Qianjun Cultivation Arts

The examiners from the Yuqiang Department and the various academies worked with remarkable efficiency. Su Yu had reached an agreement with Huang Sheng in the morning, and by the afternoon, the rewards he had earned were delivered. The merit points were transferred directly to Su Yu's merit card. He had obtained quite a few merit points this time. Taking first place in an exam yielded a reward of ten merit points, so placing first in both gave him twenty points, plus Huang Sheng's additional subsidy of twenty points. Forty merit points in total, one original All-Races cultivation manual for the Qianjun Realm, and three drops of yuanqi liquid were delivered together. As for the academy's rewards, those would only be granted after Su Yu officially enrolled. That was completely normal, lest Su Yu change his mind halfway through, decide not to attend Great Xia Civilization Academy, and run off to another institution. The academy was not foolish enough to risk that. Merit points were hard to measure in money. The official price was not expensive, but you could not simply buy them, nor could they be traded. On the black market, they fetched a hefty sum, though getting involved there easily invited trouble. If valued by blood essence, one point was worth around thirty thousand; if measured by the price of yuanqi liquid, it was about twenty thousand. All told, by taking first place in these exams, Su Yu had earned over a million. This finally relieved the pressing crisis for Su Yu, who had nearly gone broke before. ... At this moment, Su Yu was once again somewhat well-off. Adding his remaining two merit points, he had forty-two merit points, three drops of yuanqi liquid, two original All-Races manuals (one given by Chen Hao's father), and two willpower texts—though, in truth, the one from Bai Feng was close to reverting to ordinary writing. After all, Bai Feng had merely penned it casually without inscribing it with blood essence, so its preservation time was shorter than something carved with blood essence. Over the past two months and more, this copy of the *Kaiyuan Art* had already lost its original wonder. Fortunately, now that Su Yu had reached the Kaiyuan ninth layer, he didn't need it much anyway. Besides these, he had weapons and several ordinary cultivation manuals. In terms of cash, he had just under thirty thousand. His blood essence was completely exhausted; even the two drops given to his little bro "Blood" to absorb had been finished several days ago. ... "Sigh!" Even after receiving his rewards, Su Yu still felt a bit of regret. If not for Zhou Tianqi and those other guys, he could have had twenty more merit points right now. Furthermore, Section Chief Sun and the others refusing to compensate him with merit points made Su Yu feel like he had suffered a massive loss. Otherwise, his merit points this time might have broken past a hundred, shattering records and rivaling the merit earned from slaying an expert of the Tengkong Realm. After sighing for a while, Su Yu stopped fretting. On August 1st, new students would enroll in the various academies. There was still over a month left until enrollment. Over this coming month, Su Yu needed to make some plans. As of now, he was already at the Kaiyuan ninth layer, and his willpower fullness had reached 20%. Next, what he had to do was reach the Qianjun Realm as quickly as possible and raise his willpower. "The Qianjun Realm. To break through from the Kaiyuan ninth layer to Qianjun, what one must do is continue opening apertures—opening the apertures of Qianjun. But before that, I need to pick a Qianjun Realm cultivation art suited to myself." There were many cultivation arts for the Qianjun Realm, each different. By and large, one could judge their strength by how many apertures they opened. For instance, Su Yu had a copy of the *Yi God Art: Qianjun Volume* in hand. It opened seventy-two apertures, which were separate from the nine Kaiyuan apertures, making it a peak Profound-rank art. He also knew of the military's inherited *Qianjun Art*, which opened thirty-six apertures, a peak Yellow-rank art. Depending on the Qianjun cultivation art one practiced, the apertures needing to be opened at the Kaiyuan ninth layer differed, and the breakthrough path varied accordingly. Every nine apertures constituted a grade, and every thirty-six apertures constituted a rank. Opening thirty-six apertures was peak Yellow rank; opening seventy-two apertures was peak Profound rank; and opening one hundred and eight apertures was peak Earth rank. In other words, a low-grade Yellow-rank art might require opening only nine apertures to complete Qianjun Realm cultivation, meaning that during the Kaiyuan Realm, cultivating just one more aperture might allow one to enter Qianjun. However, such a Qianjun cultivator would be far too weak. Under normal circumstances, unless