Chapter 15: Capturing the Ancient Godfiend

"The capital of the Great Xia Dynasty?" Ji Ning's heart itched with curiosity. Setting aside all else, he immediately began flipping through the massive intelligence compilation.

Seeing Ji Ning's eagerness, Beishan Baiwei smiled beside him. "Tempted, aren't you? Now you know why I saved it for last."

Soon he found the section recording the Black-White College.

"So..."

"It turns out..."

Ji Ning read the origins and glorious history of the Black-White College recorded there, murmuring to himself, his eyes shining.

"The Black-White Diagram? The Black-White Millstone Diagram?" Ji Ning looked up after a moment, his eyes full of curiosity and anticipation. "Brother Baiwei, is the Black-White Millstone Diagram truly that miraculous?"

"Would I lie to you?" Beishan Baiwei smiled. "Once you enter the Black-White College, you'll see the Black-White Millstone Diagram with your own eyes. Then you'll know its wonder."

Ji Ning nodded lightly.

The Black-White Diagram was the college's supreme treasure!

It was a massive carving of a black-and-white millstone. The millstone seemed ordinary, but its surface was intricately textured, black and white interwoven. Fine to the smallest detail... simple black and white lines intertwined, forming endless mysteries, containing all the profundities of the Dao. Unfathomable.

It often attracted powerful experts from other sects to come and observe it.

Of course, this was the college's supreme treasure. Even if experts from other forces occasionally gained the opportunity to study it, there was a time limit. Only by becoming a disciple of the Black-White College could one study it without restriction.

"My father once said," Beishan Baiwei said, "the Dao is profound and mysterious; to comprehend it is like groping for flowers in a fog. But the Black-White Millstone Diagram interprets countless Dao mysteries in great detail, down to the finest nuances. Countless black and white lines, different methods of observation, yield different insights. Such a marvel must have been born naturally, a diagram formed by nature itself."

The Black-White Diagram was discovered by an immortal in a minor world and brought back.

Relying on the Black-White Diagram, the college flourished, and its name was changed to 'Black-White College.'

"I want to go out for a walk." Ji Ning stood up.

"Go? Where?" Beishan Baiwei asked.

"The Black-White College." Ji Ning said.

"Haha, can't hold back anymore?" Beishan Baiwei laughed.

"Seeing it with my own eyes will give me a clear picture. Whether to join the Black-White College also requires a personal look." Ji Ning was indeed looking forward to the Black-White College, as it pursued a strategy of gathering genius disciples, each one a peerless prodigy. He was quite eager for an environment where such geniuses gathered.

"Let's go. I'll accompany you." Beishan Baiwei also stood up.

...

Ji Ning, Beishan Baiwei, the Whitewater Hound, and the puppet maid walked together through the mansion, heading out.

"Hmm?" Beishan Baiwei suddenly glimpsed several figures in the distance.

It was his father Beishan Heihu, the triangular-eyed old servant, and a tall, thin man.

"Xuan Liu?" Beishan Baiwei frowned, thinking to himself, "Why has Xuan Liu returned to the mansion? Has something major happened?"

As the only son of Beishan Heihu, Beishan Baiwei knew many secrets. He recognized the tall, thin man at a glance.

"What's wrong?" Ji Ning asked.

"Nothing. Let's go to the Black-White College." Beishan Baiwei smiled. "We're not in a hurry today; let's walk."

"Alright." Ji Ning smiled and walked out with Beishan Baiwei.

...

Beishan Heihu and the triangular-eyed old servant stood there, listening to the report of the tall, thin man 'Xuan Liu.' The triangular-eyed old servant glanced back and saw Beishan Baiwei and Ji Ning in the distance.

"After tracking his trail, we deployed a net that covered heaven and earth, and finally captured that ancient godfiend—alive!" the tall, thin man said respectfully. "We lost one squad, one Daoist of the Primordial Spirit, and twelve cultivators of the Mortal Realm."

"Good work." Beishan Heihu nodded, lightning faintly flickering in his deep eyes.

"Where is this godfiend imprisoned?" Beishan Heihu asked.

"Cell number two, Earth branch." The tall, thin man said respectfully.

Beishan Heihu nodded lightly. "You may withdraw."

"Yes." The tall, thin man Xuan Liu quietly retreated.

The triangular-eyed old servant quickly said in a low voice, "Congratulations, master! Congratulations! You have captured an ancient godfiend."

"We still need to see what kind of godfiend this is, its strength, and what divine abilities it excels in." Beishan Heihu said in a low voice. "These ancient godfiends that have survived to this day are all extraordinary. Even the weak ones might have kin lurking. Regardless, I must go see. Let's go, out of the city."

"Yes." The triangular-eyed old servant said respectfully.

Soon.

Whoosh!

A chariot bathed in black mist, pulled by eight black divine dragons, shot straight up from the Beishan Heihu mansion, flew into the clouds above Anchan City, and vanished.

...

Ji Ning and Beishan Baiwei, however, were leisurely. The two strolled along the immensely wide streets, covering a li in the blink of an eye. The Whitewater Hound and the maid easily kept pace.

"We're here. Ahead is the Black-White College." Beishan Baiwei pointed forward.

Soon they stopped.

