Chapter 18

The unified entrance trial of the Immortal Alliance, officially known as the Immortal Alliance General Sect神州 Unified Entrance Trial, is mandatory for all sects registered with the Immortal Alliance, except for the special sect "Heavenly Sword Palace," which is responsible for monitoring the world and protecting the heavens.

Every New Year, the Immortal Alliance sends low-rank cultivators to various branches to teach basic knowledge to those seeking immortality. By mid-summer, the Immortal Alliance evaluates all entrants, determining their sect placements and initial status based on the trial results and personal preferences.

However, there are some exceptions. Noble children and disciples of independent cultivation families have been learning this knowledge since childhood, so it would be unfair to have them take the exam with ordinary people. Talented independent cultivators who have developed their skills through ancient methods and those favored by senior cultivators learn faster than others, and it would be a waste of time for them to study with ordinary people. Additionally, young geniuses who have already broken through to the Tongtian stage have no need to learn basic knowledge. These people naturally receive special treatment.

According to the Immortal Alliance's regulations, new entrants in the above five categories should be sent to the Immortal Alliance's headquarters or one of the nine major branches, such as Lüde or Leiyang, for enrollment. After at least one year of training, they will join their respective sects with the next batch of disciples.

When Wang Qi first heard about this system, he was almost in tears—how could they even specify that top students must be gathered in regions with high admission scores for the college entrance exam? It's inhumane!

He did consider asking Yan He Yi to place him in any branch. However, he falls into two of the five categories: he could claim that his "development through ancient methods" was due to Zhen Chanzi's good teaching, but his current cultivation at the Qi Condensation stage is undeniable. Moreover, Xiang Qi soon mentioned another situation.

"Typically, the Immortal Alliance's Five Great Sects—Myriad Methods Sect, Unity Alliance, Heavenly Spirit Ridge, Burning Gold Valley, and Ethereal Palace—only select true disciples from those enrolled at the headquarters or the nine major branches. The top students from ordinary branches are likely to become inner disciples of secondary sects like Mountain River City or Flowing Cloud Sect."

Having already supplemented his knowledge of the current cultivation world, Wang Qi was familiar with the current system. Disciples in sects are divided into four levels: miscellaneous disciples, outer disciples, inner disciples, and true disciples.

Miscellaneous disciples handle a series of tasks, from cleaning and cooking to clerical work. The sect grants them basic Qi Condensation techniques and spells needed for their work, and the resources they receive are equivalent to their wages. If viewed from an Earth perspective, this is like a vocational college.

Outer disciples have fewer miscellaneous tasks. In addition to the resources provided by the sect, they can freely choose missions from the Immortal Alliance to earn rewards. From Wang Qi's perspective, this is equivalent to a bachelor's degree.

Inner disciples have an advantage over outer disciples. They can participate in research tasks, which are relatively easy, well-rewarded, and help disciples understand the laws of the universe. This is akin to a combined bachelor's and master's program.

As for true disciples, who don't need to worry about resources and can conduct research under the guidance of senior cultivators, Wang Qi calls them "combined bachelor's and master's programs with guaranteed placement in research institutions," which most people can only envy.

Moreover, the levels of different sects are also distinct. Among the Five Great Sects, Myriad Methods Sect, Unity Alliance, Heavenly Spirit Ridge, and Burning Gold Valley have established their foundations through battles with ancient method cultivators, with their techniques and spells honed over time. Ethereal Palace, on the other hand, is a gathering of experts and the forefront of the Immortal Alliance's exploration of the laws of the universe. Secondary sects like Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, Mountain River City, and Flowing Cloud Sect also have techniques that lead to the Xian level. As for smaller sects, reaching the Grandmaster level is already considered miraculous, and true disciples from these sects may not even match the outer disciples of the Five Great Sects.

In comparison, Wang Qi felt a bit more motivated: "It's just like the college entrance exam, what's there to fear?"

Although puzzled by the term "college entrance exam," Xiang Qi admired her junior brother's spirit of not fearing difficulties, and given their shared hardships, she immediately offered to guide him.

