Chapter 8

As the cheating scandal broke out, the higher Wang Baole had been lifted up before, the greater the shock in everyone's hearts now. For a moment, the topic of Wang Baole once again heated up, surpassing even the discussion of the top freshman, and even the older students were overshadowed.

Many people directly posted notices on the Spirit Network, angrily demanding that Wang Baole be punished.

Seeing the worst-case scenario he had anticipated come to pass, Wang Baole sighed inwardly, his face dark as he sat in his cave dwelling, looking around, his heart filled with sorrow.

"They say that when heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their will, wears out their muscles and bones, and starves their body... Could this be a test from heaven for me?" Wang Baole consoled himself. He felt that this time his troubles were truly immense, and even a small wave could capsize his boat. After a brief moment of tension, his mind immediately began to work, seeking a solution.

A few days later, as the various departments of the Ethereal Dao College's Lower Island gradually settled into a routine and the first class for the freshmen began, Wang Baole, on this early morning, carrying a small bag and with a solemn expression, walked out of his cave dwelling.

"How big a deal is this? What's there to be afraid of!" Looking at the Sword Sun in the sky, Wang Baole took a deep breath, his eyes showing determination. Wearing the robe of a specially recruited student, he headed towards the Spirit Stone Hall, one of the three major halls of the Law Armament Department.

On the way, many students were heading to the hall, their hearts full of anticipation, walking briskly and chatting from time to time. However, upon seeing Wang Baole in his red Dao robe, they all paused, instantly recognizing his identity. Their expressions changed, and their low discussions inevitably shifted to Wang Baole.

"It's Wang Baole!"

"He actually showed up!"

"How long do you think he can stay in the Dao College? I heard some teachers have proposed expelling him as a warning to others."

Although the voices of the students were low, Wang Baole encountered so many classmates on the way that some of their words still reached his ears. If it were anyone else, they would surely be overwhelmed with panic and anxiety. However, Wang Baole, who had studied the biographies of high officials since childhood, had a thick skin as a basic skill. His expression remained calm, and he strode confidently towards the hall.

From a distance, the stone platform where the hall was located was vast, capable of accommodating ten thousand people. The architecture, though simple, exuded an ancient and weathered charm, supported by seven or eight massive stone pillars that held up a grand phoenix pavilion roof.

Under the pavilion, the voices of the crowd were loud, with the central stage empty and the surrounding tiered seats filled with people. The most prominent feature in the hall was the large stone wall to the right of the stage.

This stone wall was green, and on it were inscribed a hundred names, each followed by a number, from 90 for the first to 82 for the hundredth, with decimals listed in sequence.

Outside the hall, at the entrance, stood a large stone inscribed with the Law Armament Department's motto:

"Among the myriad paths in the world, subdue them with law weapons, control them with spirit treasures, and if all else fails, cut them down with divine weapons!"

As Wang Baole approached, despite the presence of both older and newer students, and the mixed discussions, he remained calm, looking at the motto on the large stone.

This phrase exuded supreme authority, with a grand momentum that seemed to subdue all paths. Even though Wang Baole had his own concerns, seeing this phrase made him pause, his heart stirred.

If the Law Armament Department had only been of interest to Wang Baole before, then at this moment, after seeing this phrase, he felt a greater longing for it.

"Want to expel me? What a joke! I, Wang Baole, have studied the biographies of high officials for ten years; what big waves haven't I faced!" Wang Baole steadied himself, stepped through the hall's gate, and walked in.

As soon as his conspicuous red Dao robe appeared in the hall, it immediately caught the attention of the surrounding students. A sharp voice was the first to call out, directly shouting Wang Baole's name.

With this voice, a wave of gazes shot from all directions, focusing on Wang Baole. With thousands of people present, the pressure of so many eyes on one person was enough to make one's legs weak, especially with the jeers from the crowd.

"Wang Baole, do you still have the nerve to come to class?"

"What kind of specially recruited student is this? He got his position through cheating! If such a person isn't dealt with, where is justice?"

"Wang Baole, you're not welcome here!"

In other situations, perhaps no one would have spoken so directly, but in the hall, with so many people, the atmosphere was easily stirred, and the calls for punishment quickly rose.

Liu Daobin was also in the crowd, his heart complex. He sighed inwardly as he looked at Wang Baole, finding it strange that even though he knew this guy had cheated, the bloody scene in his mind still couldn't be forgotten.

"If it were me, I would have turned around and left by now," Liu Daobin sighed, shaking his head. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw Wang Baole, standing at the hall's entrance, naturally pull out a megaphone from his bag, place it to his mouth, and with wide eyes, shout loudly.

"Shut up, all of you!"

His voice, already a roar, was amplified by the special megaphone, sounding like a thunderclap that echoed throughout the hall. Even the thousands of students' discussions couldn't compare, and their voices were immediately overwhelmed.

Even those closest to him, who were the loudest in their jeers, were almost knocked off balance by the shout. Instantly, everyone's ears were ringing, and the hall fell silent, leaving them in a daze. They had never imagined that a student would carry such a clearly modified megaphone in their bag.

They were here to study, and they couldn't understand why someone would bring a megaphone to class...

This was truly too bizarre, and the sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. Liu Daobin was also completely taken aback, unable to take his eyes off the exaggerated megaphone in Wang Baole's hand.

