5: The Eternal Star Academy

Tian Lang was still processing the recent events; the welcome had begun and ended too quickly!

"What's wrong? Aren't you excited?" the silver-haired teacher asked, seeing him still stunned. She couldn't help but find his bewildered expression amusing.

Tian Lang didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glanced at her sideways. How should he act around her? Although he knew some things about her character, he still didn't fully understand her true self. After all, she had appeared very little in the over one hundred chapters he had read, unlike Nangong Ruoxue.

He sighed. Well, it didn't matter. She was his guide, right? He would just let her show him around this place and then keep as far away from her as possible. But before that, he needed to make sure he got a good cultivation method, so he still needed to get on her good side. He hoped his charisma hadn't atrophied just because he was in another body. Even if he hadn't had much charisma to begin with...

Seeing him sigh, Xu Yinxing furrowed her eyebrows. She was a Principal master! Even if the students feared her, they still showed some respect around her. This guy seemed too casual in her presence, and it was obvious he was also somewhat reluctant to be around her, which confused and irritated her for some reason.

"Sorry, I'm still adjusting. This is all so... sudden," he said, looking around. Real spaceships were coming and going, while in the skies, the Alliance army fleet was still present.

Not to mention the buildings. Heck, he could even see what looked like floating islands in the distance! The immensely sized mountains couldn't be dismissed either. It was a dreamlike landscape straight out of fantasy.

Xu Yinxing nodded beside him, not fully understanding. After all, she had grown up in a cultivation family. For her, these views were not only common but also somewhat boring.

"Well, I'm sure you'll soon appreciate this place, so let me show you around," she said, patting his back, this time more gently. Still, Tian Lang was almost forced to bend a few centimeters. She really was rough, but he guessed it was to be expected. People didn't call her "Silver Gorilla" behind her back for nothing.

He made sure never to say that name aloud. Or he'd probably go on a second isekai trip immediately.

As he thought about this, there was a sensation of movement, and then, in a silver flash, everything around him changed abruptly once again. His stomach churned a bit again.

He shook his head, causing his vision to refocus, then noticed a huge shadow above him. When he looked up, he couldn't help but open his eyes in astonishment.

"Wow!" he exclaimed at the sight that greeted him. Before him stood a door thousands of meters high, towering like an imposing mountain.

Its color was silver with golden lines and engravings on its surface. Stellar Qi could be seen coursing through its structure, and just by being near it, Tian Lang's hairs stood on end. It was powerful, extremely powerful. Even if it was just an object, its power was palpable in the air.

Beside him, Xu Yinxing smiled. Even though she had grown up in the world of cultivation, there were still some things that surprised her, and the door before them was one of those things.

"Isn't it amazing? The Eternal Star Gate and the reason why this university is called the Eternal Star Academy, an Immortal-grade celestial treasure." Celestial treasures, magical objects that could unleash unmatched wars and deaths.

Although this door had been mentioned in the novel, Tian Lang hadn't thought much about it until now. Having it in front of him was like experiencing firsthand that scene of the protagonist arriving at the academy for the first time.

"All right, since the academy hasn't started its classes yet, and the students are still on vacation, we can have a smooth tour of the place without anyone bothering us," Xu Yinxing said. One thing this university shared with Tian Lang's past life universities was that there were certain periods of time when students could take "vacations," mainly when new enrollments began.

For this reason, the alliance had told him that he could go directly to Earth if he hadn't decided where to study yet. For geniuses like him, no university, even the most prestigious and powerful ones, would say no.

Xu Yinxing reached out her hand, her palm touched the door, and as if it weighed absolutely nothing, it began to open slowly. It was an astonishing sight; this was a structure thousands of meters tall and wide. Even though Xu Yinxing was a tall woman, she still looked like a tiny ant next to it. Despite that, a simple gesture of her hand was enough to set the enormous door in motion.

It was now that Tian Lang realized she had really been holding back a lot before. If she really used even a fraction of her strength on him, he would probably turn into a paste of meat stuck to the ground.

"Let's go," she said and began to lead him inside.

Tian Lang didn't hesitate to follow her. He couldn't deny that he was excited to see this place in person, even if he already knew some things thanks to his meta-knowledge. After all, reading about something and seeing it were completely different experiences.

