Silence!
The silence of death.
And then.
Boom——
The tumultuous explosion of noise, threatening to bring the roof of the Hall of Law Transmission off its fixtures.
"Is this a dream? Just received the Visualization Method yesterday, and started cultivating on the same night?"
"Did the coach deceive us? How is this possible?"
"What kind of monster is this…"
"Wait, what does the comprehensive assessment that the coach just mentioned - Grade-A, specifically mean?"
Cries of extreme shock echoed one after another.
The news revealed by Coach Wang, stirred a huge wave in everyone's mind, which took a long time to subside.
In the crowd, the hitherto calm Zhang Jing, let out an expression that was akin to seeing a ghost.
What the hell is this?!
Just got the Visualization Method and started cultivating overnight?
This has got to be a cheat.
Even though he, Zhang, had the aid of the Mysterious Jade Token, and the support of Dharma Seeds, it took him a full ten days. The gap between this was simply unimaginable.
As for the possibility that the person might have acquired the Visualization Method in advance ——
This guess only lasted a moment before being discarded by Zhang Jing.
He didn't think the other party was that stupid. To cheat and put oneself in such a conspicuous position was akin to seeking death. Moreover, if this were the case, the Dao Institute wouldn't have failed to investigate.
"Is this the top talent of this world? It really is ——"
Zhang Jing momentarily didn't know what to say.
There shouldn't...at least there can't be....
He was just thinking, perhaps only those who really could rely on talent to burst through everything, could catch up and even surpass those cultivators born into cultivation families in the Dao Institute examination.
And sure enough, a living example emerged immediately.
The scale beyond imagination.
Having practiced the Visualization Method, Zhang Jing was very clear in his mind, possessing such terrifying talent, it was meaningless whether this person named Shen Qingqing belonged to a cultivation family or not.
And at this moment.
The four who sat in the front row had different expressions.
Ji Bochang's Painting Fan slightly moved in his hand, his expression almost frozen.
The key is that this fan wasn't opened.
As for the other three including Chu Lingyun ——
The composure that had been on their faces all the time was finally replaced by a profound shock this moment.
"Grade-A...Grade-A..."
The three unconsciously muttered to themselves.
On the other side.
The shock in his heart gradually faded.
Zhang Jing quickly noticed something else, that is, the comprehensive evaluation mentioned by Coach Wang just now.
Grade-A!
"That's right, Coach Wang only mentioned the conditions for passing the examination before. Obviously, as long as it is an examination, there must be a rule for grading scores. It seems that this is it."
"Only...what is the rule?"
Zhang Jing's gaze focused on Coach Wang on the stage.
As expected.
Upon seeing the reaction of the people below, a proud expression of 'I knew it would be like this' emerged on Coach Wang's face.
"Alright." He shouted.
In an instant, the Hall of Law Transmission return to silence.
"The girl named Shen Qingqing has a special talent. You just need to work hard on your cultivation, get started on the Visualization Method as soon as possible. There's no need to compare yourselves to her."
"As for the comprehensive evaluation ——"
Coach Wang paused for a moment, then said in a serious tone:
"In the Dao Institute's examination, anyone who passes is assessed as Grades-A, B, C, and D based on the length of time needed for cultivating the Visualization Method."
"Those within three days are deemed Grade-A, within seven days as Grade-B, within fifteen days as Grade-C, and within thirty days as Grade-D."
"Upon entering the Outer Academy, Grade-A talents can select a top-grade legacy, Grade-B can select a middle-grade legacy, and Grade-C can select a lower-grade legacy."
"As for Grade-D, they can choose a legacy that is not graded."
After saying this, Coach Wang looked at Ji Bochang and the three others in the front, and said with a tone of envy:
"The higher the assessment grade, the more valuable you are to the Dao Institute. You four have a shot at the Grade-B evaluation, perhaps in the future you can enter the Inner Academy. You must seize this opportunity and not slack off."
"Yes, coach."
"As for you," Coach Wang looked at the others, "you can consider striving for the Grade-C evaluation."
"Understood, thank you coach for your guidance."
Afterward, he glanced over everyone else present and said lightly:
"Don't give up, it's still early, and it's not necessarily that you cannot pass the examination in the future. After entering the Dao Institute, even if you are only graded as D, if you accumulate enough Tao Merits, you could still exchange it for precious top-grade legacies. There is still hope for Foundation Establishment."
