Seventh Temporary Academy

A sharp pain pierced his brow.

Within his sea of consciousness, the radiance of the Mind’s Eye Dao Seed began to flicker. The illusory Mind's Eye teetered, on the verge of collapse.

Just hold on a little longer!

Zhang Jing clenched his teeth, his face contorted, yet still fought to maintain the Mind's Eye state.

As his thoughts raced at full speed, faint wisps of white mist rose from his forehead.

Although he did not know what the [Nether Flood Dragon Devouring the Void Dao Rhythm · Fragment] displayed on the Jade Talisman was, Zhang Jing instinctively felt that it was something good.

This is my opportunity!

Finally.

The ninth breath.

Zhang Jing's vision went black, and the illusory Mind's Eye vanished. He immediately fell out of the Mind's Eye state.

If only I could have kept it going a little longer...

Zhang Jing thought with regret.

Coming back to his senses, he secretly peered outside through the crack in the door and discovered that the Immortal Elder was still cultivating, seemingly completely unaware of what he had done.

Whew-as long as he didn't notice!

Zhang Jing let out a soft breath.

Dragging his muddled head and utterly exhausted body, he inched back to his original spot and sat down again.

He felt the bundle beside him. There were no signs that it had been touched.

Only then did Zhang Jing close his eyes in relief.

He could feel a faint, elusive, peculiar resonance flowing ceaselessly through his heart, as though he could call upon it whenever he wished.

"This should be the [Nether Dragon Devouring Emptiness Dao Rhyme · Fragment], right?"

A glimmer of understanding flashed through Zhang Jing's eyes.

He wanted to give it a try, but the thought of the Immortal Elder cultivating outside the room made Zhang Jing decisively abandon this suicidal idea.

This was not a Dao Seed from the mysterious Jade Talisman, which could be activated without a sound or trace.

If he caused any disturbance and the other man noticed, how would he explain it? Surely he could not say that he had comprehended it himself by watching the man cultivate.

That may be the truth... but who would believe it?

He could only wait until he entered the Dao Academy before trying to explore the specific effects of the [Nether Dragon Void-Swallowing Dao Impartation · Fragment].

As these thoughts drifted through his mind, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over Zhang Jing.

Thud-

A sound like muffled thunder exploded beside his ears, followed by a series of violent jolts.

Inside the room.

Cries of alarm and screams rose in a chorus.

Amid the crowd, Zhang Jing looked around blankly, completely unaware of what had happened.

Instinctively, he looked ahead.

Unlike everyone else, Ji Bochang and the other three seated in the very middle looked perfectly calm, as though they had anticipated this.

Noticing Zhang Jing's gaze.

Ji Bochang ostentatiously snapped open his fan and began fanning himself, looking like the lone sober man in a drunken world. He looked at Zhang Jing and opened his mouth, seemingly shouting something.

But because the surroundings were too noisy, Zhang Jing could not make out his voice and could only judge by the movement of his lips.

"We... have... ar... rived!" he read, one word at a time.

Then he jolted.

We're here! The Dragon Lake Dao Academy!

He snatched up the bundle beside him and hurriedly stood.

At the same time.

The Immortal Elder's warm, mellow voice came from outside, rising above the clamor and ringing clearly in everyone's ears.

"We have arrived at the Dragon Lake Dao Academy. Come out of the room quickly."

As his words fell, the wooden cabin instantly went quiet.

Before long.

Everyone, Zhang Jing included, walked out of the cabin and stood on the Spirit Crane's back, looking around curiously.

It was already getting late.

Half a dark red sun floated above the lake at the edge of their vision. The fiery evening clouds and rippling water merged completely into one, indistinguishable from each other.

As the azure spiritual radiance around the Azure Firmament Spirit Crane dispersed.

Moist air instantly seeped into every pore of Zhang Jing's body, seemingly washing away all his fatigue in a single moment.

This was a vast lake with no shore in sight, its islands scattered thickly as stars and clouds, its pavilions and towers beyond counting.

Dragon Marsh Lake!

Recalling the introduction in Investigation of the Three-Five Records of Seeking Immortals, Zhang Jing immediately knew where he was.

