by Fang Xiang
“Get them to give a good display to these outsiders. If they cannot see our Tian Family’s strength in ling plants, they would not give up!” Tian Yong Qing said.
“Haha! I like to bully people the most!” Tian Heng Bo grinned.
———
“Is it good if we do this?” Nian Lu was struggling. Beside him, these experts of Sky Peak Platoon that did not flinch when facing mountains of blades and fire all showed insecure expressions.
“What isn’t good?” Lei Peng did not care.
“Those who doesn’t feel this is good only have to stop getting the allowance of jingshi for the Black Processing Meditation mat, and don’t need to go,” Ma Fan said lightly.
The insecure expressions instantly disappeared. Each of them had twisted expressions and suicidal determination.
“Do this!”
“Killlllll!”
———
“What do we do?” Yi Zheng looked at Zong Ru with desperation. “There is only the two of us as dhyana xiu! We can’t compete!” He wanted to complete what Daren had requested of them well so he could trade for ling dan as soon as possible. Yet, there were only the two of them who were dhayana xiu in the camp, and with limited labour they could not promote their class as well as the others.
Zong Ru thought and then his eyes suddenly lit up. “We’ll go to borrow people!”
“Borrow people?” Yi Zheng’s face was confused.
———
When the xiuzhe of Xu Ling City woke up that day, they found that the cultivation classes, that already seemed to be everywhere, had increased in number overnight!
Suddenly, many xiuzhe were running around on the roads of Xu Ling City. More than a dozen xiuzhe were all wearing Blue Soul Cold Light Armor, each of them with a bright red flag that had in big characters: “Xie’s Sword Essence Class”.
The troop was extremely organized, the person at the very front like a tower made from metal. He did not wear any armor, his upper half bare, heat evaporating from the steely muscles that were radiating with power!
Almost as though he noticed the number of people, the steely man at the front waved the red flag in his hands.
They shouted together, “Practicing the sword but not the essence, that is akin to just farting!”
The spectators were shocked.
The large man waved his flag again and the shouts rang out in unison.
“Xie’s Sword Essence Class, if you can’t get sword essence, we will refund it all!”
The rumbling footsteps seemed to rampage across the hearts of the spectators and left behind dazed passersby.
———
Xu Zheng Wei rose up very early today. It was a rare that he woke up so early. Even though xiuzhe were not affected by age like normal people, time would still leave behind marks on their body no matter how great their cultivation was.
Today, he decided to go visit his nephew.
He was born to a normal family and the only one in his family that had any significant cultivation, a jindan. He had a younger brother that did ran a little business, and with Xu Zheng Wei’s protection his brother’s life did not lack for anything. His brother’s son had pretty good cultivation talent. Just thirteen years old and almost in zhuji, which could be considered outstanding.
He focused a great amount of attention on this nephew and would visit every once in awhile to monitor his cultivation’s progress.
Just outside the door, he saw the street out of the corner of his eye, his step suddenly paused and then his expression froze on his face.
Ten xiuzhe in azure robes were sitting on ten nimbus clouds. The ten nimbus clouds were in a line that slowly floated along the street.
At the very front was that very wealthy Big Boss Zuo who spent jingshi like dirt!
They had managed to use something to write words onto the snowy-white nimbus clouds. Each nimbus cloud had a great big red character that could be seen from a long way off.
Xu Zheng Wei reflexively read along the nimbus cloud and almost spat blood!
“Ling plant cultivation class, includes work placement!”
———
A troop of fierce big men, yes, truly fierce and big men, each of them were more than one zhang tall!
When such a troop walked on the street, the pressure they produced was suffocating.
Each of their upper half was bare, the muscles were so terrifying they seemed unreal. All of them had proud expressions, their steps were heavy. When the ten people walked together, it rumbled as though a herd of elephants were trampling the ground.
However … …
“Zong Yi Dhayan Xiu Class, jindan dhyana xiu teaching, and lectures by a core disciples of the deep mountain’s Great Buddha Temple. The abhinna of dhyana xiu, all kinds of world-shaking techniques, are in this class, no regrets if you attend!”
The shouts that rose caused people to be unable to feel any fear at all.
———
Chun Yu Cheng smugly sat on top of a wood horn rhinoceros. Around him were six hundred ling butterflies of different colors. Everywhere he passed, they caused little children to chase and play.
These ling butterflies flew and formed words of different colors.
“Animal Husbandry Cultivation Class!”
———
Wei Sheng looked at the structure in front of him and showed a wry smile.
There was nothing to be said about the structure. This was a small sized yard, classic and elegant. On the door above the main gate was a large sign “Sword Teaching Hall.” The words were average, and at least better than chicken-scratch. What made him want to cry was the words written in the side of the door.
“High-end Sword Cultivation Class, the choice for elite!”
“Listen to the life experiences of a great master, comprehend the deep meanings of the sword!”
“Teacher Wei’s High-End Sword Hall, you are worth it!”
