After finishing his registration and obtaining a cultivation technique, Daoist robes, and other miscellaneous items, Wang Baole put on the red Daoist robe meant for specially-recruited students. He was standing near a mountain peak. Although it was a little remote, he could not help but grin when standing before a beautiful building with excellent scenery.
In front of him was a purple stone door, which opened automatically, revealing a cave abode!
This is the legendary cave abode! Wang Baole could not contain his excitement. For many students, they could only reside in buildings that resembled dormitories. Only a select few had the right to live inside a cave abode at the mountain peak.
After all, that which is rare is dear. A mountain could have many buildings built, but the number of cave abodes was fixed. It was difficult to increase the number. Furthermore, the cave abodes had array formations that gathered Spirit Qi, making them have much denser Spirit Qi than the buildings.
Despite having a small cave abode, what Wang Baole had was enough to make countless students green with envy.
He could acutely feel how different his robe was from the other students'. He looked at his cave abode, and noticing that there was no one around, Wang Baole finally could not help but roar with laughter. He felt highly spirited. After entering the cave abode, he realized it had a veranda despite it not being very big. It stretched out twenty feet past the edge of the mountain peak. Standing there felt like he was standing in the sky. The complacent Wang Baole walked to the veranda and took in the scenery. He was in an extremely good mood as he took out a bag of snacks.
Wang Baole ate his snacks while he reveled in his good mood. He took out the martial cultivation technique that was unique to Ethereal Dao College. He saw, on the first page, three words written with bold, vigorous strokes!
Ancient Martial Arts!
It was not something unique to the Dharmic Armament faculty. All students in the Lower Academy were required to study this foundational cultivation technique. After freshmen were matriculated, they would enter their various faculties according to their choices, where they would learn all the unique knowledge the faculty had to offer. As for Ancient Martial Arts, it was provided to all faculties, intended as a foundational cultivation technique that supported the knowledge gained from each faculty.
The Ancient Martial realm has three stages: Blood Qi, Physical Seal, and Pulse Enrichment! As dusk approached, the wind turned colder. It blew at Wang Baole, making him feel extremely comfortable. The expression he had while reading the cultivation technique also turned more focused.
Only when the evening glow by the horizon was fully replaced by darkness did Wang Baole look up. He had finished reading the Ancient Martial Arts manual. He finally had a full understanding of the Ancient Martial realm.
Those at the Blood Qi stage have immense strength. Those at the Physical Seal are extremely precise and accurate. Once Pulse Enrichment is attained… one would be pushed to the peak of human physical conditioning! Wang Baole took a deep breath. He recalled the scene of the red-dressed youth, Chen Ziheng, striking the mountain. His eyes slowly began to burn with excitement.
To become Federation President, ancient martial arts are necessary. Besides, I can lose weight while cultivating in it. It kills many birds with one stone. In his excitement, Wang Baole began his attempt at cultivation. However, he suddenly had a change in expression. He raised his right hand and pulled out the black half-mask.
Wang Baole looked at the mask ruminatively. He could not forget how the mask had turned incorporeal during the test. There was also the blurry text that had appeared.
This must be a treasure! Wang Baole's heart raced. His parents were involved in archeology, and it was for this reason that his house seemed to be filled with objects that appeared like junk.
Wang Baole had once fantasized that one of the antiques hid a treasure, but he had played with nearly every one of them from a young age. He had even secretly dripped some blood to see if anything spectacular would happen.
With the mask in hand, he carefully studied it once more. Other than the somewhat ice-cold material, he still did not notice anything extraordinary about it. When he finally recalled that the mask produced changes only in a special environment like the test, his eyes lit up.
It looks like there's a need for me to borrow a similar Dharmic Artifact. Perhaps, I can unravel the secrets of this mask! With this thought in mind, he noticed that the sky had turned dark. The somewhat tired Wang Baole returned to his cave abode and arranged his luggage happily. He had not packed a lot of clothes. Most of his items were strange. There was even a large megaphone.
