Above the Galaxy
Chapter 214 - 155: Find a Dean to be a Mentor!

Chapter 214: Chapter 155: Find a Dean to be a Mentor!

White Crane Academy is atop White Crane Mountain, while the Imperial First Military Academy is at its foot.

Crossing the Sunset Bridge over Luoxia Lake and speeding down White Crane Avenue, one arrives at the base of White Crane Mountain.

Ran Ran parked the car and looked up at the towering mountain before him, yearning for the White Crane Academy hidden within the mists and haze, and said, "I can only take you this far. There’s no road up White Crane Mountain, only stairs... Each student must climb step by step through their own efforts to reach the top."

Today was the day for Tang Fei to report to White Crane Academy. Originally, Phoenix wanted to drive him personally, but unfortunately, the Royal Family had rejected the idea.

The head of Marine Hospital, Guan Xinchao, almost fell to his knees before Phoenix, pleading with her to stay indoors...

The Empire’s Little Princess had just been attacked, with her life hanging by a thread. She had barely been saved, and her body hadn’t fully recovered yet she wanted to drive out... If something happened to her outside, all of Guan Xinchao’s heads wouldn’t be enough for the chopping block.

It was said that because of the Princess’s attack, Chen Fenglei was like a Mad Dog, searching everywhere for clues to the No Worries Palace, relentlessly capturing people for interrogation, and causing bloodshed like a river...

Tang Fei’s injuries were even more serious, and he was still within the critical "one-week non-discharge" period stipulated by Doctor Qin Luo.

But once Tang Fei mentioned reporting to White Crane Academy for the new intake, the objections ceased...

First, no one would stop you from going to White Crane Academy, unless that person was a sworn enemy of life and death.

Second, nobody cared about your life or death; your post-discharge physical condition was of no concern to them.

Tang Fei gained his freedom, but his mood wasn’t good...

Phoenix couldn’t come, Little Fatty had no car, so the respected and adorable Ancient Martial instructor, Mr. Ran, took on the important task of sending Tang Fei to begin his studies.

"It’s said to let the students understand the importance of being down-to-earth in everything they do; to reach the summit of Martial Arts and look down at the insignificance of others, one must move forward step by step..." Mr. Ran reflected.

"What about when the leaders inspect?" Tang Fei asked. "If the Ministry of Education or the Royal Family wants to go up for inspection... how do they reach the top?"

Mr. Ran glanced at Tang Fei disapprovingly, feeling that he was deliberately bursting her beautiful bubble with the ugliest truths of reality, but she still had to answer, "I’ve heard there’s a Flying Car parking lot up there... and a large Star Disc landing pad..."

"Oh," Tang Fei nodded, indicating he understood.

Mr. Ran then felt that White Crane Academy wasn’t as noble as she had imagined and said out loud, "Anyway, we have each other’s contact information. Let me know if you need anything... I’ll buy it and send it up to you. But they have everything you need up there, I’ve heard that life is quite good."

"Thank you, Mr. Ran," Tang Fei said gratefully.

"Thank me for what? Being able to enter White Crane Academy in just your first year, I, as a teacher, also feel honored... You are my pride."

"That does make sense," Tang Fei said with a smile.

"You, you start huffing at the slightest mention of your weight..." Mr. Ran said sincerely, looking at Tang Fei, "Tang Fei, you are the most talented student I have ever seen. Dean Shang and the others think your brother is an unpolished gem, but I still feel you are more outstanding..."

"Your diligence, your resilience, your learning ability, all make me very fond and admiring... Yes, even I as a teacher admire you. It’s hard to imagine how a student can work so hard..."

"However, I’m not sure if it’s just my illusion, I always feel that there’s something hidden in your heart... like a fire, fiercely burning. It always gives people a sense... that tomorrow is not guaranteed, and that there’s an urgent need to value the time..."

"Being diligent and hardworking is good, but if you don’t lower the temperature of this fire... I fear it might burn you and also scorch those around you."

Tang Fei was shocked, he had not expected his well-concealed hatred and anger to be noticed by her.

Perhaps it was the inadvertent emotional leakage during their daily interactions? Or was it the impression he made on her due to his overly desperate training?

Regardless, she was one of the very few in New Star who truly understood and cared for him.

Tang Fei deeply bowed to Mr. Ran and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ran, for your teachings. I will keep them in mind... I dare not forget."

He paused, then added, "There’s something I’ve never told you, you are also my pride... Without your hard work, I wouldn’t have grown so quickly or achieved so much."

Mr. Ran felt warmth in her heart, but briskly waved her hand and said, "Hurry up the mountain, don’t be late, we wouldn’t want to leave a bad impression with the teachers. We’re not the first ones, but we’ll definitely not be the last."

"I believe we’ll see each other again soon," Tang Fei said.

"Yes," Mr. Ran nodded, adding, "After all, Little Fatty and Xiu Xue are still in the Academy... Come back and visit them when you have the time."

"I definitely will," Tang Fei said with a smile. "When I return, I’ll make sure to visit Mr. Ran first."

After bidding farewell to Mr. Ran, Tang Fei began ascending the steps toward the Academy, taking each step slowly due to his injuries, treating it like a leisurely stroll.

As he climbed, he admired the beautiful scenery before him.

