The examination rules of the Academy Banquet were intricate and demanding, each stage more challenging than the last. Without thorough preparation, it was all too easy to falter and be eliminated.
The second trial testing production skills was a measure of one's origin and background.
For cultivators of the lower three grades, without the heritage of a powerful sect or clan, it was nearly impossible to achieve mastery in these crafts through self-study alone.
Knowledge passed down, resources poured in; these were towering thresholds that defined class divisions, and none were easily crossed.
Although Jing Qian had not devoted much of his energy to these specialized skills, he had his own unorthodox methods; he would not stumble here.
Quietly, he studied the competitors around him, trying to discern their backgrounds.
In his view, if anyone meant to obstruct his path to Dao, it would most likely be among these people.
But when he activated Worldly Insight to scan the assembly, all he found were youths of modest cultivation, eighth or ninth grade, none older than a few decades.
With his current level of power, such half-grown children, even tied together, would not be his match.
Lifting his gaze instead, he looked up at the top of the Academy Cave-Heaven, where a jade platform hung thousands of fathoms above.
Several grey-clad figures stood upon it.
Perhaps the real threats were there?
And indeed, when his eyes swept upward, he realized the figures were already looking back at him.
A sharp blade hidden in a sack cannot help but pierce through its brilliance, impossible to conceal!
Among the disciples gathered for this banquet, Jing Qian had done his utmost to remain inconspicuous. But to the great cultivators upon that jade platform, he stood out unmistakably, like a flawless gem among rough stones.
A woman in a plain long dress, her expression cold and serene, was the first to speak:
"Master of the Banquet, this youth will surely be the champion of this year's trials. By rule, our Mirror Cloud Shrine has the first right of selection. I declare this now, so all fellow Daoists may be aware, lest disputes arise later and disturb the harmony."
At the center of the group, a middle-aged scholar in crimson robes glanced at her and said:
"All of you should already know this Academy Banquet is unlike any other. I need not spell out the reasons. If you are here, then you understand. It is precisely for this reason that I, myself, preside over this year's banquet."
"I have already communicated with the heads of all the Daoist lineages: no violations of the rules will be tolerated. Everything must proceed step by step, according to proper order."
"When it is the Mirror Cloud Shrine's turn to choose, you may select whomever you wish. I will not interfere. For now, simply observe."
This speaker was the Master of the Academy Banquet Scholar Jiang of Longfeng Mountain, a third-rank divine official appointed by Heaven itself.
With cultivation at the Star-Seizing Realm and the divine seal of Heaven's Mandate upon him, his strength was formidable. He could suppress any demon or monster that dared disturb the proceedings, ensuring the banquet unfolded in stability.
Ordinarily, this ritual would be overseen by his two deputies, cultivators of the Earth Fiend Realm, each taking turns. But this year, the disturbance had been so great, the descent of the last Pure Yang Son himself, that Jiang had no choice but to take charge personally.
When Jing Qian raised his head toward the jade platform, the eleven representatives of the great Daoist lineages were already staring back at him.
The unspoken understanding was clear: they were all waiting for this youth to step forward.
Just then, the Master of the Banquet's voice rang out, resonating in the minds of every candidate present:
"Young talents, your identities have been verified. The banquet now officially begins."
"For the first round, you shall behold the vast treasures of our Divine Dynasty!"
"Soon, I shall open one of the one hundred and eight Heavenly Vaults, repositories of rare materials accumulated over countless millennia."
"You may each enter, freely select whatever materials suit you, and within two hours forge a single artifact of entry-grade quality to leave behind."
"If the artifact demonstrates the full potential of the materials, and its value surpasses that of its base components, you pass this round."
"Within those two hours, you may take as many materials as you wish. Forge ten items, a hundred, even ten thousand, if you are able; it is all permitted. In the end, only the most valuable of your works shall be kept as your entry."
"Furthermore, only artifacts successfully refined to entry-grade or higher may be taken out of the vaults as a reward. This is the boon our Divine Dynasty grants you."
"Now, young talents step forward!"
The Master of the Banquet waved his sleeve, and from within the cave-heaven emerged a massive bronze gate.
The gate swung open, and boundless spiritual radiance poured forth. Even someone as well-traveled as Jing Qian was left astonished by the wealth stored within this vault.
The Divine Dynasty had ruled the Realm of Yingfutu for tens of thousands of years, amassing riches beyond imagination.
