sinovels Chapter 14 Lingmi
Chapter 14 Lingmi
"Alright, that's all for now."
Shen Yanshan waved his hand, a hint of impatience already showing on his face.
His gaze frequently passed over Zhao Cheng'an and landed on a tattered scroll placed on the edge of the desk.
Although Zhao Cheng'an still had many unanswered questions, he could tell that the other party did not want to say any more, so he could only tactfully take his leave first.
Moreover, the amount of information he learned this time was enormous, and he really needed to find a quiet place to summarize and reflect on it.
"This disciple takes his leave."
Zhao Cheng'an clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Shen Yanshan, then turned to leave.
"etc."
Shen Yanshan suddenly called out to him.
"After passing the Imperial Academy's examination, you will receive a monthly supply of cultivation resources. This includes one spirit stone, about two kilograms of spirit rice, and one opportunity for a private lesson and Q&A session."
"In addition, I will hold occasional quizzes. The specific content and timing depend entirely on my personal mood. The rewards for the quizzes include spirit stones, cultivation techniques, cultivation materials, and so on."
"If you want to obtain more resources, then strive to perform well and improve your cultivation as soon as possible. Don't hold back; the entire East Sea Region has no shortage of so-called geniuses."
Shen Yanshan paused for a moment, his tone becoming serious.
"There's one more thing you need to remember. All the resources consumed by the cultivation techniques you practice are provided to you by the Dao Court free of charge. Although these things may not be much to the Dao Court, I hope you will be grateful."
"You've really come into a good era."
Shen Yanshan's face was full of emotion. "Thousands of years ago, before the Dao Court appeared in the East Sea Region, the situation was much more tragic than it is now. Cultivators would exchange sword strikes upon meeting, and exploring a secret realm would result in dozens of deaths. Mutual slaughter was commonplace."
"Those who know the truth would think they're cultivating immortality, but those who don't would think it's a gang war."
This time, Shen Yanshan finally finished explaining everything he needed to.
Zhao Chengan bowed again.
He turned around, used his arms to lift the large stack of heavy ancient books on the table, and walked towards the door with somewhat heavy steps.
……
crunch.
The heavy wooden door was pulled open.
As soon as Zhao Chengan stepped out of the door, a tall young man walked towards him.
The man was dressed in a dark gold outfit and wore a Wuhou crown; he was none other than Xiang Yunyuan, the Crown Prince of Western Chu.
The two met at the doorway, their eyes meeting in mid-air.
A clear look of surprise flashed across Xiang Yunyuan's face.
Actually, he had already guessed something when he saw the headmaster stop and tap the table in front of Zhao Cheng'an in the classroom. But now, seeing Zhao Cheng'an walking out of the headmaster's study carrying a pile of cultivation books, he still found it hard to believe.
However, Xiang Yunyuan reacted extremely quickly.
He immediately stepped aside to make way for Zhao Chengan, and at the same time cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.
"Congratulations, Third Prince."
Zhao Cheng'an remained expressionless, merely nodding slightly in response.
Xiang Yunyuan paused briefly, his expression shifting a few times, before continuing to speak.
"What happened in the Scripture Pavilion was due to my lax discipline of my subordinates, which caused many offenses. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
He secretly felt a pang of regret.
His personality has always been flamboyant and domineering. Moreover, for a long time, the national strength of Dayin and Xichu was roughly equal. Recently, seeing that Dayin's situation was not good, he couldn't help but step forward and make a few sarcastic remarks, wanting to have some fun.
But he never expected that Zhao Chengan, who had been a sycophant for three years, would also pass the test.
This is getting a bit complicated.
"I will definitely pay you a visit another day. I hope Your Highness can forgive me for what I have done," Xiang Yunyuan said sincerely.
Faced with Xiang Yunyuan's apology, Zhao Chengan twitched the corner of his mouth, remaining noncommittal.
The two people stepped aside to pass by.
Xiang Yunyuan entered the study, seemingly to ask the master some questions, and soon the sound of the two talking could be heard from inside.
Lingwei, who had been waiting outside, immediately went to greet Zhao Cheng'an when he came out and took the stack of books from his arms that looked like it was about to crush him.
Zhao Chengan looked at her with some surprise.
This girl was slender and looked like she had very little flesh on her body, but she was incredibly strong. She carried books weighing dozens of kilograms without even breaking a sweat.
