pdf-ebookys Chapter 17: Spirit Hall or Shrek Academy?
Chapter 17: Spirit Hall or Shrek Academy?
Time flies, and peaceful days are always so short. Six years have passed in a flash, and Ning Yuanshan has now graduated from Notting College and is about to embark on the next stage of his life.
"Old Qi suggested that I go to Shrek Academy, which is exactly what I wanted." In the original work, there was no mention of any relationship between Old Qi and Flander and others. Every time Ning Yuanshan asked Old Qi, he would remain silent. The relationship between the group seemed to be quite awkward.
Ning Yuanshan was full of curiosity, but he still couldn't figure out why Elder Qi's relationship with the Golden Iron Triangle had become strained. However, considering that Elder Qi was willing to recommend him to Shrek Academy, their relationship back then must have been quite special, and they should still be on good terms with each other now.
Initially, Elder Qi actually suggested that Ning Yuanshan join the Spirit Hall so he could study at its affiliated academy. This was, in fact, the path chosen by most spirit masters from humble backgrounds. Apart from the Spirit Hall, which was willing to send people to various parts of the continent, even remote mountain villages, every year to awaken spirits for eligible children, other forces wouldn't expend the effort and resources to do such a thankless task.
In the past, many netizens also ridiculed the Spirit Hall for having ulterior motives in helping ordinary people awaken their spirits. They accused the Spirit Hall of providing subsidies to low-level spirit masters with money from the two great empires, saying that awakening spirits for ordinary people was a lucrative job that the Spirit Hall had snatched from the two great empires.
When Ning Yuanshan first read the book, he had a different opinion, but he couldn't guarantee that the Spirit Hall was genuinely working for the benefit of the people. However, after transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, he truly experienced the many benefits of the Spirit Hall. In his previous life on Blue Star, he was born in the Great Hua Kingdom. While the social welfare system wasn't exceptionally high, it provided a safety net. Great Hua Kingdom, at over 960 square kilometers, was large enough, with considerable forests and deserts, but it had information networks, trains, and cars, ensuring that the transmission of resources and information between people was not slow.
And what about Douluo Continent? After the Soul Guidance Device civilization was wiped out, the lives of ordinary people became extremely inconvenient. How large is Douluo Continent? What is the state of its road network? What is its forest coverage rate? In modern China, some remote areas cannot even be reached by car; one has to climb mountains, take cable cars... relying entirely on the legs of grassroots cadres.
Soul Masters certainly have impressive physical strength, but the Douluo Continent is vast, with abundant vegetation and a poorly constructed road network. For example, Su Yuntao literally walked across every village to awaken martial souls for the villagers. Do you still think this is a cushy job? How many Su Yuntaos would it take to awaken martial souls for everyone in every corner of the continent? Wouldn't Su Yuntao be a typical low-level official?
Don't think the Empire can do this too. Awakening martial souls is one thing, but registering these people is also a job. Otherwise, where do you think the "Soul Master's Handbook" that appeared in the original work came from? The Spirit Hall has to establish a household register for all soul masters on the continent. Birth, aging, illness, and death need to be updated in real time, as do advancements in soul power. Most importantly, soul masters are all little superhumans; are they so easy to manage?
Take the subsidies as an example. It's true that the Empire pays for them, but the question is, has the Empire established a household registration system? When you give money to people, are you making sure it's transparent? The Spirit Hall's anti-counterfeiting measures for the Soul Master's certificate are their own technology, and what if someone fraudulently claims the subsidies? Shouldn't there be verification? If fraud is discovered, shouldn't the law be enforced?
Maintaining social order is no easy feat. It requires civil affairs work, guaranteed law enforcement capabilities, the establishment of a supervisory system, and the credibility of the government…
The Spirit Hall is certainly not perfect, and there are bad elements within it. However, the fact that its branch halls are spread throughout the continent and that its grassroots officers personally go to villages demonstrates that its system is relatively sound. With continued efforts, it is entirely possible to achieve the aforementioned requirements and safeguard the overall stability of social order…
Now let's see how the other forces in Douluo Continent acted.
Think about how many children of school age there are each year, but how many of them actually possess soul power? Those with exceptional talent are even rarer. For most factions, a soul master with low strength is simply useless, not even worth a second glance. For example, Yu Xiaogang was disliked in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Many blood-line families are unwilling to genuinely accept outsiders who are not related by blood. Even powerful families like the four affiliated families of the Haotian Sect—Li, Po, Min, and Yu—were abandoned when disaster struck.
The Spirit Hall is different. This force has branches all over the continent, which means that the Spirit Hall has a wide recruitment scope and a wide range of levels, so even low-level spirit masters can make the most of their talents. Spirit masters of average strength who join the Spirit Hall can only be assigned to various villages and towns, much like the "targeted training" in college entrance examinations in the previous life.
However, a significant number of Soul Masters have settled in grassroots communities, providing fresh blood to smaller local cities. In a sense, this also reflects the Spirit Hall's willingness to give opportunities to those with less background and talent. This is why the Spirit Hall has become a holy land across the entire continent.
Moreover, the Spirit Hall is not a family structure, which means that this organization does not value bloodline when selecting and appointing people.
Major families and sects will certainly recruit exceptionally talented outsiders, but they may not necessarily consider you one of their own. How can you ensure your subordinates won't betray you when they don't genuinely care for you but still want you to work for them?
That naturally creates a consensus and an unspoken rule across the entire continent: once you've chosen a side and a position, you can't rebel, and anyone who rebels will be punished by everyone.
In conclusion, while the Spirit Hall certainly has many shortcomings and its intention to provide public welfare is understandable, in terms of social contribution, there is really no one better than the Spirit Hall.
Of course, Ning Yuanshan ultimately rejected Elder Qi's suggestion to join the Spirit Hall. Firstly, he didn't want to take sides so early, and secondly, since he was familiar with the plot, how could he not take advantage of more opportunities? The Spirit Hall was a large and powerful organization, and he, Ning Yuanshan, might not become a Holy Son or Holy Daughter like other protagonists in fanfiction. Joining the Spirit Hall under such circumstances would actually impose many restrictions.
Shrek Academy is different; with more teachers than students, it receives more attention.
Moreover, over the past six years, Ning Yuanshan and Tang San's relationship has been passable on the surface. After all, they came from the same village and were roommates. So far, there has been no major conflict of interest that could lead to a falling out. However, Ning Yuanshan could always sense Yu Xiaogang's subtle hostility, which made him think that there was some grudge between the Grandmaster and Elder Qi.
As for Tang San's revenge against the Spirit Hall, Ning Yuanshan neither supports nor opposes it. The Spirit Hall may be a good organization, but is Pope Bibi Dong a good person? In Ning Yuanshan's view, the Spirit Hall has a reason to exist, but Bibi Dong must step down.
As for what to do next, Ning Yuanshan didn't have any ideas. He just wanted to grab all the opportunities from the original story first! As for how to get along with Sanwu in the future, he would deal with that later.
Enough of the digressions. After attending all the graduation banquets, the classmates were about to go their separate ways. Although Sanwu and Ning Yuanshan were both going to Shrek Academy in Soto City, their travel plans were not the same.