A World Worth Protecting

by Stayrr

By the year 3029 CE, Earth’s technology has developed rapidly, borders no longer exist, and Earth has been unified, marking the beginning of the era of the Federation. At that time, a huge sword flew from the heavens, piercing the sun and causing a huge sensation on Earth. Perhaps because the scabbard of the sword was already in tatters, countless shards have broken off from it f

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A World Worth Protecting

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By the year 3029 CE, Earth's technology has developed rapidly, borders no longer exist, and Earth has been unified, marking the beginning of the era of the Federation.

At that time, a huge sword flew from the heavens, piercing the sun and causing a huge sensation on Earth.

Perhaps because the scabbard of the sword was already in tatters, countless shards have broken off from it following the collision with the sun and spread across the universe. Many of these shards have landed on various places across Earth.

With the arrival of the bronze sword and its shards, a new unlimited energy source has suddenly appeared on Earth. This energy source has since been named Spirit Qi.

Spirit Qi is like air, thick in some places and thin in others. As the Federation and other factions gather more shards, they discover more information on cultivation, pill refinement, Spirit Stone refinement, and other techniques. The words on the shards have an ancient feel to them, making it a trend for people to use ancient language.

The appearance of Spirit Qi rapidly makes the original energy sources obsolete and has completely changed people's lives. Not only has the Spirit Internet been formed, Spirit Qi has also changed the course of Human Civilization, causing the world to enter a civilization of cultivation. This would later come to be known as the Spirit Inception Era.

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Read A World Worth Protecting - Chapter 1 - I Want to Lose Weight! online free - Novelfull

Chapter 1: I Want to Lose Weight!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

On a scorching summer day, east of the Federation, fog emanated through Pond Cloud Rainforest like thin chiffon. Ancient towering trees interlocked each other, and birds would occasionally flit through the lush tree crowns, chirping as they flapped their wings and flew across the horizon.

High in the sky, the sun, which had seemed capable of existing eternally, no longer appeared anything like how people remembered. Instead, it had been penetrated by an ancient greenish-bronze sword—one so indescribably massive—many years ago! Only a small portion of the sword's tip was exposed!

The ancient sword had come from the cosmos and seemed to express its antiquity. There was a potent suppressive force that formed a halo, which enveloped the firmament as though it held the land in place, letting all life revere it!

The Sword Sun and the rainforest looked picturesque from afar but was disturbed by a humming sound that came from a distance. A red hot-air balloon flew slowly toward the rainforest.

The hot-air balloon's hull was very large, capable of holding hundreds of people. In there, many young men and women in groups of three or four chatted happily.

They were new students of Ethereal Dao College, one of the four great Dao Colleges in the Federation. They hailed from Phoenix City and were onboard Ethereal Dao College's cruiser, traversing thousands of kilometers, to seek higher education.

Perhaps because they were all greatly anticipating their upcoming education—not to mention the unspoken attraction between men and women—the students had plenty of fun on the five-thousand-kilometer voyage.

Due to the long distance, the cruiser was equipped with dining halls, cultivation chambers, medical facilities, and many other amenities.

There were quite a number of students in the cruiser's dining hall. Sitting at a table was a young fatty with his belly bulging out.

He was about seventeen years old, and he wore a blue baggy robe. His tiny rotund face could barely be considered to have intricate features. As he created smacking sounds while patting his belly, he gazed at the eight empty plates in front of him, a little regretful.

I'll have gained another one and a half kilograms after this meal. Why didn't I bear with it? I can't die early if I want to become the Federation President. The fatty frowned with a grimace as he felt filled with regret, burping in the process.

The young fatty's name was Wang Baole. He was also one of the students who had recently been accepted into Ethereal Dao College. His lifelong dream was to become an official, or more precisely, become the Federation President. The reason he had such an ambitious dream was intricately tied to a childhood experience of his.

In his memories, his father would frequently pat him on the head while speaking earnestly and sighing wistfully.

"Baole, being an official is the best. Remember, although money can solve everything, you can still be bullied by others. If you do not want to be bullied, the only way is to be an official, becoming a person who lords over the rest."

Wang Baole did not understand his father's words until he entered elementary school. One fateful day, he failed to hand in his homework on time and ended up being berated by the class monitor. Despite giving the class monitor two sweets, his name was still jotted down, and the class monitor snitched on him. All of this left a permanent mark in his young heart.

Hence, he wished to become the class monitor from that moment forth. It was not to bully others, but to ensure that he would not be bullied by others.

But as he grew up, he realized that many people bullied the class monitors. Therefore, he felt that only by becoming the highest official—the Federation President—could he ensure that no one would dare bully him. The reason he had racked his brains to enter Ethereal Dao College was because all the Federation's high officials had graduated from the four great Dao Colleges.

However, he did not lead a blessed life. His family clan's bloodline was quite an oddity. He even remembered that night one year ago when his father, who could be described as a bag of bones, had shown him the family tree.

It was the first time Wang Baole had seen it. He realized that all his ancestors had died early—before the age of thirty-five—if their body weight exceeded a hundred kilograms.

That night, Wang Baole had a dream… He had reunited with his fat forefathers before he successfully became the Federation President.

The matter of losing weight was elevated to something of great importance over the following year. The Spirit Inception Era meant rich Spirit Qi and a renewed interest in ancient martial arts; therefore, there were many weight-loss techniques. However, Wang Baole's weight remained stable, despite the new era. He even experienced a slight rise in weight even after he attempted all of them.

As his memories surfaced, Wang Baole gritted his teeth, steeling his resolve to begin losing weight the next day.

Having made up his mind, Wang Baole immediately felt relieved. As he picked his teeth, he hummed a tune while looking at the distant blue sky outside the windows. His mind became active again.

I wonder if Physician Lu likes the gift I gave him. That is an antique I got from home. That old geezer will probably like it. Wang Baole comforted himself and guessed that if he managed to win Physician Lu's favor, it would be equivalent to him having a tiny backer in the Dao College.

Teachers have limits to their authority, but I still have to give them some gifts in the future. Being so old, Physician Lu definitely has quite a wide social circle. I have likely taken the right step. Upon thinking of this, Wang Baole felt delighted. In his mind, he was one step closer to the position of the Federation President.

In regard to becoming the Federation President, he was very confident. This confidence stemmed from his research of the autobiographies of high officials, which he had gathered from a young age. He had even figured out a few trump cards needed in order to become a high official.

He was in a good mood as he looked at the blue skies outside the window, finding it especially beautiful.

But then, his eyes suddenly widened. He noticed that a black cloud was gathering in the distant sky. It spread out, covering the sky as lightning bolts flashed within it. The cloud slowly approached, and it also gained the attention of many as they exclaimed.

"It's an electromagnetic pulse!"

Wang Baole was alarmed as well. After the Spirit Inception Era was ushered in, the appearance of Spirit Qi caused many stunning phenomena to arise in the world. Flying crafts from the past could no longer ensure safe travel. It resulted in the production of hot-air balloon cruisers propelled by Spirit Stones.

Amid constant exclamations, a rumbling thunder suddenly boomed. The black electromagnetic clouds burgeoned in size rapidly as the lightning within began spreading outward. Like a black net, it illuminated the horizons in a dazzling manner, causing the hearts of the spectators to race. Even the cruiser slowed down.

Just as people were feeling apprehensive, the door to the dining hall was pushed open. As though a cool wind had rushed in, a white-robed elder entered. His face was covered in wrinkles, but he had an ethereal air to him. His appearance exuded a feeling of propriety, especially his shimmering eyes, making him look like a person of righteousness. The moment he arrived, his domineering voice resounded throughout the dining hall.

"Everyone is to immediately report to the Spirit Cultivation Chamber. Wear your Magnetic Spirit attire, for we will be entering the electromagnetic domain in less than three minutes!"

The moment he spoke, all the students in the dining hall hurriedly stood up reverently.

Wang Baole's eyes lit up. The elder in front of him was Physician Lu, the person he had previously gifted. From how he walked with flair, Wang Baole was increasingly convinced that his investment from before was right. He thought to himself that the old man was likely someone extraordinary, and he had really made the right move.

Just as he was reveling in his delight, the old physician swept his gaze across the room and saw Wang Baole. With a snort, he walked over, took out half a black mask, and threw it at him.

"Don't waste your efforts on such inane acts when you are still so young. To think you have already learned the art of gifting before you've even entered the Dao College. I'm quite a learned person with experience. Keep the mask for yourself." The old physician's expression was solemn. He reprimanded Wang Baole with an honest and upright demeanor, as though he expected better from him.

Wang Baole received the mask as his heart skipped a beat. He turned somewhat worried, as he could tell that the old physician was angry. Just as he was about to give an explanation, he suddenly recalled one of the trump cards he had learned from the high officials' autobiographies. One of them was that it was wise to thicken one's skin to admit one's mistakes in front of a superior. Typically, that would reduce a major issue to a minor one.

Therefore, he took a deep breath and hurriedly took on a contrite and penitent look to admit his fault.

"Teacher, you are right; I was at fault!"

The old physician turned a little intrigued. He could not deliver his planned tirade when the student had admitted his mistake so readily.

Wang Baole heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the old physician's expression. He felt a little smug, thinking how useful the high officials' autobiographies were.

The old physician snorted, raised his head, and scanned all the students in the dining hall. He raised his right hand and pointed at them.

"And all of you. All of you are future students of our Ethereal Dao College, but look at what you have been doing the past few days. You have to forever remember that, as warriors, we should first establish ourselves, watch our speech, and finally mind our conduct!"

The vice-abhorring physician's words resounded through the dining hall. Everyone who heard it could not help but lower their heads in shame. As for Wang Baole, his eyes immediately lit up. He felt it was the appropriate moment for him to shine.

He quickly took out a tiny notebook and began writing on it. From time to time, he would raise his head to look at the old physician with a diligent and attentive look on his face. At times, he would even nod seriously as though he was trying to remember every single word. Obviously, this was also from the teachings in the high officials' autobiographies.

When his other classmates saw this, they looked at Wang Baole as though they were looking at a man of God.

The old physician momentarily fell into a daze when he saw this. An unprecedented sense of oddness arose in his heart. This was the first time he had encountered such an oddity after enrolling so many batches of students. He could not help but take a few looks at him before he slowly sneered.

"Little fellow, it's not that easy to suck up to me. You ought to thank the electromagnetic pulse. If not for that, I would have reprimanded you for three days and three nights. I would be rather interested to see if you can write all of that in your tiny notebook!"

The moment he said those words, the mood immediately changed. The aura of an expert emanated from his body as it seemed to manifest as a suppressive force that blanketed the entire dining hall. Every student became alarmed. They all felt that the old physician clearly had the upper hand in the battle of wits.

Wang Baole blinked as he touched the recording jade slip in his pocket. After weighing the situation and noticing how they were approaching the electromagnetic pulse steadily, he gave up the thought of taking it out. He felt that backing down in front of a superior was nothing embarrassing.

The old physician became delighted when he saw the expressions on everyone. He generously threw them a few more words of motivation.

"Remember, put all your effort into cultivating. In the future, you must not be greedy or deceitful. Don't even think about finding girlfriends. I have to make it known to you that lust and danger are just two sides of the same coin! The way all of you have been acting for the past few days has been preposterous!"

Just as he said that, a sweet voice suddenly sounded from the old physician's voice transmission bangle.

"Grandpa Physician, where are you? Where do the Magnetic Spirit clothes go on? What should it cover? Quick, come and help me."

The charming voice made the old physician tremble involuntarily. He barely forced a dry cough as he stared sternly at everyone. Only then did he turn around in a rush, and at the same time, he spoke excitedly into the voice transmission bangle. "Oh, I'm coming. Baby, don't fret. I'm coming to help you right now."

The turn of events had simply happened too quickly, and the contrast was striking. Everyone was dumbfounded, and even Wang Baole was taken aback. He drew a deep breath moments later. Following that, there was an uproar as Wang Baole clenched his teeth and cursed.

Shameless! What that old pervert said was utter bullshit! There are only so many female schoolmates. There aren't enough for all of us, but he is actually trying to snatch resources from us at his age. Isn't it all because he's some kind of official?

Wang Baole became more infuriated the more he thought about the matter. He joined in the conversations with the classmates around him. It only strengthened his determination to become an official.

Another alarm sounded, ending everyone's conversations. All of them immediately rushed to the Spirit Cultivation Chamber.

The Spirit Cultivation Chamber was located in the core region of the cruiser, and like its name, it was a place for students to cultivate. At the same time, it was the place where the most security was deployed whenever the cruiser crossed any special zones.

As people gathered in the Spirit Cultivation Chamber, they were made to sit in rows under the direction of the Ethereal Dao College teachers. They were dressed in the Magnetic Spirit clothes that Ethereal Dao College had handed out.

Wang Baole was still dwelling on his anger toward Physician Lu even after he changed into the Magnetic Spirit clothes. He casually looked up and surveyed his surroundings. His depression immediately turned for the worse when he spotted a certain someone. He could not help but furrow his brows as he gave a look of disparagement.

Sitting where his sight had landed was a girl with long, slender legs. She looked charming, but she had her brows knitted and a look of disgust, too. Clearly, they were very familiar with each other but also hated each other from the looks they were giving one another.

What bad luck!

Both of them grumbled inwardly as they looked away. It was as though just a glance of each other was a sore sight.

"I see that flat-chested Du Min, everywhere I go. How irritating!" Wang Baole muttered under his breath. He had been classmates with the girl, Du Min, ever since he began schooling. She was usually proud and aloof, and she constantly made things difficult for him as her role as class monitor. She also happened to be the receiver of the two sweets he had given back then.

"What's so impressive about her? Isn't she just some lame class monitor? When we arrive at the Dao Colleges, I'll use the teachings of the officials and get some kind of official role!" snorted Wang Baole.

Soon, everyone had changed their clothing. The teachers in the Ethereal Dao College cruiser checked everyone's attire and explained certain important matters. They also warned everyone that things could become dangerous once the cruiser entered the electromagnetic domain. The risk of death was not negligible.

After everyone's expression changed, the teachers left solemnly. The door to the Spirit Cultivation Chamber was sealed as the lights dimmed.

Although there were murmurs in the Spirit Cultivation Chamber, the nervousness people felt turned more intense over the passage of time. Gradually, no one spoke as the chamber fell into silence.

It got so quiet that they could hear their own heartbeats. Even Wang Baole, who still felt disgruntled, turned nervous. As the remaining minutes counted down, the entire cruiser suddenly shook, signifying its entry into the electromagnetic domain!

Outside, the black electromagnetic clouds looked extremely grand. It resembled a huge mouth that seemed to devour the tiny hot-air balloon cruiser.

This phenomenon contained a destructive might that could sweep away everything. Perhaps only the stunning Sword Sun above the heavens could ignore such destruction, as though it could weather that turmoil and anything else thrown at it for millennia to come.

This year was the 37th year of the Spirit Inception Era.

In A.D. 3029, Earth's technology progressed rapidly, and the world was united with no national borders. It entered a federation era, and it was during this period that the massive sword flew from the cosmos and penetrated the sun, sending shockwaves across the world.

The hilt of the sword might have been damaged from the beginning, but the powerful impact shattered it into numerous fragments, which scattered across space, with portions of it landing all over the Earth.

Accompanying the arrival of the greenish-bronze sword and the falling of the fragments, the Earth suddenly had a perpetual new source of energy that permeated everywhere. It was later named… Spirit Qi!

Spirit Qi was like air. Some places were denser and others thinner. The Federation and other factions obtained the scattered fragments, and through them, found the relevant information needed for cultivation training and cultivation artifacts, pill refinement, and Spirit Stone refinement. The text on the fragments looked ancient, which made people's interest in ancient texts become mainstream.

The appearance of Spirit Qi quickly eliminated the need for all existing resources. It changed the lives of people and formed the Spirit Internet. It also changed the progress of Earth's civilization. It initiated a cultivation civilization all over Earth.

From then on, ancient martial arts became popular as a revolutionary change happened throughout the world. Thus, the era of immortal cultivation began.

History called it the Spirit Inception Era.

In the black electromagnetic cloud, the red hot-air balloon cruiser slowly proceeded forward. Lightning flashed continuously as bolt after bolt struck the cruiser incessantly. Thankfully, there was a soft halo surrounding the cruiser, allowing it to fly stably.

As for the Spirit Cultivation Chamber in the cruiser's core, all the students, including Wang Baole, were in there. They had unknowingly fallen asleep as though there was a strange power that pulled them into a dream.

At the cruiser's helm were eight teachers. Some of them were drinking tea while others were smiling. They were having light-hearted conversations, looking completely different from when they frightened their students.

Their leader was an elder with a face covered in wrinkles. He held a smoke pipe as he sucked on it. If Wang Baole was here, he would definitely have recognized him as the shameless Physician Lu.

The old physician smiled faintly when a middle-aged teacher asked, "Chancellor, everything is in order. Shall we begin the trial for this student cohort?"

"Begin!"

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Chapter 2: Wang Baole, What Did You Do!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The bright moon illuminated the nearly starless evening sky.

It was still the same Pond Cloud Rainforest, but there was an additional chilly air to the night. Occasionally, one would see rivers formed from the accumulation of rainwater, which appeared charming under the moonlight. However, the cries of beasts or birds easily left one feeling uneasy.

In a corner of the Pond Cloud Rainforest beside a river, there were two girls who looked a little wretched, but still innocent. One of them was tall, and the other looked adorable, each possessing a unique charm. The tall girl was watching her surroundings nervously while the adorable girl took off her undergarments, revealing her snow-white skin. She winced as she massaged the wound around her armpit. She had a chaotic look in her eyes as she muttered softly, "Du Min, it has been three days. Who knows when rescue will come? Our camp is quickly running out of food."

The tall girl, Du Min, fell silent when she heard that. She felt her life had changed completely over the past three days. She had been a student of Ethereal Dao College three days ago, but now, she was lost in a land filled with danger.

The Pond Cloud Rainforest looked beautiful, but in fact, its ground was moist and filled with decay. Animal bones could be seen from time to time, and there were many foot-long centipedes and colorful snakes making their occasional appearances. The sight left one's scalp tingling.

Animals had also evolved rapidly, like humans, ever since the Spirit Inception Era. They had great strength and were extremely savage. It made the wilderness a forbidden zone for humans.

As the two girls agonized over their predicament, a fatty who had an unyielding look on his face stood not far from them under a tree. With his head up, he stood there peeing.

The fatty was none other than Wang Baole. He had not noticed the two girls, nor did he see the tiny flowers beneath his feet. They had originally stood tall and proud, but now, the flowers were swaying wildly because of the stream of pee.

Darn it. I, Wang Baole, have always claimed to be able to read people, seeing through the hearts of all. I never expected that I would fall for Ethereal Dao College's scheme!

This Ethereal Dao College is way too wicked. They managed to put on such a realistic act. To convince us of the situation, they even made everyone see the cruiser explode!

Wang Baole was infuriated deep down. The past three days had truly put him on tenterhooks.

Three days ago, he and his schoolmates had fallen asleep in the Spirit Cultivation Chamber without even realizing it. They were awoken by a loud bang and before they could even get their bearings, their bodies were thrown right out of the cruiser by a powerful impact.

Thankfully, the Magnetic Spirit attire had the ability to reduce shock and repel lightning. He had landed in the Pond Cloud Rainforest safely but had then witnessed the cruiser explode amid the electromagnetic pulse.

Wang Baole and the others found themselves scattered across the forest. There was a lack of food, and the beasts were ferocious. Their future was still a question mark, and the horror the students faced made them change drastically. Some revealed their true characters. Others formed groups, and a few forged ahead alone. Some were decisive, and some were weak.

The concept of survival of the fittest was just too jarring and sudden for these students who had just been enrolled into Ethereal Dao College. But under such a drastic change, it seemed to trigger certain things in them. Be it greed or ferocity, selflessness or kindness, all of them sprouted and were magnified.

"Shameless!" Wang Baole grumbled deep down. He had believed everything he encountered the past three days to be real. He had been so frightened that he had put up with the thought of staying in the camp of his archrival, Du Min, when he bumped into her.

After three days passed, he realized that by not eating proper meals, he had miraculously lost about three kilograms through his voice transmission ring's weight-measuring feature. His shock from the revelation turned into suspicion.

This was just too different from the experience Wang Baole had in the past. He had once fasted and worked out crazily for a month in order to lose weight, but for an unknown reason, not only did he not lose weight, he even gained one and a half kilograms!

Now, he had lost about three kilograms in three days. That was completely impossible for him!

Especially when he recalled the autobiographies he had read. In them, people reminisced on their days in their respective Dao Colleges and seemed to mention, in vague terms, that the Dao Colleges would have so-called freshman tests from time to time.

If not for Wang Baole's thorough research, it would have been very difficult for him to have noticed this point. Having connected the dots together, he was baffled by how everything that had happened was done so realistically by Ethereal Dao College. It was very likely that there had only been a slip up because they had designed the experience based on an ordinary person. But clearly, he was no ordinary person.

He was fifty percent certain that everything he saw in front of him was an illusion.

And the evidence that fully convinced him of his theory was… the black half-mask that the old physician had returned to him!

With this thought in mind, the peeing Wang Baole could not help but lower his head to look at his chest. An indescribable sense of peculiarity arose in his heart.

He acutely remembered that he had casually kept the black half-mask close to his chest before he stepped into the Spirit Cultivation Chamber. After the terrifying turn of events, he'd had no time to even think about it. It was only moments ago that he realized by sheer chance that his hand could pass through the mask, despite it looking normal. It was as though he could not touch the mask.

It seemed like the virtual world, which could replicate almost anything, found it difficult to decompose the mask's components to model it.

And with the passage of time, even its external shape had begun to turn unreal. At the same time, it exuded some blurry fragments of text.

Although he could not read it clearly, the changes in the mask made Wang Baole's confidence in his theory go from fifty percent to a hundred percent!

If he continued analyzing according to his theory, it was not hard to guess the goal of the test with the fake catastrophe as its backstory.

It's impossible for it to be a measure of strength. After all, everyone has yet to study any ancient martial arts. Then, the goal of this test must be to test one's mettle in the face of danger. Perhaps it's also to test one's confidence in the Dao College?

As Wang Baole peed, his mind whirled constantly. From time to time, he would even have a few pee shivers.

As the tiny flower in front of him was getting pelted into a mess, Wang Baole's breathing hastened a little. He felt that he had to grasp the opportunity in front of him to gain bonus points.

That's what I'll do! Upon coming to this conclusion, Wang Baole shook himself vigorously, and just as he was about to pull up his pants, he suddenly saw the tiny river not far away.

Under the moonlight, although Du Min was standing there, Wang Baole's eyes were not on her. They were fixated on the adorable girl who was cleaning her wound.

There's a humanoid beast! Wang Baole's eyes widened as he gasped. His heart raced when he

caught sight of them. Du Min, who remained vigilant of her surroundings, sensed the gaze. She looked over, and her eyes met Wang Baole's. After a moment of shock, her expression changed, but before she could scream, Wang Baole glared at her, pulled up his pants, and shouted first.

"What are you looking at? Have you never seen a man pee?"

The moment he said that, Du Min choked from all the things that she wanted to say. She trembled in rage, for she had never met another man as shameless as Wang Baole. She could not help but curse.

"Darn Fatty, you call yourself a man?"

Wang Baole nearly swelled in anger when he heard that. The snarky Du Min had been his archrival since he was young. They felt repulsed by the sight of each other, and in a twist of fate, they had always been in the same class. Now, they had both enrolled in Ethereal Dao College. Wang Baole took a deep breath and scoffed.

"Darn Washboard, you call yourself a woman?"

Du Min nearly spat out a mouthful of blood when she heard the biting remark. A vein protruded from her forehead, and just as she was about to charge over, Wang Baole let out a long sigh.

"My untainted body has been completely seen by the two of you. How can I live on?" He looked as though life held nothing more for him as he pulled up his pants and ran off. His heart was racing while cold sweat covered his back. He complimented himself for being quick to react, or else he would have been in trouble.

Du Min widened her eyes angrily when she saw Wang Baole escaping. In response, she chased after him. As for the adorable girl in the river behind her, she had a bewildered look after hearing the duo's biting exchange. She did not feel like Wang Baole had sexually harassed her. When she saw Du Min run off in pursuit, she donned her clothes and quickly chased after the duo with her face red.

Du Min's angry tirade broke the Pond Cloud Rainforest's silence. People from the temporary encampment up ahead rushed over when they heard the disturbance, blocking Wang Baole from proceeding further.

The person leading the group was a torch-wielding youth dressed in white. He had a burly build with eyebrows like swords and eyes like stars. He stood out from the crowd with many students surrounding him. Clearly, he was the leader.

This person was Liu Daobin, the person who had united everyone in this encampment over the past three days, showcasing his personal charm.

"Wang Baole, what did you do!" Liu Daobin noticed Du Min rushing over furiously at a glance. And Wang Baole, who was being pursued, was holding up his pants as he proceeded forward. Liu Daobin had been taken aback by such an odd scene. He had long taken a liking to Du Min, so he instinctively loathed Wang Baole.

"All I did was pee…" Before Wang Baole could finish his sentence, they heard a loud scream coming from the two girls far away.

A stench instantly permeated the area as soon as they heard the scream. Swashing sounds like waves crashing into the beach spread quickly like a storm passing through.

Wang Baole jerked his head around, and at the same time, the expressions of Liu Daobin and the other students changed. They saw countless snakes slithering out from the ground and tree branches around Du Min and the adorable girl!

The snakes looked extremely venomous, judging from the myriad of colors they could see. The numbers were just too great, and it looked like a sea of snakes was surrounding the two girls.

The duo had a drastic change in expression when they saw the snakes surround them. It was even worse when the snakes opened their mouths lined with venomous fangs. Venomous liquid dripped down as they hissed. The stench was revolting.

Liu Daobin jolted. He did not have the time to bother with Wang Baole. He charged straight for Du Min. There were a few other students who ran over to help with reddened eyes.

All of this happened too quickly. At the instant everyone rushed over to help, there was an infantile cry coming from the distant forest. It left one's heart palpitating. A red line, which was as thick as a human's arm, could be seen clearly despite the darkness. It flitted over at an astounding speed.

The body that leaped occasionally revealed a pale white head. It no longer looked like a snake's head; it resembled that of a baby. However, the look in its eyes made everyone's heart thump heavily.

"Red Bone White Neonate Snake!" One of the students recognized it. Everyone panicked, and people retreated amid shocked exclamations.

Liu Daobin became flustered as his hair stood on end. He felt his heart palpitating furiously. The Red Bone White Neonate Snake was simply too infamous. It was listed as one of the top thousand dangerous creatures in the Spirit Inception Era. Although its body was weak, it was very fast, and its venom was potent. Just being tainted by a sliver of its venom was enough to reduce one to a pool of blood, leaving the victim with only red bones. That was also how it had earned its name.

Even though he liked Du Min, he instinctively felt that she was not worth losing his life for. He subconsciously took a step back to avoid the Red Bone White Neonate Snake, afraid that he and the rest would perish while it reveled in its murderous deeds.

Wang Baole took a deep breath when he saw this scene. Following that, he immediately recalled that everything was, in fact, fake. He immediately relaxed as his eyes lit up. He knew his opportunity to shine in front of the teachers had appeared.

Since it's all fake, what's there to be afraid of? Upon coming to this conclusion, Wang Baole immediately puffed out his chest and looked at his schoolmates, who were running away contemptibly.

"Although the flat-chested Du Min, has a biting tongue and is ugly, and she is her always using her privileges to make things difficult for me, I, Wang Baole, am a person of sublime character, a righteous person, a man not afraid of sacrifice, a person who has transcended mediocrity, and someone who is willing to help his schoolmates!

"In such a dangerous environment, how can I retreat? Others might be afraid to forge forward for fear of death, but… for my schoolmates, I have no fear!"

The shameless fatty nearly moved himself with his own words. Did he forget that he was only in a virtual world? It appeared he had forgotten the fact. He immersed himself completely in his acting.

"Washboard, I'll show you what it means to be a man today!"

When everyone else was retreating in horror, not only did Wang Baole refuse to retreat, he even roared and puckered his lips. He raised his chin as though his rotund face was as sharp as a blade. Filled with manliness, he strode forward and charged into the snake horde with indomitable might.

