Chapter 28: Dugu Yan

Niu Dali lived on the other side of the mountain cave. Apart from daily necessities, the interior was devoid of any clutter. As a Spirit Master, he was deeply passionate about cultivation, with his only hobbies being watermelon and fried chicken; he cared nothing for other forms of indulgence.

After a simple breakfast made from various spirit beast meats and medicinal herbs, Qin Ming took Chen Ming to bid farewell to Niu Dali and headed toward several key locations within the academy.

The academy, library, training grounds, cafeteria…

By the time they were halfway through their tour, some of the more diligent Spirit Masters had already begun their training in the various facilities. By the time they finished visiting all the main sites, the sun was high in the sky. Whether they were students looking to train or those looking for amusement, most had already risen.

However, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy only had five hundred students in total, and a portion of them lived within Heaven Dou City. The campus was vast, and outside of a few select facilities, one could barely see anyone else.

Although Chen Ming observed along the way, he did not spot any faces that resembled plot-relevant characters. Aside from introducing a few children of princes, Qin Ming couldn't be bothered to introduce the rest to Chen Ming one by one.

After a hasty medicinal meal in the cafeteria and informing the person in charge of student supplies about his needs, Chen Ming parted ways with Qin Ming.

Qin Ming returned to report his impressions of Chen Ming and the morning’s events to the three members of the Education Committee. Chen Ming, simply bored, wanted to find a place to cultivate.

When he returned to the cave housing the poison-type mimetic cultivation ground, a large crowd had already gathered outside. Various hair colors and accessories glittered chaotically under the sun. The clamor was so loud that Chen Ming mistakenly thought he was standing at the entrance of a farmers' market rather than a mimetic cultivation ground.

At the cave entrance, Niu Dali was awkwardly blocking a group of noble youths who were trying to push their way in. Despite his repeated explanations, many still attempted to force their way into the cultivation ground.

The shoving, threats, and verbal abuse gave Chen Ming a firsthand look at the character of these Heaven Dou noble youths.

"I’ll say it again: in the name of the three Education Committee members and the academy principal, Prince Xue Xing, only poison-type Spirit Masters are allowed inside. If anyone insists on forcing their way in, I will report it to Prince Xue Xing and let his Highness be the judge!"

As he spoke, Niu Dali summoned his martial spirit, the Black Mamba. His body surged in size, and five spirit rings—one white, one yellow, and three purple—appeared around him. The pressure of his Spirit King-level power intimidated many of the cowards.

However, there were still many who deemed themselves superior, or who simply believed their backgrounds were profound enough that they refused to leave even then. While they didn't dare force their way in due to the mention of the committee members and Prince Xue Xing, they continued to use incredibly low-handed tactics to intimidate him.

"They don't even try to offer bribes; these clowns really have redefined the bottom line of my understanding..."

Watching this scene, Chen Ming sighed silently, gaining a new understanding of how the world of Douluo Dalu operated.

Although he knew that entering the mimetic cultivation ground now would surely invite trouble, seeing the state of these people, he felt that this situation would likely continue intermittently for at least a few months.

Was he supposed to wait months for these people? Just leave the mimetic cultivation ground unused and waste his cultivation time?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

With this in mind, Chen Ming unceremoniously pushed through the crowd and, under the glare of the various young fops, arrived before Niu Dali.

"Teacher Niu, I want to go in and cultivate."

"Didn't I say... oh, it's you, Xiao Ming. You may enter." Niu Dali had reflexively wanted to refuse, but upon seeing it was Chen Ming, he changed his tune. He shifted slightly to clear a path for him.

"Why is he allowed in? What is his background?"

A noble youth who looked as if he had been drained of all vitality pointed at Chen Ming and asked Niu Dali angrily.

"Background? Let me tell you, no matter what your background is, you aren't getting in! He is a poison-type Spirit Master; do you mean to say you're not even going to let him cultivate?!"

Niu Dali retorted sharply.

He was, after all, a teacher at the Heaven Dou Academy, a Power Attack System Spirit King, and a baron of the Heaven Dou Empire. He was just easygoing and didn't like trouble, but that didn't mean he was made of clay. Did they really think any Tom, Dick, or Harry could dump on him?

"A poison-type Spirit Master, really..."

Struck by the aura of a Spirit King, the fop who had spoken nearly fell over, only steadying himself with the help of his companions. Although his face still held resentment and anger, he lowered his voice when he met Niu Dali’s gaze.

Meanwhile, the noble youths with slightly quicker wits had already shifted their focus to Chen Ming.

"This fellow student, wait a moment. I am the second son of the Baron Yun family; I have a favor to ask of you."

"I am the third son of the Viscount Li family, I..."

"Ignore them, I am the only son of the Count Wang family; you listen to me first."

A swarm of people surged toward Chen Ming, many of them holding letters, packages, flowers, and the like.

Faced with the trouble rushing toward him, Chen Ming did not slow down; instead, he quickened his pace. With a light tap of his toes, he transformed into a blur, moving faster than an average Agility Attack System Spirit Grandmaster, and vanished into the depths of the cave, leaving the scheming fops at the entrance.

Logically, a Spirit Master arriving for the first time should have been introduced and guided by the teacher in charge of the mimetic cultivation ground. But because of the trouble outside, Niu Dali couldn't get away, so Chen Ming began to wander around the cultivation ground on his own.

It had to be said that the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy’s mimetic cultivation ground had reached an incredibly high standard. While it lacked precious, once-in-a-lifetime poison-type spirit beasts like the Jade Phosphorus Seven-Wonder Flower, the large amount of poison-attribute materials used in the field compensated for this shortcoming.

In Chen Ming's estimation, it provided at least 70 to 80 percent of the effectiveness of his own mountain cave. Moreover, it was far safer than his own cave. There was no risk of accidentally falling into a deep meditation and dying due to a lack of attention to his spirit power.

As Chen Ming’s footsteps echoed, a figure hidden in a corner of the mimetic environment slowly opened its eyes. Upon seeing Chen Ming, a look of intense displeasure filled its emerald pupils.