Chapter 181: Chapter 128: Mobilization_2
Translator: 549690339
Seeing it this way, the method of the False Sutras can be called the work of an Evil Demon!
But why would the Ancient Immortal Gods create a method of Evil Demons?
Chanting the False Sutras, although it harms the Divine Soul, does not damage the foundation.
On the contrary, over a long period of time, with repeated study, it can even enhance the Divine Soul.
If one could persist in chanting for several decades, rain or shine, there is also a possibility of cultivating Mana.
That is to say—cultivating the true through the false!
Although this possibility is low and the Mana cultivated is not abundant, on the whole, the method of the False Sutras is not purely plundering and exhausting resources but rather mutually beneficial and reinforcing.
As a Prince, Liang Xiao was unable to cultivate the True Scriptures, but there was no harm in reciting the False Sutras.
He stood in the line, queuing up while reading a book, silently chanting the scriptures in his heart.
Not just him, in the queue, many of the students were doing the same.
This was an assignment from the academy, a grading task!
All students, after enrollment, would receive a False Sutra and were required to recite it daily; it was a basic task that had to be completed no matter what.
After completing the basic task, continuing to recite would be considered a contribution, and they could earn credit rewards.
As a new student from a small school, Liang Xiao had limited ways of earning credits, so the task of reciting scriptures was something he could not slack off on.
As for monetary transactions, within Guo Bei Academy’s exchange system, gold and silver held very low value and could only be exchanged for Mana Money, not credits, hence one couldn’t purchase special Spiritual Objects like the current popular Foundation Building Pill.
Only Taoist True Scriptures, the Art of Divine Abilities, and various Taoist Spiritual Objects, Magic Artifacts, and Magical Treasures could be traded for substantial credits.
But Liang Xiao lacked such things, let alone those, he did not even carry much gold or silver on his person.
After all, he was a criminal exiled from the capital, sent here, no longer the Ninth Prince once favored by royal grace.
Without money, he was impoverished and had to work hard to earn credits by himself.
Although it was somewhat arduous, he did not mind.
On the contrary, he liked, even enjoyed, such an environment.
In the capital, within the palace, as a Prince witnessing the chaos in the world and the disorder in politics, he too had dreamed of reversing a dire situation, propping up a collapsing edifice, restoring order to the world, and purifying the Qiankun.
However, dreams are beautiful, reality is cruel!
As time passed, he grew older, and his experiences increased, efforts again and again came to naught, hopes dissipated time and time again, he realized what it meant to “stave off the inevitable decay.”
The efforts of an individual are insignificant in the face of the overall decline and corruption.
Not to mention him, even his father, the Emperor of the Great Chen Dynasty, the mainstay of its revival, and who was strongly supported by Buddhism, found his hands tied and faced many considerations when acting.
The so-called great governance of revival was nothing more than a temporary peace resulting from various compromises.
The fundamental problems had not been resolved; it was like an old man on his deathbed taking a potent drug, merely clinging to life, struggling to draw breath.
The power of the emperor vs. the power of the chancellor, the imperial family vs. the noble families, as well as the struggles between factions, the preconceptions of different sects, and the battles among Princes for the throne; the various investments, the power struggles and wagering, the court filled with several major forces, dozens of small groups, intricately interwoven, impossible to untangle.
They were like a decaying corpse, lying in a rotten coffin, void of any vitality or vigor.
On the contrary, any new and fresh force would be firmly suppressed by their decaying hands—they would rather die in that decayed coffin than cut away their own rotting flesh to make any change.
In that environment, Liang Xiao felt as if countless rotting tentacles were wrapped around his neck, his throat, his limbs, pulling at his body with all their might, dragging him into that decaying abyss, making all his efforts vanish like smoke and swept away by the current.
Suffocation, an indescribable suffocation.
Despair, an indescribable despair.
So much so that when he was exiled from the capital, he felt somewhat relieved, a burden lifted off his shoulders.
After arriving in this place, he felt an energy, a vigor he had never experienced before.
Compared to the capital, compared to the palace and that interwoven, interest-entangled court, this academy felt more like a nation, a fresh, vibrant nation.
