Dawn was just breaking.
Quite a few people had already gathered before the Inheritance Pavilion.
From time to time, someone would emerge in brand-new blue Daoist robes, brimming with vigor and wearing a smile that would not fade.
Outside, Zhang Jing watched the scene calmly.
Those around him unconsciously kept their distance, while concealed gazes repeatedly swept over him.
Zhang Jing ignored those looks and simply waited quietly.
Not far ahead of him, Shen Qingqing, who had arrived earlier, also stood in silence. Had anyone looked at them from the front, they would have found their expressions identical.
Time slowly passed.
Inside the Inheritance Pavilion.
Zhang Jing put the blue Daoist robes in his hand into the Spirit Pendant Space, then looked around in search of someone.
Before long, his eyes lit up, and he walked briskly toward a figure nearby.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Liu. I'm Zhang Jing."
"Ah, Junior Brother." Senior Brother Liu smiled faintly at the approaching Zhang Jing, then congratulated him. "I've yet to congratulate you on taking third place in this assessment."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
After they exchanged pleasantries.
"Did you need something from me, Junior Brother?" Senior Brother Liu asked curiously.
"Here's the situation, Senior Brother. When I visited Dragon Marsh Market before, I happened to obtain a complete low-grade cultivation method. I came to ask whether I could exchange it for Dao Merit. If not, could I trade it for another inheritance at the Inheritance Pavilion?"
Zhang Jing asked expectantly.
"Oh? A complete low-grade cultivation method?"
A trace of surprise crossed Senior Brother Liu's face.
A complete cultivation method had actually appeared outside the Dao Academy?
Such things were rare.
Meeting Zhang Jing's gaze, Senior Brother Liu considered briefly, then said slowly, "Are you certain it's a complete cultivation method, Junior Brother? Do you have it with you?"
"I do."
Zhang Jing immediately took the jade slip out of the Storage Bag and handed it over.
After accepting the jade slip, Senior Brother Liu sent his Divine Sense straight into it. An almost imperceptible look of gravity immediately appeared on his face.
"Junior Brother Zhang Jing, you haven't cultivated this Azure Sparrow Qi-Gathering Method, have you?"
Senior Brother Liu looked straight at Zhang Jing, a hint of tension in his voice.
"I already have a mid-grade method, so naturally I wouldn't cultivate this."
Senior Brother Liu said nothing, merely staring at Zhang Jing as his Divine Sense slowly swept over him.
His aura was balanced and pure!
It was indeed spiritual power cultivated through the Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary.
Only after confirming this did Senior Brother Liu inwardly breathe a sigh of relief.
"Senior Brother, is there... something wrong with this cultivation method?"
Having noticed his unusual reaction, Zhang Jing asked cautiously.
"Junior Brother, it is indeed a complete low-grade cultivation method. However... someone has made a few alterations. Heh, anyone cultivating this method with sufficient resources would progress even faster than with a mid-grade method. But the moment they broke through to the tenth level of Qi Refining, their essence, qi, and spirit would spontaneously condense into a White Bone Three-Origin Great Elixir, ripe for someone to harvest."
"Junior Brother, you must forget the contents of this cultivation method!"
"I understand."
Zhang Jing's expression froze, and a wave of belated fear came over him.
Who could have imagined that a cultivation method that looked perfectly ordinary would turn out to be such a deep pit?
It seemed he would have to be especially careful in the future.
Before his eyes.
Senior Brother Liu put the jade slip away and told Zhang Jing, "Junior Brother, leave this method with me. I'll give you three hundred Dao Merit later. That's also the Inheritance Pavilion's exchange price for a low-grade cultivation method. How does that sound?"
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Zhang Jing spoke gratefully.
Although Senior Brother Liu had not said so outright, he knew this probably counted as special treatment.
After agreeing, Zhang Jing hesitated briefly, then asked Senior Brother Liu again:
"May I ask exactly how much Dao Merit it takes to exchange for an Upper-Grade Cultivation Method?"
With his entry into the Outer Court imminent, Zhang Jing felt he should clarify these matters first. Once he had a goal, he could plan ahead.
His words fell.
Yet the response he had expected did not come.
