Chapter 255: Epidemic Lord

On the way to the Imperial Academy.

Li Qi contacted Liu Canzhi directly through the name card.

The name card was not just for show; it also included terminal contact information, so it was quite easy to use.

The Imperial Academy and the Imperial Guards were gathering places for Human Dao Geniuses.

Similar to the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, they were both talent reserves for the next generation of top individuals.

The Human Emperor's Imperial Guards specialized in training military talents. Not only were they extremely powerful in combat, but they could also command troops in battle, serving as one of the cornerstones of Human Dao's expansion. Countless famous generals emerged from the Imperial Guards. Within the Imperial Guards, the ability to command troops and individual combat power were the only two pursuits; nothing else was required.

As for the Imperial Academy students, their paths after graduation were broader. Whether it was doing research, becoming an official, or becoming a core or even top expert in a certain industry, it was all possible. They were more like technical and research talents.

These were the two factions, civil and military, of Human Dao.

Shaman God Mountain did not differentiate so finely. The Great Shamanes each took disciples and cultivated them according to their own methods, which was very lenient. Some taught by example, while others left their disciples to their own devices, depending on how the Master chose.

However, in Human Dao, such a hands-off approach was unlikely. Almost all training was centralized, without specific Masters. Instead, a group of top teachers collectively taught and assessed students.

Externally, they would generally say they were students of the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor of the Tai Academy. All Tai Academy students were students of that Imperial Academy’s Chancellor.

After taking a carriage to the front of the Tai Academy again, it was already noon.

At the entrance of the Tai Academy, Li Qi looked at the grand gate.

Ancient educators had private schools in their homes, district schools in their communities, specialized schools for arts, and national academies in their countries.

This was the national academy of Tang Nation.

It was the essence of Tang Nation's Legacy for future generations.

In front of the gate stood a stone tablet, inscribed with large characters: “If the Dao is good, one obtains it; if it is not good, one loses it.”

It was clean and winding, stretching for thirty li.

In other words, this Imperial Academy covered an area of two hundred and twenty-five square kilometers, almost as large as an urban district.

And all the people within it numbered just over a thousand, including teachers. The Imperial Academy did not allow other people to enter, whether servants or anything else.

So, including teachers, there were actually only this many people inside. Most of the area was for students to research and study.

“Fewer than ten students are admitted each year, and about ninety percent graduate,” Li Qi murmured, looking at the gate.

Ninety percent, sounds high, right?

But consider who can enter the Imperial Academy?

Only the Genius among Geniuses, the most competitive among the competitive, can come. And among these super-competitors, selected from countless billions of people, ten percent still can't graduate!

What kind of study intensity is this?

Just then, a voice reached Li Qi's ear: “This is a vital area of the Imperial Academy. If you have no important business, please do not gather and obstruct the entrance. Don't just stand at the gate; leave. Someone might come to ask you to leave soon. If you have business, you can leave your visiting card at the gatehouse.”

Li Qi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a plainly dressed scholar walking up behind him, offering a reminder.

His tone was not harsh, but also not overly familiar. It seemed to be just a polite reminder, which was quite friendly.

“Thank you for the reminder. However, this junior is merely here to observe this future school. I will leave after looking around,” Li Qi cupped his hands, expressing gratitude for the reminder.

Upon hearing this, the scholar stopped and scanned Li Qi.

Then he asked, “Buddhist Pagodare? Are you a student coming this year? Hmm… what a strange Qi. Which cultivation method do you practice?”

Due to the peculiar nature of Shaman Dao cultivation methods, practitioners generally integrate into natural, emitting no special Qi.

However, this lack of emitted Qi was itself the greatest peculiarity, making people of other Daos feel something was amiss.

“This junior is indeed a new student. I came today to see the school's appearance. As for the cultivation method… that may not be convenient to discuss,” Li Qi replied politely.

“A new student, eh? Have you completed all the other procedures?” The scholar stopped and asked Li Qi.

“All procedures were completed on the terminal. I'm just waiting to enroll,” Li Qi replied.

The scholar nodded and said, “I see. Then you should already have a student ID. Although it's currently vacation, many classmates are still cultivating inside. If you want to familiarize yourself in advance, you can report it at the gatehouse.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Master,” Li Qi cupped his hands.

“No problem. Remember, coming to the Imperial Academy is not your destination, but your starting point. Your Dao has just begun,” the scholar admonished, then walked into the academy on his own to attend to his affairs.

Li Qi watched him leave, pondering their recent encounter.

