Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Chen noticed that in the most eye-catching column, there was a feature printed in super large font.
“Can I take a look?” Jiang Chen asked.
Shen Huan and the others were surprised. He gave him the newspaper.
“You know this language?” Lu Fei asked curiously.
Jiang Chen was from the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the poorest part of the Xia Dynasty. How could someone from there be more knowledgeable than them?
Jiang Chen didn’t answer. After reading the article, he smiled bitterly and said, “Looks like there are many objections.”
“Yes.” Nan Gong was surprised too, but he didn’t try to hide anything from them.
“Jiang Chen, what’s going on?”
The other five couldn’t sit still anymore. They hurried to ask him.
“This article is about what people think about people like us who have come here to study for the year. In summary, the Sacred City, even the whole Dragon Field, don’t think highly of us. They think we’ll waste their resources.”
It had been reported in the newspaper, so Nan Gong didn’t mind that Jiang Chen had told the others about it.
In fact, it was good for Jiang Chen to have told everyone, since they would be prepared for the hostility they were going to experience at the Sacred Institute.
But anyway, he had to offer them an explanation.
Nan Gong said, “Everyone looks forward to studying in the Sacred Institute. The Sacred Institute has always recruited disciples from sects and schools, families and institutes, but the requirements are extremely high, so many people have been rejected.
“Now that you’ve come here to study for a short term at the Sacred Institute, many people think disciples from other fields can’t achieve our recruitment requirement. They think we’d better recruit disciples from the Dragon Field so that no resources will be wasted.
“It’s natural for them to think this. Don’t worry about it. You’ll face some prejudice and cold shoulders, but the Sacred Institute will treat all its students the same.”
Nan Gong confirmed what Jiang Chen had said and consoled them.
However, their optimism was gone after learning this, since they realized what kind of challenges they would have to face in the next year.
The machine-operated bird stopped at this moment. Jiang Chen and others found they’d arrived at the Sacred Institute.
It was the biggest architectural complex in the Sacred City, as majestic as the imperial palace of the capital.
Compared to the imperial palace’s lavishness, the Sacred Institute had a more classic beauty and elegant taste. All of the houses there were old, full of history, but they were under good maintenance and didn’t look shabby.
They could feel the majesty of the Sacred Institute’s long history even from the air. It was like a giant sleeping beast who wouldn’t allow any disturbances.
The machine-operated bird landed on open grass. Many machine-operated birds were parked there. The only difference between them was their color.
It seemed the Sacred Institute had anticipated their arrival. People approached them right away after their landing.
Among them, there was a middle aged man with gray sideburns. He looked resolute and steadfast with his compressed lips and drooping corners of his mouth.
Beside him was a woman in yellow. She was about thirty years old, pretty and refined.
There was also a fat, middle-aged man and a young girl in uniform with fair skin, who was pretty.
The girl’s uniform was black. It reminded people of a constable. She looked full of animated courage in it.
“Nan Gong, thank you for your hard work.” The middle-aged man had a low and magnetic voice.
“Not at all. Let’s arrange a place for them first,” Nan Gong said.
“Six? The Fire Field must be developing pretty well these days,” the pretty woman said. Her voice was gentle.
“Exactly. They’re good kids,” Nan Gong said.
At this moment, the middle-aged man took a step forward. He gave off an indescribable majesty. Lu Fei and the others couldn’t help but throw out their shoulders and stand on tenterhooks.
Jiang Chen wasn’t affected. He laid his eyes on the young girl.
The young girl was confounded when she realized Jiang Chen was looking at her. She gave him a stare.
The middle-aged man said, “You’re going to study for one year in the Sacred Institute. In this year, don’t be lazy. Don’t relax. No matter where you’re from or how you’ve been practicing, in the Sacred Institute, you must follow our arrangements and instructions. If you fail the exam, you’ll be sent back immediately. I think you’ve already seen how fast the machine-operated bird flies.”
Nan Gong had said the same thing before, but not as sternly as him.
“After one year, if your performance is good enough, you can apply to stay in the Sacred Institute,” the middle-aged man said again.
Jiang Chen and the other five were pleasantly surprised to hear this news, but at the same time, they felt puzzled, since it sounded like the Sacred Institute was poaching from other fields.
The pretty woman saw what was on their minds, so she explained.
“The Sacred Institute is not a sect, school, or family. The Sacred Institute has an employment system. If you work for the Sacred Institute, you’re employed by us. You can come and go at liberty. If you stay here in the future, you won’t be disciples of the Sacred Institute. You’ll be our employees from other forces.”
In this way, the six tumbled to the realization.
“You’ve been assigned to the west courtyard. I’m your dean. My name is Yi Yuechuan. This is the Dean of Students of the Sacred Institute, Shi Wengong. You’re lucky. He’s here because he happens to be visiting the west courtyard today. Normally, you wouldn’t have the chance to meet him,” Yi Yuechuan said.
“Mr. Dean of Students!”
Princess Crimson Moon was the most quick-minded among them. She greeted the Dean of Student with respect.
The others were slower. They hurried to follow the princess and greet him.
Yi Yuechuan introduced the Sacred Institute to them with more detail than Nan Gong.
Jiang Chen was still puzzled. It was obvious that the Sacred Institute wasn’t recruiting disciples to deal with an emergency. They looked very serious about the recruitment.
He couldn’t help but wonder whether the Sacred Institute would allow them to leave when their short-term study was over.
But it was the Sacred Institute. Maybe he shouldn’t worry.
If it had been other forces that wanted to invest so many resources to train him, he would have definitely refused. What if they asked him to do things against his will when the training was over?
But it was the Sacred Institute, the representation of justice.
It was a paramount honor to many people to work for the Sacred Institute, so the others were worried they would be eliminated in the middle of their studying.
When Yi Yuechuan was done with the introduction, the girl with the cold face came up to them.
“I’m Ying Wushuang, the captain of the Department of Discipline. As short-term disciples, you should follow the Sacred Institute’s rules like the others. If any violation of the rules is found, I’ll punish you severely, even if it’s because you’re ignorant of the rules or it’s your first violation!”
She looked the same age as Jiang Chen, younger than the other five, but with a rigid tone. She spoke very directly.
She suddenly looked towards Jiang Chen and said, “Mounts are allowed in the Sacred Institute, but the owner will be responsible for every error the mount commits. If the mount hurts people for no reason, we will kill it!”
Whitty eyes turned red when he heard her last sentence, but they went back to normal quickly. He was sitting there casually, scratching himself with his hind paw.
Whitty had complete spiritual intelligence, so he wouldn’t be irritated for no reason.
Jiang Chen shrugged his shoulders in answer.
As a result, he left a worse impression on Ying Wushuang.
“Well, I’ll take you to your rooms.” The middle-aged man who had been silent smiled. He was so fat that he looked like an elephant.
“He got an outstanding grade. Give him a single room.” Nan Gong pointed at Jiang Chen.
Ying Wushuang, Shui Chuanzi, and Shi Wengong were all surprised to hear this. They looked towards Jiang Chen.
There was doubt in Ying Wushuang’s narrow almond eyes, because the outstanding grade meant Jiang Chen was qualified to be a formal disciple of the Sacred Institute.
“The west courtyard is greatly honored,” Yi Yuechuan said.
It was obvious that she and Shi Wengong had doubts about it, but they didn’t dare question Nan Gong, so they didn’t say anything.
“Well, my six young friends, work hard.”
Nan Gong held his hands behind back, about to leave.
“Thank you for taking care of us, Nan Gong.”
Jiang Chen and the other five appreciated his help and saw him off.