The figure with extraordinary might and an imposing stance seemed to represent righteousness. He ran straight for the two girls!

This scene immediately left Du Min dumbfounded. Even though she was amid the snakes, she still found the situation jarring. However, the adorable girl beside her could not help but become excited.

As for the rest, they were astounded by Wang Baole's roar and imposing might. At the instant the Red Bone White Neonate Snake approached the girls, Wang Baole arrived like a descending god. He grabbed the snake that struck horror into the hearts of many and threw it far away.

He exuded a mighty and overbearing aura, as though a saint had possessed him that very instant. He emanated an awe-inspiring air, and without even hesitating, he carried the excited girl and stuffed the dazed Du Min under his armpit before rushing back toward the crowd.

However, there were just too many snakes. On his journey back, he got bitten in the ass several times. His face was already black by the time he returned. However, he endured it by gritting his teeth. Only when he had safely brought the girls back did he lose his footing. Completely enervated, he collapsed.

It seems I was a little foolhardy… My ass hurts. It's proof that being a real man is very difficult, Wang Baole lamented inwardly. He saw Du Min still looking at him; she seemed to have fallen into a daze. As for the adorable girl, her eyes contained gratitude, as well as a peculiar look. The crowd around him looked at him as if they had seen a ghost. Although he found his eyelids heavy, he still felt a little proud of himself.

When the painful wounds on his ass began to turn numb, Wang Baole immediately grabbed Du Min's hand.

"Du Min, I saved your life. I can't feel my ass now. I heard that one can be saved if the venom is sucked out. Help me…" Without finishing his sentence, Wang Baole fainted. Just as his head toppled, he saw that he was about to fall on Du Min's chest. He realized something and forcibly changed directions, landing on the adorable girl's breasts.

Upon seeing this scene, the crowd had odd looks on their faces. Du Min's face turned grim when she saw how Wang Baole still had a repulsive look on his face despite being unconscious.

At that moment, in the Federation's dominion—a great distance away from the Pond Cloud Rainforest—a red cruiser was approaching Ethereal Dao College. Inside the Spirit Cultivation Chamber, hundreds of students were sleeping peacefully. Wang Baole was among them, too. He seemed to be having a beautiful dream—evident from the pleasant smile at the corner of his lips—as his head was cocked to the side.

In the main hull of the cruiser, all the teachers, including the old physician, were staring blankly with widened eyes. They were looking at one of the crystal screens floating in front of them.

The screen showed the unconscious Wang Baole, who had just saved Du Min in the Pond Cloud Rainforest.

"What's this fatty's name?"

"Although they are in a Hallucination Nexus, it feels no different from reality. His performance in there must stem from his true character!"

"Such bravery and the fearlessness when it came to saving his schoolmates makes him a good seedling, one not seen in a hundred years! He's the kind of excellent student that our Dao College yearns for the most!"

The teachers exclaimed one after another as they marveled at Wang Baole. There were even a few teachers who were moved as they considered if they should rope in Wang Baole immediately to join their faculty.

Even the old physician, also known as the Chancellor of Ethereal Dao College, was slightly dumbfounded. He hesitated, as he had a hunch that something was not right.

Did I really make an error in my judgment? As he pondered over it, he took out Wang Baole's file from the students' dossier and began reading it.

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Chapter 3: Schoolmates, Count on Me!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Wang Baole still found himself inside the Hallucination Nexus when he woke up. A day had passed, and the snakes' venom was not as potent as people imagined. Thanks to the schoolmates who were skilled in the treatment of snake venom, Wang Baole failed to have his beautiful wish fulfilled.

Thankfully, when he regained consciousness, Bunny, whose real name was Zhou Xiaoya, took care of him meticulously. For once, Du Min did not clash with him. This made Wang Baole feel at ease. He began recalling the rescue he had accomplished. The teachers must have seen it, and he must have gained quite a number of bonus points from the test.

The only thing that left him depressed was that while the group traversed the forest in search of their schoolmates over the following days, Liu Daobin seemed like a completely different person. Perhaps because he was feeling ashamed of what had happened, he would consistently choose to charge straight ahead to quickly resolve any problems whenever they encountered any danger along the way. It robbed the already frail Wang Baole of opportunities to showcase himself.

And worst of all, there were no more serious situations like the horde of snakes. It made Wang Baole feel like he was wasting the potential of his talents. While wallowing in depression, all he could do was watch Liu Daobin gain more points for the test.

If Liu Daobin continues like this, his score in this secret test might even be higher than mine! Wang Baole eventually turned anxious, but these emotions did not last too long. They had set up camp in a narrow passage between huge rocks, also known as a One-Line Sky, and late into the second night, they heard the ferocious howling of wolves.

The howls seemed able to penetrate rock, piercing straight into the ears of all present. People awoke shocked as they looked over. They immediately saw numerous pairs of blood-red eyes amid the boundless woods in front of them.

There were countless savage wolves, which had surrounded them in a fan-shaped formation. Some were running on the ground while others had leaped into the trees. They let out snarling howls with eyes filled with bloodlust. It was a shocking sight!

This scene seemed to form a repressive wind that changed the expressions of Liu Daobin and company. They were covered in sweat as their scalps turned numb.

"Quick, run! There's a pack of wolves!"

"They are Nether Bone Wolves!"

After the encounter with the snake horde, Du Min appeared to have matured a lot more. She immediately shouted for everyone to enter the One-Line Sky and use the geological formation to ward off the pack of wolves.

Liu Daobin appeared ambivalent before he finally gritted his teeth. He did not immediately retreat when facing the pack of wolves. Instead, he called upon his schoolmates to fend off the wolves to stall for time.

Bunny helped Wang Baole up in a fluster. Although she trembled, she still managed to drag him toward the One-Line Sky with everyone else. However, Wang Baole was already filled with anxiety at that moment.

From his point of view, it was fine if he had yielded a few points to Liu Daobin before. Now that a huge opportunity had presented itself, how could he allow Liu Daobin to snatch it away? Instantly, a sacred fire seemed to blaze in his eyes. He regained his might once again as he stopped in his tracks.

"Xiaoya, leave first!"

After Wang Baole said that, he ran straight for where Liu Daobin was. He grabbed him, and while Liu Daobin was shocked, Wang Baole threw him toward the One-Line Sky, while shouting loudly, "Brother, retreat first. I'm here!"

Liu Daobin was completely confounded. Before he could react, he saw Wang Baole charge into the pack of wolves without any hesitation.

"Everyone, leave quickly. I'll protect you!" At that moment, Wang Baole exuded righteousness and sacredness once more. A distance away, Bunny felt her heartstrings tremble once again as she looked at Wang Baole.

There were other male schoolmates who had already retreated back to the One-Line Sky. But stirred on by Wang Baole, they felt ardor and zeal course through their bodies. They turned around, and as they were about to follow in his footsteps, a red-eyed Wang Baole kicked all of them back.

Wang Baole had an awe-inspiring righteousness about him as he roared, "Brothers, leave first!"

He was very alert, afraid that others would vie with him for points!

From his point of view, the pack of wolves was still worth points even if they looked savage.

As for the students who had been kicked back to the One-Line Sky, they felt palpitations through them while their eyes filled with gratitude. They could not help but feel pumped when they saw Wang Baole's selfless figure, his might, and his cause that was greater than himself. They attempted to charge forward once again.

Wang Baole instantly turned anxious as he rushed to push each and every one of them back. He was afraid that they would come back again, so he gritted his teeth and raised his hands up by the One-Line Sky's entrance and pressed down on the rock walls, using his body as a meat shield.

He anxiously roared, "I've already been poisoned by the snakes. There's no way for me to escape. Don't worry about me. Leave quickly, all of you!"

Wang Baole's every word was dripping with raw emotion. It left the people rushing forward quivering, and at that moment, the pack of wolves sped up. They swarmed over and snarled, their bloodlust being felt thoroughly. They pounced at Wang Baole crazily.

This scene shook the students, who had retreated into the One-Line Sky, to their very core.

"Wang Baole, come back quickly!"

"Heavens, he's using his flesh and blood to block the pack of wolves to not be a burden on us!" Bunny, Du Min, and all the other students in the One-Line Sky were moved by his gesture. They only felt that the present Wang Baole and his rotund figure appeared like a majestic mountain, a picture that would be engraved in their memories for all eternity.

Liu Daobin was similarly moved. His breathing hastened, and his displeasure toward Wang Baole completely dissipated. All that was left was a deep sense of shock.

The scene of Wang Baole holding up his arms to the walls like a human blockade felt like he was holding up the collapsing sky!

Even Wang Baole was moved by his own actions. He felt that if he were a teacher, he would definitely be deeply moved after seeing all that he had done. But in order to gain more points, he secretly thought of sucking up to the college. He said firmly, "It is my honor to have been accepted by Ethereal Dao College even if I die here. I live and die as part of Ethereal Dao College!"

Wang Baole felt pleased, completely satisfied with his own words. He did not believe that the teachers would not be moved by his words and actions!

However, this sense of complacency did not last long. Wang Baole, who had only considered gaining more points in the test, had forgotten one thing. That was… he could feel pain!

Although he was hallucinating, the pain was no different from that of real life. As the howling wolves approached and clamped their jaws on him, he instantly seemed to drown amid the dozen or so wolves right in front of everyone.

It hurts! Wang Baole's body quivered as his breathing turned heavy. All he could see were the jaws of the wolves, and he smelled the blood on them. The excruciating pain that ensued when their fangs bit at his flesh made him nearly forget that it was all an illusion.

But he was determined and had no intention to retreat!

His body turned into a bloody mess, exposing white bone in many spots. All he could hear was the shredding sounds and wolf howls mixed together like a death knell as his consciousness became haze. But despite such excruciating pain, he displayed the one outstanding quality he possessed amid all his flaws.

That was… grit!

It was not easy to encounter a situation worth so many points. I can't waste it. I want to score past the maximum in this test by getting all the bonus points in one go!Wang Baole roared inwardly. Just as he wanted to hold on a little longer, a red-figure suddenly dashed past the weeping and retreating students from a distance away at a stunning speed!

The red-figure was a short-haired youth who looked about eighteen. He was handsome, and there was a coldness in his eyes and brows. He wore a red attire that only made it easier for him to do combat. He had a huge bow slung over his shoulder, and his body was like a flitting ape in the woods. As he approached, he drew his bow and released an unexpected barrage of arrows.

Nine arrows shot out instantly!

The arrows were just too fast as they whistled through the air and past the crowd. They whizzed through the One-Line Sky and whistled over Wang Baole's head, beneath his crouch, and past his limbs. Nine ferocious wolves were struck as they let out sharp painful cries!

Not a single shot missed its target. The immense strength contained within sent the nine wolves flying upon impact!

This sudden turn of events made all the retreating students fall into a daze. Even Wang Baole was taken aback. The nine arrows had flown past him in such close proximity that he had been given quite a fright.

Before he could even react, the red-dressed youth moved even faster under the watchful eyes of everyone. As though his strength had suddenly surged, he followed closely behind the arrows and charged through the One-Line Sky, leaped above Wang Baole's head, and shot another nine arrows!

With a few alarming thuds, which were accompanied by the tragic cries of nine wolves, the surrounding wolves were terrified. They instinctively retreated, and the red-dressed youth used this opportunity to land, grab Wang Baole, and retreat rapidly.

Wang Baole's body jolted. He did not care about the pain; he was anxiously watching as the gap between him and the wolves widened.

"Brother, put me down. I can still last a little longer!"

The red-dressed youth was moved by Wang Baole's words, even though he was quite an aloof person. Wang Baole's body was mangled, as though it would crumble at any moment.

"You have already done very well. Leave the rest to me!"

Wang Baole turned more agitated when he heard that. He felt like the youth was taking his lines for himself. Just as he was about to say another word, the youth took a deep breath. He raised his right hand suddenly as the muscles on his arm instantly swelled several notches. Wang Baole saw the startling sight of him drawing the huge bow in his hand, aiming at the rock wall to the side. Very quickly, more than ten shots had been delivered.

The strength used was just too great. Cracks appeared in the rocks, and the wall collapsed, crumbling into countless fragmentary stones. With a rumble, the One-Line Sky was completely blocked.

Wang Baole widened his eyes as he looked at the youth's beefy arm and swallowed the words that he had been about to say.

Everything had happened too quickly. As the One-Line Sky collapsed, the red-dressed youth blinked and carried Wang Baole back to the crowd.

The students not far away felt their minds and hearts quake when they saw this scene. Liu Daobin drew a gasp and opened his mouth, but no voice came out of it.

"The Ancient Martial realm's second level, Physical Seal!"

"I haven't reached Physical Seal yet. I have only perfected my first level," the red-dressed youth explained as he gave Liu Daobin a glance and lowered Wang Baole.

"You already have the might of a Physical Seal even without attaining it. Thank you for saving us!" Liu Daobin quickly cupped his fist to salute him. The other schoolmates rushed to do the same. There were even quite a number of girls who looked at him with reverence. Instantly, the red-dressed youth was the center of attention.

As for Wang Baole, he was lying on the ground, watching all of this in depression. He knew that the red-dressed youth had saved him out of good will, but he felt that he had lost his opportunity to win points. However, he knew that there was nothing he could do about that.

The Ancient Martial realm… Wang Baole sighed inwardly. Ever since the Federation entered the Spirit Inception Era, most citizens had only been able to learn a beginning cultivation technique known as Qi Fostering Art despite it being an era of cultivation.

The technique allowed one to absorb Spirit Qi to extend one's longevity and use one's body as a medium to condense Spirit Stones for sale. That was why it was spread widely.

For actual cultivation, the barriers of entry remained very high, and it was difficult to meet the requirements. It also needed a foundation, which was why ancient martial arts had experienced a resurgence.

After the Federation concluded various studies, the three levels of the Ancient Martial realm were formed!

Blood Qi, Physical Seal, Pulse Enrichment!

Only by reaching the perfected stage of the Pulse Enrichment level would one be qualified to vie for the fate of the Dao that was equivalent to a golden opportunity!

However, most of the Ancient Martial realm cultivation techniques were in the hands of the various factions of the Federation. The most orthodox method of obtaining them, for most people, was to be accepted into one of the four Dao Colleges. Apart from that, they could only obtain them by offering their services to various large factions or families.

He's about my age. He's likely from a renowned family. Wang Baole sighed. The feeling of having his limelight stolen only made the excruciating pain burn more intensely. He could not help but grunt painfully to attract the attention of everyone. Many people rushed over immediately.

Wang Baole felt a lot better when he realized that people still valued him. However, he found it too painful, and now that his score was likely enough, he decided to simply pass away. Hence, he took a deep breath and spoke in a trembling voice.

"I can't hold on much longer. Schoolmates, after you become students of my Ethereal Dao College, you must…" Wang Baole had fully gotten into character with his emotions. He was about to deliver his words filled with roused magnanimity.

But at that moment, the red-dressed youth had a solemn expression. He walked to Wang Baole's side, took out a bottle of pills, and fed him one.

"For a person willing to sacrifice himself for the Dao College, I, Chen Ziheng, will absolutely not let him die just like that! Fellow schoolmate, you can now rest. Leave everything to me!" Chen Ziheng's words were resolute and decisive. Complemented by his combat strength, he immediately projected a convincing impression into the hearts of everyone.

While everyone else expressed their gratitude, Wang Baole was dumbfounded as he stared at Chen Ziheng in a daze. Once again, he felt like the fellow in front of him had snatched his lines.

He wanted to redeem the situation, but as the medicine spread, Wang Baole turned dizzy, feeling so weak that he could not say a word. All he could do was lie there in anger and sadness. As he looked at the sky, which was gradually brightening, he only had one thought deep in his mind.

He must be like me. He's cheating!

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Chapter 4: Ethereal Dao College

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

While Wang Baole had fainted out of anger and sadness, the red hot-air cruiser in the real world continued crossing the sky rapidly. It was quickly approaching Ethereal City's protectorate.

Chaos ensued in the main hull of the vessel.

"The Alchemy faculty wants Wang Baole!"

"Don't even think about snatching him from my Combat faculty. He's mine!"

Nearly all the teachers were flushed with excitement. They would bang the table at times while arguing incessantly about which faculty Wang Baole would join after he entered the Dao College.

All of this stemmed from Wang Baole's self-sacrifice. The shock he had left with them was just too great. His bloody, mangled body had moved all of them. Plus, the words he had said were like bolts of lightning that shook their very core, especially his last sentence. It had made their hearts palpitate intensely.

"I live and die as part of Ethereal Dao College!"

This sentence effused bravery and loyalty. He was the kind of student that every faculty in the Dao College yearned for; therefore, how could they concede him to the others?

As the debate continued, a thin, middle-aged teacher with a goatee took out a jade card with reddened eyes when he realized that he was unable to recruit Wang Baole on his own.

He injected his spirit powers into it and roared, "My Dharmic Armament faculty uses its mandate that can only be used once every five years. We mandate that Wang Baole is to be a specially-recruited student of the Dharmic Armament faculty. None of you will snatch him from me!"

The moment he said those words, the jade card in his hands shimmered immediately. Instantly, the back of the crystal with Wang Baole's name on it had the additional words 'Dharmic Armament faculty' on it.

This scene alarmed everyone. The mandate was just too precious. Typically, teachers would monitor the students after their matriculation before approving their enrollment into their respective faculties. Only a select few would be offered an olive branch by the faculty members.

Regardless, it was a choice that went both ways except… every faculty had one mandate that they could use once every five years. It could be used to mandate that a particular student would become a member of their faculty. Furthermore, it came with extravagant treatment and resources. The student would also gain special privileges that far exceeded their peers. It was like handing an important position to the student.

As a result of these perks, such a mandate was typically given to students with special backgrounds or those who excelled flawlessly. It was extremely precious.

Although Wang Baole was excellent, the others had hesitated to use their mandates on him. They could not help but shake their heads with a wry smile.

Upon seeing his colleagues' expressions, Goatee felt that he had made the right decision. He believed that with Wang Baole's character, his loyalty to the Dharmic Armament faculty would definitely be one of committed devotion after they nurtured him properly.

No matter how talented one was, it was still possible for them to commit acts of betrayal. The only ones who could not be bought with money were those with a righteous character and absolute loyalty. Only such disciples would step forward bravely at critical moments, making them worth every cent spent nurturing them! Goatee immediately became contented when he thought of this. He looked at the still-frowning old physician, who was staring at Wang Baole's information in deep thought.

"Chancellor, our Dharmic Armament faculty has mandated that Wang Baole is ours. You have to be impartial about this."

The old physician lowered his head and continued reading the dossier record as he spoke nonchalantly. "Don't worry. He is yours, but I hope you do not regret it."

The Ethereal Dao College had detailed information about every matriculated student starting from when they were young. There was a subtle keenness in his eyes as he said those words while reading the information.

"Chancellor, you…" Goatee was taken aback when he heard that. The other teachers were perplexed as well.

"He once attempted to lose weight for a month. He fasted and exercised vigorously, but not only did his weight not decrease, it increased. Such an impossible situation that does not happen to ordinary people happened to him." The old physician sneered. He then flipped through the physical characteristics of every student in the Hallucination Nexus. His eyes landed on Wang Baole's weight changes after the test began.

The old physician raised his head and said firmly, "If I'm not wrong, this Wang Baole has known for a while now that it is a virtual world. He knew that it was an exam and was cheating!"

"That's impossible!" Goatee drew a gasp as he held his chest. He felt faint.

"We will know if he's been cheating by testing him." The old physician looked at Wang Baole through the crystal screen. His right hand rose to control the nexus as it suddenly stirred.

In the Hallucination Nexus, the students had just survived the calamity, but before they could rejoice, they suddenly heard an earth-shaking roar from the forest in front of them. It swept toward them like a storm.

Towering trees were destroyed from the sound waves and were blasted apart. The ground also quaked as a huge bear about a hundred feet tall crawled up from the ground and roared.

Most of its body appeared to be rotting, but its eyes had a ghostly fire, as though it had an undying body. It effused a suppressive might that left everyone trembling to the core. It was the overlord of the woods; its presence caused the woodland animals and birds to tremble in fear.

"That's… that's impossible. Heavens, that is an… Ancient Boor Specter Bear!"

"It's… an Ancient Boor Specter Bear, a powerful being whose strength is equal to the perfected Ancient Martial realm, capable of tearing apart an expert at the second level of the Ancient Martial realm!"

Liu Daobin instantly turned limp, and Bunny, Du Min, and the rest revealed looks of extreme horror. Even the red-dressed youth had a drastic change in expression.

Most terrifying of all, the Ancient Boor Specter Bear charged straight for them after roaring. Every step it took shook the ground as it exuded an imposing might.

"Run, quick!" It was unknown who shouted as everyone began scattering on instinct. Even the color in the red-dressed youth's face drained as he gave up the thought of putting up a fight. He quickly retreated.

Wang Baole was only jolted awake from his unconsciousness. When he saw the savage bear, his eyes lit up. His already weak body began heaving up and down rapidly.

There are actually more bonus points!

In his excitement, Wang Baole struggled to crawl toward the gigantic bear.

"Schoolmates, quickly leave. Ignore me. I'll help you stall for time!" Wang Baole said as he barely managed to pick up a rock to throw at the approaching bear.

"Bear, eat me! As long as I, Wang Baole, am alive, I will absolutely not allow you to harm my schoolmates!" Wang Baole roared. The escaping students once again felt so touched that words could not describe it. Many of the girls even wept for him.

Inside the cruiser's main hull, the old physician sneered when he saw the gigantic bear's massive body charge at Wang Baole, about to rip him apart alive.

"See that? The excitement in the punk's eyes. Have you ever seen anyone with such an expression while at death's doorstep? It's as though he's afraid he won't die."

The other teachers all had strange expressions when they looked at Wang Baole. Wang Baole really looked heroic if they looked at him normally, but if they observed him with suspicion, the flaws in his act became apparent.

"This punk is way too shameless!"

"It would have been fine if he cheated, but he is acting way too out of line!"

The teachers in the main hull could not bear to continue watching. As for Goatee, he was clenching his teeth, feeling deep regret as his heart seemed to bleed. He was just short of beating his chest and stamping his feet.

"Heavens, my mandate!"

Finally, the old physician waved his right hand once again. Immediately, every image in the crystal shattered and dissipated.

"Alright, we will be landing in the Dao College soon. That's the end of the test!"

The final scene Wang Baole saw was the moment the Hallucination Nexus collapsed. The gigantic bear had covered the sky, and following that, it turned turbid along with the world, before turning completely black.

When he regained consciousness again, he felt his body jolt. It felt like a force was pushing him forward. He opened his eyes, realizing that he was back in the cruiser's Spirit Cultivation Chamber. He even heard the exclamations of the people around him.

"This… Weren't we in the Pond Cloud Rainforest? Why are we here?"

"Was I dreaming or were all of us dreaming?"

Wang Baole blinked as he immediately feigned a blank look as he screamed!

"Quickly leave, all of you. Don't bother about me. Bear, I'll fight it out with you!"

His voice was just too loud. Due to his act of courage in the nexus, it was difficult not to win the attention of others. He immediately attracted many looks when he shouted. The students around him were even more agitated.

"It's Brother Wang Baole!"

"What a great pal!"

"Wang Baole, you are the boss from now on!"

Du Min and Bunny were looking at him too. Having survived the calamity, the way they looked at Wang Baole was no longer the same, especially Bunny, whose eyes were brimming with tears. If she was not wearing the Magnetic Spirit attire and sitting a distance away, she might have leaped into his arms.

All of this left Wang Baole extremely pleased with himself. Just as he considered how he should receive the adoration of everyone, he heard a stern voice reverberate throughout the Spirit Cultivation Chamber.

"All students, we have arrived above the Dao College. Everything that just happened was part of our Ethereal Dao College's freshman test. Your results will contribute to your overall grade… Finally, I would like to welcome you to Ethereal Dao College!"

Perhaps the stern voice managed to calm their hearts or perhaps it was the fact that they were close to the Dao College, but all the students inside the Spirit Cultivation Chamber collected themselves and psyched themselves up as they turned to look outside the windows.

Although Wang Baole felt a little wistful, he could not conceal his feelings of anticipation. When he looked down at the ground beneath him through a window, he immediately saw a massive lake. The lake looked like a mirror that paved the ground. It was extremely beautiful as it reflected the colors in the sky.

There were three islands in the lake aligned parallel to one another. There were many boats sailing between the islands. As they approached, one could even see buildings with an air of antiquity on the islands as well as numerous people.

In the periphery of the islands, it looked like there were tens of thousands of people, constituting a tiny city.

"Our Ethereal Dao College is a renowned college that was established in A.D. 2348. It experienced the Federation Era and participated in the battle of the beasts. It also ushered in the Spirit Inception Era and changed its teachings to the Dao. It has more than seven centuries of history and has nurtured countless elites and heroes. It has contributed significantly to the progress of mankind. Even the previous Federation President graduated from Ethereal Dao College.

"The lake you see is called the Green Forest Lake. As the saying goes, years as a green forest pass by happily, the happiness within matches that of a youth!

"As for the three islands, they are the Heaven Traversal Island, core to the Dao College, the Upper Academy Island for Dao disciples, and the Lower Academy Island for students like you. Of those who inherit our Ethereal Dao College's legacy, there is the guiding principle to change the world and bring world peace!"

The stern voice resounded in the Spirit Cultivation Chamber. It was filled with pride as it spread through the hearts of everyone. Everyone, including Wang Baole, could not help but feel stirred by Ethereal Dao College's presence and heritage.

As the Lower Academy Island beneath them rapidly increased in size, they could see more than ten towering mountain peaks on the biggest mountains. They looked like sharp swords that aimed for the skies.

Every mountain peak had countless buildings. There were huge words on them, which were especially clear, even when seen from the sky.

Dharmic Armament Faculty, Alchemy Faculty, Combat Faculty, Array Runes Faculty…

Before they were able to take note of everything, they felt a sudden jerk following a great boom. The cruiser had traversed five thousand kilometers from Phoenix City to land straight in the Lower Academy Island of Ethereal Dao College!

They had arrived at Ethereal Dao College!

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Chapter 5: Specially Recruited Student

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ethereal Dao College was extremely large, especially with the Lower Academy Island, which was truly majestic. It could accommodate a hundred thousand students during their studies. In the southeastern area of the Lower Academy Island, dozens of gigantic hot-air balloon cruisers were parked in an aerial port.

There were countless students filled with curiosity and excitement. They were getting off the cruisers with their luggage in tow. Although it was noisy, it was mostly filled with joyful laughter.

These people came from different regions of the Federation. They were the new batch of students that had been accepted into the Dao Colleges.

On one cruiser's deck, Wang Baole and company, who had come from Phoenix City, were carrying their luggage. All of them looked excitedly at the white clouds in the blue sky and the mountain peaks of the different faculties in the distance. They felt refreshed and were brimming with an indescribable sense of anticipation.

However, compared to their youthful spirits, the old physician and the other teachers who walked out from the main hull had strange expressions. They were already very familiar with the students who had come from Phoenix City.

They were especially familiar with Wang Baole. They could not help but glance at him a few more times.

Being accustomed to taking cues from the words and countenance of people, Wang Baole naturally noticed it. Although he was among a crowd of people, he was still concerned about the results of the test. He was constantly paying attention to where the teachers were. Only then did he notice that something was amiss.

Why are they looking at me like that? Are my results too heaven-defying? Haha, that must be the case. Wang Baole immediately turned excited. However, there was a sense of curiosity amid the excitement. The reason was that among the teachers, there was a man with a goatee whose eyes appeared both angry and sad when he looked at him.

What's the situation? Wang Baole was perplexed. He found Goatee problematic, but before he could think through things carefully, all the teachers, including Goatee, walked straight for them.

As they approached, a person sped up among the teachers and said to the red-dressed youth, "Chen Ziheng, come here. I'll show you to the registration booth."

Chen Ziheng had a thought before he nodded and walked over before being taken away by the teacher. As they walked, they conversed. The teacher appeared to be giving him recommendations enthusiastically.

When Wang Baole saw this, his eyes lit up. Immediately, his breathing hastened. He had a guess. Would the results from the test begin showing their effects from this moment forth?

His heart raced as it filled with anticipation. He puffed his chest out, afraid that the teachers did not see him.