"Three days from now, I will begin teaching the Dao when the time reaches the beginning of mao!"
After saying this.
Without waiting for anyone's response, Coach Wang's figure flashed and he disappeared on the spot.
In the Hall of Law Transmission, people began to disperse in twos and threes. Some were feeling dejected, others full of anticipation, everyone had different feelings.
Before long, only Zhang Jing was left.
He sighed, feeling somewhat unwilling, he muttered to himself, "I still need nine days to master the Visualization Method, which means...Grade-C evaluation!"
"The difference between middle-grade legacy and low-grade legacy is really huge. And the levels of attention represented by the Dao Institute behind them are completely different."
"Just a little bit short~"
Zhang Jing was a bit desperate.
But after thinking it through, he could not find any way to make up for this tiny gap, to master the Visualization Method within seven days.
Eventually...
'Forget it, Grade-C is still better than Grade-D.' Zhang Jing resigned himself to his fate.
With the Mysterious Jade Token, he just needs to cultivate at his own pace.
Gurgle——
He felt a bit hungry though.
...
...
Spirit Food Hall.
Zhang Jing was counting his Silver, his eyebrows knitted together.
"Only twenty-five taels and three maces left, it's hard to say whether the food at Spirit Food Hall is really expensive, just a few bites can cost three to four mace Silver."
He casually complained.
Zhang Jing boldly walked into the Spirit Food Hall.
A person can't just not eat, right?
Moreover, perhaps due to the overuse of his mind, he found that if he ate the dry food in his bag, he would be hungry again within four hours.
The food from the Spirit Food Hall, although a bit expensive, kept him full for a long time.
The Spirit Food Hall was divided into an east and a west hall.
The west hall was larger and all the food sold could be bought with Silver; while the east hall was smaller and reportedly the food sold there was made with Spiritual Beast meat and Spirit Rice that was incredibly nourishing, but required Spirit Stones.
"Brother Zhang, over here."
Zhang Jing was about to go to the west hall, but was caught by Ji Bochang and dragged into the east hall.
"Brother Ji, I can't afford to eat here."
Zhang Jing said with an awkward smile.
"I have a question to ask Brother Zhang, of course, I will pay the bill." Ji Bochang let out a hearty laugh, his Painting Fan was rapidly fanning in his hand.
At a glance, it seemed like the two naked fairies on it were dancing.
...
"Brother Ji, just ask your question directly."
Sitting seriously in front of a dark green jade table, Zhang Jing asked curiously.
"Ah, I just wanted to ask Brother Zhang... are you... confident about passing the assessment?"
"Oh? What do you mean by that, Brother Ji?"
A trace of surprise flashed in Zhang Jing's eyes.
"Since Brother Zhang has asked, I won't hide it. Earlier on the back of the Spirit Crane, I was forced to make a bet with Wu Mingyuan on whether you could pass the assessment or not."
"And I bet that you could!"
"Why would you bet on this?" Zhang Jing's eyes widened in surprise.
"I don't know what's gotten into him?"
"What's the bet?"
Zhang Jing took a deep breath and asked.
"Twenty Spirit Stones."
"How many? Twenty Spirit Stones!" Zhang Jing's voice unconsciously got louder.
"Right, Brother Zhang, tell me quickly whether you are confident or not. If you are, I will raise the bet, defeat him in one shot, and I will share half of the Spirit Stones with you; If not, I'll find a way to dodge the bet."
"Yes!"
Zhang Jing's reply was decisive.
As the two were talking, the food had been served on the table.
"Brother Zhang, want to try some?" Ji Bochang suggested.
When it comes to dining, Zhang Jing has never been shy.
He picked up a slice of Spiritual Beast meat and put it in his mouth, and mumbled indistinctly: "Brother Ji, try to raise the bet a bit, I am fully confident to pass the——"
His speech stopped abruptly.
Zhang Jing astonishingly found that the moment this slice of Spiritual Beast meat was swallowed, a warm current quickly spread through his limbs and bones.
His spirit was churning.
At the same time, the mind that had been depleted earlier was gradually recovering.
"Is this the effect of the Spiritual Beast meat?!"
Zhang Jing was shocked.
He seemed to see the hope of achieving Grade-B evaluation!
ps: I had to work overtime today, so the update is a bit late, I apologize~