Out on the market, a First-Tier Superior-Grade artifact cost at least 200,000 Spirit Value Coins. Most Qi Refining Realm cultivators with aspirations of pursuing the Dao had to save for years or take out a bank loan to buy one.
In this world, the geniuses get everything...
The teacher sighed inwardly. Only after entering an Academy could one understand that the gap between people could sometimes be like the distance between heaven and earth.
"All the school's First-Tier Superior-Grade artifacts are here."
"There are ten in total. Principal Qian originally kept half of them here at the school himself, but he gave you permission to choose any one of the ten and take it with you."
"You're a sword cultivator, so the flying swords are in the innermost section."
"There are two in total. One is the new flagship model sponsored to the school by Wehua Immortal Spirit Manufacturing Group."
"That flying sword is hard to buy on the market these days, even if you have the money."
The Spirit Artifact Room teacher carefully introduced them to Bai Yi, raising a hand to point toward two glass display cases deep behind a row of particle-protection barriers.
"Thank you, teacher."
Bai Yi nodded, then walked toward the back in the direction the teacher had pointed.
The Golden Source Seal, its golden light shining as spiritual energy swirled around it and its surface's digital modules rotated; the Heavenly Cold Fan, its chill drifting out and condensing water vapor as the spiritual-pressure systems on either side pulsed; the Fire Source Pearl, flames surging and its temperature scorching as the high-source combustion device inside turned...
This was the cybernetic artifact-refining system that had rapidly developed and evolved over ten thousand years in this world...
Bai Yi made his way to the innermost section. Under the unceasing nourishment of the central spirit-artifact nurturing control system, two sharp auras came from within.
At the two nurturing devices deep inside, each fitted with a spiritual-power input conduit, a blue and a silver flying sword hovered quietly in midair, absorbing the spiritual energy escaping from the conduits.
Bai Yi's gaze first fell on the blue flying sword on the right. His years of watching flying-sword review video creators had given him enough knowledge to recognize it at a glance.
"Guangmi Tianke Manufacturing Group's flagship brand, released a year ago: Deep Abyss Sword Series X-0070."
"Three formations, dual cores. Its main material is Deep Blue Alloy, forged from First-Tier Superior-Grade spiritual material Deep Blue Crystal Rock combined with various other materials. It uses the 5NM Far-Light Deep-Engraving Process..."
"What a great sword!"
When Guangmi released the Deep Abyss Sword X-0070 a year ago, it received almost nothing but positive reviews.
Priced at 250,000, it had three formations and dual cores, equipped with the ninth-generation Glimmer-Class Spirit-Gathering Formation Matrix from beneath Guangmi Group's own Second-Tier Flagship, a Fourth-Generation Edge Formation, a sixth-generation Speed-Adjusted Improved Wind-Riding Formation, and two Spiritual Energy Amplification Processors.
He had watched no fewer than forty or fifty review videos of this Deep Abyss Sword X-0070 back then, so he knew all its specifications by heart.
"The X-0070 is unbeatable in value for money!"
"But I choose this Heart-Questioning Sword Series MS-60 True Hua Pro Max Edition!"
After one more glance at the X-0070, the sword he had yearned for over the past year, Bai Yi's gaze shifted without the slightest hesitation to the silver flying sword hovering beside it, radiating waves of keen sharpness.
Its blade was as thin as a wing. A smooth, silver-gray transmission conduit ran along the center of its spine, while the formation-diagram patterns beneath the blade on either side of the centerline flickered faintly. Two diamond-shaped, semi-transparent mechanical structures rotated along with the flow of spiritual energy.
Beneath a simple logo of the sun and moon crossing on the guard, the flagship-series label and model were engraved on the sword's hilt.
"Wehua Group's core flagship of its Second-Tier flying-sword line: the first full release of the technology from its Heart-Questioning series!"
"Forged mainly from a New-Style Alloy Material made with First-Tier Supreme-Grade Silverflower Iron Ore. Its transmission system also uses Black-and-White Stone's Powder-Infiltration Reinforcement Technology..."