someone truly wasn't cut out for cultivation, the human race primarily practiced the *Qianjun Art*, opening thirty-six apertures. This also meant that at the Kaiyuan ninth layer, one needed to open four more apertures before officially stepping into the Qianjun first layer. "What art should I cultivate?" Now, Su Yu had arrived at the moment of choice. He had basically finished opening the nine apertures; his subsequent choice would affect his cultivation across the entire Qianjun stage and even later stages. "I definitely can't cultivate the Yi God Art. That thing belongs to the All-Races Sect. If I cultivate it, who knows if I'll be treated as one of them? In that case, can I only cultivate the Qianjun Art?" Su Yu was young, after all, and felt somewhat unwilling. Opening thirty-six apertures was simply too few. People said many top experts had cultivated Yellow-rank or Profound-rank arts back then, but that was because the circumstances of that era didn't permit otherwise. Nowadays, cultivating a weak art meant weak combat prowess. The military had no choice in the matter, as recruits possessed varying aptitudes; they might not be able to learn arts that were too profound. The *Qianjun Art* had broad applicability, so it naturally served as their mainstay. Yet if Su Yu also learned the *Qianjun Art*, his combat power during the Qianjun stage would be very weak. Of course, as a prospective Civilization Master, Su Yu didn't strictly need to care too much. Once he reached the Tengkong Realm, he would have an opportunity to recast his body; switching to a powerful art at that point was entirely feasible. However, Su Yu did not want to lag behind in the Qianjun Realm. His willpower was not on par with those monstrous geniuses; if he fell behind them on the warrior path as well, he would have no way to compete with them. "I have to settle on a cultivation art first. At the very least, I need to get my hands on a Profound-rank art to cultivate." Su Yu made up his mind. He wasn't in a hurry to cultivate right this second; having just broken through with the nine Kaiyuan apertures, he still needed to consolidate his foundation. In Nanyuan, the only person who could give Su Yu good advice was probably Liu Wenyan. As for Bai Feng... that bargain-bin teacher of his, Su Yu didn't even know what was going on with him. Besides, even if he wanted to contact him, he couldn't, unless he went and asked Liu Wenyan. And Su Yu wasn't about to go asking—chasing after someone uninvited was no way to do business. ... June 27th. Nanyuan Academy. The two-day exams were over, and the academy was on a month-long break. At this moment, the academy grounds were exceptionally quiet. By late June, the weather had begun turning hot. Wearing a collared shirt, Su Yu walked along the academy's tree-lined avenue. With nobody around, it was a rare pocket of peace. The students' scores would all be released on July 1st. Starting July 2nd, students would submit their academy preferences, wrapping up entirely on July 5th. By July 10th, the various academies would finalize their admissions. Around July 15th, students would receive their acceptance notices, which they would carry to register at their respective academies. Great Xia Prefecture operated quite efficiently. Quite a few examinees took the tests across Great Xia Prefecture, unlike this small place of Nanyuan, where there were only a few thousand test-takers. Nanyuan was simply too small; several neighboring major cities each had over thirty thousand examinees, nearly ten times Nanyuan's number. The prefectural capital had even more, with over a hundred thousand candidates. Across the entire Great Xia Prefecture, there were roughly eight hundred thousand candidates. A massive population, though there were certainly plenty of academies as well. Not many from Nanyuan would qualify for war or civilization academies, and most of those who did would only get into ordinary ones; barely anyone ever made it into the twin prestigious institutions, Great Xia War Academy and Great Xia Civilization Academy. Since the results hadn't been posted yet, the academy was empty. Su Yu didn't mind. In any case, his path was already settled; he only had to wait to report to the academy. Walking and pausing, he soon arrived at Liu Wenyan's residence. He knocked, and the door opened. Liu Wenyan was currently cooking in the kitchen. Seeing this, Su Yu hurried inside and said, "Teacher, let me help you." "Here to scrounge a meal?" Without turning around, Liu Wenyan chuckled. "Showing up right at mealtime—you've certainly learned how to be opportunistic." Embarrassed, Su Yu explained, "Not at all, Teacher. I was just worried you'd wake up late during the break." "Nonsense!" Liu Wenyan chided him with a laugh. "Help me wash the vegetables. Since your father left, you probably haven't had more than a few proper