A World Worth Protecting

Wang Baole didn’t waste any time in contacting the Dao Mountain Mist Academy on his way to the school, informing the school of his arrival. After that, he went on the Spirit Intranet and logged into the Martian Colony’s official website. He began searching for information on the school.

As the other academy for rich kids on Mars, alongside Fire Spirit Academy, information about it was freely available and easily acquired online. Wang Baole had only needed to do a simple search and was able to amass tons of information about the school.

Dao Mountain Mist Academy had quite the reputation. As the second academy for the rich on Mars, its political background was complicated. All major political forces in the Federation had a stake in the school. The Trilunaris Corporation, especially, was the biggest stakeholder.

One wouldn’t stray far from the truth if he had said that the Dao Mountain Mist Academy had been established for the heirs of Mars’ powerful and influential. It was a top-class academy that taught nearly all subjects available. It wasn’t in the same league as the four Dao Colleges. However, as an elementary academy that provided education for and nurtured students to the True Breath realm, it was a satisfactory alternative.

The academy’s students were either born of wealth or nobility. That was how the title, elites’ academy, had arisen and was used amongst the common folk.

The current dean hailed from the Trilunaris Corporation. He had stayed in his current appointment at the Dao Mountain Mist Academy for more than five years. Due to a myriad of reasons, his performance hadn’t been exactly exemplary over the years. However, under his governance, the school hadn’t encountered any major problems. Things ran smoothly.

What elites’ academy. It’s just a playground for a bunch of kids. Wang Baole browsed through the information on the school and snorted. He was displeased about his upcoming appointment as vice dean, which affected his perception of the school.

He soon changed his mind. That happened when he arrived at the school and got his first glance at the school gates.

The gates were… more than five hundred meters long. They were a majestic sight of carved dragons and sculpted phoenixes, and they exuded an air of elegant tradition. If one hadn’t known it was a school, they would have thought they had arrived at the entrance of the Martian Colony Governor’s Pavilion…

That wasn’t the thing that sealed the deal. As a Dharmic Armament cultivator, Wang Baole quickly caught a refreshing scent in the air. He studied it carefully and couldn’t control his subsequent shock.

The gates are actually built out of… Spirit Clay! They’re worth so much more than the giant tree’s doors! Wang Baole’s eyes almost popped out of his head, and his breathing grew uneven. Spirit Clay was an ingredient used for refining artifacts. Its price was fixed and determined by weight, and it wasn’t cheap. It was almost unbelievable that the school gates before him were constructed out of Spirit Clay. Even Wang Baole, who was at the Foundation Establishment realm, had to take a while to calculate the approximate cost for the building material.

His arrival coincided with the afternoon break. As he stood outside, blown away by the school gates, he caught sight of numerous luxurious cruisers dashing about inside and outside the school compound.

Wang Baole found a few of the cruisers familiar. He had seen similar ones at the Ethereal Fruit Feast, and a few were even more staggeringly luxurious. There were cruisers built out of diamonds, cruisers with jaw-dropping designs, and cruisers in the shape of monsters. Cruisers of all kinds could be found.

It would have been fine if everything had stopped there. As Wang Baole stood dazed by the sight, a teacher noticed Wang Baole at the gates. The academy had arranged for him to receive Wang Baole at the school gates after receiving the latter’s message. He was a thin man in his middle age. He took great care in making sure Wang Baole was indeed the person he was waiting for, then walked hurriedly towards Wang Baole eagerly.

“Esteemed Fellow Daoist, are you Dean Wang Baole?”

Wang Baole was still caught in an emotional rollercoaster, shocked by the sight of the school gates and the students rushing hurriedly around him. He heard the teacher’s question and looked over. After a brief exchange, the teacher verified Wang Baole’s identity and became friendlier. He led Wang Baole into the school.

“Dean Wang, we’ve been waiting for you for so long. You’re finally here.” The middle-aged teacher smiled widely. As he led Wang Baole into the school, he started introducing the campus to Wang Baole.

The academy grounds were spread across three hundred acres of land. It had all manners of facilities and strong teaching staff. As Wang Baole strolled across the campus, he was accosted by the strong feeling of being in a garden instead of an actual school…

Man-made lakes, artificial mountains, and expansive lands could be seen everywhere. Spirit Qi permeated the campus. It was comparable to the Upper Academy Island in the Ethereal Dao College.

Everything fed into and clarified Wang Baole’s understanding of what an elites’ academy truly was… he saw many more students as he strolled along. His eyes bulged again. It seemed that… the female students in the academy, with the help of a quality diet, had bodies that were significantly more developed than their peers on earth hiding under their standardized uniforms.

