Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Martial Arts Academy
Liang Cheng finished packing. He wrapped important items like the cowhide paper in oilcloth and sewed the bundle into a hidden pocket in his inner shirt.
Before he left, Yang Wei called him into the study. After a moment of silence, he handed over a yellowed envelope.
"When you get to Lin Wu City, if you have the chance, deliver this letter to the Qiao Mansion." Yang Wei’s voice was hoarse. "Back then, when I was cultivating in the Martial Arts Academy’s Outer Sect, I foolishly married into the Qiao Family. Later... In any case, if you see your master’s wife and your junior sister, help me check on how they’re doing."
He stared at Liang Cheng, his tone distant. "Remember, no matter which family tries to recruit you as a live-in son-in-law, don’t agree. The path of the Martial Dao must be forged with your own two fists. Don’t follow my old path."
Liang Cheng respectfully put the letter away. "I understand."
「Three days later,」 Liang Cheng boarded Chen Bainian’s merchant ship, which sailed north with a favorable wind. He was given a private room, fully equipped with all the necessities.
「Five days later,」 the towering walls of Lin Wu City came into view.
The bluestone streets were wide enough for eight horses to ride abreast. On either side, pavilions with upturned eaves and ornate brackets lined the way, and shop banners fluttered in the breeze. What shocked Liang Cheng even more were the pedestrians on the street—those with Bright Force Cultivation were everywhere, and Dark Force Martial Artists were not uncommon.
"Lin Wu City governs twelve towns and has a population of a million. Geniuses and elites gather here," Chen Bainian explained from the side. "A so-called magnate of the Three Towns like myself is nothing here."
Chen Bainian escorted him all the way until the silhouette of the Martial Arts Academy appeared ahead.
It was a complex of buildings constructed against a mountain. Gray-white walls stretched for several li, and at the main entrance stood a ten-zhang-tall stone stele. On it were inscribed four large, gilded words: "Lin Wu Martial Arts Academy." The calligraphy was powerful and vigorous, like a coiling dragon.
Several hundred youths had already gathered in the square before the stele. Each one was full of vigor, with sharp, piercing eyes. As Liang Cheng’s gaze swept over them, he sighed inwardly.
Dark Force Martial Artists were everywhere in the crowd, and Transformation Force Martial Artists were not a rare sight either. Moreover, most of them were no older than twenty. ’This is what a Martial Arts Academy should be like.’
"Registration begins!"
At that moment, a middle-aged, Purple-robed Steward ascended a high platform, his voice booming like a great bell. "All those with direct recommendation vouchers, form a line on the left to register! All other candidates, form a line on the right for the preliminary test!"
The crowd then split into two lines.
Liang Cheng walked to the left line and saw Yun Jinghong near the front. There were only about thirty people in this queue, and Leng Xinghan was among them.
Leng Xinghan’s grip on his bow tightened. To his surprise, more than half of the directly recommended candidates had a Transformation Force Cultivation.
"Name, origin, Cultivation."
The old man at the registration desk didn’t even look up.
"Liang Cheng, from Linhai Town’s Yangwei Martial Arts Hall, Transformation Force."
The old man registered him, then glanced up at his voucher before making a note in the ledger. "Go over there to have your bone age tested and your Cultivation verified."
The bone age test was conducted at a jade stele that was crystalline throughout. When Liang Cheng placed his palm on it, the stele glowed softly, revealing the number ’17’.
"Transformation Force at seventeen?" a nearby Steward in green robes raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."
Next was the practical Cultivation test.
Liang Cheng was led to a stone platform where nine bronze pillars stood, each engraved with markings.
"Channel your Power and strike a pillar," the Steward explained.
Liang Cheng took a deep breath. He didn’t use his full strength, only striking the pillar with about thirty percent of his Power. ’I was only at the Dark Force Realm during the spring hunt,’ he thought. ’I can’t reveal too much.’
VMMMM—
Light shot up the bronze pillar from the bottom, climbing section by section. It paused slightly at the eighth section before finally lighting up the ninth, though the glow was noticeably dim.
"Early-stage Transformation Force."
The Steward nodded and made a mark on the register.
Not far away, the pillar in front of Yun Jinghong instantly lit up all nine sections. The light was brilliant, and it even seemed poised to surge past the top.
"Middle-stage Transformation Force!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.
Following that, countless geniuses took their turn, causing a commotion from time to time.
Liang Cheng’s expression remained calm. He had long known that the world was full of countless geniuses. ’But this is how a Martial Arts Academy should be.’
Once all the directly recommended candidates had been tested, the Purple-robed Steward took the stage again.
"Of the thirty-seven directly recommended candidates, twenty-eight are at the Transformation Force Realm. According to the rules, all Transformation Force cultivators will directly enter the Inner Sect. The rest will enter the Outer Sect."
As his voice fell, the faces of several youths at the Peak of Dark Force turned pale. Leng Xinghan clenched his jaw. Although his archery was superb, he ultimately hadn’t broken through the threshold to Transformation Force.