All of these are treasures gathered by me to aid me in becoming an official. If I hadn't been able to find my luggage in my dream, I would not have needed to go through so much hardship! Wang Baole yawned as he looked at the treasures in his luggage, satisfied. Just as he was about to sleep, he suddenly jolted and sat up.
I can't grow dizzy from success. The high officials' autobiographies illustrate many cases of people who lose themselves to their momentary success. They tend to end up in tragedy! Wang Baole drew a gasp. After repressing the excitement in him, he began pondering over the reason for the way the teachers looked at him and the way Goatee treated him. Matching it to his status as a specially-recruited student, the answer was evident.
They must have discovered that something was amiss. When Wang Baole came to this conclusion from his analysis, his heart turned cold as a chill ran down his spine.
I have to stay low during this period of time. It would be best if it appears as if I don't exist. If not, there will only be trouble! Wang Baole turned vexed. He did not wish to lose everything he had at present. While suffering from his headache, he could not help but blame the lack of a backer for his predicament.
I need to think of a way to quickly get a backer.
Three days passed by quickly. As the various faculties released their lists of admitted students, all the students moved into their various faculty peaks. College life was about to begin after the matriculated students fully grasped the college rules and regulations.
Wang Baole kept a low profile during the three days. He began his attempt at cultivating Ancient Martial Arts. He virtually did not step out of his cave abode, afraid he would gain the notice of Goatee. He believed that he might be a lot safer if he survived the sensitive period.
Although he had a nice wish, news regarding the various districts' tests began to spread on the Dao College's Spirit Intranet as the students settled in. It quickly became a hot topic.
After all, nearly a hundred hot-air balloon cruisers with nearly a hundred venues had undergone their district tests simultaneously. Many excellent students caught the attention of people.
"Did you hear? Among one of the freshmen from Skycloud City is a person named Lu Jingnan. He actually set a trap to slay the Barbed Bone Iguana. He was extremely impressive!"
"That's nothing. I heard that an expert named Chen Ziheng appeared in Phoenix City's test. He is only just short of the Physical Seal stage of the Ancient Martial realm. He was offered invitations from eight different faculties at the same time. He's famous!" As the Lower Academy Island's various faculties began discussing the freshmen on the Spirit Intranet, more people were gradually mentioned.
"The one who steals the show must be Chen Yameng. Rumor has it that she was born with a spirit body. She can refine Spirit Stones that are eighty percent pure. She could have entered the best college in the Federation, White Deer Dao College, but our Ethereal Dao College spared no expense and gave her an irresistible offer!"
"Chen Yameng is truly extraordinary. There's another person who is her equal. He might even surpass her. He's Zhuo Yifan. Rumor has it that he was born with Inkstar Eyes. Every time he activates them, everything around him appears slow. Furthermore, he is already at the perfected Physical Seal stage. His identity is a greater mystery, and he is rumored to be a member of the Five Generation Sky Clan. He has been specially recruited by the Combat faculty!"
Amid the discussion, all the noteworthy freshmen were brought to the forefront. Even the senior students felt the heat when they heard the news. And for Wang Baole, who was desperately trying to keep a low profile, he rose to prominence like a bright star. After all, he had been specially recruited, and his performance in the test had been spread by hundreds of students from Phoenix City.
"There are two specially-recruited students this batch. One of them is Zhuo Yifan, and the other is… Wang Baole! Speaking of Wang Baole, he has extremely high morals. He is filled with righteousness and is willing to sacrifice himself for others. In order to save his schoolmates, he charged into a sea of snakes despite the appearance of a Red Bone White Neonate Snake. In order to give his schoolmates a chance to survive, he fed himself to the wolves. He once said the heart-stirring statement that he would live and die as one of Ethereal Dao College!"
"Also, even after seeing an Ancient Boor Specter Bear, Wang Baole still struggled to crawl over, despite his grievous injuries. He attempted to use his body to lure the Specter Bear away so as to save his schoolmates!"
