Chapter 611: Chapter 393: Spirit Tower

"I don’t have that many credits. However, during the Jade Cold Pool incident, I was lucky enough to make a contribution. As a special reward, the dean allowed me to choose any Cultivation Technique from the Hidden Skills Hall," Xu Yang said with a smile.

As soon as these words came out, Wu You’s eyes immediately reddened with envy.

He had expected Xu Yang to admit to lacking credits, allowing him to throw out a few snide remarks. He never imagined that the joke would end up being on him.

To think that the Jade Cold Pool incident had earned Xu Yang such a massive reward. Being able to choose any Cultivation Technique was the equivalent of being given one or two thousand credits at once.

"Choose any Cultivation Technique? The dean is too generous!"

"Earlier, people were saying Xu Yang was unlucky and barely escaped with his life. Who knew he actually hit the jackpot?"

"If I had known, I would have gone to the Jade Cold Pool for experience, too. I might have gotten a share of this reward."

The surrounding students’ eyes also reddened with jealousy. They all knew Xu Yang would be rewarded for the Jade Cold Pool incident, but none of them expected the reward to be this lucrative.

"Congratulations!" Wu You forced a smile, his words entirely insincere.

"I have already selected my Cultivation Technique, so I won’t bother you any longer, Brother Wu."

Xu Yang cupped his hands in a salute. He turned and walked to the counter, handing over his Waist Token and Chu Nanguai’s written order. "Instructor, I would like to exchange this for the Celestial Essence Section of the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture."

Upon hearing this, the instructor’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Chu Nanguai had given Xu Yang the opportunity to choose a Cultivation Technique, but it certainly wasn’t so he could pick something as incredibly difficult to cultivate as the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture. The dean had expected him to choose either the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique or the True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Technique.

However, the instructor was only responsible for managing the Hidden Skills Hall; he had no right to dictate a student’s choice. Even the dean wouldn’t interfere with a student’s final decision in this regard.

Stowing the written order away and finishing the registration, he handed Xu Yang a token.

"Thank you, Instructor!"

Xu Yang took the token, turned around, and headed upstairs.

"He actually chose the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture?"

"How foolish. He already failed to cultivate the Azure Dragon Dominating Body and the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. He should have chosen the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique or the True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Technique. What’s the point of choosing the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture?"

"He wants to walk the path of Spirit, not realizing that this path is even harder than Body Refining."

The moment Xu Yang left, the onlookers broke into a flurry of discussion. The Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture was indeed a Supreme Technique. If one could master it, competing with the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides would be no problem at all. But this path was far more difficult.

What Martial Artist didn’t know the importance of Spirit? But condensing one’s Heart Spirit wasn’t something that could be achieved just by wishing for it. Even among talents like Huo Xiaochen and Li Yunfei, no one had heard of any of them currently cultivating the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture.

"He overestimates himself!" Wu You sneered. His previous jealousy vanished in an instant, replaced by a sense of schadenfreude.

If Xu Yang had chosen the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique or the True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Technique, there might have genuinely been a chance for him to compete with geniuses like Li Yunfei and Gu Qingfeng in the future.

By choosing the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture, that possibility was almost zero.

His previous Sect also had the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture. After trying to cultivate it for nearly a year without even reaching the Entry Level, Wu You had given up.

Mastering the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture required more than just Comprehension; it demanded an incredibly tyrannical Heart Spirit. Since even people like Li Yunfei didn’t possess a Heart Spirit strong enough to cultivate it, he didn’t believe for a second that Xu Yang’s Heart Spirit was superior to theirs.

"Student greets Elder Mu," Xu Yang said, cupping his hands.

On his meditation cushion, Elder Mu opened his eyes.

This time, Xu Yang no longer felt as though his entire body was being seen through. He couldn’t help but breathe a secret sigh of relief.

He had come here filled with apprehension, terrified that this Old Deng wouldn’t play by the rules and would pry into his secrets again. If the elder discovered that he had suddenly become a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, it wasn’t impossible for him to just capture him and interrogate him on the spot.

