Chapter 56: The Desolation of the Underclass

A freshman trial, and you have to pay prime elemental stones to senior students?

Furthermore, you need as many as ten thousand lower-grade elemental stones! If you cannot produce them, you run a very high risk of facing mortal danger.

Seeing the deep confusion in Chu Tianchen’s eyes, Wang Teng smoothly sat down beside him.

"Chu Tianchen, especially someone like you with your cultivation level, if you don't have elemental stones to rely on, the freshman trial will be extremely dangerous," Wang Teng said.

He patiently explained it to Chu Tianchen all over again.

Only then did Chu Tianchen realize that the so-called freshman trial was no longer the pure examination it used to be.

Every time a freshman trial was held, a group of senior students would accompany them, supposedly to protect the freshmen in case powerful savage beasts wandered into the outer perimeter of the Fierce Beast Mountains. After all, this was merely a trial, not a life-or-death battle meant for freshmen.

Yet, by now, things had completely devolved into this state.

In other words, if you failed to give those senior students enough elemental stones, they would not lift a finger to protect you when danger struck.

Judging by Wang Teng's tone, not only would they refuse to protect you, but they might even manufacture some danger for you themselves.

As for this phenomenon, the academy simply turned a blind eye.

Almost all of these senior students belonged to the Nine Sects of Cloud Sea Academy. For these Nine Sects, every year's freshman trial served as a lucrative source of resources and income.

"Don't you guys all belong to the Wang Sect? Do you have to pay as well?" Chu Tianchen asked.

Hearing this, a trace of awkwardness crossed Wang Teng's face.

"Brother Tianchen, you really are a bit dense," Zhao Tengfei quickly chimed in. "Precisely because we've joined the Wang Sect, we have to pay these elemental stones even more."

"The people of the Wang Sect said that once these ten thousand lower-grade elemental stones are handed over, they can be used to offset a year's sect dues."

"In other words, this trial means we don't have to pay anything extra. So you should join the Wang Sect too. Just let Brother Wang put in a good word for you, and with your Fourth Layer of the Meridian Awakening Realm, it shouldn't be too big of a problem."

Chu Tianchen couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

This was truly rushing forward to deliver elemental stones to others on a silver platter.

No wonder people outside always said that anyone capable of cultivating at Cloud Sea Academy came from deep-pocketed backgrounds. That reputation was definitely well-deserved.

Chu Tianchen had also inquired about the Nine Sects of Cloud Sea Academy. Joining any of them required handing over ten thousand lower-grade elemental stones every year, unless one reached the core echelons, in which case the dues were waived and resources were even distributed annually.

For the vast majority of disciples, this essentially amounted to paying protection money.

Those disciples who refused to join any sect dared not move about the academy with any fanfare on ordinary days, lest they carelessly become targets of harassment.

Some had thought of resisting, but they were far too weak and isolated. With the Nine Sects having operated for so many years, ordinary disciples lacking a powerful background had nothing to rely on to fight back.

Therefore, as time passed, everyone simply accepted the convention of buying peace of mind with ten thousand lower-grade elemental stones every year.

"The Fourth Layer of the Meridian Awakening Realm is indeed a bit tricky, but I can go speak with them; it should be fine," Wang Teng said with a slightly troubled expression. "Get your elemental stones ready. At the very least, this freshman trial will be safe for you."

"Where did the two of you get your elemental stones from?" Chu Tianchen ignored Wang Teng for the moment and instead looked at Zhao Tengfei and Mo Xiaolang.

"We saved some up normally, and then borrowed a portion from the loan office," Mo Xiaolang explained. "The interest is a bit high, but now that we've entered Cloud Sea Academy, we can frequently go to the Fierce Beast Mountains to hunt savage beasts in exchange for resources, or take on some academy missions to earn rewards. There won't be any major issues."

His words left Chu Tianchen utterly speechless and filled with a helpless sense of resignation regarding their plight.

Good grief, they had supposedly come to the academy to cultivate, only to shoulder a heavy debt right at the very beginning.

"What happens if you can't pay it back?" Chu Tianchen asked.