“The best gift for a child, the contribution of a true master, you are welcome to have a trial lesson!”
The people behind Wei Sheng had strange expressions as they looked at each other.
“Has someone registered?” Wei Sheng asked the xiuzhe responsible.
The other shook his head. “No!”
Wei Sheng smiled helplessly and murmured to himself, “It seems that I have to rely on myself!”
He was too lazy to ask the others to erase these slogans. Rising his feet, he walked up the stairs and only stopped when he was far from the door.
Turning, he faced the outside.
Seeing Wei Sheng’s serious face, the Vermillion Bird Camp sword xiu that had come to assist seemed to realize something and closed their mouths.
Boom!
A vast sword essence burst and rose into the sky!
The entire city was astounded!
* * *
[i] The original saying is roughly translated as “Sea-crossing Immortal” which means that anyone that can cross the sea is an immortal, and similar to other sayings such as “any cat, whether white or black, who can catch a rat is a good cat.” Zuo Mo like mangling idioms and so the saying is changed to “immortal crossing the sea.”
Chapter 456: Off With A Bang
Famous!
Turtle Island cultivation classes became famous across Xu Ling City.
People crowded around every registration place for the cultivation classes, countless people waving their jingshi in hopes of getting a spot. The Vermillion Bird Camp xiuzhe that had never seen such a spectacle before were rushed and clumsy as they hurried.
The one that was most orderly was Wei Sheng’ Sword Teaching Hall. All incomers were respectful as they sincerely presented their jingshi and then found a corner to sit silently after receiving permission to wait for class to start.
Wei Sheng’s powerful sword essence shook all of Xu Ling City. Even jindan sword xiu came to register.
The first day passed in a hurry.
The people that thought they could t
ake a rest found to their shock that on the second day the number of people coming to register had exploded. Many people had held doubts the first day, but the skill level of Zong Ru and the others had been shown during their first classes. The xiuzhe that had been wavering hurried in.
The busy scene in front of them seemed unexpected to everyone. Even Zuo Mo felt his scalp prickle.
After a long time, Zuo Mo finally understood the cause.
All the cultivation classes on the market were actually very low in terms of the skills they imparted. What did they have to do if they wanted to learn some substantial spells? Enter a sect. The cultivation classes that were on the market were really just used to get students to enter sects. Sects would have exams when they chose disciples.
So when Zuo Mo and the others opened their cultivation classes, it was like a crane among chickens, and the skills they taught were much higher than other cultivation classes.
The spells and tricks that Zuo Mo and the others passed on in their eyes were just the simple basics, but for the elementary xiuzhe that were stuck outside the doors of the sects, they were profound truths.
In one day, the name of the Turtle Island Cultivation Classes rose greatly. The xiuzhe that attended the first day of classes were excited and passed the news on to their friends. What were they most afraid of when attending cultivation classes? Afraid that they would pay the jingshi but would not learn anything. Now they found that the teachers of these cultivation classes were all powerful. How could these people not go crazy?
Because these cultivation classes came from Turtle Island, everyone called them by the general name of Turtle Island Cultivation Classes.
The beginner cultivators were the largest group and also the group that was paid the least amount of attention. Most of them were not very talented, and it was very hard to even get admitted into a small sect. Most of the time, they survived as hired employees, learning one or two of the most basic spells and had difficulty eking out a living.
No matter what jie, mastering one more spell meant one more hope of finding a job. The more profound the spell, the better the job.
For example, first grade fire spells were the most basic and elementary fire spells. They could only do the most labor-intensive and difficult fire-related work, such as stoking fires. Second-grade fire spells meant they could enter a kitchen and cook some simple ling dishes. Third-grade fire spells meant they could enter specialized medicine houses to treat all kinds of materials.
There were enormous differences between the income of different grades of spells.
But who held all the spells? Those small and large sects. In order to learn these spells, they could only enter these sects in order to learn them. Like the Wu Kong Sword Sect that Zuo Mo was in before. Now, it seemed a tiny sect, but even the second-grade sword scriptures of the sect were things that outer sect disciples had to pay contribution points to view.
Just paying a certain amount of jingshi and being able to learn a pretty good spell, this was fatally attractive to elementary xiuzhe.
Zuo Mo definitely would not have thought that the effect produced by the Turtle Island Cultivation Classes spread at astounding speed in Xu Ling City and even into more distant areas.
———
Looking at the empty hall, Tian Zhong Zhou showed a puzzled expression.
In a few short days, his cultivation class went from two hundred people to three people!
The last three students looked at each other and silently gathered their things to leave the hall. They had only come with their last hopes. Seeing the Tian cultivation class like this, they instantly understood.
No one was dumb!
The Turtle Island Cultivation Classes were not cheap, but the spells they taught were much more profound than other cultivation classes. In the past, the Tian cultivation class was the oldest and most reputable ling plant cultivation class in Xu Ling City. Yet the students who had attended the Turtle Island ling plant cultivation class never came back after that.
