Qinghua Domain, Lanshan City
Second Advanced Dao Studies
Name: Bai Yi Age: 17 Class: Third Year of High School, Class 2 of Dao Studies Chinese Language: 128 (out of 150), Mathematics: 131 Four Cultivation Arts Basic Dao of Alchemy (Joint Education Edition): 46 (out of 100) Basic Formation (Joint Education Edition): 39 Basic Talismans (Joint Education Edition): 42 Basic Artifact Refining (Joint Education Edition): 33 Personal Cultivation: Qi Refining, Fourth Layer (+50 points) Spiritual Roots: Four Spiritual Roots (+100 points) Cultivation Methods Chosen: Art-Eighth Edition Analysis of the Minor Five Elements Art (Third Realm +50 points), Swordsmanship-Little Breeze Sword Art (Proficient Moves +50 points) Total Score: 669 Grade Ranking: 31
"I've finally managed to hold steady above the 650 points required for a second-rate academy."
In a corner of the classroom, where groans and cheers rose one after another, Bai Yi looked at the mock exam results projected by the embedded terminal before him and couldn't help letting out a long breath of relief.
Although this was a different world, with the experience he had accumulated over two lifetimes and his Four Spiritual Roots aptitude, it would have been truly miserable if he had to take the entrance exam for a private sect.
Bai Yi rubbed his temples. That was right-he wasn't from this world.
In his previous life, he had been browsing a morning market after work when he touched a blue-purple bronze mirror at an antique stall. The next moment, his vision went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in this world, becoming a six-year-old child who had just started elementary school.
After he'd come to his senses, he had thought he could change his life with the experience from his previous life. He hadn't expected the differences between the two worlds to be so enormous.
In this world, even as technology reached an advanced level, the civilization of immortal cultivation was also developing rapidly.
Technology + cultivation = pressure + talent
Even with the experience he had accumulated over two lifetimes, and despite studying and cultivating hard since elementary school, he could only rank around thirtieth in his grade.
That was still because he had Four Spiritual Roots. After all, among the nearly two thousand students in the Third Year of High School at No. 2 Middle School, only twenty-three had Four Spiritual Roots.
"If it weren't for this thing, my Four Cultivation Arts scores wouldn't be so terrible."
Looking at the Four Cultivation Arts on his score report, Bai Yi murmured to himself.
As he focused his mind and gathered his thoughts, he turned his awareness inward.
At the center of his misty, chaotic sea of consciousness floated an ancient, profound bronze mirror, etched with countless strange patterns. It was drawing upon what little Divine Sense he had in his sea of consciousness.
Ever since he'd broken through to Qi Refining, First Layer in the third grade of elementary school by practicing the Breathing Technique, this ancient bronze mirror had slowly begun to draw on the Divine Sense in his sea of consciousness.
Although his Divine Sense could continually recover, this burden still made studying the Four Cultivation Arts incredibly difficult for him.
After all, Divine Sense was the foundation of the Four Cultivation Arts. With his Divine Sense so depleted, even outlining talismans, drawing Formation Diagrams, and comprehending the Dao of Alchemy and artifact refining were extremely difficult, let alone getting good scores.
So, after reaching Qi Refining, Third Layer in the third year of junior high school, he had focused on cultivation methods and Swordsmanship.
"The rust on the mirror's surface has faded quite a bit. I hope it happens before the Academy selection."
Bai Yi silently thought to himself. Having been steeped in countless novels in his previous life, he naturally understood that this bronze mirror, which had crossed worlds with him, could very well be what he relied on to establish himself.
"Li Bantou's here. Sit down, quickly. Sit down."
"Quick!"
Bai Yi had just come back to himself when a middle-aged man wearing a fitted, simple short-sleeved shirt slowly walked into the classroom. The noisy classroom immediately fell silent.
"You're still laughing? You can still laugh!"
Li Bantou stood at the lectern and glared at the two students below who had just stopped smiling. With a swipe of his finger, a huge projection filled with names appeared above the classroom.
"The class average is 472.32."
"Only seven people scored above the 550-point cutoff for private sects. As for second-rate academies, only two people made it!"
"You can still laugh? Do you know there are only 93 days left until the Academy selection?"
With Li Bantou's cultivation at Qi Refining, Seventh Layer, his roar filled the classroom, making everyone lower their heads.
"You're simply the worst class I've ever taught!"
"Everyone, look at your papers!"
As Li Bantou spoke, exam papers were projected onto everyone's desks.
"Question nine in Chinese Language was a debate. How many times did I go over it? It was practically free points, and some of you still got it wrong!"
"Mathematics-these simple topics like calculus. Even if you don't know the answer, at least write down the formula!"
"How many times have I drawn the simplified version of the Fire-Element Formation Diagram? And you can still get it wrong!"
As Li Bantou lectured and roared from the lectern, all the students in Class 2 of Dao Studies, including Bai Yi, obediently lowered their heads and looked at the projected panels on their desks.
"All right, that's enough reviewing the papers. I've said what I needed to say, and I don't want to say anything more."
"Next, I have an announcement from the school."
With five minutes left before the end of class, Li Bantou put away all the projections and looked at everyone below the lectern.
"In three days, the school will hold an assessment for all the Third Year of High School classes."
"The top twenty students in the grade will form the Elite Group and take part in the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam in two months."
Before Li Bantou could finish speaking, the previously calm class grew noisy again.
"So it really is the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam. I wonder if anyone from our school will pass this time!"
"Our school? It's been nearly ten years since anyone in Lanshan City passed the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam."
"If only I could pass the preliminary exam."
"You? Keep dreaming. Even for the school's Elite Class, I'm afraid only Liu Tian and Bai Yi from our class have a chance of getting in."
"You'd better think about how to grab a Cultivation Room in a moment."
As everyone talked, their gazes couldn't help turning toward Bai Yi, seated in the last row by the window, and a bespectacled boy sitting in the first row with impeccable posture.
As the only two people in the class with scores high enough for second-rate academies, they would probably be living in a different world from the rest of them after graduation.
Bai Yi paid little attention to his classmates' many glances. His gaze remained fixed on the countdown ticking across the skin of his wrist.
"3...2...1!"
The instant the timer hit zero, a shrill bell rang out.
The moment the bell rang, Bai Yi suddenly shoved open the window beside his desk and leaped from the sixth floor.
As his spiritual power surged, a streak of azure light spun out from beside his desk, passed through the window, and landed beneath Bai Yi's feet, gradually taking the shape of an azure flying sword.
Bai Yi circulated his spiritual power with all his might. He and his sword turned into a streak of azure light and flew straight toward the tower behind the school.
"Damn it! I'm late again!"
"So what if you can fly on a sword!"
As Bai Yi left, countless windows across the teaching building flew open. Sword lights, fire-treading and wind-riding, Formation Plates and Talismans-rays of light surged forth, one after another, toward the tower behind the academy.
At the Cultivation Tower behind the academy, Bai Yi flipped down from his sword. The Basic Flying Sword, a Guangmi Group Qingfeng Series S-9011, spiraled down and settled into the scabbard on his back.
At the entrance, Bai Yi passed his wrist over the access-control system.
"Identity confirmed..."
"Bai Yi, Class 2 of Dao Studies, Third Year of High School. Room No. 32 in the Third Area is now open for you."