This matter spread rapidly, causing Wang Baole to become famous. His name was soon known to all on the Lower Academy Island.
Wang Baole, through his voice transmission ring, could not help but turn cold from fright when he saw the talk on the Spirit Intranet after logging in. He felt that trouble was brewing, and he quickly posted a thread.
"Hello everyone, I'm Wang Baole. All of you were mistaken. I was actually very afraid back then. The reason I charged into the snake swarm was not that I am selfless, but that I find my schoolmate, Zhou Xiaoya, very pretty. I wanted to court her. Really…"
Wang Baole posted his message through clenched teeth. He hoped that he could lower the attention he received by sullying himself. He did not dare to keep a high profile.
But he did not imagine that the moment he posted the message, it quickly gained the affirmation and replies of countless students. Most of them were female students. They replied, calling him a real man!
Wang Baole nearly fainted as he was close to tears. He lamented about how he had bolstered the impressions people had of him despite believing that it would do the opposite. Thus, he posted another message.
"Actually, I only blocked the pack of wolves because I was poisoned. I knew I was about to die, so I would rather enjoy a quick death. The person who saved everyone was not me. All the credit should be given to Chen Ziheng!"
Wang Baole was just about to heave a sigh of relief after writing that. He felt that by giving Chen Ziheng all the credit, attention would be placed on Chen Ziheng and not him.
However… Wang Baole's relief only lasted a short while. Chen Ziheng suddenly posted a reply, claiming that Wang Baole was inferior to him when it came to martial arts, but in terms of heroic spirit, tenacity, and selflessness, he was inferior to Wang Baole!
The moment the message was posted, it immediately caused the Spirit Intranet to boil over. After all, Chen Ziheng was famous. What he said carried weight. Immediately, countless people began discussing the matter. It made Wang Baole's plan of diverting away attention fail once again. More attention was placed on him, even more than Chen Yameng.
All of this made Wang Baole feel like slamming his head against the wall. He reeled in despair as tears rolled down his cheeks. Even his organs were trembling.
Heavens, are you guys trying to get me killed? Spare me! I admit my mistake, alright?
With tears streaming down his cheeks, he gritted his teeth and posted once again.
"Everyone, please don't mind me anymore. I'm just an ordinary fatty. There is nothing good about me. I'm gluttonous, lustful, and avaricious. I only barely passed the placement exams, and the Spirit Stones I can refine are only a little better than fifty percent. I'm really just an ordinary person!"
Wang Baole felt that this act of sullying of himself was complete. Any bad thing he could think of had been added. However, the development of the situation nearly shocked his jaw off.
This time, it was Liu Daobin who stepped forward. He left a message that resonated in an unprecedented manner with countless students!
"Chen Yameng is impressive. Zhuo Yifan is even more remarkable. However, they were already the best of us freshmen. They have more than what it takes to rescue people or complete tests, but Wang Baole is different. He was saving people with his life. It's just like how a wealthy person can give you a hundred Spirit Stones, but when compared to a poor person who gives you all his savings of a hundred Spirit Stones, how can that act have the same meaning? Wang Baole is just like us. He is only an ordinary student, so how can he be without flaws? But it is such a person, with him sacrificing himself to save others, that makes it even more shocking. That bloody scene is something I will never forget my entire life!"
His words immediately stirred a fervor. It caused the comments on the Lower Academy Island's Spirit Intranet to increase exponentially. Topics on Wang Baole exceeded Zhuo Yifan's, making him stand out amid the batch of freshmen!
Wang Baole was completely dumbfounded as he looked at the Spirit Intranet in a daze. He did not think he was that great. It took him a while to recover as his eyes were filled with despair. He took out a bag of snacks while looking as though life held nothing for him. He began munching on the snacks.
I'm finished. I'm finished! I'm in big trouble!
Indeed, it did not take long before the teachers on the Phoenix City cruiser took notice. They could not maintain their silence and publicly announced the news that Wang Baole had cheated on the test.