"Xu Liushan, follow me."

"Liu Daobin, come."

Soon, the teachers began shouting one name after another. The people called were taken away.

This scene made the hearts of people race. They could also tell that those who were named had done well in the test. They had won the favor of the teachers and were taken away ahead of the rest. They were offered olive branches from the respective faculties.

Wang Baole felt complacent. Although he did not hear a teacher shout out his name, he was very confident about his results in the test. He felt that the later one was called, the more excellent the students were. He even strongly looked forward to meeting the teacher who thought highly of himself.

What should I do if I caught the eye of all the teachers? Man, how troubling. I wonder how I should choose. Wang Baole felt happy deep down as he raised his head and puffed up his chest. However, after waiting all day, with even Du Min called away before, only about eighty percent of the hundreds of students were left beside him; he was somewhat dumbfounded.

No way… Wang Baole wiped the sweat from his forehead, finding it impossible to maintain his composure.

The teachers constantly took other students away until there were almost left. Almost all the teachers were gone, with the old physician leaving after taking a glance at Wang Baole. The only person left was Goatee, who looked like someone owed him a fortune. Wang Baole felt a little faint seeing this.

At that moment, the nasty-looking Goatee's chest puffed up a few times. He looked extremely unwilling but was forced to do something out of no choice. It was as though he had to finish going down a path he had chosen. Only then did he shout, "Wang Baole, why aren't you coming over yet?"

The words seemed to have been forced through his clenched teeth. After saying that, Goatee turned and disembarked the cruiser.

Wang Baole instantly became excited. He felt the voice was as beautiful as a lark's. He did not have the time to consider the expression Goatee had. He ran over hurriedly and very obligingly followed Goatee. It appeared as though he would not hesitate to help carry any luggage he had if he had any.

As they left, the remaining disciples were made to disembark the cruiser. These students without anything special about them would choose their own faculties in the coming days.

Goatee was taking wide strides away from the Lower Academy Island's aerial port, his face grim. There was a small cruiser parked in front of him, and standing by it were students from previous cohorts. They were waiting excitedly while decked in their blue college uniforms. Whenever they saw pretty girls walk past, they would immediately run over to introduce themselves warmly and show concern. When they saw Goatee arrive, they quickly acted reverently.

"Teacher, walk slowly. What faculty are we from?" Wang Baole's breathless voice sounded from behind Goatee. Goatee was an expert himself, so he walked fast. Wang Baole, who had yet to cultivate any ancient martial arts, found it difficult to keep up.

Goatee was utterly depressed. He took out a purple jade pendant, threw it to the approaching Wang Baole, and snorted, "Report to the Dharmic Armament faculty by yourself. I have something to tend to and will be leaving first."

With that said, he stepped into the small cruiser and quickly flew off.

Wang Baole was equally depressed after catching the jade pendant. He could also tell that something was wrong with the way the teacher had treated him.

Was my performance so good that it was seen through? Sigh. What faculty is the Dharmic Armament faculty? Wang Baole smacked his head and stood there with the jade pendant in hand. He felt vexed. He subconsciously took out a bag of snacks and began munching.

He felt that Goatee was just too unreliable. Helplessly, he could only seek out answers himself. Since it was matriculation day, there were many people on Ethereal Dao College's Lower Academy Island. There was a sea of people at the aerial port, and their body heat only accentuated the hot weather.

Although there was a lake breeze, it only blew hot air over. Wang Baole stood there wiping his sweat. He saw a hawker stall selling ice water a distance away. It was advertised as Ice Spirit Water. Although it was expensive, Wang Baole was not the kind of person who would deny his wants. Even though it was expensive, he ran over and bought a few bottles before putting them in his luggage.

As he drank the chilly Ice Spirit Water, Wang Baole looked around. He looked at the bustling aerial port and even saw a few people live streaming the matriculation of the freshmen. He could also vaguely hear them requesting virtual gifts.

After asking around, Wang Baole did not waste too much time. He gained some understanding of the Dharmic Armament faculty and immediately felt pumped. He sat on a small cruiser that was headed for Dharmic Armament Peak.

There were many people at Dharmic Armament Peak as well. Some were visiting to make an informed choice of a faculty. Some had long made up their minds and were there to submit their applications.

There was also quite a number of volunteers, seniors of the Dharmic Armament faculty. They were responsible for welcoming the students. They showed the freshmen, who came in waves, around the faculty. There were heads bobbing up and down far into the distance. It was quite a lively scene.

As the crowd proceeded forward, Wang Baole heard a female senior with an oblong face give an introduction with great excitement and seriousness. It matched what he had heard about the Dharmic Armament faculty. He felt that it was quite an impressive faculty.

"The Dharmic Armament faculty might appear to be about the refinement of artifacts, but there is some difference to it. It's about refining all items in the world into treasures!

"Our Ethereal Dao College's Dharmic Armament faculty is considered the cream of the crop in all of the Federation. We are skilled in everything from Dharmic artifacts and combat artifacts to day-to-day artifacts used by commoners. Also, every student who graduates is greatly sought after." The excitement in the senior's voice showcased her pride in her faculty.

"Back when you were in the sky, you must have noticed the three massive platforms of my Dharmic Armament Peak. They represent the three main halls, where Spirit Stones, Inscriptions, and Spirit Kernels are studied!

"Unlike the foundational schools in our hometowns, there is relatively more freedom in the Dao College. There is no fixed curriculum for each faculty. From freshmen to seniors, they can enter any class to be instructed. As for the rest of the time, most people spend their time cultivating by themselves. Although there are exams every year, they are not very strict. Only the placement exam for the Upper Academy is critical.

"If you are unable to advance into the Upper Academy within five years, you will be asked to leave the Dao College."

Wang Baole kept the tidbit in mind when he heard the female senior mention the placement exams. The people around him did the same.

"However, you need not be too worried. Advancing into the Upper Academy is still something very far off for you. Alright, this is where freshmen can apply to join the faculty." Noticing that everyone was looking at her, the guide smiled. She stopped by a stone mirror about a hundred feet tall by the mountainside.

The stone mirror looked ancient, and it appeared as though it had experienced the vestiges of time. There were what seemed to be runic patterns on it. It looked very daunting.

"Place your application card on it, and you can descend the mountain. It will take the Lower Academy a maximum of three days to notify you of your acceptance. Each faculty will reveal their admission list too," said the female senior before she wiped her sweat. Her mouth was a little dry from all the talking and heat. She stood by the side, looking at the students. She turned wistful as she seemed to see herself from yesteryear.

I wonder how many of them will be admitted. But then again, it can't be many. After all, not more than four thousand are accepted per batch. As she sighed, Wang Baole immediately noticed that she was wiping her sweat. He scurried over, took out a cold bottle of Ice Spirit Water from his luggage, and handed it to her.

"Senior, it must have been tough on you. I would like to thank you on behalf of all us freshmen for explaining so much to us. You should drink some water in this scorching heat." Wang Baole had an honest expression, and his voice sounded sincere. She could not help but size up the fatty in front of her. She immediately had a liking for him. His thoughtfulness was truly rare among all the freshmen she had guided.

The other schoolmates also looked over. After all, Wang Baole had not only represented himself, but all of them. It also gave them a good impression of him.

Wang Baole was pleased with himself when he saw how a bottle of Ice Spirit Water had garnered him good impressions from so many people. He felt that his potential as an official had risen once more.

Soon, the students approached the stone mirror with a sense of anticipation. One by one, they took out a blank jade card and placed it on the stone mirror. Light shot out from the jade card, signifying the completion of the imprint.

Everyone had one jade card. The teachers who accompanied them had handed the cards out after they arrived at the Lower Academy Island. However, Wang Baole was somewhat dumbfounded when he saw the jade cards in their hands.

What the heck? Why don't I have one… Wang Baole quickly asked around, and after learning of the situation, he once again came to realize how unreliable Goatee was.

Wang Baole was the only one left after everyone else had imprinted their jade cards. The guide could not help but look at him and ask out of concern, "Junior, do you have any questions?"

"My card is a little different from the others." Wang Baole hesitated for a moment as he fondled the purple jade pendant close to his chest. He carefully placed it on the stone mirror.

The instant the jade pendant touched the stone mirror, it suddenly released intense purple light. Even the stone mirror was illuminated in its entirety as a rumbling boom resounded throughout Dharmic Armament Peak.

There was a shock wave that blasted outwards. All the surrounding students felt their hearts jolt as they retreated in shock.

"What's the situation?"

"What's the matter?"

Even Wang Baole was given a fright.

That was not even the end. Even more astonishing were the majestic bells that resonated on Dharmic Armament Peak along with the soaring light. It seemed to reach a crescendo, as though it was about to announce something to the entire Dharmic Armament faculty!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Instantly, every student on Dharmic Armament Peak, be it the students ascending the mountain, the students in the lecture halls, or those cultivating in various buildings, looked up.

Beside the rock mirror, the senior with the oblong-shaped face felt her mind buzzing. She widened her eyes as they filled with disbelief. She exclaimed in shock, "Specially-recruited student!"

"What did you say?" Wang Baole was even more perplexed.

At the same time, a gong reverberated. On Dharmic Armament Peak, in a hall filled with Spirit Qi, Goatee was sat reading an ancient text. His originally calm heart turned restless once again.

Why did that little bastard come so quickly? He felt vexed. The thought of him losing the mandate that could only be used once in five years made him terribly regretful.

It would have been fine if no one had disturbed him, but the bell was reverberating loudly. Immediately, a few figures flew into the grand hall. They were the other teachers from the Dharmic Armament faculty.

"Daoist Zhang Youde, I heard you specially recruited a very promising student for our Dharmic Armament faculty!"

"Haha, Old Zhang, I always knew that you had a good eye. Where's that good seedling? Quickly summon him and let us meet him."

As teachers entered with excited looks, Goatee's face turned ashen. The feeling was akin to having to tearfully finish eating the shit that he had just bought. He could only force a smile.

"That's right. He's a… good seedling! I have an artifact to refine. I'll be making a move first…" With that said, he left quickly. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would not be able to stop himself from smacking the good seedling to death!

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Chapter 6: Big Trouble

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After finishing his registration and obtaining a cultivation technique, Daoist robes, and other miscellaneous items, Wang Baole put on the red Daoist robe meant for specially-recruited students. He was standing near a mountain peak. Although it was a little remote, he could not help but grin when standing before a beautiful building with excellent scenery.

In front of him was a purple stone door, which opened automatically, revealing a cave abode!

This is the legendary cave abode! Wang Baole could not contain his excitement. For many students, they could only reside in buildings that resembled dormitories. Only a select few had the right to live inside a cave abode at the mountain peak.

After all, that which is rare is dear. A mountain could have many buildings built, but the number of cave abodes was fixed. It was difficult to increase the number. Furthermore, the cave abodes had array formations that gathered Spirit Qi, making them have much denser Spirit Qi than the buildings.

Despite having a small cave abode, what Wang Baole had was enough to make countless students green with envy.

He could acutely feel how different his robe was from the other students'. He looked at his cave abode, and noticing that there was no one around, Wang Baole finally could not help but roar with laughter. He felt highly spirited. After entering the cave abode, he realized it had a veranda despite it not being very big. It stretched out twenty feet past the edge of the mountain peak. Standing there felt like he was standing in the sky. The complacent Wang Baole walked to the veranda and took in the scenery. He was in an extremely good mood as he took out a bag of snacks.

Wang Baole ate his snacks while he reveled in his good mood. He took out the martial cultivation technique that was unique to Ethereal Dao College. He saw, on the first page, three words written with bold, vigorous strokes!

Ancient Martial Arts!

It was not something unique to the Dharmic Armament faculty. All students in the Lower Academy were required to study this foundational cultivation technique. After freshmen were matriculated, they would enter their various faculties according to their choices, where they would learn all the unique knowledge the faculty had to offer. As for Ancient Martial Arts, it was provided to all faculties, intended as a foundational cultivation technique that supported the knowledge gained from each faculty.

The Ancient Martial realm has three stages: Blood Qi, Physical Seal, and Pulse Enrichment! As dusk approached, the wind turned colder. It blew at Wang Baole, making him feel extremely comfortable. The expression he had while reading the cultivation technique also turned more focused.

Only when the evening glow by the horizon was fully replaced by darkness did Wang Baole look up. He had finished reading the Ancient Martial Arts manual. He finally had a full understanding of the Ancient Martial realm.

Those at the Blood Qi stage have immense strength. Those at the Physical Seal are extremely precise and accurate. Once Pulse Enrichment is attained… one would be pushed to the peak of human physical conditioning! Wang Baole took a deep breath. He recalled the scene of the red-dressed youth, Chen Ziheng, striking the mountain. His eyes slowly began to burn with excitement.

To become Federation President, ancient martial arts are necessary. Besides, I can lose weight while cultivating in it. It kills many birds with one stone. In his excitement, Wang Baole began his attempt at cultivation. However, he suddenly had a change in expression. He raised his right hand and pulled out the black half-mask.

Wang Baole looked at the mask ruminatively. He could not forget how the mask had turned incorporeal during the test. There was also the blurry text that had appeared.

This must be a treasure! Wang Baole's heart raced. His parents were involved in archeology, and it was for this reason that his house seemed to be filled with objects that appeared like junk.

Wang Baole had once fantasized that one of the antiques hid a treasure, but he had played with nearly every one of them from a young age. He had even secretly dripped some blood to see if anything spectacular would happen.

With the mask in hand, he carefully studied it once more. Other than the somewhat ice-cold material, he still did not notice anything extraordinary about it. When he finally recalled that the mask produced changes only in a special environment like the test, his eyes lit up.

It looks like there's a need for me to borrow a similar Dharmic artifact. Perhaps, I can unravel the secrets of this mask! With this thought in mind, he noticed that the sky had turned dark. The somewhat tired Wang Baole returned to his cave abode and arranged his luggage happily. He had not packed a lot of clothes. Most of his items were strange. There was even a large megaphone.

All of these are treasures gathered by me to aid me in becoming an official. If I hadn't been able to find my luggage in my dream, I would not have needed to go through so much hardship! Wang Baole yawned as he looked at the treasures in his luggage, satisfied. Just as he was about to sleep, he suddenly jolted and sat up.

I can't grow dizzy from success. The high officials' autobiographies illustrate many cases of people who lose themselves to their momentary success. They tend to end up in tragedy! Wang Baole drew a gasp. After repressing the excitement in him, he began pondering over the reason for the way the teachers looked at him and the way Goatee treated him. Matching it to his status as a specially-recruited student, the answer was evident.

They must have discovered that something was amiss. When Wang Baole came to this conclusion from his analysis, his heart turned cold as a chill ran down his spine.

I have to stay low during this period of time. It would be best if it appears as if I don't exist. If not, there will only be trouble! Wang Baole turned vexed. He did not wish to lose everything he had at present. While suffering from his headache, he could not help but blame the lack of a backer for his predicament.

I need to think of a way to quickly get a backer.

Three days passed by quickly. As the various faculties released their lists of admitted students, all the students moved into their various faculty peaks. College life was about to begin after the matriculated students fully grasped the college rules and regulations.

Wang Baole kept a low profile during the three days. He began his attempt at cultivating Ancient Martial Arts. He virtually did not step out of his cave abode, afraid he would gain the notice of Goatee. He believed that he might be a lot safer if he survived the sensitive period.

Although he had a nice wish, news regarding the various districts' tests began to spread on the Dao College's Spirit Intranet as the students settled in. It quickly became a hot topic.

After all, nearly a hundred hot-air balloon cruisers with nearly a hundred venues had undergone their district tests simultaneously. Many excellent students caught the attention of people.

"Did you hear? Among one of the freshmen from Skycloud City is a person named Lu Jingnan. He actually set a trap to slay the Barbed Bone Iguana. He was extremely impressive!"

"That's nothing. I heard that an expert named Chen Ziheng appeared in Phoenix City's test. He is only just short of the Physical Seal stage of the Ancient Martial realm. He was offered invitations from eight different faculties at the same time. He's famous!" As the Lower Academy Island's various faculties began discussing the freshmen on the Spirit Intranet, more people were gradually mentioned.

"The one who steals the show must be Chen Yameng. Rumor has it that she was born with a spirit body. She can refine Spirit Stones that are eighty percent pure. She could have entered the best college in the Federation, White Deer Dao College, but our Ethereal Dao College spared no expense and gave her an irresistible offer!"

"Chen Yameng is truly extraordinary. There's another person who is her equal. He might even surpass her. He's Zhuo Yifan. Rumor has it that he was born with Inkstar Eyes. Every time he activates them, everything around him appears slow. Furthermore, he is already at the perfected Physical Seal stage. His identity is a greater mystery, and he is rumored to be a member of the Five Generation Sky Clan. He has been specially recruited by the Combat faculty!"

Amid the discussion, all the noteworthy freshmen were brought to the forefront. Even the senior students felt the heat when they heard the news. And for Wang Baole, who was desperately trying to keep a low profile, he rose to prominence like a bright star. After all, he had been specially recruited, and his performance in the test had been spread by hundreds of students from Phoenix City.

"There are two specially-recruited students this batch. One of them is Zhuo Yifan, and the other is… Wang Baole! Speaking of Wang Baole, he has extremely high morals. He is filled with righteousness and is willing to sacrifice himself for others. In order to save his schoolmates, he charged into a sea of snakes despite the appearance of a Red Bone White Neonate Snake. In order to give his schoolmates a chance to survive, he fed himself to the wolves. He once said the heart-stirring statement that he would live and die as one of Ethereal Dao College!"

"Also, even after seeing an Ancient Boor Specter Bear, Wang Baole still struggled to crawl over, despite his grievous injuries. He attempted to use his body to lure the Specter Bear away so as to save his schoolmates!"

This matter spread rapidly, causing Wang Baole to become famous. His name was soon known to all on the Lower Academy Island.

Wang Baole, through his voice transmission ring, could not help but turn cold from fright when he saw the talk on the Spirit Intranet after logging in. He felt that trouble was brewing, and he quickly posted a thread.

"Hello everyone, I'm Wang Baole. All of you were mistaken. I was actually very afraid back then. The reason I charged into the snake swarm was not that I am selfless, but that I find my schoolmate, Zhou Xiaoya, very pretty. I wanted to court her. Really…"

Wang Baole posted his message through clenched teeth. He hoped that he could lower the attention he received by sullying himself. He did not dare to keep a high profile.

But he did not imagine that the moment he posted the message, it quickly gained the affirmation and replies of countless students. Most of them were female students. They replied, calling him a real man!

Wang Baole nearly fainted as he was close to tears. He lamented about how he had bolstered the impressions people had of him despite believing that it would do the opposite. Thus, he posted another message.

"Actually, I only blocked the pack of wolves because I was poisoned. I knew I was about to die, so I would rather enjoy a quick death. The person who saved everyone was not me. All the credit should be given to Chen Ziheng!"

Wang Baole was just about to heave a sigh of relief after writing that. He felt that by giving Chen Ziheng all the credit, attention would be placed on Chen Ziheng and not him.

However… Wang Baole's relief only lasted a short while. Chen Ziheng suddenly posted a reply, claiming that Wang Baole was inferior to him when it came to martial arts, but in terms of heroic spirit, tenacity, and selflessness, he was inferior to Wang Baole!

The moment the message was posted, it immediately caused the Spirit Intranet to boil over. After all, Chen Ziheng was famous. What he said carried weight. Immediately, countless people began discussing the matter. It made Wang Baole's plan of diverting away attention fail once again. More attention was placed on him, even more than Chen Yameng.

All of this made Wang Baole feel like slamming his head against the wall. He reeled in despair as tears rolled down his cheeks. Even his organs were trembling.

Heavens, are you guys trying to get me killed? Spare me! I admit my mistake, alright?

With tears streaming down his cheeks, he gritted his teeth and posted once again.

"Everyone, please don't mind me anymore. I'm just an ordinary fatty. There is nothing good about me. I'm gluttonous, lustful, and avaricious. I only barely passed the placement exams, and the Spirit Stones I can refine are only a little better than fifty percent. I'm really just an ordinary person!"

Wang Baole felt that this act of sullying of himself was complete. Any bad thing he could think of had been added. However, the development of the situation nearly shocked his jaw off.

This time, it was Liu Daobin who stepped forward. He left a message that resonated in an unprecedented manner with countless students!

"Chen Yameng is impressive. Zhuo Yifan is even more remarkable. However, they were already the best of us freshmen. They have more than what it takes to rescue people or complete tests, but Wang Baole is different. He was saving people with his life. It's just like how a wealthy person can give you a hundred Spirit Stones, but when compared to a poor person who gives you all his savings of a hundred Spirit Stones, how can that act have the same meaning? Wang Baole is just like us. He is only an ordinary student, so how can he be without flaws? But it is such a person, with him sacrificing himself to save others, that makes it even more shocking. That bloody scene is something I will never forget my entire life!"

His words immediately stirred a fervor. It caused the comments on the Lower Academy Island's Spirit Intranet to increase exponentially. Topics on Wang Baole exceeded Zhuo Yifan's, making him stand out amid the batch of freshmen!

Wang Baole was completely dumbfounded as he looked at the Spirit Intranet in a daze. He did not think he was that great. It took him a while to recover as his eyes were filled with despair. He took out a bag of snacks while looking as though life held nothing for him. He began munching on the snacks.

I'm finished. I'm finished! I'm in big trouble!

Indeed, it did not take long before the teachers on the Phoenix City cruiser took notice. They could not maintain their silence and publicly announced the news that Wang Baole had cheated on the test.

Like massive ripples formed from a stone drop, the announcement immediately caused a huge upheaval all across the Lower Academy Island!

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Chapter 7: An Entire Population of Miners

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As the news of Wang Baole's cheating broke, the shock that everyone felt was as elevated as the pedestal he had been previously placed on. Topics on Wang Baole cropped up again, becoming the hottest topic among the freshmen. Even topics of the older students paled in comparison.

There were even many who directly posted threads on the Spirit Intranet, angrily demanding that punitive action be taken against Wang Baole.

Wang Baole sighed when he saw his worst fears happen as he expected. He sat gloomily in his cave abode and looked around, his heart filled with sorrow.

Wang Baole attempted to console himself. It's said that when Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. Is Heaven testing me?

He felt that he was facing extremely great trouble. Just a little misstep could doom him. After being gripped by momentary nervousness, his brain began whirling for a solution.

Days later, the various faculties in Ethereal Dao College's Lower Academy Island began the first lectures for freshmen. That day, Wang Baole carried his tiny bag early in the morning as he walked out his cave abode with an austere expression.

What's the big deal? It's nothing. What's there to be afraid of? Wang Baole looked up at the Sword Sun and took a deep breath. His eyes revealed a look of determination. Dressed in his specially-recruited student robes, he headed for the Spirit Stones Hall, one of the three main halls of the Dharmic Armament faculty.

Many students were headed for the hall in groups. All of them were looking forward to classes. They walked briskly while chatting, but when they saw Wang Baole in his red Daoist robes, they were taken aback. They instantly recognized him, and their expressions changed. The topics they were talking in whispers quickly changed to that of Wang Baole.

"It's Wang Baole!"

"He actually appeared!"

"Say, how long do you think he can stay in the Dao College? I heard that a teacher has proposed to expel him to serve as a warning to others."

Although everyone spoke softly, Wang Baole met too many students along the way. Some of the chatter reached his ears. If it were anyone else, they would definitely not have been able to hide their fluster and anxiety; however, as an oddity who had studied high officials' autobiographies from a young age, Wang Baole made having a thick skin a basic skill. He remained composed as he strode straight toward the hall.

The stone platform that the hall was on spanned a huge area. It was sufficient to hold ten thousand people. Although the construction was simple, it was filled with an ancient air. Eight gigantic stone columns supported the massive Flying Phoenix Pavilion.

The pavilion's entrance was noisy. Apart from the empty lecture stage, there were countless tables and chairs in a stepped fashion. They were occupied by people, and the most eye-catching thing in the hall was a gigantic stone wall to the right of the lecture stage.

The wall was blue in color, and on it were a hundred names. Every name had a number labeled beside it. Beside first place was the number 90, and for the hundredth place, it was 82. There was a string of smaller numbers behind those numbers.

A huge rock stood upright outside the hall's entrance. On it was the motto of the Dharmic Armament faculty.

'Divine armaments shall destroy the myriad Dao if restrainment by Dharmic artifacts and Numinous treasures proves fruitless!'

When Wang Baole approached, he remained composed despite there being bold freshmen and senior students present as he looked at the motto on the rock.

The sentence was domineering. It was a strong, impactful principle that a single Dharma could suppress the myriad Dao. Even though Wang Baole was caught up in his thoughts, he could not help but halt when he saw the words. He was stunned by them.

Wang Baole might have only been interested in the Dharmic Armament faculty in the past, but at that moment, he turned even more inclined toward the Dharmic Armament faculty after reading the sentence.

Trying to expel me? What a joke! I, Wang Baole, have been studying high officials' autobiographies for ten years. What sort of storms have I not weathered? Wang Baole focused his mind and stepped into the hall, striding straight in.

With his eye-catching red Daoist robes appearing in the hall, he immediately attracted the attention of the students around him. It was unknown whose sharp voice it was that first shouted Wang Baole's name.

After the shout, innumerable pairs of eyes landed their gazes on Wang Baole instantly. There were more than ten thousand people, and their gazes were all focused on one person. The pressure was enough to turn one limp, especially since there were jeers coming from the crowd.

"Wang Baole, to think you have the shame to attend classes!"

"What specially-recruited student? It's something obtained purely from cheating! How unjust it is if such a person is not punished!"

"Wang Baole, you are not welcomed here!"

If this were anywhere else, perhaps no one would have said such words so directly. After all, there was no deep vendetta between them. But in the massive hall, with so many people present, the atmosphere easily stirred up emotions. Instantly, there was a buzz that demanded punitive measures against him.

Liu Daobin was also among the group. He felt conflicted, and he sighed inwardly when he looked at Wang Baole. He also felt odd. Despite knowing that Wang Baole had cheated, he still could not wipe the bloody scene from his mind.

If it were me, I'll probably turn and leave. Liu Daobin shook his head as he reflected on the situation. Wang Baole was still standing at the entrance. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw Wang Baole very naturally pull out a megaphone from his bag. He placed it by his mouth and widened his eyes before suddenly shouting loudly, "All of you shut up!"

He had shouted to begin with, and through the special amplification of the megaphone, it sounded like thunder. It resounded throughout the hall, drowning out the voices of ten thousand people.

Those who were closer to Wang Baole, who had jeered the loudest, nearly stumbled due to the roar. Instantly, everyone felt their ears buzz as there was complete silence. Some were in a daze. Even in their wildest dreams, they had never expected a student to have a clearly modified megaphone in his bag.

People were there to study. They found it puzzling that anyone would bring a megaphone to school.

It was truly too incredulous. The dramatic turn of events, especially the deafening megaphone's sound, left everyone dumbstruck. Even Liu Daobin was dumbfounded. He could not help but take a few looks at the ridiculous megaphone in Wang Baole's hand.

Wang Baole looked in satisfaction at the scene before him as he stuffed the megaphone into his bag in a composed manner. This was one of the treasures he carried with him all the time. From his reading of the high officials' autobiographies, he knew very clearly that having a powerful megaphone in a speaking contest was extremely useful.

Wang Baole raised his head and puffed out his chest, walking forward when he saw everyone stunned. He noticed Liu Daobin, who seemed hesitant. After looking at Wang Baole's tiny bag, Liu Daobin waved at him.

This Liu Daobin is quite an interesting fellow. Wang Baole's eyes lit up as he rushed over to take a seat.

Only then did the crowd in the hall recover. Many were infuriated, and just as they wanted to retaliate, a bell rang. A thin, white-haired elder dressed in black Daoist robes slowly walked in.

He had a cold expression, looking like someone that one should stay away from. He naturally suffused a repressive aura, causing the heart of every student in the hall to palpitate. They shut their mouths and quietly looked at the black-robed elder, who had walked onto the lecture stage.

Wang Baole also quickly looked over.

The black-robed elder swept his gaze over the crowd before saying.

"The Dharmic Armament faculty has three main halls. They are the Spirit Stones Hall, the Inscriptions Hall, and the Spirit Kernel Hall. I am one of the five lecturers in the Spirit Stones Hall, Zou Yunhai.

