Thinking of this, Jiang Xuan could not help shaking his head—there was a seventy percent chance of death. If it were him, he would not be willing to take that gamble either.
Jiang Xuan's head-shaking was noticed by Xia He, and the brightness on the girl's face instantly dimmed.
"..." She opened her mouth, but in the end, she did not say anything to persuade him to stay. She merely sighed softly. "I... I'll see you out."
Seeing her dejected, wilted appearance, Jiang Xuan suddenly chuckled. "You're in such a hurry to send me away? Does the Inner Disciple slot you promised me earlier no longer count?"
"Huh?" Jiang Xuan's words left Xia He stunned.
Her adorably bewildered look made Jiang Xuan laugh even more heartily. "What, you really don't want to take me in?"
"Of course not, but how did you... I thought that with talent like yours, you would leave this place and cultivate elsewhere."
Before she finished speaking, she seemed to realize something, prompting her to hurriedly add, "Are you planning to choose one of Four Seasons Valley's Dao Branches to cultivate? I wouldn't advise that. Combined, the Four Seasons Reincarnation Art is an Upper Branch inheritance, but if you cultivate only one volume, its power will not be one-quarter of the whole. It will only be a few dozen percent, or even one percent, of its original strength."
The girl's eyes were full of earnestness, without the slightest attempt to hide anything. Her pure kindness made Jiang Xuan put away his smile, his expression turning more solemn. "I know. But my Spirit Root talent is not particularly good. Even the Middle Branches find it lacking, much less the Upper Branches. And as you said, if Four Seasons Valley's cultivation art can be completed in full, it will possess the might of an Upper Branch and can even reshape one's foundation. So I want to take a chance."
Without a doubt, that was a lie. Jiang Xuan wanted to learn Four Seasons Valley's cultivation art not because he was fond of gambling. The core reason was—the Dao Foundation Contract!
Jiang Xuan had not forgotten that this ability's effect was to make cultivation arts perfectly suited to his body and Soul Spirit, turning them into methods tailored exclusively for him.
Because they were custom-made and perfectly compatible, cultivation arts that others could not cultivate could be cultivated by Jiang Xuan, and barriers others could not cross could be easily stepped over by him.
There are only two reasons I cannot cultivate an art. One is that it has hard requirements, such as needing a special physique or secret medicinal pills to complement it. If I lack those things, naturally I cannot cultivate it, and the Dao Foundation Contract cannot forcibly adapt it.
The other is that the art's fundamental principles are flawed, making cultivation impossible.
But neither problem exists with the Four Seasons Reincarnation Art. The principles behind this cultivation art make sense, people successfully cultivate it every year, and strictly speaking, a thirty percent success rate is not low.
As for the seventy percent risk of death, Jiang Xuan believed it mostly came from insufficient compatibility between the cultivation art and the Cultivator, as well as inadequate cultivation realms that left them unable to control the powers of extinction and revival.
But to him, who possessed the Dao Foundation Contract, those two problems were hardly worth mentioning.
With an opportunity that offered nothing but benefits and practically no risks, he had no reason whatsoever to let it slip away.
Besides, he had two further considerations for cultivating in Four Seasons Valley.
The first was improving his foundation.
Jiang Xuan had the Three Purification Incantations, which allowed him to expel the turbid qi from his body through breathing exercises and make himself clear and pure.
But his attribute panel had previously indicated that the Three Purification Incantations had a limit in how much they could improve his Spirit Root. At most, it could reach Purple Precious Grade, which was Earth-grade Supreme.
The Four Seasons Reincarnation Art, however, might be able to help him break through that ceiling.
As for the second reason...
"That's wonderful! Don't worry, the effects after cultivating the Four Seasons Reincarnation Art to completion definitely won't disappoint you!"
Before his thoughts had fully settled, Xia He beside him burst into a delighted cheer.
—Even though she had not fully understood why Jiang Xuan dared to take such a gamble, once she confirmed that he was willing to remain in Four Seasons Valley and cultivate the complete Four Seasons Reincarnation Art, Xia He was so happy she nearly jumped up.
The next moment, she grabbed Jiang Xuan and ran toward the entrance of Yellow Mud Village. Once they found Meng Yingyue, Wu Shan, and the other senior brothers and sisters, she poured out the good news in one breath.
"Huh?!"
The news that Jiang Xuan was willing to stay left Di Chuan, Wu Shan, and the others staring in utter astonishment.
Zhou Qing even secretly transmitted his voice to Xia He. "Junior Sister, did you not tell Jiang Xuan about the circumstances in Four Seasons Valley and the dangers of cultivating the Four Seasons Reincarnation Art?"
"Hmph!" Xia He stomped her foot angrily at those words. "What do you take me for? I would never do something like that. After I told him everything, Junior Brother Jiang Xuan was still willing to stay."