"Brat, what Cultivation Technique are you trying to learn this time?" Elder Mu asked with a smile.

Xu Yang stepped forward and handed over the token. "This time, student wishes to learn the Celestial Essence Section of the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture."

Elder Mu nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "You’re not entirely stupid, then. I thought you would be in a rush to learn a Spirit Bone Martial Technique. If you had genuinely gone for a Spirit Bone Martial Technique, it would be quite difficult for you to catch up to those Spirit Bone Celestial Prides.

"Since you have a foundation of reaching Perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Section of the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture, you should indeed continue cultivating this Celestial Essence Section. Only by establishing a solid foundation will you have the capital to compete with them."

As he spoke, he glanced down at the token Xu Yang had handed him. He was momentarily stunned. "Eh? Exchanging for the entire Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture at once? Where did a brat like you get so many credits?"

Though he remained detached from worldly affairs, he knew Xu Yang was a freshman this year. It had only been a little over seven months since he entered the Celestial Strategy Academy. Even if he became rank one on the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List, it was impossible for him to have accumulated so many credits.

Xu Yang cupped his hands in reply. "When I previously went to the Jade Cold Pool for experience, a fanatic almost captured the Profound Water Spirit Loach King. I sent a signal and managed to save the Profound Water Spirit Loach King in time. This is the reward the dean gave me."

"What?! The Profound Water Spirit Loach King was almost captured?"

Elder Mu’s voice sharpened considerably. "Even I don’t have the qualifications to eat that thing! Which bastard dared to target it?"

"It was a Master of Weapon Forging in the city named Ma Daxing. Although nothing happened to the Profound Water Spirit Loach King, they did capture several hundred Profound Water Spirit Loaches," Xu Yang said.

It seemed there was more than one person who wanted to eat the Profound Water Spirit Loach King.

"A mere Master of Weapon Forging almost captured the Profound Water Spirit Loach King? That bastard Chu Nanguai! If anything had happened to the Profound Water Spirit Loach King, I’d have skinned him alive..."

Grumbling and cursing, Elder Mu led Xu Yang all the way up to the fifth floor.

He opened the secret chamber where the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture was engraved, allowed Xu Yang inside, and quickly turned to leave.

Xu Yang closed the chamber door and sat straight down on the meditation cushion. Without any delay, he immersed himself entirely in comprehending the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture.

The dining hall was bustling that evening. Students of the Celestial Strategy Academy who had spent the entire day cultivating sat together in twos and threes, chatting cheerfully as they ate.

Although Wu You had brought followers to the Celestial Strategy Academy to serve his daily needs, he would still occasionally come to the dining hall to eat.

It wasn’t because the food here was particularly delicious, but rather because it was crowded, making it easy to gather various kinds of intelligence. Many geniuses on the Lingyun List who had servants would also frequent the dining hall from time to time.

"Wu You, over here!"

As soon as he stepped into the dining hall, someone waved him over.

Wu You looked up and saw Wan He sitting together with several disciples from Basic Class A.

"Give me a moment!"

He called back, fetched his food, and quickly sat down at their table.

"Guess what I saw at the Hidden Skills Hall today?" Wu You said with a sly chuckle.

"What did you see?" Wan He asked curiously.

"What interesting things could possibly happen in a place like the Hidden Skills Hall? Hurry up and tell us," Ge Zhiwen said, somewhat impatiently.

"For the Jade Cold Pool incident, the Celestial Strategy Academy’s reward for Xu Yang was letting him choose any Cultivation Technique."

As soon as he said this, everyone at the table fell silent, their faces filled with envy.

Even geniuses on the Lingyun List like them only had two opportunities to choose a Cultivation Technique for free. However, given how many Divine Skills and Secret Techniques the Celestial Strategy Academy possessed, two chances were simply not enough.

Having just one extra opportunity was enough to widen the gap between oneself and the vast majority of people.

