Chapter Seven: Recruitment at the Celestial Tome Academy

"This is a bit of a trap—others can reach the next realm with a single fruit, yet even after consuming more than twenty, I haven’t advanced?" The more Lin Fan pondered, the more he felt something was amiss. When the guard consumed the Body-Tempering Fruit, it seemed to refine only the last heart position of his ninth stage, and the remaining energy helped him break through the realm.

For Lin Fan, however, the fruit tempered all five internal organs, and his entire body felt as though it had undergone a marrow cleansing—every fiber was strengthened, becoming tougher and more resilient. In other words, his foundational physique was far superior to the guard’s. Yet therein lay the problem: though his whole body was reinforced to an absurd degree, he remained at the ninth stage of body tempering, while the guard had broken through to the Qi-Induction Realm.

This was a difference of realms. Even if he possessed ten thousand pounds of strength, the guard, after advancing, would also have ten thousand pounds of strength—not to mention the added factor of spiritual energy. Put simply, if he weren’t reborn, without his wealth of combat experience and countless martial techniques, as just a ninth-stage body-tempering cultivator with ten thousand pounds of strength, he would be utterly crushed in a fight against that guard...

"Never mind. A solid foundation is more important than anything. Perhaps this is why the system is called the Ascension System—it allows me to evolve in all aspects rather than simply break through realms, ensuring I have no weaknesses and making it easier to reach the peak and ascend." Lin Fan calmed himself, and the thought soothed him. Simply rushing through realms was hardly ideal; he could quickly break through one or two, but the higher the realm, the harder it would be, and that’s when the strength of his foundation would matter most.

Now that he had laid a solid groundwork, his cultivation would surpass others in speed and ease of breakthrough. It was like building a tower: the foundation must be sturdy first. A shaky foundation cannot support a tall structure; collapse is inevitable. Only with a strong foundation can the building continue to rise.

Suddenly, a thought flashed in Lin Fan's mind. He opened the Ascension System again and entered the interface in his mind, gazing at the Body-Tempering Fruit.

"So, the fruit isn’t useless to me—I've just accumulated too little. Perhaps if I collect enough, I’ll finally break through!" Lin Fan clenched his fists, and a sly smile crept onto his lips. "I may not have much else, but these negative emotion points are easy to earn..."

The next day.

The sun shone brightly. Lin Fan fondled the silver notes in his purse, feeling deeply satisfied. That morning, his father, Lin Xiong, had given them to him, saying it was money the family received for selling several Body-Tempering Fruits.

Initially, Lin Fan hadn’t wanted to accept it, since those fruits were easily exchanged for negative emotion points and also served to strengthen the Lin family. But then he remembered he needed to forge a blade of his own today. Given his requirements, the price would not be cheap, and he had little money, so he accepted the purse without hesitation.

In this world, ten taels of silver would suffice for an ordinary family of three to live well for a month. Yet his father had given him a purse containing ten silver notes, each worth a thousand taels—ten thousand taels in total.

Even in the Lin family, one of the four great families of Xiao Bei City, ten thousand taels represented the pure profit from all their shops for an entire month. It was no small sum.

Lin Fan headed straight for the Four Seas Tavern, the finest in Xiao Bei City. Originally, he’d wanted to go directly to have a blade forged, but after visiting the city’s best smithy, he left disappointed.

The smith was adept at crafting sharp blades for ordinary use, but he couldn’t forge the kind of blade Lin Fan desired.

He needed someone capable of creating a treasured weapon, one with spiritual essence!

In this world, weapons are graded from lowest to highest: ordinary, sharp, treasured, spiritual, and sovereign.

Ordinary weapons are just common blades. Sharp weapons can slice through iron like mud. Treasured weapons, built upon sharp ones, possess a faint spiritual essence, making them responsive and agile, as if an extension of one’s own limbs.