"The stone wall beside me is the Dharmic Armament Roll of the School of Spirit Stones. I wish for all of you to have your names on it one day.

"Class shall begin now! But before we study the refinement of Spirit Stones, I want all of you to understand one principle. Why do we get the entire population to cultivate a Qi nurturing technique when we want to refine Spirit Stones?" As the elder spoke, he nonchalantly clenched his fist. A milky-white stone the size of a fist appeared out of thin air.

This scene left the hearts of many students palpitating once again. Liu Daobin was well-read as he drew a gasp beside Wang Baole. He uttered, "Teacher Zou has a storage Dharmic artifact!"

Wang Baole similarly widened his eyes. Although he had heard of storage Dharmic artifacts, he had never seen one before. No one sold them in the world. Occasionally, he would hear on the news that one had been sold at a major auction. Furthermore, the final price was far beyond his imagination.

None of the students were strangers to the milky-white rock. It was the necessary Empty Stone needed to refine Spirit Stones.

"Thirty-seven years ago, with the Sword of the Cosmos flying over, a new energy source suddenly appeared in this world, and it's none other than Spirit Qi! The concentration of Spirit Qi is extremely rich, but it appeared too suddenly. It did not exist in the past, and according to the Federation's research, if the Spirit Qi continues nourishing the land, it will affect jade in a few centuries, which will result in Spirit Stone mines!"

The black-robed elder spoke calmly. The white rock he held was constantly emitting an increasingly intense halo. One could faintly notice that the elder's surroundings were silently warping. It seemed like invisible Spirit Qi was being controlled by him and guided into the rock.

"However, we are presently in the thirty-seventh year of the Spirit Inception era. We are far from having Spirit Stone mines. To gain Spirit Stones, we need humans to create them. Therefore, various factions have promoted the Qi nurturing technique, making it open to the population. The goal is to make everyone a miner to create Spirit Stones so that it can be used as a currency. It will result in a massive number of Spirit Stones that can supply the whole world with cultivation resources.

"Also, due to how different people have different affinities with Spirit Qi and other various reasons, the Spirit Stone purity each person refines is different. This gives rise to what we call natural endowments. For example, to qualify for the White Deer Dao College, one needs to refine Spirit Stones with a purity of more than seventy percent. As for our Ethereal Dao College, it's lower, but it still needs at least fifty percent purity!"

His words and the changes to the Empty Stone left the students in the hall speechless. Such an opinion was completely different from what they knew. And the way the elder refined the Spirit Stone in such a composed manner was equally stunning.

The entire population takes on the role of miners… He can refine a Spirit Stone while speaking. Wang Baole's heart was racing as well. He could refine Spirit Stones, too, but he needed to fully focus every time. Just a tiny distraction would result in failure.

The black-robed elder was unconcerned with the students' shock. He calmly refined the Spirit Stone as he continued speaking once again.

"Then here comes a new question. Is there really only one Qi Fostering Art?"

"I can tell you with full certainty that what the population studies is the first volume. Its main use is to strengthen one's physique, allowing Spirit Qi to enter the body. Although it's not possible for them to store it in their bodies, it will quickly dissipate out of their bodies like a draught. But if they hold an Empty Stone, they can use their bodies as a conduit with their minds, allowing them to refine Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones also have grades. Inferior-grade, medial-grade, superior-grade, as well as the Rainbow Spirit Stones that approach perfection!"

"As for the second volume, only Dharmic Armament refiners can gain access to it. This is because the sword hilt fragment that contained the Qi Fostering Art was a description of Dharmic Armament refinement! It's only because the first volume had the additional information pertaining to the refinement of Spirit Stones that it was spread among the population, allowing everyone to cultivate in it."

The black-robed elder spoke at an appropriate speed. Having said that, the Empty Stone in his hand had already turned resplendent. Waving his right hand, the luster dissipated. Ash scattered from the Empty Stone's surface and exposed a much smaller, chestnut-shaped Spirit Stone!

Mist seemed to swirl in it as it shimmered!

"Although the second volume is good, those who cannot refine Spirit Stones with a purity higher than eighty percent are not qualified to study from it. As such, in my class, I will not talk about the second volume. I'll only be talking about the refinement tricks as recorded in the first volume!"

The hall was silent. Everyone was looking at the Spirit Stone in the elder's hand. Everything seemed to pale in front of it. With this Spirit Stone as a comparison, they felt as though the Spirit Stones they refined were mere fakes.

He refined a Spirit Stone of at least ninety percent purity while speaking… Other than being a teacher, Teacher Zou must definitely be someone remarkable outside! Wang Baole drew a gasp. The lesson that day seemed to have opened up a brand-new world for him!

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Chapter 8: Wit and Counterattack!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Inside the Spirit Stones Hall, Zou Yunhai's voice remained as calm as ever. It was as if he was not delivering a lecture to students but simply expressing his understanding of Dharmic Armaments.

A casual comment of his would leave the students enlightened, making them see the light. However, the need to pay close attention was extremely demanding on these newly matriculated students. They could only first write down whatever was said.

It developed to the point of them not being able to keep up with their note-writing. Many students began to murmur quietly as a way to relax. Wang Baole finally understood why the Dharmic Armament faculty only had three main halls. Just this hall that taught Spirit Stone refinement techniques had enough content to make it impossible to fully understand everything simply from attending a few classes.

He was somewhat exhausted, and Liu Daobin had finally snapped back to attention. He looked at Wang Baole and could not help but whisper, "Wang Baole, you are in trouble. I heard that several teachers have proposed to have you expelled."

His eyes were filled with pity, but when he saw Wang Baole's tiny bag, his face could not help but twitch.

"Which teacher said that?" Wang Baole was somewhat peeved. Although he had made up his mind and was prepared, he still felt annoyed.

Liu Daobin patted Wang Baole's shoulder and sighed inwardly. He reminded himself to use Wang Baole as a warning for himself. Just as he was about to console him, two people suddenly walked in from the hall's main entrance.

The two were obviously senior students. They wore black Daoist robes, unlike the other students. They had stern expressions, and the moment they appeared, all the senior students in the hall turned alert and attentive.

"What happened? Even people from the College Discipline Department have come!"

"It's actually them. There is always bloodshed wherever they appear."

Even though the freshmen did not know the duo's identity, they came to a certain level of realization from hearing the discussions of the senior students and noticing the duo's austerity.

Wang Baole's heart skipped a beat.

Zou Yunhai knitted his brows together as he looked at the two black-robed students. The duo politely greeted him by cupping their fists before handing him a jade slip.

After Zou Yunhai finished reading with knitted brows, he looked up and scanned the students. Finally, his eyes landed on Wang Baole.

Immediately, all the students in the hall traced his gaze with different looks on their faces. They received their answer. They knew about Wang Baole's situation. It seemed that the Lower Academy had taken notice and was here to punish him.

Even though Wang Baole already had a countermeasure to deal with the situation, he still felt somewhat nervous due to the environment he was in. Especially with the two black-robed students looking at him keenly. They were clearly not there for a friendly chat.

"Wang Baole, come with us," one of the two members of the College Discipline Department said coldly.

But before Wang Baole stood up, Zou Yunhai grunted coldly.

"Enough, that can wait until class is over. Leave for now."

The two College Discipline Department students paused when they heard that. They did not dare offend the teacher and could only tersely assent with their heads bowed. They retreated to the hall's entrance to wait. The lesson continued as Zou Yunhai ignored them.

Wang Baole felt relieved and looked at Zou Yunhai with gratitude. Although he already had a countermeasure, having more time was always better. It gave him time to perfect and clarify his thought processes. He closed his eyes and calmed himself.

Many of the students gloated for the remainder of the lesson, but that was still not everyone. Most students felt that the matter did not involve themselves and continued jotting down notes.

Liu Daobin sighed inwardly. He was unsure how to comfort Wang Baole. He knew that once Wang Baole was expelled, they would be people from two completely different worlds. Even if they bumped into each other in the future, it would still be an extremely regretful situation.

Time passed, and four hours later, Zou Yunhai finished his lesson and left. All the students instantly looked at Wang Baole. The cold gazes of the two black-robed students from the College Discipline Department also landed on Wang Baole.

"Do you want us to invite you?"

Wang Baole opened his eyes. He had a calm look on his face. The feeling he exuded felt different from the usual one. He walked down without a word, followed the two senior students, and left the hall.

With his departure, the hall immediately broke out into a cacophonous discussion.

"Is this Wang Baole really getting expelled?"

"Could it be anything else? Didn't you see the College Discipline Department? I've never seen anyone taken away by them who's ended up fine!"

Amid the discussions, many people ran out and followed. They wanted to watch the entire process. After all, this matter would cause great repercussions considering Wang Baole's specially-recruited status.

It even went beyond the confines of the Dharmic Armament faculty. Students from other faculties also paid attention to the matter after learning that Wang Baole had been taken away.

Wang Baole ignored the crowd following behind. He had an unprecedented calm about him along the way as he followed the two senior students from the College Discipline Department. They went straight to the Dharmic Armament faculty's mountaintop.

The two senior students walking ahead were sneering inwardly. They had taken away quite a sizable number of people over the years. There was no lack of people, like Wang Baole, who acted strong-willed. They would be impressed if Wang Baole could maintain his composure when he left the College Discipline Department.

The entire journey happened silently. The number of people that followed behind increased. Only when they arrived at a building on the mountaintop did the two senior students halt. They made way and gestured for Wang Baole to enter alone.

Wang Baole took a deep breath as he looked at the closed doors of the building. It was impossible not to be nervous, but he knew that he had to survive this ordeal. He gritted his teeth, and pushing open the door, he strode straight in.

The moment he entered the building, Wang Baole immediately felt dozens of pairs of eyes bearing down on him. In front of him sat dozens of teachers. Some were middle-aged, and others were elderly. All of them had stern expressions, but there were a few looking disappointed.

The old physician and Goatee were also among the teachers. In contrast to the old physician's calmness, Goatee appeared conflicted and did not seem to have the heart to continue.

Among them there was one who was clearly chairing the investigation. It was a thin middle-aged man. He wore a black Daoist robe, and his eyes shimmered. He had thin lips, and his body emanated an obvious frosty air. It made the building's temperature a lot colder than the outside.

Not all the people were teachers of the Dharmic Armament faculty. However, as Wang Baole was the Dharmic Armament faculty's specially-recruited student, the hearing regarding Wang Baole's cheating was held on Dharmic Armament Peak.

Noticing that Wang Baole had entered, the black-robed chairman spoke slowly with a cold tone. "Wang Baole!"

Wang Baole took a deep breath and went forward to cup his fist while speaking in a deep voice. "Yes, sir!"

"According to our investigations, you engaged in the consequential and vile act of cheating during the district test. According to the college's rules, the punishment should be in the form of immediate expulsion. As you are a specially-recruited student, we have summoned you here for a hearing!"

After the black-robed middle-aged man finished his piece, he turned to look at his colleagues, not giving Wang Baole so much as a chance to explain himself.

"My fellow colleagues, we can begin. I personally suggest that the punishment meted out to Wang Baole should be to revoke his privileges as a special recruit and have him expelled. The four Dao Colleges will be informed to never admit him again!"

His words seemed categorical and extremely cold as they resounded through the room. Wang Baole's expression changed. He wondered why a person he was meeting for the first time would be filled with such malice despite not having a grudge with him. His suggestion was practically ending any future that awaited him.

There was a brief silence before another teacher spoke coldly.

"He should be expelled. Such a despicable and shameless person has no right to be admitted into a Dao College!"

"That's right. I suggest that he be expelled, too!"

"Although the punishment is somewhat harsh, we are being irresponsible toward the Federation if we leave such acts unchecked!"

Teachers offered their views one after another. Wang Baole was a person of no importance to them. Since the black-robed man had set the tone of the hearing, there was no reason for them to refute him.

Wang Baole breathed slowly as he listened to the teachers. He did not move as though he had fallen into a daze. However, his hands were clenched. As for Goatee, he shook his head and sighed.

"The revoking of his status as a special recruit would be sufficient. Nobody is perfect. There's no need for such a harsh punishment."

However, he did not receive the support of the crowd. Soon, other teachers spoke, and expulsion became the main agenda that was discussed in the room.

Only the old physician remained silent. The black-robed man did not seem interested in asking for the old physician's opinion. He stood up and was about to announce the outcome when Wang Baole raised his head suddenly, his eyes filled with anger and sadness.

"Teachers, please give me a chance to speak!"

The black-robed man frowned. The reason he had been so harsh was that he had planned on recommending someone else as the Dharmic Armament faculty's specially-recruited student. Yet, before he could make his recommendation, the title had been snatched by Wang Baole. He grunted coldly and was about to ignore him, but it was at that moment when the old physician spoke.

"Go ahead."

With him saying so, the black-robed man could only acquiesce as he looked at Wang Baole.

Wang Baole took a deep breath, his body nearly trembling. "Teachers, I did know that everything in the test was fake, but what did you expect me to do?

"Could I have told all the students that the so-called test was, in fact, fake? Could I have?" His final sentence was nearly delivered with a roar.

Without waiting for the teachers' response, Wang Baole appeared like he was in a fervent state as he continued in his elevated emotions.

"Once I reveal the truth to them, I would have wasted all the efforts already made by the school to administer the test. When that happened, I would have crossed the school. Tell me, what should I have done?

"In moments of danger, I saw my fellow schoolmates injured, some bleeding. And yet, I couldn't tell them everything was fake. All I could do was save them. Was I wrong in saving them? Tell me, what should I have done!"

The veins on Wang Baole's forehead protruded. His entire body was quivering like he was in a fit. He appeared to be venting all the anger in his eyes.

"Is saving people wrong? Should I not have saved them? Despite me knowing that everything was fake, I had to consider if I was cheating, thinking about the pros and cons of my actions. Do I have to act indifferent as I watch my fellow schoolmates cry, be injured, or even be killed? Could I even be considered human if that's what I did!" Wang Baole was nearly shouting at the top of his lungs. All his emotions were fully expressed, his voice echoing through the room.

All the teachers were stunned.

"All you saw was me acting. But I wish to ask each and every one of you, if you were in my shoes, what would you have done? Would you have turned a blind eye to the deaths or would you have rescued the people like I did?"

"I'm a student of Ethereal Dao College. I don't claim to be capable of changing the world and bringing world peace, but I, Wang Baole, am an upright man!"

Wang Baole's eyes were welling in tears. He raised his right hand and pounded his chest, producing loud thuds. Every word he said sounded extremely earnest. Many teachers were visibly moved.

The finale was most impactful with Wang Baole laughing out tragically.

"If sacrificing myself to protect others is considered a crime, I admit to it!"

"If being intelligent and sharp is considered a crime, I admit to it!"

"If that is the case, I, your humble student, Wang Baole, am willing to receive any punishment meted out to me!"

Wang Baole's voice boomed loud and clear as he suddenly bowed toward all the teachers!

The entire room fell silent. All the teachers drew a gasp as the looks on their faces changed constantly. They looked at Wang Baole in a daze. Every sentence he said contained righteousness and logic, shaking them to their very core.

The teachers like Goatee, who had seen Wang Baole's acting, felt moved, but they had a nagging feeling that something was amiss.

As for the black-robed man, he squinted and glared at Wang Baole. He wanted to say something but found no words. Although he felt that Wang Baole's statements were flawed, they were tightly bound with righteousness. He was very familiar with such techniques, one commonly espoused by high officials. However, it was rarely seen among students.

The feeling that denying Wang Baole's words meant that he was denying righteousness left him at a loss for words. When he looked at his colleagues, he knew that Wang Baole had survived. He sighed. The puny figure that he believed he could easily squash had suddenly transformed into a prickly porcupine.

The old physician gave a deep, meaningful smile as he closed his eyes.

Soon, Wang Baole walked out of the building. There were thousands of people surrounding it. Many of them were envious of his status as a specially-recruited student; others were gloating at his misfortune. They were planning to see Wang Baole make a fool of himself when a mighty voice boomed from inside the building, resounding throughout the Dharmic Armament faculty!

"According to the college's investigations, the student, Wang Baole, did not violate any rules in the freshmen test. He will retain his status as a specially-recruited student!"

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Chapter 9: Great Void Qi Devouring Art!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The weathered voice resounded throughout the Dharmic Armament faculty, filled with stateliness. All the students outside the building could not help but jolt when they heard it, especially those who had been gloating prior to the announcement. They widened their eyes and struggled to close their jaws. It was unbelievable.

Instantly, there was silence outside the building. All eyes landed on Wang Baole as they watched him walk out in triumph. His red specially-recruited student robes stood out even more.

Everyone subconsciously took a step back and made way for him. They watched Wang Baole depart, and after a long while, there were audible gasps heard, which developed into an uproar.

"He actually walked out fine!"

"How is that possible? Didn't he cheat? Why did the announcement say that he did not violate the rules?"

Amid the uproar, Liu Daobin stood among the crowd. He was stunned as well. Heroic scenes of Wang Baole's performance in the test and the surprising scene of him pulling out a megaphone in the lecture hall surfaced in his mind.

Truly unfathomable! A moment later, Liu Daobin took a deep breath. He immediately realized that the reason Wang Baole had become a specially-recruited student was definitely not a result of plain luck. He could sense an extraordinary quality from Wang Baole.

Liu Daobin was not the only one stunned. Not far from him, the College Discipline Department seniors that had escorted Wang Baole to the building exchanged looks and saw the disbelief in each other's eyes.

While others were in an uproar, Wang Baole returned to his cave abode. News of the Dao College clarification that he had not violated any rules had been spread throughout the Lower Academy Island over the Spirit Intranet. Everyone that had paid attention to the matter was left shocked and baffled.

Instantly, Wang Baole's name filled the Spirit Intranet. And at that moment, Wang Baole was sitting on his cave abode's veranda, watching the Spirit Intranet with glee. Unlike how he had sullied his own reputation previously, he was feeling very pleased that he was becoming famous.

To become a Federation high official, the people's impression is extremely important. It looks like I have the necessary foundation. Wang Baole beamed with joy, feeling like he was one step closer to his dreams.

However, I must not let my guard down. Wang Baole recalled the black-robed man in the building. His vicious words and actions that were bent on dooming him left Wang Baole's heart palpitating.

This person is a high official of the Lower Academy Island, and I do not know his exact identity. I am in a very passive state. With this thought in mind, Wang Baole rushed to search on the Spirit Intranet. Only when dusk fell did he finally identify the person. His breathing turned rapid.

He's… the Vice-Chancellor! Heavens… Wang Baole's heart began thumping in his chest as he rubbed his eyes. After confirming that he had not seen wrong, he immediately turned nervous. The man's position was too high. From Wang Baole's point of view, the Vice Chancellor of the Lower Academy Island was a relatively high post.

I did not offend him. Does my family have some secret I'm unaware of? Did we once offend him? Wang Baole's thoughts ran wild. It was quite a headache. After a while, he recalled the high officials' autobiographies he had researched. His eyes revealed a look of determination.

Nearly all high officials will encounter political enemies successively in their lives. It can be said that as they rise up the ranks, they will battle their political enemies again and again!

This Vice-Chancellor is probably my first political enemy!

Having designated the man as his political enemy, Wang Baole immediately stopped panicking. Instead, his fighting spirit rose. He began considering the advantages he had as a specially-recruited student.

Although he had not left his residence during the past few days, he had learned about the privileges a specially-recruited student had on the Spirit Intranet. One of the privileges allowed him to go to the Treasure Repository of any faculty and borrow a Dharmic artifact for free. The lease lasted five years.

With this thought in mind, Wang Baole quickly got up, left his cave abode, and found the Treasure Repository. With his identity as a specially-recruited student, he walked into the Treasure Repository after a series of identity verifications. There were students present, and they immediately recognized him on sight. Although some ignored him and continued their selection processes, most whispered excitedly.

The Treasure Repository appeared ancient. It looked like a five-floor pagoda from the outside, but inside, there were rows of shelves. Placed on them were Dharmic artifacts filed by the Dharmic Armament faculty.

Some looked inconspicuous, others resplendent. One could see thousands of Dharmic artifacts at a glance. It also showcased the deep heritage of the Dharmic Armament faculty. After all, every single item was top quality, meant to be rented or borrowed by students.

The rental prices depended on the Dharmic artifact, but that was something Wang Baole did not need to consider.

Since it's free, I obviously have to borrow an expensive one. After scanning the first floor, he headed straight for the fifth floor under the envious gazes of the students on the first floor. Standing in the empty fifth floor, Wang Baole became increasingly aware of the perks of being a specially-recruited student. He began his selection.

This sword is not bad!

This bell looks beautiful, too.

This glove is good. It's completely silver in color, and it's obvious it's something impressive! After looking around, Wang Baole fell into a dilemma. He liked all the Dharmic artifacts that were on display. He was momentarily unable to decide. This went on until his eyes landed on a white pillow made of jade. He was instantly attracted to it.

The pillow's name was Hallucination Dharma Pillow. It shared similar effects to the Hallucination Nexus, which was used during the test. It could create illusionary scenes, but due to its low grade, it was difficult to do overly complex things inside. Thus, few people borrowed or rented it. Besides, it was expensive.

If not for his experience with the black mask, Wang Baole would not have taken notice of the Dharma pillow. After some thought, he decided to borrow the Dharmic artifact.

After registering the rental, Wang Baole left with the Dharma pillow. He was filled with anticipation along the way. He moved increasingly quickly before he began dashing back to his cave abode. He planned on unraveling the black mask's secrets.

In the dusking sky, there was still an evening glow, which spread across Dharmic Armament Peak, seemingly dyeing it with a thin, red veil. The warm colors exuded an indescribable beauty. It was made even better as the night breeze brought away the heat, replacing the area with a coolness. It made many students leave their dormitories and chat happily on the peak.

It was unknown if it was due to the redness of the evening glow that masked Wang Baole's specially-recruited student robes, but as he traversed the mountain trails, not many people noticed him. Instead, there were exclamations as people looked into the distance.

When he looked over, he saw a youth dressed in robes different from a specially-recruited student's. He wore pure white Daoist robes, which seemed to exude an elegant grace. However, he had average looks and was plagued by freckles.

Even so, there were a few female students beside him, their eyes filled with an intense glint.

Other than the girls, there were more than ten other students behind him. They surrounded him, some helping to carry his bag, others carrying Ice Spirit Water for him. The entourage was walking over from afar.

"It's the Head Prefect!"

"The Head Prefect of Spirit Stone Hall, Jiang Lin!"

Unlike the way they treated a specially-recruited student, all the surrounding students, regardless of gender, immediately went forward to greet the white-robed youth the moment they saw him. They were respectful and polite, as though they had met a teacher. It made the white-robed youth appear to have a noble air about him. He nodded in acknowledgment before departing with his entourage.

He had seen Wang Baole, but it appeared that to him, there was no difference between ordinary and specially-recruited students. One that was not a Head Prefect was simply a younger pupil and not his equal.

Wang Baole widened his eyes as he watched the departing white-robed Freckles. He felt a little green with envy, believing that Freckles had stolen his limelight.

What's a Head Prefect? Wang Baole snorted and lowered his head to open up the Spirit Intranet. He searched for the information while walking back to his cave abode. But as he did so, his breathing slowly turned abnormal. By the time he returned to his cave abode, he was completely shaken.

This… This is a Head Prefect?

Head Prefects were those who were ranked first on the Hall Roll of each faculty. The number of halls determined the number of Head Prefects. For example, the Dharmic Armament faculty had three main halls, so there were three Head Prefects!

Apart from proving their excellence in their respective halls, Head Prefects had another title: Chancellor Disciples!

The Head Prefects of every faculty were considered disciples of the Chancellor. They addressed each other as senior and junior brothers. They were different from their fellow students. Aside from that, a Head Prefect had an authority that even specially-recruited students lacked!

Specially-recruited students only enjoyed a few more advantages compared to ordinary students, whereas a Head Prefect… held power in the Dao College. They were in charge of enforcing the college rules and regulations on the students of their respective faculties. Just this power alone left countless students nervous and awed!

This authority was considered extremely powerful in the Dao College. And most important of all, the faculty dean had no right to dismiss the Head Prefect. The reason was that Head Prefects were not appointed, but instead, promoted according to their results.

This was the rule of Ethereal Dao College. Only the Chancellor had the authority to dismiss a Head Prefect, but the altering of the rules was something even the Chancellor would not wish to employ unless it was something extremely vile.

Similarly, with such status and authority, a Head Prefect would not dare turn lazy and complacent. Once they were surpassed by others, they would no longer be first. They would instantly lose their title of Head Prefect and everything that came with it.

Wang Baole's eyes were burning when he read the information detailed on the Spirit Intranet. However, it was extremely difficult to become a Head Prefect. He recalled that the number beside the Head Prefect on the Spirit Stone Hall's Roll was 90. This represented that the Spirit Stones refined had a purity level of 90%.

Unless I can refine a higher purity Spirit Stone than him, it's completely impossible.Wang Baole sighed. He stopped his pangs of envy. He was not a person willing to be envious of others. To him, the reason a Head Prefect could be so impressive was that he had something that was far beyond one's reach.

Wang Baole stopped thinking about it amid regret and his aspirations. He took out the Hallucination Dharma Pillow and the black mask. After some thought, he activated the Dharma Pillow as the scene before his eyes turned hazy. His surroundings changed, and he found himself by an icy river.

A biting cold wind blew at him, jolting Wang Baole.

It's truly realistic. Wang Baole gave his surroundings a quick look. The sky was filled with snowflakes and the ground was covered in ice. He could even see some arctic critters in the distance. Everything looked extremely realistic.

Wang Baole quickly turned his attention back to his right hand. He drew on the experience from before. He had held the black mask in his hand before entering the hallucination realm, so when he lowered his head, he immediately saw the black mask in his hand. It was a blur. Its surface was clear in certain parts and blurry elsewhere. They were intercrossed as though the hallucination realm could not fully decompose its features.

It worked! Wang Baole became excited as he carefully observed. The mask turned stable after some time, but it remained incomplete. However, text that had previously appeared surfaced once again.

Perhaps because he could raise the mask up in front of him or some other unknown reason, the text appeared clearer. After Wang Baole carefully studied the text, he gradually discerned it.

Great Void Qi Devouring Art?

Wang Baole blinked and continued reading until he finished reading all the text. His body turned stiff before it began trembling. His eyes revealed an intense excitement.

Great Void meant the production of something out of nothing. Qi Devouring was something much more potent than Qi nurturing. To be precise, the Great Void Qi Devouring Art was similarly a method used to refine Spirit Stones, but it did not need Empty Stones to be used as vessels. Instead, it could produce Spirit Stones out of nothing by using one's body to devour Spirit Qi!

Due to not having any need for Empty Stones and the different method employed, the art produced Spirit Stones with purities that far exceeded those produced by the Qi Fostering Art! It could even produce the legendary perfect Spirit Stones that only Dharmic Armament grandmasters could refine, not to mention purities at the ninety-percent level. It was no longer an unreachable dream!

This… This… At that instant, Wang Baole immediately dismissed Ethereal Dao College's cultivation technique. The position of Head Prefect filled his excited thoughts while his yearning to be Head Prefect became his motivation. He became fanatical that very instant.

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Chapter 10: Invincible Combat Faculty

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The Great Void Qi Devouring Art had similarities with the Qi Fostering Art, but its principles were very different.

The Qi Fostering Art guided the world's Spirit Qi into the body, but due to invisible orifices in the body, it was impossible to retain the Spirit Qi. However, because of that, one could use the body as a medium to guide the Spirit Qi into the Empty Stone in one's hand to form Spirit Stones. Through this process, one's body would subtly strengthen.

As for the Great Void Qi Devouring Art, it was akin to forming a black hole in one's body. It caused the body to possess an extremely powerful suction force that seemed to devour everything. It would crazily absorb the Spirit Qi in the world. Even if one's body had countless orifices that prevented the retention of Spirit Qi, this suction force far exceeded the speed at which Spirit Qi diffused.

It would ultimately result in a constant accumulation of Spirit Qi in one's body. Simultaneously, due to such intense compaction, there was no need for Empty Stones to condense Spirit Stones in one's hand!

