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After vanishing for three months, Su Wen reappeared before the world, heading directly to the Suoto City branch of the Academy.
"Master Wen, you have finally arrived!"
Su Wen's reputation had grown immensely. At the entrance of the Academy, a vast crowd of Spirit Masters had gathered, all eagerly awaiting a chance to meet him. This spectacle left Su Wen somewhat speechless. He had often thought of the Douluo Continent as a somewhat primitive or underdeveloped society; he hadn't expected them to adopt the culture of idolizing celebrities.
"Master Wen, our City Lord and the Hall Master of the Suoto City Spirit Sub-Temple responded to the call immediately after the Continental Tournament. It took them only a month to complete the construction of this Academy branch."
The staff members were quick to point out just how proactive the local dignitaries had been in seeing the project through. Su Wen nodded in acknowledgement.
"You have all worked hard," he said.
"It was no trouble at all. It is the greatest honor for our Suoto City branch that Master Wen chose us as the first location to establish the 'Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning' outside the capital."
The staff member speaking seemed to wear many hats—acting as the spokesperson for the city's bigwigs while also serving as the Deacon for this Academy branch.
"We have long heard of the fame of the capital's 'Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning,' but we have yet to experience it for ourselves," the Deacon said, looking at Su Wen with palpable anticipation. "Master Wen, we humbly request that you open the domain for our Suoto City branch."
Every conversation seemed to circle back to the 'Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning.' It wasn't just the Deacon; almost every Spirit Master in the vicinity had the name of the domain on their lips. They had been waiting for too long. Master Wen's name had spread across the continent, and his philosophies were held in high regard.
In reality, the Suoto City branch building had been finished for two months, but without Su Wen, it remained a mere shell. The people's expectations had been met with repeated delays. Now that Su Wen was finally here, they wanted to experience the benefits of the domain immediately.
Su Wen sighed inwardly. This is human nature, he thought. However, that was of little concern to him. His mission was to establish these domains across the continent, create a virtual network, and harvest the power of faith.
The Academy's goal was to become a holy land for Spirit Masters, similar to Spirit Hall. Such an ambition was destined to cause friction and conflict on a local level, but Su Wen had no intention of micromanaging those details. As long as the core principle remained unchanged, he would not interfere.
Knowledge is power!
This was the creed he used to guide the people and Spirit Masters of the Douluo Continent to place their faith in knowledge. While it was still too early to include the common populace on a large scale, the Academy would benefit Spirit Masters in the short term. The positive shift in the lives of ordinary citizens would have to wait for the next phase.
Following the Deacon, Su Wen entered the main hall of the Academy. The architecture was grand and imposing, designed with efficiency in mind. Passageways branched out in all eight directions, each leading from a main gate directly to the central hall.
The hall itself was vast and empty, save for several hundred Spirit Masters who had already crowded around the perimeter. As Su Wen stepped forward, every gaze in the room locked onto him. Ignoring the heat of their stares, Su Wen surveyed the layout of the hall before summoning his Martial Soul.
Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black.
As the terrifying soul ring configuration manifested, the Spirit Masters in the room felt their breathing grow heavy. This was Master Wen—the man who represented what might become the new "optimal" configuration for the entire Spirit Master world!
"Everyone, I have come today to establish the 'Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning' and to spread the light of knowledge."
From the Heavenly Book, a single page detached itself. As it hovered, the imagery of an entire world seemed to flicker across its surface. The four primal elements—Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind—gathered and surged into the page. The worldly essence (Yuan Qi) began to merge with it, causing the page to solidify and manifest into a physical anchor.
Like the creation of a new world, an illusory spatial zone was forged within the page.
Rumble!
A low thundering sound echoed in the ears of the gathered Spirit Masters. Their eyes were glued to the page, which no longer looked like a simple sheet of paper, but rather a window into another dimension. The space within was dreamlike and ethereal.
"Is this... an illusion?" one Spirit Master whispered in shock. Several others sensed the traces of illusory power on the page, but they couldn't be sure. Was what they were seeing a mere trick of the mind, or had a physical space truly been carved out of the void?
Su Wen ignored their speculation and began to organize the internal structure of the illusory zone. From his own "Visualized Heaven and Earth," he projected a massive number of floating books into the space. Instantly, countless glowing lights representing Su Wen's knowledge and theories filled the domain.
He quickly categorized them, dividing the space into two distinct, prominent regions: the Mountain of Books and the Sea of Learning. Beyond these, he also designed various "Mimicry Environments" at the edges of the space, corresponding to the four primal elements. Compared to the original version in the capital, this new domain was significantly more refined and complete.
Su Wen's hand gestured, and the page expanded until the world within seemed to lay bare before the crowd. The page then settled onto a high platform in the center of the hall. It radiated a brilliant light that transformed the entire hall's scenery.
"What profound illusory technique!"
Among the gathered crowd were three Spirit Kings who specialized in illusions. While they respected Su Wen, they couldn't resist the urge to peek at the mechanics of his power. Usually, such specialists were rare, yet three had appeared here today. Unfortunately for them, even with their expertise, they could only watch in awe. By projecting the internal illusory space outward, Su Wen had effectively turned the entire hall into another world.
"Look! That's the Mountain of Books!"
"And the Sea of Learning!"
One after another, shocked exclamations rang out. Unable to contain themselves, several Spirit Masters rushed toward the projections, reaching out to touch the glowing books.
"It's true... the information is being funneled directly into my mind! This is miraculous!"
After receiving a certain amount of information, these Spirit Masters found their consciousnesses pushed back into the reality of the hall.
"Everyone's mental capacity is different, as is the amount of knowledge you can absorb at once," Su Wen offered a kind warning. "Once you have digested what you learned today, you may enter the domain again."
"When you enter in the future, do not blindly grab every piece of data. You must learn to discern what is necessary for your path and what is redundant."
"We understand!" The Spirit Masters bowed in unison, their voices filled with gratitude. "We thank Master Wen for his guidance!"
Watching them, Su Wen felt a wave of emotion. He was fortunate to have crossed over into this specific era. If it had been twenty thousand years in the future, the Spirit Masters of the continent likely wouldn't have been so... "honest" and respectful.
Su Wen waited in the hall. During this first foray, very few had the self-control to observe the space before touching the data. Not a single person had managed to resist the lure of the information entirely. Within five minutes, the consciousnesses of all several hundred Spirit Masters had returned to reality.
"I am constantly refining the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning," Su Wen continued. "However, fixing the domain to a single physical location makes it inconvenient for those who live far away."
Many Spirit Masters nodded in agreement. They looked toward the entrance of the hall, where an unknown number of people were still clamoring to get in. While the initial crowd was the largest, even after the excitement died down, the Academy would undoubtedly face long queues every single day.
(End of Chapter)