Now, gathered here were the core disciples of each province chosen to contend for opportunity in the capital. For such talents, the Dynasty spared no expense.
The privilege to freely draw upon rare treasures for two full hours was one of the greatest benefits of the banquet. Even those who ultimately failed the examination would not walk away empty-handed; at the very least, they would leave with a fortune in materials.
Fan Zhuoyan, scarcely able to contain his excitement, pulled Jing Qian toward the gate.
Even as the son of a master craftsman in the weaving arts, he could only experience such unfettered access to rare resources here, at the Academy Banquet.
The moment they stepped through, space and time folded, and the two were separated, each appearing in an individual workshop.
Within Jing Qian's workshop, everything needed was laid out: a furnace, an anvil, carving tools, writing desk tools suited to every craft.
Before him appeared a peculiar wooden chest. A sweep of his divine sense revealed its function: the Treasure Distribution Chest.
This chest was directly linked to the vault. Any material could be requested through it. Completed artifacts could likewise be deposited into it, where they would be evaluated.
For the next two hours, Jing Qian could summon whatever he desired, forge as many items as he pleased, and deposit them for appraisal.
When time ended, only the single artifact of greatest value would be left behind; everything else he could take with him.
For master artisans, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But Jing Qian was no artisan. His path was steeped in slaughter and cultivation. Though he possessed a fair amount of professional knowledge from various inheritances, he had rarely forged items with his own hands.
Fortunately, he was not alone.
With a flick of his wrist, a cat and a ghost appeared at his side.
Compared to him, these two were the true masters of artifact-making.
Mo Pin'er needed no introduction. As a grand talismanist of the Nine-Thousand Refinements, freshly armed with the Treatise on Talismans, she had an array of high-grade symbols ready to be forged. For her, this vault was a paradise.
As for the civet spirit Xi Lí, it had long since received from Jing Qian the Dao Book of the Nether Cycle of Yanfu: Treatise on Implements, and had been diligently studying the art of weapon forging. Born a Furnace Spirit, it was a natural genius in refining, and after years of study, could craft functional tools with ease.
Jing Qian smiled:
"Then I leave this round to the two of you."
He hadn't even finished speaking when Mo Pin'er had already thrown herself at the chest, gleefully shopping.
She had dreamed of this moment countless times, unlimited access to premium materials, no restraints. Never had she thought she would truly live to see it.
Under her command, enough materials for nine Fourth-Grade Star-Seizing Talismans flew out into her hands. She sat cross-legged in the corner and began refining at once.
Seven sets were for Fuli Talismans, one for a Ghost-Suppressing Talisman (which Jing Qian had specifically requested), and one for a Ghost's Delight Talisman, meant to nourish her own cultivation and expand her mana reserves.
With time pressing, she worked furiously, sparks nearly flying from her fingertips.
Meanwhile, Xi Lí selected a batch of seventh-grade Blue Crystal, a common but sturdy forging material, and fed it into the furnace. Piece by piece, it hammered out a dozen shimmering blue rings, simple but perfectly crafted.
For other candidates, this vault meant a chance to touch a few precious materials they'd long coveted.
For Jing Qian, it was like stocking up wholesale.
The Blue Crystals could be bought back home. But the nine fourth-grade talismans Mo Pin'er produced? They exceeded the entire liquid wealth of Jing Qian's Void Realm. That was a windfall plundered straight from the Dynasty itself.
The Dynasty, however, had the magnanimity to allow it. They opened the vaults knowing full well the disciples would consume materials lavishly; such was their confidence and scale.
Two hours passed in a blink.
Jing Qian submitted a single Fuli Talisman for appraisal, then packed away the rest of the treasures into his Void Realm.
When he emerged, fewer than half of the candidates remained.
Fan Zhuoyan returned as well, beaming with his own harvest, and rejoined Jing Qian's side.
The bronze gate slammed shut and faded away.
Then the Master of the Banquet spoke once more:
"For the second round, young talents, you shall behold the breadth of our Dynasty's inheritance, vast as the sea and reaching to the heavens!"
"I shall open the archives of the Academy Library. Within are endless methods for refining Life Patterns."
"In the next three days, each of you must successfully forge a new Life Pattern. This is a test of your comprehension and insight."
"All materials required shall be provided by the vault. You need only bring your wits."
With a sweep of the Master of the Banquet's sleeve, a massive bookshelf rose from the depths of the cave-heaven ten feet tall and stretching nearly a hundred meters across.
