ASER - Chapter 102
Chapter 102: First
The mental power of two Forbidden Masters is indeed potent, easily fifty thousand.
However, A'Diao had already met with an ordinary Forbidden Master bank escort.
Out of caution, she deliberately transformed into the appearance of an ordinary person.
After collecting her earnings, A'Diao went back and brewed three types of medicine, while simultaneously opening two pouches.
As expected of the Baili family, A'Diao's eyes widened at the sight.
"The compensation gift for me is a 2000-point card, usable at all Spirit Gates under the Academy Alliance. They are indeed generous. Adding the 1600 points I got from passing the fourth layer, I now have a total of 3600 points, enough for 52 hours of cultivation."
"I wonder what compensation gift the Principal received."
A'Diao opened the golden pouch, and inside... a pile of bone fragments tumbled out.
Skeletal Remains.
A total of 50 pieces!
This old man really has a lot of face. But the Baili family is indeed wealthy and well-versed in the art of gift-giving, basically giving what the recipient needs most.
These Skeletal Remains are also highly effective for Forbidden Masters, directly increasing Spirit Element, more versatile than Spirit Cores and the like.
Just what was needed.
With everything ready, A'Diao, after careful consideration, formulated a highly efficient cultivation plan.
Consume Grade C and D medicines + Tendon-Splitting Bone-Misaligning bath + use the state of pain to split Mental Threads + simultaneously absorb Spiritual Energy to cultivate meridians + practice the Principal's control technique and the Blood Bee Art + Heavenly Round Shield.
Even factory assembly line workers weren't as busy as her.
Qu Jiangnan hadn't asked her when she could split the first thread, only saying that after splitting the first, she should continuously split the second, and seek her out if she encountered a bottleneck.
In the following days, A'Diao consumed 3600 points, and after the time was up, she returned to the Chen residence...
Such days were quiet and fulfilling; she seemed to have isolated herself from all external influences.
But the outside world was not peaceful.
News of Lushan Academy and other sects starting recruitment quickly spread, shaking all high schools and universities across the country.
During one class, everyone was present except for Tuoba and Chen A'Diao; they had tacitly acknowledged the special status of these two.
Mingze Ye asked curiously, "Can university students also take the exam?"
Qu Jiangnan: "Naturally, they can."
Everyone's breathing became a little unsteady.
Amidst the discussions, Song Ling said softly, "But this is beneficial for us, isn't it? We have a chance to pre-test for these sects before the college entrance exams. Even if we don't pass, there's still the college entrance exam. This news is actually the most effective opportunity for the third-year high school students, though competing with university students is still a significant disadvantage."
Yuan Shu asked nonchalantly, "Lushan Academy?"
Song Ling: "No."
Lushan Academy is too difficult; probably no one in the entire Jinling has the ability to pass. But one can strive for other platforms.
Qu Jiangnan didn't mention Lushan Academy either, only saying lightly, "Don't overlook another, more realistic opportunity."
Everyone was momentarily confused, but she said, "The Demonic Spirit threat in Jinxiang is not an isolated case. Yesterday's crisis briefing from the government and the academy mentioned that the rate of Demonic Spirit nest outbreaks in various places has increased severalfold. Various species have entered their breeding season. After Danzhou dealt with the bandits, the academy will be invited to various places to exterminate Demonic Spirits. You are among those invited. Whether you go or not is up to you, but it's best to stick together. I'm not talking about a small team, but all of you should stay in a group, lest you die."
Before class ended, she faintly left a final sentence, "Those who might kill you may not necessarily be bandits; they could also be students and teachers from other provinces."
Everyone: "???"
After leaving the room, Qu Jiangnan had no intention of saying more. After all, to her, these students were just her students, not disciples; there wasn't a deep bond. Excluding her appreciation for Song Ling and a few others, the rest were just acquaintances.
Everyone has their own path to walk.
But for now... it was better to have Chen A'Diao master the mental spirit attachment secret art sooner.
Thinking of the increasingly assertive attitude from Kyoto, Qu Jiangnan frowned, thinking: Chen A'Diao hasn't come to me yet. Did something go wrong with splitting the Mental Threads, or is the separation too slow?