He saw a youth walking out from a building with his hands behind his back. Many others of the same age followed behind him. They were picking Spirit Stones out from their storage bracelets as they walked… all who cupped their fists and greeted the youth when they saw him would immediately receive Spirit Stones from the latter’s followers…

“What… what is he doing? Does his family own a Spirit Stone mine?” Wang Baole was lost.

“Don’t bother with him, Dean Wang. He’s from the Trilunaris Corporation. They call this act of giving out Spirit Stones posturing!” The teacher remained unruffled as he explained.

“Posturing…” Wang Baole muttered. He didn’t know what to say. He felt like a beggar standing outside the imperial palace. There was some strange power that prevented his imagination from running wild.

A dazed Wang Baole continued to be shocked by the sights that he came across and continued his slow acclimatization to the alien environment as he was brought to the dean’s office. As soon as he stepped inside the office, he saw an old man with a significant paunch—like his doppelganger but twice his size—lifting himself from the couch with great difficulty. He had a wide smile on his face.

The old man was the current dean of the Dao Mountain Mist Academy.

Wang Baole knew that standing before him was the man who would be his superior for the entirety of the next year. Despite his dissatisfaction towards his appointment, he had indeed been bowled over by the grandeur of the school. He instinctively followed the teachings he had gleaned from the high officials’ autobiographies as well as lessons he had learned from Liu Daobin, and put on an appearance of respect.

The old dean was encouraged by Wang Baole’s arrival. He welcomed Wang Baole with great enthusiasm, then pulled Wang Baole down to sit with him. After noticing that Wang Baole only took up half the seat and that his expression remained respectful towards him, displaying none of the arrogance one might have gained from a recent spike in popularity, the dean’s smile grew warmer.

He chatted casually with Wang Baole and shared a bit about the school. Then, he finally said earnestly.

“Baole, I’m an old man. I no longer have the energy to manage the academy. Your responsibilities from now on will be great. But you’re young and a graduate from the Ethereal Dao College, so this shouldn’t be any problem for you.

“The kids in our school are either from rich families, have parents who are in the upper management of the Martian Colony administration, or have ancestors who made great contributions to the colony. In other words… they all come from impressive backgrounds. Their parents have great hopes for them. They want their kids to grow up excellent…

“Our responsibilities are great. Our school’s mission is to groom them to become future talents. This will be the main focus of your work. The school also has more than eight hundred teachers who fall under your supervision.”

After another round of encouragement, the old dean brought Wang Baole around and introduced him to the rest of the school management. He affirmed Wang Baole’s appointment. Regardless of their true thoughts, the rest in the management team appeared to be respectful and polite towards Wang Baole. He was after all a Primary Rank Five Noble. Excluding the old dean, he was the highest ranking and the one with the most authority in the school.

Before the old dean left, he requested Wang Baole to help with something.

“Baole, something happened a while back to the teacher in charge of the Dharmic Armament class. The teacher has since left. The replacement hasn’t yet arrived. Could you help to take over the teaching of the class in the meantime?”

The old dean treated Wang Baole with kindness and friendliness throughout their entire exchange. Part of it was because of Wang Baole’s reputation and his background, while a great part of it was due to the dean’s character and age.

Wang Baole was someone who reciprocated kindness with kindness. He agreed to the dean’s request.

“It’s good to be young.” The old dean patted Wang Baole on the shoulder, then left smiling.

Wang Baole watched the old dean’s rotund figure wobble down the corridor. He seemed like he might trip and fall at any moment. After the dean reached the end of the corridor and disappeared, Wang Baole turned around started to familiarize himself with the school. This was after all his first day at work. He had an obligation to do what was necessary, even if his heart wasn’t in it.

A department head of the school soon located Wang Baole. He made arrangements for Wang Baole’s accommodations and also asked if he might need an assistant.

There were also many personal records belonging to teachers and students, as well as many other administrative tasks, that required Wang Baole’s attention. Wang Baole was busy for the rest of the day, and it was nightfall when he finally had a moment to catch his breath.

After a whole afternoon’s work, Wang Baole got a greater understanding of the inner workings of the Dao Mountain Mist Academy.

This is a school where the students reign supreme… they’re not interested in learning at all, and the teachers have no control over them. After all, there’s the troublesome political backing behind each student that the teachers have to consider. It’s enough to give them a migraine… Wang Baole could feel a headache coming as he placed the files down.

The old dean said that our mission is to groom them into talents… that’s an impossible task. Wang Baole frowned. He felt that the Dao Mountain Mist Academy was more a childcare center than an actual school…

The teachers here aren’t teachers. They’re nannies! Wang Baole had already been dissatisfied with his appointment. At present, after learning more about the school, the displeasure in his heart grew.