Mythical Cultivation

Wu Ming arrived at the academy and found the instructor who usually taught the students. He had originally wanted to find the dean, but they rarely saw him. In the three years since he arrived at the Newcomer Academy, he only saw the dean at the beginning and end of each year. He only knew that the dean was an old man with a goatee who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His surname was Hu.

"It's Wu Ming. What can I do for you?" asked a young man in a green robe. He was one of Wu Ming's instructors, Instructor Liu Liu.

"Instructor Liu, I have reached the peak of the third level of Qi Refining. Next, I need subsequent exercises. I hope you can take me to see the dean." Wu Ming said.

"Not bad! You're one of the first ten of your group to reach this threshold. Follow me, I'll take you to see the dean." With that, Instructor Liu slapped his storage bag, summoned a flying sword, and flew Wu Ming to the summit of the mountain where the Newcomer Academy was located. This was the first time he'd been carried on a flying sword, a completely different experience from riding a spirit boat. Wu Ming was even more eager to improve his strength and fly on his own sword.

After reaching the summit, the two landed on the ground. Wu Ming felt a wave of cold coming towards him. He quickly channeled his true energy, and only then did he feel a little warmth. Senior Brother Liu also cast a talisman into a cave. After a few breaths, he heard a voice saying, "Come in."

Instructor Liu led Wu Ming into the cave. Only after entering did Wu Ming cease his energizing energy, and the temperature within returned to normal. Wu Ming surveyed his surroundings. The cave appeared rather simple. A stone bed held a cushion, where Dean Hu sat cross-legged. A stone table and bench sat beside it. Along the wall stood a row of bookshelves, filled with books and jade slips, but otherwise empty.

"Please sit down first. What's the matter?" said Dean Hu.

"Dean, it's me who needs the follow-up exercises," Wu Ming said. Upon hearing this, the dean waved his hand and a jade slip flew towards Wu Ming, who took it.

"See, if you've memorized the technique, you can break through right here," Dean Hu said. Wu Ming, upon hearing this, channeled his true energy into the technique and silently memorized it. After an incense stick of time, he had memorized it all and returned the jade slip to the dean.

There was a cup of tea on the table. He drank it and began practicing. Wu Ming followed Dean Hu's instructions. The moment he drank the tea, he felt his body suddenly filled with true energy. He quickly activated the fourth level of the technique, and the true energy flowed through the eight extraordinary meridians and twelve regular meridians, ultimately converging into his dantian. An hour later, Wu Ming reached the fourth level of Qi Refining. Wu Ming stood up and said to Dean Hu, "Thank you for your help."

"This is what you deserve. You still have one day to deal with the affairs of the Newcomer Academy. After that, leave the Newcomer Peak and report to the Deacon Hall. You can leave now." Dean Hu ordered them to leave.

Instructor Liu took Wu Ming and flew down the mountain from the top of the mountain. "Instructor Liu, what is the tea I drank from the dean's place? Is it a benefit that every disciple has after a breakthrough?" Wu Ming asked.

"You're overthinking it. Dean Hu isn't that free. Only the top ten disciples in each class have hope. The tea you drink is called Ziyun Tea. It's very helpful for people in the Qi Refining Realm, especially when breaking through bottlenecks. Most people can't drink it." Instructor Liu said.

"Only the top ten have a chance. What about those who break through later? Which one am I?" Wu Ming asked. Fortunately, he didn't try to hide his abilities, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten this benefit. Breaking through to the fourth level on his own would take at least ten days to half a month, possibly several months. He really had to fight for it.

"Since you asked, I'll tell you. This isn't a secret, it's just that no one's intentionally spreading it. Disciples with great potential will naturally receive a certain amount of resources, and it's impossible for all disciples to be treated equally. Our Qingyun Sect is not a charity, so don't be afraid to show off. Only when you reveal your own aptitude and ability will the sect vigorously cultivate you. Do you think we don't have the techniques to break through the fourth level? We all came through the Qi training stage, so why did we ask you to find the dean? Is the dean so idle? Doesn't he need to practice? One reason is to give you benefits, and the other is to let you show up in front of Dean Hu, so that he'll remember you and leave a good impression. Of course, not everyone is qualified. Only the top ten in each class have this opportunity, and you are the sixth. Okay, that's all I have to say. You can leave the Newcomer Peak after you've dealt with your own affairs."

