Shen Xiang was very resolute, rejecting Yun Xiaodao and Zhu Rong's insistence to introduce him to their sisters, cousins, and other relatives.
The next day, before dawn, Shen Xiang hurried to the entrance of the Xuanjing, where the Tai Dan Academy was located, though he didn't know the way.
"You're here pretty early! Follow me!" Wu Kaiming said with a smile. He was also very interested in Shen Xiang. Initially, Elder Dan wouldn't allow anyone to take Shen Xiang as a disciple, but now Shen Xiang had accepted a True Martial Realm disciple and was about to enter the Tai Dan Academy.
Shen Xiang might not understand the significance of entering the Tai Dan Academy, but Wu Kaiming did!
The Tai Dan Academy appeared to be an ordinary courtyard, with just the words "Tai Dan Academy" written above the entrance and nothing else special about it.
"Elder Wu, what kind of place is the Tai Dan Academy?" Shen Xiang asked.
"Hehe, you'll know once you go in. I'm off, take care!" Wu Kaiming said mysteriously, leaving Shen Xiang with an uneasy feeling.
The spiritual energy in the Xuanjing was incredibly dense. Shen Xiang felt that if he stayed here for a while, he could cultivate a large amount of true qi, but no matter how fast he was, it couldn't compare to taking pills.
"Looks like you arrived pretty early! Was it Elder Wu who brought you here?" Elder Dan's voice came from a nearby pavilion.
Shen Xiang walked over and said, "Yes, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do in the Tai Dan Academy."
"The Tai Dan Academy only has me; from now on, you'll stay here!" Elder Dan said, his tone turning serious.
"Why?" Shen Xiang felt a tremor in his heart. Spending all day with such a person wasn't a good thing!
"I'm planning to enter seclusion to refine pills for a while. From now on, the Tai Dan Academy will be under your control!" Elder Dan stated. "You won't have too many tasks. There are dedicated personnel for spirit herb cultivation and management of other affairs. Your most important job is to maintain the dignity of the Tai Dan Academy. You'll understand how to do this in the future!"
Shen Xiang was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected Elder Dan to entrust him with such an important matter, which made him think that Elder Dan didn't actually hate him that much.
"Could it be that this is just a way to get back at me?" Shen Xiang found this conclusion rather amusing.
Taking a deep breath, he said, "Elder Dan, what about the Foundation Establishment Pill..."
"How long would it take? I've already refined it and sent it to the Divine Weapon Kingdom and Ice Wind Valley," Elder Dan replied, a bit irritated, not expecting Shen Xiang to still be thinking about that.
Shen Xiang nodded and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Elder Dan. You can rest assured and go into seclusion!"
"Shen Xiang, let me ask you one more question. Do you want to take me as your master? You should know that I have never taken a disciple!" Elder Dan asked, his voice carrying a hint of gentleness.
Shen Xiang shook his head. "No thanks. Didn't you say that whoever takes me as a disciple would be at odds with you? If I became your disciple, wouldn't that mean you'd be going against yourself?"
"Hmph, suit yourself!" Elder Dan took out a jade token and tossed it to Shen Xiang before leaving angrily.
Shen Xiang caught the jade token and examined it closely. To his surprise, there were spirit patterns on it, radiating a strange power, with the inscription "Tai Dan Academy, Shen Xiang" written on it!
From now on, Shen Xiang could only reside in the Tai Dan Academy, but he still had quite a bit of freedom.
Ever since he took Yao Haisheng as a disciple, Yao Haisheng rarely showed his face, claiming he was going into seclusion to refine pills. He was also avoiding Shen Xiang because, having taken him as a master, he felt embarrassed to meet others.
Shen Xiang and Yun Xiaodao seldom visited Martial Academy No. 329, but they were still considered members. To their surprise, Zhu Rong actually gave up the generous benefits at Martial Academy No. 200 and chose to squeeze in with Shen Xiang and the others. He did this only to persuade Shen Xiang to take his sister as a partner.
Thus, Shen Xiang, Yun Xiaodao, and the petty Zhu Rong became friends. Although they often quarreled, their bond was strong.
"Big Brother Shen, I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Yun Xiaodao exclaimed, jumping up as soon as he saw Shen Xiang enter the academy. Since Shen Xiang was at the Tai Dan Academy in the Xuanjing, both Yun Xiaodao and Zhu Rong couldn't just enter freely, nor could they visit Shen Xiang when they wanted.
"Is there something going on?" Shen Xiang asked.
Zhu Rong waved a piece of paper in his hand, helplessly saying, "Yes, after this little ghost's careful selection, we received a very boring and idiotic task."
Only then did Shen Xiang remember that it had been a month since he entered the inner academy, and he was supposed to be assigned tasks. During this month, he had also learned some new martial arts, particularly the water attribute Zhuque Divine Art, which mostly included defensive techniques. Although there were only two or three types, Shen Xiang was very satisfied.
Just as Shen Xiang was about to ask what the task was, Yun Xiaodao chimed in, "It's a good assignment; we're investigating the Heavenly Dragon Treasure!"
The Heavenly Dragon Treasure! This was a hot topic in recent days. The treasure was said to have been left by a dragon during ancient times when it descended on the Chenwu Continent. Along with the rumors, there was also a map of the Heavenly Dragon Treasure, but it was being sold for a hefty price of one hundred thousand crystals per copy!
At first, many people thought this was a hoax, a ploy to earn some crystals, but after some old-timers analyzed the map in detail, it was confirmed that the treasure's location was indeed a place where dragons were rumored to have appeared.
That place was called the Wasteland Dragon Mountain Range, considered a perilous area!
"There's no such thing as a Heavenly Dragon Treasure! Before these rumors surfaced, our Zhu family already searched there and found nothing!" Zhu Rong said dismissively.
"Hmph, our Yun family searched there a hundred years earlier than your Zhu family. Didn't you Zhu family still go looking?" Yun Xiaodao retorted.
The rumor of treasure in the Wasteland Dragon Mountain Range had existed for a long time. Many had searched for it, but no one ever found anything.
Shen Xiang took the paper from Yun Xiaodao and saw a map and the mission details from Taiwu Gate, which instructed them to investigate the truth of the rumors and report back on the findings to complete the task.
"This could be a rumor, but it's an easy task. At least we can treat it like a trip! Plus, I heard many major sects are coming to search for it, and not just in Taiwu Prefecture; it's the same in other regions," Yun Xiaodao added.
"Indeed, there are a lot of idiots, coming from so far away!" Zhu Rong laughed.
"Let's go! The fact that so many people are coming could mean it's real! It's likely that your families didn't find anything because it's in the Xuanjing, which you should know about!" Shen Xiang questioned.
The appearance of the Xuanjing was very special; sometimes it appeared suddenly, while other times it required certain conditions for an entrance to form, and sometimes a great force was needed to open a passage...