As they entered, he found himself in a huge plaza surrounded by lush vegetation carefully arranged. Plants he had never seen before adorned the place, giving it a noble air. In the center of it all was a gigantic stone statue. This monument depicted a man with long hair and sharp features, holding a sword and pointing to the sky with a fierce and defiant expression. Even if it was just an "ornament," Tian Lang couldn't help his pupils from contracting slightly as he felt the "intent" to fight emanating from the statue.

Tian Lang expected an explanation about the statue, even though he already knew it was of the first headmaster and founder of the Eternal Star Academy, and also a hidden celestial treasure. But Xu Yinxing beside him completely ignored the giant of stone and looked around thoughtfully.

"Where should I start?" She had never given a tour of any kind, so she didn't know exactly how to begin.

Then, suddenly, as if a light bulb had turned on above her head, she slapped her thigh and pointed in a distant direction.

"Let's go, I'll show you the Silver Moon Peak first!" What better place to start than where she resided? In fact, that place didn't receive many visitors, so she was somewhat excited to finally be able to show it to someone.

Universities in this world weren't divided by majors or school years, but by "mountain peaks." The Eternal Star Academy had six peaks, each focused on cultivation but at the same time teaching different paths.

Tian Lang recalled that Silver Moon Peak was the least popular peak since it focused on the path of martial arts.

Martial arts, you might ask? In this world, there were different types of cultivation methods, and therefore different types of cultivators. There were those who focused on the classical path, seeking the understanding of the Dao and advancing cultivation through enlightenment.

There were those who relied on battle beasts and became tamers, relying on their companions to cultivate; those who used alchemy; those who used matrices.

In short, there were many ways to cultivate, each with its disadvantages and advantages.

Silver Moon Peak focused on cultivating martial arts. Using the body as the foundation, they built their cultivation realms and achieved their breakthroughs through "evolution." It was one of the most difficult cultivation paths, but at the same time, those who cultivated it were considered among the strongest.

Everyone respected and feared them equally, but not many dared to take that path since the amount of resources and the hellish training required were no joke.

Tian Lang wanted to sigh. He didn't know why he had expected a proper tour from someone who had been called "gorilla." Well, he would explore the place later on his own. For now, he had to play along and earn some points.

"Silver Moon Peak?" he asked innocently, causing her to hesitate a bit. She remembered how unpopular her mountain peak was and couldn't help but feel sad and frustrated about it. Why did no one want to follow the path of martial arts? Just because it was a little difficult?! Where was their fighting spirit?!

With some doubt, she responded.

"It's where I teach. It's the peak focused on the path of martial arts." She glanced at him, fearing an adverse reaction, but instead, she saw him nodding, calmly and with interest? Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe! Maybe she could finally have a new member of her peak after more than 100 years! It had been a hard blow for her that she had only managed to take on one new apprentice since she ascended as the peak master, and that apprentice had been her sister.

Of course, as a Principal master, she not only taught at her mountain peak; her expertise went far beyond that, and she gave some classes and helped with many other important tasks. Still, it was hard not to be able to teach her main "subject," the martial arts.

If this were Earth, not having any students in 100 years would be crazy, but for cultivators, such a dilemma didn't exist. Once you had enough power and your cultivation realm crossed a certain threshold, time began to lose significance.

Of course, Silver Moon Peak did not lack members. In fact, many of the university strongest cultivators belonged to or had belonged to it. It simply gained fewer disciples than other peaks. Xu Yinxing had the unfortunate fate of becoming the peak master in an era where martial arts were somewhat less popular than before. She couldn't teach martial arts because, aside from her sister, she was the youngest member of Silver Moon Peak. In fact, she often thought that the other older members of the peak had only made her the peak master to avoid dealing with responsibilities and focus on their cultivation...

"Martial arts, I've heard of them. They sound quite strong," Tian Lang said, hoping simply to earn some favorability points since she was a stellar martial arts cultivator. He thought it was a simple gesture, like praising someone's work.

Xu Yinxing beside him froze a bit. She had forgotten the last time someone said something like that. She almost wanted to smile but controlled herself; she still had an image to maintain, even though she didn't know that image had been tarnished a long time ago.

She cleared her throat, put her hands behind her back, puffed out her chest, and looked ahead as if she were an ancient, mysterious master. The wind blew, making her robes flutter, and an aura that only an expert would have, began to manifest around her, making her appear like an ancient fairy with a cold, ethereal beauty. Tian Lang couldn't help but look a bit surprised. Certainly, no ordinary woman could compare to a cultivator.

