I Have A Cultivation World Chapter 2349 - 1060: The Five Elements Immortal Spirit Root’s Plan (Part 4)
Previously on I Have A Cultivation World...
The Five Elements Sect boasts a prestigious heritage across many branches of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, yet it has always struggled with a noticeable weakness in beast taming. Consequently, the leadership has long searched for a way to bridge this gap in their expertise.
Mei Longzheng, recognized for his profound mastery over beasts, was recruited as a guest lecturer for the Spirit Beast Department. Word has it that arrangements are currently being finalized for him to join the faculty at the Scholarly Mansion.
Ruan Lilong couldn't help but admire this development while researching Mei Longzheng’s history, thinking to himself that the Sect Leader truly deserves his reputation as a Great Sage and Good Teacher for prioritizing education so heavily.
He was convinced that the meteoric rise of the Five Elements Sect was primarily due to Sect Master Chen's brilliance in managing educational affairs.
In recent years, the Scholarly Mansions established by the Five Elements Sect have inspired a trend; throughout the major Immortal Cities under their jurisdiction, various cultivation clans and smaller sects have been opening private academies and tutoring centers like mushrooms after a spring rain.
The curriculum in these private halls is derived entirely from the textbooks authored by Chen Mobai and Qing Nu for the Scholarly Mansions, and they even recruit their instructors from the official academy ranks.
The original goal of these cultivation families was to give their children an advantage, allowing them to study the material and master the textbooks before they even officially enrolled.
By staying one step ahead, they hoped to secure the top spots in their graduating class, as the Five Elements Sect would grant a Foundation Building Pill to the highest-ranking student of the Scholarly Mansion.
Furthermore, these families and other Eastern Wilderness powers aligned with the Five Elements Sect have grown wealthy from massive infrastructure investments. They have used this newfound wealth to offer extravagant salaries to lure away teachers from the Scholarly Mansion.
Chen Mobai only recently became aware of this trend.
In his view, this situation was completely unacceptable.
The Scholarly Mansion was founded with the intent of gathering all the world's geniuses under the Five Elements Sect's banner. However, this current system ensured that only those backed by wealthy factions would emerge as the top students.
Since resources for each grade were distributed based on performance rankings, the truly gifted children from humble backgrounds were being pushed aside and neglected.
While Chen Mobai understood that perfect fairness is an impossibility in any realm, he was determined to get as close to it as he could.
Consequently, he issued a strict decree: all teachers affiliated with the Five Elements Sect’s Scholarly Mansions were forbidden from taking outside jobs, whether for private tutoring or teaching for other factions.
Any violation would result in harsh penalties, ranging from official warnings and the loss of teaching credentials to direct prosecution under sect law.
While external teachers might be tempted by mountains of Spirit Stones, those with direct ties to the Five Elements Sect immediately distances themselves from such offers to stay clean.
To keep the peace, Chen Mobai’s decree specified that all past instances of this behavior would be ignored and left unpunished.
The plan to hire Mei Longzheng for beast taming instruction had been in motion for a while, but when King Zhou reviewed the application, he performed a routine background check that uncovered Mei's history with the Beast Taming Sect.
Because of this discovery, the hiring process had been halted by King Zhou.
When Chen Mobai learned of this, he realized the man could be exceptionally useful to his plans.
Inside the great hall.
Mei Longzheng’s legs felt like jelly as King Zhou escorted him into the presence of Chen Mobai.
He had originally assumed King Zhou was bringing him to meet the ruler of East Wu. He had been racking his brain trying to guess the reason for the meeting, never expecting to face this "Killing God" himself.
“The Dreamcatcher Academy has frequently lamented the shortage of skilled beast taming instructors. I have reviewed your credentials, Mr. Mei, and find them quite impressive. Would you be willing to honor us by educating the future disciples of my Five Elements Sect?”
Despite Mei Longzheng’s visible trembling, Chen Mobai’s tone remained remarkably soft and gentle.
“Ah... It—it would be my greatest honor!”
Mei Longzheng stammered in shock, swallowing hard before quickly bowing to signal his acceptance.
The head of the Spirit Beast Department in Stormy Immortal City had suggested this to him long ago, but after months of silence, he had assumed the opportunity was lost.
He never imagined that the Sect Master would personally oversee such an appointment.
It was clear the Five Elements Sect took education very seriously indeed.
“Excellent. However, there is one more thing. To ensure the moral and ideological integrity of our faculty, the sect performs thorough background checks. We discovered that you, Mr. Mei, are originally from the Beast Taming Sect of the East Land. What brought you to the Eastern Wilderness to find work?”
Chen Mobai already had his suspicions, but he wanted to hear the man’s story from his own lips.
“Reporting to Sect Master Chen, I was sent here on orders. As your sect’s power grew, the Beast Taming Sect intended to expand its reach here and eventually establish a Commerce Association.”
“But I was incompetent. I failed to build any reputation for the Beast Taming Sect and grew lazy, eventually just using my sect skills to scrape together a living.”
“However, over the years, I truly came to love this land. I even recently took out a loan to purchase a home, intending to spend the rest of my days here rather than return to the East Land.”
Mei Longzheng was careful to omit his secret mission to spy on the Yellow Dragon Cave Mansion.
He stuck to the cover story he had prepared long ago.
His explanation sounded perfectly natural.
“That is heartening. It makes my ten years of labor developing the Eastern Wilderness and its Immortal Cities feel worthwhile if men like Mr. Mei can find a sense of belonging here.”
Chen Mobai gave a satisfied nod upon hearing the response.
“On a side note, your sect’s Great Elder, Mu Youyi, recently mentioned he heard from spies in the Eastern Wilderness that my Spirit Beast, the Devouring Heaven Serpent, is practicing the sect’s secret True Spirit Transformation Method. They demanded an explanation. Do you happen to know anything about that, Mr. Mei?”
As Chen Mobai spoke these words with a thin smile, Mei Longzheng collapsed to his knees, his body shaking violently as he kowtowed repeatedly.
“Sect Master Chen, please! It had nothing to do with me! I was only following orders!”
“I was a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, after all, and I still held some loyalty to them back then.”
“But I swear, I truly want to start over here in the Eastern Wilderness and live out my life in peace. Sect Master Chen, when your True Spirit Yellow Dragon faced its tribulation recently, I kept quiet. I didn't send a single word back to the Beast Taming Sect!”
“I beg for your mercy! I am willing to cut all ties with the Beast Taming Sect and serve the Five Elements Sect for the rest of my life...”
Watching Mei Longzheng’s desperate pleading, King Zhou stood by with narrowed eyes, ready to strike. He assumed the Sect Master wouldn't want to get his hands dirty with such a minor execution and prepared to do his duty.
“Oh? You mean you didn't send the news back, Mr. Mei?”
Chen Mobai looked down at him, appearing genuinely surprised.
“It’s the truth! I swear it on my life!”
Mei Longzheng raised his hand, desperate to prove his newfound loyalty to the Five Elements Sect.
“How can this be? Mr. Mei, as a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, your duty is clear. You must send this message back immediately and ensure that Great Elder Mu Youyi learns of it.”
Chen Mobai stood up and personally helped the trembling man to his feet, uttering words that left both Mei Longzheng and King Zhou completely stunned.
“...Huh?”
“Is Mr. Mei unwilling to send the report?”
Chen Mobai’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, prompting Mei Longzheng to nod his head frantically like a woodpecker.
“I’ll send it! I’ll send it right this second!”