CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 2: THE HEAVEN’S CHOSEN RANKING

Cao Zhiwei shook his head with a smile.

"Then, no need for now," Lin Jing said helplessly.

Faced with a cultivation cave that required Spirit Stones, he hesitated. Perhaps he should learn more about the academy before making a decision.

He had endured three months in the Great Wilderness, so he wasn’t too worried about the cultivation cave.

Who would have thought that on his first day at Hidden Dragon Academy, he would be wandering the streets?

"Many students reside outside the academy and only come when there are lectures by renowned teachers. It’s no problem; it’s very safe within Hidden Dragon City."

Cao Zhiwei said, "In that case, why don’t you find a place to stay in Hidden Dragon City for now? This pavilion is just outside the academy. If you later cultivate the purple or golden Hidden Dragon Fortune, perhaps a teacher in the academy will notice your talent and take you as a disciple, solving your cultivation place issue."

"Shall we? I’ll imprint the Hidden Dragon Seal for you." He picked up the seal.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jing extended his right hand, saying, "Elder Cao, could you place the Hidden Dragon Seal here?"

The other hand... bore the mark of the divine tree sealing the Ice Soul Gu.

Better not let the Hidden Dragon Fortune and the Ice Soul Gu fight.

Bo———

Cao Zhiwei gently pressed the dragon seal onto Lin Jing’s hand. The white young dragon pattern appeared and quickly vanished.

"Well then, the induction is complete. I look forward to the day your name resounds in Hidden Dragon Academy."

Having guided him, he suddenly disappeared without leaving behind any token representing the academy student or any materials introducing the academy!

"Is this Hidden Dragon Academy reliable?" Lin Jing looked at his hand.

Nonetheless, this young dragon mark should suffice as identification.

As for the academy’s situation, he would have to explore it himself.

"A place for training Immortal Officials is surely unreliable," said a pine cone flying out of Lin Jing’s pocket after Cao Zhiwei vanished. "But that cultivator earlier was quite formidable, with consummate Nascent Soul cultivation, quite powerful."

"Senior, who’s stronger, you or Mr. Cao?"

"What do you think? Just a Nascent Soul! But Hidden Dragon Academy is full of powerful figures; I’m nothing in comparison."

Mo Song chuckled, "Now you understand why I wanted you to have some strength before coming here? The core of Hidden Dragon Secret Technique lies in strength. Find a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the academy who’s easier to handle and beat them up; that should get you started with the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique!"

"A Qi Cultivation Battle Foundation Establishment is something only the top sect prodigies can achieve, which will surely make you famous!"

"You understand my good intentions now, don’t you?"

Lin Jing remained silent. The pine squirrel and dragon carp remembered the painful season of battling the wooden figure and nodded repeatedly.

Hopefully, the Foundation Establishment cultivators at the academy are easier to handle than the wooden figures!

"Elder Cao said earlier that Hidden Dragon Academy doesn’t teach combat techniques. So, what do they teach?" Lin Jing asked, "The way of governance?"

"Before leaving the academy, students will be sent to serve as city lords in remote areas to test their learning. So, the academy naturally teaches how to govern a city!"

"There may be Agricultural Dao cultivators teaching students how to farm and improve the city’s agriculture."

"There might be elders proficient in feng shui teaching students how to plan city architecture layouts!"

"There could even be physiognomists teaching you how to read faces, assess character and fate, and recognize talents—these are all skills an Immortal Official needs for city governance!"

"In short, the academy teaches all sorts of messy things, but not combat techniques!"

"However, without certain strength, it’s difficult to learn these things," the teaching elder also mentioned. Of course, gaining reputation isn’t solely about strength. If you refine an Immortal Pill, an Immortal Artifact, or tame an Immortal Beast, you’ll gain fame just as well."

"Isn’t that even more outrageous?" Lin Jing said. "Killing a mighty cultivator is easier than these."

"Yes, indeed," Mo Song replied. "So speaking through strength is more reliable!"

"Are you aware of the Celestial Secret Tower’s Heaven’s Chosen Lists? This could be a shortcut for practicing the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique, and you should pay attention to it!"

The Heaven’s Chosen Lists, as produced by the Celestial Secret Tower.

