Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 132 The Judges' Shock (Please Subscribe)
While Lu Yunxi and Instructor Hu were discussing Zhou Ling, Deacon Qin's gaze was also fixed on Zhou Ling.

Seeing Zhou Ling's actions, he shook his head, thinking to himself, "This shouldn't be! Given how cautious this kid is usually, how could he be so rash this time?"

Zhou Ling was unaware that his speed had drawn the attention of several judges.

After having a design for the golden inscription in his mind, he continued to draw.

Using the "Subtle Penetration" technique, one can draw inscriptions on spirit paper without consuming much energy.

[You are observing the Golden Light Inscription. Intermediate Observation +1, Golden Light Inscription Proficiency +3]

[You are analyzing the Golden Light Inscription. Intermediate Analysis +1, Golden Light Inscription Proficiency +3]

After three attempts, he finally succeeded in drawing the golden inscription.

He then sat cross-legged and meditated, feeling that about 20% of his spiritual energy had been consumed.

His gaze swept around again, and at this moment, the other disciples taking the exam were just beginning to try drawing inscriptions on the spirit paper.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Zhou Ling took out the pill bottle, poured out the Qi-union pill given to him by Wang Yu, and swallowed it directly.

He then circulated his cultivation technique to quickly refine the medicinal power.

[You are refining a Tier 1 High-Grade Qi Harmony Pill. Herbal Stress +1, Efficacy +1]

[You are refining a first-grade superior Qi-unifying pill. Recovery to full strength +1, Spiritual power restored +1]

In no time, his magical power was restored to normal.

Then, Zhou Ling took out the jade sword and examined it for a while.

He then picked up the spirit brush and dipped it in metallic spirit ink.

At the same time, the Five Elements Spiritual Flame within his body began to surge, rapidly passing through his meridians, then flowing down his arm, along the spiritual brush, and onto the jade sword.

Enveloped in the Five Elements Spiritual Flame, the jade sword emitted a slight vibration.

It reflects a dazzling array of five colors.

Meanwhile, on the judges' panel, the judges' expressions all paused slightly as their divine senses swept across the various assessment platforms.

Instructor Hu's gaze swept over the five-colored spirit flames flashing in Zhou Ling's hand. His eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, suddenly widened, and he asked in surprise, "It really is the Five Elements Spirit Flame?"

The others also turned their gazes toward Zhou Ling.

"Second-grade Five Elements Spirit Flame?"

"How can this be?"

Although they were all instructors from various Taoist academies and were very knowledgeable, they were all filled with surprise at this moment.

If Zhou Ling were to unleash the Beast Flame or the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame, they would likely be even more surprised.

Of course, with Zhou Ling's current strength, he would not expose the two spiritual flames.

The Five Elements Spirit Flame is different; it is a spirit flame that he cultivated, and no one can take it away even if they want to.

"This little guy, it's only been three months, but the power of his spirit flame seems to have increased quite a bit!"

Looking at the spirit flame, Lu Yunxi couldn't help but ponder to herself.

"At the sixth level of Qi Refining, he can actually cultivate a second-grade Five Elements Spirit Flame!"

"He can still control the spirit flames as skillfully as before, could he be a spirit?"

"If that's the case, then no matter what, we must find a way to recruit him into the Xuan Yuan Dao Academy!"

Watching Zhou Ling skillfully manipulate the Five Elements Spirit Flame, Instructor Hu was astonished and pondered to himself.

"It would be a waste to use the Five Elements Spirit Flame only for refining weapons. My Flying Dragon Battle Academy has a Five Elements Technique that is perfectly suited for cultivating the Five Elements Spirit Flame."

"Once mastered, its power will be immense!"

The first man on the left, a burly middle-aged man, looked at Zhou Ling with an appreciative expression and smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, please stop joking. With this child's weapon-refining skills, he is more suitable for our Xuan Yuan Dao Academy."

“Let him go to the Flying Dragon Battle Academy for pioneering battles. With his current cultivation level, he might not even reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and his talent will be wasted,” Instructor Hu retorted calmly.

Although the four major academies are not lacking in talent, they will naturally try their best to recruit a disciple with such great potential as Zhou Ling.

"Fellow Daoist Hu is overthinking it. How could our Flying Dragon Battle Academy treat its own disciples like that!"

Instructor Xiao glanced at Instructor Hu and said with considerable dissatisfaction.

"Alright, fellow Daoists, stop arguing. Let's see if he can successfully refine it before making a decision!"

The beautiful middle-aged woman in the middle smiled faintly.

She was an ancient instructor from the Tianxia Taoist Academy.

Among all of them, she had the highest cultivation level.

So once she spoke, the others didn't say anything more.

All eyes turned to Zhou Ling, their gazes darting around as they secretly plotted their next move.

"This kid is something else. No wonder he was able to become a Heavenly Craftsman at such a young age. With such a foundation, even most of the scions of aristocratic families present could not do it!"

Hearing what the instructors said, Lu Yunxi's eyes flickered slightly, and her evaluation of Zhou Ling increased even more.

Upon hearing the three people's words, Deacon Qin's face also flashed with joy, not expecting things to go so smoothly.

It now seems that even if Zhou Ling doesn't perform well in the next round of the competition, he is still very likely to be admitted to one of the four major academies.

After all, in addition to the performance evaluation criteria, the four major academies often have one or two special recruitment slots.

The question is whether Zhou Ling's talent is worth using up this spot for them?
Of course, with Zhou Ling at the sixth level of Qi Refining, his ability to skillfully control a second-grade spiritual flame already demonstrates his powerful talent for controlling fire.

"A rogue cultivator with a low-grade spiritual root?"

"A low-grade spiritual root, what a pity!"

"It's actually a low-grade spiritual root?"

"How could someone with a low-grade five-element spiritual root cultivate a second-grade spiritual flame like this? They must be hiding some special physique!"

Meanwhile, all four judges secretly reviewed Zhou Ling's information.

When they saw that Zhou Ling only had a low-grade spiritual root, they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

After all, even if someone with a low-grade spiritual root successfully establishes their foundation, the chances of them achieving the Golden Core stage in the future are extremely slim.

What was originally intended as a strong effort to win over Zhou Ling suddenly became somewhat pointless.

"However, with this child's talent, even if his cultivation level is a bit lacking, he should be able to become a second-grade inscription master in the future!"

Instructor Hu thought to himself.

On the assessment platform, Zhou Ling was now completely focused on controlling the spiritual flames and coordinating with spiritual power, meticulously inscribing the golden light imprint.

With the aid of the spiritual flame, inscriptions gradually condensed, shimmering with a faint golden light.

The five-colored spiritual flames, like nimble fish, constantly darted across the sword.

Then, the spiritual energy merged with the spiritual ink, easily tracing patterns across the sword's surface.

Watching Zhou Ling write with such skill and ease, his brushstrokes flowing smoothly and rhythmically, Lu Yunxi's lips agape in astonishment.

Zhou Ling's inscription skills have clearly improved significantly.

The other judges were also greatly surprised.

Although they knew that being able to control a second-grade spiritual flame and draw an inscription would naturally make things much easier.

However, judging from Zhou Ling's manipulation of the spiritual flames and the way he drew the inscriptions, it is clear that Zhou Ling's inscription skills are definitely not low.

This is a technique that only a seasoned inscriptionist could achieve.

(End of this chapter)