Chapter 503 Spirit Pact Academy
When the imperial power and the aristocratic families maintain a general stability, society develops well.
When the interests of the imperial power and the aristocratic families are completely aligned, society develops rapidly.
Whether the aristocratic families will clash with the imperial power again in the future remains to be seen. But currently, all the aristocratic families in the Tang Dynasty are aligned with the imperial family, or even completely controlled by it.
Especially after learning that the Fire Phoenix, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise were the leaders of the three guardian beast clans, the aristocratic families abandoned their so-called nobility and shamelessly tried to establish connections with the royal family. They didn't necessarily ask for a guardian beast directly, but they wanted a place in the Spirit Contract Academy.
Under such circumstances, Lingqi Academy surpassed the Imperial Academy and the National Academy to become the most prestigious institution of learning in the Tang Dynasty, and the Lingqi examination became a path to higher advancement than the Jinshi examination.
The requirements for enrolling in the Spirit Pact Academy are very simple. You only need to place your hand on the stone pillar at the entrance and the light triggered will reach the passing score to join the academy and become a junior student.
The stone pillars test mental strength. Through previous experiments by Li Shimin and others, they discovered the minimum mental strength required to form a bond with a guardian beast. Below this value, it is impossible to match.
However, even if the value is equal to or higher than this, a match is not guaranteed. This is because the selection process is two-way, and there's no way to guarantee that the guardian beast that appears will choose you.
Therefore, those who meet the passing grade and enter the academy will undergo physical and mental training to improve their foundation in forming bonds, while also having the option to selectively improve a particular skill.
For example, the currently known [Swimming Fish - Red Carp] prefers brave warriors; the [Flying Bird - Double-Eyed Bird] favors scholars with justice and wisdom; and the [Walking Beast - Three-Tailed Fox] tends to favor people with smooth personalities or outstanding appearances...
The academy organizes a contract-forming ceremony every month, where the summoned guardian beasts choose their desired contract partners. Only students who successfully form a contract become official students of the Spirit Contract Studies, and automatically receive an eighth-rank nominal position upon the start of the contract.
Then, based on the bound guardian beast, they are assigned to one of the three academies: "Birds," "Beasts," and "Fish," to conduct in-depth learning, train their tacit understanding with their contracted beast, and develop their skills.
Becoming a formal student means being qualified to participate in the Spirit Contract Examination. With the obvious strong support of the Tang Dynasty's national policy, it is clear to anyone with discerning eyes that this is the fastest way to climb the social ladder, and it is a channel that is completely controlled by the royal family and cannot be blocked by aristocratic families.
This means that there is no longer a distinction between aristocratic families and commoners; everyone is starting from the same point. The advantages that aristocratic families have accumulated over thousands of years have vanished, which is both frightening and exciting for many.
After all, even among powerful families, smaller families may have ambitions to surpass other powerful families in development.
It was precisely by exploiting this ambition that the Spirit Pact Academy began recruiting students from all over the Tang Dynasty. Regardless of gender or age, and based solely on spiritual strength, the entire Tang Dynasty was united, with desires binding them together, and the Tang Dynasty was heading towards a completely new and unknown future.
Prince Wei, Li Tai, was arguably the most prestigious student at the Spirit Pact Academy. Everyone fawned over him and treated him with utmost respect. Even the scions of noble families treated him with utmost courtesy, yet Li Tai remained completely unhappy.
After all, Lizhi already has three guardian beasts, while he hasn't even matched with a suitable one yet. How can he compete with Lizhi for the title of the best little brother?
Although he knew that his older brother was definitely biased towards him, he wouldn't say it out of the blue so as not to upset Lizhi.
On the contrary, it was precisely because his elder brother favored him that Li Tai felt even more resentful. He was the one who was supposed to support his elder brother, so how could he not have a guardian beast?
Therefore, after entering the Spirit Contract School, Li Tai was determined to work hard and improve himself. In just one month, the chubby little boy's belly shrank.
On the day of the covenant ceremony, as he listened to the resounding bells, Li Tai instinctively straightened his back.
On the high platform, Li Chengqian raised his hand and pressed down, and the noisy discussions receded like the tide.
Li Tai felt a surge of joy in his heart. His older brother must have come for him. He felt a heavy weight in his heart. His older brother cared about him so much, and he couldn't let him down!
On the training ground, the moment the fire phoenix spread its wings, the summoning array appeared.
Noticing the dazzling golden light that suddenly burst forth from the formation, everyone held their breath. Then they saw the golden light condense into the shape of a fledgling bird, its three sharp claws crushing the air, and its fleshy crest swirling with ancient divine runes.
"It's a three-legged golden crow!"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. After a month of initial instruction, the students had learned about the existence of guardian beasts through beautifully designed manuals.
But no matter how much I imagined it before, I never expected that such a precious, top-ranked divine beast would appear in the first month of the bond-forming conference.
The surrounding students suddenly stirred. Some tightened their clothes and puffed out their chests. Some struck poses to show off their martial arts skills, while others spoke eloquently, displaying the demeanor of scholars.
Everyone was like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, trying their best to display their talents and abilities, hoping to attract the attention of the little golden crow.
When the little golden crow tilted its head and looked everyone over, Li Tai felt as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest. When those amber vertical pupils swept over him, he didn't even dare to tremble his eyelashes.
His pupils dilated slightly, and in his vision, a small golden crow with outstretched wings seemed to be flying in his direction. Li Tai felt as if he were in a dream, and his breath caught in his throat.
As the warm feathers brushed against his neck, a sudden weight pressed down on his shoulder, making him stiffen and even swallow. Just as the golden feathers touched his brow, a childlike voice exploded in his mind: "Little Four reporting for duty! I'll protect you from now on!"
With the bond complete and his dream a reality, Li Tai slowly turned his head, meeting the bright, sparkling eyes of the little golden crow. Reflected in those eyes were his own reddened eyes, and also the gratified smile of his elder brother on the high platform.
"I like your ranking, just like mine. I also like your admiration for your older brother, because I also really like my older brother. We're truly the best partners!"
"you're right."
Li Tai carefully reached out and cradled the enthusiastic little sun in his palm, saying, "We will definitely become the best partners."
Hahaha, it's a golden crow! A three-legged golden crow! He's really showing off his big brother's status!
"Congratulations, congratulations..."
Li Tai smiled broadly as his classmates gathered around him.
How did you know my older brother came to see me specifically?
"A three-legged golden crow, Your Highness is indeed extraordinary..."
"That's right, my brother and I are the best of friends in the world."
"Your Highness, you..."
"Don't say anymore. It's been so long since we last met. My older brother must miss me. I'm going to see him now. Talk to you later."
"..." Watching the Prince of Wei joyfully rush towards the Crown Prince on the high platform, everyone looked at each other and smiled awkwardly.
"Haha, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prince of Wei are truly brothers."
"Yeah yeah……"
Seriously, how come those who are obsessed with brothers have such good luck...? Maybe they should try treating their brothers in the family better? Would that increase their chances of forming a bond?
On the day off after the covenant ceremony, each family found that their children had suddenly become more affectionate and respectful to each other. What, does the Spirit Covenant Academy teach the way of benevolence and filial piety?
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