Chapter 7

After going through the registration, receiving the cultivation techniques, and the Dao robes, Wang Baole, wearing the special red Dao robe for specially recruited students, stood in front of a secluded yet picturesque building near the mountain peak. His mouth was almost stretched to his ears.

In front of him was a purple stone gate. As the stone gate opened, what was revealed was a cave abode!

"This is the legendary cave abode!" Wang Baole couldn't help but be excited. After all, for most students, they lived in dormitory-like pavilions, and only a few had the privilege to live in the cave abodes on the mountain peaks.

After all, rarity makes things precious. More pavilions could be built on a mountain, but cave abodes were fixed and hard to increase. Moreover, cave abodes contained spirit arrays, making the spiritual energy much denser than in pavilions.

Therefore, even though Wang Baole's cave abode wasn't large, it was enough to make countless students envious.

Feeling the unique Dao robe, looking at his cave abode, and seeing no one around, Wang Baole couldn't resist and burst into laughter, feeling elated. Walking into the cave abode, he found that although it wasn't large, it had a terrace extending out from the mountain peak by about two zhang. Standing there felt like standing in the sky. Feeling satisfied, he sat on the terrace, looking at the sky and the earth outside, his mood was particularly pleasant. He took out a bag of snacks.

In this pleasant mood, Wang Baole ate snacks while opening the unique martial arts cultivation technique of the Ethereal Dao Academy. On the first page, in a powerful and vigorous handwriting, were three large characters:

Ancient Martial Technique!

This Ancient Martial Technique was not exclusive to the Law Soldier Department but was a foundational cultivation technique that all students of the entire Lower Academy had to learn. New students, upon arriving at the academy, would learn the specific knowledge of their respective departments based on their choices, while the Ancient Martial Technique served as the basic technique supporting the knowledge of each department.

"The three stages of the Ancient Martial Realm are Qi and Blood, Sealed Body, and Pulse Supplement!" As dusk approached, the wind became much cooler, blowing on Wang Baole, making him very comfortable. His expression became more focused as he read the technique.

As the evening sky gradually turned to night, Wang Baole lifted his head, having finished reading the entire Ancient Martial Technique. He finally had a more comprehensive understanding of the Ancient Martial Realm.

"Those with Qi and Blood have boundless strength, those with Sealed Body have unparalleled precision, and once Pulse Supplement is achieved, the physical body reaches its peak!" Wang Baole took a deep breath, thinking of the scene where the red-clothed youth, Chen Ziheng, struck the mountain range, his eyes gradually becoming fiery.

"To become the President of the Federation, one must possess Ancient Martial skills. Besides, practicing Ancient Martial skills can also help lose weight, truly a win-win situation." Feeling excited, Wang Baole was about to start practicing but suddenly paused, raising his right hand to his chest and taking out half a black mask.

Looking at the mask, Wang Baole's eyes showed deep thought. He couldn't forget the scene during the assessment where the mask became ethereal and faint words appeared on it.

"This is definitely a treasure!" Wang Baole's heart beat faster. His parents were both engaged in archaeology, so his home was full of these seemingly broken and worn items.

Wang Baole had once fantasized that these antiques might contain treasures, but from childhood to adulthood, he had almost played with every antique, even secretly dripping blood on them, yet none showed any extraordinary qualities.

Holding the mask now, he studied it carefully. Apart from the material being somewhat cold, he still didn't feel anything special. Finally, he remembered that the mask only changed in that special environment during the assessment, and his eyes brightened.

"It seems I need to borrow a similar magical artifact to perhaps uncover the secret of this mask!" With this thought, seeing that it was already late and feeling somewhat tired, Wang Baole returned to his cave abode, happily organizing his luggage. His small luggage bag contained few clothes, mostly strange and peculiar items, even a large horn.

"These are all the treasures I've collected for my official career. If it weren't for the luggage being lost in the dream, I wouldn't have to work so hard!" Looking at the treasures in his luggage, Wang Baole felt satisfied and yawned, just about to sleep when suddenly his body shuddered, and he sat up abruptly.

"I can't be too elated. In the biographies of high officials, there are many examples of those who become too elated and end up in disaster!" Wang Baole took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and began to ponder the gazes of the teachers and the attitude of the goat-bearded man during the day. Summarizing his special recruitment status, the answer was clear.

"They must have noticed something..." Wang Baole's heart turned cold, and a chill ran down his spine.

"I must be low-key for a while, best to have no presence... otherwise, it won't be good!" Wang Baole felt worried. He didn't want to lose everything he had now. At this moment, he couldn't help but lament that his downfall was due to having no backing.

"I need to find a way to quickly find a backing."

Three days passed, and with the lists of the various departments announced, the students of this year moved into their respective department peaks. Whether it was the academy rules or regulations, the new students had grasped them, and life at the Dao Academy was about to enter a regular routine.

During these three days, Wang Baole was very low-key, starting to practice the Ancient Martial Technique, almost never leaving his cave abode, fearing that the goat-bearded man would notice. He thought that if he could endure this period, he might be safer.

However, his wish, though good, was not to be. As the students settled in, the events of their journey and the regional assessments began to spread on the Dao Academy's spirit network, quickly becoming a hot topic.

After all, with nearly a hundred hot air balloon airships and nearly a hundred simultaneous regional assessments, many outstanding new students emerged.

"Have you heard? Among the new students from Tianyun City, there's one named Lu Jingnan. He set up a trap to kill a Bone-Piercing Lizard, which was very impressive!"