This made Wu Shan and the others look at Jiang Xuan with even greater surprise, but beyond their astonishment, there was also more approval and admiration in their eyes.
Among them, the usually cold Di Chuan approved of Jiang Xuan the most. "I am also cultivating the Four Seasons Reincarnation Art. If you have any doubts in the future, you may come find me."
Jiang Xuan was somewhat surprised by this, then solemnly cupped his hands. "Then many thanks, Senior Brother Di Chuan."
After Di Chuan, Meng Yingyue also stepped forward with a smile and spoke gently. "Though I do not know what considerations you have in your heart, choosing to stay is by no means a wrong decision."
"Indeed, with your talent for comprehension, you could have gone to other Middle Branches, and perhaps even had a slight chance of entering the Upper Nine Branches. But your Spirit Root talent is ultimately a weakness, and truly top-tier prodigies have no shortcomings whatsoever."
"More importantly, those peaks are filled with prodigies. You would never be the only genius there. Even if they accepted you, they might not necessarily devote all their efforts to nurturing you. But Four Seasons Valley is different. Geniuses are scarce here. If you stay, every one of us will devote our full strength to helping you cultivate."
Her words struck right at Jiang Xuan's heart. This had been one of his considerations in choosing to remain in Four Seasons Valley.
Of course, mutual understanding was enough. Jiang Xuan had no intention of saying it aloud.
After exchanging greetings and reacquainting himself with them, Jiang Xuan cupped his hands toward Wu Shan and the others with a smile. "From now on, I'll have to trouble all of you senior brothers and sisters to look after me."
After saying that, he seemed to suddenly recall something and added with a smile, "By the way, since all of you have already acknowledged me, does that mean I no longer need to participate in the Hundred-Day Examination?"
The moment he said that, Xia He shook her head like a rattle drum. "No! Not only do you have to take it, you have to get good results too!"
"Huh?"
This time, it was Jiang Xuan's turn to be stunned.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Xia He hurriedly explained, "It isn't that we want to test you. It's because if you participate in the examination, you can gain benefits, and so can Four Seasons Valley."
After her, the gentle-tempered Meng Yingyue took over and carefully explained the reason. "The Hundred-Day Grand Examination is Divine Firmament Sect's annual grand sect event. Those who perform exceptionally in this examination can not only choose for themselves which mountain gate to enter, but also receive generous rewards issued by the sect."
"The rewards for the top three even include treasures that can raise the grade of one's Spirit Root."
"And in order to encourage the various Dao Branches to recruit more disciples, Divine Firmament Hall has an explicit rule: if a Dao Branch takes in a prodigy who ranks highly in the examination, it can receive a large amount of sect merit based on that ranking. This sect merit is one of the core criteria the sect uses to evaluate each branch's rank."
At this point, Meng Yingyue looked at Jiang Xuan, her tone carrying a solemn plea. "So, whether for your own opportunity or for Four Seasons Valley, I hope that in the coming days, you can prepare well for this examination together with Hehe."
Hearing this, Xia He immediately nodded vigorously at the side, clenching her tiny fists as she vowed, "Don't worry, Senior Sister Yingyue! Junior Brother Jiang Xuan and I will definitely make it into the top thirty-six this time!"
"The top thirty-six?"
Jiang Xuan was slightly taken aback by those words. He had not expected that Xia He, who had personally witnessed his talent, would set the target not in the top ten or even the top three, but at the thirty-sixth rank.
Jiang Xuan's brows rose, and a trace of gravity flashed through his heart.
He did not believe that Xia He, who came from an extraordinary background and had most likely cultivated in Daozi Academy, was speaking carelessly. The only reason she would set that target was because she had personally seen just how terrifying those true prodigies were.
Thinking of this, and realizing that in the Hundred-Day Examination, he would not be fighting merely for himself but also for Four Seasons Valley, Jiang Xuan stopped speculating and directly asked the question in his heart. "Why set the goal at rank thirty-six? Is there something special about that rank? And are you not competing for the top ten because there are truly difficult opponents in Daozi Academy?"
Faced with his question, Xia He answered the first one first, her tone serious. "Of course there is a reason for that rank. The top thirty-six are sect elites personally designated by Divine Firmament Hall, as well as official Inner Disciples. More than half the resources for nurturing them are directly allocated by Divine Firmament Hall. The Inner Disciples after that are all independently recruited by the various peaks, and every bit of their resources must be borne by those peaks themselves."
"Also, only the top thirty-six are qualified to compete for... forget it, those things are still too far away from us. There's no point talking about them now."