But in the end, Qu Jiangnan didn't ask, because she knew A'Diao's intellect far surpassed others; she should have her own plans.
When it was time to find her, she would naturally come.
As a master, one shouldn't be too hasty.
Half a month later.
Inside the cultivation room at Shanzhu Residence, within the range of Skills 202+101, which A'Diao had maxed out using half a month's accumulated Mental Power, streams of spirit liquid from the ground and air, like long, continuous raindrops, twisted into various curves, coiling around A'Diao. They constantly generated and entered... into her body?
No, it was entering the crevices of the Dimensional Space...
An extraordinary new meridian ecosystem was transforming within her body.
If visible to the naked eye, one could see that she now had a full 75 meridians in her body.
Ordinary people, when preparing to break through to Forbidden Master, barely had 15 meridians.
A'Diao had 5 times theirs.
Buzz! The system of 75 meridians stabilized.
"Next time, I'll wait until I have 100 meridians before constructing a new ecosystem." A'Diao finished her cultivation, glanced at her Mental Power, which had dropped to 0, and felt helpless for a moment.
It's too difficult, the Mental Power is gone again.
Toilet: "Both Spirit Clusters are already dual B7. But now, even if you faced a dozen A-ranks, you could take them on. Plus, with the Yuan Staff + armor + control techniques and so on, you can fight Forbidden Masters."
Her foundation is too strong.
The difference between a single soldier and an anti-aircraft fortress.
Actually, she could have reached dual A-rank long ago, but most of her Spiritual Power was used for cultivating meridians, so her progress slowed. But it didn't matter; broadening her foundation was the most important thing. Besides, with so many meridians opened, her explosive power was more effective than even advancing her Spiritual Power to dual A-rank.
So, never mind being able to fight A-ranks across levels; even ganging up on A-ranks would be no problem. Moreover, her upper limit had no bottleneck; she could reach dual A-rank after some time.
"I don't know. Anyway, I wouldn't dare fight someone like Qu Jiangnan or the Principal."
These two were not ordinary Forbidden Masters; their platform was too high. While she was improving, they also didn't lack resources or aptitude for improvement.
For example, Qu Jiangnan's average aptitude of 300 was a conservative estimate from her; her mental body was likely higher, far exceeding 300.
It's best not to encounter such special Forbidden Masters.
A'Diao prepared to gather some Mental Power to continue cultivating. At the very least, she had to finish consuming the remaining 65 days' worth of medicinal ingredients. Then, she would push to the peak of dual A-rank, and finally, tackle the threshold of a Forbidden Master.
A'Diao casually turned on her device. Good heavens, a string of messages popped up. However, there were few private ones, as Song Ling and the others had been informed by A'Diao that she was going into seclusion for cultivation. She didn't have many private friends either, but a few group chats were lively.
She casually scrolled through the messages for a while. The significant news from the past half month included the increasing prosperity of Demonic Spirit lairs in various regions of Danzhou, many Jinling Academy students going out to train from Thursday to Sunday, and another piece of news: her fourth edition 'little yellow book' had already opened up the market in Danzhou, generating an average of 300,000 Mental Power daily.
This Mental Power was also the main source of her Mental Power during her seclusion; otherwise, with her cultivation intensity, it would be very difficult to sustain such a massive consumption of Mental Power.
But it still wasn't enough.
A'Diao consolidated her cultivation and began organizing the fifth edition of her 'little yellow book'. She had to put more effort into this one because a big opportunity was coming. If handled well, she might be able to earn seven to eight hundred thousand Mental Power daily.
And this opportunity was—Lushan Academy and other leading sects opening their doors to recruit disciples.
Although the time hadn't been set yet, it would definitely attract national attention. Smart people had already started preparing.
As for other news, neither she nor Toilet paid attention, such as Tuoba also passing the fourth layer 13 days ago, and 10 people from Class 1 being transferred out, replaced by 10 top students from other classes.
These things no longer held any meaning for A'Diao.
However, after spending half a day organizing the fifth edition of her 'little yellow book', A'Diao also touched up her appearance.
