Chapter 66

In the days that followed, Tang Jie continued to diligently practice his spellcasting abilities, which was quite rare among most students.

Seeing one student after another enter the Spirit Spring stage and return proudly to cultivate, Tang Jie was not anxious. He just kept releasing the Water Light Shield over and over again, gradually increasing his casting speed from five seconds to four, three, two...

Today, while Tang Jie was still cultivating inside his room, he heard a call from outside.

Stepping out of the room, Tang Jie saw a student standing at the door.

"It's Senior Brother Li. I wonder what brings you here, Senior Brother?"

This Senior Brother Li, named Li Zhen, was a sixth-year student at Xi Yue Academy, at the Spirit Lake stage. However, compared to Wu Xing, he was much stronger.

Li Zhen's path was somewhat similar to Tang Jie's. He did not rush to advance in cultivation realms but instead focused on diligently practicing spells at each stage to enhance his combat power. He then relied on his combat power to undertake various academy missions, gain resources, and in turn, improve his cultivation speed.

This was also the best choice for some students with insufficient talent, but the only problem was the high risk.

Li Zhen had fought several times in the Divine Weapon Arena recently, winning multiple matches, and thus had gained a bit of a reputation. Therefore, Tang Jie knew him and had even met him once.

Seeing Tang Jie come out, Li Zhen smiled and said, "You know, the big exam is coming up soon. Sadly, I have never passed it. I can't waste my time on this anymore. I heard that Xi Yue Academy has a genius student, well-versed and highly talented, so I came to seek your guidance."

The rules for the literary subjects at Xi Yue Academy were simple: all content was taught for half a year, followed by a big exam. Those who passed could skip classes.

As for those who failed, they had to continue attending classes. They could take leave for trials, but once they returned, they could not miss a single day until they passed, at which point they could stop attending classes.

The students at Xi Yue Academy were focused on cultivation and had no interest in literature. Later, they realized that failing the literary subjects meant they had to attend classes every morning, which wasted a lot of time. Considering the interruption of the Great Circulation, it wasted even more time. After all, if you needed an hour to complete a Great Circulation and only had half an hour left before class, you couldn't complete half a Great Circulation, go to class, and then make up for it later.

Therefore, the students had to work hard in areas they were not interested in.

Like Li Zhen, who had diligently practiced for six years, even practicing the Great Circulation during class, he naturally failed the exams repeatedly. Many people like him had completely given up on the literary subjects. After all, they could still cultivate during class, and at most, their efficiency would be a bit lower, and their overall evaluation would be a bit lower. However, today, Li Zhen came to find Tang Jie.

Hearing Li Zhen's words, Tang Jie smiled and said, "Speaking of literary subjects, I do have some confidence. However, I believe there are many outstanding students in each batch. Xi Yue Academy has at least ten literary geniuses each year. Why did you specifically come to me, Senior Brother?"

Li Zhen smiled and said, "Tutoring in literary subjects also takes time. If you ask those guys for help, they will surely demand a high price. I find it hard to save money, and I can't afford their time. Since you are new, I believe you will be cheaper. I have specially prepared a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills as a fee."

As he spoke, he took out a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills.

Seeing the Qi Nourishing Pills, Tang Jie smiled and said, "These pills are too valuable. I can't accept them. Actually, Senior Brother, you don't need to do this. If you want to pass the literary exam, just pay more attention during class, and you will naturally understand. Why do you need to find me?"

Li Zhen quickly said, "The teacher doesn't allow questions during class. I am not very smart and have many questions. It's better to seek your help. Are you unwilling to help?"

Tang Jie shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I am currently focusing on advancing to the Spirit Spring stage. I fear I won't have the time."

"With these Qi Nourishing Pills, you can advance to the Spirit Spring stage faster."

Tang Jie still shook his head. "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother, but I must decline."

"You!" Li Zhen glared at him. "At least let me sit in your room for a while, right?"

Tang Jie still shook his head.

Li Zhen was so angry that he trembled, pointing at Tang Jie and saying, "Fine! Fine! Just a first-year student, and you are so arrogant. I came to seek your help, even offering Qi Nourishing Pills, but you wouldn't even let me in. I will remember this!"

With that, he turned and left.

After leaving Tao Ran Residence, Li Zhen walked for a while and came to a secluded corner where another tall student was standing.

Seeing Li Zhen approach, the student frowned slightly. "It seems you failed, Senior Brother."

Li Zhen huffed. "I lost this bet. I thought I was well-known in the academy, and the juniors would give me some face, but I didn't expect Tang Jie to refuse to let me in. As Brother Min guessed, Tang Jie is indeed arrogant and conceited. He appears humble on the surface but is actually arrogant. If it weren't for the great array guarding his residence, I would have stormed in and taught him a lesson."

As he spoke, he threw the bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills to the other person.

The student surnamed Min just smiled and returned the pills to Li Zhen. "It was just a joke to have some fun. There's no need to take it so seriously. Keep the Qi Nourishing Pills, Senior Brother."

Li Zhen was very unhappy. "What are you saying? It makes me sound like someone who doesn't keep his word. Since I lost, I can't take them back. If I had won, I would have taken all five bottles from you. Well, let's leave it at that. Goodbye!"

Seeing Li Zhen leave, the student thought for a moment, then took out a talisman paper and wrote: "Tang Jie is cautious. He does not allow anyone he doesn't know to enter his room. He only walks the main paths in the academy and avoids small alleys. There are many student patrols along the way, and there are also spirit masters secretly watching. We need to continue looking for an opportunity to act."

After writing, a flame rose from his fingertip, and the talisman paper burned to ashes and disappeared.

