Out of the five matches, the freshmen won four. In the last bout, Su Xuan, unlike the competitive He Yao, chose to withdraw once the overall situation was already decided.
However, all discerning spectators could tell that although the senior facing Su Xuan appeared dominant, he did not gain any advantage against her soft-overcomes-hard style. If the fight were to continue, he might very well be worn down and defeated by Su Xuan…
A senior at the Mid-phase Heavenly Fusion Realm being potentially dragged down by a newly enrolled freshman at the Early-phase Heavenly Fusion Realm— this fact alone spoke volumes.
It could be said that after this battle, the faces of many of the Spirit Ranking seniors had been completely trampled beneath the feet of the freshmen. Even if they managed to ascend to the Heavenly Ranking in the future, they would not be able to wash away the shame of today's defeat.
Only, Liu Bai did not care about any of this. At this very moment, he was only thinking about how many Spiritual Values Huo Yun would have on him.
"A bet is a bet. Senior Huo Yun, you are not thinking of going back on your word, right?" Liu Bai narrowed his eyes onto Huo Yun, whose face was already completely pale, and spoke faintly.
Huo Yun clenched his jaw tightly. This humiliation made him feel worse than death.
But if he went back on his word in front of all these people, then he could forget about surviving in the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy in the future — others could drown him with spit alone.
As it is said, public opinion melts metal and wears down bones.
Many times, the damage caused by words could be more frightening than a Divine Art!
"I… will pay."
Squeezing out two words between gritted teeth, Huo Yun shut his eyes and tossed out his Spiritual Value Token.
Laughing, Liu Bai ignored him and received the Token. Upon seeing the number shown on it, his eyebrows could not help but rise.
On the Spiritual Value Token, there was actually a full five hundred thousand Spiritual Values!
In that instant, Liu Bai could no longer maintain his indifferent expression, and a brilliant smile bloomed across his face.
In contrast, Huo Yun looked like someone whose mother had just died… These were his years of hard-earned accumulation, yet now they had become a wedding dress for someone else. The fact that he could still remain rational at this moment showed how firm his mentality truly was.
Likewise, Li Xuanchong and the others were feeling nearly the same as Liu Bai. Although people like Xiao Jian were certainly not as wealthy as Huo Yun, the least amount they had was over a hundred thousand Spiritual Values, which was unquestionably going to play a critical role for their group.
Even He Yao was inwardly grateful that he had not refused Liu Bai back then. Otherwise, he would only be able to look on while others devoured this fat piece of meat, forced to swallow his saliva on the side.
Very quickly, Liu Bai directly handed Guo Xiong and An Ran thirty thousand Spiritual Values each, allowing them to exchange for Soul Spirit Pills before heading to the Thunder Domain for secluded advancement.
Li Xuanchong and the others followed suit, not monopolizing the haul alone. They also let their own important underlings share in their joy…
At this moment, the freshmen were all beaming with joy, while the defeated seniors could only slip away in disgrace.
Perhaps this matter would stir up other incidents in the future, but for now at least, the freshmen could finally cultivate in peace for a while. Next, they would start preparing for the upcoming Freshmen Assembly…
Soon, Li Xuanchong and He Yao came over to chat with Liu Bai for a few words before departing with their subordinates. Even the usually silent Shen Cangsheng nodded at Liu Bai and left behind the words "we should spar if opportunity arises" before quickly vanishing.
Liu Bai brought Guo Xiong, An Ran, and the Su sisters back to his loft in the Class C area.
"Thanks to you this time. With these one hundred fifty thousand Spiritual Values, I have enough for half a month of cultivation." Inside the loft, after they had taken their seats, Su Xuan thanked him.
"You are saying it wrong. Those Spiritual Values are your own spoils of war — they have nothing to do with me," Liu Bai waved his hand, clearly not intending to claim credit.
Su Xuan only shook her head, evidently not agreeing with his words. If not for Liu Bai's invitation, she would most likely never have involved herself in this matter.
In that match, as long as Liu Bai, Li Xuanchong, and Shen Cangsheng were present, the other two were simply there to make up the numbers. Regardless of who they were, and regardless of defeat or victory, they would still win the wager in the end. They were basically tagging along to profit from the three.
He Yao had also precisely not wanted such a reputation to fall on himself. Which was why, at the end, he had gone all out and chosen to win even at risk to his life. He, He Yao, did not need to take advantage of anyone!
After chatting a little more, everyone dispersed. Those who needed to make exchanges went to make exchanges; those who needed to cultivate went back to cultivate.