Dragon Marsh Lake lay in eastern Nanli, spanning fifteen hundred li. Islands crisscrossed its waters, spiritual qi gathered there, and spirit beasts and strange creatures abounded. It was home to the Dragon Lake Dao Academy, a sacred land of the Immortal Dao, where mortals could scarcely take a single step.

More importantly, Dragon Marsh Lake had flood dragons!

A short while later.

The Azure Firmament Spirit Crane spread its wings and rose, flying straight into the depths of Dragon Marsh Lake until it vanished from sight.

On an island not far from the lakeshore.

"Stop staring. That senior brother was only responsible for bringing you youngsters here."

A rough voice suddenly rang out.

Zhang Jing and the others hurriedly turned, looking toward the voice.

They saw a middle-aged man watching them with a broad smile.

Meeting everyone's gazes, the man cleared his throat and continued:

"You youngsters from Hui Prefecture, welcome to the Dragon Lake Dao Academy's Seventh Temporary Academy. I am one of the instructors responsible for your assessment. You may call me Instructor Wang."

"Greetings, Instructor Wang!"

Zhang Jing's group of sixty-five shouted in unison.

"Mm." Instructor Wang nodded and said, "Before coming here, you must have heard how strict the Dragon Lake Dao Academy's assessment is. In fact, its rigor far exceeds anything you can imagine."

"Although all of you are talents selected from thousands upon thousands across Hui Prefecture's commanderies and counties, I can say with certainty that no more than ten of you will pass this assessment!"

"How arduous is the path of the Immortal Dao? Talent, judgment, perseverance, fortune-not one can be lacking!"

"All right, that is all I have to say. Tonight, you need only choose your lodgings. The residences are divided into three grades: A, B, and C. Choose within your means."

Instructor Wang pointed toward a large cluster of buildings in the distance.

The others began looking in the direction of his finger.

Zhang Jing, meanwhile, combined this with what he had just seen from the Azure Firmament Spirit Crane and began analyzing the arrangement of the island's buildings.

They currently stood in a square roughly ten zhang long and wide. The ground was level and hard, without a single seam, as though an entire cut slab of stone had been laid beneath them.

At its center stood a stone stele more than twice a person's height, inscribed with "Seventh Temporary Academy."

Several buildings were evenly spaced along both sides of the open ground, including the Lecture Hall, Spirit Cuisine Hall, Cultivation Hall, and others.

The residential area Instructor Wang had mentioned lay farther out, arranged in an arc to form three clearly defined tiers.

The nearest tier consisted of individual courtyard residences nestled among the trees.

In the middle were neat rows of single-story houses, while the outermost tier consisted of small, low stone huts that looked dilapidated.

"Once you have settled in, rest for tonight. Gather at the Lecture Hall tomorrow at a quarter past the beginning of the hour of the Rabbit."

With that, Instructor Wang strode away.

Those remaining exchanged helpless glances, at a loss.

Before long.

As people left the group in twos and threes, the others followed, racing like mad toward the individual courtyard residences, clearly hoping to claim them first.

"A wasted effort, that's all."

Beside him, Ji Bochang sighed, his painted fan waving without pause.

Puzzled, Zhang Jing asked, "Brother Ji, what do you mean?"

"Brother Zhang, the residences in this temporary academy don't belong to whoever grabs them first."

"The innermost courtyards contain formations and abundant spiritual qi, but staying in them costs quite a few Spirit Stones. The single-story houses in the middle cost silver, while the outermost stone huts cost nothing at all."

Before his words had quite faded.

Ji Bochang continued with a solemn warning. "Brother Zhang, the Dao Academy's assessment has already begun!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Ji."

Hearing this, Zhang Jing's heart sank.

The Dao Academy certainly had no shortage of silver.

Spirit Stones were presumably cultivators' currency, and the Dao Academy certainly would not lack those either.

In other words...

He recalled what Instructor Wang had just said.

"Talent, judgment, perseverance, fortune... so being born into a good family counts as a kind of fortune too. This is interesting."

Watching Ji Bochang and the other three walk unhurriedly toward the courtyards, Zhang Jing dared not delay any longer and ran briskly toward the single-story houses.

There was nothing he could do about Spirit Stones for now, but he still had a little silver.

I'll go ask first.

Zhang Jing had only twenty-seven taels of silver on him. If the price was too high, he could only stay in the free stone huts.

P.S. Drinking really does mess things up. If I drink again, I'm a dog!