Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“And speaking of, I know almost all the Donghua City applicants whose Primordial Spirit Values are 99.” Jing Xiu examined Zhou Bai with interest. “How come I don’t know you? Are you new to Donghua City?”
Zhou Bai nodded. “I used to be a survivor in the wilderness. I was saved by the Rescue Team not long ago.”
Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai with astonishment. “Wilderness? There are still survivors in the wilderness?”
She then covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Sorry about that. But if you can survive in the wilderness, then the rest of us probably don’t come close to you in terms of willpower, other than that freak Zuo Dao.”
As she said this, she looked at Zhou Bai with deep respect.
Zhou Bai scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Not at all, not at all. It was just luck.”
As Zhou Bai chatted with Jing Xiu, a young teacher hovered above everyone. He looked at the applicants before him and said, “Hello, everyone. I’m the proctor for this round of your exam, and I’m also a teacher for the new class for Tao academy students, Lu Chongyang.”
“You are all people with hopes of entering the Tao, with practicing Tao as your goal.
“Then you probably know that a hundred years ago the great friar of our Donghua University, independent Taoist Qingjing, brought up the three main codes of Tao practice. These have since been used extensively and are now common knowledge among all the practitioners in the Tao realm. No matter what, do not violate these three main codes.”
The young teacher then said solemnly, “One, you must not face the Heavenly Tao directly.”
“Two, you must not let your primordial spirit separate from your body.
“Three, you must not be greedy for advancement.
“Only by following these three codes of Tao practice can we go further on the path of seeking Tao. That’s the only way we can maintain the number of human practitioners we have now and avoid insanity and mutation.
“Strictly following these three main codes of Tao practice requires a strong will and incredible self-discipline. That is why our Donghua Tao Academy’s entrance exam always tests the applicant’s willpower to see if he can endure the hardships on the journey of practicing Tao.”
All the students, looking very disciplined, held their breath and lined up spontaneously as they quietly listened to Lu Chongyang’s words.
Someone nodded every now and then, agreeing with Lu Chongyang’s speech.
After Christina had withdrawn into Zhou Bai’s mind, she had kept silent out of spite, but when she heard the three main codes of Tao practice, she suddenly nodded and said, “This sounds really familiar. Haven’t I said this in the past?”
Zhou Bai rolled his eyes and replied, “It was said by someone a hundred years ago. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Right now, the remaining 12,000 applicants have been divided into four examination sites to go through the second round of testing simultaneously.” As Lu Chongyang spoke, he made a Tao seal with his hands. Blue light illuminated beneath everyone’s feet, and then the light joined into lines that formed a wide, long running track.
“The subject of this round of exams is running,” said Lu Chongyang. “But it’s not ordinary running. This three-mile-long running track is the latest practice talisman that our school has created. It’s called the Heavenly Way.”
“Running on this Heavenly Way not only demands physical strength but, more importantly, the strength of will.
“Every step you take on this track will induce Spark. Therefore, running on it will not only exhaust the body but also quickly exhaust your mind. If your will is not strong enough, you’ll run slower and slower. It’s 10 times harder to run on this track than on normal ground.
“You applicants who haven’t entered the Tao haven’t strengthened your bodies yet—You only have primordial spirit power. But in this test, you’re only allowed to use your physical strength; you may not use primordial spirit power to assist your running.
“Therefore, if you want to continue running on the Heavenly Way, you need a strong will. The stronger your will, the farther and faster you can run on the Heavenly Way.”
Lu Chongyang paused for a moment, giving the applicants time to think. Then he continued. “But inducing Spark will not only bring extra fatigue, but it will also assist you in breathing Spark while you run and increase your primordial spirit power.”
“The stronger your will, the faster and farther you run. Those with a strong will can increase their primordial spirit power more quickly through this exercise on the Heavenly Way.”
Hearing Lu Chongyang’s explanation, all the applicants took on an expression of astonishment. They looked at the Heavenly Way running track before them and were eager to have a try.
Those who participated in this year’s Donghua Tao Academy entrance exam and passed the first round were naturally confident about their gift and willpower. Looking at the track, they instinctively wanted to enhance their primordial spirit power through running.
After hearing Lu Chongyang’s explanation, Christina chuckled in Zhou Bai’s mind but quickly covered her mouth with her paw.
Zhou Bai frowned. He said to her, “What’s wrong?”
Christina waved her paw. “It’s nothing… It’s nothing.”
At that moment, Lu Chongyang continued. “Therefore, this round of testing asks for everyone to run on this Heavenly Way together. Five minutes after the test starts, those who can no longer run will be eliminated immediately. From then on, I will eliminate the slowest runner on the field every five seconds.”
“I’ll keep going until we’re down to the last 300 people. These 300 people are those with the strongest willpower here and are the ones who pass this test.”
Hearing Lu Chongyang’s words, everyone grew nervous.
The 12,000 people who passed the first round were split among four test sites, resulting in 3,000 people at each. Only 300 people could pass this test, which meant only 1 in 10, which was lower than in all the past years.
The applicants couldn’t help recalling rumors they had heard. It seemed like it was true that times were hard now and humankind’s resources were becoming scarcer every year.
Next, Lu Chongyang controlled his will and his primordial spirit power reached out from his consciousness into the real world. He used it to pick up the wristbands set on the side and precisely put them into the hands of every applicant on the field.
“Such strong primordial spirit power,” Zhou Bai thought to himself. “And to precisely pick up 3,000 wristbands and put them in everyone’s individual hand—That sort of control is terrifying, too.”
Lu Chongyang continued. “This wristband will record your speed. Every five seconds, the slowest runner’s wristband will turn red, signaling that he has been eliminated. If you can’t run anymore and stop, your wristband will also turn red, signaling your elimination.”
“Everyone, put on your wristbands and prepare.”
A few minutes later, the 3,000 applicants all set out from the starting line and began the second round of examinations.
Zhou Bai ran alongside Jing Xiu. After a few steps, he felt endless waves of power attaching to his body and mind, making him feel 10 times more tired every time he moved.
It was not only fatigue of the body but, even more so, fatigue of the mind.
Everyone ran at the slowest speed possible in the first five minutes to conserve their strength, but even so, after a minute of running, Zhou Bai was already panting.
His body was very healthy after he had become young again. He was fit in his old society and would have stood out among his peers.
However, after less than a minute of running, he found it hard to take a single step. He had to push himself forward with pure will.
“D*mn it… I’m so tired… I can’t do it…” Zhou Bai raised his head to look around and found all the other applicants were in the same condition. They were out of breath and dripping with sweat, looking like they could no longer persist.
Next to him, Jing Xiu was also covered in sweat, but her gaze was determined, and she still ran with perfect posture.