Dao.

Known as the search for the ultimate truth, and the enlightenment of the Heavenly Laws, it grants unbelievable power and longevity; even immortality is possible. It is no surprise that all martial practitioners are infuriated with it without exception.

The progress of one’s Dao is measured by what is called the Martial Way, and the further one treads upon it, the more beneficial it is.

Not only will one have a stronger foundation that could hold up better against wayward temptations, but it also helps the person cultivate faster and climb higher than others.

Dao is a search of truth, and people participate in life-and-death combat, art, music, the study of magic, and a myriad of other activities to gain enlightenment.

What one derives from their experiences are the rules set by heaven, and these revelations often become concepts for cultivation.

The practitioner will test out this concept of theirs, again and again, refining it and becoming better at it, until they find their own truth. However, not everyone’s Dao is equal.

Those with a Dao that is weak will be stuck sometime during their cultivation process, while those with a Dao that is strong will reach a higher level.

This is also why everyone was so surprised when Kairos and his group are all on the legendary Heavenly Path, the Dao that was deemed to be closest to the grand truth of heavenly laws. Such cultivators are like students with a cheating sheet during an exam, they could more easily refine their Dao with greater revelations of truth.

People on the Heavenly Path have long since been judged as legendary practitioners that are blessed by the heavens, but today, for some reason, the heavens have decided to repeatedly bless these boys, one after another.

It’s as if it would not relent until everyone else dies from jealousy. The others looked at the six of them with faces almost turning green.

People really cannot compare what they have with other people.

Kairos and his group, however, know that this is not a blessing by some greater being, but because of the weird cultivation method, they have been using.

“Hah! It’s my turn. Watch me destroy that armour suit,” suddenly, Jones waved his hand and walked into the combat room that was just repaired.

In a short moment, he faced the suit of armour that is lying on the floor just as Kairos did before. The greater spirit repossessed the suit animating it in front of the boy.

“THOU ART THE TESTEE? HMM THOU ART A WORTHY ADVERSARY. I SHALL START OFF WITH THINE LEVEL, PEAK D RANK”

The examinee room instantly had an uproar. During the mock battlefield examination, he was only at Mid D.

Though the speed of Jones’ cultivation has always been fast, it increased by leaps and bounds after following Kairos’ cultivation method.

Since the spirit was contracted to test out a student’s combat ability, it did not plan to use any martial skills against Jones. The reasoning behind this was because each skill varies greatly. If the Elemental attacked with a technique that is the weak point of a student, but the strong point of another, then they will be unfairly judged.

However, in the end, whether to use a combat skill is not something specified in its contract and is up to the spirit’s decision.

The two clashed almost immediately, with a near-fervent delight.

It was a challenge of pure power with muscles against steel, yet it was the latter that was beaten back harshly. The physique of a genius like Jones can never be underestimated. The Greater Metal Spirit that did not know who its opponent is felt an unbelievable force from the boy. It was as though it had run into a charging Sky Cow. The metal twisted and crumbled from their first face-off.

“WELL DONE, BE PREPARED FOR THY SECOND CHALLENGE, ENTRY C RANK!”

The difficulty instantly increased several folds when its cultivation crossed into the next major stage, and there was complete silence in the latent examination room.

Those who had to fight an enemy of the next cultivation stage knows how difficult it is. Not everyone is like Kairos who has already become a walking miracle. However, the one being examined right now is the top-combatant of the year, and no one was concerned if Jones might lose. Instead, they were sensibly quiet because the show they expect.

However, the second round started in the exact same manner.

*PANG*

A tremendous crash shook the room as the two collided fiercely head-on, and despite Jones having lower cultivation, he forced back his enemy. This time around, however, the animated full-plate weathered the assault, but before the Elemental could recover its footing, a rain of blades shredded it into bits.

It fell with a clutter, littering the ground with bits of shiny debris. Within a second of raising its rank, the armour broke apart for the second time. There were some gasps as the students, and the principal saw the strength behind Jones’ Ki Swords.

“Did his sword mastery progress again?”

“I… I don’t know, but the power behind those strikes are tripled at least!”

“What? That’s impossible, how can he make such an improvement in such a short time?”

“Trust me, I know what I’m saying. I’ve once fought Jones before.”

“Next!”

Behind them, the latent examination continued. Whenever someone’s name was called, the person would reluctantly tear himself away from the viewing crystal and go towards the Academy’s staff. Granted, the examiner having to focus on his work was more curious than all the students put together. He gave every student who came over to the latent testing crystal a sneer before starting, and a longer teeth-baring version if there was any tarrying.

While everyone’s eyes were glued to the crystal screen, Kairos approached his friends, “Guys, tell me about your test results so far.”

He consolidated a remarkable, and at the same time, fascinating list.

…..

Jones

Bloodline: Failed to measure, the red halo broke even after strengthening

Cultivation talent: Peak heart’s way, Heavenly path

Strength of soul: Immortal Rank, Huang Grade

Cultivation level: Peak D level energy source.

Ki purity: Immortal Rank, Huang Grade

Alan

Bloodline: Failed to measure, no reaction from crystal

Cultivation talent: Peak mortal’s way, Heavenly path

Strength of soul: Titan Rank, Heaven Grade

Cultivation level: Peak E level energy source.