The conduct here is quite good, isn't it?

His attitude remained consistent from beginning to end. He neither demeaned me for being a curious bystander nor changed his attitude because I was a Imperial Academy student.

This Master must be a teacher inside, right?

His cultivation… was far higher than mine; I couldn't discern it. However, from the fact that he couldn't detect my Shaman Dao Qi, his cultivation shouldn't be too high.

Around Fifth Grade?

If the teachers are only Fifth Grade, then the teaching quality of the Imperial Academy seems to fall short of Shaman God Mountain.

After all, the Young Masters' teaching plans are personally devised by Third Grade teachers, and it's one-on-one specialized instruction. Occasionally, there might be one-to-many situations, but generally, it wouldn't exceed three people.

So, in terms of cultivating successors, does Shaman God Mountain place more emphasis?

Not necessarily. It's better to experience it firsthand before drawing conclusions.

After registering at the gatehouse, there was no one there; everything was automatically handled. I wonder if it was artificial intelligence or something else…

I don't know why… Li Qi always felt that Human Dao could perform the operation of refining others' Spirit Souls into a gate. That wouldn't be artificial intelligence; it would be directly turning living people into a gate.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it?

After verifying his identity, Li Qi walked inside.

With just one step, the surrounding miniature heaven and earth immediately transformed.

Fortunately, Li Qi was already accustomed to this type of spell where the scenery changed with each step. He just didn't know the principle behind it. He could learn it later; it felt not only cool but also quite practical.

Was the space expanded inside?

Upon entering, Li Qi could see that the sky above the Imperial Academy was covered by a massive Formation visible to the naked eye. The Formation's incantations swirled above, profoundly mysterious, providing both defense and surveillance.

Then, a neatly arranged group of palaces greeted him.

Halls and courtyards spread around, looking east and west.

Their colors were bright, shining brilliantly.

Eaves soared high, golden pillars stood in neat rows.

Grand buildings were lofty, their structures towering.

This was a very, very striking complex of palaces, yet it was extremely quiet, almost silent.

Perhaps it was because of the holiday, so very few people were walking around. Only occasionally could one see passersby, whether they were students or teachers.

Li Qi was one of these ‘occasional' people.

However, his purpose was very clear. He took out his name card, recited Liu Canzhi's name, and followed the terminal's map navigation towards the Second Alchemy Division.

Since he was lucky enough to find a classmate in advance, it was a good opportunity to contact him and ask for directions and landmarks.

When he finally arrived at the Second Alchemy Division, following the map.

Liu Canzhi, who had already been waiting there, stood at the entrance. Seeing Li Qi arrive, he waved energetically, “Hey, Brother Li! Over here! Over here!”

At this moment, Liu Canzhi had changed his clothes. It wasn't the flashy pink from before, but it wasn't much different. He wore a light green, reflective silk robe, and still had flowers in his hair, but instead of red peach blossoms, they were now greenish-white magnolias. His flamboyant nature had only increased.

To be honest, it was quite an eyesore, but also very attention-grabbing.

Li Qi, of course, saw him, but Li Qi was naturally not fond of热闹 and not so lively, so he just walked forward and quickly interrupted the other's loud shouting to avoid attracting attention.

Li Qi walked up and quickly said, “Alright, alright, Brother Liu, keep your voice down. Don't disturb others.”

Liu Canzhi, who had come to greet Li Qi, laughed heartily, “Don't worry, Brother Li, how could I disturb anyone outside? It's the holiday season now. Even if there are people in the academy, they're mostly in their rooms, so they won't be disturbed.”

“They won't be disturbed in their rooms? Is there soundproofing?” Li Qi asked curiously.

Liu Canzhi looked puzzled: “Huh? Why would you ask such a thing? The rooms here are just doors. Oh, it seems this information isn't available outside. Understand it this way: all the doors with nameplates in the Imperial Academy are their own Grotto-heavens. If it's a large classroom, then it's a miniature heaven and earth inside. The total number is one thousand one hundred and twelve. When school starts, you'll be given a list, and you can match different classes to different worlds for on-site teaching.”

“So that's how it is…” Li Qi nodded.

It was similar to Shaman God Mountain, where a mountain peak was merely a gateway, and entering it revealed a completely different realm.

Liu Canzhi slung an arm over Li Qi's shoulder: “Oh, by the way, Brother Li, why didn't you say you were a new classmate back then? You only contacted me later. You really kept me in suspense! Come on, let's walk and talk, brothers. I'll take you to the cafeteria first. Food is the priority for people, and for a new classmate, the cafeteria is definitely the first place to visit when touring the academy!”

