"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Senior Brother."
Chu Bai didn’t hesitate for a moment, cupping his hands and agreeing at once.
For someone like him, who was desperate for Daoist Merit, any opportunity was worth fighting for, to say nothing of a connection personally recommended by an elite second-year senior.
"Good. You’re a straightforward man, Junior Brother. I’ll take you there now."
Seeing Chu Bai agree so readily, Zhang Shan breathed a sigh of relief. His expression then turned serious. "However, the person who posted this task has a rather special identity. He is one of the three Deans of our Daoist School, Dean Chen."
"The Dean?" Chu Bai’s heart skipped a beat.
He had, of course, heard of this title.
Within the Daoist School, the Headmaster was as elusive as a dragon showing its head but never its tail. The ones who truly managed the day-to-day affairs of this vast campus were the three Deans.
The hundred-odd Instructors were mostly at the Peak of Qi Cultivation, each with their own specializations.
But these three were all bona fide Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators—the true core of the Daoist School.
’A new student like me, who’s only been here for a little over a month, is actually going to meet someone of that stature?’
"Yes." Zhang Shan nodded, leading Chu Bai across the Martial Arts Arena toward a more secluded courtyard deeper within the Daoist School. As they walked, he lowered his voice to advise, "This Dean Chen has a... how should I put it... a peculiar personality.
"He’s usually a man of few words, cherishing them like gold. When you see him later, just answer what you’re asked. Don’t say more than you have to, and absolutely do not try to guess what he’s thinking."
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior. I’ll keep that in mind." Chu Bai naturally nodded in agreement.
Although he was making the introduction, Zhang Shan clearly wasn’t a close acquaintance of Dean Chen’s.
He had simply heard from an acquaintance by chance that Dean Chen had a long-term need for some Low-tier Disciples to assist with a certain monitoring task. The pay was generous, but because of the Dean’s personality, few dared to approach him for it.
Before long, the two arrived before a small, detached courtyard surrounded by green bamboo.
There wasn’t even a guard at the entrance, only a simple, unadorned stone stele. Inscribed upon it were the two words "Dean’s Office," the brushstrokes so sharp they seemed to pierce through the stone, radiating a fierce Gold Stone Qi.
Just by standing here, Chu Bai felt an invisible pressure wash over him, causing the flow of Magical Power in his body to stagnate.
’Is this the might of a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator?’
Zhang Shan stepped forward, bowed respectfully toward the courtyard gate, and announced in a clear voice, "Student Zhang Shan, here to recommend the new student Chu Bai, who has come to apply for the monitoring task posted by the Dean."
As his voice faded, the courtyard remained silent, as if no one was there to answer.
Just as beads of sweat began to form on Zhang Shan’s forehead and he thought their trip would be for nothing, the tightly shut wooden door swung open on its own.
A hoarse, cold voice, devoid of any emotion, drifted from deep within the courtyard: "Enter."
"Junior Brother, you go in by yourself. I’ll wait for you out here."
Zhang Shan shot Chu Bai a look, signaling for him to relax.
Chu Bai took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and stepped into the small courtyard, which seemed ordinary but held a hidden gravitas.
The courtyard’s furnishings were extremely simple. Besides a neatly tended bamboo grove, there was only a single bluestone path leading to the main hall.
Chu Bai entered the hall and finally saw the legendary Dean Chen.
A middle-aged man in a gray Daoist Robe was sitting cross-legged on a rush mat. He was gaunt and bony, his face thin and drawn. With his eyes shut tight, he looked like a stone statue that had been meditating for years.
If not for the sharp, sword-like glint that occasionally escaped from his eyes, one would almost not notice his presence at all.
Chu Bai dared not be disrespectful. He bowed reverently and said, "Student Chu Bai pays his respects to Dean Chen."
Dean Chen did not bid him rise. The tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
In that instant, Chu Bai felt two tangible, piercing beams of light sweep over his entire body, as if he were being seen through from the inside out.
"Qi Cultivation First Layer. A solid foundation."
Dean Chen’s hoarse voice sounded out, slowly revealing Chu Bai’s secrets. "Your Magical Power is based on Pure Qi, yet it’s mixed with a trace of... hmm, Purifying Spirit Flow."
"With this as your path, you can form the [Mingmeng Dew] Dao Foundation."
"Acceptable. You can take this job."
With that, Dean Chen waved his hand casually, and a gray Jade Scroll materialized from thin air, slowly floating toward Chu Bai.
The entire exchange took no more than four sentences.
’Dao Foundation? Mingmeng Dew?’
Chu Bai’s mind went blank. He subconsciously took the Jade Scroll, only to find that the Dean had already closed his eyes again in a clear gesture of dismissal.
He opened his mouth, a million questions on the tip of his tongue, but remembering Zhang Shan’s prior warning, he wisely chose to keep silent.