Wang Baole, satisfied with the scene, calmly put the megaphone back into his small bag. This was one of his treasures, and as someone who had read the biographies of high officials, he knew that a powerful megaphone was extremely useful in campaign speeches.

Seeing that he had intimidated the crowd, Wang Baole walked forward with his head held high. When he saw Liu Daobin, Liu Daobin hesitated, glanced at Wang Baole's small bag, and then waved him over.

"This Liu Daobin is a good guy," Wang Baole's eyes lit up, and he quickly went over and sat down.

At this moment, the students in the hall gradually recovered. They were about to retaliate when a bell sounded, and a tall, thin old man in a black Dao robe with white hair slowly walked in.

His expression was cold, making him seem unapproachable, and he naturally exuded a oppressive aura that made all the students in the hall shudder and fall silent, looking at the old man as he walked to the stage.

Wang Baole also quickly looked over.

The old man in the black robe scanned the crowd and spoke calmly.

"The Law Armament Department has three major halls: the Spirit Stone Hall, the Pattern Hall, and the Spirit Ingot Hall. I... am one of the five lecturers in the Spirit Stone Hall, Zou Yunhai."

"The stone wall beside me is the Law Armament Hall's Spirit Stone List. I hope that one day, all of you will have your names on it."

"Class begins now! However, before we start learning how to refine spirit stones, you need to understand one thing: why do we refine spirit stones, and why does everyone practice the Spirit Cultivation Technique?"

As he spoke, he raised his right hand and casually grabbed a fist-sized, milky white stone that appeared in his hand.

This scene immediately shocked many students. Liu Daobin, who was well-informed, took a deep breath and whispered to Wang Baole.

"Teacher Zou has a storage magical artifact!"

Wang Baole also opened his eyes wide. Although he had heard of storage magical artifacts, he had never seen one, and they were not available for sale on the market. They only occasionally appeared at large auctions, with prices he could not even imagine.

As for the milky white stone, all the students were familiar with it. This was the blank stone required for refining spirit stones.

"Thirty-seven years ago, with the arrival of the Starry Sky Sword, a new form of energy appeared in the world—spirit energy! The spirit energy is extremely dense, but since it appeared suddenly and had never existed before, according to the Federation's research, if it continues to nourish the earth for several hundred years, it will affect the jade and form spirit stone mines!"

The old man in the black robe spoke calmly. Meanwhile, the white stone in his hand was emitting increasingly intense light, and the air around him seemed to distort slightly, as if invisible spirit energy was being manipulated and drawn into the stone.

"However, it is only the 37th year of the Spirit Energy Era, far from the point where spirit stone mines can form. To obtain spirit stones, we must manufacture them artificially. Therefore, various forces have promoted the Spirit Cultivation Technique as a universal practice, making everyone a miner to produce spirit stones, which serve as currency, ensuring a large supply to support the circulation and cultivation of spirit energy worldwide."

"Due to the different affinities and various factors, the purity of the spirit stones each person refines also varies, leading to the concept of talent. For example, to enter the White Deer Dao College, one must refine a spirit stone with at least 70% purity, while our Ethereal Dao College has a slightly lower requirement, but it must be at least 50% pure!"

His words and the changes in the blank stone immediately left the students in the hall speechless. This was a completely different perspective from what they usually heard, and the old man's ease in refining spirit stones was equally shocking.

"Everyone is a miner... He can refine spirit stones while talking..." Wang Baole's heart raced. He could also refine spirit stones, but he had to focus entirely, and even a slight distraction would cause him to fail.

The old man in the black robe paid no attention to the students' shock, calmly refining the spirit stone while speaking.

"So, a new question arises: Is the Spirit Cultivation Technique really only one chapter?"

"I can confidently tell you that what everyone learns is the upper chapter, which focuses on absorbing spirit energy to enhance physical strength. Although the spirit energy cannot be stored in the body and will quickly dissipate, if you hold a blank spirit stone and control it with your mind, you can use your body as a medium to refine the spirit stone. Spirit stones are classified into lower, middle, upper, and the highest grade, the seven-colored spirit stone!"

"The lower chapter, however, is only accessible to law weapon refiners, as the sword hilt fragment containing the Spirit Cultivation Technique is actually about law weapon refinement! The upper chapter's ability to refine spirit stones is just a side effect, which is why it has been widely promoted and practiced by everyone."

The old man in the black robe spoke calmly. As he spoke, the blank spirit stone in his hand glowed brilliantly. With a wave of his right hand, the light dissipated, and the blank stone's surface shed a layer of ash, revealing a much smaller, diamond-shaped... spirit stone!

The spirit stone shimmered with a radiant light.

"Although the lower chapter is excellent, only those who can refine spirit stones with at least 80% purity have the qualifications to learn it. In my hall, we only teach the upper chapter and the techniques for refining spirit stones!"

The hall fell silent, and everyone looked at the spirit stone in the old man's hand, as if everything else paled in comparison. Compared to this spirit stone, the ones they refined seemed fake...

"To refine a spirit stone with at least 90% purity while speaking... This Teacher Zou must be a prominent figure outside of his role as a teacher!" Wang Baole took a deep breath. This class seemed to have opened a new door for him!

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Little brothers and sisters, do you have any recommendations or favorites?

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