"Strong, you say? Martial arts are more than that. They are the true path to immortality! The dream of every man!" When she said the last part, the smile on her face suddenly froze, and her face began to turn slightly red. All the "mysterious" aura and "ethereal" charm shattered like a crystal breaking into a thousand pieces.

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Unintentionally, she had repeated the same thing her grandfather always said when he began teaching her martial arts.

She was a woman, damn it!!!

She almost shed a tear, feeling that her entire image in front of this little genius was self-destructed. That was why she didn't like leaving her peak...

Tian Lang almost laughed, but he managed to keep a straight face and quickly gave a thumbs up, speaking in a serious, deep voice.

"I see that Master Xu has an indomitable spirit. I am glad that it is you who will guide me in my first steps at the academy." He injected as much sincerity as he could, reminding himself several times that this was to gain some goodwill.

Xu Yinxing trembled slightly but quickly recomposed herself and stood firm again.

"Of course, you should feel honored. Not many can have any of my valuable time."

Tian Lang looked at her from the side. She really seemed much more cheerful and animated now. It seemed his meta-knowledge was correct; she was horrible at relating to people and often showed some strange traits to hide this. She was delighted when people showed interest in her personal tastes, even if she tried hard not to show it.

He didn't know how significant this knowledge was, as it wasn't explored much in the original novel, so he had to test the limits carefully. She was still a high-level cultivator, and probably the only reason he hadn't been crushed into oblivion was his status as a genius or something else.

After all, cultivators were still quite ruthless beings, and he wasn't going to forget that. He recalled several scenes from the novel where those with insignificant talent, lower cultivation levels, or ordinary status were treated worse than garbage and, in many cases, killed without a second thought.

There was even a scene where Xu Yinxing killed a cultivator just because he had stared at her too much...

Even if she hadn't shown that ruthless trait beside him yet, he wouldn't trust too much. Until he had the strength to defend himself, he had to walk as if he were stepping on eggshells while barefoot, which was quite stressful.

"Very well, let's go. I'll show you where the peaks are," she said, waving her hand. In a flash of light, what looked like a roofless sports car appeared. Its futuristic design was astonishing; it was black with engravings covering its surface, and Tian Lang could feel the Qi emanating from it.

A celestial treasure.

"How about that? Isn't it amazing? The latest model in the Stellar Sports series," she said, patting the car with pride. In this era, there were many means of transportation. Cultivators could move using their own power, spaceships, or celestial treasures.

Old-school automobiles had evolved over time to become a popular mode of transport among cultivators. Among cultivators, there were those called artifact masters. Celestial treasures could be artificially created or naturally born, and even existing celestial treasures could be used to create something different.

Artifact masters were quite respected for being able to create various and powerful celestial treasures and modify existing ones.

The ring that the headmaster had given him was also a celestial treasure.

"Amazing," Tian Lang sincerely praised, making Xu Yinxing feel even happier inside. She was a fan of stellar sports cars but hadn't had many opportunities to show off her car to others. Her sister didn't share her passion, so she couldn't do it with her, and the other members of Silver Moon Peak were too old to understand the charm of cars.

In fact, this was the first time she would be taking someone else with her. If she weren't trying to achieve something, she wouldn't have even brought it out. But she needed Tian Lang to do something for her.

Remembering the Ascending Dragon Conference, she couldn't help but feel the fire within her burn once more. She glanced at Tian Lang, who was admiring the car with clear astonishment, with unknown intentions brewing inside her. Just as Tian Lang had thought, cultivators were beings that had to be dealt with carefully.

Xu Yinxing only wanted something from him, which is why she hadn't treated him with the usual coldness or fierceness she showed to others. She had even embarrassed herself in front of him, though involuntarily, of course. She was a proud Peak master of the Eternal Star Academy and had an image to maintain. If anyone else had witnessed her embarrassing act, genius of special grade or not, she would have killed them on the spot.

She restrained herself because, to a lesser extent, Tian Lang was important for many reasons to the Earth Alliance and for her future plans. Awkward as she was socially, she was still quite capable of secretly planning some things.

Without either of them realizing it, both were secretly planning how to use each other for their own ends.

Only, for the unfortunate Xu Yinxing, Tian Lang was much more cunning than she was.

The Principal master of Silver Moon Peak got into the sports car with a smooth movement, patting the seat next to her, indicating for him to sit. Awkwardly, Tian Lang climbed in.