On the way here, Li Qi had already chatted with Liu Canzhi for a while, so this cheerful and naturally friendly young man had already started calling Li Qi “brother,” even though Li Qi was still a bit unaccustomed to it.

However, this enthusiasm probably wasn't unprovoked. The Spiritual Artifact Li Qi gave him seemed to have greatly helped his Dao, so he seemed to have a very good impression of Li Qi.

“Okay, okay, wait, don't pull me…” Li Qi, helpless, nodded in agreement while pulling the other's hand off his neck.

Officer, I have a wife. Don't be so flirtatious; it looks bad.

Of course, Li Qi would never say that out loud. He only said, “Brother Liu, just walk properly. Such disheveled behavior, what kind of decorum is that?”

“Tsk, why are you acting like those Masters? Fine, let's go. It's noon anyway, time for lunch. I'll take you to see the cafeteria, and then I'll show you around the various academies.” Liu Canzhi shook his head, but also withdrew his hand and led the way.

“Oh, by the way, Brother Li, where did you come from before coming to the Imperial Academy? How did you get in?” Liu Canzhi asked Li Qi curiously as they walked.

“Ah, I didn't take an exam. I was directly specially recruited,” Li Qi said.

“Special recruitment? Oh, I understand. It's like that, right? Last year, there was also someone like you, from a Seventh Grade miniature heaven and earth. The Grand Minister personally brought him back, saying he had excellent talent and even bestowed upon him the title 'Lord of Pestilence,'” Liu Canzhi said eloquently.

“'Lord of Pestilence'? Why bestow that title? That character isn't good, is it?” Li Qi asked again.

“Because the Lord of Pestilence himself achieved Dao in an unconventional way. His origin is extremely unique, truly rare in all the heavens and myriad worlds,” Liu Canzhi said casually.

“Ah? How do you mean?” Li Qi asked further, hearing that he was specially recruited like himself and given such a strange title.

“Well, I heard that at that time, a plague was rampant in the Lord of Pestilence's miniature heaven and earth, sweeping across the entire world.”

“All the people, beasts, and plants in that miniature heaven and earth were infected, but life, you know, life is incredibly resilient. In the struggle against this plague, they constantly became stronger, defeating the disease again and again.”

“But each time, the plague would return, and constantly fighting the plague was the main theme of this miniature heaven and earth.”

“After an unknown number of years, perhaps several million years, in the end, it was clearly just an unranked miniature heaven and earth, but in the struggle between the plague and life, both sides advanced, raising the grade of this miniature heaven and earth to Seventh Grade.”

“However, after that, the plague changed.” At this point, Liu Canzhi stopped and looked at Li Qi expectantly.

Li Qi saw his expression and knew what it meant.

He needed someone to play the straight man.

So he immediately asked, “What kind of change?”

With Li Qi playing along, Liu Canzhi continued with satisfaction, “This change, it was the Lord of Pestilence.”

“Those plagues, after an unknown number of evolutions and changes, finally acquired an extremely rare talent: ‘Spiritual Wisdom.'”

This time, Li Qi was genuinely surprised.

Spiritual Wisdom!?

Viruses developed Spiritual Wisdom?

Looking at Li Qi's expression, Liu Canzhi was smug: “That's right, Spiritual Wisdom! As everyone knows, the essence of plagues is countless tiny insects. As the Buddhist saying goes, ‘A single drop of water, eighty-four thousand insects.' Buddhism had long ago perceived its essence.”

“However, these tiny insects usually act purely on instinct. But after this change, these tiny insects developed a way to connect and communicate with each other, and it was extremely fast, allowing communication without delay even across thousands of mountains and rivers.”

“This talent, you see, isn't it like the countless neural connections in our brains?”

Upon hearing this, Li Qi immediately understood why it was called 'Lord of Pestilence'.

Countless viruses, through this communication, gave birth to a kind of ‘collective intelligence.'

This was the true form of the Lord of Pestilence?

Such an origin, no wonder it was said to be rare.

At this point, Liu Canzhi leaned towards Li Qi: “Now you understand, right? By the way, you were also specially recruited like the Lord of Pestilence. Brother Li, what is your origin? I imagine it wouldn't be more ordinary than the Lord of Pestilence, right?”

“Uh, uh… well,” Li Qi scratched his face.

How should I put it?

I should be able to save up the extra chapters this Saturday, don't panic.