The changes were too rapid; it would be easy for people to think of her physique's transformation and suspect her progress curve. This was a change brought about by the repair of her damaged aptitude, but she wanted to keep a low profile now and didn't dare to stand out, so her appearance had to be disguised.
Afterward, she handed the 'little yellow book' to the dormitory auntie and participated in this round of written exams the next day.
She and Tuoba had been absent for two weeks. Because of their special status, it was impossible to push them out of Class 1, so others didn't mind. However, it was rare to see them both in the examination hall, and everyone was quite surprised.
More importantly...
Yuan Shu stammered in disbelief, "Why are you here?"
From Yuan Shu +22222!
A'Diao casually swiped her card to verify her identity, smiled gently, and said softly, "Because I missed you."
Fuck!
Yuan Shu's face flushed red, and he huffed, "You're shameless!!"
A'Diao smiled, leaned one hand on his desk, and asked seriously, "Has Uncle Yuan picked a wife for you yet?"
Yuan Shu: "?"
A'Diao: "May I ask how much your family offers as a betrothal gift..."
10 billion isn't much, 100 billion might be better.
From Tuoba +33333!
From Song Ling +28888!
From Jiang Yena +11111!
From...
Just then, the teacher came in, coughed to signal the start of the exam. A'Diao seized the last moment, lovingly patted Yuan Shu's head, "Do well on the exam, I have high hopes for you."
From Yuan Shu +44444!
From...
All the classmates, plus the few new students who had just joined, looked back and forth between Tuoba and Yuan Shu.
Domineering straight male jungler king VS silly rich young master?
Teacher: "?"
It's an exam, why does the atmosphere feel even more serious and tense than last time?
After the exam, A'Diao and a few others were still sitting by the roadside, munching on food. This time it was vegetable pancakes brought from home by Tian Zhongye, along with milk tea.
Song Ling wasn't reading a book this time, but she wasn't as unkempt as them, nor did she have a large appetite like A'Diao and the other two. She wasn't eating, but... she was making a strategy guide.
A strategy guide for the next lair raid.
However, A'Diao was improving too quickly and was also in danger of being targeted by the Baili family. Later on, they didn't include her in their plans, but they did buy talismans from her, which had a similar effect. Most importantly, they added another person, which compensated for the combat power.
Originally, he had joined Tuoba's team, but because Tuoba also couldn't manage team lair expeditions, Cheng Zhang had already quit and had been hanging out with Rao Xueya and the others for half a month.
He wasn't used to sitting on the ground either, so he took out two stools, gave one to Song Ling, and said, "Why do I feel like the frequency of Demonic Spirit outbreaks has been increasing lately? It's completely exponential. Although this is beneficial for our development, it's clear that their attack trajectory is getting closer and closer to some central cities."
Currently, the three global nations are essentially fighting on multiple fronts. The military has recruited three times already, and students from academies everywhere have entered a period of rapid development. This so-called development means they barely attend classes for a few days before having to go to lairs to fight.
"High school is still okay; university is truly dangerous. My cousin almost died in the Southern Sea Region last time."
This topic was too depressing, yet it was something they had to face.
Southern Sea Region?
A'Diao recalled a message from Yingda on her phone, which indeed also mentioned the Southern Sea Region.
The fighting was brutal; it was currently the most dangerous area with frequent lairs in the five southern provinces. Cultivators paled at the mention of it.
While A'Diao was pondering the matter of the Southern Sea Region, a message from Qu Jiangnan arrived.
Asking her to come to her residence to inquire about her cultivation progress.
A'Diao finished eating, asked Tian Zhongxiang for two more vegetable pancakes, and walked off carrying them.
Just as she left, the grade rankings were released.
First place: Chen A'Diao, Jiang Yena, 650 points.
Second place: Song Ling, 550 points.
Third place: Zhou Xiuhe, 549 points.
Fourth place...
In the crowd, everyone was a bit stunned.
Jiang Yena, who was silently munching on a milk bun, paused, touched his ear, his expression a bit dazed for a moment.
He had been caught up to.
Tuoba and Yuan Shu suddenly understood A'Diao's earlier 'loving' expression: Idiots, it's hard to be on par with me, after all, our IQs don't match, so you all have to work harder.
But... this matter definitely wasn't over.
