Chapter 20: I, Xia Feng, Don’t Eat Handouts!
Despite the Six-Tails Sect’s oppressive atmosphere, they were quite generous with money. After Xia Feng handed over the Life Fruits, the finance department purchased them at twenty percent above the market average, totaling 120,000 Imperial Coins. Life Fruits, besides extending lifespan, are essential raw materials for many potions used by the sect’s research department.
As for the Wisdom Fruits, their market price was 10,000 Imperial Coins each. Since they were clearly priced on many online shopping platforms, the finance department bought all the Wisdom Fruits Xia Feng had at their marked price, totaling 120,000 Imperial Coins for twelve fruits.
Xia Feng looked at the 240,000, 140 Imperial Coins and 30 cents in his bank card, feeling a mix of emotions. The adventurer profession was truly lucrative, instantly lifting him out of poverty. If he ventured into the Evil Dragon Forest a few more times, wouldn’t he become a millionaire?
However, he reconsidered. The reason he found the Wisdom Tree and Life Tree this time was entirely due to the sect’s experts having already explored the forest and created a map. Therefore, this 240,000 was essentially a welfare benefit from the Six-Tails Sect to the victor. Transcendental trees in the Evil Dragon Forest were not abundant and not as easy to find as imagined.
But it no longer mattered. With so much money, it should be enough for him to purchase the raw materials needed to construct the “Gate to the World.” However, there was one problem that bothered him. Fading ink and ivory fish blood were easy to obtain; he spent only 30,000 Imperial Coins for two grams of each. But Boundless Stone was a super-forbidden item. Trading Boundless Stone resulted in imprisonment, and in serious cases, even a death penalty!
To prevent the invasion from the Nightmare Realm, the entire District 51 was covered by a defensive light net called the “Boundless Realm.” The core material for constructing this Boundless Realm was Boundless Stone. This item was extremely rare, and any used was gone forever, making it a strictly prohibited item by the Empire. Any discovery of a Boundless Stone mine would be claimed by the Empire, which would, in turn, offer a fair bounty. Generally, 1 gram of Boundless Stone would fetch a bounty of 100,000 Imperial Coins. Consequently, both mining Boundless Stone and smuggling it were incredibly profitable industries.
So, the question arose: where could he buy this contraband? Xia Feng sat in class, listening to the lecture while lost in thought.
“Alright, that’s all for today’s class,” Professor Freya announced, ringing a spiritual bell. The students immediately dispersed. As Xia Feng got up to leave, he was called back.
“Student Xia Feng, please stay behind for a moment.”
The lecture hall soon emptied. Professor Freya was dressed in professional attire today, her white shirt tautly fitted within a black pencil skirt, paired with black high heels, exuding an intelligent and capable aura. She instantly moved from the podium to Xia Feng’s desk, leaning over it slightly. Her deep eyes stared down at him intently.
Her presence was imposing, and Xia Feng swallowed nervously, shrinking his neck. *Teacher, please don’t look at me like that, I’m scared.* After a long silence, she asked seriously, “Student Xia Feng, do you have any ambitions?”
“Ambitions? Of course, I do.”
“Oh? And what are they?”
“To be a lazy salted fish who eats and sleeps all day and makes money while lying down!” Xia Feng declared, his eyes shining with ambition.
Freya didn’t expect such a… unique ambition. “Then, Student Xia Feng, do you crave power?”
“Huh?” Xia Feng eyed her suspiciously. “Teacher, what are you really trying to say? Just get to the point.”
Freya pursed her lips and said thoughtfully, “About what I mentioned last time, have you given it any thought?”
“Thought? About what?” Xia Feng was bewildered.
“…Of course, about becoming my personal disciple!” The mature woman’s delicate face showed a hint of annoyance as she slapped the desk. “Student Xia Feng, have you been ignoring what I said?!” She had heard about the incident between Xia Feng and Qi Xiao last night. This guy was undeniably a genius, and she trusted her judgment.
“…Cough cough~ Teacher, please don’t rush. I’m still considering it…” Xia Feng stammered. “Yes, I’ve made up my mind now!”
“Oh?” The red-haired woman’s eyes lit up. Xia Feng’s expression was serious. “Teacher Freya, thank you for your kind offer, but I’m really not interested in swordsmanship. Besides, I have several part-time jobs to earn money, so I don’t really have time to learn swords from you.”
The red-haired woman frowned slightly. “Part-time jobs? Are you very poor?”
*No, I’m not poor now…* Xia Feng’s expression dimmed. He said in a low voice, “I’m an orphan. Although I was adopted, my cheap adoptive father won’t provide for my living expenses, so, Teacher, I—”
*Slap!* A black-and-gold bank card was placed on the desk. The red-haired woman’s mature face was serious. “One million. Is that enough?”
Xia Feng was speechless. It was the first time he had seen a teacher pay to take on a disciple. He reluctantly shifted his gaze from the bank card, his expression equally serious. “Teacher Freya, although I want to make money while lying down, my stomach is very good, and I don’t eat handouts!”
*Slap!* A white-and-gold bank card was placed on the desk. Freya’s beautiful eyes narrowed. “Two million.”
*What?!*
Xia Feng was speechless. *Teacher, are you testing your subordinates with this?!* Xia Feng truly admired her. He actually wanted to accept, but once he became her disciple, the chances of his secret as a cultivation idiot being discovered would greatly increase.
Seeing his continued silence, Freya took a deep breath and *slap!* A third card, rose-gold, was placed on the desk. “Three million. This is all my savings. I don’t have any more.” The red-haired woman said seriously, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at the young man before her.
*All her savings?! Teacher, you’re easily going to be scammed like this.* Xia Feng frowned and shook his head, then suddenly thought of something and asked hesitantly, “Teacher Freya, do you know about Boundless Stone?”
“Boundless Stone?” The red-haired woman’s expression immediately turned serious, her eyebrows furrowing. “That’s contraband. Why are you asking about it? Did you find some?”
Seeing Freya’s suddenly sharp and majestic demeanor, Xia Feng’s heart skipped a beat. He coughed and quickly shook his head, “How could that be? It’s nothing, I was just curious.” He almost forgot that besides being a professor, Freya was also the captain of the Holy Department’s Eighth Squad, a unit specializing in investigating contraband cases.
Seeing Xia Feng changing the subject and avoiding the topic of discipleship, Freya fell silent for a moment and said softly, “Instead of making money, it’s more important to learn more skills at university. Think about this again. If you make up your mind, you can come to me.” With that, she shook her head and left without further delay.
“Teacher, wait!”
“Hm?” Freya turned back abruptly, blinking. The dim light in her eyes brightened. “Have you made up your mind?”
Xia Feng helplessly pointed at the three cards on the desk. “Your savings.”
Freya was speechless. After the teacher left, Xia Feng sat in his seat, regretting his potential soft-life for a full ten seconds before also getting up to leave. However, as he rounded a corner, he vaguely heard a disjointed, off-key singing voice coming from the next corner.
*This voice sounds a bit familiar?* He curiously followed the sound. After some thought, he cast ‘Concealment’ and ‘Bronze Mask’ on himself. Concealment hid his figure. The Bronze Mask lowered his presence, making him potentially overlooked even by domain fields with full-view detection.
Soon, a semi-transparent humanoid figure passed by a rock garden and approached a classroom at the end of the corridor.
[3601~3602 Spirit Song Society, No Unauthorized Entry]
Through the glass under the doorplate, he saw the back of a black-dressed woman. Was that Mu Qingtong?