As such, the purity would naturally far exceed what others were capable of. After all, the biggest difficulty a Dharmic Armament master faced in purifying a Spirit Stone was the removal of the impurities the Empty Stones contained.

Similar concepts of such a cultivation technique had been suggested in the Federation, but no one had succeeded in doing so. It only existed in one's imagination, but now… the Great Void Qi Devouring Art right in front of Wang Baole was able to perfectly resolve all the problems.

It looks like the suction force increases in intensity through the cultivation of this Great Void Qi Devouring Art, becoming stronger and stronger… Wang Baole left the hallucination realm excitedly. He sat cross-legged in his cave abode, his eyes glimmering with excitement. He could feel that the role of Head Prefect was already waving at him. He seemed to forget everything as he closed his eyes, fully immersing himself in the research and cultivation of the Great Void Qi Devouring Art.

He had built up a Qi Fostering Art foundation over the years, so he was no stranger when it came to directing the Spirit Qi. As he calmed his mind, he immediately detected the world around him and its nearly limitless Spirit Qi.

Although the Great Void Qi Devouring Art looked easy, it was still quite difficult to cultivate it in practice. Wang Baole stumbled in the beginning. Several times, he would suck the Spirit Qi but fail to exceed what diffused. However, one of his best qualities was that once he had a goal, he would form an obsession over it. Just like in the hallucination realm test, he had ignored the excruciating pain in order to gain more points.

According to the Qi Devouring Art's explanation, a devouring seed has to be formed internally first, making it become a part of the body. Only then can it exceed the rate at which it diffuses.

At that moment, the obsession particular to his character erupted. In the following half-month, he stopped attending classes. Even if he had to eat, he would do so in a hurry. He would quickly return to immerse himself in his research and cultivation.

At the same time, beside a pond on Chancellor Peak, which stood centered among the various faculty peaks of Lower Academy Island, was a thatched cottage where the old physician was fishing.

The gentle wind blew, shaking the drooping willow. The reflection in the pond made it quite a sight.

Beside the old physician stood the Vice-Chancellor. The black-robed middle-aged man's forehead was sweating profusely, looking very uneasy. After a long while, he took a deep breath and gave the Chancellor a deep bow.

"Chancellor, I was at fault."

The old physician did not seem to hear him. He continued his fishing, and only after some time did the Vice-Chancellor wipe the sweat from his forehead.

With greater respect, he whispered, "I was wrong to ignore the fact that Wang Baole's matter could be used as a positive example, allowing the students to be greater aligned with the Dao College. Instead, I chose another option. I even got a teacher from the Alchemy faculty to expose the cheating incident."

With that said, he realized that the old physician's expression remained unchanged. Vice-Chancellor sweated even more as he whispered once again.

"I was even more wrong to covet the Dharmic Armament faculty's specially-recruited allocation. I acted in my own self-interests and attempted to expel Wang Baole out of the Dao College. I even influenced the other teachers."

Vice-Chancellor wiped his sweat again, feeling wry. He had made a mistake in his judgment. He had previously believed that the Chancellor was displeased with Wang Baole and thought that he could take the opportunity to punish Wang Baole as well as benefit himself.

However, he had never expected Wang Baole to turn the tables eventually. One of the crucial reasons for that was Wang Baole's speech, but the more important reason was the way the Chancellor viewed the matter.

Only then did the old physician look up, giving the Vice-Chancellor an insouciant look.

"Since you are aware of your faults, take your leave."

Vice-Chancellor heaved a long sigh of relief. He had been a subordinate to the Chancellor for many years. He knew that, with the Chancellor saying so, it meant that the matter was mostly resolved. He politely bowed before leaving. Only when he walked far did he recall Wang Baole. His eyes flashed with a cold glimmer, but he knew that he could not act for the time being. Furthermore, such a trivial figure was nothing to him even if he had some tricks up his sleeve.

However, little did he know that after he left, an elder appeared silently from beside the old physician. He looked like a servant as he stood behind the old physician with a bent back.

"Chancellor, brilliant. You managed to put Vice-Chancellor Gao Quan in his place through this matter without so much as a stir. I guess after this incident, he will temporarily hold back greatly. Although he admitted to many of his mistakes, he did not admit his greatest fault. His influence has reached far too wide and deep.

"In addition, I have investigated the matter. The Dharmic Armament faculty's Spirit Kernel Hall's Head Prefect has been manipulating in secret. Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor enjoys a close relationship with this child. The Dharmic Armament faculty's specially-recruited nomination was also coveted by the Spirit Kernel Hall's Head Prefect. It seems like it was instigated by his father," said the elder with a chuckle softly.

"The father of the Spirit Kernel Head Prefect… As one of the seventeen senators of the Federation, such an influential figure would not engage in such crude tricks. Let the matter rest." The old physician smiled as a derisive look appeared deep in his eyes.

"I would have thought highly of him if he had associated himself with a senator, but to associate himself with this child, this Gao Quan is ultimately one who lacks brains."

"Chancellor, toward such a double-minded wretch, should we not…" The elder hesitated for a moment.

"It's still not time." The old physician's eyes had a profound look in them. A figure who he had gone to great lengths to establish as one to attract hatred was of great value. Others would hardly understand his decisions.

There will always be someone who can't resist the temptation to touch Gao Quan. Regardless, anyone who touches him will have to go through me. The old physician chuckled as he thought inwardly.

Time passed. Wang Baole had spent three months cultivating.

In those three months, Wang Baole's infrequent appearance had made talk about him in the Dharmic Armament faculty wane. In addition, the demanding education curriculum slowly made fewer people pay him any attention.

In a particular way, Wang Baole had indeed accomplished his goal of keeping a low-profile as he had wanted in the beginning.

As the saying goes, everything comes to those who wait.

Three months later, Wang Baole's body barely formed a black hole devouring seed.

As he sensed the suction forces released by his body, Wang Baole wiped his sweat in excitement. He felt that he was again one step closer to success. He hurriedly cultivated once more.

After he possessed the devouring seed, the Spirit Qi in the cave abode immediately resembled flowing water. The Spirit Qi slowly had its trajectory change as it surged toward Wang Baole. This was not only limited to the Spirit Qi inside the cave abode. Even the Spirit Qi outside did the same.

Eventually, almost all the Spirit Qi in the region he was in seemed to be stirred. An invisible vortex was formed, and the center of the vortex was the black hole devouring seed… in Wang Baole's body.

Large amounts of Spirit Qi were sucked in, finally exceeding the amount that his body naturally diffused. It caused his Spirit Qi to condense and accumulate. When it entered his body, it brought an indescribable sense of comfort to him as though countless tiny hands were massaging his entire body. Thankfully, despite immersing himself in the comfort, Wang Baole still knew what he needed to do. He gradually lifted his right hand and used the Great Void Qi Devouring Art to condense a Spirit Stone.

But at this point, another difficulty of the Great Void Qi Devouring Art revealed itself. The thick Spirit Qi could condense, but it would also fail if he were not careful.

And once he failed, the massive amount of Spirit Qi that had condensed would spread out and quickly be sucked back into Wang Baole's body, accumulating once more.

I refuse to believe it! Wang Baole nearly lost his mind. With success close as hand, it made him more adamant. He bought large amounts of food in one go, most of which were snacks. He did not leave his cave abode as though he was in seclusion. He did everything at home, fully engrossing himself in cultivation.

Gradually, his rotund body became even rounder without him realizing it… His fat thickened… especially the fat that was filled with a luster. Although it was not crystalline, the fat appeared extremely fine and glossy.

His body was definitely far from ordinary. It was spirit fat formed through the accumulation of Spirit Qi. After all, fat was the conversion of excess energy in the body. And now, the Spirit Qi in Wang Baole's body far exceeded the average person's. As he was constantly devouring Spirit Qi and failing at refining the Spirit Stones, he could not help gaining more and more fat.

Thankfully, the specially-recruited student robes he wore were made of a special material that was very flexible. Up to this point, he had not burst his clothes. As for Wang Baole, his face's shape had changed, and his body gleaned with an oily luster, his eyes turning smaller and smaller.

Unknowingly, this continued for a month. Midway, Wang Baole also realized the gain in weight, but having engrossed himself in the refinement of Spirit Stones, he directly ignored it.

Finally… on this day, Wang Baole looked in excitement at the chestnut-shaped Spirit Stone in his hand. After testing its purity, he laughed out loud.

"I succeeded! Haha, I finally succeeded!"

"It no longer has a purity of fifty percent but seventy-five percent!"

Wang Baole was extremely excited. All his years in Phoenix City, he had only been able to refine Spirit Stones that were slightly better than fifty percent purity. But now, he could refine ones that were at seventy-five percent. After all, the cut-off score of the best Dao College in the Federation, White Deer Dao College, was seventy percent and above.

Satisfied, Wang Baole felt that he was presently formidable enough. Just as he was about to get up to walk around to release his excitement, he nearly failed to stand up. This left him in a daze. He looked down at his body, which had nearly doubled in size compared to half a year ago. His red specially-recruited Daoist robes had deformed from his weight gain, revealing a body filled with spirit fat.

He became short of breath as his eyes widened suddenly.

"This… This…" Wang Baole cried out. No longer over-absorbed with the Spirit Stone refinement, he immediately realized his present state. He was in big trouble.

Heavens, I only let my guard down a little and… how did this happen? Wang Baole trembled as his family genealogical table surfaced instantly in his mind. He was immediately gripped by terror as he hurriedly extended his thick fingers, counting while being too worried for tears.

But after counting all day, he realized that regardless of how he counted, according to the ages of the Fatso Forefathers at their times of death, he… did not seem to have much longer to live. This left him close to tears.

I haven't become Head Prefect or the Federation President. I really do not want to reunite with Fatso Forefathers! In Wang Baole's horror, his mind was filled with thoughts of losing weight. However, he had done so several times with all of them being nearly ineffective. It drove him nuts.

Exercise! I want to exercise! I want to run. There might be still some hope with the fat having just appeared! Wang Baole gritted his teeth. The first thing he thought of was running; therefore, he rushed out of his cave abode's door.

Despite having grown fatter, it was still not irredeemable yet. He was still able to exit the door. The moment he walked out, sun scattered on his exaggerated red Daoist robe. Wang Baole immediately felt anguished when he saw his massive shadow. With a loud roar, he used all his strength and ran frenetically on Dharmic Armament Peak.

As he ran disconsolately, Wang Baole noticed something different about himself. He did not seem to tire out, and the rich Spirit Qi in him provided for all his energy expenditure. It allowed him to run rapidly, making him find Dharmic Armament Peak too small. He knew too many people there as well, so he quickly ran down the peak and began running around Lower Academy Island.

That day, many Dharmic Armament faculty students saw a red ball brush past them. All of them were stunned, some exclaiming in surprise, but because the red ball ran too fast, especially with its face hidden, they could not identify it. Therefore, there were quite a lot of rumors and discussion on the Spirit Intranet.

"I saw a ball today…"

"I saw it too!"

"It looks a little familiar. It resembles… the Daoist robes of a specially-recruited student?"

While the Dharmic Armament faculty engaged in discussion, there was a group of Combat faculty students running along the lake in Lower Academy Island. Among them was the specially-recruited Zhuo Yifan, as well as people like Chen Ziheng. A middle-aged man followed them, a teacher of the Combat faculty. He was leading the students in a run with a solemn expression.

Compared to the students in the other faculties, the Combat faculty was more akin to soldiers. This was because the Combat faculty focused on everything related to ancient martial arts. They stood atop all the faculties when it came to actual combat. It was required for every student from the faculty to have a strong physical body. Therefore, one of the basic classes was training that involved running around the island.

The goal was to quickly enhance the freshmen's physical fitness, allowing them to successfully enter the Blood Qi realm. Although only half a year had passed since school began, the Combat faculty continued having the island-circling class.

"Faster! Did you even eat!" the Combat faculty teacher yelled as he stared at the students beside him.

Although he was verbally putting them down, he was still very pleased when he saw them brimming with energy and vigor—especially Zhuo Yifan and Chen Ziheng. Although they could already circle the entire island, they obediently joined in the run. It pleased him greatly having such good students.

"You have to remember! My Combat faculty disdains the refinement of artifacts and pills. What we want are our bodies! What we want is to push the body to its limits. Be it a Dharma treasure or a toxic pill, they are all crap. We, the Combat faculty, can crush them with a fist!"

As the middle-aged teacher boomed, the students also roused themselves and roared in succession.

"Our punches and kicks are the strongest!"

"Our running speed is the fastest!"

"We are physically invincible!"

Instantly, the rousing fervor made it seem like they could suppress down all alchemical and artifact refinement weaklings.

The middle-aged man was very pleased seeing the youths' spirit. Just as he was about to add on, a red meatball rolled past his body from behind.

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Chapter 11: Teacher, Count Me In

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The meatball was simply too fast. Due to it being red in color, it appeared even more eye-catching under the sunlight. Its rapid movement stirred up strong winds as it directly overtook the Combat faculty students and proceeded far into the distance.

The Combat faculty teacher was taken aback. The students, who were about to shout, were stupefied. What should have been uniform gusto singing instantly turned into a mess.

"What the heck was that?"

"Is that a newly invented hot-air balloon?"

The Combat faculty's students broke out into a discussion. Only the teacher hesitated for a moment as he revealed a suspicious look. However, when he saw some students trying to sneak off, his eyes suddenly locked onto them.

"What are you looking at? What happened to running?" With his shout, the students quickly stopped looking and began running while questions hung over their heads. Slowly, those questions dissipated as they shouted with gusto.

At that moment, Wang Baole was completely oblivious to his surroundings. He was covered in sweat, and his mind was occupied with the thoughts of losing weight. It was as though a group of Fatso Forefathers was chasing after him, and if he ran any slower, he would reunite with them.

Another four hours passed, and it was already noon. The Combat faculty students were completely exhausted at the beach of the Lower Academy Island. However, with the teacher whipping them into shape, they continued running, shouting their slogans non-stop.

"Combat Faculty is invincible!"

"Combat…" But before they could finish their chant, they heard booming footsteps behind them once again. The exhausted students saw a gigantic red meatball rolling past them at breakneck speed. This time, it appeared even faster as the sand that it stirred in its wake inundated them.

"It's that hot-air balloon again! It looks a little smaller."

"What do you mean hot-air balloon? It's a person. Heavens, did he finish one round!"

Immediately, the entire Combat faculty was astounded as a series of exclamations thundered. All they could see was the rapidly departing red meatball.

By the side, their teacher drew a gasp as well. He rubbed his eyes as though in disbelief. While feeling perplexed, he saw the students discussing. He berated them once again before they began running. Only when the students were truly exhausted did he allow them to rest on the ground.

As for himself, he sat by the side. His mind kept thinking about the red meatball. As for the students, they were engaged in discussion.

"Was that really a person?"

"Heavens, how did he run so fast? That's way too fast…"

"That's not right. His clothes look somewhat familiar…"

While the crowd was discussing, Chen Ziheng had a suspicious look. He vaguely felt that the red figure looked familiar. However, he could not immediately put his finger on who it was. He knit his brows in deep thought.

Even when they began running once again after their rest, Chen Ziheng had yet to recall the reason for that sense of familiarity. However, soon after they began running, they heard the rumbling sound behind them again.

This time, everyone including the teacher turned their heads instantaneously. What they saw was the red meatball that had passed them twice. It whistled over whilst stirring up a strong wind, quickly passing by once more.

And this time, the meatball was clearly smaller again. They could now determine that it was indeed a person. In addition, they could hear cries from the meatball.

It appeared as though the person was extremely deranged, letting out cries subconsciously. Under the Combat faculty's astounded looks, the meatball left.

"Wang Baole!" exclaimed Chen Ziheng when he finally recognized the meatball. Many people around him had also recognized the meatball. After they heard Chen Ziheng's exclamation, all of them nearly jumped up.

"It really is Wang Baole!"

"I was wondering why the clothes looked so familiar. Aren't those the robes of a specially-recruited student? To think that it was Wang Baole. He actually became that fat!"

The exclamations grew more intense. The meatball's identity had set back the Combat faculty students too much. After all… Wang Baole was as they called, a weakling from the Dharmic Armament faculty.

Even the teacher drew a gasp. His astonishment was filled with embarrassment, and he felt an indescribable anger as he acted out by suddenly looking at the rowdy students.

"You bunch of trash!

"Look, you can't even match someone from the Dharmic Armament faculty. How dare you call yourself members of the Combat faculty! Our Combat faculty is first when it comes to speed and our fists! Our bodies are invincible!

"You pile of trash, listen up. All of you are to double your training. If you do not overtake Wang Baole, none of you are to sleep. Run the entire night!" the teacher roared. The students all turned furious as well.

Even they felt disgraced that they had been overtaken by someone from the Dharmic Armament faculty. They refused to take it lying down for, from their point of view, the fatty must have rested midway, probably not running the outer circle. Instead, he must have taken shortcuts to provoke them.

How could they tolerate such acts of provocation? It was more heartfelt for Zhuo Yifan and Chen Ziheng. Although they did not say a word, they exchanged looks for they were unconvinced of Wang Baole's prowess. Although they were competitors, Wang Baole's appearance had immediately given them direction. They united in the face of a common enemy.

Therefore, all the members of the Combat faculty were filled with rage, eager to prove themselves. Their hearts burned with fighting spirit as they waited for Wang Baole to appear once more. They had decided to let Wang Baole know that their Combat faculty was first when it came to speed!

Soon, the sky turned dark. At dusk, Wang Baole appeared once again with his rumbling footsteps. Immersed in his deranged state of swearing to lose weight, he did not sense the Combat faculty's anger at all. After he flew past them, he did not even look back. All the students from the Combat faculty roared and chased him with everything they had.

"Wang Baole, you will definitely lose!"

"Wang Baole, how dare you compete in running with our Combat faculty. We'll let you know who's king!"

Belligerent shouts continued incessantly as the Combat faculty students ran at full speed with their eyes reddened. From afar, the group of people thinned out into a long line as their shouting sounded. It was quite a sight to behold, so much so that it caught the attention of the other faculties.

Gradually, they finished one round. The bright moon hung high in the sky as the shouts were replaced by heavy breathing. All the Combat faculty students had despair in their eyes.

"Is that fellow even human? How is he so good at running?"

"Is he some sort of beast?"

Everyone was infuriated as their paces slowed down. Their bodies were trembling, and their legs were turning limp. More and more people failed to keep up with Wang Baole. Only a handful managed to barely do so, but eventually, only Chen Ziheng and Zhuo Yifan remained as they gritted their teeth.

However, even they were close to their limits. Chen Ziheng had even used his Physical Seal realm's cultivation level, but the gap between him and Wang Baole only widened. After finishing one round, he collapsed to the ground, panting. He became depressed when he saw that the sky was brightening.

"Which of us is from the Combat faculty? Me or him?"

The final person to collapse was Zhuo Yifan. Even though he was indignant and his eyes were crimson-red like blood in his fervent state, he only managed to keep up for half a round. As morning broke, his feet turned limp, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"We are from the Combat faculty. We can't let those weaklings from the Dharmic Armament faculty who refine artifacts beat us. Zhuo Yifan, unleash your strength once more. Overtake him!"

The teacher had been accompanying him all this while. He, too, was exhausted, but he could not release the gloom in him. As he looked at Wang Baole's seemingly untired figure distance itself from them, he could not help but bellow angrily.

"Teacher, I really can't take it." Zhuo Yifan wanted to keep going, but when he saw Wang Baole's rapidly departing figure, he felt an unprecedented sense of defeat. He smiled bitterly.

The teacher widened his mouth again, but he realized that he had nothing but bitter things to say. He recollected how the Dharmic Armament faculty had always been weak. How did it produce such a freak?

"What an insult!" He let out a disheartening cry. From that day forth, he would see Wang Baole dash past them while he led the students daily. It was as though Wang Baole had never stopped once.

This experience had dealt a great blow to him as a teacher, needless to mention the students' reactions. Eventually, he gave up making the Combat faculty students run around the island.

Out of sight, out of mind! He sighed as he led his students, who heaved a sigh of relief, away. He planned on letting these students familiarize themselves with the equipment so that they could begin strength training.

Even Zhuo Yifan felt that the teacher's arrangement was brilliant. The blows that he had been dealt over the past few days could be said to have been the strongest in his entire life.

At that moment, Wang Baole had finally slimmed down greatly after running for one week. He was filled with excitement, but also regret. He recalled vaguely that he had seen runners like him early on, but they had gradually disappeared.

Persistence is a quality. Amid his wistfulness, Wang Baole discovered that his body was clearly stronger than before. He did not seem too far from the Blood Qi realm either. This feeling was very intense. In fact, while running over the past week, he had realized that he was nearly immune to fatigue, as though he had an inexhaustible supply of energy.

Amid his pleasant surprise, Wang Baole ran for a few more days. Eventually, he was sad to realize that running no longer showed an effect. In his frustration, he happened to pass by a training area. He also saw that the students from the Combat faculty were engaged in weight training as well as strength and endurance tests there.

When he saw these people working up a sweat, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly ran over.

"Teacher, Teacher! My name is Wang Baole. Can I use this place for training?" Wang Baole said immediately, his eyes filled with yearning anticipation.

His appearance immediately caused the ground that was filled with grunting sounds to fall silent. All the Combat faculty students instantly looked at the red-robed Wang Baole.

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Chapter 12: Breakthrough

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Nearly all the Combat faculty students had unfriendly looks. Their eyes seemed to burn with fighting spirit. Even Chen Ziheng's face looked grim, his expression turning very serious.

Zhuo Yifan was the same. After he clenched his fists, his mouth warped into a sneer.

Even the Combat faculty teacher looked Wang Baole deeply in the eye.

The strange scene of hundreds of bulky men looking at him left a chill running down Wang Baole's back. He felt that something was amiss.

Have these people from the Combat faculty gone silly from all the training? Wang Baole subconsciously took a few steps back and began to turn suspicious. As he had been too engrossed in running previously, he had ignored everything that happened around him. The only thing that had occupied his mind was the Fatso Forefathers chasing him. Therefore, he had not noticed the Combat faculty students and their setbacks.

"Everyone is a member of Ethereal Dao College. Haha, since you wish to train here in private… it's all the same if I go elsewhere too." Wang Baole smiled dryly when he saw the situation before him. Just as he was about to leave, the Combat faculty students rushed forward and surrounded him, preventing him from leaving.

"What are all of you doing? This is Ethereal Dao College. I'm a specially-recruited student of the Dharmic Armament faculty!" Wang Baole became frightened as he stared at them immediately.

The Combat faculty teacher had a deep, meaningful smile on his face. He took a few steps forward and grabbed Wang Baole before laughing out loud.

"Student Wang Baole, there's no need to be afraid. Come, train with our Combat faculty." He smiled with a pleased look as he secretly rejoiced. Even if Wang Baole was good at running, he was definitely no match for the Combat faculty when it came to strength.

After all, members of the Combat faculty spent nearly all their time on training their bodies. They had the absolute advantage in strength. Nothing would have happened if Wang Baole had not delivered himself to them, but since he had, how could he be spared?

We have to vent our anger well. We have to show him how powerful our Combat faculty is!

With a smile, the teacher escorted Wang Baole straight to the training grounds. He pointed at the hundreds of gigantic barbells on the ground and said with a smile, "Wang Baole, come, come, come. They are free for your picking."

With that said, the teacher looked at the other Combat faculty students and shouted, "And all of you, quickly begin training!"

Wang Baole hesitated for a moment. Just as he wanted to speak, the Combat faculty students rushed at the barbells like tigers and wolves. Each of them raised one and stared at Wang Baole provocatively.

Something is wrong! Wang Baole turned wary, but against so many provocative glares, he could do nothing. With eyes widened, he went forward and grabbed a barbell. After taking in a deep breath, he raised it up with a grunt.

The moment Wang Baole raised the barbell, the teacher felt extremely pleased. He shouted, "Countdown begins. Punks, all of you are to use all your strength!"

While the teacher reeled in excitement, the students began the rather atypical competition amid deep grunts. Nearly everyone was grunting as they raised the barbells, especially Chen Ziheng and Zhuo Yifan. They were at the second stage Ancient Martial realm, so although their barbells were extremely heavy, it was still a weight they could handle.

They are trying to compete with me! Wang Baole did not accept defeat either. He realized that it was not that heavy when he raised the barbell. He also managed to raise it with his strength.

Immediately, there were heavy breathing sounds coming from everyone on the training ground.

"Ten… Twenty… Thirty… Have you guys even eaten? Use more strength!" bellowed the teacher, his voice constantly reverberating. Gradually, the all students completed at least fifty repetitions, and people began to falter. The barbells' weight indicated that the average person was very strong if they could handle five repetitions.

At that moment, nearly everyone had lasted fifty repetitions. This was already quite an uncommon feat for them. Their bodies were trembling as though they could not keep at it.

Is it that heavy? Wang Baole felt a little puzzled. Despite having raised fifty repetitions, the weight was not something unbearable to him. Most importantly, the spirit fat in his body was rapidly being depleted as he raised the weights, turning into Spirit Qi that nourished his body. Not only was he not tired, he even felt more energetic and alert.

However, Wang Baole noticed the crowd's angry gazes. With a displeased inward grunt, he deliberately quivered as though he was about to fail at any moment. He even heaved heavily.

"I want to raise one last time!"

With him saying that sentence, the students that were about to give up seemed to gain strength from his words. They gritted their teeth and, with a cry, forcibly raised their barbells once more. But when they looked at Wang Baole, they realized that he too had raised his in a shaky manner. They immediately felt gripped by anxiety.

"I want to raise it one final time again!" Wang Baole panted as though he was about to collapse at any moment. He had let out the statement with his face reddened.

The other students clenched their teeth again, but they were ultimately at their limits. Nearly half of them failed to continue. With a plop, they dropped the barbells, but thanks to the safety precautions, they were not injured.

At least a hundred plus more people were holding on. All of them raised their barbells once more as they held their breaths, but soon, they realized that Wang Baole had raised his barbell despite saying the same words.

"Everyone, keep it up!"

"He can't hold out much longer!"

The enervated students lay on the ground but continued supporting their fellow faculty mates. Their cheers slowly grew softer, and eventually, they were left clenching their teeth.

Wang Baole had repeatedly claimed that it was his last time, but he had never once faltered. Instead, more and more of the remaining hundred plus people gave up successively, despite their rage. Finally, fewer than ten people were left holding on as they trembled.

They were also at their limits, but every time they were about to give up, they would see Wang Baole's trembling body and think to themselves, Perhaps this is Wang Baole's final one.

But… these people ended up reeling in despair one after another. Only Chen Ziheng and Zhuo Yifan stood standing. Yet, Wang Baole was still shaking as he raised his barbell.

"I can still last a little longer. This is really the last one!" Wang Baole stumbled as he took a step back. He forced himself to stand up straight, and with a pant, he raised it again.

"Shameless!"

"He's too much!" The surrounding students could not help but shout angrily. Even the Combat faculty teacher was cursing in his heart. The act that Wang Baole put on from the beginning appeared too shameless to him.

"Chen Ziheng, Zhuo Yifan. I can let your running loss to the Dharmic Armament faculty pass, but are you going to lose at weight-lifting as well!" roared the teacher.

Chen Ziheng's eyes turned red, and the two remaining students seemed to give it their all. They clenched their teeth, raising their barbells once again. After raising more than a hundred repetitions, Chen Ziheng looked at the trembling Wang Baole, who could still continue. With a lamenting cry in his heart, he collapsed weakly.

Even Zhuo Yifan finally reached his limit. In the end, he had already released all his potential. An attempt to raise the barbell while shaking only left him spinning. He could not continue.

Wang Baole seemed to be sharing the same fate when he looked over. His body seemed to stagger, and he did not seem capable of raising the barbell again. Zhuo Yifan immediately felt his hopes raise while the other students turned excited as well.

"Fatso Forefathers, lend me your energy!" Wang Baole was perspiring all over. With his roar, he gradually lifted the barbell as all the students—and even the teacher—were secretly calling for him to drop the barbell inwardly.

Immediately, everyone glared angrily. Zhuo Yifan's eyes turned a deeper red as he found the situation unacceptable. He attempted to raise the barbell again, but bereft of any more strength, he collapsed.

His eyes turned black, and the despondent feeling in his heart could hardly be described.

