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Chapter 71: Counting The Loot
After the teachers finished eating, they left one after another, followed by the students. There was little interaction; everyone headed back to their own quarters.
Du Bai also left immediately after eating, telling Tang San he was returning to cultivate.
The sky had completely darkened when Tang San stepped out of the cafeteria. The yard was quiet, and many lights were lit in the houses surrounding the yard, creating a peaceful yet lively atmosphere.
He took a long breath and then walked back to his place, East Three.
The moment he reached the door, he sensed a presence inside. When he opened it, he found Zhang Haoxuan sitting in the living room, looking at him.
"Teacher." Tang San hurriedly approached to pay his respects.
Zhang Haoxuan smiled faintly and said, "Sit down and we'll talk."
Tang San sat down on a chair opposite him.
"Are you adapting well?"
Tang San nodded. "I'm just starting to adapt. It's nice here."
Zhang Haoxuan said, "Do you know how long it took us to make this place what it is now?"
Tang San was momentarily taken aback and then shook his head.
"Over three hundred years."
"Over three hundred years?!"
Zhang Haoxuan sighed softly and said, "The accumulation of vassals, the demon race's recognition and gradual dependence on our abilities, the establishment and growth of the academy town, step by step, leading to the formation of the Redemption Academy. It has taken us over three hundred years. To be precise, the birth of the Redemption Society also dates back over three hundred years. This place can be considered one of the rare sanctuaries for humanity. If the entire continent could have such places, our people would no longer suffer. How wonderful that would be."
"Hmm." Tang San nodded silently.
"Starting tomorrow, you will formally begin your studies at the academy. I came to remind you that here, the first thing you need to gain is the recognition of your teachers and classmates. This recognition is not about how well you handle social interactions but about strength. In our Redemption Academy, strength is the foundation of everything. I've observed that you have a stable temperament, so I'm not worried about that. But strength is the foundation on which you'll stand. You may reveal your fifth order cultivation when necessary, but as I already told you, you must keep the Mysterious Heaven Technique a secret."
"Yes," Tang San responded.
Zhang Haoxuan stood up. "It's been a long journey, and you will be starting classes tomorrow, so rest early tonight." As he spoke, he walked out, and Tang San stood to see him off.
When Zhang Haoxuan reached the door, he suddenly paused, turned to Tang San, patted his head, and said, "There's one more rule in our Redemption Academy. You can only acknowledge one true teacher. Understand?"
After saying this, he patted Tang San's shoulder again, and with a flash of light, his tall figure vanished into thin air.
Acknowledge only one teacher? Tang San pondered, wondering what Zhang Haoxuan was hinting at.
He closed the door, then proceeded to wash himself and went to bed.
Instead of starting to meditate and cultivate immediately, however, he took out a small pouch from his bosom. The pouch was made from a type of leather he couldn't identify; it was brownish-yellow, palm-sized, and unremarkable in appearance.
He had acquired this pouch after killing Feng Xiong, the Wind Wolf Town Lord. He had then met up immediately with Zhang Tianxiao, and the two of them had traveled together to Kali City. Being with Zhang Tianxiao the entire journey, he naturally hadn't had time to examine it. Now that he was settled here, he took out the pouch to see his gains.
This pouch was his only possession at the time of Feng Xiong's death. Given that Feng Xiong was fleeing in panic, it had to be more than a little valuable. No matter how small Wind Wolf Town was, Feng Xiong had been its lord for many years. More importantly, when Tang San devoured his bloodline power, he noticed it was markedly different from that of ordinary Wind Wolves; it was much more potent. Devouring it provided more energy than all the wolf demons he had consumed before combined. This naturally astonished Tang San.
Previously, Tang San hadn't had time to think deeply about it, but now, reflecting on it, the Wind Wolf Town Lord Feng Xiong seemed to have some kind of extraordinary origin. Of course, the likelihood of finding something valuable among his personal belongings was fairly high.
The yellow pouch felt light as a feather, but it had a matte texture when touched. When Tang San activated his Discerning Eye, his heart gave a jolt.
As he carefully inspected the pouch with the Discerning Eye, he immediately noticed a subtle spatial fluctuation, as if something was hidden inside.
He knew all too well what spatial fluctuations meant. Could this be a spatial treasure used for storage, much like the mythical concept of Mount Meru fitting inside a mustard seed?[1] If that’s the case, then I truly stumbled upon a treasure!
Items with spatial attributes were extremely precious even in his previous life. Of course, after he became a God-level entity, it wasn't important anymore, as he could create spaces himself. However, this was the first time he had encountered such an item in the Daemon Continent. Moreover, if this pouch was indeed a spatial treasure, it could contain much more than its size would suggest.
While pondering, Tang San tried to open the small pouch, simultaneously extending his spiritual power into it to explore its contents.
When Tang San's spiritual power touched the originally brownish-yellow pouch, it emitted a faint blue light. He could vaguely sense a force of resistance within that blocked his probe into the pouch. This barrier did not give off any massive power fluctuations, but it was incredibly resilient, easily keeping his spiritual power at bay.
Tang San didn't let this discourage him, and neither did he try to force it. Instead, he activated his Wind Wolf bloodline imprint and a faint green light also emanated from his body.
As expected, when he activated the Wind Wolf imprint, the barrier hesitated momentarily and then quietly dissipated.
The most potent force within Tang San's Wind Wolf imprint was now the bloodline power of Feng Xiong. After all, Feng Xiong's bloodline was much more concentrated than all the Wind Wolves he had devoured previously. This also proved that this unassuming little pouch was an item that had already recognized an owner. And to be able to recognize a master meant it possessed some level of spiritual intelligence.
As his spiritual power probed inside, the next moment, Tang San's face was filled with joy.
Inside the pouch, there was a misty green space. Moreover, the internal space was not small, stretching about three meters in diameter. This was quite remarkable for a spatial treasure.
The primary issue with such spatial treasures used for storage was maintaining a stable space. The larger the stable volume, the more difficult it is to maintain. The leather exterior of the pouch was likely made from the hide of a spatial-type demon beast, though Tang San was unsure of the specific processes involved. However, the fact that it had such a large and stable internal space made it a rare treasure.
Inside the pouch was something quite simple: nothing but currency.
What caught Tang San's attention most was the most conspicuous items in the pouch, which emitted a misty blue glow and a rich fluctuation of wind element.
Although Tang San saw this type of currency for the first time, he could discern from the strong wind element fluctuations that these were the third-ranking coins in the demon race currency system—naturae coins. Specifically, these were wind naturae coins, which made sense considering the previous owner belonged to the Wind Wolf lineage.
Within this small pouch, there were hundreds of wind naturae coins. This was an incredible fortune! In addition, there were numerous wind spirit stones. These stones were exceptionally clear and transparent, clearly different from the wind spirit stones Tang San had seen before. He was unsure of their exact value, but he had no doubt that they were very valuable.
1. This is a common phrase in cultivation novels, and it originates in the Vimalakirti Sutra, a Buddhist scripture. Mount Sumeru (or Meru) is said to be millions of kilometers tall, while a mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds. The scripture says that Mount Sumeru can hide a mustard seed, while a mustard seed can contain Mount Meru. It signifies that even something seemingly insignificant can contain infinite possibilities. ☜