"Quick, turn off your devices!"
"Leave the group chat, quick!"
"Can't leave, it's the class teacher's group!"
"Fuck! I'll block notifications... too late!"
Ding dong, another message from classmate Chen A'Diao arrived.
It was a sticker/emoji.
It was still that flying eagle. She was still sitting on the edge of a cliff, holding milk tea and sipping it noisily, but she was wearing a shirt. On the shirt were four words—You guys, suck.
Everything was said without words.
The ten new students who had just joined were dumbfounded. Seeing the other students either fuming with rage or lamenting like wronged wives, and then looking at their own scores of 200, ranking at the bottom, they silently had their ambitions of getting into the top ten completely crushed.
Too terrifying, this Class 1 was too terrifying.
Only Song Ling was unfazed. She touched her ring, thought of the content she had casually flipped through in the newly bought fifth edition 'little yellow book' that morning, and chuckled softly.
A branch of plum blossoms hung with snow; a gentle breeze came, the branch quivered slightly, its pure beauty filling the garden, peerless and unique.
Qu Jiangnan never doubted that A'Diao's written exam scores would surge to the top, but...
"Have you been busy studying and doing test papers recently?"
Otherwise, how could you improve so much?
A'Diao couldn't very well say she only spent half a day working on her 'little yellow book' while also doing them, could she?
"Yes, yes, I've finished them all."
There was nothing wrong with doing well in the written exams. Qu Jiangnan didn't say anything about that and asked about her progress with the Mental Threads. "How many now?"
This was the main point.
"38 threads, Teacher."
"8 threads? Not bad, better than I imagined. Wait, how many did you say?"
"38."
"..."
The composed Head Teacher Qu was ultimately stunned for a good while, finally looking at A'Diao as if dissecting her.
A'Diao felt creeped out by her gaze and said awkwardly, "Teacher, do you want me to take off my clothes?"
Pah!
Qu Jiangnan flicked her forehead. "No respect for elders! Speak, how did you manage so many all of a sudden? I spent half a month before and only managed about 42."
She lacked neither aptitude nor resources, far surpassing A'Diao, but A'Diao's progress was unusual.
Could the tested mental body aptitude have been wrong?
A'Diao didn't intend to hide it from Qu Jiangnan because she wanted to solidify their master-disciple relationship, and the other party was genuinely teaching her; being secretive wasn't good.
"I have a formula for a medicinal bath to temper my physique, given by my elder brother. The process is very painful, so I thought of using this state of mental anguish to split Mental Threads. It later proved to be quite effective."
Chen Xun was indeed unfathomable; it wasn't strange that he could obtain such potent formulas. But Qu Jiangnan had never thought of this method. "It sounds feasible, but most people can't even endure the pain of splitting a single Mental Thread and would faint directly. Your method is too risky, but since you can endure it and it's so efficient, it's quite good."
Qu Jiangnan was indeed very satisfied, satisfied with A'Diao's self-study, because she herself was such a person.
A'Diao asked Qu Jiangnan if she would teach her how to control Mental Threads next.
"I originally planned to, because I thought your progress would be within 10 Mental Threads. But now you can split 38, far exceeding my estimate. In that case, you might as well split more, solidify your early foundation, and broaden your future development."
As Qu Jiangnan spoke, she suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought about the Lushan Academy assessment?"
Huh?
She's been acknowledged by her?
When her mental body aptitude was 200 points, she didn't mention it. Now she did. It seems actual results are more persuasive than anything.
"Teacher, can I pass the exam?"
"The probability is very, very small, but you can try. Because once you pass, all the hidden dangers I mentioned before will vanish, and you will directly possess the growth platform of a future supreme expert."
A'Diao saw a light in Qu Jiangnan's eyes and felt a slight strangeness in her heart. "Teacher, are you taking the exam?"
"I can't. Their student age requirement is under 25. Over 25, one's root bones are set, and the golden development period is missed. Unless one is a subversive-level prodigy, they are not qualified for Lushan Academy to relax its rules."
Even an average aptitude of three hundred isn't enough.
It sounds like such a pity.