Like massive ripples formed from a stone drop, the announcement immediately caused a huge upheaval all across the Lower Academy Island!
As the news of Wang Baole's cheating broke, the shock that everyone felt was as elevated as the pedestal he had been previously placed on. Topics on Wang Baole cropped up again, becoming the hottest topic among the freshmen. Even topics of the older students paled in comparison.
There were even many who directly posted threads on the Spirit Intranet, angrily demanding that punitive action be taken against Wang Baole.
Wang Baole sighed when he saw his worst fears happen as he expected. He sat gloomily in his cave abode and looked around, his heart filled with sorrow.
Wang Baole attempted to console himself. It's said that when Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. Is Heaven testing me?
He felt that he was facing extremely great trouble. Just a little misstep could doom him. After being gripped by momentary nervousness, his brain began whirling for a solution.
Days later, the various faculties in Ethereal Dao College's Lower Academy Island began the first lectures for freshmen. That day, Wang Baole carried his tiny bag early in the morning as he walked out his cave abode with an austere expression.
What's the big deal? It's nothing. What's there to be afraid of? Wang Baole looked up at the Sword Sun and took a deep breath. His eyes revealed a look of determination. Dressed in his specially-recruited student robes, he headed for the Spirit Stones Hall, one of the three main halls of the Dharmic Armament faculty.
Many students were headed for the hall in groups. All of them were looking forward to classes. They walked briskly while chatting, but when they saw Wang Baole in his red Daoist robes, they were taken aback. They instantly recognized him, and their expressions changed. The topics they were talking in whispers quickly changed to that of Wang Baole.
"It's Wang Baole!"
"He actually appeared!"
"Say, how long do you think he can stay in the Dao College? I heard that a teacher has proposed to expel him to serve as a warning to others."
Although everyone spoke softly, Wang Baole met too many students along the way. Some of the chatter reached his ears. If it were anyone else, they would definitely not have been able to hide their fluster and anxiety; however, as an oddity who had studied high officials' autobiographies from a young age, Wang Baole made having a thick skin a basic skill. He remained composed as he strode straight toward the hall.
The stone platform that the hall was on spanned a huge area. It was sufficient to hold ten thousand people. Although the construction was simple, it was filled with an ancient air. Eight gigantic stone columns supported the massive Flying Phoenix Pavilion.
The pavilion's entrance was noisy. Apart from the empty lecture stage, there were countless tables and chairs in a stepped fashion. They were occupied by people, and the most eye-catching thing in the hall was a gigantic stone wall to the right of the lecture stage.
The wall was blue in color, and on it were a hundred names. Every name had a number labeled beside it. Beside first place was the number 90, and for the hundredth place, it was 82. There was a string of smaller numbers behind those numbers.
A huge rock stood upright outside the hall's entrance. On it was the motto of the Dharmic Armament faculty.
'Divine armaments shall destroy the myriad Dao if restrainment by Dharmic Artifacts and Numinous treasures proves fruitless!'
When Wang Baole approached, he remained composed despite there being bold freshmen and senior students present as he looked at the motto on the rock.
The sentence was domineering. It was a strong, impactful principle that a single Dharma could suppress the myriad Dao. Even though Wang Baole was caught up in his thoughts, he could not help but halt when he saw the words. He was stunned by them.
Wang Baole might have only been interested in the Dharmic Armament faculty in the past, but at that moment, he turned even more inclined toward the Dharmic Armament faculty after reading the sentence.
Trying to expel me? What a joke! I, Wang Baole, have been studying high officials' autobiographies for ten years. What sort of storms have I not weathered? Wang Baole focused his mind and stepped into the hall, striding straight in.
With his eye-catching red Daoist robes appearing in the hall, he immediately attracted the attention of the students around him. It was unknown whose sharp voice it was that first shouted Wang Baole's name.
