Li Yanxi's words sent a shockwave through the crowd, leaving everyone stunned and motionless. The information was overwhelming—they needed time to absorb it. Prior to this, the trainees had imagined the Lingjing as mysterious and eerie, something lofty and incomprehensible, beyond human understanding. Now, the院长's explanation unveiled just one corner of the Lingjing's veil. It turned out that the moral value—long believed to be an intangible, enigmatic force that made Lingjing travelers tremble—was actually a cause-and-effect type item. Not something impossible to grasp or imagine. The trainees were deeply impressed, and found the concept remarkably logical. "Therefore, no matter how we work around bugs—whether we manipulate others into committing crimes or commit crimes indirectly—whenever this matter is connected to you, moral value will be deducted. Because, at its core, moral value is a cause-and-effect type item." Xiahou Aotian murmured, "According to this logic, isn't the character card itself a kind of entity so profoundly elevated that it seems almost unimaginable—some kind of tool manipulating it? Even more so, isn't the spiritual realm itself constructed from various high-grade rules-based and causal entity tools?" "Master Yuanshen mentioned earlier that the quest isn't an incomprehensible power, but rather a space that even semi-divine spiritual travelers can create." "Could it be that the very creators of the spiritual realm are one, or a group of spiritual travelers—no, not just travelers—rather, beings of such extraordinary rank that they transcend even the concept of spiritual travelers? Perhaps, even gods?" "Please, please don't say any more..." a student said, his expression twisted. Zhang Yuanqing glanced around and noticed that most of the participants were beginning to lose their composure. Only the scholars, however, showed excitement and enthusiasm, as if a major breakthrough had been achieved—like an aging scientist who had just made a significant discovery, or a researcher suddenly struck by a brilliant research idea. Li Yanxi sipped his tea slowly, holding the cup for several minutes before finally covering the lid, tightening it securely, and said in a clear, composed voice: "The claim that Moral Value is a causality-type artifact has not yet been verified, as no one has personally witnessed its true form. The scholars of the Spiritual Realm have made their deductions based on the existing causality-type artifacts. Nevertheless, this hypothesis has already been acknowledged by the Chieftains. Are the Chieftains aware of the truth? At least, of part of it... Zhang Yuanqing mused. He believed that Xue Hou Ao Tian's speculation was not merely imaginative—truthfully, it likely stood as such—but lacked compelling evidence. If Moral Value is indeed a causality-type artifact, then once one possesses it, does that mean one can control the lives and deaths of all Spiritual Realm travelers? He suddenly grasped the key point. After a Spiritual Realm traveler is summoned for pursuit, their position becomes exposed. The method by which the Spiritual Realm locates them—does it rely on character cards? What artifact lies behind those character cards? How many causality-type artifacts currently exist? Zhao Fei asked loudly. As a direct descendant of a scholarly family, he had never heard of the existence of causal-type items. Li Yanxi shook his head: "This is very valuable information—I can't answer you because I myself don't know the answer either." Then he turned to Xiahou Aotian and said, "The questions proposed by the class monitor have been thought about by every batch of trainees, but only at the level of contemplation. With your current rank and capabilities, you haven't yet reached the point of accessing the truth. Personally, I don't want you to become overly preoccupied with these matters. When future trainees rise to the rank of Master, or even approach the half-divine level, they can then investigate further. Additionally, all knowledge taught within the academy is strictly prohibited from being shared externally. Once you complete your training and leave the mission area, the organization will require you to sign confidentiality agreements. That's all. Let's return to class. The trainees set aside their concerns and no longer dwelled on the moral points, focusing instead on listening attentively. Li Yanxi spoke slowly: "The strength of a piece of equipment depends on many factors—level, quality, category, and function. Among these, level and quality are hidden attributes that do not appear in the item's description. The best way to determine an item's level is by examining its function. An item that possesses a 5th-level Sage's skill is undoubtedly of 5th level. The best way to judge quality is whether its function is singular and powerful. For a simple example, if a 5th-level item causes even a 5th-level Sage to feel troubled or afraid, then it is of exceptional quality. If it merely embodies one of the skills of a 5th-level Sage, it is of ordinary quality. Among equipment, cost-based items are the most common, followed by rule-based items. In our perception, rule-based items are both more precious and more powerful—power may not always be guaranteed, but their preciousness is certain. The most