At that moment, everyone in the training ground had an ugly expression. They stared at Wang Baole who was the only one remaining. Wang Baole raised the barbell again and again as though there was no end…

Two hours, four hours, six hours, eight hours…

While they rested, Wang Baole was raising the weights. When they recovered and continued again, Wang Baole was still doing the same. When they headed off for their meals, Wang Baole was still lifting. Only on the third day did they leave. Under the moonlight, Wang Baole was still lifting.

In the end, everyone was left dumbfounded. If he had raised the barbell normally, everyone could have tolerated him, but he would always roar, claiming that it was the final repetition. After shouting for so long, his voice did not even turn hoarse.

"This rascal is too crafty!"

"Darn it. Doesn't he tire out from shouting for so long?"

Everyone felt miserable. The Combat faculty teacher also turned disheartened; he felt completely defeated. He planned on leaving with the students and never engaging in outdoor training whenever he saw Wang Baole.

But, at the instant they were about to leave, an extraordinary aura suddenly blasted out of Wang Baole's body. At that moment, his body seemed to emanate red light that resembled fire. This red light effused from within his body, through his skin, before inundating the vision of everyone present.

This was… Blood Qi that stirred the skies!

Extremely rich Blood Qi rushed everywhere. Wang Baole's body also shrank rapidly, eventually returning to his original size. All the spirit fat burned at that instant, providing him with the energy needed to reach the Blood Qi realm!

This scene immediately left the minds of the people that were planning to leave abuzz. They stood there and felt as though they had been struck by lightning, leaving them completely awestruck.

"I succeeded!" Wang Baole threw the barbell in excitement. He roared with laughter when he saw his restored body line. He next noticed that he had reached the Blood Qi realm, which made him even more pleasantly surprised. He ran off quickly and exuberantly.

Even when he was long gone, the Combat faculty crowd at the training grounds did not extricate themselves from their daze. A series of gasps spread only a while later.

"He… he actually broke through?"

"Heavens, he stepped into the Blood Qi realm faster than us despite being from the Dharmic Armament faculty!"

"Did I see wrong? He broke through… from lifting weights!"

Incredulous exclamations and discussions broke out among the students. The scene that they had witnessed incited them just too much. It would have been fine if they had lost to Wang Baole twice, but to watch him break through left them envious.

Even the Combat faculty teacher spent an entire day in a deranged grievance. He could not help but blow up.

"You bunch of trash!"

"You can forget about sleeping. He's from the Dharmic Armament faculty. He can even breakthrough from lifting weights! What about all of you? Keep training. Do not stop until you breakthrough!"

This time, none of the students complained. Instead, many of their eyes lit up. They felt that perhaps it was really a good way of breaking through. All of them rushed to train with hastened breaths.

It was unknown if lifting weights was really effective or if it was due to the immense shock, but after that night, one student from the Combat faculty actually managed to break through from lifting weights.

As such, this matter caused a stir throughout the Combat faculty. It was like a legend. As a result, even a long time after that incident, there were people from the Combat faculty who would go to that very spot to lift weights, hoping to try their luck.

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Chapter 13: Cleansing Pill

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After leaving a legend in the Combat faculty, Wang Baole returned to his cave abode in the Dharmic Armament faculty. He sat on the veranda in satisfaction as he looked at the beautiful blue sky. He felt good as he picked up a bag of snacks and began chomping on its contents.

I'm already so thin; I need some nourishment. Wang Baole sighed as he caressed his tiny fat face and his bulging belly. Although his weight-loss plan had ultimately allowed him to lose all the spirit fat, he still was in the shape of a fatty. However, Wang Baole was already satisfied with this outcome.

"Those Grandpa Fatties are unlikely to catch me now." Wang Baole chuckled as he felt the mighty Blood Qi in him. As he reeled in his delight, he took out another bag of snacks and began eating.

Only when dusk fell did Wang Baole fill himself with snacks. He ignored the tiny pile of empty snack wrappers on the veranda and returned to his cave abode to begin refining Spirit Stones.

With his prior experience, he soon managed to gather the surrounding Spirit Qi through the circulation of the Great Void Qi Devouring Art. After he sucked the Spirit Qi, he condensed it in his right hand and finally formed a chestnut-shaped Spirit Stone!

This Spirit Stone was not especially crystalline but was still rather translucent. It felt like a valuable treasure in hand, making Wang Baole grin from both ends.

A purity of 75%. I need to work harder and quickly achieve a purity of more than 90%. In Wang Baole's excitement, he turned passionate just from the thought of the position and power the position of Head Prefect entailed. He hurriedly cultivated.

Seven days quickly passed.

In those seven days, Wang Baole would occasionally attend classes in Spirit Stones Hall and not be as diligent as before. However, he still spent most of his time cultivating the Great Void Qi Devouring Art until he discovered a problem.

After the Spirit Stones' purity reached 75%, it was very difficult to make any progress. It was as though he had met a bottleneck, and no amount of hard work seemed to rectify the problem.

This made Wang Baole anxious. After several days of attempts with no progress, he patted his stomach vexingly. He took out the black mask and grumbled.

Did I cultivate wrong? Did I not discover something due to the blurry text? With that thought, Wang Baole felt that he was out of solutions. He took out the Hallucination Pillow and entered the Hallucination realm again.

It was still the ice plain with snow fluttering and biting cold wind. Wang Baole was not in the mood to experience the pleasant cold feeling as he hurriedly looked at the blurry mask in his hand.

Moments later, he saw the words again. After careful perusal, he finally determined that he had not made any mistakes in his cultivation.

Odd… There's no mistake, but why am I stuck at 75%? Wang Baole was feeling even more depressed as he sighed after grumbling. Just as he was about to leave the Hallucination realm to think of other solutions, the black mask seemed to hear his words and began warping rapidly.

This scene shocked Wang Baole as he looked over. He was astonished to discover that the Great Void Qi Devouring Art was gone. Replacing it were new words.

And those words actually gave him the answer to solving the problem of the Spirit Stones' purity!

Such a scene astounded Wang Baole. He rubbed his eyes and glared at the mask, roaring, "Come out. Who's in there? I see you. Come on out!"

With that said, Wang Baole braced himself and stared intently at the mask. However, the mask remained unchanged. Finally, Wang Baole looked suspiciously at the words that had appeared as his eyes gradually lit up.

Cleansing Pill…

The words on the mask told Wang Baole clearly that to obtain higher-purity Spirit Stones, he needed pills known as Cleansing Pills. Only such a pill could selectively remove the impurities in his body, allowing Spirit Qi to flow unobstructed in his body. As such, he could raise the purity.

Wang Baole fell into a dilemma when he saw this. He was intrigued by the solution, but he also found the mask strange. He remained hesitant even when he left the Hallucination realm. After logging into the Spirit Intranet, he began investigating what Cleansing Pills were.

Not long later, he found an introduction to Cleansing Pills on the school's Spirit Intranet. The pill was harmless to people and had excellent effects. It could cleanse a person's body of impurities, causing Ancient Martial realm warriors to be agiler.

However, the pill was extremely expensive, and the difficulty of refining it was extremely high. It was not something ordinary Alchemy faculty students could refine. Only the Alchemy faculty Head Prefect might be able to luckily refine one. Typically, he would eat it for himself.

As the herbal ingredients used were precious, even a Head Prefect would bemoan at his financial inadequacies. Only an Alchemy faculty teacher could refine one at great cost.

Basically, such Cleansing Pills were pretty much priceless in all of Ethereal Dao College's Lower Academy.

Upon seeing the Cleansing Pill's introduction, Wang Baole no longer hesitated. He felt that even if the mask was odd, the pill was still something beneficial to him. He was immediately overcome with burning passion.

In the following days, apart from classes and cultivation, he spent nearly all his time investigating the pill. He even contacted Bunny and Du Min, who had entered the Alchemy faculty. He got them to help him seek out information, but their search turned up nothing as well. He was left at a loss.

After all, the pill was rare and valuable. Even if someone wanted to sell it, it was not something ordinary students like Bunny or Du Min would learn of. Although Wang Baole was a specially-recruited student, he had not yet been at the school for even a year. It was still difficult for him to come into contact with things of that level.

Hard work paid off eventually. Bunny placed great emphasis on Wang Baole's request. She kept feeling that Wang Baole had saved her life. Even though she had learned the truth about the test, she could never forget Wang Baole's bloody figure just like Liu Daobin.

Therefore, she handled Wang Baole's matter with great seriousness. Furthermore, with her sweet and adorable looks, coupled with her bubbly character, she managed to learn of something a month later.

"Baole! There's an auction in half a month's time in Ethereal City. They will be selling one Cleansing Pill there!"

When Wang Baole received Bunny's voice transmission, he immediately turned excited and kissed his transmission ring.

"Xiaoya, I love you!"

Inside the Alchemy faculty's dormitories, Bunny was sitting on her bed. When she heard Wang Baole's kissing sound from the voice transmission ring, she blushed instantly. Du Min, who was opposite her, looked over suspiciously.

"Xiaoya, what's the matter with you?"

"No… Nothing…" Bunny immediately lowered her head, her heart pounding. While feeling embarrassed, she had strange, indescribable thoughts.

As for Wang Baole, he circled his cave abode in excitement, pumping his fists into the air at times. His eyes were filled with excitement and eagerness.

The auction requires Spirit Stones, but they are too easy for me. Spirit Stones with 75% purity are worth a lot. Most importantly, I don't need any capital. Wang Baole laughed out loud. He felt like the Cleansing Pill was already his. This was because he had accumulated quite a number of Spirit Stones from his prior refinements.

And he did not require a lot of Spirit Stones; they were basically unnecessary to him. Even if he used all of them in exchange for Cleansing Pills, he would not flinch at all.

However, I can't be careless. The high officials' autobiographies have mentioned that one should never underestimate one's enemy. With this thought in mind, Wang Baole immediately decided to refine more Spirit Stones in the remaining half month.

Therefore, in the next half month, Wang Baole spent most of his time refining Spirit Stones. Time passed, and the day of the auction came. That morning, Wang Baole walked out his cave abode brimming with spirit.

The Green Forest Lake, where Ethereal Dao College stood, was on the eastern outskirts of Ethereal City. Ethereal Dao College's students were usually not restricted from entering the city. Although it was Wang Baole's first time heading there, he was no stranger to it. He took a boat, and after reaching the lake bank, he ran straight for Ethereal City.

He soon arrived and compared to his hometown—Phoenix City—Ethereal City was way bigger. It was more than a hundred times bigger than Phoenix City. After all, Phoenix City was only one of the countless tiny cities in the Federation. As for Ethereal City, it was one of the seventeen main cities of the Federation!

Outside the city, there were giant walls that resembled metal plates. They were lined with countless sharp spikes that twinkled. When the sunlight bounced off them, they exuded a stern feeling of death.

Apart from that, there was a massive array formation surrounding it. It was only activated at normal strength and not pushed to its limits. Even so, it was still able to effused a stunning feeling that enveloped the region.

From afar, one could see many pagodas towering over the city walls. Each one of them had a giant spinning ball at the top, intermittently releasing lightning out of it. It contained terrifying force and seemed like it could handle all enemies in the sky.

All of this was a result of the ancient greenish-bronze sword that had come from the cosmos. After it penetrated the Sun, its hilt had shattered into fragments that landed on Earth, its fragments spreading across the globe. Many of the factions of yesteryear had searched and gained control of them. Cultivation techniques had begun forming different schools of thoughts. Like a bed of flowers blooming across the land, it had changed the situation across the entire Federation.

Although the main body of power was the Federation, it was comprised of four major factions. Many tinier factions had dependent relations with them. If not for the beast war early in the Spirit Inception era, the Federation might have dissolved long ago.

And it was due to the beast war that, despite the Federation appearing peaceful, there was some friction between large and small factions occasionally. However, they only kept each other in check to certain limits. There was just no large-scale conflict.

After all, the beast war of yesteryear had been a calamity for all humans in the Federation. The Federation had faced the risk of extinction simply because of the sudden appearance of Spirit Qi.

The appearance of Spirit Qi had not only given humans the opportunity to cultivate; it had also included wild beasts and vegetation. The rich Spirit Qi had caused a large number of wild beasts, vegetation, and avian creatures to mutate. Some far exceeded humans, making them extremely powerful.

The beast war had been a result of that.

Although that battle had ended with the Federation gaining a stronghold in the cities, be it the desolate wilderness or the ocean, all of them were where the land and flying beasts ruled.

Therefore, cities needed strong defenses. In addition, due to the dangers that lurked outside the city walls, most people lived their entire lives in the cities. Venturing out had to be done with others or with specially hired combat cultivation escorts.

Just like how Wang Baole and the students had traveled to the Dao College.

At that moment, Wang Baole stood outside Ethereal City as he took in the lofty city. He took a deep breath, looked up, and puffed his chest before walking in.

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Chapter 14: The Dharmic Armament Faculty's Advantage

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ethereal City was a large city with trees shading the streets. The population was huge as well, probably numbering more than a hundred million. Countless flying vessels travelling across the city, and there were many cars shuttling back and forth on the ground.

As for the dense horde of passers-by inside the city, all of them appeared to be in a rush, as though they were very busy.

Thankfully, Wang Baole's voice transmission ring had a map and location functionality. Furthermore, he had plenty of time. He headed toward the auction house according to the directions.

Along the way, he engaged in sightseeing. He looked at the buildings and stores that lined the streets and experienced the bustle that was different from his hometown, Phoenix City. Although there was nothing new that surprised him, there were many things that caught his eye.

For instance, he was looking at a building not far from him as he unwittingly exhaled in awe.

The building looked like an ancient Roman Colosseum, but it was massive, more than ten soccer fields large. If one looked at it from the sky, the entire building looked like a giant fist!

And high in the sky, there were roaring disturbances as though many battles were taking place simultaneously.

This is probably the legendary fight club where free-style fighting is employed, right? Wang Baole took another few glances. He had read an introduction of the place before on the news. When he looked at the club's entrance, there were quite a number of strongmen dressed in black uniforms standing outside. They were Blood Qi realm experts, each looking quite threatening simply by standing there.

I'll be heading to the auction house today, so I'll have to come back another time.Although Wang Baole was usually wise beyond his years, he was still a youth. He was nevertheless very interested in such hot-blooded combat fighting.

Filled with anticipation, Wang Baole took another few more glances before leaving. He marveled at his surroundings until noon, finally arriving at his destination—Cloud Hawk Auction House!

As one of the four biggest auction houses in Ethereal City, Cloud Hawk Auction House might not have been as magnificent as Ethereal Auction House, but it was still a grand sight. From afar, it looked like a male hawk with its wings spread. It was erected in the northern region of Ethereal City, spanning more than fifteen kilometers.

Tall walls split off from its periphery, and it was swarming with guards. As for the auction venue's interior, it was even more luxurious. It was enough to host ten auctions simultaneously, each holding ten thousand people.

That was especially so for the large venue in the middle, the Cloud Hawk Auction House's premier venue. Any auction that happened there would be able to stir up Ethereal City.

The auction that was being held this time was not qualified to be held in the main venue. Instead, it was held at Auction Hall No. 3 in the right wing. Wang Baole did not have an invitation, but he had long learned of the rules. He had reserved a spot through the Spirit Internet with his status as Ethereal Dao College's specially-recruited student.

With his identity jade token in hand, Wang Baole was checked by the guards at the door. He successfully entered the venue, and as he was relatively early, there were not many people present. He was guided by beautiful attendants into Auction Hall No. 3.

Although it was numbered third, it was able to seat ten thousand people. Each seat had autonomous functions. Not only was it comfortable, it also provided Ice Spirit Water as well as snacks. One could see the surroundings clearly from that spot as well as the high platforms ahead.

This place is way too extravagant. Wang Baole drank the Ice Spirit Water and ate the snacks. He felt that the entrance fee of one Spirit Stone was worth it.

As he enjoyed the service happily, more people entered. The auction hall slowly became lively. Many people knew each other and sat together, chatting and laughing in the process.

There was no lack of Ethereal Dao College students. They came in groups, but most of them were senior students. Occasionally, there were freshmen. They discussed the auction with excitement and wonder.

Wang Baole, who was drinking the Ice Spirit Water, even saw Zhuo Yifan among them. As for Zhuo Yifan, he also noticed him. Immediately, his smiling face turned cold.

The setback that Wang Baole had caused him was just too intense. Wang Baole was an extremely sore sight for him. With a snort, he turned around and began chatting with a few newly acquainted senior students.

What's his deal? Thinking how great he is and all. Wang Baole snorted as well, finishing the Ice Spirit Water in one gulp before opening a second bottle. After a long wait, a rousing musical tune boomed throughout the venue when the auction hall reached an adequate number of people. Everyone turned silent as a bright beam appeared on the stage in front of them.

Beneath the beam was a decently-dressed, middle-aged man. He slowly walked out and, with a smile, bowed to the audience.

"Everyone, welcome to Cloud Hawk Auction House. I'm Li Jingtao, your auctioneer for today. Alright, without further ado, let the auction begin!" The middle-aged man's voice was loud and clear, reaching every corner of the hall. He waved his right hand, and immediately, a projection appeared behind him. In it was a huge bone.

The bone was purple in color, emanating a lustrous glimmer. A ferocious feeling could be felt through the projection, causing many people to feel shaken.

"Lightning Bird, an extremely savage creature that lives in Electromagnetic Storms. Upon maturing, it will grow a lightning bone. This bone is extremely beneficial when it comes to the refinement of pills or Dharmic Armaments, or even the cultivation of warriors.

"Although it's an ordinary adult Lightning Bird, the difficulty of obtaining this lightning bone is equally difficult. The starting price is… 20 Spirit Stones!"

After the middle-aged man spoke, there was a temporary silence in the auction hall. Wang Baole widened his eyes, too. Although he knew of the beast war and knew how powerful ferocious beasts were, this was the first time he was seeing the lightning bone of a Lightning Bird. He could not help but take a few more glances at it.

The bidding soon started, and to Wang Baole's astonishment, the lightning bone was eventually auctioned off at the high price of 60 Spirit Stones.

It's worth so much! Wang Baole touched the tiny bag he carried. His confidence dropped immediately. However, he turned confident once again when he thought of his 75% pure Spirit Stones. After all, the auction house used 50% pure Spirit Stones to settle the payment. Every 10% increase in purity increased the price manyfold.

As the auction proceeded, one item after another appeared through a projection. Things were constantly snapped up. Although some items failed to receive any bids, most of the items were bought by someone. Wang Baole felt his horizons broaden. Apart from the various materials from the different beasts, there were also pills, Dharmic artifacts, and even cultivation techniques. However, most of them were incomplete fragments.

There were a few times that Wang Baole was tempted by the items, but he endured the enticement, waiting for the Cleansing Pill's appearance.

Finally, the auctioneer smiled when the auction was halfway through. He waved, and a milky-white pill manifested behind him!

The pill was not crystalline, but it would give anyone who saw it an impulse to swallow it. It was as though it was an innate desire.

The moment the pill appeared, its herbal fragrance permeated the entire auction hall. Immediately, many people felt energetic, especially Zhuo Yifan and some of the senior students. Their eyes were bright.

Wang Baole sat straight up as well, his heart racing while his eyes stared intently at the pill.

"I won't go into detail about the Cleansing Pill. I believe many of you are here for this pill. The starting price is… 100 Spirit Stones!"

"101!"

"102!"

"103!"

Instantly, bidding voices erupted in the auction hall. Zhuo Yifan had also bid, looking bent on obtaining it.

"I offer 150 Spirit Stones!"

Wang Baole turned anxious as he suddenly shouted, "160 Spirit Stones!"

"170!" Zhuo Yifan frowned as he grunted.

"180!" Wang Baole did not hesitate as he raised the price once again. The others gradually gave up, leaving only Wang Baole and Zhuo Yifan as the remaining bidders. The price went from a hundred plus to more than five hundred.

Such a price—even if the Cleansing Pill was something rare—made it overvalued. Everyone exchanged looks before looking at Wang Baole and Zhuo Yifan, whose faces were red.

Zhuo Yifan clenched his teeth as he stood up and said angrily, "Wang Baole, do you dare compete with me when it comes to Spirit Stones? My family is filthy rich. I bid 700!"

He was a scion with no lack of Spirit Stones, and due to the prior running and weight-lifting incidents, he found Wang Baole a very sore sight. Worst of all, he was in desperate need of the Cleansing Pill. Therefore, he bit the bullet and bid a stunning price.

"Screw you!" Wang Baole's breathing turned heavier. Although he had accumulated quite a number of Spirit Stones, he had about a thousand or so when converted to 50% purity. He stood up as well, staring angrily at Zhuo Yifan before shouting, "1,000 Spirit Stones!"

The moment this price was offered, there was a silence before an uproar broke out. They felt that the price was already ridiculous.

Zhuo Yifan was also shocked. His breathing heavy, his neck tensed, he shouted once more. He was from the Combat faculty and was just short of the Pulse Enrichment realm. In his agitation, his voice was extremely loud.

"1,100 Spirit Stones!"

Wang Baole widened his eyes. His ears hurt from the tumultuous voice. Hence, he took out the megaphone from his bag and pointed it at Zhuo Yifan, shouting, "1,500 Spirit Stones!"

The voice was so loud that, not only did it give Zhuo Yifan a fright, the surrounding crowd drew a gasp as well. Even the auctioneer's body faltered. He looked at Wang Baole with an odd expression.

If this was the end, one could only claim that Wang Baole's voice was loud. After his bellow, he did not wait for anyone to react. He took out an Empty Stone in front of everyone's watchful gazes. With it in hand, he began refining Spirit Stones!

As a large amount of Spirit Qi was condensed, the Empty Stone in his hand rapidly transformed, turning into a Spirit Stone at a discernible rate. This scene could be said to be an absolute blow to everyone present!

"You want to match the Spirit Stones I have? Screw you! I can create them on the spot. Come! Let's see who has more!" Wang Baole roared, staring at the dumbfounded Zhuo Yifan, his eyes filled with disparagement.

"He… He can actually refine on the spot?"

"I recall that he's from the Dharmic Armament faculty."

"Then what's there to compete over?"

While the crowd smiled bitterly, Zhuo Yifan nearly went mad. Even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined that such a thing could happen at an auction. Although it was known that the Dharmic Armament faculty was well known for its Spirit Stone refinement, he had never witnessed it personally before.

But at that moment… Wang Baole's actions were like a critical strike on him. Although his family was rich, he also shrank back. After all, the number of Spirit Stones he had was limited, but… Wang Baole was practically printing money!

The feeling was identical to the running and weight-lifting incidents; it left Zhuo Yifan trembling. The senior student beside him, who he had just become acquainted with, looked at Zhuo Yifan pitifully as he shook his head with a sigh.

"This is the Dharmic Armament faculty.

"To think you attempted to compete with him. Did you not notice that all the senior students shut up once they noticed him? The Dharmic Armament faculty is known for being a walking money-printing machine. Who can compete with that?"

When the other senior students heard that, they sighed as well. Clearly, people from the Dharmic Armament faculty had left a deeply buried scar in each of these senior students.

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Chapter 15: This Is Snatching Money!

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

When Zhuo Yifan heard that, the anger and disappointment in him could hardly be described. He felt disconsolate upon seeing Wang Baole create Spirit Stones on the spot.

"This is unfair!

"How can the Dao College leave such unbalanced matters unchecked? If this goes on, won't the auction house end up being reserved specially for people from the Dharmic Armament faculty?" Zhuo Yifan was trembling in anger. It felt impossible for him to vent the aggrieved feelings and anger in him.

However, before he could finish, a senior student beside him laughed.

"You are really naive."

"They specialize in the art of printing money. Why would the Dao College interfere in that? But what you said is right. Auction houses are prepared for the Dharmic Armament faculty. Didn't you notice? The moment he bid, everyone fell silent. You are still a freshman and lack experience."

The senior student sighed. Many of his peers beside him sighed as well.

"Once people from the Dharmic Armament faculty appear in an auction house, they will always have first dibs. Once they are done picking, the rest will be left to us from the other faculties. There's no other way about it. We earn money, and if we are lucky, snatch money, but they… they create money."

"Isn't that so? They can create as much as they want. How can you compete with that?"

The senior students had a lamentable tone to their words. It drove Zhuo Yifan crazy once again. In his rage, he felt like he had suddenly become a pauper. However, he caught wind of the term 'snatch money' and could not help but ask, "The Dao College allows the snatching of money?"

The senior students did not reply and only smiled.

Zhuo Yifan felt despondent that even the senior students did not reply to him. He glared at Wang Baole, feeling extremely indignant. He felt that he had a lot of Spirit Stones, and even if Wang Baole could print money, he would ultimately be slower. There was no way he could snatch the pill from him. Therefore, when the auctioneer had struck the hammer twice and was about to deliver the third final strike, he shouted, "I offer 1,700 Spirit Stones!"

Wang Baole turned his head and glared at Zhuo Yifan. He found Zhuo Yifan an increasingly sore sight and was bent on going all out.

"I offer 2,000 Spirit Stones!" The moment he said that, Wang Baole finished refining a Spirit Stone and began to refine a second one. He had already made up his mind. At worse, he would stay back for a period of time after the auction, leaving only after he was done refining all the Spirit Stones. Even if he became fat again, he had to win the auction. He needed to get the last say to vent his anger.

"You!" Zhuo Yifan's eyes turned red. Just as he was about to speak further while Wang Baole had taken out the second Empty Stone to refine, the auctioneer laughed bitterly. He saw that Wang Baole was a specially-recruited student of the Dharmic Armament faculty. He felt that the Cleansing Pill's price was already sufficiently high and did not wish to offend the Dharmic Armament faculty. He immediately said aloud, "This student from the Dharmic Armament faculty, there's no rush. As a member of the Dharmic Armament faculty, all you need to provide is an IOU and spend it like Spirit Stones at my Cloud Hawk Auction House. After which, you simply need to make up for the amount within a stipulated amount of time. There's no rush."

The moment that was said, no one seemed to react except the freshmen who drew a gasp. Many people immediately regretted choosing the wrong faculty.

"Ah? That can be done?" Wang Baole was taken aback. His eyes widened, apparently somewhat uncertain. When he saw the auctioneer nod his head in confirmation, Wang Baole felt a rush of excitement. He immediately felt enlightened, as the adrift him finally realized at that very moment… that the Dharmic Armament faculty was truly formidable!

Compared to Wang Baole's excitement, Zhuo Yifan was completely dumbfounded. If his seniors' words had dealt a blow to him, then what the auctioneer had said was like using a sharp blade to stab deep into his nascent and tiny heart.

He felt faint as his body stumbled. The setback and helpless emotions overwhelmed him. When he saw Wang Baole's smug look, he recalled the running and weight-lifting incidents. He then noticed the strange looks that people around him were sending his way. His eyes turned crimson-red as he roared, "Wang Baole, I challenge you!"

With that said, he directly issued Wang Baole a challenge.

The moment that was said, there was an uproar once again. Wang Baole frowned as well.

When he saw Wang Baole hesitate, Zhuo Yifan felt a lot better. He had nearly been driven crazy just moments ago. Although he might not have been as rich as Wang Baole, but his martial strength was sufficient. He definitely needed to vent his anger.

He had thought it through. Even if Wang Baole did not accept his challenge, he could forcefully attack to teach him a lesson. With his challenge issued, he was about to walk out the auction house and wait outside.

However, at that moment, Wang Baole snorted. He was completely uninterested in such a challenge and could not be bothered with it. His goal was to become Head Prefect, not be caught up in meaningless challenges.

He recalled the auctioneer's words and drew inferences from it. He immediately wrote an IOU of a hundred Spirit Stones and raised it high up in the auction house, shouting proudly, "This IOU for one hundred Spirit Stones will be given to whoever deals with him for me!"

The moment he said that, everyone drew a gasp once again. This act that caught people by surprise left Zhuo Yifan dumbfounded once more. Before he could react, the eyes of the senior student who he had recently become acquainted with lit up. With a loud laugh, he charged forward and grabbed the IOU and ran toward Zhuo Yifan.

"I'll do it!"

The other senior students were reeling in excitement as they charged at Zhuo Yifan with loud roars. They were even saying things like…

"He's mine! Don't you snatch it from me!"

"Darn it, all of you are too fast! This opportunity is a rare one!"