Zhang Jing could not help looking up, only to find Senior Brother Liu watching him with an ambiguous smile.
"Junior Brother, after you took third place yesterday, I knew you would ask about Upper-Grade Cultivation Methods sooner or later. I just didn't expect it so soon."
Having said that, Senior Brother Liu sighed and continued:
"Very well, there's no harm in telling you. Exchanging for an Upper-Grade Cultivation Method costs a full nine thousand Dao Merit. That amount... very few people in the Outer Court can afford it."
"Not even members of the top ten teams?"
"Not even them!"
"Why is it so expensive?" Zhang Jing asked incredulously.
"Junior Brother, do you know what an Upper-Grade Cultivation Method is?"
Senior Brother Liu asked quietly.
"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."
"An Upper-Grade Cultivation Method involves Dao Rhyme, and drawing in Dao Rhyme is the basis for forging a Dao foundation. So an Upper-Grade Cultivation Method is essentially a Foundation Establishment method. It merely encompasses the Qi Refining method as well, taking in the lower stages from its lofty vantage point."
"Junior Brother, take my advice. While you're in the Outer Court, focus on cultivating the Five Viscera Water-Origin Guiding Commentary. Once you reach the tenth level of Qi Refining, pass the Flowing Light Immortal Wall's trial, and enter the Inner Academy, you'll only need three to five years to earn enough Dao Merit for a suitable Upper-Grade Cultivation Method."
"With your aptitude, that is the safest course."
"If you let Dao Merit distract you and delay your cultivation, failing to reach the tenth level of Qi Refining before forty, you will have no chance of entering the Inner Academy. Even if you obtain a high-grade cultivation method then and achieve Foundation Establishment, what of it? Without entering the great Dao of Golden Core and Divine Abilities, you'll ultimately be nothing but a mound of yellow earth after two hundred years."
Senior Brother Liu offered his advice with earnest sincerity.
He truly did not want to see this dazzlingly talented junior brother squander his cultivation years over mere Dao Merit.
"So that's how it is... Zhang Jing has learned a lot."
With that, Zhang Jing bowed deeply to Senior Brother Liu.
Though his heart sank, he could also hear the genuine concern in the other man's words.
"Haha, as long as you understand. Your talent lies not in the mere Qi Refining Realm of today, but in Foundation Establishment decades from now. Don't let a moment's headstrong impulse leave you with endless regrets in the future."
Senior Brother Liu's gaze suddenly grew profound.
Whew-
Hearing this, Zhang Jing exhaled softly and said, "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. Incidentally, I'd like to visit home in the next couple of days. When the Dao Academy sends those who failed the assessment back, could I catch a ride?"
"That's simple enough. You're from Linshan Commandery in Hui Prefecture... How about this? Go back and pack first. An Azure Firmament Spirit Crane will be waiting for you outside the Inheritance Pavilion in two hours."
"Thank you, Senior Brother. Zhang Jing will take his leave."
"Take care, Junior Brother."
Only after Zhang Jing's figure disappeared did Senior Brother Liu take out the jade slip again and roughly flood it with Divine Sense.
The next moment, the image of an Azure Cloud Sparrow appeared before Senior Brother Liu.
Unmoved, he probed deeper with his Divine Sense.
In an instant.
The Azure Cloud Sparrow's feathers and flesh began falling away, until it became an eerie bird of stark white bones. Its hideous skeletal wings spread, a few shreds of rotten flesh clinging to them, emanating a deep sense of decay.
It really was that thing!
Senior Brother Liu's gaze turned icy.
"The Three-Lives White Bone Dao, the Decaying-Bone Crow!"
Whooo-
Amid a shrill rush of wind.
An enormous shadow slowly covered Zhang Jing, who had long been waiting.
"It's here!"
Zhang Jing's eyes lit up.
Then he stepped forward. Ripples spread beneath his feet, a chill sprang up, and his whole body rose into the air.
In just a few breaths.
Zhang Jing reached the Azure Firmament Spirit Crane's broad back.
He saw a blue-robed Daoist seated cross-legged nearby looking toward him, while more than a dozen curious gazes came from the small cabin on the crane's back.