Tian Zhong Zhou looked on woodenly as the last three students left. His mind was dazed.
A few days ago, the upper levels had asked to them to blow away this cultivation class. Tian Zhong Zhou and the others had been full of motivation, each of them using all of their power and were waiting to beat the other down!
In other areas, the Tian Family didn’t dare, but in ling plants, who was a match for them in Xu Ling City?
Each teacher of the Tian cultivation class was full of motivation. The stuff that the Turtle Island Cultivation Class had taught on the first day were just tricks in the eyes of Tian Zhong Zhou and the others. It showed that the other was not as strong as they were so they would put their efforts on those unorthodox methods.
Cultivation class, they were about strength in the end!
Tian Zhong Zhou and the others were full of confidence.
Yet the suddenly change turned everyone dumbstruck.
No one had expected the Turtle Island Cultivation Classes that they thought of as clowns to gain such popularity and become unstoppable! In the span of a few short days, the students of the Tian cultivation classes quickly left.
At the start, Tian Zhong Zhou had thought, these students should never think about coming back to class ever again. Including him, the teachers of the classes had used all their skills. They had never worked so hard before, never been so professional! They hoped to use this method to stem the tide.
Yet they quickly found that all efforts were useless.
The number of students that came everywhere lessened.
Coming out of his thoughts, Tian Zhong Zhou’s eyes filled with blood. His hands unconsciously balled together and his discontent erupted!
Why was it like this!
Why!
He suddenly walked out. His face was determined. He was going to see just how evil the other’s cultivation class really was!
He wasn’t even in the mood to clean up what was on his table and left without a glance back.
He was going to expose the other’s tricks in front of the public!
A light drizzle came down as he walked. Tian Zhong Zhou walked quickly and did not detect the pitter-patter of rain against his body.
It was very easy to find the ling plant cultivation class of the Turtle Island. He only need to make a few inquiries and found the general location. Tian Zhong Zhou was very familiar with Xu Ling City and quickly found the place.
The deep little alley was completely silent.
It seemed these people were not very wealthy. The location of this little alley was not good and it used to be one of the most remote areas where no one would come. Tian Zhong Zhou recovered some of his confidence. Compared to this place, the location of their Tian cultivation class was in the golden stretch of the inner city.
Yet when Tian Zhong Zhou turned the corner to the alley, he seemed to be paralyzed.
People sat on the ground of the long and narrow alley. Their faces were upraised as they listened intently to the sound coming from the end of the alley. The entire alley was filled to the brim but silent. No one was speaking.
Tian Zhong Zhou was astounded!
Suddenly, an unspeakable feeling filled his chest and his lips uncontrollably trembled. His cultivation talent was normal and he did not have much status in the family. Otherwise, he would not have been sent to be the teacher for the ling plant cultivation class.
He had been a teacher of the ling plant cultivation class for ten whole years.
But in his ten years of teaching, he had never seen such a shocking scene!
He didn’t have good feelings about the students in his class. These xiuzhe that lived on the lowest level of society always had exhaustion-filled faces, and were never focused. The great majority of them were rough and crude, hard to like. They were the examples of the lowest level of xiuzhe in society, they were without any hint of refinement or beauty or the otherworldliness that came with cultivation.
Yet, it was also t
his group of people sitting quietly in rapt attention… …
Tian Zhong Zhou’s mind was dazed. The students that were sitting wore serious expressions that were slightly pious. There was no exhaustion or tiredness in their expressions, their focused faces shone with another kind of light.
Tian Zhong Zhou looked dazedly at this group of unfamiliar students.
The voice came from the end of the valley. It was not very loud but very clear. The teacher inside had seemed to predict this scene and had used a sound amplifying talisman.
“The five elements of ling plants have their own wonders. We are going to talk about the water element today. There are many water element spells, but does that mean that all water element spells are suited to ling plants? No. The water element spells that are able to be used on ling plants must have warm and nurturing effects. Today, I am going to talk of a water element spell called [Little Art of Cloud and Rain]. It is not a profound spell, but for us ling plant farmers, it is very useful. Here, I must remind everyone to not always pursue high grade spells. High grade spells are better than low grade spells but the consumption of ling power is also higher. This is likely to cause you to land in the awkward state of not having enough ling power when using it … …”
After listening for a little while, Tian Zhong Zhou showed shock on his face.
They also taught [Little Art of Cloud and Rain] but only just the most basic variations. The higher level variations were only permitted to be taught after the student entered the Tian Family. Many of the wondrous parts this person talked about were ones that even Tian Zhong Zhou felt were novel. In this little while, he felt as though he had learned greatly!
But he did not feel happy, but disbelieving!
He did not wonder at this person’s deep comprehension of spells, but rather that this person would publicly teach such exquisite content!
Was this person crazy?
Did he not know what he was talking about were things no sect would easily make public?
If he only passed it on to a few people, no one would pay attention to him! But to publicly teach it like this, to so easily pass high grade spells, there was only one result, offending all the sects!