meals. A bachelor has to learn how to cook, lest he mistreat himself." Su Yu scratched his head, offering a dry laugh without replying. Stepping into the kitchen, he began helping Liu Wenyan wash and prep the greens. As Liu Wenyan stirred the wok, he asked, "Coming to my place—do you have questions?" "Not really. I just want to pick a Qianjun cultivation art and wanted Teacher's advice." "A Qianjun cultivation art..." At these words, Liu Wenyan paused slightly, taking a long moment before saying, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten that you're already at the Kaiyuan ninth layer! That was fast!" He truly had almost forgotten. Su Yu's progress on the warrior path was simply too fast, far outstripping his willpower. If not for the divine characters, Su Yu's talent on the path of a Civilization Master would have fallen far short of his martial talent. Liu Wenyan voiced his amazement, then sighed. "I told you not to cultivate using blood essence, but you didn't listen. Does that 'Blood' character have other properties you didn't tell me about? For instance, after absorbing blood essence, can it pass some yuanqi to you?" Su Yu looked conflicted and fell silent again. He had exchanged for a great deal of blood essence; Liu Wenyan was bound to know. Advancing so rapidly, Su Yu carried a faint trace of dissipated blood essence on him. While ordinary people couldn't sense it, Liu Wenyan certainly could. Evidently, he was also guessing whether the 'Blood' character was responsible. Before forming the 'Blood' character, Su Yu had also exchanged for blood essence, but only in tiny quantities and under the guise of research. Later on, however, he had traded for large amounts, spending virtually all his merit points on it. With such massive exchanges, it would be strange if Liu Wenyan didn't know. "Divine characters possessing traits that assist physical cultivation do exist, and it isn't considered an unorthodox path..." Seeing him stay silent, Liu Wenyan did not press, continuing on his own, "Still, you can't rely too heavily on divine characters! Right now is precisely when you need to understand your own body. If you choose to rely on divine characters during the Kaiyuan stage, you'll be in deep trouble once you reach Tengkong. If you lack clear awareness and control over your body, even your body casting will be an issue." Su Yu asked urgently, "Teacher, will divine character assistance sever my future prospects?" "It won't go that far," Liu Wenyan sighed. "However, without a deep and clear understanding of your own body, your progress after reaching Tengkong will be very slow because you'll lack the insights from the earlier stages." Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. *Good, that doesn't apply to me.* He wasn't genuinely relying on the divine character; he was merely utilizing the album's properties to absorb yuanqi ahead of time. As for control over his body, he felt confident—otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to master the Thunder Yuan Saber earlier. Liu Wenyan said no more. If it were him, could he have resisted the temptation of having such a divine character? Absorbing blood essence, feeding back yuanqi, and aiding cultivation—this was something countless people dreamed of. Civilization Masters in particular focused primarily on willpower and treated physical cultivation as a secondary pursuit, which took up precious time. If a divine character could assist in that cultivation, many would leap at the chance. Since Su Yu was primarily walking the path of a Civilization Master, Liu Wenyan figured there was no need to worry excessively about this. With that in mind, Liu Wenyan returned to the main topic. "There are countless cultivation arts for the Qianjun Realm. If you walk into any shop selling arts, they can recommend over a hundred kinds to you. But in terms of widespread usage, the *Qianjun Art* is the most widely circulated. It has moderate difficulty and suits the general public very well. "The *Qianjun Art* was devised by a group of old fellows, and its subsequent stages connect seamlessly. For instance, the *Wanshi Art* for the Wanshi Realm, and the *Tengkong Art* for the Tengkong Realm. Naming the arts after the realms themselves shows just how reliable they are." Su Yu asked hurriedly, "Teacher, should I cultivate the *Qianjun Art* then?" "What's the rush?" Liu Wenyan worked the spatula while speaking. "I said that's for the general public. After all, they lack strong talent and resources; being able to advance at all is good enough, so who cares about combat power? "Cultivating quickly and reaching Tengkong in ten or twenty years is far better than those geniuses who cultivate powerful arts but end up stuck in Qianjun." No matter how weak a Tengkong cultivator was, or how poor their cultivation art, they were not someone a Qianjun cultivator could match. Whether to pursue rapid advancement or sheer strength within a realm was a dilemma many people wrestled with. Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "Whether advancing faster is better or being stronger within the realm is better varies from person to person! You can't demand that someone without talent cultivate a powerful art, or they might remain stuck in Qianjun their entire life. "Yet you also cannot let a genius cultivate a weak art. They might advance quickly, but the genius would essentially be ruined and could no longer be called a genius. "The higher the realm, the wider the gap. If you cultivate only the *Qianjun Art* all the way to the Shanhai Realm, you might get killed by a Tengkong cultivator who mastered a powerful art. What would be the point of reaching Shanhai like that? The ceiling is simply too low!" Liu Wenyan glanced back at Su Yu and smiled. "Do you want to advance rapidly, or do you want a higher ceiling and switch to cultivating a powerful art?" Without the slightest hesitation, Su Yu answered, "A higher ceiling!" He was a genius! If he cultivated an inferior art, he might reach Tengkong or even Shanhai very quickly, but what came after that...? Nothing! There would be no after! There would be a hard limit. Glorious in the early stages, he might become utter trash later on. That was definitely not what he was striving for. "Of course, arts aren't simply better just because they're more powerful. A Heaven-rank art isn't necessarily superior to an Earth-rank one; the key lies in the subsequent continuity. For instance, there is an art called the *Sky Breaking Art*, which opens 144 apertures in Qianjun—a peak Heaven-rank art!" Liu Wenyan remarked with feeling, "At the Qianjun ninth layer, opening 144 apertures allows for storing immense amounts of yuanqi. An ordinary practitioner of the *Qianjun Art* at the Wanshi ninth layer might not even match up. It truly allows one to slay foes across realms! Slaying Wanshi as a Qianjun cultivator—and not just ordinary Wanshi cultivators either. "Yet that art has no follow-up. It cannot break through the Qianjun barrier, and one might remain stuck in the Qianjun Realm for life. Tell me, can such a Heaven-rank art truly be considered strong?" Su Yu shook his head. "Without a follow-up, one can only rely on luck or create one oneself... If a Qianjun cultivator could create the follow-up to such an art, they wouldn't be a Qianjun cultivator anymore. But... didn't the Invincible experts continue creating it?" "Nonsense. They have their own arts, their own legacies, and their own signature techniques. Why would they spend enormous effort completing a follow-up for that? It's not like they lack peak Heaven-rank arts; they don't have to cultivate that particular one." Liu Wenyan chuckled. "There are many such arts in the Myriad Realms—stunning in the early stages, only to fade into silence later on. You can't keep supplementing them forever, nor could you manage it; nobody has that kind of energy. "Let me tell you about the arts in Great Xia Prefecture that have rigorous lineages, techniques that can be cultivated all the way to the Invincible Realm you speak of. "The first is the *Innumerable Saber Strikes of Heaven Cleaving*, cultivated by the King of Great Xia..." Su Yu froze. *Teacher, are you serious?* "Why are you looking at me like that?" Liu Wenyan turned and glared at him. "I didn't name it; the King of Great Xia messed around on his own! Back in the Shanhai Realm, he named it *Twenty Saber Strikes of Heaven Cleaving*. When he reached the peak, he renamed it *Twenty-Eight Saber Strikes of Heaven Cleaving*. After a while, he added a few more strikes himself and renamed it again!" Liu Wenyan looked thoroughly helpless. "Then upon reaching the Invincible Realm, the King of Great Xia started changing the name again, adding to the count every time. At first, the Civilization Academy officially revised the name for him, but later they realized it was futile. That man might add a few strikes every year—how could they keep updating it? Eventually, they simply called it the *Innumerable Saber Strikes of Heaven Cleaving*." Su Yu was dumbstruck. *That works too?!