Just after New Year in the year 3129 of the Xu Xin Calendar, students debated the Dao in the Academy square.
During this season of rehearsals for graduation, everyone displayed their strengths and the fruits of their years of study, presenting them as topics for their graduation debates.
Nearly twenty years of studying by a cold window had made the students well-read in the classics, learned, and versatile. Though they were still far from understanding all things, they were more than qualified to become leading figures in the mortal world.
Their fields of exploration and specialized skills differed. Following his approach of dividing studies into disciplines, Li Ling broadly classified them into three categories: scholarship, craftsmanship, and cultivation methods, each encompassing various subjects.
Scholarship consisted of academic theoretical research aimed at exploring the principles of the Incense Path and compiling its histories and classics, with the goal of becoming an Incense Path scholar.
Craftsmanship concerned unlocking nature's works through human ingenuity, emphasizing practical skills, with the goal of becoming a spirit incense artisan.
Cultivation methods were studied by cultivators with spirit root aptitude, with the goal of becoming an Incense Path cultivator.
Those with energy to spare could study multiple disciplines and earn higher evaluations.
Beyond these were miscellaneous studies, incorporating subjects from the Outer Dao as well as the commercial and financial knowledge needed to become an Incense Path merchant.
In his own way, Li Ling was subtly transforming the entire cultivation world of the North Sea.
"Next, Nie Yingzhi."
Before anyone realized it, Nie Yingzhi's name had been called.
Just then, a streak of flight light approached from afar, and Li Ling appeared above the crowd.
Everyone hurriedly interrupted the oral examination, rose, and saluted. "Greetings, Sect Master."
The second-ranking elder of the Court of Celestial Observations, who