ragginovel Chapter 13 The Truth
Chapter 13 The Truth
Zhao Cheng'an's arms were taut, and he struggled to carry the stack of books to the desk and put them down.
He casually picked up the top book and quickly flipped through its contents.
The titles of the books are: "General Introduction to Reiki", "Detailed Explanation of Wood-type Reiki", "Introduction to Fire-type Reiki", "Basic Interactions of the Five Elements", "Know Yourself: Anatomy of Meridians and Dantian", "Basic Divine Sense", "Basic Rune Tutorial That Even Sword Cultivators Can Understand", etc.
Zhao Cheng'an glanced at it casually.
The pages were filled with all sorts of complex illustrations, distorted symbols, and densely packed small print.
He only read a few pages before feeling dizzy and lightheaded, with his temples throbbing.
Zhao Cheng'an couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
He originally thought that passing the Imperial Academy's test would be the most important step on his path to immortality. Now it seems that this is indeed true, but it is only the first step in a long journey.
Moreover, recalling what the chief priest had said before, if one wanted to go further on the path of cultivation, one had to find a way to enter a second-rate or higher lineage.
This involves not only the availability of platforms and resources, but more importantly, the fact that only within second-rate or higher lineages can lower-level cultivators possess basic human rights. Otherwise, their situation is not much different from that of slaves, let alone any future prospects.
Thinking of this, Zhao Cheng'an raised his head and looked at Shen Yanshan sitting behind the desk.
"Teacher, what is the final examination like at the Imperial Academy? What conditions must be met to enter a lineage of scholars of second rank or higher?"
Shen Yanshan picked up his teacup, a satisfied expression flashing across his face.
"You did very well in this respect. You weren't blinded by your newfound qualifications for spiritual practice, nor were you intimidated by the complexities of this knowledge."
He put down his teacup and said slowly, "The most important thing to do if you want to enter a second-rate or higher lineage is that your own cultivation level must reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining, which is the fourth level of Qi Refining or above."
"In addition to that, there will be some practical assessments and tests of your special skills. Don't worry about those for now; focus on building a solid foundation first."
"Furthermore, the assessment will not take place in the Seven Kingdoms, but rather in the Floating Scale Cave Heaven."
"The Floating Scale Cave Heaven is millions of miles away from here. Even for cultivators, traversing such a vast distance is no easy feat. Purchasing a ticket for an inter-domain immortal ship is an extremely expensive expense."
"Therefore, the Imperial Academy of the Seven Kingdoms organizes its disciples to go to Fulin Cave Heaven to participate in an assessment every twelve years."
"The last time I went to Floating Scale Cave was five years ago. There are still seven years left until the next assessment."
Seven years is not a short time.
But looking at the mountain of textbooks piled up on his desk, Zhao Cheng'an still felt a heavy pressure in his heart.
Moreover, this is only part of the basic content that needs to be learned. Subsequent techniques, divine sense, and various cultivation arts all require a great deal of effort to study.
The joy of passing the test was quickly overshadowed, and Zhao Cheng'an suddenly became somewhat nervous.
Shen Yanshan observed the changes in Zhao Cheng'an's expression but did not urge him; he simply sat there quietly.
After Zhao Cheng'an came to his senses, Shen Yanshan asked him if he had any other questions.
"Since this is your first time learning, I'm willing to answer a few of your questions for free. Next time, you'll have to prove your worth or pay me enough spirit stones."
Zhao Cheng'an immediately asked a question that had puzzled him for a long time.
"Since there are cultivators at the Imperial Academy, and they hold high positions, why not make this public? Wouldn't that attract more talented people with spiritual roots?"
Shen Yanshan stroked his beard and explained, "This involves another reason."
"Do you know why the Seven Kingdoms have always regarded the existence of cultivators as legend? It's because this is a low-spirit area."
"The spiritual energy here is extremely thin, and in some places there is no spiritual energy at all. If cultivators are likened to a sponge that has absorbed a lot of water, then the Seven Kingdoms are a scorching and arid desert."
"Cultivators certainly possess superhuman strength, but in such a barren and harsh region, they lack the resources they need for cultivation. Given that, why engage in such a thankless and arduous task?"
