Gou Refining Essence into Qi in the Dharma-ending Age

Chapter 21 Variables

Zheng Wenyan earnestly persuaded him.

He has been a lecturer at Xinhuo Peak for a century and has seen many disciples who, after hearing about the three realms of meditation, went to improve with full confidence, but the final result for most of them was that they wasted their golden period of cultivation.

There are geniuses, after all.

But that's far too little.

Even in sects like the Sword Sect, few people can reach the Great Stillness stage, let alone the Constant Stillness stage.

Zheng Wenyan had also heard of sects that specifically recruited disciples with good character for self-cultivation.

If all the disciples of a sect are at the Great Stability stage, or even the Constant Stability stage, it means that everyone in the sect has a superior or even heavenly-grade aptitude.

However, reality is quite cruel.

This sect's lineage eventually died out.

"Teacher, we understand." Lin Yuan and Lin Chao said in unison.

Regardless of whether they agree with it or not, they will naturally not be ungrateful when faced with the teacher's advice.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Wenyan nodded slightly and then continued, "Of course, since you asked, you must be curious about the rewards for reaching Hengding. Like reaching Dading, in addition to a large amount of resources, it also grants status. Those who reach Hengding can directly become Sword-wielding disciples."

"A disciple wielding the sword?"

"The one who wields the sword wields the sword of a peak, and is the representative figure of that peak, the face of the sect. The choice is extremely careful, but if one can remain steadfast, one can disregard many conditions," Zheng Wenyan explained, then looked at the two of them, "Of course, you are still on Xinhuo Peak, so these things are too far away for you to think about."

"Lin Chao, it's time for your lessons."

Seeing that the teacher was unwilling to say more, Lin Yuan and his companion naturally did not ask any further questions.

Lin Chao stepped forward and received his assignment.

"Lin Chao, you have low-grade aptitude and are at the first level of the embryonic breathing stage. Judging from the abundance of spiritual energy in your body, you are about at the middle stage of the first level of the embryonic breathing stage. Therefore, your cultivation course will be to reach the late stage of the first level of the embryonic breathing stage within half a year."

"You were rated A in the practical test, which shows that you have a good talent in combat. Next, you will need to choose a supernatural power to cultivate and enhance your abilities. I will conduct a practical test on you then, and you must reach A."

Although both Lin Chao and Lin Yuan were practicing supernatural powers, Zheng Wenyan's requirements for them differed greatly.

Lin Chao was somewhat surprised: "Teacher, why isn't my cultivation of supernatural martial arts a test of progress?"

Zheng Wenyan patiently explained: "Strong combat skills do not necessarily mean strong comprehension of supernatural abilities. The Sword Sect has always taught according to aptitude, and with a wealth of experience, it is unlikely to make certain mistakes."

It is clear that the Sword Sect once made a mistake by mistaking strong combat ability for high comprehension, and therefore changed its approach.

Since the disciple is skilled in actual combat, then let's continue to test the disciple in actual combat.

"Thank you for your explanation, teacher," Lin Chao replied immediately after hearing the explanation.

It's all the same to him, actually.

His comprehension is also quite good.

However, in actual combat, it is indeed more suitable for him.

"Nothing, do you have any other questions?" Zheng Wenyan asked.

Lin Yuan and the other man both shook their heads.

At least not at the moment.

Zheng Wenyan continued, "If not, go to the Scripture Pavilion and choose a supernatural martial art. Remember, do what you are capable of. Also, in the coming days, you will need to attend at least two more lectures. Don't forget, I will be here every day."

"Furthermore, you must complete your studies diligently. If you fail to complete your studies three times in a row, you will be demoted from an inner disciple to an outer disciple, and an outer disciple will have their resource allocation reduced by three months. If you continue to make the same mistake, you will be expelled from the sect."

Upon hearing this, both Lin Yuan and his companion felt a chill run down their spines.

The Sword Sect is generally quite lenient, but that doesn't mean there are no punishment mechanisms.

If you don't put your heart into it, you'll definitely regret it.

Seeing their expressions, Zheng Wenyan smiled and reassured them, "Don't worry, as long as you don't completely slack off, you won't be expelled from the sect. Go!"

