Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

Sima Army whispered a reminder.

Chu Lingguang grew even more alarmed. Last time, Poisonous Snake couldn’t determine if he had grasped the True Meaning of Spear Technique and had told him that only Yun Hong could confirm it in the Trial Ground. But Yun Hong had left to greet some arrivals, and unexpectedly, the people he brought back were his own junior brothers.

Chu Lingguang had never seen these three in the Learning Palace.

As they approached, he asked calmly, "What do you mean, ’something different’?"

"You were in a coma for nine days. Do you really think it was just a normal sleep? You didn’t notice any other changes when you woke up?"

the youth in the black robe asked.

"I did."

Chu Lingguang nodded.

"What changes?"

the yellow-robed youth asked.

At his words, Sima Army, Jin Huang, and Zhao Rushuang, who was standing nearby, all perked up their ears. They were all curious about what changes Chu Lingguang had undergone.

"I got stronger,"

Chu Lingguang replied.

Everyone was taken aback.

The three youths in black, white, and yellow looked exasperated. The one in white said, "We all hope you get stronger. It’d be best if you became strong enough to at least pique our interest a little."

"What do you mean?"

Chu Lingguang asked with a frown.

"A-grade Talent. Not bad, but ’not bad’ is as good as it gets."

The black-robed youth glanced at the Token on Chu Lingguang’s waist. The words "A Class" were met with a look of disdain.

Sima Army and the others could hear the mockery in the black-robed youth’s tone. It was deeply unpleasant, but knowing he was Yun Hong’s junior brother and possessed unfathomable strength, they were all angry but dared not speak out.

"Want to know what our talent grade is?"

the yellow-robed youth asked.

"No."

Chu Lingguang said, shaking his head decisively.

"Why?"

the white-robed youth asked, not understanding.

"Whether your talent is strong or weak has nothing to do with me,"

Chu Lingguang said.

"Don’t you want to become like us, or even defeat us?"

the white-robed youth asked with growing curiosity.

"I only want to defeat one person,"

Chu Lingguang replied.

"Who?"

the black-robed youth asked sharply.

The white-robed youth frowned and couldn’t help but glance over at Yun Hong. The yellow-robed youth noticed this and was about to mock Chu Lingguang again, but Chu Lingguang spoke before he could. "Myself."

"My master once said that on the path of Martial Arts, to not advance is to regress. But the most important thing isn’t comparing yourself to others. It’s staying true to yourself and surpassing yourself,"

Chu Lingguang added.

The three youths’ expressions froze.

They had, of course, all heard such a simple principle before. But coming from Chu Lingguang, the words sounded completely different.

In the distance, Yun Hong, the goat-bearded old man, and the others all heard Chu Lingguang’s words, and smiles appeared on their faces.

Each stage on the path of cultivation presents its own perilous trial.

The prerequisite for a breakthrough is to surpass oneself.

Only by staying true to oneself and retaining that initial, pure heart could one walk further down the path of Martial Arts.

Unfortunately, while everyone understood the principle, not everyone could follow through with it.

There were often people with decent talent who were too eager for quick success. In their rush to surpass others, they would damage their own foundations, only to find themselves stuck at a bottleneck, unable to ever break through again.

"Hmph!"

Yun Hong snorted inwardly.

The three youths—in black, white, and yellow—felt a clap of thunder detonate in their minds. They shot Chu Lingguang a deep look before hurriedly returning to their spots, no longer bothering him.

"Was he... lecturing us just now?"

the yellow-robed youth said resentfully.

"He can’t possibly think he’s the only one who awakened a Bloodline Dragon Elephant on the first day!"

the black-robed youth said angrily.

"Enough," the white-robed youth advised. "Chu Lingguang is right. The real ability is in surpassing oneself. Maybe we’ve been selling ourselves short, and at the same time, thinking too highly of ourselves."

His words stunned the other two once more.

After that, they fell silent, waiting for the authorities to speak.

"The Trial Ground holds an examination every ten days. Today, we will test the results of every one of you," the imposing man known as Poisonous Snake announced. "According to the initial standards, if any of you have failed to merge the Great River Operation Method with other Operation Techniques within these ten days, you have not reached the introductory level. This means you will be expelled. If there is anyone here who has not reached this stage, step forward now and leave!"

From the ranks of nearly one hundred students, three eventually stepped forward, looking utterly dejected. They were escorted out by the Black Armored Warriors. No one dared to stay and try to slip through the cracks.

The competition in the Trial Ground was fierce, and its rules were strict. Anyone caught cheating would face severe punishment, which could even extend to their families.

The three who had failed didn’t believe they could get away with lying, and they certainly didn’t dare challenge the authority of the Trial Ground.

After all, even the Royal Family and Nobility had to abide by every rule here. Someone of Zhao Rushuang’s status was no exception and had no special privileges.

"Since the rest of you have successfully passed the introductory stage, we will now test your results in batches. The evaluation criteria will be your comprehensive strength, which includes the number of Dragon Elephants, your Qi Power growth, and the degree of compatibility between your merged Great River Operation Method, Pile Skill, and Breathing Technique."

"The number of Dragon Elephants, Qi Power growth, and Cultivation Technique compatibility will each account for roughly thirty percent of your score,"

Poisonous Snake said again.

The crowd remained silent. They were all already familiar with these evaluation standards.

"Awakening more than fifteen Dragon Elephants is considered A Class."

"An increase in Qi Blood Power equivalent to ten Dragon Elephants is considered A Class."

"A Cultivation Technique compatibility of nearly seventy percent is considered A Class."

Poisonous Snake began to detail the grading criteria.

Chu Lingguang clenched his fists slightly.

’My Blood Dragon Elephant and Bloodline Dragon Elephant have now merged into one. I wonder how they’ll evaluate that?’

But he had soaked in a medicinal bath for three days.

’My Qi Blood Power has certainly grown significantly. Even if it isn’t quite equivalent to the power of ten Dragon Elephants, it has to be close.’