Nine Wonders (3)

Nine Wonders (3)

Ye Qingcang never fought a battle he was not sure of winning.

Somewhere the Shrek group could not see, he had long since finished all the preparations. Even if everything developed in the worst possible direction, he had more than enough contingencies to keep the plan moving forward as originally intended.

He had been utterly ordinary for fifteen years.

He had remained unknown for fifteen years.

This eagle cry, suppressed for fifteen years, might not compare to King Chu's bird that "remained silent for three years, then astonished the world with a single cry," but surely it would not fall too far short.

In short: despise the enemy strategically, but take the enemy seriously tactically.

Whether Tang San would become his enemy depended on whether Tang San wanted to become his enemy. In any case, his Pocket Formation had already been laid. If Tang San jumped in, he would have only himself to blame. If he did not, then in the future, Tang San could walk his Narrow Bridge while Ye Qingcang walked his Broad Road.

"Is that pavilion ahead the Pavilion in Water among the Nine Wonders?" Ning Rongrong was not far from Ye Qingcang. She, Zhu Zhuqing, and Oscar were walking at the very front of the group, making them the closest to him as well. They were less than twenty paces apart. "Flower Path has more than a hundred True Meaning Trees. What is so special about the Pavilion in Water?"

"Rongrong..." Zhu Zhuqing shook her head at Ning Rongrong meaningfully.

She was an exceptionally calm girl.

She was also an exceptionally clear-headed girl.

Whether in means, judgment, or mental fortitude, she had reached the limit for someone her age. Unfortunately, time was the most unreasonable thing in the world. After giving her a fiery figure beyond her years, it had also found her a powerful rival.

That rival was her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun.

She was also the fiancée of the Star Luo Empire's eldest prince.

Internal strife had been a generation-spanning tradition within the Xingluo Royal Family. The Dai Family produced men, while the Zhu Family produced women. Suitable young men and women were selected from the direct lineages and given the freedom to pair up. Those who failed to find a partner were removed and treated as having forfeited. Then, every remaining pair was forced to fight until only one pair remained.

That final pair would become the Star Luo Empire's current Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

They would also become the next Emperor and Empress.

It was cruel and twisted beyond imagination.

Thus, Dai Family daughters and Zhu Family sons born into the direct line were fortunate.

Unfortunately, Zhu Zhuqing was not one of those fortunate people.

She was not even among those who forfeited by remaining single.

She was a participant in this internal struggle.

That was precisely why she understood how the word "restraint" was written.

Ning Rongrong could afford to lack restraint because she was the Little Princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo supported her from behind, and the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was her formidable backing.

But Zhu Zhuqing could not.

As a friend, she felt it necessary to remind Ning Rongrong that Ye Qingcang was unfathomable. Getting too close to someone like him, acting too familiar and disrespectful around him, might not be a good thing.

"The Pavilion in Water is a place for enlightenment..." Ye Qingcang heard Zhu Zhuqing's warning to Ning Rongrong, but he merely smiled it off. The higher he flew, the more dangerous and insignificant he appeared in the eyes of those who could not fly. "Sit in the pavilion, treading water without a ripple; when the heart holds no thoughts, the water flows of itself. The lake surrounding the Pavilion in Water is connected to one's state of mind. Those untouched by worldly dust or possessing true clarity of heart may cross the water and enter the pavilion to seek enlightenment. Worth mentioning is that formations have been set around the Pavilion in Water, so Soul Power cannot be used. Therefore, crossing the water requires not only holding fast to one's true heart within illusions, but also at least the strength of having perfected the Skin and Hair Chapter. Fortunately, the Pavilion in Water was never meant for ordinary people. In theory, those who have perfected the Skin and Hair Chapter can train their peripheral nerves to the utmost limit and use the water's buoyancy to walk across it. However, within the illusion, the slightest moment of distraction will make one fall into the water, unable to advance another inch. Thus, the Pavilion in Water is an acceleration zone specifically arranged for students who wish to comprehend true meaning. If you have a vague feeling that seems tantalizingly close yet impossibly distant, and you happen to have credits on hand, you may try it. Walking on the water requires no credits; only entering the pavilion requires payment."

"Enlightenment?" Ning Rongrong's pupils trembled as she stared in shock at the Pavilion in Water at the end of Flower Path. "The kind of enlightenment with an incredibly low chance of occurring?"