After skimming over the latter half of her sentence, Xia He answered the second question. But this time, the previously lively and cheerful girl's expression instantly fell. A heavy helplessness stained her brows and eyes, while her tone was filled with barely concealed wariness. "As for not competing for the top ten... there are real monsters in Daozi Academy!"
When she mentioned Daozi Academy, Xia He's expression was difficult to describe. Clearly, Daozi Academy had left an extremely deep impression on her.
After hearing her account, Jiang Xuan could not help feeling emotional—Daozi Academy truly was packed with monstrous geniuses.
From Xia He, Jiang Xuan learned that someone in Daozi Academy had been born with the Thunder God Physique. Not only did he not fear thunder and lightning, he could directly absorb the power of Tribulation Lightning to temper himself and advance his cultivation.
Someone possessed a dream talent and could even alter the flow of time while asleep. One slumber granted him six times the time others had to comprehend the Dao. A hundred days of sleep amounted to six hundred days and nights, equal to two or three years of bitter cultivation for others.
That was only because one could comprehend cultivation arts and Spell Arts in dreams but could not refine spiritual qi to increase one's cultivation. Otherwise, there would be no need to fight over first place in the Hundred-Day Examination—they could simply award it to him directly.
Beyond that, some possessed Clear Swordheart, some had Spirit Treasure embryos protecting their bodies from birth, some were innately close to the Dao, and others could commune with the stars.
After bitterly listing these "freaks," Xia He said something that left a deep impression on Jiang Xuan. "In Daozi Academy, if you merely have a Heaven-grade Spirit Root, you cannot even touch the words 'outstanding talent.' People will only call you utterly ordinary. With those monsters standing across our path, forget competing for the top three. We do not have even the slightest chance at the top ten."
"And although Heaven-grade Spirit Roots are nothing special in Daozi Academy, those born close to the Dao cultivate at a speed that utterly crushes ours. Remove those people, and there are also the disciples of great Lineages from the Upper Branches. There really are not that many places left for us to fight over."
"Even for thirty-sixth place, we have to give it everything we have!"
"..." The news about Daozi Academy left Jiang Xuan somewhat speechless, and it also made him understand that Divine Firmament Sect was full of prodigies. He had yet to fully grow, so he had no capital for arrogance.
I still need to develop.
The only thing that reassured Jiang Xuan was that while Daozi Academy was filled with prodigies and monsters, he, who possessed the Infinite Professions system, was not ordinary either.
Xia He did not know where Jiang Xuan's confidence came from. The emotion on his face was therefore mistaken by her for worry and anxiety.
Afraid that Jiang Xuan might shrink back, she quickly comforted him. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. All we need to do is preserve Four Seasons Valley's rank. There's no need to fight for the top three or top ten. As long as both you and I can enter the top thirty-six, Four Seasons Valley's rank will be mostly secure, and we will not need to directly face those top-tier monsters at all."
"Besides, we have never been fighting alone. Everyone in Four Seasons Valley will devote their full strength to helping us improve our cultivation."
Meng Yingyue, Wu Shan, Zhou Qing, and the others all smiled at those words.
Di Chuan was brief and direct. "It is our duty."
Meng Yingyue's eyes and brows were gentle. "You may freely take as much Autumn Harvest Spirit Grain from Autumn Valley as you wish."
Wu Shan said, "The spirit melons and exotic fruits of Summer Valley will also always be open to you."
Xia He's words and everyone else's promises brought an open, delighted smile to Jiang Xuan's face. "I have a big appetite, so I'll have to trouble all of you often in the future."
"It's no trouble. Besides, being able to eat is a good thing." Wu Shan said this, and Meng Yingyue and Di Chuan beside him both nodded in deep agreement.
Clearly, in the world of cultivation, being able to eat really was not a bad thing.
It meant Jiang Xuan could swallow vast quantities of spiritual materials and turn the essence of heaven and earth into his own.
Once Meng Yingyue, Wu Shan, and the others learned that Jiang Xuan could eat so much, they regarded him even more highly.
And the help Four Seasons Valley offered Jiang Xuan naturally went far beyond edible things like melons, fruits, and grains. At this moment, Jiang Xuan brought up another matter that interested him greatly.
"Do I need to switch cultivation arts?"
"There is no need for that." Meng Yingyue spoke softly, clearing up his confusion. "The Hundred-Day Grand Examination places the greatest emphasis on fairness. The sect strictly forbids participating disciples from changing cultivation arts midway through. Besides, compared to the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art, the cultivation arts of Four Seasons Valley—or rather, every Dao Branch in Divine Firmament Sect—may be more mysterious, profound, and endlessly powerful."
"But when it comes to Aperture Opening alone, the effects of these many cultivation arts may not necessarily surpass the latter... after all, the Nine-Breath Qi-Absorption Art was originally a wondrous method written specifically for the path of Aperture Opening."