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"You do not need to worry about any of these concerns; I have already devised a solution," Su Wen stated with a calm, indifferent tone.
Hearing this, the Soul Masters collectively let out a sigh of relief, though their gazes remained fixed on Su Wen, filled with curiosity. Although they could not fully comprehend Su Wen's abilities, they were eager to witness exactly how he intended to resolve the issue.
The illusion-type Soul Masters, in particular, were the most expectant at this moment.
Regarding the previous experience in the "Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning," the three of them had investigated every inch with painstaking detail. It was only after they had finished receiving the inheritance of knowledge and returned to the main hall that they suddenly realized the truth, finally understanding the operating principle behind Su Wen's Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning.
It turned out to be the creation of a virtual, illusory space. It was not a projection into the outside world, but rather a technique that pulled people inside.
Once the illusion was dispelled, the consciousness of the Soul Masters who had been pulled in would return. All of their actions just moments ago could be viewed as having taken place entirely within a separate, virtual dimension.
Su Wen departed from the core main hall and proceeded to the other rooms situated outside the hall.
He continued his work, crafting special book pages that drifted down to hover silently in the center of each respective room. Unlike the pages within the main hall, once Su Wen finished crafting these pages, they did not immediately manifest the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning, nor did they seem to possess any special abilities.
The assembled Soul Masters were not impatient; they quietly awaited the completion of Su Wen's arrangement.
Finally, after setting up the layout in all thirty-six rooms surrounding the main hall one by one, Su Wen activated the formation.
His "World Within the Book" unfolded.
Instantly, the pages within the thirty-six rooms erupted with light in unison. Special patterns flowed across their surfaces, and soul power began to resonate between each of the individual pages.
At the same time, atop the high platform in the core of the main hall, the page that carried the burden of the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning also resonated in harmony with them.
The Origin Energy of Heaven and Earth began to converge.
The scattered pages within the main hall gradually shifted and transformed, merging to form a complete, bound book. Meanwhile, the pages located in the thirty-six outer rooms were encompassed by the book in the main hall, linking together to form a single, cohesive entity.
"With this setup, the core main hall combined with the surrounding thirty-six chambers is sufficient to accommodate thousands of people receiving knowledge simultaneously."
Even in a major metropolis like Soto City, the total population of Soul Masters numbered only a few tens of thousands. As long as the arrangements were handled properly and the time management was reasonable, there was absolutely no need to worry about wasting time in queues.
"Additionally, the operation of this Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning requires soul power to sustain. When you enter it to study, it will also consume a certain amount of your own soul power. Consider it a tuition fee," Su Wen said lightly.
Regarding this point, no one raised any objections.
If the tuition was merely soul power, they could completely afford it. This was something every Soul Master possessed, and it was entirely renewable. They had as much as they needed, provided it didn't require saving up a month's worth of soul power just to qualify for a single entry into the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning.
"Different levels of Soul Masters place different burdens on the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning, so the 'fee' will vary from high to low. Basically, only one-third of your total soul power is required to support the consumption needed for you to receive the materials matching your level. As for the remaining two-thirds, you can utilize it to perform other operations within the space of the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning."
"Other operations?"
Su Wen returned to the main hall, with the group of Soul Masters following close behind.
He approached the book resting on the high platform of the hall and injected his soul power. The book radiated a brilliant light, and after a wave of soul power fluctuation, a single page appeared in Su Wen's hand. The page shifted and transformed, taking on the appearance of his Heavenly Book Martial Soul.
"In the future, every Soul Master can come to the main hall to collect their own 'Soul Seal.' Think of it as similar to a Soul Master's handbook. Its function is actually quite simple: it assists you in actively entering and exiting the space of the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning."
"Actively entering and exiting?"
Hearing Su Wen's description of its function, the crowd of Soul Masters immediately felt a stir of interest, wanting to step forward and attempt to collect their own Soul Seal.
Su Wen did not stop them; in fact, he encouraged them. "Go ahead. Every Soul Master must collect a Soul Seal to study more conveniently within the Scholastic Palace."
One Soul Master stepped forward and injected soul power into the book. Instantly, a page drifted down into his hand, eventually transforming into a palm-sized small disc—this took the shape of his own Martial Soul.
"It is not just limited to these rooms. The entire Scholastic Palace is actually within the signal range that the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning space can receive. By activating the Soul Seal with your soul power, you can stimulate the core of this space and be guided into the illusionary realm."
"The time a Soul Seal can be maintained is also limited. It will dissipate after at most three months, so you must come here to collect a new one every three months."
It took a full day before the Soul Masters crowding the Scholastic Palace had all obtained their own Soul Seals, experienced the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning space once, and departed with satisfaction.
Su Wen then sought out the person in charge of this location.
"Master Wen," Ning Yuan said, bowing to Su Wen with an expression full of worship.
Su Wen nodded and instructed, "In the future, maintaining order in the Soto City branch of the Scholastic Palace must be taken seriously. You are to summon Soul Masters in my name to accomplish this."
"Yes, Ning Yuan will certainly not fail Master Wen's trust."
"Furthermore, the goal of the Scholastic Palace is not only to disseminate knowledge but also to develop and research theory. Therefore, famous scholars within the Soto City area should all be invited to join the Scholastic Palace."
"Understood."
After assigning the tasks, Su Wen departed from Soto City.
His workload was immense. This was the construction of Scholastic Palaces across the entire continent. It was even more difficult than the construction of the Spirit Hall because, for every branch of the Scholastic Palace, Su Wen had to personally go and set up the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning.
Heaven Dou City.
Shrek Academy.
Tang San's expression was incredibly unsightly as he viciously threw the list in his hand onto the ground.
"Teacher, the people in this Scholastic Palace are absolutely targeting us!"
Two months had passed since the end of the Continental Soul Master Classic. The Shrek group had returned to Heaven Dou City, and afterward, they attempted to join the Scholastic Palace to acquire cultivation techniques.
However, because the facilities at the Heaven Dou City branch of the Scholastic Palace were "lagging behind," staff members were assigned to register the information of Soul Masters who needed to use the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning, placing them in a queue.
And so, they waited. They waited for fully two months.
Two months later, the prospect was still indefinite, appearing nowhere in sight.
Tang San's expression was dark and gloomy; he knew this was the consequence of him and his group being deliberately targeted. Otherwise, no matter how large the number of people, it would have been sufficient to clear the queue within a week of registration.
By now, there were Soul Masters who had not only learned the cultivation techniques but had already begun utilizing the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning for further study. Yet, they had not entered the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning even a single time.
"Hmph! They still talk about equal treatment, about 'education for all without discrimination,' but they act one way to your face and another behind your back!" Flender cursed foully.
Oscar hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I heard from others that the Scholastic Palace branches have also been set up with the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning one by one, and they can supply all the Soul Masters in the Palace simultaneously. Could we perhaps go to a different Scholastic Palace branch to acquire the techniques?"
Compared to the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning in the Scholastic Palaces of other major cities, the facilities at the Heaven Dou City headquarters were indeed too outdated. This was the root cause of the excuse used to target them.
But if this excuse were removed, surely the Scholastic Palace wouldn't have any other way to deny them the techniques, right?
Yu Xiaogang (Grandmaster) glanced at Oscar, sighed, and explained, "Oscar, the root of the problem is not the condition of the Scholastic Palace's facilities, but rather that the Scholastic Palace simply does not want to open its doors to us."
If they used the excuse of facilities at the Heaven Dou City headquarters to refuse them entry into the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning and deny them shared data, then even if they went to other branches, there would simply be other excuses to push them away.
(End of Chapter)