In the small room, Jiang Yan circulated his cultivation method through another full cycle, completing his cultivation for the day.
"Whew..."
He breathed out a mouthful of turbid air and opened his eyes.
More than two days had passed since their group of disciples boarded the boat.
"According to Fellow Daoist Xiao Li, we should reach the Prefecture Academy today."
Xiao Li was the disciple who had ranked first in their Prefecture Examination. He came from the Xiao Household, one of the county's powerful clans.
The other three prodigies who had cultivated a strand of Law Power also came from various lineages.
Looking at it this way, all five of the top-ranked disciples, including Jiang Yan, had family backgrounds. Not one was a commoner.
Although the Jiang Household was far weaker than the others, compared with commoners, it undoubtedly counted as a large lineage.
There was no helping it. Although the Dao Academy did not allow disciples to receive too much assistance,
disciples with powerful families would always find it somewhat easier to climb the path to immortality.
Leaving everything else aside, when they first began cultivating and tempering their bodies, commoners could only receive some resource subsidies from the Dao Academy.
Only after displaying talent beyond that of ordinary people could they possibly secure investment, but they were already a step behind.
And what about disciples from established lineages? He did not know about the others, but Jiang Yan himself was an example.
Since childhood, his lineage had never stopped supplying him with medicinal ingredients, and he even enjoyed a medicinal bath occasionally.
Still, the Immortal Dynasty's method of cultivating talent could already be considered fair.
If you wanted your descendants to receive good training from childhood, then work hard, cultivate to the seventh grade, and plunder other planes.
After all, that was how the Jiang Household's ancestor had made his fortune.
With these thoughts, Jiang Yan picked up Jinbao, set him on his shoulder, and headed out toward the deck.
The passage through the cabins was brightly lit, but it was different from sunlight, after all.
As Jiang Yan stepped onto the deck, he felt the warmth falling on him and narrowed his eyes in comfort.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, hahaha! You finally tore yourself away!"
A voice rang out nearby.
He looked up and saw several male and female disciples gathered by the railing, admiring the scenery below.
The speaker was Xiao Li. Tall and imposing, with heroic features, he wore a faint, approachable smile.
He stood at the center of the group, surrounded by six or seven people who had all performed quite well in the Prefecture Examination.
The disciples scattered around them looked over enviously, but could not join them at all.
Indeed, in just these two short days, Xiao Li had already begun to establish a small circle.
Perhaps following the principle of quality over quantity, only disciples who had placed near the top of the Prefecture Examination were qualified to converse with them.
Those admitted to the circle were all disciples ranked within the top twenty.
The unquestioned core of this little group was Xiao Li himself.
As the fifth-ranked disciple in this Prefecture Examination, Jiang Yan naturally qualified to join them.
He walked straight over and exchanged greetings with everyone in turn.
"You came rather late, Fellow Daoist Jiang. Were you practicing your cultivation method in your room? How is your progress?"
The question came from a male disciple to Xiao Li's left. Named Xiao Sheng, he belonged to the same lineage as Xiao Li and had placed sixth in the Prefecture Examination, immediately behind Jiang Yan.
There was nothing wrong with the words themselves, but his tone carried a faint hint of provocation.
Jiang Yan turned to look at him, his manner indifferent, neither friendly nor unfriendly.
"I was indeed practicing my cultivation method. Do you have any questions you wish to seek my guidance on, Fellow Daoist Xiao?"
Xiao Sheng choked on those words, momentarily at a loss for an answer.
Fortunately, Xiao Li understood worldly affairs and would not let the atmosphere grow awkward. He immediately picked up the conversation, shifting half a step to stand between them.
"Your diligence in cultivation truly puts me to shame, Fellow Daoist Jiang."
Their remarks were similar in meaning, yet Xiao Li's tone caused not the slightest discomfort.
Jiang Yan could not be bothered with someone like Xiao Sheng either, and followed the new thread of conversation.
"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Xiao. My aptitude is poor, so I simply put in a little more effort."
"Speaking of which, have you all gathered here because we are approaching Prefecture City?"
"Exactly. You came at just the right time, Fellow Daoist Jiang. Look."
Xiao Li raised a hand toward the ground below the Spirit Boat and explained to Jiang Yan.