Five days is neither long nor short. Xiang Qi gradually put aside her sadness and began to guide her new junior brother in his studies. Little Wang Qi consolidated his initial Qi Condensation cultivation on the boat—though he felt his greatest achievement was finally getting used to the constant motion.

Time quickly passed to the fifth day. Wang Qi sought out the leader for their regular sparring session.

Eight green flames circled around Wang Qi. The young man looked serious. "Senior Sister, I apologize."

"Come on."

"Now I'm at the late Qi Condensation stage... 'Illusory Demon Hand.'"

Xiang Qi grinned. "You're too inexperienced. 'Illusory Demon Hand' needs to hit its target. Watch this, 'Yang Flame Protection.'"

"Round over..."

"My turn. I draw two cards, then place two cultivation cards. Now I have four cultivation cards on the field, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage! Then, I place two cultivation cards horizontally, activating 'First Heavenly Cycle'!"

Two of the green flames around Wang Qi suddenly extinguished. He frowned. "Do you have to be so serious..."

Xiang Qi shook her head and sighed. "The guy who won five consecutive games yesterday is saying what? Who started being serious first?"

Yesterday, I was just excited about this cultivation version of Magic: The Gathering! And the point is, why did the tutoring session turn into a tabletop game battle in the cultivation world!

Wang Qi thought to himself, feeling like crying.

Yesterday, after completing his daily studies, Wang Qi suggested they play a game. He expected the leader to play something refined like Go or Backgammon. But soon, he realized that in this world, being refined was destined to be struck by lightning.

"Indeterminate Cards... Senior Sister, you look so classical in your outfit, but pulling out a deck of cards is quite out of place... And why Magic: The Gathering!"

Xiang Qi taught Wang Qi a game called Indeterminate Cards. The cards are similar to those used in Earth's card games, and the rules are similar to Magic: The Gathering.

Each player's deck can have up to eighty cards. At the start of the game, each player draws five cards, and during each turn, they draw two cards. The hand limit depends on the player's cultivation level. Each player places a cultivator card on the field, with an initial life force of eight flames. Players can place one or two cultivation cards each turn. Three or fewer cultivation cards represent the Qi Condensation stage, four to six represent the Foundation Establishment stage, and so on. Casting spells, martial techniques, or using magical tools requires paying mana, which is done by placing cultivation cards horizontally. Horizontal cultivation cards are restored at the start of the next turn. The life force increases with the cultivation level.

Wang Qi, a former tabletop game enthusiast, was excited and couldn't stop playing. Xiang Qi, who was at most an enthusiast, couldn't match the Earthling who had mastered tabletop games. She immediately felt the weight of Earth's entertainment culture. But Xiang Qi is quite competitive, and seeing that even a beginner could outplay her, she felt embarrassed and insisted on reclaiming her dignity.

Wang Qi's tabletop game skills were indeed a bit higher than Xiang Qi's, but only to the extent of a higher-level enthusiast bullying a lower-level one, far from the level of deliberately letting her win without her noticing. In the end, Xiang Qi didn't reclaim her dignity and had to agree to another match the next day.

Then, after Wang Qi completed his studies, they continued playing until now...

After being defeated by Xiang Qi again, Wang Qi guessed that his senior sister's mood should be much better and tried to ask a question: "Senior Sister, there's something I've wanted to ask for a long time..."

Xiang Qi nodded while shuffling the cards. "Go ahead."

"Didn't you say yesterday that my time is precious and I need to work hard?"

"Yes."

"Why are we playing this now..."

Xiang Qi frowned. "Is that strange? This is also a required course for cultivators, and it's a bonus item in the entrance trial."

"Ah?" Wang Qi was shocked—this world is so open, playing tabletop games can even add points to the college entrance exam!

Zhen Chanzi suddenly asked Xiang Qi, "Is this because the game simulates battles between cultivators? Understanding the relationships between spells and teaching disciples to manage their mana carefully during battles?"

Xiang Qi nodded. "That's one aspect. There's another consideration."

Wang Qi asked, "What aspect?"