Spiritual weapons have developed intelligence—the stronger the weapon, the more advanced its spirit. As for sovereign weapons, there is only one in the entire Ice and Snow Kingdom: the royal seal, nurtured by the kingdom’s fate, whose power is said to be capable of destroying heaven and earth.

He’d hoped for a blade at least at the spiritual level, but there are so few in the kingdom—not to mention whether it could be forged, even if it could, he couldn’t afford it.

He settled for a treasured weapon because he knew a technique to cultivate its spiritual essence, allowing it to grow and eventually develop intelligence.

Of course, even a treasured weapon might be just beyond his purchasing power. The age-old saying holds true everywhere: scholars are poor, warriors are rich.

A typical treasured weapon costs twenty thousand taels up to two or three hundred thousand. He dared to shop only because he still had Body-Tempering Fruits to barter!

Alas, despite all his preparations, not even Xiao Bei City’s best smith could forge a treasured weapon, so he came to the Four Seas Tavern, hoping to find useful information—the tavern was the city’s hub for news.

"Welcome, please come in!" As Lin Fan mused, he arrived at the Four Seas Tavern. A waiter hurried forward and led him inside.

"Find me a window seat upstairs, bring a few of your signature dishes, and a pot of your best Qingyu wine." Lin Fan tossed the waiter a few silver fragments, smiling.

"Right away, sir! This way, please!" The waiter’s eyes gleamed at the silver—the equivalent of two months’ wages. He guided Lin Fan to a good window seat upstairs, then rushed off to fulfill the order. Soon, several exquisite dishes and a pot of fine wine were set before Lin Fan.

"Have you heard? The four great sects are recruiting disciples again!" Just as Lin Fan filled his cup but hadn’t yet taken a sip, a burly man’s voice from the next table drew his attention.

He looked up to see three men drinking together—the speaker was a bald, burly fellow.

The man’s companion, a thin fellow, scoffed, "That’s old news. The top academy of the Ice and Snow Kingdom, Celestial Tome Academy, is recruiting as well. Word is, the requirements are higher this year—only those at the Qi-Induction Realm can apply!"

He paused, then continued, "Celestial Tome Academy truly is the kingdom’s strongest force. Previously, anyone under eighteen at the ninth stage of body tempering could enter, but if they didn’t break through in a year, they’d be dismissed. Now, only those under eighteen who’ve reached the Qi-Induction Realm can even apply. Meaning, even if you reach the Qi-Induction Realm before eighteen, you only get a chance to try out—entry isn’t guaranteed!"

"Hiss—!" After hearing this, the bald man and the scholarly, middle-aged companion both drew in sharp breaths, their eyes filled with shock.

"This is most unusual. The four sects used to recruit every three years; they just recruited last year—why so soon again? And Celestial Tome Academy raising its standards is odd as well." The middle-aged scholar, pale-faced and beardless, muttered in analysis after his surprise.

"Could it be—?" His words trailed off, but he seemed to have realized something. Joy lit his face as he looked up at his companions, laughing, "Brothers, my opportunity has arrived!"

"You mean the kingdom is going to war with the Hulan Kingdom?" The bald man and the thin fellow’s eyes brightened, immediately exposing the scholar’s guess.

The bald man thumped his fist into his palm, grinning fiercely, "Excellent! Hulan has violated our borders again and again. Twenty years ago, as our kingdom reeled from pacifying Feiyu, Hulan slaughtered the cities of Northwest, Desert North, and Prince City, killing millions. We’ve been waiting for this day!"

"Indeed. The three of us were children then, fleeing from Desert North to here to avenge that blood feud. So, scholar, you’re joining the army?" The thin fellow turned his gaze to the scholar.

Hearing their words, the scholar’s face grew solemn. "Exactly. Hulan has been mobilizing troops along the border, skirmishes are frequent. The sudden recruitment by the four sects and Celestial Tome Academy must mean war is imminent."

"At this rate, within two years, our kingdom will surely march on Hulan. The four sects and the academy are recruiting so fiercely to cultivate a new generation of young commanders in time!"