Liu Bai held the remaining four hundred thousand plus Spiritual Values and contemplated whether he should consume them all directly.
Player: Liu Bai
Cultivation: Early-phase Heavenly Fusion Realm
Occupation: Rank 3 Spiritual Array Master; Blacksmith; Pill Master
Spiritual Pulse: Grade Three Earth Pluse (50/1000)
Physique: Spiritual Flesh and Jade Bones
Essence Soul: Three-Headed Stone Flood Dragon (Heaven-Rank Middle-Grade Spiritual Beast)
Cultivation Arts: Golden Crow Flame Explosion Art (Fifth Layer 0/12500); Hundred Scrolls of Array Dao · Upper Volume (Greater Mastery · Heart Array High Grade); Low-Grade Body Tempering Divine Art · Ice Flesh Jade Bone Art (Greater Mastery 6200/30000); Mountain God Art (Fifth Layer 0/25000); Basic Spirit Tool Forging Essentials (Greater Mastery); Basic Pill Refining Essentials (Greater Mastery)
Skills: …
Arrays: …
Pill Recipes: None
Blueprints: None
Experience: 7580
Beast Soul Points: 72
He only had a bit more than seven thousand experience left, which was insufficient for advancement. However, he could still purchase a few more Spiritual Arts and Cultivation Techniques...
Right now, he only had fire and earth spiritual power in his body. Since he possessed so many Spiritual Values now, he could exchange for the other three elemental cultivation techniques. That way, not only could he test whether cultivating all five elements simultaneously was truly feasible, he could also make his spiritual power denser and purer.
Perhaps, once he successfully gathered all five elements, his spiritual power could become several times or even dozens of times greater than others at the same stage. His combat strength would naturally multiply. With such a boost, he could defeat higher-leveled opponents, and thus earn experience even faster!
"There is still roughly half a month until the Freshmen Assembly. That should be enough for me to take on a mission and give it a try…"
Liu Bai wasn't going to hide within the academy to cultivate like the others did. Since he had a cheat, he naturally had to make full use of it.
Of course, before that, he would first increase his battle strength.
With that thought, Liu Bai stood up and set off again, heading straight for the Spiritual Value Hall…
By this time, he was already considered a "celebrity" in the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy. When he appeared in the Spiritual Value Hall, he instantly drew countless gazes.
After all, he had just obtained a huge sum of Spiritual Value, and many were curious about what he would exchange for.
Seeing this, Liu Bai frowned slightly. Rather than going to the nearest counter like before, he proceeded deeper into the hall and finally stopped at a quiet corner.
In front of him was a crystal counter, and behind it an elderly man with white hair was dozing off.
This scene felt strangely familiar — as if he had seen it many times before while reading novels in his previous life.
Without showing any emotion, Liu Bai approached the counter and gently tapped the tabletop, speaking politely: "Elder, I would like to exchange for a few items…"
Awakened by the noise, the old man looked up impatiently, gave Liu Bai a glance, then lazily lowered his eyelids again and said weakly, "What do you want? Speak."
"I want the Flowing Gold Spirit Transformation Art, the Profound Water Art, and the Green Wood Spirit Art, as well as a Fire Cloud Furnace and a Two Extremes Cauldron."
As Liu Bai spoke, the originally dozing old man immediately opened his eyes, then carefully sized up the young man in front of him…
"Metal, Water, Wood — three-attribute Spiritual Arts, and you also want a pill furnace and a forging cauldron. What exactly is this little fellow planning to do?"
Liu Bai's expression did not change as he merely smiled lightly and replied, "It seems the Academy rules do not restrict what items a student can exchange for, correct?"
Hearing this, the old man immediately laughed. "You are quite the character, aren't you, little one!"
"You are right. The Academy indeed does not limit what students can exchange. As long as you possess enough Spiritual Values, you can even exchange for Divine Artifacts if you wish!"
"However… do not blame this old man for being long-winded. Sometimes, even if your talent is peerless, you still must not aim too high too early. Otherwise, if you miss the best cultivation window, you may regret it for the rest of your life."
Liu Bai raised his eyebrows. Obviously, this old senior had seen through his intentions and was trying to advise him.
Had it not been for his Monster-Clearing Leveling System, Liu Bai would absolutely have listened, for he was certain that this elder's identity was far from simple. His guidance was something countless people would beg for yet not obtain.
But clearly, Liu Bai was not an ordinary person — he was a cheater with a plug-in. The problems that others needed to worry about were not problems at all for him.