Instantly, Zhuo Yifan was surrounded by at least dozens of senior students.

"Seniors…" Zhuo Yifan trembled. He wanted to escape, but it was too late. He was pummeled by the dozens of people surrounding him. Amid the blows, Zhuo Yifan's tragic cries sounded.

"I'm… a specially-recruited student. How can you…"

"That's right. I've long wanted to beat one up!"

The senior student who had sat beside Zhuo Yifan was especially enthusiastic. He explained as he delivered his blows, "You previously asked me what snatching money is. Well, this is what's snatching money!"

Immediately, the auction house was thrown into chaos. Some even took out video equipment to begin a live stream.

Zhuo Yifan uttered an aggrieved cry. It was tragic, but thankfully, this was an auction house. Soon, massive numbers of guards came in to pull the crowd apart.

If others had been fighting, the Cloud Hawk Auction House would definitely have dealt with it harshly, but since the fighting parties were students of Ethereal Dao College, it did not dare offend Ethereal Dao College, which always took the side of its students. These students were always a trouble for it, despite its powerful background. The students were like ancestors: entities not to be provoked.

Therefore, all they could do was persuade them and pull them away. Only when everyone was sent out did the commotion come to an end.

As for Wang Baole, he had long left. A young lady working at the auction house led him around while looking curious and charming. He wrote an IOU and took the Cleansing Pill away before he was sent out the auction house. The service was excellent, and before he Wang Baole left, the lady even deliberately leaned toward him and asked for his contact details.

This made Wang Baole realize how impressive he was. Pleased with himself, he returned to the Dharmic Armament faculty. He sat in his cave abode and felt the desire to become Head Prefect become more intense.

The Dharmic Armament faculty is indeed impressive. If I can become Head Prefect, that will be my first step toward the pinnacle of my life! Wang Baole was delighted. Just as he was about to take the Cleansing Pill, he suddenly smacked himself on the forehead.

I can't be so careless. I need to remember many of the lessons written in the high officials' autobiographies. I was too rash today and ended up being high-profile. I should keep a low profile. Wang Baole approved of his realization and, after some reflection, calmed his agitated emotions. Only then did he take out the Cleansing Pill that he won at the auction. After looking at it carefully, he took a whiff and swallowed it.

The pill instantly melted the moment it entered his mouth. A warmth immediately rose up from his abdomen, like a roaring wave, and spread through his body rapidly and forcefully. This was the first time Wang Baole had eaten a pill. Furthermore, it contained a sizable number of precious herbs, making it extremely potent. Wang Baole's body trembled as a result.

Wang Baole's breathing hastened as he began to sweat profusely all over. He hurriedly took off his clothes and sat there naked. He was alarmed when he saw his sweat pores secreting black impurities that looked like slag.

That's scary!

As the impurities were purged, he clearly felt that his body seemed to turn more permeable. Even his Blood Qi was much richer than before.

Amid Wang Baole's delighted surprise, the impurities continued purging for three full days until the medicinal effects wore off. After he washed his body thoroughly, he looked at his round body and smooth skin before laughing loudly.

It's indeed a good pill!

After he admired what he felt was a perfect bodyline, he put his clothes back on and took out some Ice Spirit Water. He finished a huge bottle before eating some snacks. Filled with anticipation, he began refining Spirit Stones. He wanted to know if he could break the bottleneck of 75%!

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Chapter 16: Superior-Grade Spirit Stones

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The bright moon hung high in the sky. Unlike the Sword Sun, the moon in the Spirit Inception Era remained the same as in the previous eras. It scattered its soft light across the entire Lower Academy Island.

On the various faculties' mountain peaks in Ethereal Dao College's Lower Academy Island, the spot with the richest Spirit Qi was not the Dharmic Armament Peak, but it was still one of the better ones.

After all, the Dharmic Armament faculty students cultivated there daily to refine Spirit Stones, resulting in immense Spirit Qi expenditures.

Unlike the students from other faculties, this near-limitless supply of Spirit Qi and the unique refinement tricks were not provided for nothing. Every year, they had to submit a certain number of Spirit Stones as their end of year exam, and it was quite a considerable amount.

Similarly, other than lectures in the three main halls being free, everything else in the Dharmic Armament faculty, such as eating or going to special cultivation chambers, required Spirit Stones. This ensured that the Dharmic Armament students made good use of their time to refine Spirit Stones.

The Alchemy faculty was similar, but it was not as exaggerated as the Dharmic Armament faculty. As for the other faculties, they had even simpler means of earning money. Certain cultivation grounds that were meant only for their own faculty students would also be open to other faculties. The fees collected from the students of other faculties were extremely high.

For instance, Mt. Scenic Cloud of the Beast Taming faculty, the Eight Treasures Chart of the Array Runes faculty, Frost Ice Tower of the Traps faculty, and the Lava Chamber of the Combat faculty were cultivation areas that aided those who were about to break through from the Blood Qi phenomenal success level to the Physical Seal level. Every day, many students from other faculties would head to these places. This alone was enough to provide for most of each faculty's daily expenditure.

At that moment on Dharmic Armament Peak, invisible Spirit Qi was flowing slowly, splitting into thousands of portions that were slowly being directed by the Dharmic Armament students. However, at a spot nearer the summit—the specially-recruited student's cave abode—more Spirit Qi surged over than in other student areas.

Inside the cave abode, Wang Baole was reeling in excitement. He was constantly circulating the Great Void Qi Devouring Art, sucking large amounts of Spirit Qi into his body, then sending it through his arm to condense in his palm. As he saw a Spirit Stone rapidly appear in his palm, his eyes lit up.

I've broken through! Haha, I've broken through! The excited Wang Baole sensed the Spirit Stone in his hand rapidly surpass 75% purity. When it reached 76%, he could not hide his excitement. In his joy, he took out a bag of snacks after refining one Spirit Stone and began eating.

I should work harder and aim to break through to 80% purity as soon as possible!

After finishing a few bags of snacks, Wang Baole wiped his mouth and began refining again, but he suddenly turned vigilant.

I have to be more careful; I can't let history repeat itself. If I don't pay attention, I might make myself into a huge fatso again. Wang Baole approved of his realization since his recent weight-loss experience had simply been too painful. Even if he had stepped into the Blood Qi level of the Ancient Martial realm, the process was truly something he did not wish to experience again.

The path of losing weight is an arduous and long road. Only someone as determined as me can succeed. Wang Baole sighed as he encouraged himself. He was very pleased with his realization, and after pondering for a moment, he felt that he needed some encouragement. Therefore, he took out a bag of snacks and chomped on them. After finishing the snacks, he

patted his tummy and began refining Spirit Stones.

Perhaps his luck was good, or maybe the Cleansing Pill's effects were thorough, but the Spirit Stones Wang Baole refined in the following days constantly improved, and his body no longer accumulated spirit fat.

It was as though Spirit Qi would no longer accumulate as spirit fat after he got rid of the large amounts of impurities in his body. Instead, his body adapted to the speed at which Spirit Qi rushed through it. Smooth flows raised the purity of Spirit Stones and also subtly strengthen Wang Baole's body. It improved his Blood Qi level quite considerably.

As such, this made Wang Baole even happier. Only when he realized that he had remained slim as his Spirit Stone refinement reached 80% did he gradually tone down his vigilance and instead fully immerse his body and mind into it.

Slowly, time passed like water.

In the Combat faculty, Zhuo Yifan, who had been badly beaten and was in pain, was gnashing his teeth in a cave abode, but he felt helpless. He was not in the same faculty as Wang Baole. Many methods and tricks could not be used.

Wang Baole! Zhuo Yifan felt extremely indignant. He pondered for a long time before recalling that he did have friends in the Dharmic Armament faculty. The Spirit Stones Hall's Head Prefect, Jiang Lin, might not have an especially close relationship with him, but it was still good. Getting his help was likely fine. He immediately took out his voice transmission ring, and after making the connection, Zhuo Yifan smiled.

Wang Baole, I still have means to let you know my prowess even if you are in the Dharmic Armament faculty!

Days passed one after another, and soon, two months had passed.

Over the past two months, Wang Baole's Spirit Stone purity had slowly increased, and when it reached 84%, his Blood Qi realm reached the perfected state.

If this was known by the Combat faculty, they would probably lose their minds. After all, Wang Baole's speed of improvement was much faster than the Combat faculty students who specialized in the cultivation of ancient martial arts.

Haha, it looks like the side effects of the Great Void Qi Devouring Art have been completely resolved by the Cleansing Pill! The excited Wang Baole was increasingly convinced that his purchase of the Cleansing Pill was justified.

From the looks of it, I should be able to reach the 85% level. I want to reach 90% as soon as possible. I shall become Head Prefect and embark on a journey toward the pinnacle of life! Wang Baole became excited just thinking about it. He sucked in the surrounding Spirit Qi and condensed it in his palm as he continued his plan of exceeding 85% purity.

However, ever since school began, Wang Baole, who had been engrossed in the Great Void Qi Devouring Art, had seldom attended classes in Spirit Stones Hall. He did not know that there was a natural bottleneck at 85% purity when it came to Spirit Stones!

To be precise, although Spirit Stones below 50% purity could be used, they were only deemed ordinary Spirit Stones.

Only at 50% was it considered inferior-grade; medial-grade Spirit Stones needed to exceed 75%.

As for the demarcation between medial-grade and superior-grade, it was 85% purity!

A Spirit Stone was considered of superior grade once 85% was reached, and if one reached 95% and above, it was considered a supreme-grade Spirit Stone. Typically, a single Spirit Stone of such quality was extremely valuable, something only masters could refine.

And this bottleneck… was something that required students who cultivated in the Qi Fostering Art to have opportunities and proficient skill before it could be broken through. However, the completely overpowered Great Void Qi Devouring Art revealed the bottleneck the moment it encountered it.

When the purity of the Spirit Stone that Wang Baole was refining reached 84% and was about to approach 85%, his body suddenly quivered. An unprecedented suction force abruptly manifested from the slowly spinning devouring seed!

The degree of this sudden change far exceeded Wang Baole's preparation and imaginations. Nearly all the Spirit Qi in his cave abode was instantly sucked dry!

The vacuum seemed to form a natural black hole as though a hole had appeared in the sea of Spirit Qi. Immediately, the massive amount of Spirit Qi seemed to quiver as it surged over. Thankfully, the Dharmic Armament faculty's mountain peak had a Spirit Qi gathering array formation that instantly stabilized the imbalance.

Wang Baole's suction speed was fast, and the amounts drawn were massive, but compared to the Spirit Qi in the entire Dharmic Armament Peak, it was still nothing. It did not attract the attention of others.

People would, at most, notice a pause in the flow of the surrounding Spirit Qi.

However, to Wang Baole, the sudden increase in the suction force and the Spirit Qi that surged into his body like a bursting river left his mind abuzz. He failed to direct the overwhelming amount of Spirit Qi in his body to his palm in a timely fashion, and it rapidly accumulated to form spirit fat.

As the spirit fat increased at a discernible pace, the Spirit Stone in his palm finally crossed a purity level of 84% under this sudden surge and reached… 85%!

It was no longer a medial-grade Spirit Stone but a superior-grade Spirit Stone!

Streams of light emanated from the resplendent and crystalline Spirit Stone. Although it was inferior to the one that Teacher Zou had refined in class, the difference was not particularly great. It was similarly a superior-grade Spirit Stone and extremely costly!

But Wang Baole was unable to feel happy. He stared at his indescribable body in a daze as the Spirit Stone in his hand dropped onto his belly with a plop before falling to the ground. When he looked down, all he could see was his stomach and not the Spirit Stone.

Moments later, a tragic cry resounded from the cave abode. Wang Baole was close to tears as he anxiously raised his arms and looked at his stomach before bursting into sorrowful cries.

"No, my formerly perfect figure!"

"Why did this happen?"

In Wang Baole's anguish, he tried to stand up but realized he was unable to do so. This nearly drove him crazy as he felt a cold wind blow past him. It felt like countless Fatso Forefathers were walking over from every direction, smiling at him as they waved their hands like they hoped to reunite with him.

All I want is to be Head Prefect. Why am I encountering so many difficulties?

Amid Wang Baole's grief, he struggled to get up and squeezed his body through the cave abode's door.

He was relieved when he realized that he could still leave the cave abode. He had really been afraid that he would be too fat to fit through the door. If that happened… he would truly have been doomed.

Thankfully, it was late at night, and no one noticed the happenings at his cave abode. If not, they would definitely have been stunned, thinking that a particular beast had descended. While reeling in anguish, Wang Baole gritted his teeth and began fervently running around the island again.

But this time, it appeared to be ineffective. Even though he had taken the chance to head to the weight-lifting grounds while it was empty, raising the weights crazily in the process and even adding more weights, the effects were negligible. It failed to achieve the outcome he needed.

Heavens, what should I do? Wang Baole was extremely anxious as sweat rolled down his forehead. Finally, he sought help from the Spirit Internet and searched for weight loss tips.

The seemingly omniscient Spirit Internet was filled with random information, but it did not deter a fatty who was only thinking about losing weight. Fatties were always able to sharply pick out a potential weight-loss technique from what appeared like ordinary news to others.

For example… the Combat faculty's Lava Chamber.

"The Combat faculty's Lava Chamber is pretty much Hell; it's such a torture. I sweated like it was raining in there."

"That place is a place that torments people. I only spent five minutes in that place and lost half a kilogram. I kind of pity myself."

When he saw all sorts of criticisms about the Lava Chamber on the Spirit Internet, Wang Baole's breathing hastened as his eyes lit up suddenly.

Lava Chamber… Lava Chamber! Wang Baole felt like a drowning person who had grabbed a life-saving straw. He immediately raised his head and looked at Combat Peak before flying over.

Under the moonlight, one could see a massive beast-like figure charge away with a whistling sound.

I want to lose weight!

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Chapter 17: Specializes in Bullying Our Combat Faculty?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As the most popular training ground of the Combat faculty, the Lava Chamber contributed in supporting the finances of the faculty. Its uniqueness stemmed from the magma plume buried underground, which spread throughout the entire mountain peak and reached the bottom of Green Forest Lake.

It had a long history, and it was stated in the history books that the lake had not existed about a thousand years ago. There was only a famous volcano that had existed there.

The geological formations changed over the thousand years, forming the Green Forest Lake. It had hidden the magma plume until Ethereal Dao College chose this plot of land. It was only after the Spirit Inception Era that they had the ability to guide the magma out and create the Combat faculty's Lava Chamber.

It was an extensive region and looked like a behemoth's head from afar.

In the middle of the beast head's brows was a flame totem. Even at night, the burning flame did not seem to extinguish. If one entered through the behemoth's mouth and ventured deep into the Combat faculty mountain's interior, one would encounter more than a hundred sealed cultivation chambers.

Every cultivation chamber had an array formation that could draw upon the underground magma once activated and make the cultivation chamber reach a stunning temperature immediately.

Typically speaking, those who could enter the Lava Chamber had cultivation levels of the perfected Blood Qi level. Many would have hopes of using the high temperatures to force their body to seal all their sweat pores shut. By insulating themselves from the heat, they would be aided in entering the Physical Seal level.

After all, the three levels of the Ancient Martial realm were all about building a foundation. The goal was to craft a flawless body in whatever circumstances they were originally in. Blood Qi was to ensure vigorous vitality, allowing a mortal to be able to withstand the stunning metamorphic changes the body would experience in cultivation.

The Physical Seal level was about sealing off all the sweat pores of a person's body. By isolating the inside from the outside, not only would the body become detached, it could also prevent any Blood Qi from leaking. Once this delicate control was achieved, one could not only produce strength much greater than the Blood Qi level, one could also forge toward the Physical Seal level seamlessly.

Precisely because this was the unique characteristic of the Physical Seal level, the Lava Chamber had very extraordinary effects—up to a certain level—when it came to helping to breakthrough. In theory, if one was determined enough to enter the Lava Chamber without any qualms about death, they could draw on the magma plume to a particular level and temperature. It could lead to either death from heatstroke or the successful achievement of the Physical Seal level, breaking past the Blood Qi level!

However, such people were uncommon. Under ordinary circumstances, being able to last more than two hours was an impressive feat. Even Zhuo Yifan had only managed to last six hours.

In the thirty or so years since the beginning of the Spirit Inception Era, one extraordinary person had appeared in Ethereal Dao College. The person had sealed himself in the Lava Chamber for three days and three nights, creating a legend that remained untouched to date.

The person was the previous Federation President. Legend had it that one day after he came out of the Lava Chamber, he said one sentence that shocked Ethereal Dao College. It also became a famous slogan of the Dao Enlightenment faculty and used by countless people.

"I am enlightening myself on the Dao!"

It was late at night, and when Wang Baole's rotund figured rolled over, he directly charged straight into the behemoth's mouth. There were still quite a number of people cultivating in the Lava Chamber, and although the number was fewer than in the day, about 90% of the cultivation chambers were full. On the display board outside, one could see that the indicator lights of seven cultivation chambers were still unlit.

There were people coming in and out the behemoth's head, and in fact, there was no need for anyone to stand guard at the entrance. Each chamber required a student's Dao College identity card for entry.

As for the Spirit Stones charge for the chamber's use, it could be settled through the identity card. Up to this day, no one had dared owe a Spirit Stone debt to the Combat faculty's strongmen who focused on cultivating in Ancient Martial Arts.

Although there were many students entering and exiting the Lava Chambers, Wang Baole was too fast. Many people only felt a wind blow past them and vaguely saw a red fatty dashing away. Before they could even identify him, his figure had disappeared.

However, Wang Baole had underestimated his influence.

"I think I saw a red meatball."

"It looks quite familiar. It seems I have an impression of that in my memory."

Outside the Lava Chamber were a few Combat faculty students who were about to leave. They were left collectively stunned as they exchanged glances and saw each other's eyes widen.

"Wang Baole! He became fat again?"

As they exclaimed outside, Wang Baole dashed deep into the mountain through the behemoth's mouth and found an empty cultivation chamber. He quickly took out his identity jade pendant to open the door, and after squeezing his body in with some difficulty, he heaved a sigh of relief before closing the door.

As he rubbed his painful belly, Wang Baole felt even more depressed. If I were any fatter, I wouldn't have been able to enter.

The cultivation chamber was not large and was only about ten square meters in size. The other students would find it spacious if they came, but after Wang Baole sat down and looked at his surroundings, he immediately felt like he was sitting in a tiny cage.

This feeling left him despondent. He subconsciously wanted to take out snacks to vent his anger but realized that he had not brought any in his eagerness. He was nearly driven mad at that realization.

I want to lose weight! Wang Baole clenched his teeth and, through great difficulty, found the controls to the array formation. He activated it without hesitation, and immediately, a hot surge of air spewed out from the ground. It instantly spread through the chamber, and other than the spot where he sat being a little normal, the other areas began to glow red.

At such high temperatures, Wang Baole still found it difficult to breathe despite there being a ventilation hole. It took him quite a while to catch his breath as sweat was constantly pouring out of his body.

Unlike how others attempted to seal their sweat pores in the chamber, Wang Baole did the opposite. He tried his best to relax his body and open up all his sweat pores to absorb the heat.

It's not enough! Wang Baole wiped away his sweat, and after sensing the spirit fat in his body, he adjusted the temperature again. Immediately, the already scorching temperatures were raised quite significantly.

However, Wang Baole felt that it was insufficient. Therefore, he kept adjusting the settings until the surrounding four walls started glowing red. Although his lips were parched, even to the point of feeling like his organs were about to be cooked to a crisp, he was delighted to realize that his spirit fat was gradually breaking up when the heat passed through his sweat pores.

Praise the heavens! Wang Baole instantly became excited. He quickly maintained the heat and closed his eyes, withstanding the torturous feeling of having his spirit fat melt.

Although the temperature was high to the point of feeling like he was almost evaporating from it, he put up with it while clenching his teeth in excitement once he noticed his fat decreasing.

Two hours passed, and Wang Baole was still enduring the grueling heat. It continued for four hours, six hours… until it was bright outside.

The Combat faculty's Lava Chamber had no lack of students visiting it. Every morning, there would always be people lining up to enter. People were waiting at the moment, not feeling any sense of urgency since there were more than a hundred rooms. Those who entered would usually exit in less than two hours.

Soon after, there were people entering and people exiting. The people who were waiting would chat with each other to kill the time. They would also occasionally look at the lights on the display board. When one of them went off, it meant that a person had come out.

Time slowly went from dawn to noon before it turned to dusk. Batches of students entered and exited, but at that moment, a keenly observant student who had been waiting for a long while noticed an abnormality.

"Strange, Room 39's light seems to have… never gone off. Have any of you seen it go off?"

He was only asking the students beside him out of curiosity, but gradually, when everyone carefully searched through their memories, they seemed to realize that none of them had seen the light go off. All the students outside the Lava Chamber were immediately alarmed.

They spent another two hours watching it, and when they realized that Room 39's light remained lit, the shock they felt was hardly describable.

"Guys, look at Room 39. Heavens, we have already been observing it for four hours. It has never gone off at all. I recall that it was lit even in the day!"

"Did that actually happen?"

"Are you guys seeing things? How is it possible. The one with the longest record is Zhuo Yifan. All he managed was six hours."

As the crowd discussed, this rare phenomenon immediately piqued their curiosity. Therefore, the crowd decided against cultivating that day and instead sat outside the Lava Chamber to observe.

They slowly turned short of breath as their eyes gradually widened.

After several hours, when it was late in the night, the number of students outside the Lava Chamber kept growing. There were nearly a hundred students with mouths all agape in shock as if they had seen a ghost. There were constant discussions with many sending voice transmissions to their friends. This matter also broke out on the Spirit Intranet.

"A godly person has appeared in the Combat faculty's Lava Chamber!"

"According to estimates, the person in Room 39 of the Combat faculty's Lava Chamber has lasted more than twenty hours!"

"A record has been broken. It has completely broken Zhuo Yifan's record!"

The thread on the Spirit Intranet instantly gained attention across the entire Lower Academy Island. It drew gasps when the students from all the faculties saw it. The Lava Chamber was famous, and there was only one person in history who had spent more than twenty hours in there!

If the light to Room 39 extinguished at that moment, it would have been fine, for it made sense. However, while countless people on the Lower Academy Island were paying attention to this matter, the light continued staying lit until dawn!

This caused an uproar throughout the Lower Academy Island. This even caught the attention of the teachers. No one entered the Lava Chamber anymore. Everyone stood outside, staring at Room 39's indicator light that remained lit.

"Heavens, it's almost two days."

"He's about to challenge the previous Federation President's record!"

"Who is he? I will offer ten Spirit Stones for any clues. Once confirmed, it will be given out!"

Be it in the actual world or on the Spirit Intranet, there were all sorts of discussions happening. Finally, the few students of the Combat faculty who had been outside the Lava Chamber two nights ago posted a notice on the Spirit Intranet!

"The person in the Lava Chamber's Room 39 is… Wang Baole from the Dharmic Armament faculty!"

"I can swear that I saw him roll in there quickly while dressed in his specially-recruited student robes!"

The moment that was said, the other faculties did not react much to it and only felt skepticism. However, there was an uproar among the students of the Combat faculty who had been dealt a blow by Wang Baole, especially Zhuo Yifan and his friends. They were burning with rage as they stormed straight for the Lava Chamber.

"Darn Fatty Wang. You didn't go to the Beast Taming faculty's Mt. Scenic Cloud, the Array Runes faculty's Eight Treasures Chart, or the Traps faculty's Frost Ice Tower, but targeted our Combat faculty. Are you bullying us from the Combat faculty?"

From their point of view, this new action by Wang Baole was a sequel to the running and weight-lifting provocations!

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Chapter 18: Physical Seal Realm

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

While the entire Lower Academy Island had become rapturous and Zhuo Yifan along with his friends were burning with fury, Wang Baole, who had lasted two days and nights in the Lava Chamber, was completely covered in sweat. He was even seeing stars.

He found breathing difficult and was almost at his limits. The Lava Chamber's interior was at a very high temperature, evaporating Wang Baole's sweat. This made clouds linger inside the Lava Chamber.

I feel like… I'm almost cooked. Wang Baole was shuddering with fear. He was really worried about being cooked alive. That would be quite a huge joke!

There was a certain group of people in this world who were especially stubborn and also very terrifying. These people were known as… dieters.

During the weight-loss process, they would feel a special kind of happiness that would intensify as the effects of the weight loss became more apparent. It would reach an astounding level.

Especially… if one could achieve stunning results in a very short amount of time. Wang Baole was clearly such a person. He was barely putting up with the worry that he would be cooked alive. However, when he saw how much his body had slimmed down over the past two days and nights, he suddenly felt very excited.

Screw it, I'll either cook myself alive or unmistakably slim down! Wang Baole clenched his teeth as he raised his right hand to strike the array formation's switch. Immediately, the Lava Chamber quaked once again as even higher temperatures immediately surrounded him.

The entire Lava Chamber appeared warped. Wang Baole's body and even his breath were fiery hot. His body, both inside and out, felt like it was burning.

The reason he could endure for so long was that his body had accumulated large amounts of spirit fat. As he experienced the burning, his spirit fat melted and Spirit Qi spread across his body, constantly nourishing his flesh and blood.

Under this nourishment, his Blood Qi was also being enhanced, especially when the temperature was increased. Immediately, the Blood Qi within Wang Baole radiated out of his body as a red glow.

If anyone were to see the vibrant Blood Qi, they would definitely be alarmed. The mightiness of the Blood Qi that exuded violent intent far exceeded the level of other people in the same realm, perhaps due to the absorption of the fiery hot temperatures.

With him already nearly at the perfected Blood Qi level prior to this, after two full days of the sweltering heat, his Blood Qi had reached the limits of the human body.

He was only a little short of breaking through to the Physical Seal realm!

It could even be said that he could have broken through already, but Wang Baole had been forcefully repressing it, causing his body to barely maintain himself at the Blood Qi realm and not reach the Physical Seal realm. He knew very well that once he stepped into the Physical Seal realm, he would be insulated from the hot air, forming two different worlds inside and outside his body. Then, his weight loss plans… would end up ineffective.

Under this forced insistence, Wang Baole's body began to tremble involuntarily as his fat gradually reduced. As he experienced his pain and excitement, there were more and more people gathering outside the Lava Chamber. The gasps and exclamations became more common.

"Three… Three days!"

"Could this Wang Baole have died inside…"

"That's way too much. Heavens, is he doing it to break through?"

While many people engaged in discussion, Zhuo Yifan and company went from anger to depression. There were really no two ways about it. There had only been one instance of someone being capable of staying in the Lava Chamber for three days in Ethereal Dao College.

The discussion about Wang Baole on the Spirit Intranet turned more intense. Amid the discussion, someone even began accepting bets on whether Wang Baole would be able to break the former Federation President's record.

Hence, under the close scrutiny and discussion among countless people, the day soon passed, and night came. There were still many people outside the Lava Chamber paying close attention to the matter.

There were even some students who looked very professional. They were even holding recording devices and live streaming. There was a long-faced youth whose hair was tied up into that of a Daoist's hairstyle, and he had quite a number of freckles, but his eyes were very bright. He held his recording device high up and was speaking loudly in excitement.

"Thank you, ClearSky, for your Cave Abode. Thank you, Ash, for your Airship.

"Hey guys, I'm your host, Little Daoist, and your support is the greatest motivation for me. We are now beginning the countdown to the most exciting moment. After this night passes, Wang Baole will have broken the record!

"Send your gifts! As long as someone gives me, your host, Little Daoist, a Rocket today, I'll dig up the secret as to how Wang Baole managed to endure for three days and three nights at the cost of my life!"

That night, as such live streams happened outside the Lava Chamber, the Spirit Intranet seemed to boil in excitement.

The youth, who called himself Little Daoist, even live streamed the entire night without succumbing to fatigue.

When the rays of dawn shone on everyone, Wang Baole's body also reached its limit inside the Lava Chamber. He was bright red, and his entire body was swaying.

Losing weight is so miserable… Wang Baole realized that he could no longer repress his Blood Qi realm any further. With a lamenting cry, loud booms that sounded like drumbeats instantly emanated from his body.

The booms echoed and stirred up the devouring seed in him. Immediately, a stunning suction force began devouring all the heat in the Lava Chamber, causing an unprecedented level of heat to fill his body.

