The vast Lecture Hall was utterly empty, with only Wu Mingyuan remaining inside, silent as a statue.
"Heh heh..."
Wu Mingyuan suddenly let out a bitter laugh and murmured:
"Only two days left. There's no hope anymore. To think that out of the four of us, I alone received a third-grade assessment! Will Lingyun look down on me because of this?"
"What a joke!"
"It's all Ji Bochang's fault!"
Wu Mingyuan's eyes widened as he roared with all his strength:
"His wager distracted me, leaving me unable to reach the introductory stage of the visualization method within seven days. It's all his fault!"
But-
Wu Mingyuan also knew that, having received a Grade B assessment, Ji Bochang was no longer someone he could afford to provoke. No matter how much resentment he harbored, he could only swallow it back down.
Wait!
"I can't afford to provoke Ji Bochang, but that fellow called Zhang Jing... no, that won't work either! What if Ji Bochang finds out and makes things difficult for me in the Outer Court?"
That wouldn't be worth it!
After turning it over and over in his mind, Wu Mingyuan finally realized, dejectedly, that there was nothing he could do!
At least, not for now.
"Don't get angry. Wu Mingyuan, you mustn't get angry! That Zhang Jing definitely won't pass the assessment. This is all retribution. Besides, who says someone with a third-grade assessment will necessarily fall short of those with Grade B assessments in the future?"
"A moment's victory or defeat means nothing!"
Wu Mingyuan kept comforting himself, yet his heart only grew more troubled.
Clenching both fists, he smashed them hard against the floor.
Bang! Bang!
A sudden knock broke the silence in the room.
"Who is it?"
Zhang Jing rose and walked toward the stone house's door, asking warily.
"Haha, it's me."
"Brother Ji?" Hearing this, Zhang Jing's anxious heart eased slightly. He slowly opened the door. "It really is you?"
"Right, I haven't congratulated you on successfully receiving a Grade B assessment yet, Brother Ji."
Inside the room, Zhang Jing spoke with a smile as he handed Ji Bochang a cup of water.
"Haha, congratulations to us both."
Ji Bochang accepted the water, his face wreathed in smiles.
Across from him.
"Oh, to us both?" Zhang Jing's gaze sharpened as he said thoughtfully, "Could it be that wager from before? If so, you certainly know that speed is of the essence in war, Brother Ji."
"How did you get him to agree?"
"It was all a coincidence." Ji Bochang waved his hand, then said, "I mainly came today to say goodbye, Brother Zhang."
"Goodbye?" Zhang Jing was somewhat surprised.
"Yes." Ji Bochang nodded and confirmed, "After the instructor confirmed today that I'd reached the introductory stage of the visualization method, he told me someone would take me to select an inheritance tomorrow. Then I'll have to stay there to cultivate until the entire assessment is over before I can formally enter the Outer Court."
"So that's how it is."
"I almost forgot." Ji Bochang folded the painted fan in his hand and slapped his forehead, as though suddenly remembering something. He hurriedly said, "I have something for you."
"What is it?" Zhang Jing asked, completely bewildered.
"Haha, this."
Ji Bochang pulled a small cloth pouch from inside his robes, placed it directly on the table, and said:
"There are five Spirit Stones in the pouch. That should cover the spirit beast meat you need for this period. Well, it's about time. I'll take my leave."
The moment he finished speaking.
Ji Bochang promptly rose and left, his movements crisp and clean, without the slightest dragging through mud or water.
"Brother Ji, I-"
Zhang Jing wanted to say something, but Ji Bochang interrupted him.
"Brother Zhang, please don't misunderstand. These Spirit Stones are an advance payment. If you really want to thank me, give me some guidance on my painted fans when the time comes."
"I forgot to tell you earlier: I raised the wager to fifty Spirit Stones. You're going to strike it rich! Provided, of course, that you weren't lying to me..."
Behind the door.
He watched Ji Bochang's retreating figure disappear into the night.