After the shout, innumerable pairs of eyes landed their gazes on Wang Baole instantly. There were more than ten thousand people, and their gazes were all focused on one person. The pressure was enough to turn one limp, especially since there were jeers coming from the crowd.
"Wang Baole, to think you have the shame to attend classes!"
"What specially-recruited student? It's something obtained purely from cheating! How unjust it is if such a person is not punished!"
"Wang Baole, you are not welcomed here!"
If this were anywhere else, perhaps no one would have said such words so directly. After all, there was no deep vendetta between them. But in the massive hall, with so many people present, the atmosphere easily stirred up emotions. Instantly, there was a buzz that demanded punitive measures against him.
Liu Daobin was also among the group. He felt conflicted, and he sighed inwardly when he looked at Wang Baole. He also felt odd. Despite knowing that Wang Baole had cheated, he still could not wipe the bloody scene from his mind.
If it were me, I'll probably turn and leave. Liu Daobin shook his head as he reflected on the situation. Wang Baole was still standing at the entrance. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw Wang Baole very naturally pull out a megaphone from his bag. He placed it by his mouth and widened his eyes before suddenly shouting loudly, "All of you shut up!"
He had shouted to begin with, and through the special amplification of the megaphone, it sounded like thunder. It resounded throughout the hall, drowning out the voices of ten thousand people.
Those who were closer to Wang Baole, who had jeered the loudest, nearly stumbled due to the roar. Instantly, everyone felt their ears buzz as there was complete silence. Some were in a daze. Even in their wildest dreams, they had never expected a student to have a clearly modified megaphone in his bag.
People were there to study. They found it puzzling that anyone would bring a megaphone to school.
It was truly too incredulous. The dramatic turn of events, especially the deafening megaphone's sound, left everyone dumbstruck. Even Liu Daobin was dumbfounded. He could not help but take a few looks at the ridiculous megaphone in Wang Baole's hand.
Wang Baole looked in satisfaction at the scene before him as he stuffed the megaphone into his bag in a composed manner. This was one of the treasures he carried with him all the time. From his reading of the high officials' autobiographies, he knew very clearly that having a powerful megaphone in a speaking contest was extremely useful.
Wang Baole raised his head and puffed out his chest, walking forward when he saw everyone stunned. He noticed Liu Daobin, who seemed hesitant. After looking at Wang Baole's tiny bag, Liu Daobin waved at him.
This Liu Daobin is quite an interesting fellow. Wang Baole's eyes lit up as he rushed over to take a seat.
Only then did the crowd in the hall recover. Many were infuriated, and just as they wanted to retaliate, a bell rang. A thin, white-haired elder dressed in black Daoist robes slowly walked in.
He had a cold expression, looking like someone that one should stay away from. He naturally suffused a repressive aura, causing the heart of every student in the hall to palpitate. They shut their mouths and quietly looked at the black-robed elder, who had walked onto the lecture stage.
Wang Baole also quickly looked over.
The black-robed elder swept his gaze over the crowd before saying.
"The Dharmic Armament faculty has three main halls. They are the Spirit Stones Hall, the Inscriptions Hall, and the Spirit Kernel Hall. I am one of the five lecturers in the Spirit Stones Hall, Zou Yunhai.
"The stone wall beside me is the Dharmic Armament Roll of the School of Spirit Stones. I wish for all of you to have your names on it one day.
"Class shall begin now! But before we study the refinement of Spirit Stones, I want all of you to understand one principle. Why do we get the entire population to cultivate a Qi nurturing technique when we want to refine Spirit Stones?" As the elder spoke, he nonchalantly clenched his fist. A milky-white stone the size of a fist appeared out of thin air.
This scene left the hearts of many students palpitating once again. Liu Daobin was well-read as he drew a gasp beside Wang Baole. He uttered, "Teacher Zou has a storage Dharmic Artifact!"
Wang Baole similarly widened his eyes. Although he had heard of storage Dharmic Artifacts, he had never seen one before. No one sold them in the world. Occasionally, he would hear on the news that one had been sold at a major auction. Furthermore, the final price was far beyond his imagination.
