Inside the Desolate Ancient Dao Pagoda, after the thousandfold replication from his [Random Replication] trait, Ye Lin's original 3.3 billion mid-grade spirit stones instantly increased by another 3.3 trillion.
Adding the initial 3.3 billion, the mid-grade spirit stones in his hands now totaled 3.3033 trillion.
With such a massive replenishment of mid-grade spirit stones, his personal coffers—which had shriveled to nothing due to his breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage—finally bulged once again.
After completing this, he took out the storage ring that the Tianyu Chamber of Commerce had given him.
This storage ring contained all the cultivation resources he would need for the Golden Core Stage. After all, the cultivation level he showed to the outside world was only the First Layer of the Golden Core Stage.
Buzz!
As the storage ring opened, piles of various cultivation resources were laid out before him.
These included Saint-grade cultivation methods, spells, spirit stones, spirit weapons, Earth-grade robes, teleportation talismans, defensive talismans, and various other life-saving trump cards.
However, the bulk of it was still mid-grade spirit stones. Last time, during the Foundation Establishment Stage, the Tianyu Chamber of Commerce had given him over a million, but this time, it had directly increased to over five million.
After casually scanning all the resources inside, Ye Lin activated his [Random Replication] trait once more, performing a thousandfold replication on every replicable cultivation resource.
At the same time, he made a mental note of the Tianyu Chamber of Commerce's grooming and appreciation. If he had the opportunity in the future, he would definitely repay them manifold.
Buzz!
As the trait activated, he gained another 5 billion mid-grade spirit stones, along with numerous other cultivation resources.
As for the cultivation methods and spells provided by the Tianyu Chamber of Commerce, he had no intention of practicing them.
After all, he already possessed the 《Origin Unity Art》, the 《True Explanation of the Thunder Path》, the 《Eternal Undying Scripture》, and so on. The lowest-grade among them was at the Quasi-Immortal Emperor grade.
With such formidable cultivation methods in hand, there was naturally no need for him to neglect the essentials and pursue lesser techniques.
The same applied to spells. He possessed the Cauldron of Creation, which allowed him to easily upgrade his mastered spells and divine abilities using spirit stones.
Unless he encountered something exceptionally spectacular, he had no intention of learning anything new.
His existing offensive methods were already more than enough; having any more would only be redundant.
Once he finished everything he needed to do, he exited the Desolate Ancient Dao Pagoda with a single thought.
“Goodbye!” Waving his hand toward the cave dwelling where he had stayed during this period, Ye Lin transformed into a streak of rainbow light and arrived at the designated meeting place.
This was a plaza on Xuanqing Island, where a medium-sized Earth-grade flying vessel was already stationed.
On the deck of the flying vessel, Senior Zhu Xuanwei, dressed in purple, was already reclining leisurely on a rocking chair, reading one of her favorite illustrated books.
In the distance, Jiang Lingyuan and several high-ranking academy executives were chatting together.
As for Qi Changqing and the others, they had not yet arrived to assemble.
Buzz!
Flashing forward and landing on the deck of the flying vessel, Ye Lin received smiles from Jiang Lingyuan and the other executives.
“Over here!” Zhu Xuanwei waved her hand at him without even raising her head.
Seeing that she was engrossed in her illustrated book, Ye Lin did not disturb her. He casually retrieved a reclining chair from his storage ring, lay down leisurely, and even took out a tea set to brew some tea.
These were all specially prepared for him by his subordinate, Ziqing.
“Not bad. Learning the art of health preservation at such a young age. You certainly know how to enjoy yourself even more than I do.”
Seeing his well-prepared manner, Zhu Xuanwei cast a slightly surprised glance at him from the side.
“Cultivation is all about balancing work and rest. It's necessary to relax properly once in a while. After all, if a string is stretched too tight, it will snap.”
Ye Lin spoke nonchalantly as he brewed the tea using the Great Dark Heaven Flame.