Here he did not feel a single obstacle, on the contrary, the entire academy, the whole system, the atmosphere, and the policies, were actively pushing him, even compelling him, to unleash his strength and move forward.
Liang Xiao did not know what to use to describe it.
Or maybe… like those machines at the Tiangong Academy?
Yes, machines, a tightly structured, high-powered national machine!
Once this machine is set in motion, each of its parts will burst with strength, contributing value.
With established systems leading the charge, everyone will start to operate, pushing towards the same goal together.
It is millions of individuals, yet it is a whole!
Such converged power…
Liang Xiao could not imagine, nor did he dare to imagine.
What would the Guo Bei Academy look like after a total mobilization, what kind of power would it unleash?
If possible, Liang Xiao hoped he would never have to witness such a scene.
But… the development of events often defies one’s wishes!
After an unknown amount of time, the scriptures ended, and the procession had arrived at its destination.
Liang Xiao put away his scriptures, looked ahead at Li Daniu, who was eagerly on tiptoe and said with a smile, “Stop looking, wipe your mouth, see how you’re drooling.”
Li Daniu then came back to his senses, embarrassedly wiped away his drool, and then whispered to him and a few roommates, “Did you hear? Today they’ve added dishes, the portion of milled rice has doubled, and there’s even exotic beast meat!”
“Oh?”
Liang Xiao raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Really? Don’t be fooled by someone fooling you.”
In between the words, he clearly did not believe it.
The Guo Bei Academy, having expanded to its current size, has just the student body numbering a hundred thousand, not to mention the various teaching and administrative staff, the entire academy has at least two to three hundred thousand people.
Two to three hundred thousand people, all practicing martial arts, each one a big eater, the consumption of food alone is an astonishing number each day.
It was only Guo Bei Academy, which widely practiced the Method of Cultural Qi Farming, that could afford to have bumper harvests every season, harvesting not just milled rice but even Spirit Rice; otherwise, it simply couldn’t sustain so many students.
In Liang Xiao’s view, it was already quite difficult for Guo Bei Academy to maintain the current conditions.
Could it manage if the portions were increased?
“No, that’s not right!”
“There’s no smoke without fire; everything has a reason!”
“Rumors are rare within the academy, let alone such rumors.”
“So, the extra meal is true?”
“Why suddenly add meals for no good reason? The current rations should already be sufficient to meet basic needs, right?”
“Could it be…!”
Liang Xiao’s eyes grew sharp, he realized something, and a wave of panic arose in his heart.
Li Daniu, however, saw nothing strange: “Of course it’s true, would I dare spread such rumors without certainty?”
There were discussions among the surrounding teams.
“Indeed, it’s true.”
“I heard about it three days ago.”
“The principal announced that the quality of meals for the entire academy will be doubled in supply.”
“We’re just a small school, so we were a few days later to knowing, but in the Nine Major Courtyards, they started adding meals three days ago.”
“It’s said that the basic portion for students in the main courtyards includes Spirit Rice, which has now doubled in supply; the academy is truly wealthy and powerful.”
“Spirit Rice is nothing, I heard the principal also added a new benefit; all students from the small schools who move up to the main courtyards and reach Perfect Four Realms can get a Foundation Building Pill.”
“It is said that the production of Foundation Building Pills at Mingxiao Taoist Temple has greatly increased, so the academy has also relaxed the conditions. Not only can you get it for free after reaching Perfect Four Realms, but the point exchange price has also been significantly reduced.”
“Now in the main courtyards, who knows how many teachers have gotten Foundation Building Pills and are currently in retreat trying to break through.”
“It’s not just the Foundation Building Pills, the exchange prices for other elixirs, Soldier’s Armor, Talismans, and Magic Artifacts have also been reduced.”
“What’s going on?”
The crowd around him was buzzing with discussions, shocked and uncertain.
Liang Xiao’s heart also sank amidst these discussing voices.
One can infer the whole picture from a part!
It might seem insignificant, just a small increase in the food portions, but once the numbers are scaled up to hundreds of thousands, it becomes a colossal change.
What had happened?
Liang Xiao did not know.
But from these indications, he could be certain that the Guo Bei Academy, this giant machine constructed from the Nine Courtyards’ students and millions of civilians, was fully mobilizing!