Ki purity: Beast Rank, Earth Grade

Edward

Bloodline: Poor

Cultivation talent: Peak mortal’s way, Heavenly path

Strength of soul: Titan Rank, Huang Grade

Cultivation level: Peak E level energy source.

Ki purity: Titan Rank, Xuan Grade

Jim

Bloodline: Very Poor

Cultivation talent: Peak mortal’s way, Heavenly path

Strength of soul: Beast Rank, Heaven Grade

Cultivation level: Peak E level energy source.

Ki purity: Beast Rank, Heaven Grade

Tommy

Bloodline: Normal

Cultivation talent: Peak mortal’s way, Heavenly path

Strength of soul: Titan Rank, Huang Grade

Cultivation level: Peak E level energy source.

Ki purity: Beast Rank, Heaven Grade

Kairos

Bloodline: Underwhelming

Cultivation talent: Peak mortal’s way, Heavenly path

Strength of soul: Failed to measure, latent crystal fissured

Cultivation level: Entry D level energy source.

Ki purity: Failed to measure, runic symbols dispersed

…..

While testing Jones, the staff was well-prepared with the strengthening tool, yet the bloodline measurement halo still broke apart and left his true potential up to their imagination. What’s more, the academy had prepared a more powerful version of the strengthening device for today.

The same thing had happened six months ago when the boy was first scouted by his talent. They used several strengthening tools, starting from the weakest to their best, but all had failed. Afterwards, the academy spent the last six months trying to apply for sponsorship from the empire to upgrade this device. It cost them a ridiculous amount of effort to receive the necessary funding, yet the halo still broke apart, yet principal Gai only joyfully laughed aloud, “Good! Magnificent! We shall test again after another upgrade! I hope you will continue to surprise us!”

The students could swear with their lives that dollar signs appeared in the principal’s eyes.

A school that nurtures a powerful practitioner for the empire stands to earn a lot of benefits after all!

The third one they tested was Alan, the previous captain of the Snowdrifts. This time the crystal was completely unresponsive to his bloodline. Even blood that was tainted by demonic influences will show up on this testing crystal, yet for some reason, the boy’s bloodline talent cannot be detected.

Some students do not have human blood, some assimilate beast blood into their own veins to gain powerful abilities or a stronger body, but Alan’s case was apparently different. The staff, together with the principal, fiddled with the crystal repeatedly, but having tried all sorts of methods, they had to give up. Alan had a brooding look on his face but could not explain the phenomenon.

Their results are definitely better than their peers because of the Origin Cultivation methods. They have long suspected that the grade of their manual is beyond the level of the Mortal Realms, but their training speed is considerably slow. Even some of the better cultivation manuals in Saint Empire would outdo the Origin Cultivation.

Since the boys had nothing to compare with, they did know that getting to D and E rank in a month, isn’t anything impressive. What truly makes the Origin Cultivation monstrous is the other aspects involved. Soul, bloodline, latent potential, meridian system, even one’s bones and muscles. There is nothing that will now slowly improve over time.

The stronger one’s foundation is established, the higher one can climb, much less when Saint Empire doesn’t have manuals that could cultivate internal and external arts at the same time.

They have a true advantage that others cannot compare, but it will require time to reach their full potential.

As they were discussing, Jones had been breaking through the ranks in the combat room.

Soon a small crowd gathered right in front of the viewing crystal, blocking off Kairos and group’s view and making the boys hearts to itch with curiosity. The gasps and the exclamations grew louder by the second until Kairos and the group squeezed their way over in curiosity.

“What’s going on?”

“Jones is challenging his fifth star already.”

“T… that’s even better than Kairos!”

Although Kairos had attained five stars, the challenge is vastly different. Jones started at Peak D rank, making his opponent now at Mid B rank! Whereas Kairos himself only successfully challenged Peak C rank.

As the cultivation ranks increases, the difficulty to cross-ranking battle, likewise, becomes much tougher.

As they looked at Jones unleashing deathblows consecutive, they finally recognised just how enduring a metal Elemental could be. When the armour fought against Kairos, it seemed so easily cut apart by their student president.

Of course, this is largely due to the benefit of having a higher, B rank cultivation, but its elemental attribute advantage also played a major role.

At the end of a long, drawn-out, battle, even failing to cut down the armour after Jones using his strongest technique: ‘World Sword’, the young swordsman threw the fight. He exited the room exhausted but triumphant with a successful record of four stars.

In the midst of astonished gasps, encouraging applause and sighs of disbelief, Jones searched for Kairos and smiled, “My goodness that was tough! My man, how did you challenge five stars above you and succeed? I am completely out of energy after challenging four.”

The truth is, even though he gained one star lesser in the end, the difficulty Jones faced was significantly higher.

Kairos who is Entry D have won five grades above him, but in the end, he only defeated C rank when he is D. Only a single major stage in his cross-ranking challenge.

Whereas, Jones who is Peak D was challenging two major stages, and he even manage to succeed against Entry B.

The differences between the minor stages: Entry, Mid and Peak are definitely incomparable to the major stages D, C, B, and so on.

“Jones! You’re overdoing it again. What if your combat ability was revealed?”

“Bwahahaha!! There’s no need for concern! I’ve kept a few trump cards hidden.”

“You had the leeway to do so?” Kairos asked with an incredulous tone, then seeing a grin on his brother’s grin, he added with a softer voice, “You were trying to take the heat off me by doing this, aren’t you?”