Chapter 85

Knowing the problem, Tang Jie once again regained confidence in the Bingzhu Heart Method. With nothing else to do, he went around to the other halls.

As expected, the Tianxuan Hall was specifically for training evasion. Upon entering, one could see countless flying locusts coming from all directions. The students were not allowed to use defensive spells and had to rely on their own movement and blocking to avoid the attacks. The locusts hitting the body didn't hurt, but left a mark, and the jade token would light up, recording the hit.

The performance was judged based on the number of hits received within the specified time.

Tang Jie's Zidian Leap was not yet proficient, so he was riddled with hits as soon as he entered the hall. The jade token flashed like a light bulb, and his score was naturally abysmal.

The Tianji Hall was for training endurance. Upon entering, Tang Jie found himself in the midst of a battlefield, with endless soldiers surging towards him. He was surrounded by his own soldiers and pushed forward. The soldiers were truly endless; as soon as one batch died, another came, with no end in sight. Tang Jie fought until he was exhausted, barely able to lift his arms. He realized that in this endless sea of soldiers, no matter how powerful the spells were, only continuous combat strength could sustain him.

After leaving the Tianji Hall, Tang Jie rested for a while before heading to the Tianbian Hall.

Before entering the Tianbian Hall, one could receive some illusionary talismans, which recorded various spells to compensate for the students' current lack of abilities.

Inside the hall, there would be illusionary spirit masters engaging in spell battles with the students. The spells were varied and bizarre, far beyond what the students could handle. The only thing they could do was use the talismans in their hands to respond. They had to either defeat the opponent or hold out long enough before the talismans ran out.

This hall trained the students' understanding and selection of spells. In the face of various possible dangers, making reasonable choices could sometimes be more effective than powerful spells, and it also helped them personally experience and understand the practical applications of various spells.

Tang Jie found this hall the easiest to pass, thanks to his academic prowess. He had already learned a lot about various spells from different schools, though he was not yet proficient, he could at least make reasonable decisions.

Despite this, he only scored 32 points. The spells became increasingly powerful and difficult to handle, with some spells looking similar but having different effects, and others being cast so quickly that one had to guess the spell the moment the opponent started the incantation to respond correctly.

The Tianxu Hall was for training quick spell casting. Inside, there were illusionary spirit masters engaging in battles with the students. These spirit masters were different from those in the Tianbian Hall, as they cast spells extremely fast, though their power was very weak. Often, the students hadn't even completed an incantation when they were hit by a barrage of spells, sometimes even disrupting their spells.

Some unfortunate students couldn't cast a single spell for a long time.

Various interruptions.

Tang Jie fared a bit better. His Water Condensation Shield was almost instant, so defending against attacks was not a problem. However, his Essence Needle spell was not as fast.

The illusionary spirit masters cast spells one after another, and Tang Jie couldn't cast a single Essence Needle for half a year, relying solely on the Water Condensation Shield. He turned the Tianxu Hall into a defensive hall, and was eventually forced out by a synchronized attack from the illusions.

After being battered in the Tianxu Hall, Tang Jie went to the Tianyan Hall.

The Tianyan Hall was a comprehensive training ground. Upon entering, students typically found themselves in a dangerous forest, facing various strange and bizarre situations. Sometimes it was a chase, where they had to escape; sometimes it was a hunt, where they played the role of the hunter; other times they faced special monsters, such as enchanting fox spirits, fierce and cruel bears, and quick and agile wood apes. Sometimes they received strange search tasks, each with different requirements and vastly different scenarios, making it the most complex and comprehensive hall.

Tang Jie's overall quality and judgment were excellent, so his performance in this hall was also good.

After visiting the Tianyan Hall, Tang Jie finally went to the Tianzhu Hall.

The Tianzhu Hall tested the students' offensive capabilities. However, it was different in that it created an illusion of a city full of civilians, telling the students that these civilians were actually illusions of fierce ghosts, and they had to kill as many as possible to win.

However, Tang Jie didn't see these civilians as ghosts. When he raised his sword and killed the first civilian, the civilian didn't fight back, and blood splattered onto him, feeling warm and covering his body.