"It has four formations and dual cores, and it's also the first to come with the Spell-Dueling Sword-Body Anti-Vibration System... Everything is maxed out except the price!"
Bai Yi walked beneath the Heart-Questioning Sword, his eyes full of excitement.
For a sword cultivator, a good flying sword was a second life. Clearly, the Heart-Questioning Sword MS-60, with a market price of nearly 350,000, was a good sword.
After all, the only drawback of expensive things was that they were expensive.
And, honestly, being expensive wasn't a drawback of a flying sword, either.
Bai Yi swiped his wrist Terminal over the glass case's security lock. With a flick of his finger, a ball of spiritual power landed squarely on the hovering sword.
Clang...
The Heart-Questioning Sword trembled slightly, and the stream of spiritual energy binding it dissipated. Just as it was about to fall, a force of Divine Sense and spiritual power enveloped the blade.
Bai Yi formed a Sword Seal with his hand. As ripples formed from his Divine Sense spread outward, they enveloped the Heart-Questioning Sword.
[Individual Divine Sense information detected] [Please maintain the Divine Sense connection for thirty seconds...] ... [Divine Sense connection complete...] [Flying sword activation complete. Current nurturing progress: 1%]
Bai Yi lifted the scabbard and changed his hand seal. The newly activated Heart-Questioning Sword flew back unsteadily into the scabbard in his hand.
"It'll probably take some time to fully nurture and refine it with the Sword-Refining Technique."
He placed the scabbard containing the Heart-Questioning Sword on the Magnetic Disc on his back. After thanking the teacher guarding the Spirit Artifact Room, Bai Yi left without lingering and flew toward the Cultivation Pagoda on his sword.
"A First-Tier Superior-Grade artifact... How many years did I have to save up to get one back then?"
Cultivation Pagoda
With Azure Edge on his back, Bai Yi walked into the Cultivation Room, the Heart-Questioning Sword beside it, under the envious and jealous gazes of the many No. 2 Middle School students.
[Student ID 100869527, Bai Yi. Time remaining: 3 hours 59 minutes]
"There are still two months. I'll need to raise both my swordsmanship and my cultivation by another level to be completely confident."
Remembering what the Old Principal had said in the square just moments ago, Bai Yi firmly suppressed the few traces of pride he had felt over winning first place in the assessment.
Although Lanshan City was only a third-tier city, it had more than a dozen large and small groups and Aristocratic Clans.
Talented direct descendants from forces like Hua Ming's and Guo Qingqing's family were not uncommon.
This year's Lanshan City Student Cohort had even been hailed as the Golden Generation of the past twenty years. Yet even so, the Five Advanced Dao Studies had little confidence in passing the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam.
"Only the top students from hundreds of Advanced Dao Studies in dozens of cities spanning five thousand li, thousands of students in all, can pass the brutal selection, with only a hundred or so making it through. That's the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam!"
Bai Yi sighed. There was still too little time.
"Only two Enlightenment Glimmers is too little."
At his current level, relying solely on the Dao-Deriving Mirror's own nurturing was nowhere near enough to make up the gap between him and those genuine competitors.
For No. 2 Middle School and the Old Principal, they only hoped he would pass the Four Academies and Ten Palaces Preliminary Exam. But his own goal was to truly get into one of the Four Academies and Ten Palaces.
"Qi Refining, Fourth Layer is too low."
"The Heart-Questioning Sword's refinement, the White Rainbow Sword Art's progress..."
"I still have a long way to go."
After considering his current situation, Bai Yi calmed himself and sat cross-legged on the Cultivation Cushion, taking out the last Qi-Nourishing Pill and placing it in his mouth.
Bai Yi sat cross-legged with both palms facing the sky. As he practiced the Minor Five Elements Art, the spiritual energy released as the Qi-Nourishing Pill dissolved and was absorbed, together with the abundant spiritual energy in the Cultivation Room, flowed ceaselessly into the three vortices in his Qi Sea.