White Crane Mountain is one of the Phoenix Empire’s famed mountains and rivers, with scenery vastly different from the sea-bound divine Luojia Mountain.

One twinkles with starlight over the sea, delicate and lively. The other boasts the Sun’s magnificence over the lake, grand and splendid.

Behind him, others occasionally overtook him. They moved with light steps, scaling the steep terrain as if on flat ground, quickly disappearing into the mountain’s gorges.

There were also young people like Tang Fei taking a leisurely pace, newcomers to White Crane Mountain themselves, finding everything fresh and looking forward to future life with eagerness.

Tang Fei knew these were the new students recruited into White Crane Academy alongside him.

People were even approaching for a chat, asking, "Is that Tang Fei from the Imperial First Military Academy up ahead?"

Tang Fei turned around and looked at the white-clad youth in front of him, asking, "Who are you?"

"I am Chen Tianqi from the Royal Maritime College... like you, I am also a new student admitted to White Crane Academy this time."

"You know me?"

"Of course," Chen Tianqi said with a smile. "Your forest combat map isn’t only available on the internal network of the Imperial First Military Academy for people to enjoy and study; we can also enjoy it on the Heavenly Dao Network..."

"Heavenly Dao Network?" Tang Fei looked at Chen Tianqi with a puzzled face; he had never heard of this website before.

"Oh, since Tang Fei just arrived on New Star, you must not be too familiar with some of the novelties here... The Heavenly Dao Network is a knowledge-sharing website that charges for content, mainly targeting cultivators or martial arts enthusiasts..."

"They sign contracts for all kinds of adventure videos, competition videos, and lectures by famous individuals to post online, and you can watch them all if you are willing to pay... They even regularly invite famous people to do live broadcasts..."

"I spent two Star Discs to watch your competition videos... Your forest combat video has a high click rate on there, you should be able to share a good amount of money, right?"

"I suppose so," Tang Fei said with a smile while nodding.

He knew that it must be the school that had signed the website deal on his behalf, and he was not informed of this.

However, the school hadn’t shared any revenue with him yet.

He believed that the Imperial First Military Academy would definitely pay up honestly and would not harm its century-long reputation for a small amount of money.

"I’m really envious of you, achieving financial independence before even graduating," Chen Tianqi said with a smile.

"Isn’t the Maritime College even richer?" asked Tang Fei.

He had just come out of the Marine Hospital, and after Phoenix’s explanation, he realized how wealthy the hospital was and how bountiful the spoils were when the navy roamed the starry seas.

"The Maritime College is rich, not its students," Chen Tianqi said with a smile. "However, once you enter White Crane Academy, there’s not much need to spend money anymore... I’ve heard that all the expenses here are covered by White Crane Academy."

"That’s great," Tang Fei said happily.

He had money, but he couldn’t just spend it frivolously.

He was considering saving up enough to install a Gravity Room at home, so he could use it when he returned, and Little Fatty could use it when he was away...

As they walked and talked, since they were still quite strangers, they both kept a proper guard up and the conversation revolved around mundane household matters and interesting academy anecdotes, rarely touching on deeper topics.

It took them over an hour before they finally reached the mountaintop.

White Crane Academy stood at the peak among the clouds. It felt as if one could just stretch out a hand and pluck a piece of cloud. The mountain breeze whispered in their ears like a gentle lover’s sweet nothings.

Due to its proximity to the sun, the warm rays spread across the land, encircling the entire academy in a golden aura.

White Crane Academy!

A few antique-looking characters hung across a tall archway, evoking a sense of awe while also conveying a sense of elegance and grace.

No one knew who had written them, but the handwriting seemed almost ready to take flight.

A disciple in white came forward and greeted with a smile, "Are you two students here to report to White Crane Academy?"

"Yes," Chen Tianqi stepped forward to respond.

"Please follow me," the white-clad disciple nodded to them and then invited them into the academy.

Under the guidance of the disciple in white, the two came to a quaint and solemn classroom.

There were already some students seated inside the classroom; Tang Fei quietly counted, a total of nine, making eleven with them included...

He wondered if there would be more students arriving later, or if the academy was only recruiting a dozen or so new students this time.

Tang Fei and Chen Tianqi found seats in the back row and sat down. After a while, three more students arrived, and thereafter, no new students came.

The vice-chancellor of White Crane Academy, Si Yinchuan, who had spoken to them during the recruitment assessment, walked in with a smile and said, "Welcome students to White Crane Academy. Although we have met some of you before and others are meeting for the first time from this moment since you stepped through the gates of White Crane Academy, we are all one family."

"Being one family means no holding back. As I said before, you must be extremely outstanding to pass through the many obstacles and assessments to enter White Crane Academy, and White Crane Academy will certainly not disappoint your expectations. I believe that every student who enters White Crane Academy will gain immensely and benefit for life."

"Of course, there are a very few who have been expelled due to misconduct..."

The crowd exclaimed in surprise.

No one expected that someone could be expelled from White Crane Academy; what kind of heaven-offending thing did they do?

"You are new here, so in a while, a disciple from the academy will take you to familiarize yourself with the school environment... Starting tomorrow, the academy will appoint mentors for you based on your individual situations..."

Tang Fei looked at Si Yinchuan and asked aloud, "Can I request the dean to be my mentor?"

"..."