Tang Jie was stunned by this scene, almost doubting whether it was an illusion or reality. He saw civilians fleeing in fear, and some kneeling and begging for mercy, crying out. This made Tang Jie hesitate, and he couldn't bring himself to strike again.

He stopped attacking.

This hall became the one where Tang Jie performed the worst.

When he came out, Tang Jie was somewhat distracted.

He didn't understand why the Xiyue Academy did this.

Didn't they always say they educated with principles and didn't support senseless killing?

Why make the students go through such madness?

Is this still the Tianzhu Hall for training offense?

This is a hall for cultivating demonic nature!

After experiencing the seven halls, Tang Jie was both physically and mentally exhausted, and with the intense stimulation from the Tianzhu Hall, he finally left in frustration.

He didn't know that shortly after he left, Xie Fengtang suddenly appeared in front of the Tianzhu Hall, accompanied by Si Yue'er and the old man at the entrance.

"Old Qian, what do you think of this student?" Xie Fengtang asked with a smile.

The old man slowly replied, "Not bad, at least he's not a wanton killer."

Si Yue'er pouted, "But he's not ruthless enough, not decisive enough, and a bit too sentimental."

Xie Fengtang glared at her, sighing, "Being decisive doesn't mean being ruthless, Yue'er! Don't use your standards to measure others so easily. There are many things in this world that require decisiveness, and not killing is also a form of decisiveness!"

"But the path of immortality is dangerous. How can one reach the top without spilling blood?" Si Yue'er retorted, "Our hands are not clean, and among them, there are innocent people. If he can't understand this, I don't think he will achieve much."

"That depends on the situation and the environment. When there is a choice, one must know how to restrain oneself. It's easy to be unrestrained, but restraining oneself is difficult. The Great Dao is hard to achieve, and it's not just about killing," the old man said calmly.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I have high hopes for this student."

"Being able to memorize three spells in an hour is worth having high hopes for," Xie Fengtang smiled. Unfortunately, he didn't know that his reason for having high hopes was completely unfounded. Of course, if they became close in the future and he found out about Tang Jie's cheating, he might say, "A student who dares to cheat even with the headmaster watching is also brave and wise."

If you like someone, you can always find a reason, and vice versa.

——

The journey through the seven halls made Tang Jie realize the gap between his strength and the true top students.

This is understandable, as the standard time from a spirit spring to a spirit lake is one and a half years.

During this year, the students would grow a lot. The older spirit spring students and the new ones had different levels of strength.

Why couldn't geniuses like Qi Shaoming and An Rumei win all their battles at the beginning? This was the reason.

Of course, as time passed, the situation would change.

By the time, based on Qi Shaoming's progress, he was almost at the threshold of the spirit lake. If he didn't rush to the spirit lake, he would likely focus on practicing spells and competing for the top spot, as these were resources.

As for An Rumei, her Six Desires Meridian was not conducive to fast cultivation, but the spells she practiced were much more powerful, similar to how the Shaohai Cave Gold Formula enhanced the Jade Splitting Finger. The Six Desires Meridian also had unique effects on certain spells, making her combat power initially even stronger than Qi Shaoming's.

Compared to the students who were enthusiastic about the sparring grounds, Tang Jie was more interested in the special training grounds. First, he didn't lack combat experience, having lived through many hardships in two lifetimes, which gave him a deeper and earlier understanding of many things. Second, the special training grounds were more effective in enhancing his strength.

The sparring grounds had too many targeted issues, while the special training grounds focused entirely on self-improvement.

Therefore, in the following days, Tang Jie, besides his daily practice, would come to the special training grounds every day to train.

Among the seven halls, he liked the Tianyan Hall the most. He enjoyed the unpredictable and varied atmosphere and gradually gained more understanding of the ecology of the Xiqia World.

The Tianyan Hall had so many variations that it required a lot of effort just to create the content. The person who designed the seven halls must have put the most effort into the Tianyan Hall.

The Tianyu Hall was the most beneficial. As Tang Jie had expected, through continuous training, his body became increasingly strong, allowing him to withstand up to the seventh puppet. He didn't even need to use the Water Condensation Shield or the Unshaped Golden Body.

The seventh puppet was much stronger, with its power not inferior to low-level spells. The fourteen punches from the seven puppets were equivalent to fourteen spell attacks. If it were a regular defensive spell, it might not even last