Lin Yuan and Lin Chao felt somewhat relieved and said in unison again, "Yes, teacher, we take our leave."

Unbeknownst to the two, two figures were secretly watching them throughout their class.

One of them was Chen Changming, and the other was a middle-aged man with an extraordinary bearing and a dignified expression.

"Changming, what do you think of these two?" The dignified middle-aged man looked at Chen Changming and asked.

"Sect Master, it's only been two days, we can't tell anything yet," Chen Changming shook his head and replied.

The imposing middle-aged man was actually the current sect leader of the Sword Sect.

"That's true." The sect leader smiled. "Then let me ask you another way. Who do you think cultivates faster and is the strongest among Lin Chao, Lin Yuan, and Wang Qiudao?"

"Sect Master, if this question had been posed in the past, I could have answered it without hesitation. But with the arrival of the Era of Extinction and the onset of anomalies, I find it difficult to make a judgment." Chen Changming said with a troubled expression.

"Hehe, you seem to be not answering, but you are actually answering. You did not choose Lin Chao, who has superior root bone, so you are hesitating between Lin Yuan and Wang Qiudao, right?" The sect leader pointed out Chen Changming's thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Chen Changming could only nod: "Yes."

The sect leader laughed and scolded, "If others knew that you didn't choose a top-grade talent bone, but instead chose two low-grade talents bone, they would probably call you blind."

That is indeed the case.

Theoretically speaking, the cultivation speed of someone with superior innate talent is far beyond that of someone with inferior innate talent.

"And what about the sect leader's choice?" Chen Changming countered.

"I will also choose Lin Chao or Wang Qiudao," the sect leader replied without the slightest hesitation.

Unlike Chen Changming, the sect leader gave his own reasons.

He knew all the information about the three people like the back of his hand.

"Lin Yuan suffered suppression in the Lin family due to some events. Such an experience has the potential to change things and may indicate some underlying strength, but overall, the changes are not significant, and ultimately, it has not reached the standard of change."

"Lin Chao, with low-grade aptitude, was previously an invisible figure in the Lin family. He was timid, but at a certain time, he suddenly awakened and his personality changed drastically."

"As someone with low-grade aptitude, I reached the first level of the embryonic breathing stage in less than three months. No, it's still unknown whether I've even reached the first level of the embryonic breathing stage. I passed the practical test, which is theoretically impossible to reach the first grade. The change is tremendous."

Chen Changming suddenly realized that the testing standards this time were not set by Xinhuo Peak as always, but by the sect.

He finally understood why, after so many years of testing, only Lin Chao had achieved an A grade.

It now seems that the sect test and the talent test are just side effects; the real combat test is the main focus.

However, he thought of another person: "What about Wang Qiudao? His practical combat test results were extremely average."

The sect leader continued, "Wang Qiudao, whose original name was Wang Ergou, was originally just a country boy who knew nothing. However, three years ago, without any guidance, he found a spiritual land and began to cultivate. It took him three years to reach the second level of the Fetal Breathing Realm."

"Furthermore, the fact that he was able to meet Lin Chao and Lin Yuan suggests that he orchestrated the encounter, and the changes were drastic, as if he had become a completely different person."

Wang Qiudao clearly had more information, and the more he did, the more mistakes he made; even some of his plans were discovered.

"The spiritual energy is about to be cut off, the secrets of heaven are in chaos, the overall situation is changing, and the trend is shifting from favorable to unfavorable."

"The innate qualities that are closely related to spiritual energy no longer account for a large proportion of future achievements."

"The real variable is..."

"Lin Yuan, who should theoretically achieve the greatest success, is the one with the fewest variables. I don't have a high opinion of him."

He only said these words to a select few.

Chen Changming is one of them.

While the Flame Peak may seem to be the initial peak of the Sword Sect, it is actually involved in the fundamental inheritance of the sect. The peak master is naturally the core figure of the sect and the confidant of the sect master.

Chen Changming remained silent. He didn't know as much as the sect leader, and he was also shocked after hearing the story.

Will the future change so drastically?

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