After hearing Teacher Liu's explanation, Wu Ming finally began to understand what his grandfather said when he left Linhe County.

After returning to his residence, Wu Ming gathered the three people from Lijia Village to his room. Wang Xiaohu quickly begged for mercy, saying that he would never mess with Xiang Pengfei again. Wu Ming said, "Just remember this. I can't always help you. I called you here to say goodbye. I have to leave Newcomer Peak tomorrow."

"You broke through the fourth level, how come it was so fast?" Li Fei said in disbelief.

"I just made a breakthrough after learning some martial arts. It's time for you guys to work harder. I got a message that there will be benefits for the first ten people to make a breakthrough, and I'm the sixth, so there are still four spots available." Wu Ming told the news he had heard before to several people. Among them, only Li Fei was not far from the peak of the third level of Qi training. Wang Xiaohu and Ishikawa were both at the second level of Qi training, so they probably didn't have much chance.

"Brother Ming, you are going to abandon us. I haven't even reached the third level of Qi Refining." Wang Xiaohu said unhappily.

"I told you to focus on your cultivation before. Only when you become strong can you see the outside world. Take one step at a time. I hope to see you outside soon."

Early the next morning, Wu Ming left the Newcomer Peak and followed a sign at the foot of the mountain. After two hours of traveling with his true energy, he arrived at another peak. There was a majestic building halfway up the mountain with a sign of the Deacon Hall hanging in front of the door. People were coming and going in front of the door, most of them wearing white clothes. Occasionally, disciples in green clothes could be seen, and they should be the inner disciples like the instructors.

The disciples outside the gate all glanced over at Wu Ming when he saw him approach. After all, he was the only one wearing gray. "What's your name, Senior Brother?" Wu Ming asked a white-robed disciple who had just left the gate.

The man had just emerged from the Deacon Hall when a gray-robed disciple pulled him aside to ask about his promotion. Knowing he was a disciple seeking advancement, he smiled and said, "Zhang Mingtai, just call me Senior Brother Zhang. You're wondering where to get promoted? Turn right after entering the door and you'll see it. We hope to work together in the future. I have something to do, so I'm leaving now." With that, he hurried away. Wu Ming saw how hurried Senior Brother Zhang was, and knowing he must be on urgent business, he didn't ask any more questions.

Wu Ming entered the main gate and was immediately greeted by a large, high-hanging screen. A task list appeared on top, and below it were various tasks. For example, the B-level task of killing the Hehuan Sect's true disciple, Baihua Gongzi, rewarded the magical weapon, Fudi Yin. The B-level task of obtaining the inner elixir of a two-headed python rewarded a bottle of Zhenyuan Dan. The C-level task of obtaining an unlimited amount of orchid grass, requiring at least ten years of experience, rewarded spirit stones and elixirs of varying grades, based on the amount of orchid grass obtained. The C-level task of guarding the Red Maple Mountain mine for five years rewarded two bottles of Buling Dan and a top-grade magical instrument. The D-level task of gardening in the herb garden for three years rewarded 300 spirit stones. The D-level task of obtaining information about the Fire Spirit Bird rewarded a bottle of Yiqi Dan. Countless tasks appeared on the screen, and from time to time, someone took on a task. The hundreds of people gathered in the lobby seemed a bit crowded, but not noisy, as everyone chatted quietly.

This gave Wu Ming a sense of déjà vu of the mercenary guild he had read about in novels in his previous life, but the flashing big screen made Wu Ming feel the full sense of technology in his previous life. A sense of contradiction between time and space filled Wu Ming's heart. He shook his head to clear his mind and decided to focus on his business and get promoted first.