soul Nurturing Pills, Yao Beast crystal cores, and so on. After arriving here, I feel it might not be enough." Xia Yuan said awkwardly, "So, I want to ask what you need, and I will do my best to satisfy it.

However, I can guarantee you that my previous offer is definitely more than double what other schools would offer."

This meant he could ask for anything.

"What obligations do I need to undertake then?"

There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Even if there were, Lin Chuan wouldn't feel at ease eating it.

"The condition is to join the Yu Ming Army and serve for three years after graduation. If there's a war, you must return when called."

Indeed, it was largely as Lin Chuan had guessed.

The more benefits one received, the greater the responsibility one had to bear.

While Lin Chuan was contemplating, Qin Yan spoke, "Xia Yuan, you'd best explain everything clearly at once, without the slightest concealment."

"Senior Brother, I was just waiting for Lin Chuan to ask." Xia Yuan said helplessly.

He then continued, "Lin Chuan, I won't hide it from you; I'd have to tell you sooner or later. Each year, the graduation rate of Yu Ming Academy is less than 50%. Either the Beast or the Beast Tamer dies, or their mind collapses."

Such a high attrition rate—it truly lived up to its name, the Netherworld.

"The Yu Ming Army isn't entirely comprised of academy graduates, is it?" Such a huge responsibility couldn't be borne by one academy alone.

"Of course not. The Yu Ming Army has the right to deploy forces against the Netherworld at any time. After graduating from the academy, you can directly serve as a company-level officer."

"Last question, is there any gain from killing Nether Beasts?"

"Ah?"

"Something like Yao Beast crystal cores, there must be, right?"

"There is, indeed. We call them soul orbs." Saying this, Xia Yuan took out a grayish-black orb and handed it to Lin Chuan.

The moment Lin Chuan took the soul orb, the Gray Snake in his Sea of Consciousness seemed to stir slightly.

"This one is just a Commander Rank soul orb. Even for me, it's not easy to kill a Monarch Rank Nether Beast; it's a fourfold amplification. Either you can't cut through it at all, or you'll be instantly killed with one hit."

At this point, Xia Yuan still felt a lingering fear.

"This soul orb is for you. It's not something valuable; it's mainly used to make Soul Nurturing Pills."

"Hmm... I can join, but I also have conditions." Lin Chuan mused for a moment, then said.

"State them." Xia Yuan said eagerly.

"Mandatory three years of service, I cannot accept. But I can guarantee that the number of Nether Beasts I kill will be no less than ten times that of others at the same Rank. If the war situation is urgent, I will participate."

In essence, Lin Chuan simply didn't want to be constrained.

Even an officer position held no interest for him.

As long as there were profits to be made, he would secretly kill, even if forbidden.

"This..." Xia Yuan was somewhat surprised.

To be honest, Lin Chuan's conditions weren't even conditions; they were practically a disguised way of increasing his own tasks.

He, on the contrary, worried if Lin Chuan had underestimated the strength of the Netherworld's Nether Beasts.

But Lin Chuan had already stated his terms so clearly; hesitating now would only make him seem overly particular.

So, Xia Yuan nodded and said, "Alright, I can represent Yu Ming Academy and agree to your terms. Also, you can feel free to state your demands regarding resources."

Seeing a major task about to be completed, Xia Yuan couldn't hide his joy.

"Ordinary resources are indeed of little use to me. Then, please exchange them for Monarch Rank crystal cores."

"Okay, I'll try my best to get more."

Even Xia Yuan, upon hearing Lin Chuan request Monarch Rank Materials, couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

One must know, Lin Chuan was only Silver Rank.

However, he would still do his best to fulfill Lin Chuan's request.

According to black market prices, a Monarch Rank One-star crystal core costs around 10,000 Spirit Stones.

The academy provided 100,000 Spirit Stones worth of resources, plus he would give him two extra, striving to gather ten for him... Xia Yuan calculated, feeling a pang of toothache. Since his debut, he hadn't acquired such a large quantity of Monarch Rank resources.

Although he had killed many Diamond Rank powerhouses, in most cases, the opponent wouldn't give him a chance to retrieve the Beast's corpse.

Often, before a Beast was on the verge of death, it would be recalled. If the Beast Tamer died, the Beast would be buried with the Beast Space.

Last time in the Secret Realm, he only managed to get these two... With the negotiations settled and contact information exchanged, Xia Yuan prepared to leave. The academy still had many matters awaiting his attention, including raising Monarch Rank crystal cores, and that unreliable dean...

"Lin Chuan, you really need to think this through."

Only after Xia Yuan left did Qin Yan speak.

Both emotionally and logically, he couldn't favor either side and could only let Lin Chuan consider carefully.

"Old Qin, don't worry, I've thought it through."

Lin Chuan smiled.

Then, he took out two barrels of spirit wine and said to Qin Yan, "This is medicinal wine I specially prepared for Principal Lan Lan. It's five times as potent as what we just drank. Please hand it over to her for me."

Saying this, Lin Chuan winked, indicating he understood.

"Haha, you're thoughtful."

Old Qin's face flushed, and he happily accepted it.