The familiar hot tea soothes the throat, and the familiar hot towel covers the face.
When Wen Xishu returned, he was immediately warmly welcomed. But not by Jabbar; it was the Zhen Ba'er—the Spirit as the principal mentioned.
As the Academy Spirit of Deceit Tower Academy, he had been waiting for Wen Xishu's return for quite some time.
"Principal, you've worked hard. I'm sure your journey this time must have been quite fruitful." The Spirit's tone was indeed quite reminiscent of Jabbar.
Wen Xishu smiled and seemed...
At the principal's indication, Zhen Ba'er had sought advice from Jabbar.
Wen Xishu said:
"Deceit Tower Academy, nothing much has happened recently, right?"
The Academy Spirit showed a worried expression:
"We've received quite a few complaints, many from people at the Desire Tower Academy. They've explored Deceit Tower Academy, and although they signed waivers, their embarrassing appearances were broadcast in the facilities of Deceit Tower Academy—"
Wen Xishu immediately interrupted the Academy Spirit:
"What do you mean?"
The Academy Spirit honestly replied:
"You know, we're inverted. Deceit Tower Academy seems to experience a different kind of gravity."
"For those not at Deceit Tower Academy, like students from Slaughter Tower Academy and Desire Tower Academy within the campus, they just need to look up to see the scenic view of Deceit Tower Academy from above."
Wen Xishu nodded, it was indeed the case. Deceit Tower Academy is under a special force field, like it's hanging upside down in the sky.
"And those who failed the challenge simulation facilities... meaning those defeated by Ms. Tang Rui include, but are not limited to, being scared until they wet themselves, cried, fainted, or spoke gibberish..."
"All of it was compiled by me into a montage for outsiders to view; they just need to look up to see various scenes of challengers' defeats."
"But this also resulted in—our academy is now being heavily criticized, with many people complaining about us."
Wen Xishu rubbed his forehead:
"Who told you to take such initiative in doing this?"
The Academy Spirit sighed:
"I may not be smart enough; I tried to gauge your intentions. After all, you greeted Ms. Tang Rui, asking her to scare them until they cried..."
"So I thought you needed to make everyone realize the difficulty in climbing Deceit Tower, so I did this."
A good steward anticipates the master's concerns first.
But apparently, Zhen Ba'er overdid it. After all, who wants to show their embarrassing moments for everyone in the school to see?
This group came bustling in, trying to prove Deceit Tower was nothing, but ended up losing face and having their dignity trampled.
Of course, Wen Xishu didn't think this was much of a problem.
During the exploration of the Reversed Seven Apartments, Xiaowu, Ah Miao, Wen Xiangge, and others, each experienced despair and distortion in specific rooms.
In the Asylum Museum, they even had to truly face the monsters charging at them.
Not to mention the sanity-draining Rokkasho and the malice-filled Cloud City border.
Compared to these, Tang Rui's spiritual invasion is probably less severe, and there's no life-threatening danger.
"Since things are already like this, let's leave it be. They only experienced embarrassment, whereas true climbers of Deceit Tower face genuine dangers."
"No need to bother; you did the right thing, but next time when you gauge my intentions, you might consider a milder approach, taking others' dignity into account."
Wen Xishu smiled and didn't reprimand the Academy Spirit too harshly.
The Academy Spirit was very grateful:
"The first batch of admissions is happening soon. The current admission plan is this: firstly, transfer volunteer applications. Meaning, if any students from Slaughter Tower Academy and Desire Tower Academy are willing to come to Deceit Tower Academy—they can be exempted from exams."
"Then, considering Deceit Tower Academy's limited capacity and its positioning to train elites capable of handling Deceit Tower scenarios, we will conduct an enrollment exam for eighteen-year-old individuals."
"The exam will be arranged within a week. Currently, there are twelve students willing to transfer from Slaughter Tower to our Deceit Tower."
"And from Desire Tower Academy, there is one willing to transfer to our Deceit Tower."
Wen Xishu laughed at this stark disparity and the overall scarce numbers.
But Wen Xishu was not in a hurry:
"Alright, everything proceeds as normal; however many we recruit, that's how many we cultivate."
The Academy Spirit nodded:
"Is there anything else you need me to do?"
Wen Xishu thought for a moment:
"Can you help me contact the principal?"
The Academy Spirit bowed:
"Of course, I'll contact him immediately; he actually just returned not long ago."
Wen Xishu had some matters he wanted to discuss with the principal.
He was now experiencing some confusion.
...
...
In the two days Wen Xishu was absent, Deceit Tower Academy relied on hard-core horror to fend off the invasion from Desire Tower Academy.
But the outcome in terms of reputation was not very good.
After all, those proud kids from Desire Tower Academy, while frightened quite badly, with some even developing shadows of fear.
However, the fact that Deceit Tower Academy showed their embarrassment and caused them to lose face in school was morally wrong.
They could make a fuss about this matter, putting these things onto the scales.
But interestingly, soon these individuals realized that public opinion wasn't on their side.
Because—
Thanks to Wen Xishu, ninety-nine percent of the Bunker people were no longer landlubbers.
[Based on the influence of the Bunker Tower Climber Wen Xishu, all Bunker people would gain the "Iron Lung"—the ability to hold their breath underwater for a long time.]
At first, people were a bit puzzled, wondering if this ability would be useful.
But soon, the Three Towers Academy, Xishu Divine Teaching, and Bunker institutions began to overwhelmingly promote one thing.