Upon its shelves were densely packed jade slips, each containing the refining methods of countless Life Patterns, freely available for all participants to choose from. The extravagance was staggering.
A murmur rippled through the candidates, and then they rushed forward in excitement.
Even Jing Qian, usually steady, was taken aback by the Divine Dynasty's sheer generosity.
For every cultivator here, the greatest barrier before joining a sect had always been the lack of refining methods for Life Patterns. Without them, cultivation could never be perfected.
To select freely from this vast collection, choosing the method most suited to one's own path, this was something none had even dared dream of.
Jing Qian stepped forward as well, activating The Worldly Insight to swiftly scan the mountain of jade slips.
Each slip was sealed; divine sense could only glean a brief description. Only by removing a slip from the shelf could one access the full method.
But even the names and basic introductions were enough to broaden Jing Qian's horizons.
He immersed himself in the academy's library, carefully recording every slip he scanned.
Others tried to do the same, but without Jing Qian's unique gift and powerful divine sense, such labor was exhausting and yielded little.
Three days might seem long, but faced with an ocean of jade slips, it was barely enough. To choose the one most compatible method, comprehend it fully, and then refine a new Life Pattern, this was no simple trial.
Jing Qian, however, seemed to stroll through it all. In the span of a single day, he had swept through the entire bookshelf.
No fewer than thirty-two thousand Life Pattern entries were collected, organized, and classified within his mind.
At last, he began to grasp the true intent behind this Academy Banquet.
Beyond selecting and training disciples, the banquet was also a grand display of force by the Ying Clan's Divine Dynasty, declaring its overwhelming strength to every rising talent across the realm.
For countless young prodigies who had never touched the legacies of other sects, this was their first glimpse of such vast resources and profound inheritances.
Treasures beyond number, secret arts without end, and whatever trials yet awaited all of it left an indelible mark, carving into their hearts the majesty of the Divine Dynasty.
Even Jing Qian felt his perspective shift.
Before arriving, he had viewed the twelve academies, whether the Ying Dynasty's or not, as separate, merely differing in strength but equal in standing.
Now he understood: the Dynasty stood above them all. The other academies were nothing more than its extended arms, institutions meant to raise disciples on its behalf.
Its influence ran so deep that even disciples trained elsewhere would never truly oppose it. Instead, they would see it as the higher order, the place to sell their skills once their learning was done.
Had Jing Qian not already been bound by deep ties to the Yanfu Dao and Pure Yang Heaven, he might well have considered devoting himself fully to the Dynasty's path.
These countless Life Patterns alone, with the aid of the Sumeru Dao Monument, were enough to carry him to the Dao's pinnacle.
Suppressing such thoughts, he refocused, calming his mind and preparing to refine a new Life Pattern.
His reserved Life Measure had long been set aside for the Pure Yang Heaven system to strengthen his swordsmanship further.
He had believed he would have to wait until after the banquet, once he entered Pure Yang Ruins as a disciple, to gain such methods.
Yet here, on these shelves, he unexpectedly discovered remnants of Pure Yang Heaven's legacy.
While others struggled to sift through a sea of options, his choices narrowed instantly to three fragments of Pure Yang inheritance.
Life Pattern: Sword and Stars
Rank: Blue-Blood
Description: "Thirty-six heavenly swords rise; the starry light brims with majesty."
...
Life Pattern: Sword Dance
Rank: Blue-Blood
"The sword whirls like a flash of lightning, drifting and circling with the wind."
...
Life Pattern: Sword Momentum
Rank: Blue-Blood
"Thunder rends the skies, rivers surge forward like the beating of war drums, like the sight of ancient pines."
"Draw upon immortals and gods to forge momentum, seize demons and heroes to forge momentum, embrace mountains and seas to forge momentum, cleave open heaven and earth to forge momentum."
A mandatory cultivation for all disciples of Pure Yang Heaven.
...
Jing Qian did not need to hesitate; his predecessors had already chosen for him.
Using his remaining Life Measure to refine a mandatory Life Pattern of Pure Yang Heaven was the most rightful, most certain, and most reassuring path.
Without pause, he reached for the Sword Momentum jade slip, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he extracted its entire refining method using The Worldly Insight.
Immediately, he activated it. The method of Sword Momentum was dismantled and absorbed at lightning speed.