---

Twenty days later, Wei Tianchong finally completed his first puppet.

It was a wolf-shaped puppet, not very large but quite imposing.

The body was made of Thunderstruck Wood, the eyes from Black Crystal Beads, and the claws and teeth from a mixed metal containing a small amount of original iron. Just this small piece of mixed metal cost nearly a thousand coins and was the most expensive part.

The inside of the wolf puppet was hollow to store spirit stones, which were the most common power source in the cultivation world. However, spirit stones were not used as a unit of currency because different spirit stones had different attributes, sizes, and effects. They were bought and sold as basic goods.

On its head was a sharp horn made of the same mixed metal, making it look particularly fierce.

If judged solely by the quality of materials, the materials used for this combat puppet were quite good for a first-grade puppet. However, due to its small size, the number of arrays that could be inscribed was limited, and thus its functions were also limited.

Wei Tianchong had only completed the physical shaping of the puppet. Next, he needed to create the arrays to give it a true soul and make it function as intended.

Handing the puppet to Tang Jie, Wei Tianchong said reluctantly, "I'm leaving it to you!"

"Don't worry, young master."

Taking the puppet from Wei Tianchong, Tang Jie went straight to the Great Circulation Platform.

The Great Circulation Platform was where students learned array techniques.

According to the rules of Xi Yue Academy, students could only apply to learn alchemy, talismans, arrays, and artifacts after reaching the Spirit Spring stage.

After applying, the academy would arrange an exam. Only those who passed the exam could officially start learning these miscellaneous subjects. The selection process was consistent with the academy's style: regardless of how many geniuses applied, only ten were chosen each time, and the academy preferred to have fewer rather than more.

Of course, if you believed you had the talent, you could take the exam repeatedly, but except for the first exam, all retakes required payment.

For students to stand out in the future, besides relying on talent, family background, and hard work, learning alchemy, talismans, arrays, and artifacts was their fourth path. Unfortunately, this path also required high talent and a significant initial investment, making it difficult for those without family support to succeed.

In this regard, Tang Jie's ability to learn arrays from Xu Muyang was pure luck. Xu Muyang's array techniques emphasized nature and aimed for natural spellcasting, using as few materials as possible, which gave Tang Jie the opportunity to lay a foundation. However, even Xu Muyang's array techniques required materials at higher levels, so Tang Jie could only focus on basic arrays for the past three years. Fortunately, he had thoroughly studied the book, and his theoretical foundation was solid.

Arriving at the Great Circulation Platform, he saw a large square in front of him.

On the square, over a dozen students were sitting on the ground, deep in thought, occasionally drawing lines with chalk.

Tang Jie knew they were calculating array diagrams, a fundamental but complex skill that often left people with headaches. He had gone through the same process in the past.

However, he was not there to observe the students' diagrams. His gaze swept around and landed on a student who looked somewhat down and out.

This student was somewhat isolated but very focused. From his array diagram, his basic skills were not bad, just a bit rigid, which was exactly what Tang Jie wanted.

This is the one, Tang Jie thought.

Neatening his clothes, Tang Jie walked over and bowed. "Greetings, Senior Brother."

"Uh?" The student looked up at Tang Jie. "You are..."

"Student Tang Jie, a first-year student this term..."

As he spoke, Tang Jie explained his purpose.

Hearing that Tang Jie wanted him to inscribe arrays for the puppet, the student was delighted.

Students learned these miscellaneous subjects to earn money to buy spirit medicines for cultivation.

However, those with some skill had already gone to the market to take on jobs, while those still struggling with array diagrams at the Great Circulation Platform were mostly at a level where they were not yet making a profit.

This student, Qin Liang, was not outstanding in array techniques and was somewhat introverted, so he had never taken on any jobs. He never expected someone to come to him for array inscribing. This was a business opportunity that could earn him some money and provide practice.

However, when Tang Jie took out the puppet, Qin Liang frowned. "This puppet is a bit small."

"It's fine," Tang Jie smiled. "I didn't plan to use it for combat, just for fun. So, just a few simple arrays will do."

"Is that so?" Hearing it was not for combat, Qin Liang relaxed.

Since it was just for fun, a few basic control arrays would suffice, and the puppet's size was more than enough.

"However, this puppet is made of high-quality materials, which is a bit of a waste if it's just for fun," Qin Liang marveled at the materials.

Such a puppet would cost at least two thousand spirit coins. He wondered which rich young master was so extravagant, spending so much money just for a pet.

Tang Jie smiled. "Please follow this diagram, Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he took out an array diagram.

"Uh?" Qin Liang looked at the diagram and asked, "This diagram is a bit strange. Why are there so many gaps and blank spaces in the middle? The material requirements are also unusual... Can such a diagram even work?"

"Here's the thing," Tang Jie explained, "My young master is also interested in array techniques, so it's best to leave some blank spaces. Then, the young master..." Tang Jie made a meaningful gesture and handed over thirty spirit coins.

Qin Liang immediately nodded, understanding. This was likely a rich young master who wanted to show off his skills, so he asked someone to do half the work, and then he would complete the rest to claim the credit.

As long as he got paid, it didn't matter, so he accepted it with understanding.

Three days later, Qin Liang completed the array diagram and handed the puppet to Tang Jie. After examining the puppet, Tang Jie was satisfied that the student hadn't added any unnecessary details, and he praised Qin Liang's craftsmanship, making Qin Liang feel quite pleased.

With the half-finished puppet, Tang Jie returned to Tao Ran Residence.

Taking out the prepared materials, it was time for him to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

---

To be continued.