None of the students were strangers to the milky-white rock. It was the necessary Empty Stone needed to refine Spirit Stones.
"Thirty-seven years ago, with the Sword of the Cosmos flying over, a new energy source suddenly appeared in this world, and it's none other than Spirit Qi! The concentration of Spirit Qi is extremely rich, but it appeared too suddenly. It did not exist in the past, and according to the Federation's research, if the Spirit Qi continues nourishing the land, it will affect jade in a few centuries, which will result in Spirit Stone mines!"
The black-robed elder spoke calmly. The white rock he held was constantly emitting an increasingly intense halo. One could faintly notice that the elder's surroundings were silently warping. It seemed like invisible Spirit Qi was being controlled by him and guided into the rock.
"However, we are presently in the thirty-seventh year of the Spirit Inception era. We are far from having Spirit Stone mines. To gain Spirit Stones, we need humans to create them. Therefore, various factions have promoted the Qi nurturing technique, making it open to the population. The goal is to make everyone a miner to create Spirit Stones so that it can be used as a currency. It will result in a massive number of Spirit Stones that can supply the whole world with cultivation resources.
"Also, due to how different people have different affinities with Spirit Qi and other various reasons, the Spirit Stone purity each person refines is different. This gives rise to what we call natural endowments. For example, to qualify for the White Deer Dao College, one needs to refine Spirit Stones with a purity of more than seventy percent. As for our Ethereal Dao College, it's lower, but it still needs at least fifty percent purity!"
His words and the changes to the Empty Stone left the students in the hall speechless. Such an opinion was completely different from what they knew. And the way the elder refined the Spirit Stone in such a composed manner was equally stunning.
The entire population takes on the role of miners… He can refine a Spirit Stone while speaking. Wang Baole's heart was racing as well. He could refine Spirit Stones, too, but he needed to fully focus every time. Just a tiny distraction would result in failure.
The black-robed elder was unconcerned with the students' shock. He calmly refined the Spirit Stone as he continued speaking once again.
"Then here comes a new question. Is there really only one Qi Fostering Art?"
"I can tell you with full certainty that what the population studies is the first volume. Its main use is to strengthen one's physique, allowing Spirit Qi to enter the body. Although it's not possible for them to store it in their bodies, it will quickly dissipate out of their bodies like a draught. But if they hold an Empty Stone, they can use their bodies as a conduit with their minds, allowing them to refine Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones also have grades. Inferior-grade, medial-grade, superior-grade, as well as the Rainbow Spirit Stones that approach perfection!"
"As for the second volume, only Dharmic Armament refiners can gain access to it. This is because the sword hilt fragment that contained the Qi Fostering Art was a description of Dharmic Armament refinement! It's only because the first volume had the additional information pertaining to the refinement of Spirit Stones that it was spread among the population, allowing everyone to cultivate in it."
The black-robed elder spoke at an appropriate speed. Having said that, the Empty Stone in his hand had already turned resplendent. Waving his right hand, the luster dissipated. Ash scattered from the Empty Stone's surface and exposed a much smaller, chestnut-shaped Spirit Stone!
Mist seemed to swirl in it as it shimmered!
"Although the second volume is good, those who cannot refine Spirit Stones with a purity higher than eighty percent are not qualified to study from it. As such, in my class, I will not talk about the second volume. I'll only be talking about the refinement tricks as recorded in the first volume!"
The hall was silent. Everyone was looking at the Spirit Stone in the elder's hand. Everything seemed to pale in front of it. With this Spirit Stone as a comparison, they felt as though the Spirit Stones they refined were mere fakes.
He refined a Spirit Stone of at least ninety percent purity while speaking… Other than being a teacher, Teacher Zou must definitely be someone remarkable outside! Wang Baole drew a gasp. The lesson that day seemed to have opened up a brand-new world for him!
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