As the clouds swirled around him, his spirit fat shrank at a discernible pace, and all his sweat pores also closed rapidly in that instant. Finally, as though they were sealed, his body's interior was insulated from his exterior completely!

At that moment, the fourth night passed outside the Combat faculty's Lava Chamber. Countless students were already shocked to their very cores. At that moment, the amount of time that the indicator had remained alit for Lava Chamber Room 39 had surpassed Ethereal Dao College's record!

There were even teachers paying close attention to the matter, and the talk on the Spirit Intranet also turned more intense.

"It's been three days and four nights; Wang Baole has broken the record!"

"He has surpassed the former Federation President!"

Among the crowd, the shouts from the live streaming students came from everywhere, especially the long-faced youth. He held his recording device high and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Guys, did you see it? Wang Baole has broken the record. Shouldn't such a marvelous moment be a time when gifts are given?"

"I'm repeating. As long as I receive a Rocket, I will find out the secret!"

As a din erupted outside the Lava Chamber due to the cacophonous discussions by the students, Room 39's indicator light suddenly went off.

Someone noticed it almost the instant the indicator light went off as he exclaimed, "Look, the indicator light has switched off!"

"Wang Baole is coming out!"

The live streaming Little Daoist was even more excited as he dashed through the crowd and stood right at the front. He did not forget his live stream and said loudly, "Wang Baole is about to appear. Guys, do you have any Rockets?"

At that moment, all eyes outside the Lava Chamber stared at the entrance simultaneously. Every student watching the live stream on the Spirit Intranet waited in anticipation.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, they immediately felt a surge of hot air billow out from the behemoth's mouth, and it instantly spread in every direction, raising the temperature of the surroundings quite substantially.

"It's so hot!"

"Room 39 must have opened. It's the gust of hot air that came out of it!"

The hot air surrounded them, instantly filling the crowd with anticipation once again. Immediately following that, a figure slowly appeared in front of them. It looked like a little fatty. He was walking out one step at a time while leaning with one of his hands against the wall.

With his appearance and his figure becoming clear, a suppression more stunning than the Blood Qi realm spread out!

It was Wang Baole. He had thinned a lot more than when he first entered the Lava Chamber. However, he was a little pale and looked a little weak. Yet, the aura his body exuded was extremely keen; it had an indescribable, suppressive might that could acutely be felt!

This was precisely… the aura—a result of being insulated from the world—that one could clearly feel after the Physical Seal realm was broken through. Such an aura did not last very long and would typically become unobvious a few days after the breakthrough.

The instant Wang Baole appeared, the people outside the Lava Chamber let out incredulous exclamations.

"This aura… He has indeed broken through!"

"The Physical Seal realm!"

"His entire body is independent, as though he is isolated from the world. This… is the Physical Seal realm!"

Exclamations erupted, stunning Wang Baole, who had just come out. His mind was still abuzz. He was not only physically weak due to the rapid weight loss; the high temperatures had also made him mentally exhausted. So, he was somewhat dazed by the huge crowd in front of him.

At that moment, the live streaming students in the crowd rapidly approached, especially Little Daoist. He was the first to step forward and appear beside Wang Baole. He seemed to be extraordinarily excited as he raised the recording device high to include Wang Baole and himself. He was extremely passionate.

"Guys, look! This is our fellow student, Wang Baole. Although his face cannot be seen entirely on-screen because it is a little large, you should still send some gifts! Those without gifts can also subscribe to my channel!"

The long-faced Little Daoist looked excited as he looked at Wang Baole. He did not care about Wang Baole's status or feelings. He knew very clearly that with him live streaming, even if Wang Baole was irritated by him, he would not act out since it was happening live.

Wang Baole was still somewhat in a daze as he took a glance at the long-faced Little Daoist and saw the number of people and gifts in the recording device that he was holding high in the sky. His exhausted face naturally suffused a look of disparagement.

"Is this how you live stream? With that bit of popularity, you won't get many gifts. A total of just two Rockets? Did you give them yourself?"

Upon hearing that, Little Daoist turned a little embarrassed as he quickly changed the topic while facing his recording device.

"Guys, do you find Wang Baole handsome or not? If he's handsome, reply 1, if not, reply 2."

"Are you a newbie? How can you do that?" Wang Baole frowned and grabbed the recording device and aimed it at his face, shouting in the process.

"Brothers, if you find me handsome, reply 1. If you find me especially handsome, reply 2. Those that do not say a word are agreeing to the fact that I'm the most handsome person in the entire universe!"

Little Daoist was taken aback. Instantly, the screen was filled with unprecedented activity. The word 'shameless' filled the screen.

Wang Baole looked at the dazed Little Daoist with a smug look.

"See that? Look at the amount of activity. Guys, as long as you send a Rocket, Little Daoist over here will spend two hours in the Lava Chamber. The more Rockets he receives, the longer he will spend in there!"

In the span of a few seconds, the screen was filled with more than twenty Rockets, with them whistling across the screen.

Little Daoist was instantly dumbfounded as he widened his eyes in shock. He drew a gasp and felt his back turn cold. A cold sweat broke out as he was about to utter something as an explanation when Wang Baole threw the recording device back at him.

"Did you see that? This is how you get gifts!" Wang Baole held his hands behind his back, feeling pleased with himself. He thought to himself, How dare you say my face is huge!

With an inward snort, he left under the watchful gazes of the astounded crowd.

Little Daoist was left holding his recording device, with tears nearly streaming down his cheeks. He saw Rockets constantly whistling across his device's screen.

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Chapter 19: Great Void Twisting Technique

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After the three-day, four-night ordeal in the Lava Chamber, Wang Baole noticed that all the students he encountered on his way back to the Dharmic Armament Peak would invariably stare at him. His breaking of the record was simply too astounding.

Quite a number of Lower Academy Island teachers had also begun to pay close attention to Wang Baole. After all, it had not yet been a year since school started, and although Wang Baole's breakthroughs were not considered the fastest, the impact he delivered was unmatchable.

Furthermore, his feats happened one after another, causing quite a buzz on the Spirit Intranet. It made every student on the Lower Academy Island—be they freshmen or senior students—know of Wang Baole.

While on his journey back, Wang Baole had logged into the Spirit Intranet and learned of the various matters that had happened while he was losing weight. He felt very wistful.

All I did was lose some weight, but I ended up causing such a stir. I'm just too extraordinary; this won't do. I am someone who will become the Federation President, so I need to keep a low profile. Wang Baole coughed dryly as he walked to his cave abode, feeling pleased with himself. He took out some Ice Spirit Water and gulped a big mouthful. Immediately, he felt a lot more refreshed.

Losing weight sure isn't easy. As he recalled his weight-loss process, Wang Baole took out a bag of snacks with a sigh. Again, he wolfed down the snacks noisily.

I have to stay alert; I cannot make myself grow fat again. Losing weight is just too tedious. Wang Baole constantly reminded himself. The thought of the Lava Chamber's high temperatures left him with a lingering fear as he took out another bag of snacks.

I absolutely cannot become fat again! Having resolved himself, Wang Baole spent an entire afternoon eating snacks before he patted his belly. His eyes were filled with determination as he began pondering over his Spirit Stone purity.

The moment he thought of the crazy absorption of Spirit Qi once his Spirit Stone reached 85% purity, Wang Baole fell into a dilemma. He sought out a lot of information from the Spirit Intranet before gaining some confidence. In future refinements, he would increase his control. He would work hard at maintaining the speed at which Spirit Qi surged in even at the cost of him being a little slow in the refinement process.

As such, although his Spirit Stone refinement became slow, his meticulous way of handling things prevented the sudden increase in spirit fat.

After solving this problem, Wang Baole felt at ease. He felt that becoming Head Prefect was already something close at hand. With this burning desire, he began attempting to raise his Spirit Stone purity.

However, pleasant times were short-lived. A month later, Wang Baole was depressed to discover that his Spirit Stone purity had once again hit a bottleneck. He was unable to break past a purity of 86%.

This was the second appearance of a bottleneck. In his depression, Wang Baole took out the black mask and, after some hesitation, chose to activate the Hallucination realm. The scene in front of him turned blurry but revealed itself to be the familiar icy snow plain when it became clear.

Cold winds whistled as Wang Baole quickly lowered his head to touch the black mask in his hand. Despite staring at it for some time, the words on the mask were still about the Cleansing Pill from before. Nothing had changed.

"Odd… Does it need me to say it out loud?" Wang Baole scratched his head. He recalled that the mask would change while he was muttering to himself. Looking suspiciously at the mask, he whispered, "Mask oh Mask, tell me, is there a way to allow me to break the bottleneck of producing Spirit Stones with 85% purity and achieve 90% and beyond?"

After Wang Baole said that, he stared at the black mask intently. It was just a few seconds before the words on the mask turned blurry. The entire mask even phased away a bit before new words appeared slowly.

There's indeed someone in there! Wang Baole drew a gasp as his heart thumped in his chest, and he looked at the words.

Great Void Twisting Technique? There were a lot more words that appeared this time. Wang Baole was stunned when he read everything. It was because the answer the mask gave him was no longer about a pill; it was a cultivation technique that resembled a martial art.

Such martial arts were common in Ethereal Dao College, especially with the Combat faculty having many types. For example, there were many kinds of twisting techniques. It was nothing surprising.

This left Wang Baole a little puzzled as he carefully looked at it again.

According to the explanation, the reason for the bottleneck was that the devouring seed in Wang Baole's body was unable to completely fuse with his body, making it difficult for him to do as he wished. The twisting technique was the best method for speeding up his body's fusion with the devouring seed.

Once he cultivated it successfully, not only would he increase the devouring seed's suction force, he would be able to intuitively disperse it to any part of his body, allowing him to devour at will. When that happened, he would break past the 85% purity bottleneck and achieve perfection.

The first attack here is nothing but bending fingers, isn't it? Wang Baole blinked. He was clever to begin with, and the Great Void Twisting Technique did not appear to be anything special. He raised his left hand and grasped forward.

After practicing a few times, he decided that he might as well control the Hallucination realm and form a middle-aged man. The man had a blurry face and his cultivation level was around the Blood Qi realm. He immediately charged at Wang Baole the moment he appeared.

Wang Baole widened his eyes as he similarly advanced forward. With his Physical Seal realm's speed and strength, he threw out a fist, immediately sending the sparring partner's figure into a retreat. With a flash, he came close to the sparring partner and grabbed his palm. When he found his opponent's finger, he tried bending it backward.

"This is way too easy," Wang Baole mumbled.

A black beam suddenly flashed from the black mask. At the same time, the entire Hallucination realm instantly distorted. A cracking sound instantly spread in every direction.

"What's happening!" Wang Baole jumped in shock as he hurriedly retreated to observe his surroundings. He realized that the cold wind had turned even colder. Some of the animals in the distance also looked somewhat different.

Before Wang Baole could carefully observe his surroundings, the sparring partner he had conjured earlier suddenly looked up. He was still at the Blood Qi realm, but he seemed to be an entirely new person. With killing intent emanating from him, he rushed toward Wang Baole.

Although it was still the same person, he gave Wang Baole a completely different feeling. Without having any time to think, he struck out directly, but this time…

The sparring partner did not dodge the instant Wang Baole threw out his punch but, in some inconceivable manner, rapped Wang Baole's wrist. Wang Baole immediately felt an indescribable numbness spread through his entire arm.

His clenched fist immediately relaxed, and even his strength seemed to dissipate. As for the sparring partner, he used his momentum, grabbed Wang Baole's finger, and yanked it upward.

"It hurts! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

The excruciating pain felt like lightning that spread through Wang Baole's body. He immediately broke out in a cold sweat as he could not help but let out a tragic cry. His body seemed to lose all its strength instantly, and he stumbled as a result of his opponent's yank.

In response to Wang Baole's cries, his sparring partner immediately released him and took a few steps back. He continued looking at Wang Baole expressionlessly.

As he held his finger, Wang Baole panted and looked at his sparring partner with lingering fear. He then looked at the black mask and had a nagging feeling that everything that had just happened was a result of the mask. He immediately felt indignant and somewhat peeved.

"What's so impressive about bending fingers? I was just not prepared. Again!" Wang Baole's sparring partner charged forward the moment he said that. This time, Wang Baole was prepared. He did not throw out a punch and instead kicked. When his opponent dodged, he grabbed the opportunity to throw a punch at his opponent's temple.

But this time, a strange scene appeared. Even though it was clearly Wang Baole who had taken advantage of the dodge to attack, a suction force was suddenly released by his opponent. It seemed to manifest as an invisible hand that grabbed Wang Baole's arm and yanked him, allowing the man to change his punch's direction. After Wang Baole's opponent spun around to grab at his finger, the finger was instantly bent.

The familiar feeling of pain surfaced once again as Wang Baole hurriedly yelled for a stop. However, he felt even more disgruntled inwardly, almost to the point of being driven crazy.

The finger bending was just too painful. Even Wang Baole, who often berated others for being shameless, felt that such an attack was extremely shameless. The feeling of not being able to use his strength while his opponent aimed to bend his fingers drove him insane.

"Again!" Moments later, Wang Baole's pale expression turned for the better. This time, he decided not to use his hands again as he began fighting with his sparring partner once more.

Soon, Wang Baole's finger was grabbed by his opponent once again. His body went limp as his hand was raised high. Before his opponent bent his finger, he was already lamenting inwardly.

"Heavens, you are too much of a bully. I hid my hands the entire time, but you still managed to bend my finger! Ah… it hurts!" Wang Baole was driven to tears, but he was filled with hate inwardly. He could not control the boundless eruption of emotions. His opponent was only at the Blood Qi realm, and he was already at the Physical Seal realm. Yet, his opponent was able to grab his finger every single time. The excruciating pain, the resentful feelings, and his helplessness made Wang Baole extremely aggrieved, along with other emotions.

"I refuse to believe it. Again!" Wang Baole clenched his teeth and charged forward once again…

Time passed inside the Hallucination realm. Wang Baole's tragic cries continued incessantly in what followed. They turned shriller and more tragic until one day later. When Wang Baole left the Hallucination realm, he felt weak. He lay in his cave abode and looked at his ten fingers with tears rolling down his face.

Heavens, this finger bending technique is just too much. There's also the suction force. There's no way to dodge that at all. I have to learn this move; it's powerful!Wang Baole had already realized that the black mask's flash had changed the sparring partner, making it use the Great Void Twisting Technique on him.

If not, there was no way to explain the suction force. It was clearly in accordance with the first move of the Great Void Twisting Technique. The suction force would form a force that resembled a black hole after the devouring seed spread across the body.

After personally experiencing the incisiveness of the Great Void Twisting Technique, Wang Baole's interest was aroused. He felt that, not only would the Great Void Twisting Technique resolve the problem of his Spirit Stone purity, it could also equip him with combat arts.

This made him determined. Even as he rested for the night, his mind was constantly analyzing and thinking. At daybreak, Wang Baole quickly ate some snacks for breakfast and entered the Hallucination realm once again.

Days passed as the shrill cries in the Hallucination realm continued. Not only did they not decrease, they increased in frequency. As Wang Baole's ability to withstand pain increased, his recovery time reduced. This resulted in him having his fingers bent a lot more often.

"It hurts!"

"Heavens, who created this twisting technique?"

"My finger almost broke…"

Finally, even though Wang Baole was a tenacious person, he was almost at his limits. He was already on the brink of insanity. He even lamented over at the unfortunate fact that humans had fingers.

Therefore, he thought of a solution. As he negotiated with the mask by muttering to himself, he conjured another junior sparring partner. It was completely different from the previous sparring partner, and it became the target of Wang Baole's frustration.

Every time he had his fingers bent, he would spar with the junior sparring partner, transferring the pain and anger he had onto him, bending his finger in the process. Through this ability to vent his frustration, Wang Baole managed to persist with his training.

Another month passed, and Wang Baole was depressed to realize that the junior sparring partner he used to vent his frustration was just too weak and rigid. He was completely unable to sustain the madness he was feeling or enhance his combat experience. More importantly, the junior sparring partner did not cry. He would stare at him expressionlessly no matter how his fingers were bent.

Wang Baole found this unacceptable. Simultaneously, he had finally gained some insight and experience from his constant battles with the senior sparring partner over the months. He could not hold down the urge to let others experience what he had experienced.

Hence, he thought of the fight club.

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Chapter 20: Fight Club

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Sparring with the junior partner does not enhance my twisting technique at all!Wang Baole left the Hallucination realm with anger and helplessness after having his finger bent. He began eating his snacks and pondering. Finally, he clenched his teeth and left the cave abode while munching on the snacks. He departed Ethereal Dao College and headed for Ethereal City.

To Wang Baole, he was in desperate need of actual combat. He had been driven crazy by the senior sparring partner, and more importantly, he realized that although the Great Void Twisting Technique was shameless, it was very powerful in actual combat.

To truly grasp it without being tortured by the senior sparring partner, the only way was for him to spar with other real people. By doing so, he could speed up his mastery.

Therefore, he instantly thought of the fight club.

With this thought in mind, Wang Baole entered Ethereal City and went straight to the fight club. When he passed by a toy shop on the way, he stopped in his tracks as an idea came to him. After entering and exiting, he was no longer in his school robes, and he had an additional… rabbit mask.

I'm a specially-recruited student of the Dao College after all. It's best if I keep a low profile. Wang Baole felt that he had been appropriately prudent. As he touched the mask close to his chest, he felt rather pleased.

The mask made him feel affectionate. By wearing it on his face, he immediately felt that a domineering air could be felt because of his cuteness. It looked quite mighty.

Feeling pleased, Wang Baole walked toward the fight club with his hands held behind his back.

Fight clubs existed in the seventeen main cities of the Federation. Each of them covered a huge area and contained many battle arenas. Everyone was provided with a platform for freestyle fighting. Be it in the past or after the Spirit Inception Era, fighting remained a popular sport.

Ancient Martial Arts underwent a renaissance particularly with the dawn of the Spirit Inception Era. All of humanity began cultivating, causing freestyle fighting to become a popular sport across the Federation.

There were even quite a number of experts with all sorts of Ancient Martial Arts techniques.

No matter the city or time of the day, the fight club was always the loudest spot in the city.

Ethereal City was no exception.

It was exemplified by the very moment Wang Baole arrived. The oval building in Ethereal City, which looked like a giant fist from afar but like an ancient Roman Colosseum close up, had excited shouts erupting from its open roof.

"Come on, let's fight again!"

"Is anyone challenging me? As long as you win, you can take away ten Spirit Stones!"

Uncountable voices filled with belligerence and excitement constantly emanated out of the area. It made pedestrians who passed the fight club involuntarily halt and take a look. Occasionally, there were people eager to try as they stepped into the club.

Wang Baole felt pumped when he heard the thundering voices in the club. A sense of excitement rose in him for no reason as he hastened his footsteps to step into the club.

The moment he walked in, tumultuous voices almost overwhelmed him. In front of him was a massive hall.

The hall was so huge that the ends could not be seen from Wang Baole's position. All he saw in the distance was what appeared to be the hall's center. Erected there was a gigantic crystal ball that was about a thousand feet wide. It was very eye-catching.

Surrounding the crystal ball were countless men and women dressed in different attires. They were chatting with each other while others were looking up information beside the crystal ball.

Apart from that, there were crowds everywhere. The sounds that arose from discussions and cheers made anyone who entered the club feel like they had arrived at a market.

Wang Baole also noticed countless doors in the massive hall. Some were closed shut, and others were open. Any door that was opened would close once someone stepped in. Clearly, those doors permitted entry to only one person.

This place is huge! Wang Baole drew a gasp. Even though he had mentally braced himself while outside, he was still shocked by the interior's sheer size. He squeezed into the crowd after a while. After some probing, he realized that the fight club was split into three levels.

The first level was the hall. The second level was the true combat area of the fight club. As for the third level, it was seldom opened to the public. It was only opened when an important match was held.

There were two methods to get to the second floor. One of them was to enter through one of the four big entrances to the second floor. The other way was to rent an arena. That way, one could accept challenges from others on the second floor as well as challenge others. The doors in the hall were prepared for the latter.

Out of the two methods, the former was easier, but it did not provide for privacy. The latter was clearly safer and more private, but it cost more.

Regardless of which method was chosen, one had to register at the crystal ball in the middle of the hall and pay the requisite Spirit Stones.

If it were anyone else, they might have chosen the method that required less money, but for the Dharmic Armament faculty's Wang Baole, who could write IOUs like it was money, it was nothing. Hence, he walked toward the crystal ball with hands by his back.

I came here to practice the bending of fingers. Spirit Stones and stuff like that just mean putting on a little more meat. With this thought in mind, Wang Baole was increasingly convinced by how extraordinary he was. He registered his identity at the crystal ball and obtained information from it. After learning of the rules, he paid a number of Spirit Stones to rent an arena.

He looked around and saw an open arena door. He directly stepped in, and the moment he entered, the identity verification he had obtained from the crystal ball was recognized. The arena door closed as a gentle female voice echoed.

"Dear customer, welcome to the freestyle fight club. Please take note of your anonymity while in here. If necessary, please mask your face before you enter battle. Regardless of whether you begin a battle or return, all you need is to specify your location and shout 'begin combat' or 'return'." The voice explained the club's rules and raised certain matters that needed his attention.

"It's quite anthropomorphic. Not bad, not bad at all." Wang Baole was very pleased with the implementation as he walked forward.

In front of him was a passageway with the lights around him producing a soft glow. It looked very comforting, and at the end of the passageway was a chamber. Inside it was a bed, a simple table, a chair, and a mirror. The main purpose of this place was for resting. Another purpose was for the visitor to change their clothes or hide their identity.

Standing inside the chamber, Wang Baole regulated his breathing. He felt like he was a general about to head to war as his eyes were filled with a determined look.

This place shall be where I, Wang Baole, shall have my first battle at bending fingers!Wang Baole patted his belly as he took out the rabbit mask. As he slowly put it on, the bearing he exuded changed completely. The adorable rabbit mask and his rotund body were quite jarring.

But Wang Baole was very pleased with his image. After looking at himself in the mirror, he walked straight to the middle of the chamber and looked up before saying two words softly.

"Begin combat!"

The instant he said those words, the ceiling above him opened, and the platform beneath his feet raised him high up, making him appear on the second floor of the fight club!

Boisterous roars louder than the first level immediately inundated him. In front of Wang Baole was an arena enveloped in transparent glass!

The arena was a hundred meters wide. Standing there, one could see countless crowds as well as other similar arenas through the glass!

The arenas on the second floor probably numbered in the hundreds, perhaps above a thousand. There were constant battles taking place in them.

The spectators' cheers and fighters' roars spread out like heat waves. The people there were mostly masked, clearly unwilling to expose themselves.

Wang Baole took a deep breath and looked at his surroundings. His heart could not help but race. This environment was both unfamiliar and stimulating to him. He had learned the rules from the crystal ball previously, so he understood that after renting an arena, he could set the number of Spirit Stones offered and wait for challengers. If the challenger clinched victory, they would win the Spirit Stones offered. Furthermore, one could restrict the challengers' cultivation realm.

And once the challenger was defeated, they would have to pay an equivalent number of Spirit Stones. Similarly, they could also walk out to challenge others. This is what made this place a freestyle fight club.

However, this place did not permit killing. They placed even greater emphasis on the privacy and freedom of their customers. If anyone broke the rules, the club would expeditiously resolve the matter.

As he repressed the excitement in him, Wang Baole quickly set the number of Spirit Stones for his arena. After some thought, he decided to set ten Spirit Stones to attract the attention of others and increase the frequency of his training. He sat to one side and began waiting eagerly for a challenger.

But after waiting for quite a while, no one challenged him despite many people sweeping their gaze over. Many people felt suspicious when they saw Wang Baole's appearance and the ten Spirit Stones. They found it odd.

After all, ten Spirit Stones was quite a sizable amount of wealth.

How long will I have to wait? Wang Baole began losing his patience five minutes later. He looked around and decided to leave the arena and join the crowd. Since no one was challenging him, he might as well challenge others.

I should begin simple. Wang Baole worked his way through the crowds and saw the glass-encased platforms around him. Finally, he chose an arena that awarded one Spirit Stone and walked over.

Sitting cross-legged in the arena was a stout man with a keen glint in his eye. He had a burly body and a cultivation level at the Blood Qi realm. He gave the crowd a hawkish look, and when he noticed Wang Baole's eager eyes, he sneered and curled his fingers at Wang Baole.

"Bunny, come. Spar with me, your grandfather."

Wang Baole glared widely as he directly leaped up and stepped into the arena. Although there was a crowd around him, many of them were not interested in a battle of such a level. However, many people halted to take a look when they saw the burly man's stout figure and Wang Baole's rabbit image.

Upon seeing Wang Baole accept his challenge, the man's eyes immediately lit up. He roared with laughter as he stood up. His ordinary Blood Qi cultivation instantly rose to that of the Physical Seal realm. With a sinister grin, he charged at Wang Baole.

The crowd outside the arena were stunned. The man's cultivation levels before and after were just too disparate.

"I love lowering my cultivation level to lure in bunnies like you. I'll teach you a good lesson today!" The man's laughter echoed as his Blood Qi emanated. He came close to Wang Baole and raised his thick, fleshy palm and smacked at Wang Baole's mask.

Wang Baole almost instinctively raised his right hand as the devouring seed within him activated. He directly used the twisting technique that had distressed him greatly in recent days. As the suction force spread out, the man's body was pulled toward him. The direction of his palm attack changed as he stumbled a few steps.

Wang Baole nearly grabbed the man, but his reaction was extremely fast. With a low growl, he quickly turned his body and successfully took a step to dodge Wang Baole's grasp.

He actually managed to dodge! This infuriated Wang Baole. He closed in on the man, and at that moment, the man was gasping for air. The man could tell that something was amiss as he immediately retreated. At the same time, he gave a soft bellow and clenched his fists before unleashing a barrage of fist blows in a bid to avoid Wang Baole.

Soon, the two were exchanging blows in the arena. To Wang Baole, this was his first battle in all senses of the word, and this man made a very suitable sparring partner. Gradually, Wang Baole began moving faster. The way he attacked also began to change from what it was before. It could be said that he was undergoing a metamorphic change. The glint in his eyes turned brighter as it was filled with excitement.

In contrast, the man's forehead was sweating bullets. He looked like he had seen a ghost, and he had already realized that Wang Baole, who appeared inexperienced, was rapidly improving.

He was even forced to seal off his sweat pores to prevent his Blood Qi from spreading to exchange for greater speed and strength. Even so, he was still no match for Wang Baole, who only effused a cultivation level of the Blood Qi realm.

"Darn it. Where did this bunny come from!" The man became increasingly alarmed. He clenched his teeth, and with a light grunt, he leaped up and extended his right palm. As though he was using a single palm to prop up his entire body, he came charging at Wang Baole. It was the only combat technique he had grasped.

"Cosmic Hand!"

The surrounding spectators were immediately attracted by the battle. Many people exclaimed when they saw the appearance of the Cosmic Hand. But the instant they exclaimed, the situation in the arena changed drastically!

When the stocky man's Cosmic Hand approached, Wang Baole's eyes flashed. The senior sparring partner in the Hallucination realm surfaced in his mind as he directly took one step forward. The devouring seed's suction force instantly emanated as he attempted a snatch!

This attempt made the stocky man's expression change as his palm was once again dragged aside. And this time, he failed to dodge. Instantly, his finger was grabbed by Wang Baole and bent backward ruthlessly!

A tragic cry came out of the man's mouth as his body quivered. His legs went limp as he nearly knelt down. He instinctively tried to pull his finger away, but Wang Baole's hand was like a pincer. Due to the suction force, his struggles were futile. A string of curses ran through his mind as his voice changed in pitch.

"Ouch! It hurts! Let go…"

"Haha, do you admit defeat?" At that moment, Wang Baole was brimming with excitement. He looked at the burly man in front of him and seemed to see a tragic reflection of his recent self. The feeling of bending fingers was excellent and made him feel invincible. He immediately fell in love with the twisting technique.

The crowd outside the arena watched in shock with mouths agape. Moments later, they drew gasps when the burly man pleaded for mercy as he admitted defeat, resulting in an uproar.

"Did… Did he just bend his opponent's fingers?"

"Heavens, to think this can be done… That's just too shameless."

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