Oscar was not as knowledgeable as Ning Rongrong.

In fact, it was not just Oscar who lacked knowledge. Even Zhu Zhuqing, who came from the Duke Zhu Family Estate, was hearing the term "enlightenment" for the first time.

The difference was that Zhu Zhuqing was reserved, while Oscar had much thicker skin. He also harbored a bit of affection for Ning Rongrong, so he asked when he did not understand, taking the opportunity to speak with her. "What is enlightenment?"

"It's a kind of..." Ning Rongrong thought for a moment, her tone uncertain. "State of mind?"

She did not know much about enlightenment either.

She had learned about it mainly because her Sword Grandfather had experienced enlightenment once. It was because of that enlightenment that he broke through the bottleneck at Rank 95 and reached his current Rank 96. In Bone Grandfather's original words when describing it to her, it was a state of mind that could be encountered but never sought. Even for Titled Douluo, enlightenment was the greatest opportunity of a lifetime, bar none. Its value could even rival a 100,000-Year Spirit Ring or a 100,000-Year Soul Bone. Yet while 100,000-Year Spirit Rings and 100,000-Year Soul Bones could still be obtained by hunting 100,000 Year Soul Beasts, enlightenment was an opportunity that could not be acquired by human effort. Ninety-nine percent of Titled Douluo would never experience enlightenment in their entire lives. As for Soul Masters below the Titled Douluo level, forget one percent—the chance was not even one in a hundred million.

Just think about it. Out of a hundred Titled Douluo, at least ninety-nine would never achieve enlightenment even once in their lives. How low was the chance of triggering it?

The rarer something was, the more precious it was, and the greater its rewards.

This was one of the eternal iron laws of the Soul Master world.

A single enlightenment session lasted no more than a day and a night.

Yet it could allow a Rank 95 Titled Douluo to shatter through a bottleneck and directly enter Rank 96. Such heaven-defying gains truly matched its trigger rate.

Even if that trigger rate was painfully low...

Still, if she had to describe enlightenment now, she truly did not know how. Even Sword Grandfather, after attaining enlightenment, had only used four words to describe it—mysterious beyond mystery.

The only thing that seemed to fit those four words was a state of mind.

However, Ye Qingcang, who had attained enlightenment hundreds of times, had a different understanding. "Enlightenment can be understood by separating the two characters. 'Enlighten' means to comprehend. For example, I read a book and comprehend the knowledge within it. 'Way' refers to the principles of heaven and earth. For example, why does an apple fall downward to the ground when it ripens, rather than flying upward into the clouds? Put these two meanings back together, and enlightenment means comprehending the principles of heaven and earth. Just like reading a book, every person who seeks enlightenment is reading a book. The only difference is that the book they read is unlike the books others read. Their book is called the world. But the book called the world contains too much knowledge, and anyone can comprehend only an insignificant portion of it. Some clever people use those insights to leave behind things that can be passed down to later generations..."

"Self-Created Soul Skills!"

Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Zhu Zhuqing spoke the name in unison.

"Yes..." Ye Qingcang affirmed their guess, but it was not entirely correct. "Self-Created Soul Skills are a product of enlightenment, but only one of its products. What some people comprehend is not a Self-Created Soul Skill, but an indescribable conviction. One stops at technique, which is easy to learn; the other stops at intent, which is difficult to grasp. The flaw of Self-Created Soul Skills is that they have limits. For example, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Distraction Control Soul Technique can only achieve seven simultaneous uses, while the Clear Sky Sect's Great Sumeru Hammer can only shatter nine Spirit Rings, because Soul Masters can have at most nine Spirit Rings. However, true meanings such as sword intent have no upper limit. Or rather, the upper limit of true meaning is created by people. Sword intent usable at Rank 10 can still be used at Rank 99, and its benefits to the enlightened person only grow, never diminish. The drawback is that it is difficult to pass down. There are over a hundred True Meaning Trees on Flower Path, but how many later generations have truly comprehended true meaning from Flower Path without relying on the Pavilion in Water to pierce through that final layer?"

Ning Rongrong and the other two had no reply.

The topic was too profound.

Their level of knowledge left them unable to join the conversation.

They could only follow Ye Qingcang around the lake. Once the Shrek group, divided into four levels, had regrouped, they headed toward the distant, imposing teaching building.

