"If Minor Five Elements Art breaks through to the Fourth Realm, and I get a few more Qi-Nourishing Pills, I'll be confident I can break through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer before the academy selection."
He glanced at the Qi-Nourishing Pill in his hand, then put it into his mouth.
The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth. Its potent medicinal power flowed through his body with his blood, turning into pure Spiritual Power that his Qi Sea refined bit by bit.
Three days later, Blue Mountain Second Dao Studies
Behind the school, a cube-shaped metal frame, assembled from mechanical components, hovered in midair. Streams of tangible-looking electricity coiled around the frame, bound by the High-Magnetic Restraint Ring.
"This is the latest MXAR Fully Real-Constructed Virtual Realm!"
"It's an imitation made by the Immortal Alliance's Five Top Research Groups, modeled after Secret Realms."
"Only Advanced Dao Studies in each city are granted approval to obtain one."
Listening to Li Bantou's quiet explanation and looking at the star-like technological device before him, Bai Yi still found it hard to believe, even after spending more than ten years in this world.
The Immortal Alliance had a powerful technological foundation, while its cultivation system was also developing at a rapid pace.
There could only be one explanation for this situation.
"The assessment is about to begin. Everyone, enter the Quanshi Virtual Arena. The twenty people with the highest scores will be selected for the Elite Group."
"I hope everyone will show their abilities without holding anything back."
Old Principal's words from the hovering platform brought Bai Yi back to his senses.
The Old Principal pointed into the air. Brown Spiritual Power at his fingertip pressed the activation button.
As electricity flickered, the previously closed metal cube slowly unfolded. Surging energy disrupted space, forming a blurry, rotating arc.
"Cultivation Class 21... Class 15... Class 9..."
As the teachers in charge gave instructions, students from each class entered the vortex in order.
"It's starting. I'm kind of nervous. What should I do?"
"Nervous about what? You've never even scored 550 in a single mock exam all year. What've you got to be nervous about?"
"If the Immortal Alliance hadn't made it mandatory, you think they'd have even let you take the assessment?"
"Exactly. Just think about whether you're playing mid or I'm jungling after it's over."
Several students beside Bai Yi chatted nonchalantly. Even at an Advanced Dao Studies school like Blue Mountain No. 2 Middle School, only ten percent of the thousand Third Year of High School students managed to meet the admission cutoff for a Third-Rate Sect each year.
For most students, the most common path after graduation was to enter an ordinary school for Specialized Cultivation Arts Training or academic research.
Getting into a Third-Rate Sect already made someone a minor prodigy in their area.
That was why Bai Yu had received support from the White Household after scoring the standard 550-point cutoff for a Third-Rate Sect in her mock exam.
"Class 4... Class 2..."
"It's our turn. No matter how you usually do, give it everything you've got once you're inside."
"Especially you two, Bai Yi and Liu Tian."
"Academies may seem to differ by only one word, but that one word separates two completely different worlds!"
"When it comes to cultivation, fight for what you can!"
Li Bantou looked around at everyone and shouted.
In his view, if Bai Yi hadn't been born with a slight deficiency in Divine Sense, then with his Four Spiritual Roots talent and cultivation comprehension, getting into a First-Rate Academy would not have been impossible.
The crowd surged forward. Bai Yi and the rest of Class 2 stepped onto the hoverboards and passed through the vortex.
With a faint sense of dizziness, Bai Yi opened his eyes again.
His classmates had all disappeared. The scenery behind the school had changed into a vast, towering Metal Hall.
At the center of the hall stood a stone pillar that stretched from floor to ceiling. Crystal patterns covered its surface, which was carved with intricate runes.
"Student ID Number 100869527, Bai Yi. Attack the Spirit-Testing Pillar. Pass the current assessment if your attack exceeds Qi Refining, Fourth Layer."
A cold electronic voice echoed in Bai Yi's ears.
"So the first round is a basic assessment..."
He looked up at the pillar before him and thought for a moment. He wanted to see just how much power the Little Breeze Sword Art could unleash when enhanced by Dao Resonance, with his Qi Refining, Fourth Layer cultivation.
Bai Yi's gaze sharpened. A beam of sword light suddenly shot out from the scabbard on his back.
The Azure Edge Sword hovered beside him. As Spiritual Power gathered, wind surged and formed a green, illusory sword shadow.
Buzz!
A sword's cry rang out. The Azure Edge Sword became a streak of sharp light and shot across the sky, crashing into the pillar's surface.
A shield of light appeared on the pillar. The sharp edge of the Sword Qi tore through it until the Sword Momentum ran out. The sword spun back through the air and landed precisely in the scabbard on Bai Yi's back.
After the collision, one light panel rose from the bottom of the Spirit-Testing Pillar.
Then a second panel, then a third... Until the sixth panel lit up, and the cold electronic voice sounded again in the hall.
"Student ID Number 100869527, Bai Yi. Rating: Qi Refining, Sixth Layer. Passed."
Meanwhile,
In front of the observation screens outside the square, more than twenty homeroom teachers stood with the Old Principal and the director of studies, watching the three figures who had already passed the assessment.
The six illuminated panels on the Spirit-Testing Pillar displayed on the screen shone especially brightly.
"Class 16's Hua Ming, son of Hua Luyuan, owner of Heavenly Splendor Talisman Co., Ltd. Four Spiritual Roots..."
"Class 9's Guo Qingqing, the Guo Household's eldest daughter in this city. Four Spiritual Roots..."
"Class 13's Zhang Xingming, the Zhang Household's eldest son in this city. Four Spiritual Roots..."
Looking at the three people on the screen, each with six illuminated panels, no one seemed surprised.
As the saying went, "The poor study, the rich practice martial arts," and that was even more true of cultivating immortality.
Of wealth, companions, methods, and land, wealth came first.
For ten thousand years, the Immortal Alliance had established many policies to support ordinary people and students from poor families.
But at the Advanced Dao Studies schools in each city, the students who ranked near the top were still mostly from prominent families.
"Sigh, only three..."
The Old Principal sighed. Lanshan City had not had a student pass the Preliminary Trial for the Four Academies and Ten Palaces in nearly ten years.
Of the five Advanced Dao Studies schools in Blue Mountain, their No. 2 Middle School had the best chance this year, yet only three students had managed to light up the Spirit-Testing Pillar's sixth panel.
Just as the Old Principal was sighing to himself, a window suddenly popped up on the observation screen.
"Student ID Number 100869527, Bai Yi. Evaluation: Excellent."
"Hmm!"
Everyone turned around sharply. On the screen, Bai Yi's sword strike was replaying over and over.
"Is that... the Little Breeze Sword Art?!"
"Constantly accompanied by the wind... Dao Resonance Major Accomplishment?!"
Looking at the streak of wind-like sword light on the screen, all the homeroom teachers couldn't help stepping forward. Their faces were filled with shock.
"That doesn't look like Dao Resonance Major Accomplishment..."
In the crowd, a somewhat younger homeroom teacher stared fixedly at Bai Yi's sword strike on the screen. He pursed his lips and spoke without thinking.
Having just graduated from Longwind Valley, he was very familiar with the Little Breeze Sword Art.
The Little Breeze Sword Art at merely Dao Resonance Major Accomplishment would never have such power.
"Xiao Zhou, you're saying that wasn't Dao Resonance Major Accomplishment?"
As everyone looked on in confusion, the Old Principal smiled with delight.
"Haha, that's right. It really wasn't Dao Resonance Major Accomplishment."
"This young fellow has cultivated the Little Breeze Sword Art to Dao Resonance Perfection."
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