It took only about three to five breaths.
The emerald spirit boat grew to over twenty feet long, giving off powerful fluctuations of spiritual energy.
Zhang Jing marveled at the sight.
This was his first time seeing a legendary Law Artifact.
"Junior brothers, hurry aboard." Senior Brother Lu stepped onto the spirit boat, looked at Zhang Jing and Deng Yuan beside him, and smiled.
"Yes, Senior Brother Lu!"
The two carefully boarded the spirit boat.
Only after boarding did Zhang Jing discover that although the spirit boat looked fairly large, its space was extremely cramped.
With three people standing aboard, there was just enough room.
"Junior Brother Wang, we'll be off."
"Have a safe journey."
Instructor Wang waved goodbye from below.
The spirit boat slowly rose.
A transparent spiritual radiance spread swiftly outward from beneath Senior Brother Lu's feet until it enveloped the entire spirit boat.
It turned slightly.
Then the spirit boat drifted straight over the Seventh Temporary Academy.
Below.
The little fatty lay motionless at the window, still immersed in his earlier melancholy.
Suddenly, something seemed to drift past before his eyes.
He hurriedly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the spirit boat drifting away overhead, his mouth falling open without him realizing it.
The figures aboard looked somewhat familiar.
Wasn't one of them the fellow carrying the luggage? As for the other, he looked like Deng An, one of the Four Great Prodigies!
"Didn't he give up on the assessment? Why is he with Deng An..."
Gasp-
The little fatty sucked in a breath of cold air, suddenly realizing something.
It seemed he had gotten the wrong idea. This was no case of giving up on the assessment-he had clearly already passed!
"No wonder he's so close to Ji Bochang. As the saying goes, dragons don't consort with snakes. The ancients truly did not deceive me." Understanding dawned on the little fatty's face.
Wait!
Doesn't that mean someone every bit as good as the Four Great Prodigies was sitting right beside me during the instructor's lecture the day before yesterday, and yet I...
At that thought.
"Heavens, just what did I miss out on?!"
The little fatty wailed, his face crumpled and his eyes brimming with tears.
Meanwhile.
"Senior Brother Lu, does our... ahem... spirit boat always fly this slowly?"
Watching the spirit boat beneath his feet move like an old woman out for a stroll, Zhang Jing could not help asking curiously.
Wasn't the gulf between this thing and the spirit boats he had imagined, soaring through the heavens and burrowing through the earth, a little too vast?
"Junior brother, flying Law Artifacts cannot be driven at full power within the temporary academies. Otherwise, the spiritual energy fluctuations they produce would affect the cultivation of the youngsters below."
Senior Brother Lu explained with a gentle smile.
"I see. Thank you for clearing that up, senior brother." Zhang Jing understood at once.
As they spoke.
The spirit boat had already drifted beyond the temporary academies.
"Junior brothers, steady yourselves," Senior Brother Lu suddenly turned back and warned.
Before his words had faded.
The spirit boat shuddered slightly, then accelerated in an instant, turning into a streak of blue-green spiritual light as it shot toward the Inheritance Pavilion.
"Wait, senior brother!" Zhang Jing and Deng An shouted in unison.
Hearing them, Senior Brother Lu turned around, a hint of amusement flashing at the corners of his eyes.
"Is something the matter, junior brothers?"
"Senior brother, wasn't that a little fast?"
Before a magnificent nine-story pavilion, the spirit boat slowly landed. Zhang Jing got off immediately, speaking with a pale face.
Even now that he was back on the ground, both his legs were still trembling.
It was not that Zhang Jing feared heights. The spirit boat had simply flown far too wildly.
Under Senior Brother Lu's control.
The spirit boat beneath their feet had been like an unbridled beast, charging recklessly about, darting up and plunging down. One moment it skimmed the lake, the next it shot straight into the clouds. Above all else, it went wherever it pleased.
Had the spiritual radiance not protected them, Zhang Jing and the others would have been flung off long ago.
What decent person flies a spirit boat like that?
"Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Deng, how did that feel? Wasn't it exciting? Want your senior brother to take you for another flight?" Senior Brother Lu asked excitedly.
The instant they heard that.
Zhang Jing's pupils contracted, as did those of Deng An, who had yet to recover from his fright. They hurriedly retreated several steps, refusing repeatedly, "No need, senior brother!"
A trace of regret flashed through Senior Brother Lu's eyes as he muttered:
"My spirit boat is actually very safe."
Then, seemingly remembering their business at last, Senior Brother Lu pointed at the nine-story pavilion before them.
"Junior brothers, this is the Inheritance Pavilion. Let me take you inside."
"Thank you, senior brother!"
With that, Zhang Jing followed Senior Brother Lu toward the Inheritance Pavilion.
As they drew closer, an inexplicable pressure began to weigh on Zhang Jing's heart.
He could not help raising his head to look up.
The Inheritance Pavilion stood hundreds of feet tall, its entire structure seemingly cast from blue gold. Tens of thousands of strange designs covered its surface-dragons and phoenixes, spirit serpents, divine apes, and giant whales-all exuding an air of ages past that shook the soul.