It was extremely comfortable! Tian Lang had had the opportunity to ride in some sports cars in his previous life, and while they might have seemed similar, the quality of ergonomics was completely different from what he was feeling right now. There was simply no comparison.

Suddenly, a seatbelt deployed on its own, wrapping around his torso.

"Whoa!" Tian Lang tested the grip, feeling firmly secured to the seat.

"Ready?" Xu Yinxing asked, one hand on the wheel.

"Let's go," he nodded excitedly. The vehicle powered up, the engraved matrices lit up, and the Qi pulsed, causing the wind to stir slightly. Then it began to rise into the sky.

"!!!" Faster than he expected, they took off, causing his hair to whip around uncontrollably. He had to close his mouth to prevent the wind from puffing up his cheeks.

Next to him, Xu Yinxing smiled and pointed with her hand.

"Look over there, that's the main hall. It's where the director and the other teachers give their boring lectures and hold meetings for important announcements," she pointed to a large building that resembled a majestic palace.

Tian Lang noted the information in his mind, comparing it to the little information he had before.

"That over there is the Pavilion of Eternal Scriptures. That's where you'll find all the information you need, whether it's cultivation techniques, alchemy, formations, or anything else. The head of the Pavilion of Scriptures and his assistants run the place. I recommend not making enemies with any of them, or you'll really have a tough time. Although, considering who you are, you shouldn't have any problems even if you cause a bit of a commotion." The status of a genius was something that not everyone could look down upon, after all.

If the main hall was large, then the Pavilion of Scriptures was at least three times bigger. In fact, it was several buildings connected and suspended in the sky on what seemed to be an artificial island.

"Those three over there are the cultivation hall, the training field, and the martial arts pavilion. If you want to practice combat techniques with other students, test defensive or offensive artifacts, train your battle beasts, or simply watch others fight, you should go there." They were three buildings together with many battle arenas suspended in the air around them, with what seemed to be a massive fighting stadium in the center of it all.

As they made their way to Silver Moon Peak, Xu Yinxing pointed out each place and briefly explained what Tian Lang needed to know about them.

"That place is the Alchemy and Pharmaceutics Hall, and next to it is the Spiritual Herb Garden. Don't get too close without the permission of a teacher or the company of an alchemist member. Alchemists are very protective of their herbs, and offending them never ends well."

The smell of different types of herbs and plants was evident as they approached what seemed to be dozens of buildings resembling laboratories. Not far off, enclosed in a huge transparent energy dome, was what could only be called a highly advanced "greenhouse" of dozens of kilometers in diameter. Tian Lang could see people working there even when other areas of the academy seemed empty.

"Do you see that mountain range in the distance?" Xu Yinxing pointed out a new location. Tian Lang had to squint, but he managed to glimpse an immense mountain range surrounded by extremely tall and dense walls with watchtowers on them.

"That's the Valley of Spiritual Beasts. It's a training area as well as a hunting and capturing area. All the spiritual beasts there are for the exclusive use of the members of the three universities. Its area extends for more than half the planet and serves different purposes, whether it's to tame beasts, eat them, or simply fight against them. At the same time, it's a very dangerous place because different species from different worlds and ecosystems coexist there. It's also where many spiritual herbs, which cannot be artificially cultivated, are found, making it a popular spot for herb and alchemy ingredient collection. That also makes it very dangerous because fights between students from different universities often occur due to the lack of rules prohibiting them from killing each other. That's why students can't enter until they reach a certain level of cultivation, so don't think about venturing in there for now."

Tian Lang paid closer attention. That was the place where the first major event would take place. He knew that deep within, an event was brewing that would shake the three universities.

They soon moved even further until they reached the center of it all. Seven mountain peaks rose into view, towering beyond the clouds. Tian Lang could see what seemed like hundreds of futuristic houses at the base of the mountains, with fewer and fewer as the height increased.

Of the seven peaks, one stood out above all others, being the largest and tallest. It had far fewer residences on it, all located at its summit.

"The six mountain peaks of the Eternal Star Academy. In the middle of them is the main peak, where the treasure hall is located, along with the residences of various masters, the director, and the elders. No student can enter without permission, so don't get too close," Xu Yinxing directed them towards a specific peak. Silver-leaved trees covered the mountain, giving it an unusual appearance, for Tian Lang. It was like seeing a mountain covered in silver.

