Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

The carriage slowly came to a stop.

Chu Bai and Li Han had just lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage. They didn’t even have a chance to look back at the bustling streets of Dayuan Prefecture City before they were struck by the scene before them.

"This is... the Prefecture Daoist School?"

Li Han murmured to himself, the astonishment unconcealed on his usually composed face.

If Anping County’s Cyan Cloud Academy still carried a hint of the mortal world’s mundane air, then the Prefecture Daoist School before them already showed the beginnings of a celestial grandeur.

What greeted their eyes was not an ordinary, deep courtyard estate, but a magnificent complex of buildings constructed along the side of a mountain.

The mountain wasn’t high, yet it was suffused with rich Spiritual Qi and wreathed in clouds and mist.

The towering main gate, carved from a single, enormous block of bluish-white jade, stood dozens of yards high, like a gateway to the heavens.

Flanking the entrance were two statues of Exotic Beasts that resembled neither lion nor tiger. Their eyes faintly glowed with a mysterious light, emitting a heart-pounding Spiritual Pressure.

From time to time, white cranes could be seen weaving through the clouds, their clear, high-pitched cries echoing in the air.

Chu Bai took a deep breath. The air here felt several times fresher than outside, and the Purifying Power within his body stirred, becoming slightly more active on its own.

’Truly a grand display,’ Chu Bai praised inwardly. ’This is the real threshold to the Cultivation Realm. Compared to this, Anping County is like a countryside private school.’

Li Wenyuan, long accustomed to this sight, led the two of them directly toward a side hall next to the main gate.

An altar-like desk was set up there, where a middle-aged Daoist in a standard-issue, pale cyan Daoist Robe was listlessly flipping through a booklet in his hands.

"Instructor Sun."

Li Wenyuan stepped forward, took a faintly glowing Official Seal from his robes, and gently pressed it on the desk. "The selection from Anping County is complete. These two are the chosen students. I’ve come to hand them over."

Hearing this, Instructor Sun barely lifted his eyelids. He casually took the Official Seal, glanced at it, and said flatly, "Oh, Anping County. You’re early this year... Just leave it. I’ll take them to the back to wait later."

His words were laced with an undisguised disdain for the subordinate counties.

After all, although the students sent from the seventy-two counties each year were promising talents, to the world-weary instructors of the Prefecture Daoist School, they were mostly unremarkable. Their aptitude was worlds apart from the Noble Sons of the Prefecture City, who were cultivated with a mountain of resources.

Li Wenyuan didn’t get angry. He simply smiled and added, "Instructor Sun, Anping County has produced a fine talent this time. This is Chu Bai, the Top Scholar of this year’s County Examination. He scored Class A in all three subjects."

"Hmm?"

"Class A in all three subjects?"

Instructor Sun, who had been flipping through his booklet, abruptly froze.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the young man behind Li Wenyuan like a bolt of lightning, a trace of astonishment in his eyes.

"Class A in all three subjects?" Instructor Sun put down his booklet and re-evaluated Chu Bai. The casual indifference in his tone vanished almost instantly.

"Class A in Qi Absorption, Spirit Control, and Heart Inquiry? Such results are as rare as a phoenix feather among the seventy-two counties. He’s not far behind even a few of the famous prodigies from the Prefecture City’s Noble Families."

He stood up, gave Chu Bai a slight nod, and even cracked a small smile. "Not bad. A talent worth nurturing. Once you’re in the Daoist School, cultivate diligently."

The change in his attitude before and after happened in an instant.

Chu Bai remained calm, cupping his hands in a salute. "Thank you for the praise, Instructor."

Inwardly, however, he came to an even clearer understanding: ’In this Cultivation Realm, strength and results are the best way to open doors and the only pass that matters.’

With the handover complete, Li Wenyuan and Zhang Wu’s task was finished.

"Chu Bai, Li Han, this is as far as we can take you." Li Wenyuan patted both their shoulders, his eyes filled with expectation. "You’ll have to walk the rest of the path on your own. Don’t bring shame to Anping County."

"Take care, you two sirs."

After bidding farewell to the two examiners, Chu Bai and Li Han, led by Instructor Sun, formally stepped through the gates of the Prefecture Daoist School.

...

They passed through numerous corridors and wound around several rockeries with flowing water.

As they walked, Instructor Sun gave a brief introduction to the Daoist School’s rules, finally leading the two to the front of a magnificent hall—Chengyun Hall.

"Go on in. Find a place to sit and wait for the Receiving Talisman ceremony to begin."

Instructor Sun pointed at the great hall, then turned and left.

Chu Bai and Li Han stepped into the hall and found it to be incredibly spacious, large enough to hold several thousand people. The floor was paved with smooth, warm jade, and cattail cushions were placed at regular intervals.