* "Don't look so surprised. The King of Great Xia wasn't the only one who did this; in fact, it's quite common." Liu Wenyan explained, "In the early days of the Anping Calendar, those experts had very few sources of cultivation arts, some of which were spoils taken from the myriad races. As they supplemented them over time, the names of their arts constantly changed. The King of Great Xia was actually one of the better ones, at least keeping them within a single naming series... Some people didn't even stick to a series. One day it was called the *Dragon Slaying Art*, and the next day, after killing a dog, they might rename it the *Dog Killing Art*." As Liu Wenyan spoke, he looked caught between tears and laughter. "If you ever spot errors or discrepancies in certain historical records, don't assume you misread them; they aren't mistakes. For example, the *Historical Records of Anping* notes that King Dazhou once slew a god-devil using the *Black Wind Fiend* art, while the *Records of Great Zhou* states that King Dazhou slew a god-devil using the *Heaven Returning Art*. That isn't a recording error..." Liu Wenyan sighed. "It was simply the man renaming it himself. He killed two gods and devils, not one. When you read the books, never assume they're plot holes. The records of those figures are a mess; sometimes even they themselves were baffled, wondering, 'Did I really rename it to something so ridiculous back then?'" At these words, Su Yu was completely bewildered. *There's even a story like that?!* King Dazhou reading records about himself, looking at them and thinking: *Wait, did I really change it to such an embarrassing name back then?* Just imagining it... was hilarious. Su Yu felt like laughing, and Liu Wenyan was equally amused before continuing, "Back to the point. The arts in Great Xia Prefecture that pass down all the way to the Invincible Realm include the *Innumerable Saber Strikes of Heaven Cleaving*. "The second is the *War God Art*, introduced a few years ago by the War God Temple, which also serves as the primary cultivation art of the War Academy. "The third is the *Ten Thousand Characters Classic*, introduced years ago by the Quest Realm, which is the primary cultivation art of the Civilization Academy. "Of course, saying they can be cultivated to the Invincible Realm doesn't mean you will reach that stage. If everyone could, Invincible experts wouldn't be so rare, and the myriad races would have been wiped out long ago! "Cultivation still depends on oneself—on fortune, talent, perseverance, and hard work..." Liu Wenyan said solemnly, "At present, only these three arts openly allow cultivation to the Invincible Realm. Of course, I mean within Great Xia Prefecture! In reality, there might be undisclosed ones, such as private inheritances. Some clans possess top experts who may have deduced their own Invincible arts, but whether they actually work when the creators haven't broken through to that realm yet is something nobody can say for sure." "Teacher, should I cultivate the *Ten Thousand Characters Classic* then?" Su Yu asked. Liu Wenyan shook his head. "That can only be cultivated once you reach the Tengkong Realm; there is no inheritance passed down for Qianjun or Wanshi, because a Civilization Master's true path only begins at Tengkong. I suggest you cultivate the *War God Art*, which opens seventy-two apertures in the Qianjun Realm." Su Yu felt a faint sense of disappointment. He had actually wanted to cultivate an even stronger art, such as a peak Earth-rank art that opened 108 apertures. Of course, since his teacher suggested it, he trusted that Liu Wenyan wouldn't steer him wrong. Just as he was thinking this, Liu Wenyan smiled. "The *War God Art* has two different versions: the standard version and the genius version! The standard version is aimed at ordinary students, whereas many genius students in the War Academy choose the other version, which opens 108 apertures. And that applies not just to the War Academy, but to the Civilization Academy as well. "Teaching means tailoring education to the individual. If everyone followed a rigid mold, that would be the military, and there would be no need to establish academies." Su Yu's eyes lit up, and he hurried to say, "Teacher, then..." Liu Wenyan cut him off. "It's good that you have confidence. In truth, you're already at the Kaiyuan ninth layer and progressing very quickly. I also think you should cultivate something more difficult. Even with the aid of divine characters, you can experience more at this realm; delaying a bit of time doesn't matter. "However... your teacher doesn't have the advanced version of the art." Liu Wenyan had practically charred the dish, and he casually dumped the blackened vegetables onto a plate, clearly intended as Su Yu's upcoming lunch. "I can still find a way to get you the standard version, but I don't have the advanced version. You'll have to spend merit points to exchange for it yourself. And what you exchange for will only be the regular manual version; a willpower text version... would cost an immense price." Su Yu asked hurriedly, "Where can I exchange for it? Can our academy do it?" "No, it can only be exchanged at higher academies. The Civilization Academy has it, don't worry!" Liu Wenyan chuckled. "No matter how impressive the War Academy is, they still have to beg the Civilization Academy to write more willpower text versions of the *War God Art* for them—and it has to be done by Civilization Masters who have cultivated the *War God Art* themselves. "Therefore, in the Civilization