"And this is Silver Moon Peak!" They soon reached the summit, where a palace-like residence stood. Tian Lang stepped out of the sports car, allowing Xu Yinxing to store it back in her ring. Soon, they both approached the front of the majestic building.

Suddenly, its doors opened, and dozens of servants lined up in two rows before them, all bowing in unison. they were dressed in maid dresses which you would expect in a western environment, it was a shock to see them in a place that looked more like an oriental fantasy...

"Welcome, Master Xu," they spoke simultaneously, leaving Tian Lang looking at them in disbelief. He thought such scenes were only seen in fiction, experiencing it firsthand... it was a strange experience.

"Return to your duties, I don't need you for now," Xu Yinxing casually dismissed them with a wave of her hand, which shook the long sleeve of her robe. Then, all the servants nodded simultaneously and left as quickly as they had come.

Tian lang couldn't help but admire the rear view of her short skirts walking away.

"Does everyone here have servants?" Tian Lang couldn't help but ask, earning a raised eyebrow from Xu Yinxing.

"Who else would take care of the minor tasks? Leaving that aside, you haven't chosen a mountain peak yet, so you don't have an assigned residence. You can stay around here until then. I'll have them prepare a room for you in one of the nearby residences." While Xu Yinxing had momentarily entertained the idea of persuading Tian Lang to join her peak, the reality was she had no idea how to convince him.

All students could choose a peak or simply cultivate using the resources assigned by the academy. Many took years to decide which peak to choose, so there were usually special residences outside the peaks for them. Once they chose a peak, they could have an exclusive residence if they passed the tests.

Yes, even if someone wanted to study in one of the mountain peaks, they still needed to pass certain tests or meet certain requirements. Those with outstanding talent were, of course, exempt from this.

All the main masters had wanted to take Tian Lang with them, but Xu Yinxing had used some tricks to be the first to interact with him. Whether she would succeed in convincing Tian Lang or not was another matter, but deep down, even the director didn't believe Xu Yinxing would persuade Tian Lang. Therefore, no one put up much resistance and decided to grant her this favor, letting her be the one to give him the tour of the academy.

After all, there weren't many opportunities to incur even the smallest debt with an expert of Xu Yinxing's caliber.

Staying here? Tian Lang almost frowned but managed to contain himself. He had forgotten about that. The protagonist had really struggled since no mountain peak had been willing to accept her. After all, a low-grade talent didn't even meet the lowest requirement of any of the six peaks.

That's why she had been living in the residences outside the peaks until she awakened her true talent and entered one of the peaks.

Tian lang did not yet have a mountain peak in mind. The original Tian lang had also never entered one even when he gained some popularity for his talent, After all, it would be quite easy for a Peak master to discover his secret if he were careless, so he refrained from joining one even though there were certain extra benefits to belonging to a peak.

The benefits were, of course, more resources, exclusive training areas, and being personally taught and guided by the experts of that peak, as well as gaining their backing.

Maybe if he had had such strong support, the fourth-rate villain would have thought a bit more before killing him...

Unable to help it, he glanced at Xu Yinxing and then at the Silver Moon Peak... he needed strong support, right? Even if the gorilla woman was somewhat difficult to deal with, it hadn't been as hard as he first thought.

This... this could work. The Silver Moon Peak was the strongest peak of the Eternal Star Academy, harboring powerful martial artists, not to mention Xu Yinxing's secret background. The peak hadn't had a new student in years, so they should be overflowing with unused resources...

If he managed to join, he could accelerate his growth and use the peak's backing to help the protagonist behind the scenes... It helped a lot that Xu Yinxing was pleasing to the eye, even if she was somewhat difficult to handle... Not to mention Xu Mingyue; not only was she beautiful, she was definitely much easier to deal with than her sister, and would certainly be a valuable ally later on...

So, master and student began planning how to convince each other without knowing that both now wanted the same thing...

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Note:

I thought about explaining and starting the cultivation path in this chapter, but I think it got longer than expected so I'll have to do it in the next chapter. I already had several chapters written, but I've had to delete and add several things, changing certain events and even writing completely new things.

I started writing this months ago, and upon reading it again, I couldn't help but want to tweak things, haha. I'm sorry if this makes the chapters come out slower than expected, but I want to improve this story as much as possible since it's the first original story I've written.

They always say that the first thing you do sucks, but I want this to suck as little as possible.