Chapter 236: The Decision of the Elemental Academies

Yang Podi paid no attention to the somewhat grim expressions of the crowd and continued, "Additionally, once you join Heavenly Academy, all major decisions must be voted on by the academy's deans, and private actions are strictly prohibited."

"One last thing: joining Heavenly Academy is difficult, but leaving is even harder. If you wish to quit, you'll likely have to pay a great price."

Hearing this, Feng Xiaotian and the others' faces began to turn green.

But Yang Podi didn't care about their expressions. After finishing his statement, he closed his eyes to rest, ignoring the rest of the discussions.

To other forces, the Four Elemental Academies, with their combined force of over a thousand soul masters, might seem like a formidable power. However, Yang Podi didn't care about them at all.

Judging by the current situation, a war would likely break out within five years. Whether it was Spirit Hall or the two empires, they were all preparing for future conflicts, sparing no expense to win over various factions.

But as for Yang Podi, he had no intention of participating in this war. Rather than getting caught up in the deadly struggles between these major factions, he preferred to sit back and watch the chaos unfold.

After all, war meant death. Heavenly Academy primarily consisted of disciples from the Four Great Clans, many of whom were direct descendants. Once a war began, casualties would be inevitable. These people were his foundation. Instead of letting them fight and die, it was better to stay hidden. That was why Yang Podi had initially chosen the remote Almo Mountains.

Moreover, when the war ended, as long as he and Tianyue ascended to godhood, the entire Douluo Continent would essentially be theirs. By then, whether the Four Elemental Academies joined them or not wouldn't matter at all.

At this moment, Shui Bing'er spoke up, "Your Grace, Yang Podi, if we were to join Heavenly Academy, can you guarantee that our students and teachers will be treated equally? At the very least, they shouldn't face discrimination."

Yang Podi smiled and shook his head. "In theory, that's how it works. Within Heavenly Academy, everyone is subject to academy rules, and all must abide by them. But you should understand that the foundation of Heavenly Academy lies in the Breaking Clan, the Defense Clan, the Jade Phosphor Clan, and the Nine Heart Clan. Prioritizing the core disciples of these clans for cultivation is a normal practice."

"If you join Heavenly Academy, I can at least promise equal treatment. Additionally, each of your four academies can appoint one deputy dean. However, I don't want any troublesome incidents. After all, the reason we Four Clans moved to the remote Almo Mountains was to live in peace."

After hearing this, Shui Bing'er hesitated and said, "I'm sorry, Your Grace, Yang Podi. I need to return and discuss your terms before making a decision."

With that, Shui Bing'er and the others left Heavenly Academy. This was just an ordinary negotiation, at least giving them an understanding of Yang Podi's conditions. The final decision would likely depend on the deans of the Four Elemental Academies.

After watching them leave, Yang Wudi seemed a little concerned. "Podi, aren't your terms too harsh? No academy would agree to such conditions."

Yang Podi shook his head. "Grandfather, we moved to this extreme northern region to avoid the wars between Spirit Hall and the Upper Three Sects, as well as the conflicts between Spirit Hall and the two empires. We simply want to avoid becoming cannon fodder."

"The so-called Four Elemental Academies are just a group of fence-sitters. Joining us might help them avoid the war. But if they don't join us, their only options are to align with Spirit Hall or the Heaven Dou Empire. When war breaks out, they'll undoubtedly become cannon fodder."

"All we seek now is stability, not expansion. The so-called Elemental Academies don't even have a single Title Douluo among them. At most, they have a few Soul Douluos. They're just fodder on the battlefield."

Yang Wudi, still somewhat perplexed, asked, "Although the Elemental Academies are weak, they do have potential. Some of these young people, in particular, show promise for reaching Title Douluo. Isn't it a bit wasteful to pass on this opportunity?"

Yang Podi shook his head again. "It's just potential for becoming Title Douluo. Given the current situation, within five to ten years, the entire Douluo Continent will undergo significant upheaval. By then, these people will at most break through to the Soul Sage level. Do we, Heavenly Academy, lack a few Soul Sages?"

"Moreover, dragging ourselves into the chaos for a handful of soul masters isn't worth it. It's better to focus on our own development. After all, the purpose of establishing Heavenly Academy is to strengthen our Four Great Clans, not to train talent for other factions."

Hearing this, Yang Wudi and the others nodded in agreement. Lowering their stance to attract the Four Elemental Academies might indeed expand Heavenly Academy in the short term, but it would be a deviation from their original goal. Heavenly Academy wasn't about dominance; it was about avoiding war.

Unexpectedly, Dugu Bo interjected, "Old Goat, Old Rhino, this little monster has a point. At this stage, adding more people below the Title Douluo level won't make a difference. Besides, our academy's sole purpose is to ensure the survival of the Four Great Clans for millennia, not to meddle in external affairs. Why would we need so many people?"

Yang Wudi: …

Niu Gao: …

After leaving Heavenly Academy, the five representatives from the Elemental Academies began considering the negotiation and the future of their academies.