Ji Ning looked up. Ahead was a colossal building. The main gate was a hundred zhang high and nearly two hundred zhang wide. Above the gate were carved four large characters: 'Black-White College,' and in the center of these characters was a black-and-white millstone diagram.

"The Black-White Millstone Diagram?" Ji Ning felt endless profundity within it, but when he tried to sense it carefully, it was vague and indistinct.

"The four characters and the millstone diagram were left by a celestial immortal in the college's history." Beishan Baiwei said. "They are not the true Black-White Diagram. The real diagram is much larger and far more complex and detailed."

"I see." Ji Ning nodded.

On either side of the main gate stood huge, dark green stone lions and dark green stone divine dragons, coiled on each side. A large number of soldiers were also stationed around.

"Those soldiers are from my Anchan Marquis's estate, deployed here to help guard." Beishan Baiwei said. "The lions and divine dragons are the true gatekeepers of the Black-White College."

"They guard?" Ji Ning was stunned. His eyesight hadn't detected that the stone lions and stone divine dragons were guards.

"This is the Black-White College. They spent a huge price to buy two puppets from the Mulans. According to legend, these two puppets have strength close to that of an immortal and possess intelligence no less than a normal person. They have guarded here for endless years."

Ji Ning was speechless.

Puppets? Strength close to an immortal?

"Xuan Tang!" Beishan Baiwei suddenly called out loudly.

"Baiwei!" A white-robed youth inside the Black-White College, who was walking out with a group of attendants, smiled in surprise.

Beishan Baiwei quickly sent a telepathic message to Ji Ning: "This man is called Beishan Xuan Tang, also a member of our Anchan Beishan clan. But he's from a very remote branch, an ordinary member. Even though he was talented, he wasn't valued. Later, he managed to enter the Black-White College, and his status in the Anchan Beishan clan soared."

"Oh?" Ji Ning looked at the white-robed youth in surprise.

"But be careful of this man. He is extremely skilled at disguise. My father once said... Beishan Xuan Tang is a viper in sheep's clothing. You shouldn't get too close to him, but there's no need to make an enemy of him either." Beishan Baiwei transmitted.

Ji Ning nodded.

A viper in sheep's clothing?

Since the Anchan Beishan clan had been passed down from the age of godfiends, the clan's population was immense. Some remote branches probably had a status not much better than a small tribe like the Ji clan. Only when a peerless genius emerged would they receive attention from the Anchan Marquis's estate.

"This man must have suffered too much in the past, so his personality became twisted." Ji Ning speculated silently.

"Baiwei, what brings you here?" Beishan Xuan Tang smiled.

"I brought my brother Ji Ning to have a look." Beishan Baiwei said. "Brother Ji Ning also wants to enter the Black-White College."

Ji Ning spoke up: "Entering the Black-White College is very difficult. I'm just trying."

Beishan Xuan Tang glanced at Ji Ning.

Instantly, a trace of disgust arose in him toward Ji Ning.

His youthful experiences made him envious and hateful of the direct descendants of the Anchan Beishan clan, those noble sons with high status. He easily lumped Ji Ning in with Beishan Baiwei.

"Oh, even if you fail, it's worth a try." Beishan Xuan Tang smiled at Ji Ning, but there was a hint of pity in his eyes. "Maybe with luck, you'll get in. Then we'll be fellow disciples."

Ji Ning could sense Beishan Xuan Tang's condescending attitude.

Clearly, to Beishan Xuan Tang, he was a peerless genius, while this Ji Ning, who came with Beishan Baiwei, might have a notable background, but so what? The Black-White College valued one's innate talent, strength, and comprehension.

"Baiwei, I won't stay long. I have matters to attend to. We'll talk later." Beishan Xuan Tang cupped his hands and left with his group of attendants. Each attendant had an extraordinary bearing. From Ji Ning's perception, he guessed they were all cultivators.

"What's with those attendants?" Ji Ning asked. "Didn't you say he was an ordinary member from a remote branch of the Beishan clan? How does he have so many cultivators following him?"

Beishan Baiwei shook his head. "Every disciple of the Black-White College is a peerless genius. They can't be bothered with trivial matters. So the college allows each formal disciple to take on ten attendants."

"Thus, the college has a few hundred disciples but several thousand attendants."

"These thousands of attendants work for the college, attend lectures by Primordial Spirit Daoists and even immortals, and can be granted cultivation techniques. If any are exceptionally outstanding, they can even be promoted to formal disciples. Of course, it's rare to see an attendant promoted in a hundred years, as the college's requirements for formal disciples are too strict. But still, being an attendant is better than being an ordinary disciple in a common sect." Beishan Baiwei said. "So many cultivators are willing to become attendants."

Ji Ning nodded.

Impressive.

Taking on attendants gave these genius disciples a foundation and stabilized the college.

"But my clansman Beishan Xuan Tang seems to look down on you, Brother Ji Ning." Beishan Baiwei said. "When you enter the Black-White College, his expression will be quite amusing."

Ji Ning smiled. "This is the one!"

"You mean?" Beishan Baiwei was startled.

"Come winter, I will enter the Black-White College." Ji Ning looked up at the celestial immortal's inscription above the mountain gate.

The Black-White College... would be the place of his rise!