Chapter 41 (continued)
This greatly relieved him.
If he were to be drawn against a disciple like that, he would still have a good chance of making it into the top 100 in the entire academy.
The battle wasn't as exciting anymore, Jiang Zhi led them into the viewing platform and asked the instructor from the Sword Academy to introduce them to Shan Heyuan.
The Sword Academy teachers that Jiang Zhi knew were all straightforward people. When they heard that the students had signed up for the academy's grand competition, they even gave them some advice.
Jiang Zhi had friends all over the academy. Apart from the Sword Academy, he had also watched the drills in the Talisman Academy, Artifact Academy, and other academies.
Perhaps the duel between Lin Ji and Sheng Chao, disciples of the Sword Academy, was so spectacular that Shan Heyuan felt that the other disciples' matches were nothing special, and the more he watched, the more confident he became.
After the registration deadline for the entire hospital, they were notified to have their bone age measured, and then draw lots to determine their opponents for the first round.
The competitions at the Sword Reverence Academy are relatively fair. They all start by testing bone age, and then draw opponents for the first round based on that bone age.
In this way, even if a younger cultivator's cultivation level is not as high, they will still have a chance to qualify for the first round of advancement.
Taking a bone age test can be considered a small act of care for younger disciples.
Bone age testing is conducted on the first floor of the library.
There weren't many teachers and teaching assistants who signed up for the Planting Institute, Shan Heyuan and Jiang Zhi went together.
They went for the test after class, and it was quite late when they arrived, so there weren't many people there.
Jiang Zhi knew the teaching assistant in charge of bone age testing.
When the teaching assistant saw them, he joked, "Brother Jiang, are you competing again this year?"
Jiang Zhi said cheerfully, "Let's compete! Why not? While we're still young, let's take advantage of whatever benefits the academy offers."
Teaching assistant. "That's true. Your Planting Institute doesn't have high requirements, and the prizes are always generous."
Jiang Zhi puffed out his chest. "There aren't many truly capable fighters among the cultivators specializing in daily life, so we can't afford to be wiped out entirely. My combat strength is decent; I need to bring honor to our Planting Institute."
The teaching assistant had a look on his face that said, "I'm just telling you to keep talking nonsense."
Jiang Zhi placed his hand on the testing Law Artifact, then glanced at the jade screen beside him. "Thirty-seven, the same as my actual age."
The teaching assistant quickly wrote down, "Thirty-seven, Foundation Establishment Late Stage."
After Jiang Zhi finished his test, Shan Heyuan went up next.
This Shan Heyuan had used this bone age testing Spirit Artifact, and he wasn't very skilled at it when he placed his hand on it.
However, it's a very simple instrument and doesn't require any special skills; just place it on the plate and it will measure on its own.
After putting it away, Shan Heyuan glanced at the jade screen and said, "Hmm."
Jiang Zhi and his teaching assistant chatted and laughed on the side.
Upon hearing his voice, the two instinctively looked at Yuping.
Jiang Zhi's expression turned serious. The teaching assistant, puzzled, asked, "What's wrong? Nineteen, right? Foundation Establishment Late Stage."
Just as he was about to record it on the Jade Slip, Shan Heyuan quickly said, "I'm not nineteen, I'm already twenty-six this year."
The teaching assistant, slightly surprised, pointed at the Spirit Artifact: "It clearly shows nineteen on this; there's no mistake with Spirit Artifact. Are you sure you didn't misremember?"
"How could that be?" Shan Heyuan retorted without hesitation. "I have a long memory; I remember every year I was born. When I was in another sect, a senior helped me check my bone age, and it was definitely more than nineteen."
Jiang Zhi chimed in from the side, "Could it be that the testing Spirit Artifact suddenly broke? Brother Shan doesn't look like he's nineteen."
Their argument attracted the attention of the monks next door who were having their bone age measured.
The supervisor in charge of testing came over. "What's wrong?"
The teaching assistant explained the reason, and the leader looked at Shan Heyuan: "Assistant Instructor Shan? I think your bone age is indeed not that old, you should be under twenty-six."
Shan Heyuan insisted, "I am indeed twenty-six, and there's such a big difference between nineteen and twenty-six, I can't be mistaken."
He graduated from a proper university on Earth, worked for two years, and didn't skip a single grade in the nine years of compulsory education. If he was only nineteen this year, how could he have transmigrated at seventeen?
Seeing his certainty, the leader had someone bring over a new testing Spirit Artifact and had others test it again to confirm that the new Spirit Artifact was working properly.