Comprehensive and multi-directional development was his best path for now… since he relied on no one but himself, all of these things were absolutely necessary.
"Many thanks for your guidance, Elder. Liu Bai understands. Even so, I wish to give it a try…" Liu Bai smiled politely, but his eyes were filled with unshakable determination.
Hearing this response, the old man seemed unsurprised, and said nothing more. Instead, he handed over the items Liu Bai wanted. With a wave of his hand, a ray of light shot out from Liu Bai's Spiritual Value Token and entered the old man's palm.
Liu Bai took a look — three hundred twenty-five thousand Spiritual Values had already been deducted from the Token.
After receiving everything, Liu Bai bowed once more before turning and leaving the Spiritual Value Hall.
Just as his figure was about to disappear, the old man — eyes previously closed — opened them slightly, gazing at the youth's proud back as he quietly murmured, "Five elements complete, dual cultivation of Pills and Artifacts. Such ambition from this little one. Let this old man see whether you truly possess the qualifications to shoulder such aspirations…"
Liu Bai was not overly surprised that the one he had encountered at the Spiritual Value Hall today was actually the legendary Guardian Sacred Beast of Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy.
After all, he already knew from the original work that this old man usually enjoyed napping in the Spiritual Value Hall.
Nevertheless, Liu Bai did not become overly excited by meeting him and thus lose his composure.
Regardless of whether he was a Sacred Beast or not, for the moment he could not affect Liu Bai in any meaningful way, so all Liu Bai needed to do was act as though he did not know and proceed according to his plan.
The three Spiritual Arts Liu Bai exchanged this time were also of Mid-level Spirit-Grade, yet each was significantly stronger than his previous Golden Crow Flame Explosion Art, something that was obvious from their price alone.
Among the three arts, the Metal-attribute Flowing Gold Spirit Transformation Art and the Water-attribute Profound Water Art each cost one hundred thousand Spiritual Values, making them peak existences of the Mid- level Spirit-Grade Rank.
The Green Wood Spirit Art was slightly lower, costing fifty-five thousand Spiritual Values.
Of course, their high prices were perfectly justified.
Take the Profound Water Art for example — while the name sounded rather plain, it allowed the cultivator to condense Mystic Origin Heavy Water, an extremely powerful Spirit Water found throughout the Great Thousand World. It was said that a single drop of Mystic Origin Heavy Water could weigh one hundred catties. If someone were trapped in this water, even a Heaven Transformation Realm powerhouse might not be able to break free…
Moreover, this Mystic Origin Heavy Water was also an exceptional healing sacred water — while it might not revive the dead, it could rapidly repair many internal injuries. Such an art, with formidable strength and multipurpose utility, naturally warranted its price.
As for the Flowing Gold Spirit Transformation Art, though slightly more "single-purposed", it allowed the user to absorb metallic Qi from the outside world and transform it into myriad spiritual weapons. Just this one ability was enough to make hearts stir.
The spiritual weapons condensed by this Art were comparable in power to real Spirit Armaments. No matter what kind of weapon you were skilled with, you could freely create one, saving you the trouble of purchasing separate equipment.
If cultivated to a high level and supplied with sufficient metallic Qi, one could summon thousands of blades and swords in a single move — somewhat like a golden "shine and flash"…
Lastly, the Green Wood Spirit Art could rapidly absorb the vegetation essence within a hundred-li radius to replenish spiritual power, and could even use spiritual power to convert that essence into accelerated growth for spiritual plants — essentially an auxiliary-type cultivation art.
Should Liu Bai truly become a Pill Master later, the Green Wood Spirit Qi produced by this art would serve him extremely well.
In this way, Liu Bai obtained three new cultivation arts and immediately used his experience points to bring them all to the entry level…
In an instant, three new apertures opened inside his body, condensing the remaining three elemental spiritual powers — the Lung Aperture's Metal Qi, the Kidney Aperture's Water Qi, and the Liver Aperture's Wood Qi.
From this moment on, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth gathered within his body. Even though the Metal, Water, and Wood were still weak at the moment, the Five Elements cycle was complete. His strongest Earth-Element Spiritual Power began slowly nourishing the Metal Qi: with each circulation his Metal Qi would grow slightly stronger, and the experience value of the Flowing Gold Spirit Transformation Art would jump quietly upward…
By Liu Bai's calculation, if he did not rely on experience points to level them up, it would take at least half a year just to push his Metal Qi to the Heavenly Fusion Realm, followed by Water, then Wood…
To truly balance out all five elements would require at least a year of time!
...
For Advance Chapters
pateron.com/Translaterappu