Chapter 236: The Elemental Academies' Decision
Yang Potian ignored the rather displeased expressions on everyone's faces and continued, "Additionally, once you join Tianxing Academy, all major decisions will be made collectively by the academy's council of deans. Private actions without the council's consent are strictly prohibited."
"One last point: joining Tianxing Academy will be challenging, but leaving will be even harder. Exiting the academy will require a significant price."
Hearing this, Feng Xiaotian and the others visibly paled. But Yang Potian was indifferent to their reaction; after speaking, he simply closed his eyes, showing no further interest. For other forces, the combined thousand-plus spirit masters from the Four Elemental Academies might seem like a valuable addition, but to him, they weren't crucial.
From Yang Potian's perspective, it was likely only a matter of five years before war broke out. Both Spirit Hall and the two empires were mobilizing for conflict, sparing no effort to recruit forces. Yet he had no intention of participating in this upcoming war. Rather than risking lives on a battlefield, it seemed far more sensible to observe from afar.
After all, war inevitably meant casualties. Tianxing Academy's students were primarily from the four major clans, with many direct descendants among them. If they were to join the fighting, there would be significant losses, eroding the academy's foundation. That was why he had chosen the remote Almos Mountain in the first place.
Yang Potian thought, Once the war is over and both I and Tianyue ascend to godhood, the entire Douluo Continent will be our domain. By then, the Elemental Academies' loyalty wouldn't matter.
It was at this moment that Shui Bing'er spoke up. "Your Eminence Yang Potian, if we join Tianxing Academy, can we ensure equal treatment for our teachers and students? At the very least, they shouldn't face discrimination."
Yang Potian shook his head and replied, "In principle, yes. Tianxing Academy's internal affairs operate strictly by the academy's regulations, and everyone here is bound by those rules. However, you should understand that Tianxing Academy's core members are our founding clans—the Po, Yu, Jade Phosphor, and Nine Heart clans. Naturally, we'll focus on cultivating core disciples from within."
"If you join, I can at least guarantee fair treatment, and each of your four academies can appoint a vice-dean. But I don't want any unwelcome drama here—our four clans moved to the distant Almos Mountain for some peace and quiet."
After hearing this, Shui Bing'er seemed hesitant. "Forgive me, Your Eminence, but I'll need to discuss this further with the academy heads."
With that, Shui Bing'er and her group departed Tianxing Academy. This was simply a preliminary discussion, with final decisions yet to be made by the heads of each academy.
After they left, Yang Wudi looked conflicted. "Potian, aren't your conditions too harsh? No academy would agree to this."
Yang Potian shook his head. "Grandfather, we relocated here to the far north precisely to avoid getting drawn into conflicts between Spirit Hall, the upper three sects, and the empires. Joining forces with the Elemental Academies only drags us closer to these conflicts."
"The Elemental Academies are little more than fair-weather allies. If they don't join us, their only other options are Spirit Hall or the Heaven Dou Empire, and once war breaks out, they're bound to be cannon fodder. We're simply looking for stability, not to expand our strength."
Yang Wudi frowned. "Even so, they have some talent. The younger members, especially, seem promising—potential Title Douluos, perhaps. Wouldn't it be a loss to pass up such recruits?"
Yang Potian responded, "They may have potential, but even the most talented won't progress beyond Soul Sage before this continent is upended by war. Do we lack a few extra Soul Sages at Tianxing Academy?"
"Moreover, throwing ourselves into this volatile situation for a handful of spirit masters isn't worth it. Tianxing Academy was founded to strengthen our clans, not to nurture outside forces."
The others nodded in agreement. Inviting the Elemental Academies to join would indeed bolster Tianxing's numbers, but this wasn't in line with their goal of simply seeking refuge from the coming war.
Dugu Bo then commented, "Old Goat, Old Ox, the kid has a point. With the way things are, no number of spirit masters under Title Douluo will make a difference. This academy exists to ensure our survival for generations, not to get involved in worldly affairs."
Yang Wudi: "..."
Niu Gao: "..."
The five representatives from the Elemental Academies, upon leaving, also began reflecting on their options and the potential futures of their respective institutions.
Lei Dong from Thunder Academy spoke first. "Tianxing Academy's terms are too strict—our Thunder Academy wouldn't be able to manage it. We've long relied on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and many of our members still maintain ties with them. Given the historic tensions between our clan and Tianxing Academy, it'd be hard to ensure fair treatment if we joined them."