Xiang Qi thought for a moment, put down her deck, and took out another set of cards from her storage bag. "The basic deck we just used doesn't include any high-level techniques. In fact, all known cultivation techniques, including the Five Great Sects' ultimate techniques, have been made into cards for this game." She flipped through the new deck and took out a card. "For example, this one, the Myriad Methods Sect's ultimate technique, with a rarity of seven."

Wang Qi: "Damn, they even have the concept of expansion packs... This card is called 'Bai Ze Calculation,' and its effect is to place three cultivation cards horizontally, forcing the opponent to declare their actions for the next three turns, which cannot be changed. Is this card special?"

Xiang Qi shook her head. "It's not the card that's special, but what the card represents, 'Bai Ze Calculation.' This is a story from the Golden Age. A Myriad Methods Sect elder, born in the Northern Wasteland, named Apuna, known as 'Reincarnated Bai Ze,' is generally revered as Bai Ze Zhenjun."

Eh... wait... this name...

Xiang Qi continued, "Bai Ze Zhenjun has a famous saying, 'If you know the cause and effect of the present, you know the infinite past causes and the endless future effects.' He believed that the outcome of battles between cultivators is predetermined, and every technique and cultivation level can be quantified into numbers. In the end, comparing numbers can determine the winner without actual combat..."

You're kidding me...

This was Wang Qi and Zhen Chanzi's first reaction. How could the factors in a battle between cultivators be summarized by a few numbers?

Seeing Wang Qi's expression, Xiang Qi guessed what he was thinking and explained, "If an elder at the Xian level can instantly gather and judge information far beyond your imagination, determining the outcome of a battle is not impossible. However, this is hard to promote. But the elder's research helps cultivators estimate their combat power."

"Estimate combat power?"

Xiang Qi explained, "This is a weighted algorithm that assigns weights to a cultivator's techniques, spells, martial techniques, and magical tools based on their power. The higher the weight, the higher the weighted value. For example, a regular fireball has a weighted value of zero, and if mastered, it becomes one-half. The Heavenly Sequence Sword Disc I practice is a good sword technique with a weighted value of six, and if fully mastered, it can reach seven. Suppose a modern cultivator, Mr. A, practices the most common basic technique and has a basic grasp of two regular spells, fireball and palm thunder. He would be a regular cultivator with a weighted value of zero."

"A weighted value can make up for a small stage difference. For example, a cultivator at the early Qi Condensation stage with a weighted value of one can defeat a cultivator at the mid Qi Condensation stage with a weighted value of zero. If challenging a higher stage, the weighted value difference is divided by three. For example, a cultivator at the mid Foundation Establishment stage with a weighted value of eight, when converted to the Golden Core stage, would first be converted to the early Golden Core stage by deducting two weighted values, and then the remaining weighted value would be divided by three. This means he is equivalent to an early Golden Core stage cultivator with a weighted value of two."

Xiang Qi seemed to recall something amusing and tried to suppress a laugh. "This weighted algorithm is called the Lu Renjia Weighted Algorithm, named to thank Mr. Lu Renjia, who is repeatedly defeated in the imagination of countless cultivators. Later, this algorithm was turned into a game, which became popular in the cultivation world. There is also a legend that the Myriad Methods Sect promoted this game, which, combined with certain mathematical principles, is the entry point to Bai Ze's divine calculation..."

Zhen Chanzi laughed. "That's quite interesting... Hmm, is it because I can't catch the joke that I can't laugh heartily?"

Xiang Qi's face stiffened. "I think... even if you caught the joke, it wouldn't be this bad..."

In front of them, Wang Qi, disregarding his image, lay on the ground laughing, tears streaming down his face.

"Is it that funny?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha... So even this kind of parody has its limits... Ha ha ha ha ha!"

I've always been curious about how the relationship between Earth scientists and the cultivators of the cultivation world would be represented. The Laplace Demon, which can predict the past and future by knowing all information at a certain moment... Bai Ze... Ha ha ha ha...

As Xiang Qi and Zhen Chanzi looked at each other in confusion and Wang Qi laughed uncontrollably, Yan He Yi's voice came over.

"Get ready. We've arrived."

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Sorry, this update is late.

The New Year is approaching, and there are more social engagements. Sorry.

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