At this moment, over a hundred young men and women were already gathered inside.

Chu Bai’s gaze swept across the room, and he keenly sensed the clear-cut division within the crowd.

The best spots in the center of the hall were occupied by a group of lavishly dressed youths with relaxed expressions.

They were gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing cheerfully, and seemed to have known each other for a long time. These were clearly the students from the Prefecture City itself.

Meanwhile, in the remote corners around the hall, a number of more plainly dressed and reserved-looking youths were scattered about.

Most of them were silent, or huddled in small groups, speaking in low voices. They watched the group in the center with a mixture of envy and vigilance. These must be the students from the various counties.

After all, the quotas for each region were small, so few came from the same school. They didn’t know each other beforehand and were new to the Prefecture City, so their cautiousness was natural.

Chu Bai said nothing. He gave Li Han a look, and the two tacitly found an inconspicuous corner to sit cross-legged and wait quietly.

The time it takes to burn an incense stick passed, and more people continued to trickle in. The clamor of voices only ceased when a long, clear bell chime echoed through the hall.

DONG—

As the echo of the bell faded, a figure appeared out of thin air on the high platform at the front of the hall.

It was an old man with white hair but a youthful face, dressed in a purple Daoist Robe with wide, flowing sleeves. Though he had not spoken, an invisible pressure already enveloped the entire hall.

"I am Lu He, and I have the humble honor of serving as the Vice-Principal of the Prefecture Daoist School."

The old man’s voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly in everyone’s ears.

Everyone’s heart tensed, and they immediately sat up straight and proper.

Lu He’s gaze swept across the hall. He didn’t immediately start reciting school rules and regulations. Instead, he began slowly, "Do you all know why we establish these Daoist Schools? Why you must receive a talismanic post?"

The crowd below exchanged glances, not daring to answer.

Lu He’s expression turned solemn, and his voice gradually grew grander. "Long ago, when the Grand Ancestor of Great Zhou founded our dynasty, he saw a world where Demons ran rampant and the Human Race was reduced to mere food, suffering beyond words. The Grand Ancestor thus made a great vow: that everyone under the heavens could practice Cultivation, that every person could become a dragon!"

"To this end, Great Zhou marshalled the entire nation’s strength to weave the Law Net, to tame the violent spiritual energy of nature, and to suppress the Evil Qi. Only then did we achieve the stable cultivation environment we have today."

At this point, Lu He’s tone shifted, taking on a touch of cold realism. "However, the resources of heaven and earth are ultimately finite. It is impossible for every single person to truly become a dragon. Thus, we established the Daoist Schools and the Celestial Examinations to select the best and eliminate the rest."

"To enter my Daoist School is to enter the Law Net system. From this day forward, you are no longer rootless duckweed, insignificant Wild Cultivators. You are the very foundation of this Great Zhou Yun Dynasty!"

These words made the blood of the youths below boil with excitement. Even Chu Bai couldn’t help but feel a stir in his heart.

This was the grand framework of cultivation under a Yun Dynasty.

"The time has come! Open the Law Net, Receive the Talisman!"

Following Lu He’s sharp cry, he waved a large hand.

The dome at the top of Chengyun Hall slowly opened. It did not reveal the sky, but a stretch of brilliant golden light.

The golden light was not a physical substance, but the tangible manifestation of some immense set of rules—a projection of the Law Net!

BUZZ!

Golden pillars of light descended from above, precisely enveloping every student in the hall.

Chu Bai felt a warmth on his brow as a vast, majestic, and impartial will swept through his entire body.

Under this will, the Spiritual Power inside him rejoiced as if it had found its source.

Immediately after, that will coalesced deep within his Sea of Consciousness, forming a dusty-gray talismanic seal that began to slowly rotate.

[Receiving Talisman Successful]

[Identity Acquired: Great Zhou Daoist Record (Gray Talisman)]

As the Talisman took shape, Chu Bai’s eyes snapped open.

The world had changed.

If before, he had perceived nature’s spiritual energy through a thin veil, then now, that veil had been lifted.

His perception of the surrounding Spiritual Qi had become much clearer, as if the entire world had become more "friendly" toward him.

This was the privilege of one who had received a talisman—the blessing of the Law Net.

Chu Bai touched the spot between his eyebrows. Although the seal was hidden from sight, he could clearly sense it within his Sea of Consciousness.

As the Gray Talisman between his brows fully stabilized, Chu Bai suddenly felt a familiar tremor from his Sea of Consciousness.

He was all too familiar with this feeling—it was the precursor to a change in his status panel.

’This feeling... is it the Fate Chart?’