Chapter 141, Ten Schools Joint Examination

Translator: Tamon

 

“What the hell drives it?”

 

When Wang Qi explained, he spoke out loud, making it so not only Zhen Chanzi heard, but so did Mao Zimiao and Wang Zhenqi.

 

Zhen Chanzi had a hard time accepting it. “So all these days you’ve been thinking about how to unravel the Storing Thoughts Art?”

 

Wang Qi shook his head. “Leave all; it was just the mornings. Also, a full understanding of its principles is done later, as it involves Radiant Divinity Pavilion’s research. I’m unfamiliar with this domain and will have to find a partner. Right now I’m just considering its mathematical aspect, then trying to simplify it.”

 

Zhen Chanzi grumbled. “Isn’t being useful good enough?”

 

“That right there is why ancient cultivators got worse every generation, hung up to dry with nothing to show for.” Wang Qi feigned anger, “How can one strive to make a better cultivation method when you don’t understand its inner workings?”

 

The demonborn girls were modern cultivators and could relate to Wang Qi’s thinking. It grew their interest in Wang Qi’s results.

 

Mao Zimiao asked in concern, “Little Qi, it sounds like you’re analyzing a useful ancient art, nya.”

 

“Mostly useless thought.” Wang Qi corrected. “The refining spiritual power part of the ancient way is junk. Then there’s the need to integrate the mystical magical power, once refined, of course, into my cultivation, nothing but pain. Only in regards to the mind does it offer assistance by strengthening resolve.”

 

“Resolve? Isn’t that the core of Radiant Divinity Pavilion, nya? Won’t it affect your Myriad Arts Sect’s admission?”

 

Using Earth’s studies as classification, Radiant Divinity Pavilion would fall under neuroscience and psychology. Psychoanalysis might be used in clinical psychology, but it was still psychology. In a broader sense, it did make sense to belong to the Radiant Divinity Pavilion.

 

Wang Qi smiled. “Even in regards to research, I’ll still rely on math; don’t worry.”

 

Wang Zhenqi wailed out of nowhere. “All of you are pissing me off, wan! No fair, no fair at all! I still got a few math problems bothering me so much I can’t sleep, and you, Wang Qi, went ahead to analyze magical arts, wan!”

 

“Call me Worm, Book Worm.” Wang Qi gulped the last bite of food without qualms.

 

The dog girl’s eyes rolled two full circles. “Fine! Here’s the deal. You help me reach your level of math, and I’ll give Ah’Miao to you.”

 

The cat-eared girl lashed out. “Qiqi, what’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“And here I thought you wouldn’t even retort, boo hoo…”

 

Wang Qi shrugged at the lively girls, saying goodbye.

 

Zhen Chanzi said, “Boy, aren’t you going to stay and watch? I feel like you wouldn’t mind a demonborn…”

 

The tone was particularly vulgar.

 

Wang Qi had a flat one. “There’s no point in watching them waste resources.”

 

Teasing over with, Zhen Chanzi asked, “How’s the research on Storing Thoughts Art going?”

 

This was his real concern. Aware of modern cultivation’s miracles, Zhen Chanzi started thinking—he wasn’t too happy returning to the old ancient cultivation’s ways. However, he knew his situation; his past cultivation restricted his shift to modern arts. To further his shift to modern cultivation, he could only hit on Wang Qi in hopes that this modern cultivation genius would explain what bit of ancient cultivation he understood.

 

All this amazing Great Ascension cultivator cared about was that this Qi Refining youth would feel like letting a bit of knowledge slip. Talk about miserable.

 

“I’m sure of one thing: everything about it revolves around that flame energy cloud pattern.” Wang Qi talked on his way to the classroom. “It has an amazing energy. By drawing it in my mind, my thinking enters a fantastic state, affecting my body and soul. Hence, my research is focused on it.”

 

“What did you find?”

 

“I tried solving it with geometry, but the pattern is highly complex.” The youth pulled a dangerous look. He glared ahead, wanting to find a rock to kick it. “Its creator had to be a weirdo for sure. I’ve randomly omitted parts of the pattern while meditating, yet its effect was the same. It either has a high tolerance to mistakes, or the pattern has a high degree of fluff.”

 

[I’m inclined to think the latter.] Wang Qi added in his mind.

 

Before he poked at it, the complete flame energy cloud pattern gave him the feeling it resembled the Heavenly Lord of Spiritual Treasures. Clearly the handiwork of some religious believer.

 

The results were wondrous, then they went and mixed some baffling junk at the last minute—something 21st-century Earth’s researchers and Divine Province’s modern cultivators both loathed.

 

The morning classes flashed by, and Wang Qi walked to Argent Mountain with his symbol blade in hand after lunch.

 

The thwarted confidence of a bookworm had to be washed away with the blood of innocent and unawakened animals.

 

The combat area’s main staff’s face fell. “Junior Brother, again?”

 

Wang Qi pointed north. “The trial area is still broken by the earthquake and I have nowhere else to go.”

 

A certain bookworm believed his words were the height of honesty.

 

The staff stomped. “I-, Junior Brother, shouldn’t you be hitting the books? The December examination is only a few days away.”

 

“Hitting the books…” The bookworm had a slow reaction. “Monthly examination in just a few days? Hasn’t the month started just a week or so ago? It’s not even the 15th!”

 

[Have you stuck your nose in books so hard you forgot the date?]

 

“Junior Brother, you look like the kind of person dedicated to learning and ignoring his surroundings.” The staff smiled. “You forgot that the December examination is at the end of the month. We always let disciples return home and be with their families on New Year’s Eve.”

 

Most high-level cultivators weren’t old. Modern cultivation’s Golden Core cultivation was widespread, not to mention that each could live for five centuries. For most cultivators, certain things were annoying to celebrate once a year. However, freshmen were still teens, having a different time concept than the old relics. The Immortal Institute would be on holiday from New Year’s Eve until the Lunar Festival.

 

The staff took Wang Qi as a Dao-obsessed man, though not old enough to show the part.

 

Wang Qi didn’t argue. “Won’t that just push it forward a couple of days?”

 

The staff explained. “Junior Brother forgot. The end-of-year monthly examination is a Ten School Joint Examination.”

 

The admission trial might be universal for all freshmen, but the freshmen from the ten Immortal Institutes and the freshmen from every branch of the Immortal Alliance had different treatment. The five best sects would almost never recruit disciples from the latter, or at the very most, laborers. The smaller sects at the bottom of the Immortal Alliance were at the other end of the spectrum, barely qualified to recruit from the Immortal Institute.

 

Under this premise, each year’s immortal seekers were divided into two groups before the examination. The only competitors in the Immortal Institute class would be Immortal Institute disciples.

 

In order to best test Immortal Institute disciples’ true level, the Immortal Alliance organized a Ten School Joint Examination in December and April to compare the level of disciples from different Immortal Institutes and prevent the situation ‘Immortal Institute A’s first talent is nothing but average in Immortal Institute B’s rankings.’ At the same time, it was a good incentive for freshmen.