"He really got off cheap," Wan He said sourly.

Lu Ren asked curiously, "What did Xu Yang choose? The Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique or the True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Technique?"

He was also feeling a bit bitter. He hadn’t expected that Xu Yang would get a third chance after wasting his first two.

"The Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique? How is that possible? His Comprehension isn’t sufficient to master it. As long as he has half a brain, he wouldn’t choose the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique or the True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Technique." Wan He shook his head.

He hadn’t been able to master the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique himself even after nearly seven months, let alone Xu Yang.

"Brother Wan truly understands him. He didn’t pick either of them; he chose the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture," Wu You nodded.

Wan He laughed. "He has some brains, but not a lot. Doesn’t he know that the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture is even harder to cultivate than the Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique? To waste all three opportunities—he really is something else."

Lu Ren’s heart, however, sank. The Xu Yang he knew wasn’t this kind of reckless person. Having already failed twice, not choosing the relatively simpler Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique and instead going for the vastly more difficult Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture—that didn’t fit Xu Yang’s personality at all.

He wondered, "Could it be that he is confident he can master the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture?"

A shadow of doubt crept into his mind and refused to dissipate. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Xu Yang would actually be able to master the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture, because Xu Yang had never disappointed him before.

Whatever it was that he worried Xu Yang might accomplish, Xu Yang always ended up doing exactly that.

"What are you worried about, Brother Lu? It’s impossible for Xu Yang to master the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture."

Wan He patted his chest confidently. "If he can master it, I, Wan He, will take his surname."

[Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture Celestial Essence Section · First Layer (3/10,000)]

An unknown amount of time passed. When Xu Yang finally snapped out of his comprehension of the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture and looked at his interface panel, it displayed that his Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture had reached the Entry Level.

"How overbearing!"

He felt his head throbbing with a heavy dizziness, as though he hadn’t slept for a very long time. It had been ages since he last experienced this sensation.

Even when he previously comprehended the Azure Dragon Dominating Body and the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, he had never felt such excessive depletion of his Heart Spirit—and that was before his Comprehension had shattered Perfection to reach the Overlimit Level.

"I’ll head back to the courtyard to rest first!"

Groggy and heavy-headed, Xu Yang went down to the second floor, bid farewell to Elder Mu, then returned to his courtyard and immediately fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

When he woke up again, he felt completely refreshed, his mind clear and ethereal.

[Obtained Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture Celestial Essence Section, Points +350]

[Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture Celestial Essence Section Reached Entry Level, Points +200]

[Obtained 50 Credits, Points +20]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 2828]

Having acquired nearly six hundred points all at once, Xu Yang was in an excellent mood. He casually allocated a point on the interface panel and sat up from the bed.

Although he had slept through the entire night, his Spirit Bone had automatically devoured Spiritual Qi, causing his Cultivation to advance slightly further.

"Next, it’s time to head to the Spirit Tower."

Xu Yang skipped his morning exercises, wanting to maintain peak energy levels before entering the Spirit Tower. After freshening up, eating breakfast at the dining hall, and preparing some dry rations, he took his Waist Token and headed toward the Spirit Tower.

The Spirit Tower was located on the outskirts of the Celestial Strategy Academy’s Lower Courtyard, leaning against a towering mountain that pierced the clouds.

The Spirit Tower’s design was similar to the Battle Tower, but it was far more colossal and majestic.

Like the Battle Tower, the Spirit Tower was entirely covered in runes. It stood like a giant beast rearing up on its hind legs, constantly devouring the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth.

The tower emitted a blinding light, its powerful suction creating an astonishing astral wind that blanketed the entire structure.

Even from hundreds of feet away, Xu Yang could hear the furious howling of the gale. The strong winds whipped at his clothes, making a loud FLAP FLAP FLAP.

It was unclear just how vast the Spirit Tower’s range of absorbing Spiritual Qi was. At the top of the tower, a distorted "funnel" had formed, radiating a heart-palpitating sense of oppression.

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