Blue Tyrant Academy's layout was quite unusual.

The area directly beyond Blue Tyrant Academy's gates was a park. The park also served as the academy's transportation hub, with three main roads. One led to the student dormitories, one to the club activity area, and the last was Flower Path leading to the teaching building.

At the end of Flower Path stood the Pavilion in Water, which was actually a large lake with a small pavilion built from Enlightenment Stone in its center. A ring of railings and handrails had been built along the shore. Whether one circled half the lake from the left or the right, one could reach the entrance to the teaching building.

Behind the teaching building were the sports field and training grounds.

Beyond the sports field and training grounds were the faculty dormitories.

The one hundred and fifty students on the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings also qualified to live there. The treatment of a private villa was beyond comparison with a four-person dormitory. This was also one of Blue Tyrant Academy's privileges for outstanding students.

The weak were prey to the strong; the fittest survived.

They were all commoners. If they wanted to rise above others, they had to fight with everything they had!

Perhaps it was overly cruel, but after leaving Blue Tyrant Academy, even giving everything they had might not be enough to rise above others. They would also need judgment and luck. If their judgment was poor and their luck insufficient, then after fighting desperately until the end, they might only fight themselves to death. Blue Tyrant Academy's teaching philosophy of promoting the capable and demoting the mediocre seemed cruel, but so long as fairness and justice were maintained, it was the greatest fairness for students born as commoners!

Want Spirit Rings?

Blue Tyrant Academy's teachers would take you to hunt them.

Want Soul Bones?

Thanks to alchemy, Blue Tyrant Academy had as many Soul Bones as it wanted, of whatever age limit it wanted.

Want Self-Created Soul Skills?

The fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of Blue Tyrant Academy's library were filled entirely with Self-Created Soul Skills.

Want Gold Soul Coins?

There were restrictions on exchanging Gold Soul Coins for credits, but no restrictions on exchanging credits for Gold Soul Coins. The price was clearly marked: one credit equaled one hundred Gold Soul Coins. As long as you had credits, you could exchange them for however many Gold Soul Coins you wanted.

To receive all these benefits, one had to climb upward by stepping on the heads of peers. Nobles valued elite education, so the education most suitable for commoners was to sift the sand with great waves, building quality through quantity.

Perhaps we cannot teach every student from sand into gold, but we will strive to uncover every grain of gold from among countless grains of sand—this was the slogan written on the wall at the entrance to Blue Tyrant Academy's teaching building, and it was the teaching style Blue Tyrant Academy had maintained ever since its founding!

Inequality was the fairest form of fairness!

"Blue Tyrant Academy is a contradictory academy..." Inside the teaching building, in the Dean of Studies' office, Blue Tyrant Academy's Dean of Studies introduced the academy bluntly to the Shrek group seated on the sofa. "Blue Tyrant Academy is free, yet strict in its rules. Its strictness refers to the academy rules. The academy rules cannot be violated. Other than those who make the rules and those authorized to change them, anyone who violates the rules will receive the corresponding punishment. Its freedom refers to the students. So long as you do not violate the academy rules, no one will care what you do. Even if you skip class, no one will care. Everything depends on self-discipline. The cafeteria offers free plain rice and seaweed soup. Students with credits can eat and drink well, even enjoying spirit cuisine at every meal. Students without credits can only watch others eat while having free meals themselves. Blue Tyrant Academy will not expel any student without cause. Three minor demerits count as one demerit, three demerits count as one major demerit, and three major demerits result in expulsion. Merits and demerits can offset each other, and there are also three corresponding merit ratings: minor merit, merit, and major merit."

The moment he said this, the Shrek side erupted in an uproar.

Spirit cuisine!

It was both an unfamiliar and familiar term!

It was unfamiliar because spirit cuisine had only emerged within the past ten years. Various medicinal herbs, Soul Beast meats, and plants were used to prepare all sorts of food. Because these foods had excellent nourishing effects for Soul Masters, they were collectively named spirit cuisine. They were not called medicinal cuisine because medicinal cuisine could not contain Soul Beast meat. Spirit cuisine's advantage was that it could fully bring out the qualities of Soul Beast meat, nourishing a Soul Master's body while increasing cultivation speed. Every dish was hard to obtain.