"Look over there, Fellow Daoist, where those two great mountains stand."
Jiang Yan turned sideways and looked down. Below and to one side of the Spirit Boat, two towering peaks stood side by side, one to the left and one to the right.
Around the two great mountains stood neatly arranged, square buildings that did not look like ordinary homes.
Yet these two mountains differed from those he usually saw. Mountains though they were, they bore neither grass nor trees and were completely bare.
They were also straight and slender, looking more like two thick, long pillars.
Jiang Yan did not know what this place was, but it did not look as though it should be Prefecture City.
Xiao Li was not teasing him, however. Before Jiang Yan could speak, he explained:
"That is the base of this prefecture's Dao Army, the East River Army. Once we pass it, we will reach Prefecture City.
"But under the Immortal Dynasty Laws, Spirit Boats may not fly over a Dao Army base.
"So we have to make a detour around it. We should arrive in another hour."
"I see. Thank you for clearing that up, Fellow Daoist Xiao."
They chatted a little longer. Limited by their cultivation levels, they did not discuss much about cultivation, speaking instead mostly of their hopes for the Prefecture Academy.
Before they had talked for long, however, Green Fox High Person interrupted them.
"All disciples, return to your cabins and gather your belongings. Be thorough. I will not take responsibility for anything you leave behind."
With that, everyone knew the Prefecture Academy was close. Seeing the others disperse, they too returned to their rooms to pack.
Li Yunshu, who had remained silent earlier and followed Xiao Li into his room, finally could not hold back.
"Brother Li, why did you take Jiang Yan's side just now and let one of our own suffer for nothing?"
Faced with his dao companion's question, Xiao Li shook his head in disagreement.
"Sister Shu, Xiao Sheng was rather unwise today. Jiang Yan merely ranked one place above him. Why provoke him?
"His background may be somewhat humble, but his talent is considerable. He may yet make something of himself. Why antagonize him for no reason?"
"He only placed fifth because of the Dao Academy's favoritism. At the Prefecture Academy, there will no longer be restrictions on assistance.
"With the resources of our families, how could someone from a little lineage compare?
"Xiao Sheng is your younger clansman, Brother Li. You ought to be drawing him closer instead."
Li Yunshu had ranked fourth in the Prefecture Examination and was one of only two female disciples in the top ten.
Coupled with her background in a powerful lineage, her words showed little regard for someone from a small lineage like Jiang Yan.
Hearing this, Xiao Li considered it carefully.
"You have a point. Once we reach the Prefecture Academy, I will explain things to Xiao Sheng. Still, there is no need to deliberately provoke Jiang Yan."
Ultimately, Xiao Li also came from a powerful lineage and did not necessarily think much of Jiang Yan.
His earlier attempt at smoothing things over had merely been to prevent infighting within the little group he had created.
After hearing Li Yunshu's words, however, he too felt that his own younger clansman deserved more attention than Jiang Yan.
But he did not continue discussing the matter. Instead, he took Li Yunshu's hand and teased her.
"What, you haven't even married into my family yet, and you're already considering these things for me?"
"Oh, stop it..."
They laughed and played around for a while before Xiao Li smoothed the creases in his clothes.
"All right, let's head out first. We can discuss these things later."
"Mm-hmm. I wonder what the Prefecture Academy looks like. My father has been there, but he refused to tell me."
"We'll know once we get there."
"True."
Jiang Yan had finished packing as well. He had few miscellaneous belongings, only a few ordinary cultivation notebooks, which he simply stuffed into his Thumb Ring.
Ever since obtaining the storage Thumb Ring, Jiang Yan had stopped readily revealing Jinbao's storage ability. He kept his everyday belongings and a small portion of his Spirit Stones in the Thumb Ring.
His most precious possessions and most of his Spirit Stones, along with Jiang Li's wooden carving, were all stored with Jinbao, just in case.
He left his room and reached the deck, which was now more than half filled with disciples.
The Spirit Boat did not stop at the landing site within Prefecture City. Instead, it flew all the way to the Prefecture City Center before descending onto an open space.
Green Fox High Person flew out of the upper cabin and pointed ahead.
"We have arrived at the Prefecture Academy."
Before you continue