"That's nothing. I heard that in the Phoenix City assessment, a strong student named Chen Ziheng emerged. He was just a hair's breadth away from the second stage of the Ancient Martial Realm, the Sealed Body stage. He received offers from eight departments, and his reputation is great!"

As the various departments of the Lower Academy Island discussed on the spirit network, more and more people were mentioned.

"The most prominent this year is Chen Yameng. It's said that she is a natural spirit body, capable of refining spirit stones with 80% purity. She could have entered the top White Deer Dao Academy, but our Ethereal Dao Academy paid a great price to recruit her!"

"Chen Yameng is indeed extraordinary, but there's another person who is on par with her, or even surpasses her. His name is Zhuo Yifan. It's said he was born with the Ink Star Eye, which slows down everything he sees when activated. He is already at the peak of the Sealed Body stage, and his identity is mysterious. It's rumored he is one of the Five Generations of the Sky Clan and has been pre-selected by the Martial Law Department!"

Amidst the various discussions, the reputations of the new students of this year rose rapidly. Even some of the older students felt immense pressure after hearing about them. Wang Baole, despite wanting to be low-key, his status as a specially recruited student and his performance during the assessment, especially in the Phoenix City assessment, shone like a star, rising rapidly.

"This year's specially recruited students are only two: one is Zhuo Yifan, and the other is Wang Baole! Speaking of Wang Baole, he possesses noble morals, is righteous, and selfless. To save his classmates, he rushed into the sea of Red Bone White Infant Snakes, sacrificing himself to give his classmates a chance to survive. He once said, 'I am a Dao Academy person in life, and a Dao Academy soul in death,' a moving statement!"

"Furthermore, when Wang Baole saw the Ancient Barbarian Ghost Bear, even though he was severely injured and weak, he still struggled to crawl over, trying to use his body to lure the bear away and save all his classmates!"

These deeds spread rapidly, making Wang Baole's reputation rise and spread throughout the entire Lower Academy Island.

However, when Wang Baole, through his voice ring, logged into the spirit network and saw all this, his heart turned cold, and his blood nearly froze. He felt that a great disaster was approaching and quickly posted a notice.

"Hello everyone, I am Wang Baole. You have misunderstood me. I was actually very scared. I rushed into the snake sea not because I was selfless, but because I thought Zhou Xiaoya was very beautiful, and I wanted to pursue her, really..."

This message, which Wang Baole sent with great pain, was intended to self-deprecate and cool down the situation. He didn't dare to be high-profile anymore.

However, he never expected that this notice would quickly receive the approval and replies of countless students, mostly female students, who all said he was a real man!

Wang Baole felt his vision darken, and tears almost welled up. He wailed that he only wanted to cool down the situation, but instead, it heated up even more. So, he posted another notice.

"Actually, I blocked the wolf pack because I was poisoned and knew I was going to die, so I wanted to die quickly. The one who saved everyone was not me, but Chen Ziheng!"

After writing this, Wang Baole sighed in relief, thinking that by attributing the credit to Chen Ziheng, he would be able to cool down the situation.

However, ... Wang Baole's relief lasted only a short while. Chen Ziheng also publicly posted a notice, saying, "In terms of martial arts, Wang Baole is not as good as me, but in terms of bravery and selflessness, I am not as good as him!"

This notice immediately caused a sensation on the spirit network. After all, Chen Ziheng was also a celebrity, and his words carried great weight, immediately sparking heated discussions. Wang Baole's plan to cool down the situation failed again, and his reputation heated up even more, surpassing Chen Yameng for a time.

All of this made Wang Baole want to bang his head against the wall. He felt desperate, tears streaming down his face, his heart trembling.

"Heaven, you are trying to kill me! Please let me off, I admit I was wrong, okay!"

With tears streaming down his face, he clenched his teeth and posted another notice.

"Everyone, don't pay attention to me anymore. I am just an ordinary fat guy. I have no strengths. I am greedy, lustful, avaricious, and selfish. I barely passed the entrance exam, and the purity of the spirit stones I refined is only a little over 50%. I am just an ordinary person!"

Wang Baole felt that this self-deprecation was thorough. He included everything bad, but the development of events shocked him again.

This time, Liu Daobin stepped forward, leaving a message that resonated with countless students!

"Chen Yameng is indeed powerful, and Zhuo Yifan is also outstanding, but they are naturally talented. Whether saving people or completing the assessment, they are more than capable. However, Wang Baole is different. He used his life to save others. It's like a rich person giving you 100 spirit stones and a poor person giving you all their savings of 100 spirit stones. Can the significance be the same? Wang Baole is just like us, an ordinary student. How can he not have flaws? But the more such a person sacrifices to save others, the more moving it is. That bloody scene, I will never forget in my life!"

This message immediately caused another sensation, making the spirit network of the Lower Academy Island reach its peak. For a time, the topic of Wang Baole surpassed Zhuo Yifan, making him the standout among the new students!

Wang Baole was completely stunned, staring blankly at the spirit network. He himself didn't feel so great. After a long while, he recovered, his eyes filled with despair, and he took out a bag of snacks, crunching them with clenched teeth.

"It's over, my troubles are huge!"

Sure enough, not long after, a teacher from the Phoenix City airship, unable to bear it, publicly revealed the scene of Wang Baole cheating during the assessment...

It was like a stone causing a thousand waves, causing a huge stir, shaking the Lower Academy Island!

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