formidable and valuable aspect of rule-based items lies precisely in their rules—these cannot be resolved by force. Only by uncovering and exploiting the loopholes in the rules can one subdue a rule-based item." "Heard this, Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand and said, 'But some rules have no flaws.' For instance, the rule that the Purple Golden Shield can withstand any attack, or the rule that once bound to a master, it cannot be used by others. Li Yanxi smiled and remarked, 'It seems the Yuan Shi Tian Zun has handled quite a few rule-based artifacts.' Immediately, everyone's attention turned to Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, responding in a calm tone, 'I've handled about six or seven.' Six or seven? The students were quietly astonished. Even the dean, Li Yanxi, looked visibly surprised, gazing at him in quiet wonder. The Red Dance Shoes, the Zoo, the Moral Value, the Purple Golden Artifact, the Sacred Infant's Head, Fu Qingyang—those were about it. Ah, and the concept of 'approaching the Dao' itself is a rule, and the elder's artifact counts as well—no issues there. Zhang Yuanqing mentally muttered, while asking aloud, 'Dean, you haven't yet answered my question.'" "...Li Yanxi possessed rich theoretical knowledge and answered without hesitation: "It depends on the specific content of the rules. For rules that are highly offensive, there will certainly be weaknesses. However, for supportive-type rules, there may be no inherent weaknesses, though they come with certain limitations." The students listened, somewhat confused, but Zhang Yuanqing, with extensive practical experience, immediately grasped the point. The former symbolized the red ballet shoes, while the latter represented the purple-gold divine artifacts. Binding and defense belonged to supportive rules, thus having no inherent weaknesses, but with limitations—namely, the demise of the owner and the ability to withstand attacks only from the front. "I understand," Zhang Yuanqing said. Li Yanxi nodded and continued teaching: "The number of artifacts ranges from extraordinary to sovereign rank—higher up the scale, the rarer they become. Among those present, how many have more than ten extraordinary artifacts? Anyone? Raise your hand." Xiahou Aotian raised his hand first. Then Zhao Fei, Zhu Mingxu, Liu Yushu, and other young gentlemen from the spiritual realm families. The grassroots students all looked envious. As 4th-level Seers, most of them possessed only one Seer-quality item, and a few even had none. In contrast, the noble-born descendants from distinguished families held over ten extraordinary items, and at least two Seer-quality items each. The students like Zhao Fei Wen and Xia Hou Ao Tian radiated pride—superiority was born out of comparison. "Please set your hands down," Li Yanxi said. "Is there any student who possesses ten Seer-quality items?" A hush fell across the group. "I have three," said Zhao Fei Wen calmly. "I have five," proudly raised his neck Xia Hou Ao Tian. The Scholars overwhelmingly outpaced the other professions in terms of item count. "This is the gap between Seer and extraordinary items—no matter how high you rise to 6th level, you'll find it difficult to accumulate more than ten Seer-quality items, unless you come from a Scholar family." "With that, the Dean turned to Yuan Shi Tian Zun, smiling, "Yuan Shi Tian Zun, you've handled numerous rule-based items, haven't you? It seems your reserves aren't particularly rich—perhaps you need to put in more effort." "After all, you're just a grassroots member," Zhu Mingxu remarked with a sarcastic tone. "The headmaster forcefully elevated his status, saying, 'Master-level items are even rarer—I won't ask you anymore.' You ask, and I happen to have one master-level item, two rule-based items, and one causality-based item... Zhang Yuanqing murmured to himself. 'According to the data, most masters possess only one or two items. On one hand, master-level items are scarce; on the other, once one reaches the master realm, items rarely play a decisive role in battle—they usually serve as support. Rule-based items are an exception, of course, and even master-level rule-based items are quite rare.' Li Yanxi explained: 'There are many senior elders in the Five Elements Alliance, yet only a few possess master-level rule-based items. Most spiritual realm families typically have one or two such items, which they regard as their family's treasured heirlooms.' That is to say, at the master realm, does my advantage of having items no longer matter?" However, if we can elevate the Zijin Divine Instruments to master-tier quality and assemble the four sacred items for the Heavenly Sacrifice, then when I ascend to master rank, I'll have two master-level artifacts—Magistrate should also possess master-tier items, so we might gather three or four of them, at least. Indeed rare—across the entire island nation's mythological history, only three master-tier artifacts exist. Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced. Xia Hou Ao Tian said solemnly, "I heard that the ten senior elders at headquarters each have one rule-based artifact." Li Yanxi smiled and remarked, "So they are the ten most powerful individuals in the Five Elements Alliance—the ten elders together can balance the Grand Marshal. Yes, that's political course material. But let's return to our discussion on artifact classifications." Time passed slowly, and the subsequent lectures focused on the characteristics of cost-based and rule-based artifacts, as well as the fundamental nature of artifacts. At 3:30 p.m., the session on artifact classification concluded. The next section is "The Sessions on Various Professions," beginning at five in the afternoon, lasting another hour and a half. Hong Ji called out, "Lunch break time! I suggest we head to the canteen—does anyone want to host the gathering?" Upon hearing this, Xiahou Aotian immediately recalled Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn's actions from yesterday: determined not to fall into the same pit twice, he took the initiative. "I propose that Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn hosts the gathering," he said. His suggestion received unanimous approval from the official sages, and the crowd began cheering enthusiastically. Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then calmly accepted, "Let's have grilled meat—oh, and some wine. The dining expenses at the canteen this afternoon shall be covered by me, Tianzūn." Cheers erupted. Xiahou Aotian observed the scene and instantly realized something was off. He thought to himself: "This doesn't feel right. How come Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn's reputation seems to be gaining momentum?" He quickly walked toward Yuanshi Tianzun, staring intently at his face, and said with a sniff, "Given the cafeteria's prices, if you want to feed all the trainees grilled meat and have them drink wine, you'd need at least twenty to thirty million—there's no way you could even dream of it. And for those who are price-sensitive, the amount would be even higher. So now, aren't you regretting it?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him sideways, "I don't even need to repay an eight-million debt of yours." One sentence that left the man furious with indignation. Xia Hou Aotian gritted his teeth, fiercely declaring, "I'm going to drain you dry. I'm going to eat out of you—twenty million!" Zhang Yuanqing smiled, "No, it's not my money. Miao Miao, come here!" Sun Miao Miao, who had just been walking off with the Peony Immortal and others, came bounding over, holding the little infant spirit in her arms. "How adorable is this little chatterbox?" "Adorable beyond words!" "Today's cafeteria expenses are yours." "Oh?" "Un Sun Miaomiao nodded with a tearful voice: "Yes...". Zhang Yuanqing turned to Xiahou Aotian, patted his shoulder: "Eat freely, don't get your stomach upset—physicians are often weak; pay special attention to your digestive health." One sentence, and both man and woman were moved to tears! As Xue Hou Ao Tian put it, they were the villains—villains who were timid, because they hadn’t stepped forward to create trouble. He recalled that on their very first night at the academy, the two of them had come together to visit him, attempting to win him over and gradually distance themselves from, even target Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Upon hearing this, Xue Hou Ao Tian was deeply impressed and praised their initiative, then proposed: “Why don’t you go after Yuan Shi Tian right now? Ideally, you should even eliminate him.” When Zhu Ming Xu and Zhao Fei heard this, they were overjoyed, exclaiming: “So Xue Hou Brother also harbors such deep resentment toward Yuan Shi Tian Zun?” Xue Hou Ao Tian replied, “No—by doing so, I can step forward and suppress you, rescue the key supporting characters, bring them to my side, and make them loyal, obedient dogs. That’s exactly how the story is written.” Friends, key supporting characters, the protagonists’ allies! That is precisely how Xue Hou Ao Tian sees Yuan Shi Tian Zun. President Li Yanxi stared gloomily at the drowsy student, speaking in a steady tone: "The academy doesn't have so many rules, and you're no longer children. Yet maintaining a good state of mind and listening attentively is the most basic form of respect toward your teachers... Who's snoring?" "Hoo-hoo-hoo..." Xia Hou Ao Tian immediately interjected: "President, that one's Red Chicken Brother." President Li took a deep breath: "The class monitor is responsible for maintaining classroom order—he needs to be woken up." Xia Hou Ao Tian had finally seized his chance to shine, raising a rifle and aiming it directly at Red Chicken Brother. The students beside him were startled, rushing to push him down: "Monitor, calm down, calm down!" President Li roared: "I asked you to maintain order—not to launch a full-scale assault!" As a swordsman, he had long observed that Xia Hou Ao Tian was constantly striving to make an impression, always seeking opportunities to stand out. Ten minutes later, Xia Hou Aotian and Hongji Brother were stationed by the podium, receiving penalties. The dean handed a thick stack of A4 papers to Zhao Chenghuang and said, "Distribute them." The senior dean glanced back and forth, and found Zhao Chenghuang to be the most reliable and composed. Zhang Yuanqing took the papers first, and upon close inspection, noticed that the papers listed all the professions of the spiritual realm practitioners across the two regions.