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Chapter 69: The Three Teams
"Anyway, back to the topic. Our town is divided into several major parts. The sparring team is mainly composed of strong and able-bodied people. Then, there's the procurement team responsible for providing Kali Academy with daily necessities. They go around the city and purchase items to supply to the Academy, and they pay us a fee for the delivery.
“Next is the herb collection team. Behind our town there’s the Kali Mountain Range. It’s a pretty big place, and because the climate is cold, there are a lot of natural treasures that like this kind of weather. The mountains are full of demons and all sorts of other dangers, so the herb gatherers have it the toughest, but they also get the most money. Whatever herbs they gather, they can sell to Kali Academy for a very high price. So, the people in our Academy Town are in principle split into the sparring, herb collection, and procurement teams. In the future, you can choose to join one of these groups."
"Choose? Why?" Tang San asked.
Cheng Zicheng replied, "The rule in our town is that no one can laze around. Everyone must live by their labor. That applies to us, even though we’re still young. The Academy doesn’t really give us much. The expenses for food, drink, lodging, and travel must be earned by completing tasks. We do get some resources for cultivation, but if you want more, you must get them yourself. The teachers say this is also a form of training for us. So, in the future, you can join one of these three teams to earn some money for your living expenses and to cover the cultivation costs. Teacher Guan often says that becoming strong doesn’t mean only cultivation. There are a lot of things to do if you want to get really strong, and the first thing you need is to be able to survive."
The concept was nothing new, and Tang San quite agreed with this statement. The Daemon Continent differed in many aspects from the Douluo Continent, where he used to be, but on the Douluo Continent, entering an academy also required money, and the resources students received within the academy also depended on completing tasks. The two places certainly had similarities, even if they operated on different methods. The Redemption Academy seems to be on the right track.
"I can lend you the money for buying daily necessities today. You can pay me back later when you have it. But it seems you don't need to work for now. You're not yet twelve, right? Before you turn twelve, the Academy will provide your cultivation resources. But you'll owe the expenses, which you can repay once you can work."
Tang San shook his head. "No need to worry about that. I have some money."
He did have some money, demonshard coins made from Wind Spirit Stones. He had earned three aetherhorn coins in the last Collision Contest, which he had lent to Wang Yanfeng and had been returned to him later. He had also obtained a small bag from the Wind Wolf Town Lord. He hadn't checked how much was in it yet, but considering it was from the town's lord, it was unlikely to be little. So, Tang San wasn't short on money now.
Cheng Zicheng looked at him in surprise. “Well, that's great then.”
While talking, they entered the small town. There was a street dedicated to various shops, mostly selling daily necessities. Tang San noticed there were also places selling spiritual herbs. The store selling these herbs was the largest on the street and located near Mayor Zhang Haoxuan's residence, close to the town's center.
This Academy Town, with a population of almost six thousand, was bustling. And now that he had time to look around, Tang San noticed that there were not only humans in the town but also demons.
These demons wore uniforms, all in a peacock green color, tailored to fit different body shapes. They looked quite beautiful. Even without Cheng Zicheng's explanation, he knew these must be the demon students from Kali Academy.
Among these students, Tang San saw many demons he had never encountered before.
Hehe, others see demons, but all I see is bloodline imprints.
Having now broken through to the fifth order meant he could possess another bloodline imprint and a new ability. He understood the relationship between the Mysterious Heaven Technique and demon bloodline power much better now. Therefore, the choice of his fifth ability had to be made carefully. He needed to find the one most suited to himself.
Devouring several bloodline imprints was not a concern. First, he could replace his current imprinted abilities if he integrated a better one. Second, if the attributes were compatible, imprints could merge. However, advancing a hybrid imprint would definitely become more troublesome than elevating a single imprint.
In addition, merging seemed like a double-edged sword; a good merge could enhance his original abilities, but he had a hunch that a bad one could have adverse effects. Tang San wasn't too worried about this, however. With his God King perspective and past life's cultivation experience, he could accurately judge which bloodlines were suitable for merging.
The more significant issue was that elevating a merged imprint could become more complex. Enhancing an imprint by devouring just one type of bloodline pre-merger would be challenging. He had to devour multiple types while maintaining balance or consider merging other similar types of bloodline imprints. This would require Tang San to continue exploring on his own.
Fortunately, the nature of the Mysterious Heaven Technique allowed him to strip away any useless imprints, so even if the merging effect was not ideal, there was still room for error. Tang San was not in a hurry about this. As his power grew more substantial, the future would naturally offer plenty of opportunities to choose from different demon bloodlines.
Under Cheng Zicheng's expert guidance, Tang San used demonshard coins made from Wind Spirit Stones to purchase daily necessities. The prices were not high. Although demonshard coins were the lowest currency, they still had some purchasing power. After buying the necessities, the two returned to the Redemption Academy.
“Thanks for today,” Tang San said, handing Cheng Zicheng a demonshard coin.
Cheng Zicheng's expression changed. “What are you doing?”
Tang San earnestly replied, “I can't just waste your time for nothing!”
Cheng Zicheng huffed. “I am your senior, after all. Do you think I am like Du Bai?” Saying this, she turned and walked away, clearly a little angry.
Tang San couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. All along the way, Cheng Zicheng had been lecturing him about equivalent exchange and self-reliance. That was why he had made his gesture, not expecting it to upset her.
Indeed, the saying goes, a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea—truly inscrutable!
It was already evening. Cheng Zicheng had mentioned before that meals at the academy were communal, with teachers and students dining together in a specific cafeteria.
However, it wasn't time yet; he still had to wait a little longer.
Tang San arranged the daily necessities he had bought, instantly adding a touch of liveliness to the room.
Looking around his room, Tang San couldn't help but feel a sense of strangeness. He didn't know how long he would live here, but it seemed like a safe dwelling.
Whether it was the Redemption Academy or Kali Academy, he still needed time to understand them. More importantly, he had to continue striving to enhance his strength. There was nothing more crucial than power.
He sat down on a chair, silently feeling the changes in his body. After killing the Wind Wolf Town Lord that day, he had been constantly on the move with Zhang Tianxiao. Tang San hadn't had a chance to properly absorb the Wind Wolf Lord's bloodline energy as he was afraid it would expose his cultivation level.
The Wind Wolf Lord's bloodline energy was very dense and pure. Being a peak fifth-order being, the complete bloodline devouring had propelled Tang San directly to the fifth level of the Mysterious Heaven Technique, at the same time allowing him to achieve fifth-order cultivation in this world.