"Moreover, Tianxing Academy's insistence on neutrality runs counter to our allegiance to Spirit Hall. Their restrictive stance seems deliberately intended to keep us out," he continued.
"What's your plan, then?" asked Feng Xiaotian.
Lei Dong replied, "I've never placed much hope in Tianxing Academy. I plan to take our academy to Heaven Dou City. Grandmaster Liu Erlong is the dean of Blue Blazing Academy, and Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang leads Heaven Dou Royal Academy's team. They're all that's left of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and would provide some protection for us at Blue Blazing Academy."
The others nodded, acknowledging that Heaven Dou City seemed a suitable path for Thunder Academy's survival.
Then Shui Bing'er from Tianshui Academy chimed in. "Tianxing Academy aligns closely with our values at Tianshui Academy. The extreme northern location also suits us well, so I'm inclined to lead Tianshui Academy to join them."
Seeing her resolve, the others fell silent. Tianshui Academy was indeed unique, being the only Elemental Academy to accept commoner students.
Finally, Huo Wu turned to Feng Xiaotian. "Xiaotian, what's your stance?"
Feng Xiaotian frowned. "It's a hard call. Heaven Dou City would provide more development opportunities for Godwind Academy. But with Heaven Dou's imperial family, Clear Sky Clan, and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan all watching closely, we could easily get swallowed up."
In the original story, Shrek Academy essentially served as a front for the top three sects, with its actions driven almost entirely by Tang San. Millennia later, Shrek Academy no longer included the elemental families—at least not the Fire, Water, and Wind clans.
Suddenly, Huo Wushuang spoke up, saying, "Xiao Wu, I plan to speak with my father and grandfather about leading Blazing Fire Academy to join Tianxing Academy."
In Blazing Fire Academy, although Huo Wu was the bright star beloved by the family elders, Huo Wushuang was the true leader and the family's main heir. Unlike Huo Wu, who often showed a fiery and impulsive nature, Huo Wushuang was much more composed.
Huo Wu looked doubtful. "Brother, with all of Tianxing Academy's restrictions, wouldn't Blazing Fire Academy struggle to develop?"
Huo Wushuang shook his head. "We've fought against the Heaven Dou Second Team before, and we know their strength. But from what I've gathered, Niu Mang's strength used to be similar to Tailong and Bai Xiaofei from Heaven Dou's First Team, yet they're leagues apart in real combat. This shows Yang Potian has some solid teaching methods."
"Besides, I've researched Tianxing Academy recently. Although their rules are strict, they exist to maintain the influence of the four founding clans. If our Fire Clan were to join, could we eventually become a fifth clan? And if you're trained as a core student, your prospects could be even better."
"The entire continent is on edge right now. If we move to Heaven Dou City, we'll inevitably end up on the battlefield sooner or later. We might be better off hiding with Tianxing Academy and sparing our Fire Clan from significant losses."
Huo Wu fell silent at this. Though she was proud and ambitious, she knew her limits. In the Soul Master Tournament, she had faced repeated defeats against Heaven Dou's Second Team, earning her respect for their individual strength.
Feng Xiaotian, standing nearby, also said nothing. Although he had trained tirelessly over the years, increasing his spirit power from forty-four at the tournament to sixty-one, he still felt worlds apart from Yang Potian, who was now a ninety-eighth-level master—an insurmountable gap.
Though a rare innate full spirit power user with pride in his talent, Feng Xiaotian was intensely curious about Yang Potian's training methods, as well as those of Heaven Dou's Second Team.
After much deliberation, Blazing Fire Academy, Godwind Academy, and Tianshui Academy decided to join Tianxing Academy. Thunder Academy, however, opted to relocate to Heaven Dou City. Specific arrangements were left for each academy's dean to finalize, as there were still details to be addressed.
To Yang Potian, these were mere footnotes to his ultimate goal of godhood. Even more than ascending to godhood, his ambition was to become the strongest god, understanding that even gods vary in power and face the risk of falling.
As Yang Potian meditated in his quarters, he suddenly felt an unusual aura entering his awareness. This aura was oddly subtle, as if masking its strength, yet it held an essence of transcendence. If Bo Saixi's aura represented the vastness of the ocean, this new presence embodied the boundlessness of the sky or perhaps a pure, holy essence.
And close by, Yang Potian detected two more familiar presences—those of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Yang Potian opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with golden light. "So, the old man has decided to come in person. It seems Spirit Hall considers me a high priority."
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 15 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1