Thunderclap Academy's Lei Dong was the first to speak. "Heavenly Academy's demands are too strict. Our Thunderclap Academy won't be able to comply. We've always relied on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and many within our academy have ties to them. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has never been on good terms with Heavenly Academy, so it's unlikely we'd receive fair treatment there."

"Furthermore, Heavenly Academy's isolationist stance conflicts with our Thunderclap Academy's alignment with Spirit Hall. I suspect they deliberately made such conditions to discourage us from joining, as they don't want to oppose Spirit Hall."

Feng Xiaotian, feeling conflicted, asked, "Lei Dong, what's your plan then?"

Lei Dong shook his head. "I've never had high hopes for Heavenly Academy. I plan to lead our academy to Heaven Dou City. Currently, that's the only place that can accommodate us. Besides, Dean Liu Erlong of Blue Tyrant Academy and Senior Yu Xiaogang, a leader of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, are the last remaining members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Moving to Heaven Dou City would ensure some level of protection for us. So, I'm planning to join Blue Tyrant Academy."

The others nodded. For Thunderclap Academy, Blue Tyrant Academy was indeed a solid choice.

Sky Water Academy's Shui Bing'er suddenly said, "Heavenly Academy's philosophy aligns somewhat with ours, and the extreme northern environment suits us well. I'm inclined to lead Sky Water Academy to join Heavenly Academy."

The others remained silent. Among the Elemental Academies, Sky Water Academy was indeed unique, being the only one that accepted commoner students.

Huo Wu then asked Feng Xiaotian, "Xiaotian, what's your opinion?"

Feng Xiaotian shook his head. "I can't decide. Heaven Dou City seems better suited for Divine Wind Academy's growth. However, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, Clear Sky Sect, and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect are all vying for dominance. Getting caught between these three factions would be extremely dangerous, possibly leading to our annexation."

In the original story, Shrek Academy essentially served as a front for the Upper Three Sects, with all decisions revolving around Tang San. Millennia later, Shrek Academy didn't include the original Elemental Academies, especially the Fire, Water, and Wind factions.

It was at this moment that Huo Wushuang spoke up, "Huo Wu, I plan to discuss with Father and Grandfather about leading Blazing Academy to join Heavenly Academy."

Within Blazing Academy, although Huo Wu was outstanding and beloved by her elders, the true leader was Huo Wushuang, the academy's direct heir. In the original story, Huo Wu was relatively impulsive and immature, while Huo Wushuang was far more composed.

Huo Wu's expression showed some confusion. "Brother, Heavenly Academy has so many demands. If our Blazing Academy joins, I'm afraid there won't be much development for us."

Huo Wushuang shook his head. "Back then, we fought against Heaven Dou Second Team multiple times, so we should understand the strength of its members. According to the information I later gathered, Niu Meng's strength was originally about the same as Tai Long and Bai Xiaofei from Heaven Dou First Team. But in real combat, they were on completely different levels. This shows that Yang Podi is exceptional in teaching and research."

"Moreover, I've recently studied Heavenly Academy. Although their academy rules are strict, their primary purpose is to protect the status of their four great clans. If our Huo Clan joins, is there a chance we could become the fifth clan? Also, if you, as my sister, receive focused training at Heavenly Academy, your future prospects should be better."

"Right now, the entire world is in turmoil. If we relocate to the Heaven Dou City area, it's only a matter of time before we're dragged into the battlefield. It's better to follow Heavenly Academy into seclusion. At the very least, it can protect our Huo Clan from losses."

Huo Wu didn't respond after hearing this. Although she was flamboyant and proud, she was somewhat self-aware. Back during the Spirit Master Tournament, she had lost to Heaven Dou Second Team multiple times and deeply respected the individual strength of their team members.

On the side, Feng Xiaotian remained silent. Over the years, he had trained tirelessly, raising his rank from Spirit Master Tournament's level 44 to the current level 61. But even now, he couldn't match Yang Podi from five years ago, let alone now when Yang Podi had already reached rank 98. The gap between them was like a chasm.

Although Feng Xiaotian was one of the rare geniuses with innate full spirit power and confident in his talent, he was also very curious about Yang Podi and the cultivation methods of Heaven Dou Second Team back then.

After some discussion, three of the four elemental academies—Blazing Academy, Divinewind Academy, and Sky WaterAcademy—decided to join Heavenly Academy. Thunderclap Academy, on the other hand, decided to relocate to Heaven Dou City. The specific negotiation details would require decisions from each academy's dean, and there were still many details to discuss.

For Yang Podi, however, these were mere minor episodes. Becoming a god was his ultimate goal. In fact, becoming the strongest god was his true ambition. After all, gods also had differences in strength and were not immune to the risk of falling.

While Yang Podi was cultivating at home, an unusual aura suddenly entered his perception. This aura was extremely peculiar—so calm that its strength was difficult to discern.

However, this aura carried a sense of returning to simplicity. If Poseidon Douluo Bo Saixi embodied the vastness of the ocean, then this aura represented the boundlessness of the sky or an aura of sanctity.

Moreover, two very familiar presences—those of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo—were alongside this aura.

Yang Podi opened his eyes, and golden light seemed to fill them. "I didn't expect that old man to personally take action. It seems that Spirit Hall really values me."