"I object!" a red-faced youth stepped forward. "I may only be at the Peak of Dark Force, but I have defeated a Transformation Force cultivator before! How can the Martial Arts Academy judge us solely on our Realm?"
"Oh?" The Purple-robed Steward glanced at him. "Then take one move from me."
Without any apparent movement, the Steward simply flicked his sleeve. The red-faced youth staggered back seven steps as if struck by a heavy blow, his face flushed, but he ultimately remained standing.
"You do have some skill," the Steward nodded. "You are permitted to enter the Outer Sect as an A Class disciple. If you place in the top ten in the grand competition three months from now, you may be promoted to the Inner Sect."
The red-faced youth, gasping for breath, clasped his fists. "Thank you, Steward!"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Leng Xinghan’s eyes, but then he heard the Steward say, "As for the rest of you, we will proceed according to the rules."
When Chen Bainian saw that Liang Cheng had successfully become an Inner Sect Disciple, he was elated. ’His investment had paid off handsomely.’
Liang Cheng, however, couldn’t spare him much attention. He gave a quick greeting from a distance and then followed an academy disciple toward the East Courtyard along with the other new Inner Sect Disciples.
Along the way, they passed scattered pavilions and training grounds filled with the unending shouts of martial artists. Liang Cheng noticed that many of the disciples training there were only in their early twenties, yet their auras were all at the Transformation Force Realm.
"The Inner Courtyard is divided into the Celestial, Earth, and Human Dormitories," their guide, a senior disciple, explained. "Newcomers all enter the Human Dormitory, which houses one hundred people. The Earth Dormitory has fifty, and the Celestial Dormitory houses only the ten great disciples."
"You can compete for a spot in the Earth and Celestial Dormitories during the autumn grand competition. Disciples in the Celestial Dormitory receive three times the monthly resources of the Earth Dormitory, and ten times that of the Human Dormitory."
Yun Jinghong suddenly asked, "What is the highest Cultivation level among the current academy disciples?"
The senior disciple paused for a moment. "The head of the Celestial Dormitory was already attempting to reach Qi and Blood Perfection with his Inner Cultivation Method half a year ago. But the true prodigies..." He looked toward a solitary mountain peak in the distance. "Those are the True Disciples. They have already condensed True Qi."
The air fell silent.
It seemed that reaching Transformation Force at seventeen was merely the starting point here.
When they arrived at the Human Dormitory courtyard, each person was assigned a Quiet Chamber. Liang Cheng pushed open his door and entered. The room was sparsely furnished with only a bed, a table, and a cabinet. On the table lay a Jade Token, a set of gray-white Martial Attire, and an Academy Rules Book.
The Jade Token was warm to the touch. The front was engraved with "Human Dormitory - Liang Cheng," and the back had the number "100" on it.
"These are Contribution Points," the senior disciple said. "They are automatically distributed at the beginning of each month: one hundred for the Human Dormitory, three hundred for Earth, and one thousand for Celestial. You need Contribution Points to borrow Cultivation Techniques from the Martial Arts Storage Tower, or to exchange for Elixirs and Weapons."
Liang Cheng opened the book of rules. The very first rule was startling:
"Private duels within the Martial Arts Academy are strictly forbidden, but conflicts can be resolved in the arena."
The second page listed ways to earn Contribution Points: completing academy assignments, hunting Demon Beasts, achieving winning streaks in the arena...
As he was reading, Yun Jinghong’s voice came from outside his door.
"Liang Cheng, want to go check out the Martial Arts Storage Tower together?"
Liang Cheng put his things away and pushed the door open.
Yun Jinghong had changed into the gray-white robes of the academy, but his otherworldly temperament remained.
The two walked side by side. Along the way, many older disciples cast glances at them. New disciples always received a lot of attention during their first few days at the academy.
The Martial Arts Storage Tower was a three-story pagoda with bells hanging from its flying eaves, giving it an ancient and weathered look.
At the front desk, an old man in gray robes was dozing. Startled awake, he squinted at their Jade Tokens, waved them in, and immediately went back to sleep.
The hall on the first floor was lined with bookshelves, with Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques sorted into different categories.
A quick scan revealed familiar names like the *Fierce Bull Force* and *Iron Bone Skill*, but the versions stored here were clearly far more profound than those circulating in the outside world.
Liang Cheng found the catalog of Cultivation Techniques and felt a jolt of excitement when he saw the Stone Armor Skill listed. His excitement turned to helplessness, however, when he saw the Contribution Point cost.
One thousand five hundred points!
But the most important things were the Inner Cultivation Methods. Only by learning an Inner Cultivation Method could one strengthen their Qi and Blood, attempt to condense a True Qi Seed, and break through to the True Qi Realm.
However, even the cheapest Inner Cultivation Method cost at least three thousand Contribution Points. The academy operated on a blatant survival-of-the-fittest principle. ’There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If I want to advance, I’ll have to rely on myself.’
After a quick tour of the first floor, they had to leave, as only True Disciples were allowed on the second floor.
"Looks like we need to find a way to earn some Contribution Points."
Just as he returned to his dormitory, he heard a commotion.
"Stop right there!"