Academy, quite a few experts know the *War God Art*. The Civilization Academy is extremely inclusive, with people cultivating all sorts of arts; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to write the corresponding willpower texts. To make money, some Civilization Masters write various willpower texts, cultivating as many as a dozen different arts..." "That works too?" Su Yu asked in surprise. "Won't they conflict?" "Of course there are conflicts, but if you choose your arts well, they might not clash. Naturally, that's what Civilization Masters with no real prospects do." Having said that, Liu Wenyan continued, "There isn't much difference between the standard and genius versions of the *War God Art*, especially regarding the opening of the seventy-two apertures, which is identical. However, beyond those seventy-two apertures, another thirty-six are added. So you can start by cultivating the standard version of the *War God Art*, and later, when you have the chance, exchange for the advanced version. "Cultivating the standard version requires opening an additional eight apertures during the Kaiyuan Realm before you can advance to the Qianjun Realm. But cultivating the advanced version requires opening twelve apertures. So you should first open eight apertures during the Kaiyuan Realm, head to the academy to exchange for the advanced version, cultivate the remaining four apertures to supplement them, and only then break through. Otherwise, once you advance to Qianjun, there will be no way to change it..." Liu Wenyan finished and smiled. "This is also why many youngsters remain stuck at the Kaiyuan ninth layer, refusing to break through. You should know that quite a few Kaiyuan ninth layer students are waiting until enrollment to advance." Su Yu nodded. Earlier, he had wondered why so many students across Great Xia Prefecture seemed to linger at the Kaiyuan ninth layer without advancing. He had assumed they simply couldn't break through, but now it turned out they were waiting. "Then what about those who already broke through to Qianjun...?" "Either they chose the standard version, or someone in their family knows the art..." Surprised, Su Yu asked, "Are there no restrictions on family inheritances?" "There are, but spending some merit points can resolve it," Liu Wenyan smiled. "If someone in the family has a sufficiently high merit rank, passing down a few cultivation arts to their descendants isn't much of an issue." Su Yu understood. "Teacher, is exchanging for this expensive?" "It's alright—just a hundred merit points for the Qianjun Realm art." Su Yu froze. Liu Wenyan remarked nonchalantly, "Yes, precisely that one hundred points rewarded to you. Did you really think the academy would just gift you a massive pile of merit points? Once you enter, you'll realize that what they rewarded you with will soon be taken right back, leaving you to root yourself in the academy and slowly earn more! "Among those who earned top-tier evaluations, who would be willing to cultivate the standard version? The advanced version costs merit points to exchange, perfectly offset by the hundred merit points they awarded you." Su Yu was utterly dumbfounded. *Higher academies... are so shrewd!* If Liu Wenyan hadn't told him, he wouldn't have known about this catch. No wonder everyone said merit points were never enough in higher academies—it was an outright trap! "The standard version is free, don't worry. You don't have to exchange for it; cultivating the standard version works just fine..." Liu Wenyan teased, "Why not save the points and skip the exchange?" Su Yu pulled a long face. He wanted to be a genius, to look down upon peers in the same realm. He had to make the exchange! If he didn't, once he reached the Qianjun ninth layer, he wouldn't be a match for the War Academy's geniuses at the ninth layer—wouldn't that be a terrible loss? "Teacher, if I exchange for an art privately with someone else... would it be cheaper?" "That's illegal!" Liu Wenyan snuffed out his idea. "I told you, only families with members possessing high merit ranks can pass it down, and the slots are limited. Otherwise, getting caught is a crime. Did you think loopholes were that easy to exploit?" Su Yu gave up; his heart was crushed. His hundred merit points hadn't even arrived yet, and he was already finding out they were gone! Liu Wenyan consoled him, "Don't worry, don't you still have the dozens of merit points from your rewards? If you spend them frugally, they can last you a long time! I'll find someone to get a copy of the standard *War God Art*; come pick it up in a couple of days. Don't even think about a willpower text version—your teacher hasn't cultivated the *War God Art*, so I can't write that for you." Su Yu nodded. He hadn't expected a willpower text anyway; by now, he knew enough to realize that creating one was immensely draining.