"How could we possibly fail to pay back a few thousand lower-grade elemental stones?" Zhao Tengfei hurried to explain. "They said that as long as we work hard enough in the outer courtyard, earning two thousand lower-grade elemental stones a month isn't a problem at all. Then we just need to hunt a few savage beast cores, and we'll be completely set."

Neither of them felt this was anything burdensome; instead, their eyes gleamed with hope.

"Brother Tianchen, to be honest with you, if we weren't lucky enough to be assigned to the same dormitory as Wang Teng, would the Wang Sect even lend us elemental stones?" Mo Xiaolang added. "It was because Brother Wang stood as our guarantor that they trusted us."

Hearing this, Chu Tianchen was left completely speechless.

It turned out they had borrowed the elemental stones from the Wang Sect, only to immediately hand them back to the Wang Sect, while still being on the hook to repay the principal and interest.

Chu Tianchen took a deep breath. Although he found it absurd, he understood the harsh reality of their situation.

Without paying these elemental stones, given the cultivation levels of disciples like Zhao Tengfei and Mo Xiaolang and the lack of protection from senior Wang Sect members, they might genuinely lose their lives in the Fierce Beast Mountains.

This perhaps was the tragedy of those at the bottom.

It also firmly solidified Chu Tianchen's determination to establish the Tenth Sect of Cloud Sea Academy.

Chu Tianchen did not consider himself some saintly paragon, but since he intended to establish a faction, recruit members, and have them work for him, he had to secure benefits and welfare for his people.

Even the soldiers of the imperial army received a military stipend every year.

As for these people? They made a sport of exploiting their own sect members while prettily calling it protection.

"Let me ask you one more thing: what is the interest rate on the elemental stones you borrowed? What happens if you can't pay it back?" Chu Tianchen continued.

"It's not much. Five thousand elemental stones paid back over the course of a year, with a total interest of only five hundred. There's no pressure at all," Wang Teng replied. "If you still can't pay that back, it just means you haven't worked hard enough. Those who don't work hard don't deserve to be in our Wang Sect. They'll be directly expelled from the sect. If they stubbornly refuse to return the elemental stones, we might not be able to do much to them inside the academy, but let's see if they dare never leave the academy for the rest of their lives."

"Then what is the point of joining a sect? So people aren't allowed to be exploited by outsiders, only to be squeezed dry by their own people?" Chu Tianchen asked with a solemn expression.

"Hmph! Chu Tianchen, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that I'm swindling them?" Wang Teng's expression darkened immediately as he frowned.

"I know the current state of the Nine Sects; every faction is the same," Chu Tianchen said calmly. "I don't wish to argue with you, and I have no right to interfere with whatever these two choose. For the sake of us sharing a dormitory, and because the two of them call me Brother Tianchen, all I can say is that if you ever truly encounter hardship, you can come to me."

"Once I return from the trial in the Fierce Beast Mountains, I will establish the Tenth Sect of Cloud Sea Academy—the Chu Sect!"

"Hmph, Chu Tianchen, just based on you? You want to establish the Chu Sect?" Wang Teng scoffed angrily. "You truly have no idea how to spell the word 'death,' do you? Do you think I don't know? You offended Lin Shengbin at the Divine Ability Pavilion. Do you really believe you'll make it back alive from this Fierce Beast Mountain trial?"

"Originally, for the sake of our shared dorm, I wanted to help you out a bit. But looking at it now, since Lin Shengbin is coming after you, you honestly deserve whatever is coming to you."

"Wang Teng, my words weren't directed at you. Let's each look out for ourselves, and we'll see each other after the Fierce Beast Mountain trial," Chu Tianchen said with a faint smile.

He spoke the truth; he held no anger toward Wang Teng. This was simply the status quo of the entire Cloud Sea Academy. He possessed no savior complex, nor would he forcefully interfere with the choices of Mo Xiaolang and Zhao Tengfei.

Everyone made their own choices. All he could do was refrain from kicking them when they were down, or lend a hand when they needed it—that was enough.

Just like right now, Mo Xiaolang and Zhao Tengfei were genuinely concerned about him, which was why they urged him to prepare elemental stones and even wanted to pool resources together for him.

With that, Chu Tianchen walked out of the dormitory. Before heading to the Fierce Beast Mountains, he needed to acquire a reliable divine sword suited to his hand.