With his profound sword arts and unmatched experience in refining Life Patterns, Jing Qian needed less than a quarter-hour to fully comprehend the method and prepare for refinement.
Of all the candidates present, he was the only one to have scanned the entire bookshelf and the very first to begin refining a new Life Pattern.
At the edge of the hall, he approached a Treasure-Dividing Chest and retrieved a half-foot-long broken sword.
Rust-covered and incomplete, the blade looked worthless, yet the moment Jing Qian held it, boundless sword intent erupted from within.
He instantly recognized it: this was once the natal spirit weapon of a senior from Pure Yang Heaven.
And such a relic, saturated with a great swordmaster's intent and momentum, was precisely what Sword Momentum required.
Standing still with the broken sword in hand, Jing Qian slipped into deep meditation.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Sword Casket roared sword qi swirling within, sword intent rippling within sword qi, sword heart pulsing within sword intent.
Layer upon layer of sword dao elements resonated together, as though awaiting the arrival of a new companion.
Without hesitation, he triggered the refining method of Sword Momentum. At once, a pure thread of sword intent leaped from the broken blade into his mind, coalescing into the form of a sword-shaped Life Pattern.
The instant Sword Momentum took shape, the Qingping Sword Casket released a cry inaudible to all but Jing Qian that echoed through his inner world.
The new Life Pattern was drawn straight into the Sword Casket, intertwining with the Qingping End destiny, the Fate-Locking Needles, and the vast, annihilating sword qi within.
At last, Jing Qian had forged his second sword dao Life Pattern!
He immersed himself in the surge of its power. Sword intent billowed within him, spilling outward across his sea of consciousness.
Every one of his life patterns resonated with Sword Momentum, each vying for the chance to fuse with it.
But in the end, it was Sumeru, the highest-ranked destiny, that pressed past the others and bound itself tightly to Sword Momentum.
From their union, a unique new force was born: the Heaven-Opening Sword Momentum.
This Life Pattern was extraordinary. It distilled a cultivator's most essential dao rhythm and merged it into sword arts, transforming ordinary sword qi into overwhelming momentum.
The Heaven-Opening Sword Momentum drew on the truth of creation itself, the rending of chaos, the separation of heaven and earth, and the birth of the Sumeru dimension.
It was a momentum capable of cutting through all things, indestructible and irresistible.
Even newly formed, with power yet to be accumulated, it instantly doubled the might of Jing Qian's sword strikes.
This was the Life Pattern perfectly suited to his sword dao path!
Though classed only as Blue-Blood, for disciples of Pure Yang Heaven, Sword Momentum was a compulsory foundation, a key to raising offensive potential and harmonizing one's entire cultivation system.
Jing Qian knew he would eventually gain this inheritance upon entering the Pure Yang Ruins. But to acquire it now, with the banquet's resources freely provided, was a priceless boon that would greatly strengthen his chances of breaking through every trial ahead.
As he stirred the broken sword once more, a second stream of pure sword intent surged into his mind, birthing yet another Sword Momentum Life Pattern.
Without hesitation, he reforged it atop the first, beginning the process of recasting.
The blade's lingering sword intent was abundant, saving him countless hours of searching for suitable materials.
In just a single day, Jing Qian reforged Sword Momentum nine times, raising it to the peak of Violet-Eyed rank.
And then, something miraculous happened.
The Life Pattern began to evolve further, as a second unique sword momentum slowly condensed.
This time, the competition among his life patterns was fierce:
Entwining Karma sought to merge, to form a Karma Sword Momentum, striking foes through the bonds of karma.
Bian Yuan Weiyang pressed forward, aiming at a Netherworld Sword Momentum, cutting across the cycle of samsara.
Hell Scroll strove for a Hellfire Sword Momentum, slashing through infernal slaughter and abyssal flame.
Bridge of No Return yearned to craft a Cycle Sword Momentum.
Yanfu Seal pushed toward a Yanfu Sword Momentum.
The three Origin Qi life patterns strove together for a Primal Qi Sword Momentum.
Not one of them yielded. All fought fiercely for dominance.
Yet all these life patterns stemmed from the same inheritance, the Yanfu Dao. They were of one origin, cut from the same root.
By resonance, by shared essence, by some higher law of convergence
The result astonished Jing Qian.
They fused.
Through Sword Momentum, they merged into one, refining themselves into a single, transcendent force:
The Six Paths Samsara Sword Momentum.
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