They are divided into three lists: Heaven, Earth, and Mortal.

Those who can make the lists are none other than the chosen ones among the chosen in the Cultivation Realm.

The Heaven’s Chosen Lists are not confined to one region but are watched by cultivators across the Celestial Essence Ancient Country, and even beyond."

If academy students want to gain great fame swiftly through cultivating the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique, getting on these lists is enough; no more effort is needed."

"You all, first try to get on the Mortal List."

Mo Song said, "The level of the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique is crucial; listen to all the academy courses you can!"

"Don’t ignore them just because these courses don’t teach you how to improve your strength."

"I have some understanding of the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique. Only by obtaining a position can you unleash its true power. The stronger your official fate, the stronger the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique. To gain official fate, you cannot ignore city governance; what the academy teaches is very important! Even with strength, you might not run a city properly!"

"I understand, though I may not excel in other areas, I’m highly experienced in attending lectures and learning." Lin Jing nodded, "However, with our current strength, isn’t the Heaven’s Chosen List a bit challenging?"

He glanced at both the pine squirrel and dragon carp—one at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, the other at the eighth...

The Heaven’s Chosen List, which he read months ago, noted that the 100th place on the Mortal List—the last position—was occupied by a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator! One who could even slay perfectly established Foundation Establishment demons!

"No one’s asking you to enter right now! Consider the Heaven’s Chosen List after reaching Foundation Establishment; anyway, you’re not that old!" Mo Song casually remarked.

The condition to enter the Mortal List is being under thirty years of bone age, below Golden Core cultivation.

The Earth List requires one to be under sixty years of bone age, with cultivation above Golden Core but below Nascent Soul!

The Heaven List, on the other hand, is for those under a hundred years of bone age, reaching the Nascent Soul Stage!

Compared to the hundreds or thousands of years in the lifespans of Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators, those able to make the list under these conditions are indeed worthy of being called the chosen ones.

"For now, just find an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator and start with them to get into the Hidden Dragon Secret Technique!"

"Within the academy, I won’t be by your side; you need to strive by yourselves. If there’s danger, I’ll intervene!"

After finishing their talk, Mo Song seemed to consider something and left behind a life-saving pine cone before his true form vanished from the academy, leaving Lin Jing holding a staff outside the pavilion sighing.

"Let’s go." After thinking for a moment, he began wandering around with the pine squirrel and dragon carp.

...

In Hidden Dragon City, Lin Jing and his companions roamed and, without realizing it, stepped out of the academy. Following the scent of food and the crowd, they arrived at a bustling restaurant, "Fairy Guesthouse!"

"Hey, why are you bringing your own ingredients, sir? We don’t offer processing services here." Spending three months in the Great Wilderness, Lin Jing intended to have a decent meal first, but the waiter outside the restaurant gazed wide-eyed at the dragon carp in the staff, babbling nonsense.

"Bo!!!" The dragon carp was enraged; how did it resemble an ingredient?

"Squeak..." The pine squirrel chuckled, secretly agreeing that the dragon carp did look like an ingredient, with its tenderly delicious flesh, fragrant when steeped and later perfectly marinated with chili, it was simply mouthwatering.

"Oh!!!" exclaimed the dragon carp in fury.

Linn Jing did not trouble the waiter, for indeed carrying around a dragon carp out of water, it looked like it was for consumption. "Come right in, then," he said, and at that moment, a voice from the next table caught his attention.

"Have you heard? A student from Hidden Dragon Academy, Fang Shilin, they say! I heard he’s fighting in Dragon City! Early-Stage Foundation Establishment! How much True Qi can an Early-Stage Foundation Establishment have? Where are so many other Early-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators willing to duel him?"

"I heard that student, Fang Shilin, has a thin Foundation Establishment! His cultivation technique just uses minimal True Qi, and I suspect he’s planning on taking advantage of that with a war of attrition to build his reputation, like it’s a procession of challengers. These students at Hidden Dragon Academy always stir up something; it’s nothing new!"

Nearby, Lin Jing and the pine squirrel exchanged glances at those words. Then they thought of Elder Mo Song mentioning a soft target, easy to handle... it seems I do have some sort of fortune on my side.