As for the Spirit Cuisine Room responsible for preparing all kinds of spirit cuisine, there were only three shops in the entire world. They were located respectively in Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire; Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire; and Spirit City, governed by Spirit Hall. There were no branch stores. All three were main stores, and their secret recipes remained unknown to this day. Any Soul Master could only purchase spirit cuisine directly from the Spirit Cuisine Room. There had once been Soul Masters who dared to pry into the secret recipes. Some had even abducted a chef from the Spirit Cuisine Room, brutally tortured him, and killed him. But after the Spirit Cuisine Room posted a bounty promising lifelong free spirit cuisine to whoever killed that Soul Master, less than a day later, that Soul Master's head was displayed outside the Spirit Cuisine Room's entrance. From then on, no Soul Master dared lay a hand on the Spirit Cuisine Room again.

To block someone's path was like murdering their parents.

Quite a few Soul Emperors had relied on bowl after bowl of spirit cuisine to break through the Rank 69 bottleneck and become Rank 70 Soul Saints. The Spirit Cuisine Room's reputation was renowned throughout the world.

One serving of Earth Dragon Somersault cost three thousand Gold Soul Coins.

One serving of Ice Lotus Stewed Vermilion Toad cost four thousand Gold Soul Coins.

One serving of Dragon Spine Meat cost five thousand Gold Soul Coins.

These three dishes were the Spirit Cuisine Room's cheapest offerings, fully illustrating that cultivation was nothing but burning money. Even so, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, and the Xingluo Royal Family all maintained large purchase orders with the Spirit Cuisine Room and were its partners. This showed just how greatly spirit cuisine could improve Soul Masters.

Ning Rongrong could afford spirit cuisine.

Her family was wealthy. Money was no concern.

It could be said that most of her Rank 36 Soul Power had been eaten into existence.

Otherwise, having Rank 30 or 31 Soul Power by now would already have been quite impressive. How could she possibly rank second among the Seven Monsters in Soul Power level?

But Ning Rongrong being able to afford it did not mean Flender and the others could.

In fact, not only could Flender not afford it, but even Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai could only eat it occasionally, and only the cheapest kind. Even then, they would feel a deep sense of happiness.

And now he was telling them that at Blue Tyrant Academy, they could use credits to eat spirit cuisine every meal?

Seeing the doubtful expressions on the Shrek group's faces, Blue Tyrant Academy's Dean of Studies—a stern-looking middle-aged Soul Saint—could not help laughing. He exchanged a glance with Ye Qingcang, and after receiving Ye Qingcang's permission, casually dropped a heaven-shaking piece of news. Like a bolt from a clear sky, it left the entire Shrek group stunned.

"From the very beginning, spirit cuisine was meant to be food, not medicine."

"And the reason spirit cuisine was classified as food was because Soul Masters cultivating Stellar Martial Arts had far too great a need for energy. If they ate ordinary meals, even students who had only just entered the Flesh and Blood Chapter would need to eat by the bucket. For example, one bucket for breakfast, two buckets for lunch, one bucket for dinner, and half a bucket for a late-night snack. Even if the cafeteria could supply that much food, the students' stomachs could not endure it. That is why spirit cuisine was classified as food from the beginning."

"The Spirit Cuisine Room is one of Blue Tyrant Academy's industries. More precisely, it is where apprentices practice their craft. Those chefs in the Spirit Cuisine Room would only be qualified to assist the cooking masters in Blue Tyrant Academy's cafeteria, chopping vegetables, mincing meat, and the like."

"Because Blue Tyrant Academy uses a credit system, selling spirit cuisine to students causes the academy to lose money. So, we came up with a way to sell spirit cuisine outside and recoup funds. For example, Dragon Spine Meat sells for five thousand Gold Soul Coins outside, but at Blue Tyrant Academy, you can eat it for only three credits. Worth mentioning is that the exchange rate between Blue Tyrant Academy credits and Gold Soul Coins is always maintained at one to one hundred. In other words, one credit can be exchanged for one hundred Gold Soul Coins..."

A quick note: I can guarantee at least four thousand words every day, but I cannot guarantee it will always be two chapters. Sometimes, when the writing flows, I follow the momentum and keep writing. Then when I look back, it has turned into a four-thousand-word mega chapter (_|||). So please do not think I am slacking off. The word count is about the same, so everyone can rest assured.