The two walked out side by side.
Lingwei lowered her voice, "I wonder what happened just now? Did Your Highness and Young Master Xiang have some kind of conflict?"
"It's nothing, just a small matter," Zhao Cheng'an shook his head, his tone indifferent.
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Lingwei did not continue to dwell on the topic.
After all, she was just a novice Daoist. And both Xiang Yunyuan and Zhao Chengan were now official students of the High Priest, neither of whom she could easily offend.
However, Lingwei couldn't help but share some gossip she knew.
Zhao Cheng'an learned this from Lingwei.
Of the four people who passed the assessment, Sun Fuli and Xu Baiheng both had low-grade spiritual roots, while Xiang Yunyuan had a mid-grade one. However, Xiang Yunyuan had three different spiritual root attributes, making him slightly inferior to Zhao Chengan overall.
Of all the students, Chen Heng has the most extraordinary talent.
Because Chen Heng not only has a single-attribute spiritual root, but also has top-notch aptitude.
There are a total of nine strange phenomena on the Spirit Guiding Stele. Zhao Cheng'an's phenomenon is the fourth-order phenomenon of stars gathering for the first time, while Chen Heng's phenomenon is the seventh-order phenomenon of starlight like a waterfall.
Such talent is rare not only in the low-spirit region, but even among some cultivation families. It basically guarantees admission to a top-tier cultivation lineage, and even a first-rate lineage is within reach; there's a very good chance.
"It's said that even the chief priest was taken aback when the aptitude was tested," Lingwei said with a hint of envy.
After listening, Zhao Chengan was filled with emotion.
No wonder Shen Yanshan would stay behind after each lesson on ancient teachings to patiently and meticulously answer every question Chen Heng raised.
In any normal power structure, geniuses will always be favored.
……
The two reached a fork in the road.
Lingwei summoned several passing servants in gray robes and instructed them to safely deliver the books to Zhao Cheng'an's bamboo house.
Then she pointed to a path leading deep into the valley.
"Young Master Zhao, Mr. Qi is responsible for distributing the cultivation resources each month."
"Mr. Qi is extremely meticulous in his work, but his personality is a bit eccentric. You must be patient with him later, and be careful with your words, so as not to make him angry."
Zhao Cheng'an nodded slightly and thanked Ling Wei.
The two parted ways at the crossroads.
Zhao Cheng'an walked alone along the path into the riverbank area deep in the valley.
The streams flow gently on both sides, and the trees provide ample shade.
A vast expanse of golden rice paddies appeared ahead. Bathed in the autumn sunlight, the rice ears gleamed with an alluring luster. A delicate fragrance wafted on the breeze, making one's mouth water.
However, I was standing too far away to see clearly just now.
When Zhao Cheng'an got closer, he realized that although the entire field of spirit rice was a golden expanse of harvest, not every single stalk of spirit rice was growing particularly well.
Many of the rice plants had died from disease, their leaves withered and curled.
Looking around, the number of people who died from the disease was quite high. In some places, the disease even spread out into a large area, which was shocking to see.
An old farmer dressed in coarse white clothes and wearing a tattered straw hat was squatting on the edge of the field.
He examined a withered rice stalk with a worried expression. "This stalk looked perfectly fine yesterday, how could it just snap and die overnight?"
"This one is infected with wilt disease, and this one had its roots bitten by some kind of insect..."
"This damn place is truly cursed!"
The old farmer squatted on the edge of the field, complaining incessantly for a long time.
A gentle breeze blew by, and only then did I notice someone standing behind me.
He clutched his lower back and slowly stood up from the ground.
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Cheng'an briefly. "You're the new disciple who just passed the assessment? What's your name again...?"
"Reporting to the Master, your disciple Zhao Cheng'an."
Qi Weizhao looked him up and down. "He's not bad looking."
"The resources you need are all prepared and placed in that little wooden hut over there. Just go in and get them yourself. Remember, take them and leave, and don't touch anything you shouldn't. You can't afford to pay for anything inside if you break it."
Zhao Cheng'an originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask a few more questions about spirit stones and spirit rice.
However, seeing Qi Weizhao's distressed state due to the withering of the sacred rice, he wisely abandoned the idea.
"Yes, Your disciple obeys."
After bowing to Qi Weizhao.
Zhao Cheng'an took his share of resources from the wooden house and left the valley.