"This student will take his leave."
He bowed once more and cautiously backed out of the Dean’s Office.
This Dean was just as Zhang Shan had described, concise to the absolute extreme.
Chu Bai had heard Instructor Zhou Changkong briefly mention the Dao Foundation during a General Knowledge class.
It was the crucial step a Cultivator took to advance from Qi Cultivation Perfection to the Foundation Establishment Stage. One had to use their own Magical Power as a guide to connect with the heavens and the earth, forging their own unique foundation for cultivation.
The grade of one’s Dao Foundation almost directly determined the upper limit of a Cultivator’s future achievements.
And the type of Dao Foundation was determined entirely by the types and proportions of Spiritual Qi a Cultivator’s body contained.
If one were to achieve Foundation Establishment using only the Pure Qi provided by the Daoist School’s Law Net, without mixing in any other attributes, the result would be the [Innate Qi] Dao Foundation.
But while it sounded simple, it was actually as difficult as ascending to heaven.
The purer and more singular the Spiritual Qi, the higher the demands on a Cultivator’s own aptitude and comprehension in the Late Stage of cultivation, and the more difficult their progress became.
Therefore, the vast majority of Cultivators would choose to supplement their training with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects of other attributes or special types of Spiritual Qi in order to achieve Realm-Breaking.
Dao Foundations formed this way were thus divided into different grades.
Those with a single dominant attribute were known as "Orthodox Dao Foundations," and their futures were still bright.
Those formed from a mix of multiple attribute spiritual energies were Side Order Dao Foundations; though not as good as Orthodox, they were still considered impressive.
As for those with impure foundations and chaotic Spiritual Qi, even if they were lucky enough to succeed, they could only form a Miscellaneous Order Dao Foundation, which was considered the lowest grade.
The [Mingmeng Dew] that Dean Chen mentioned was clearly just a casual remark based on the current composition of Chu Bai’s Spiritual Qi.
’This must be the Side Order path to Foundation Establishment, using Pure Qi as the main component, supplemented by Water Attribute Spiritual Energy.’
’But Foundation Establishment is still a long way off. When that time really comes... who knows what will happen.’
Chu Bai clutched the Jade Scroll, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts.
He walked out of the courtyard gate and saw Zhang Shan waiting anxiously by the entrance. Seeing him emerge, Zhang Shan hurried over. "How did it go, Junior Brother Chu Bai? Why are you out so quickly? Don’t tell me... you didn’t meet the requirements?"
"No, the Dean has already agreed." Chu Bai shook his head and waved the Jade Scroll.
"That’s good, that’s good."
Zhang Shan breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled. "That’s just how Dean Chen is. For him to even say a few sentences to you means he already thinks highly of you.
"The Dao Foundation he cultivates is the Gold Element Side Order [Spirit-Slaying Silk]. His temperament is as cold, hard, and solitary as metal itself. He’s long been beyond showing any emotional fluctuations."
This wasn’t some secret. Most of the instructors and students who had interacted with Dean Chen were already used to his style.
Chu Bai nodded, sinking his consciousness into the cool Jade Scroll in his hand.
’Information about the task should be in here.’
Sure enough, as his mind connected with it, clear lines of text appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.
Task Name: Law Net Node Spiritual Qi Fluctuation Monitoring
Task Requirement: Each day, select at least three different locations within the Daoist School to conduct your daily cultivation. Use this Jade Scroll to record the minute changes in Spiritual Qi circulation data during your training.
Personnel Restriction: Limited to Qi Cultivation First Layer disciples. Their Cultivation fluctuations are relatively stable and the Spiritual Qi composition in their bodies is simpler, which is more conducive to observing baseline fluctuations of the [Pure Qi] within the Daoist School.
Reporting Method: If any abnormal fluctuations are discovered in the Spiritual Qi circulation data, report to the Dean’s Office immediately. If there are no abnormalities, no report is necessary; the Jade Scroll will automatically upload the daily data.
Task Reward: Two Daoist Merit points per day. If an abnormal fluctuation in the Law Net is discovered and reported, upon verification, a one-time reward of ten Daoist Merit points will be granted.
’It’s that simple?’
After reading the task requirements, Chu Bai was momentarily stunned, and then a wave of pure ecstasy washed over him.
’This task was practically tailor-made for me!’
He didn’t need to put in any extra effort or even go out of his way to do anything. He just had to cultivate as usual—the only difference was that he had to change locations!
And for him, right now, that was barely a requirement at all.
A guaranteed two Daoist Merit points per day!
That’s a full sixty points in a month!
This income was several times higher than what he’d earn from a whole month of toiling at menial chores, and it wouldn’t delay his own cultivation progress in the slightest!
’Everyone says Dean Chen is eccentric, that people are scared off by his reputation and don’t dare to take his tasks.’
’Who says this is a bad task? This task is fantastic!’

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