"Moreover, most practitioners are single-mindedly devoted to the Tao, focusing solely on their own pursuits and not wishing to be disturbed by mundane matters."
"The most typical example is what happened to Emperor Wuzong of Western Chu more than 300 years ago. If something like that were to happen again, it would give us a real headache. That's why we used this clever method to secretly select talented individuals."
"However, the royal families of various countries are not fools; they should have guessed some of the inside story."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng'an immediately recalled the secret order his father had once given.
His father told him to maintain a good relationship with Chen Heng as much as possible.
He couldn't help but nod slightly.
To be honest, what my father asked me to do wasn't some wishful thinking.
At the very least, even if the worst happens and the Great Yin Kingdom is truly destroyed by the barbarians, the original owner of this body can still be protected in the market area below the Imperial Academy thanks to her connection with Chen Heng.
In this way, at least one branch of the bloodline of the Dayin Dynasty was preserved.
Being a kept man is indeed a good fallback option.
But now, Zhao Chengan undoubtedly has a brighter future.
Zhao Cheng'an gathered his thoughts and asked a second question, which concerned his immediate safety.
"Teacher, I was once assassinated by a master assassin. Moreover, when I went out, I could sense that the assassin had not left and was still lurking nearby."
"I am still in the early stages of cultivation and have little power to protect myself, but I cannot hide in the Imperial Academy forever. Does the teacher have any solutions?"
Shen Yanshan nodded slightly, took out a black token that was neither gold nor jade from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.
"There is a large formation set up on Mount Cangwu, called the Lesser Heavenly Star Formation."
"This formation not only gathers spiritual energy and conceals heavenly secrets, but also possesses certain defensive and counter-attack capabilities. The token in your hand is the sub-token of this formation."
"When you go out, just wear this token in a conspicuous place on your body. Once that assassin sees it, he will naturally back down."
"If he doesn't leave..."
Shen Yanshan stroked his long beard. "That's because he was being irresponsible."
The renowned master, who was famous throughout the seven kingdoms and capable of taking the head of an enemy general from among ten thousand troops, was described by Shen Yanshan as nothing more than roadside weeds that could be easily pulled out.
Zhao Cheng'an once again deeply felt the insurmountable gap between mortals and cultivators.
However, he was still slightly disappointed.
He originally thought that Shen Yanshan would take direct action and eliminate the assassin cleanly and decisively, thus preventing future troubles.
However, upon reflection, Shen Yanshan seemed to be someone who disliked trouble, or rather, someone who was always absorbed in his own affairs. Furthermore, it was clear that Zhao Cheng'an's talent was only average, and he wasn't highly regarded by Shen Yanshan.
Thinking of this, Zhao Cheng'an became curious and asked, "Teacher, besides the students, who else in the Imperial Academy passed the examination?"
Shen Yanshan picked up his teacup and casually replied, "Besides you, there are four in total."
"You should be quite familiar with two of them. One is Chen Heng, and the other is Xiang Yunyuan."
Zhao Cheng'an recalled the list of those who missed the quiz on ancient teachings that day and thought to himself, "Just as I thought."
"As for the other two, they are Xu Baiheng and Sun Fuli."
Upon hearing the names of these two people, Zhao Chengan had a vague impression of them.
Of the two, Xu Baiheng is a princess of Dongning Kingdom.
Although Dongning Kingdom is a small country, mostly mountainous with a small population, it is rich in iron ore. As for Sun Fuli, although he is not a member of the royal family, he is not a simple person either.
Because their family controls the Four Seas Merchant Guild, the largest merchant guild in the seven kingdoms. In fact, many of the weapons, armor, and siege equipment used in the recent barbarian invasion of Dayin were resold by them, so they have enormous influence.
Including myself, among the five people, none of those who could pass the Imperial Academy's examination were ordinary people, because there was a natural threshold to obtaining a place in the Imperial Academy.
The Imperial Academy was unable to conduct large-scale screening in the low-spirit area, thus creating this situation.
Among them, Chen Heng had the most ordinary background. No wonder he owed the royal family a debt of gratitude, and they were willing to take the initiative to protect him when he encountered trouble.