Xu Yi fell into deep thought.
Perhaps reaching Third-rank Star Official came with certain invisible privileges. For instance, higher-ranking cultivators might give lectures. The cultivation insights in Zhao Tingfang's notes had probably been recorded during one such class.
At that thought, Xu Yi's mind began to wander.
Climbing higher had always been his goal, but his promotions had already come at a breakneck pace. In the short term, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to rise to Third-rank Star Official.
And "short term" could easily mean several years, or even more than a decade. He wasn't willing to wait that long.
He racked his brains, and the only way he could see to reach Third-rank was to perfect his True Spirit Circle.
Zhao Tingfang's notes had a specific term for it: True Soul Complete.
Once one achieved True Soul Complete, the next step was to seize the Heavenly Soul and attain the position of Yang Venerable.
But True Soul Complete was exceedingly rare. Yin Venerables were as common as fish crossing a river—not only in the Northern Sacred Court, but even here in Huaixi Prefecture.
Yet those who cultivated a True Soul Circle were mostly Third-rank Star Officials, along with a handful of rare, peerless masters.
And those who perfected their True Soul Circle were, for the most part, Fourth-rank Star Officials. According to the promotion rules of the Northern Sacred Court,
once someone entered the Star Official ranks, there were generally two paths upward. One was to accumulate years of service and merit, the most common route. The other was to surpass the required cultivation level.
For instance, if you cultivated a True Spirit Circle, then even if you were only a First-rank Star Official and lacked both seniority and merit, you could still leap up to Second-rank