He glanced back.
Only then did he notice that the Inheritance Pavilion stood in an enormous plaza whose boundaries were beyond sight.
In the distance, rows of buildings glittered in the sunlight.
"Junior Brother Lu, you've finally arrived."
The instant they entered.
A white-haired young man in blue robes, with brows and eyes like swords, came forward to greet them.
"Lu Yuan greets Senior Brother Liu. The two junior brothers from the Seventh Temporary Academy have been delivered safely, so I'll take my leave." At the sight of the approaching man, Senior Brother Lu shivered and hurriedly spoke with deference.
"Mm, thank you for your efforts, Junior Brother Lu."
The blue-robed man addressed as Senior Brother Liu smiled and nodded.
"Junior brothers, this is Senior Brother Liu Lizhi. You'll be relying on him for everything concerning your inheritance selection and your arrangements during this period."
After giving them these instructions, Senior Brother Lu turned and ran outside.
"Take care, Senior Brother Lu!" Zhang Jing and Deng An said in unison.
Then they both turned toward Senior Brother Liu before them and respectfully said:
"Zhang Jing (Deng An) greets Senior Brother Liu."
"No need to stand on ceremony, junior brothers. By the way, when Lu Yuan was piloting the spirit boat just now, he didn't... go mad, did he?" Senior Brother Liu wore a somewhat peculiar expression.
"Senior brother, do you mean how Senior Brother Lu's spirit boat flew rather fast?"
Zhang Jing asked cautiously.
"As expected!" Senior Brother Liu's expression instantly turned stern, but a trace of helplessness appeared a moment later. "I knew it would turn out like this."
"Never mind. I'll punish him once we're done here."
Senior Brother Liu sighed, then held out both hands. A white jade key appeared in each palm.
The jade keys floated toward Zhang Jing and Deng An respectively.
"Junior brothers, these are the jade keys for Middle-Grade Inheritances. Shortly, I'll send you into the Inheritance Secret Repository. Once you've made your selections, you can use these jade keys to unlock them."
"Also, I must remind you that the Inheritance Pavilion contains over three thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven Middle-Grade Inheritances. Formations, alchemy, artifact crafting, talismans, medicine, divination, beasts, puppets, demons, fiends, ghosts, and gods-they encompass everything. Every one is extraordinarily precious, and people outside cannot obtain even one, however hard they seek."
"But if you wish to enter the Inner Academy, obtain the true core inheritances of our Dragon Lake Dao Academy, and pursue the path of immortality, then choose a cultivation method with the highest compatibility possible. Only then will you have a chance!"
"Otherwise, you'll spend your whole life languishing in the Outer Court, wasting your days, and become a handful of yellow earth after a hundred and twenty years."
By the end, Senior Brother Liu's tone had become utterly solemn.
"May I ask, senior brother, what is compatibility?" Zhang Jing was just about to speak, but Deng An unexpectedly beat him to it and asked curiously.
Hearing this, Zhang Jing unconsciously glanced at Deng An beside him out of the corner of his eye.
A trace of doubt rose in his heart.
Deng An was a scion of a cultivation Aristocratic Clan, with cultivators among his kin. Why did he not know about cultivation compatibility either?
Could it be that this isn't something every cultivator knows?
"A good question!" Senior Brother Liu looked over the two of them and explained, "As for compatibility, since you've already attained basic proficiency in the foundational Visualization Method, you should understand-"
He paused, then continued:
"At the beginning of cultivation, mortals use their innate spiritual wisdom to visualize the Myriad Spirits of Heaven and Earth, borrowing their power to strengthen themselves and thereby transcend the mundane. But everyone's innate spiritual wisdom differs. Thus, different cultivation methods, corresponding to different spirits, produce entirely different cultivation results."
"With high compatibility, you reap twice the results for half the effort. With the opposite, you expend twice the effort for half the results!"
Zhang Jing seemed to grasp something, but another question immediately followed.
"Senior brother, then how do I determine how compatible I am with a cultivation method?" He thought for a moment before asking uncertainly, "Surely it can't depend entirely on feeling?"
"Haha, you jest, junior brother. If everything depended on feeling, what use would our Inheritance Pavilion be?"
Senior Brother Liu could not help laughing heartily before saying:
"After entering the Inheritance Secret Repository, if you can approach within ten feet of the jade pillar housing a cultivation method, that means your compatibility is sufficient to cultivate it."
"Beyond that, every foot closer means a further degree of compatibility. If you can come within five feet, that counts as superior compatibility. Your cultivation will naturally proceed smoothly in all respects, yielding twice the results for half the effort. Within three feet means supreme compatibility-one in ten thousand!"
"Do you both understand?"
Zhang Jing and Deng An nodded together.
"Very good. Then follow me to the Inheritance Secret Repository."
"Senior brother, can I leave my luggage here first? Carrying it into the Inheritance Secret Repository might not be appropriate." Zhang Jing pointed at the luggage on his back and asked awkwardly.
"Give me your luggage for now."
Senior Brother Liu took the luggage from Zhang Jing and instinctively reached toward the storage pouch at his waist...