Unexpectedly, after testing Shan Heyuan, the Spirit Artifact still showed a score of nineteen.
Shan Heyuan was dumbfounded.
Seeing his expression, the leader thought for a moment and said, "Some Cultivation Method can alter bone age, but they are extremely rare. Is the Cultivation Method you practice one of those?"
Shan Heyuan: "I cultivate the 'Spring Transformation Art,' and I haven't heard of this Cultivation Method being able to change a person's bone age."
After saying that, Shan Heyuan thought about his ever-growing Dantian and became unsure, "Perhaps this Cultivation Method has mutated in my body, thus altering my bone age?"
Leader: "That's possible. In that case, shall I fill in twenty-six for you?"
Making one's age younger would give one an advantage over other cultivators, but making it older wouldn't matter.
Shan Heyuan had no objections, and neither did the others.
On the way back, Jiang Zhi put his arm around Shan Heyuan's neck and chuckled, "I didn't expect you to be a few years younger than me when we participated in the academy competition."
Shan Heyuan said helplessly, "I didn't expect that either."
Jiang Zhi: "Aren't you from another dimension? You probably mutated during your time travel."
"That's possible."
"Who cares? It's just a few years difference. Foundation Establishment cultivators have a lifespan of at least two hundred years. Once you're older, you won't need to worry about those few years anymore."
After their bone age was measured and their cultivation level was reported, the lottery began quickly.
Shan Heyuan was lucky; he drew a weapon master of the same level from the Artifact Academy.
Most of the disciples from the Artifact Academy are not good at combat, Shan Heyuan felt that this match would be easier.
Jiang Zhi wasn't so lucky; he drew the assistant instructor position from the Sword Academy right away.
When Jiang Zhi returned and told Shan Heyuan and Li Jian, he looked dejected. "It's actually from the Sword Academy, and he's even an assistant instructor. My chances in this competition are slim."
Li Jian agreed, "The sword cultivators who can serve as assistant instructors in the Sword Academy are all quite skilled, and their daily work involves sparring with the disciples, so they have exceptionally rich experience in combat. This competition will indeed be difficult for you."
Jiang Zhi: "Things are already this difficult, I need to prepare in advance. How about you guys be my sparring partners?"
Shan Heyuan had never seen him fight before. "Sparring partner? How do we spar?"
Jiang Zhi: "I'll go borrow a training ground first. You guys wait a few days, and I'll call you when it's ready."
Shan Heyuan had never been a sparring partner before. To improve the effectiveness of his sparring, he practiced the moves that Shen Duheng had taught him diligently at home.
Shen Duheng said he didn't have the mindset of practicing sword techniques; if he practiced too many moves, he wouldn't be able to react quickly enough, and these few moves were sufficient.
If these moves fail to defeat the opponent, other moves will also fail.
In terms of combat awareness, Shen Duheng was more than a hundred times better than him.
Shan Heyuan did not question Shen Duheng's judgment.
Unexpectedly, when he was sparring with Jiang Zhi, he couldn't even last five minutes.
Previously, people said that Jiang Zhi's cultivation Cultivation Method was very suitable for combat, but he didn't understand what that meant.
In this sparring session, as soon as he entered the training ground, before he even got into his fighting stance, Jiang Zhi started scattering various seeds and Spirit Plant on the ground like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
Immediately afterwards, thick, pungent smoke burst out, causing him to tear up and snot on the spot.
He was enveloped in thick fog, unable to see his own hand in front of his face. Before he could even adjust his state and search for Jiang Zhi's figure, the sound of air being torn apart came from all directions.
Only after the attack hit him directly did he realize that it was a mutated Spirit Plant that had attacked him.
He didn't recognize any of these Spirit Plant; all he could tell was that they were exceptionally violent and all were at the Foundation Establishment stage.
He suppressed the urge to flee in terror and tried to control the Spirit Plant in reverse using "Gentle Breeze" or "Return a Plum for a Peach," but found it impossible. The Spirit Plant were like madmen, and no longer had a complete consciousness that he could assimilate.
So, after being beaten so fiercely, he couldn't take it anymore and had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender.
Jiang Zhi stopped his Cultivation Method, and the violent Spirit Plant lay motionless on the ground.
Shan Heyuan was also sitting on the ground, unable to move. He was too tired. He had been dodging, weaving, and even fighting back, and the exertion had been too intense. His heart was pounding wildly and was now aching.