When he had first entered the game, his mind had been entirely filled with leveling up, and he had absolutely no leisure or mood for anything else.
But after being reminded by the game last time, he realized that a complete and long-term path of cultivation should encompass everything, rather than just leveling up.
Thus, he had now learned to face everything with a calm mind, to comprehend and feel everything, and to live like a real human being.
Truth be told, slowing down his pace once in a while greatly improved his mood, and much of the hostility within him had dissipated.
“You have excellent comprehension, kid. Your future path of cultivation is bound to be bright... Well, enough of that. Hurry up and pour me a cup of hot tea first.”
Seeing that Ye Lin was so clear-minded in his state of mind as well, Zhu Xuanwei had nothing more to say. With a wave of her jade-like hand, a cup of hot tea that Ye Lin had just brewed was pulled through the air toward her.
In the distance, Jiang Lingyuan and the others could not help but twitch their lips at the sight.
Wait, seriously? You two are acting so refined, sipping tea and discussing states of mind. It makes the rest of us look so uncultured.
“There's still some time. I think we should prepare some zithers, chessboards, calligraphy, paintings, and some tea leaves.”
“Makes sense. Let's do that.”
The group exchanged glances, and they all flew off to make their preparations.
When Qi Changqing, Lin Luoxian, and the others arrived on the flying vessel, this was the scene that greeted them.
In the distance, Ye Lin and Zhu Xuanwei were reclining on their rocking chairs, drinking tea and chatting. Nearby, Jiang Lingyuan and several other high-ranking executives were either painting, playing the zither, or brewing tea. In short, it was an incredibly elegant atmosphere.
Noticing the bizarre expressions on the faces of Qi Changqing and the others, the executives raised their heads, took gentle sips of their tea, and remarked:
“Young people are simply too young. You don't even have a shred of leisure or elegance. How can your path of cultivation ever reach great perfection like this?”
“Exactly. Aside from cultivating, you don't even think to learn anything else. How could you ever be as refined as us?”
Amidst the speechlessness of Qi Changqing, Lin Luoxian, Chu Kuang, Jiang Ningzhi, and the others, the flying vessel finally took off, soaring into the distance with a swift whoosh.
Regardless of their state of mind, as they watched the academy and Tianqi City gradually recede into the distance, a trace of melancholy welled up in the hearts of the five youths, including Ye Lin.
Since ancient times, departures have always been tinged with sorrow; this was precisely what it felt like.
However, this slight melancholy of departure was quickly diluted by the youths' curiosity about the future.
After Qi Changqing and the others joined in on the arts and tea-tasting, the Principal, Jiang Lingyuan, began introducing the upcoming tournament to everyone.
“Our destination this time is Great Yan City in the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty. It is home to the only Mysterious-grade Cultivation Academy within a radius of a million li.”
“There, over a dozen Yellow-grade academies like our Tianyuan Cultivation Academy will compete. Out of several hundred geniuses, only those who rank in the top twenty will successfully enter the Mysterious-grade Cultivation Academy.”
“You don't need to feel too much pressure about this, as the evaluation for the Mysterious-grade Cultivation Academy is divided into two parts: individual and team events.”
“Compared to previous cohorts, the five of you are incredibly strong. Especially Student Ye Lin—his combat power is simply in a league of his own.”
“In short, just perform normally. There's no need to be too nervous.”
After the brief introduction, Jiang Lingyuan and the other executives went back to sipping their tea.
They were brimming with confidence regarding this cohort's promotion.
With the terrifyingly powerful Senior Zhu Xuanwei personally overseeing things, no one at the Mysterious-grade Cultivation Academy would dare to tamper with the evaluation.
As for the caliber of the students, Ye Lin alone could sweep through all the geniuses, and the combat strength of Lin Luoxian and the others was also extremely formidable. Securing a spot in the top twenty should be a walk in the park.
Rate on N.U.