"Greetings, Senior Brother. I'm Zhang Jing."
Zhang Jing walked over to the blue-robed Daoist and cupped his hands.
"No need for formalities, Junior Brother Zhang Jing. Please, sit." The blue-robed Daoist smiled.
Zhang Jing sat down.
As the two spoke.
The Azure Firmament Spirit Crane beneath their feet gave a clear cry, turned, and flew swiftly into the distance.
"May I ask your name, Senior Brother?"
"Just call me Senior Brother Qiu. Tsk, tsk, your performance in yesterday's assessment truly surprised me."
Looking at Senior Brother Qiu before him, Zhang Jing could not help showing a trace of surprise as he asked:
"You were there yesterday too, Senior Brother?"
"Of course, and... I saw everything quite clearly. Your contest for the rankings was far fiercer than in previous years. These newly revised rules really are excellent!"
Senior Brother Qiu smiled meaningfully, then continued:
"Junior Brother, I noticed you have quite a talent for cultivating Law Techniques. Now that you've entered the Outer Court, have you considered mastering an Immortal Dao craft?"
"An Immortal Dao craft?" Zhang Jing was somewhat bewildered.
"Yes. As the saying goes, cultivation has a hundred crafts: Array, Pill, Artifact, and Talisman. Junior Brother Zhang Jing, the Immortal Dao embraces all things. It isn't limited to cultivation and Law Techniques. These crafts are also great Daos. If you have the talent to master one, that would be remarkable."
Having said that, Senior Brother Qiu immediately sighed.
"Unfortunately, those who master them are exceedingly rare."
Hearing this, Zhang Jing's heart stirred. "May I ask, Senior Brother, are these things very rare and valuable?"
"Naturally. For ordinary Outer Court disciples, the fastest way to earn Dao Merit is to accept Demon-Suppression Missions from the Spirit Dao Pavilion, which inevitably involve killing and magical combat. That makes Law Artifacts, pills, and talismans indispensable. The better their quality and the higher their grade, the more valuable they are. As for arrays, ordinary disciples generally can't afford them."
Senior Brother Qiu explained patiently.
Opposite him.
Zhang Jing's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He suddenly recalled the talismans he had found in those Rogue Cultivators' Storage Bags last time. They had been kept in jade boxes, showing just how much the cultivators valued them.
Judging from Senior Brother Qiu's words, these things were probably valued just as highly in the Dao Academy.
After all, he had the Five-Law Spirit River, but others did not.
"Once you return to the Dao Academy, Junior Brother, why not visit my Thousand Techniques Pavilion?"
"The Thousand Techniques Pavilion..." Zhang Jing considered for a moment, then said earnestly, "I will. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother."
Time passed little by little.
Night deepened.
Yet Yong’an Academy remained brightly lit.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rose.
The Azure Firmament Spirit Crane slowly descended.
"Liu Sanyi respectfully welcomes you, Senior Brother."
Master Liu, who had long been waiting below, called out respectfully.
A streak of light flew straight toward Master Liu, as Senior Brother Qiu's calm voice rang out:
"You're too courteous, Junior Brother Liu. Yong’an Academy achieved excellent results this year. Please accept the Dao Academy's reward. I'll leave those who failed in your care."
Then more than a dozen figures slowly descended from the Azure Firmament Spirit Crane's back.
Zhang Jing came down along with them.
"Junior Brother Zhang Jing, I'll be off."
Senior Brother Qiu smiled and waved to Zhang Jing.
The Azure Firmament Spirit Crane rose into the air at his words and vanished into the night in an instant.
Where they stood.
Master Liu put away the Dao Academy's reward, then looked at Zhang Jing with a complicated expression and said somewhat awkwardly:
"Zhang Jing... Junior Brother, congratulations. Third place in the assessment! From now on, your prospects on the Immortal Dao are boundless!"
"I also owe much to your care before, Master."
Zhang Jing replied politely, then took his leave. "Master, I'll head home first. I'll visit another day."
"Yes, yes, go home first, go home first. Your parents have missed you terribly all this time."
Seeing that Zhang Jing's attitude remained unchanged.
Master Liu could not help breaking into a broad smile as he spoke with concern.