A'Diao: "I was thinking, if I couldn't pass in the future, I'd still have a master to rely on, a thigh to hug. If Master soars, it's like she's taking me with her. Isn't there a saying, 'When one person achieves the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'?"
Qu Jiangnan glanced at her. "Which one are you?"
Which one what?
The chicken, or the dog?
A'Diao, feeling the implied meaning, rolled her eyes dramatically and asked, "Then I'll continue splitting Mental Threads? But Teacher, I need to go on a long trip next."
"I know, to a lair? Which one?" Qu Jiangnan naturally knew A'Diao couldn't stay idle. Cultivation consumed resources, and Chen A'Diao didn't really have other channels for resources; raiding lairs was the most realistic method.
She didn't mind, but A'Diao said, "I don't know, I'll go... check out that place over there."
She mentioned the name of a level four lair.
That place wasn't safe, but it was manageable. Qu Jiangnan calculated the danger level there, compared it with A'Diao's Daoist art control and Spiritual Power cultivation, plus the talismans she possessed, and didn't stop her. "That place is a mixed bag; there might be level 5 leaders. Prepare more talismans."
The reason the combat-proficient Tuoba could always stay ahead was because his combat power could surpass a certain cultivation level. But according to Qu Jiangnan's estimation, A'Diao, skilled in both Daoist arts and talismans, should have a comprehensive combat power of C-rank, but her survival ability was B+.
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow."
So soon?
Qu Jiangnan thought for a moment and taught A'Diao both the control and out-of-body aspects of mental spirit attachment.
A'Diao was surprised. Didn't they agree to wait until she had more Mental Threads before...
"The outside world is too dangerous, accidents can easily happen. It's not essential for you to learn it now, but if necessary, in a perilous moment, you can call for my help. But if I can't make it in time, you'd rather take a gamble; it's better than dying."
Qu Jiangnan didn't like to talk much during teaching, unlike the old Daoist. The old Daoist was talkative, sharp-tongued, and habitually treated her coldly. But A'Diao was intelligent and belatedly realized that these experiences were greatly beneficial to her; at least she was strong.
Qu Jiangnan's teaching principles were actually similar, but she was taciturn yet her words held substance, and she wouldn't set any rigid frameworks for her.
Just learn. It doesn't matter how well you learn it.
Just stay alive.
This goal was much more high-end than 'you only get dinner if you learn it'. A'Diao lowered her head, memorized all this knowledge, and also observed and comprehended Qu Jiangnan's control until late at night.
The next morning, at dawn, A'Diao came out of the cultivation room at Shanzhu Residence and suddenly found something extra on the table.
A bag.
Delicate and elegant... After opening it, she saw an object inside.
Spirit Plant Body.
A'Diao: "???"
After careful inspection, A'Diao scratched her head, her expression odd.
This is a specialized camouflage-type Spirit Plant Body, a high-grade one. Its energy level alone is worth 3000 points.
Toilet: "Moved?"
A'Diao: "Not really, it just feels very strange. It doesn't feel like something I scrounged for. A pie falling from the sky, it's weird..."
Toilet understood. This person had been abandoned since childhood and had grown accustomed to a utilitarian lifestyle with the old Daoist. She saw through human relationships too clearly, wasn't easily moved, and instead, would easily become more guarded towards others because of it.
For example, Chen Xun was a tragic example—a cold, unfeeling 'Diao' sister made of steel that couldn't be warmed up...
"Never mind her, just take it. Are you going to refuse it?" Toilet had just finished asking when it saw A'Diao had already claimed ownership.
Refuse it?
How could that be possible.
She had kowtowed, after all. Her master was extraordinarily reliable, so in the future, she, as a disciple, could also perform her duties extraordinarily well.
"The old Daoist was so trashy to me, but didn't I still collect his corpse... Her treatment won't be worse than the old Daoist's."
A'Diao defined it for herself and felt no guilt about it. Afterward, she fiddled with this camouflage Spirit Plant Body and found that it didn't conflict with the 'unrecognizable by parents' effect; instead, it provided two layers of protection.
Excellent.
But after quietly leaving Jinling Academy, A'Diao didn't tell Qu Jiangnan that she wasn't going to that level four lair at all, but to the currently most dangerous Southern coastline region.
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