A trace of warmth stirred in Zhang Jing's heart, even though what he had wanted to say was, Brother Ji, I don't need Spirit Stones for the moment.
As for offering guidance on painted fans.
For Zhang Jing, who had browsed countless websites in his previous life, that was naturally a trivial matter.
When the time came, he could simply help him with a few designs. If he wanted wild, he could have wild; if he wanted innocent, he could have innocent; if he wanted seductive, he could have seductive...
He closed the door.
Unable to help himself, Zhang Jing picked up the pouch on the table, poured the Spirit Stones into his palm, and held them before his eyes for a close inspection.
This was his first time seeing Spirit Stones, so naturally, he was intensely curious.
"So these are the Spirit Stones worth a thousand gold?"
At the very first glance.
Zhang Jing realized that Spirit Stones were not crystalline as he had imagined. Instead, they were blue-green cubes the size of a fingertip, their texture closer to jade, yet lacking the lustrous warmth of jade's surface.
They felt icy in his hand.
Half a cup of tea later, Zhang Jing reluctantly put the Spirit Stones back into the pouch, then tucked it into his waistband.
His gaze focused instantly, his expression turning serious.
"I'll practice the visualization method once tonight, then activate the Nether Flood Dragon Devouring the Void Dao Rhythm under cover of darkness to restore my mental energy. One more practice tomorrow morning, and my proficiency will be full."
With his plan settled, Zhang Jing slowly closed his eyes.
"Mind's Eye!"
[Pure Origin Breath-Absorbing Visualization Method · Uninitiated (50/50)] [Low-tier dharma seed: Mind's Eye (Cannot be upgraded)] [Nether Flood Dragon Devouring the Void Dao Rhythm · Incomplete (Cannot be upgraded)]
On the Jade Talisman.
The small golden characters began to flicker, reflected in Zhang Jing's pitch-black eyes like golden sparks catching fire, setting his gaze ablaze.
Scalding, boiling blood flowed continuously into his internal organs, reaching every corner of his body.
Searing heat!
An unbearable burning sensation instantly arose within Zhang Jing's body.
At the same time.
Towering waves suddenly surged through his previously tranquil sea of consciousness.
Yet at this moment, Zhang Jing had no attention to spare for anything else. His entire focus was concentrated between his brows.
There seemed to be a seed there, silently growing stronger, gathering strength as it awaited the moment of transformation.
Time passed, drop by drop.
At last.
[Pure Origin Breath-Absorbing Visualization Method · Level 1 (1/100)] [Skill trait: Origin-Gathering Spiritual Light (Low level)]
Crack-
A faint, almost imperceptible sound of something breaking rang in his ears.
The next moment, Zhang Jing felt every obstruction between his brows vanish. The seed swiftly took root and sprouted, spreading outward.
An indescribably mysterious sensation suddenly arose.
In that instant, beyond his five senses, Zhang Jing gained a new form of perception. It could "see" and "touch," tangible yet intangible, able both to exist outside his body and to hide within it. It was extraordinarily wondrous.
"Spiritual sense!"
Zhang Jing immediately realized that this was spiritual sense, one of the hallmarks of reaching the introductory stage of a visualization method!
Through his spiritual sense, Zhang Jing "saw" the familiar spiritual qi, threads and specks of it, like light and dew, surging around him.
Only now had he crossed the threshold of cultivation!
Zhang Jing's gaze was as unruffled as an ancient well as he murmured to himself:
"I originally thought that once I reached the introductory stage of the visualization method, I'd be so excited I couldn't contain myself. But now that this moment has truly arrived, I've realized-"
Calm!
His heart was extraordinarily calm.
It was not that he wasn't excited.
Rather, his gaze was already fixed farther ahead.
Reaching the introductory stage of the visualization method was merely an insignificant starting point.
"Right, now that the Pure Origin Breath-Absorbing Visualization Method has advanced to level one, it seems to have awakened a skill trait?" Zhang Jing turned his gaze to the Jade Talisman.
P.S. Sorry for posting late!
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