"Here we are."
Before a bronze door, Senior Brother Liu said solemnly, "Go inside. Remember, the Middle Grade cultivation method inheritances are in rows seven through nineteen on your left after entering. Just head straight there. We'll go in order. Junior Brother Deng, enter first. Junior Brother Zhang, wait a little."
"Understood."
"Yes, senior brother."
Rumble-
The Bronze Gate slowly opened.
Deng An strode inside.
Outside the bronze door.
With nothing else to do, Senior Brother Liu suddenly recalled Zhang Jing's luggage and asked:
"Junior brother, do you have any elders in your family who cultivate?"
"No. My father and mother are both ordinary people," Zhang Jing answered honestly.
"Oh?" A trace of astonishment flashed through Senior Brother Liu's eyes as he said in surprise, "Then you truly possess exceptional talent, junior brother, to have earned a Grade B evaluation through your own talent and comprehension alone!"
"Tsk, tsk, your batch really has produced quite a few geniuses. This coming month will be interesting."
Senior Brother Liu spoke with keen interest.
"Senior brother, what do you mean?" Zhang Jing's eyes widened.
Senior Brother Liu did not answer in detail, merely reminding him:
"Heh, Junior Brother Zhang, even I don't know the exact form it will take yet, but the one certainty is that it concerns Dao Merit. In any case, cultivate diligently once you receive your cultivation method today. Strive to formally draw qi into your body and enter the Qi Refining Realm before the thirty-day assessment period ends."
"The higher your cultivation, the more Dao Merit you can obtain."
"This is an introductory benefit the Dao Academy grants youngsters like you. You'll only have this one opportunity, so make sure you seize it! You should know how difficult Dao Merit is to earn under normal circumstances."
"Dao Merit?" A trace of puzzlement appeared on Zhang Jing's face.
"That's right, Dao Merit! In the future, when you're in the Outer Court, exchanging for cultivation resources, inheritances, and so on will all require Dao Merit."
"For instance, your temporary academy's instructor and Junior Brother Lu Yuan, who just brought you here-they work so hard precisely to 'earn Dao Merit.'"
So that was it!
After Senior Brother Liu's explanation, Zhang Jing instantly understood the importance of Dao Merit.
It was simply the Dao Academy's own 'money'!
As they were speaking.
Deng An's figure suddenly appeared.
"Brother Deng, you've already finished choosing?" Zhang Jing asked in surprise.
As he understood it, choosing a cultivation method this time required determining compatibility. It should not have been this quick.
"I was lucky enough to choose the right one from the start."
Deng An could not suppress the excitement on his face. Clearly, he was very satisfied with both his chosen cultivation method and its compatibility.
"Junior Brother Deng, which cultivation method did you choose? The Inheritance Pavilion needs to record it. Of course, your compatibility with the method is your own secret, so there's no need to mention that."
Senior Brother Liu asked in an earnest tone.
"Reporting to senior brother, I chose the Middle Grade cultivation method, the Upper Origin Feathering Secret Art."
"This one? Understood. You can go in now, Junior Brother Zhang Jing." Senior Brother Liu gestured to Zhang Jing.
At those words.
Zhang Jing gripped the Inheritance Jade Key tightly, drew a deep breath, and strode inside.
The instant he entered.
Zhang Jing's field of vision was filled with countless crystalline white jade pillars, each taller than a person.
The jade pillars stood in orderly rows on either side, stretching beyond the reach of his gaze.
After just one glance, he quickly withdrew his gaze and began walking, silently repeating to himself, On the left, rows seven through nineteen.
Carefully examining the information about the inherited cultivation methods marked on the white jade pillars, Zhang Jing began trying them one by one.
"Three-Origin Li Fire Sun-Swallowing Method"-ten feet away. No good!
"Yanming White Bone Visualization"-ten feet away. No good!
"Xun Wind Void-Riding Collected Commentary"-ten feet away. No good!
Zhang Jing had no idea how long he had spent choosing. He only felt that his eyes were nearly dazzled by all the choices before he finally managed to pick out two relatively suitable cultivation method inheritances.
One was the "Three Lights Yin-Transforming True Explanation." He could approach to within eight and a half feet, which was already enough to cultivate it.
The other was the "Mystic Origin Five-Grain Dao Deity Method." Zhang Jing was particularly satisfied with this one. He could approach to within five and a half feet, faintly touching the threshold of superior compatibility.
According to what Senior Brother Liu had just said, this degree of compatibility was already exceedingly rare.
But Zhang Jing did not stop.
Although he had [Origin-Gathering Spiritual Light], which could greatly boost his cultivation speed, that boost was still based on his normal cultivation speed.
What if one of these cultivation methods had superior compatibility with me?
Wouldn't combining the two be even more outrageous?
Keep trying!
Try every single cultivation method!
Finally.
The second white jade pillar in the eighteenth row.
"Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary"-compatibility distance: three and a half feet. The best of the superior grade!
There really was one?!
Zhang Jing quickly pulled the Inheritance Jade Key from inside his robe.
Before you continue