Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Jiang Ding’s breath caught.

[Banyan Tree Special Scholarship]

This was a support scholarship exclusively for students of a lineage with high scores in moral character.

Its funding did not come from the official allocation of the Xianmen Sect, but rather from the donations of cultivators from past generations with high scores in moral character.

People with high scores in moral character are not necessarily good people.

But they certainly would wholeheartedly agree with the Xianmen Sect system that integrates immortals and mortals. They would have received much help from the Xianmen societal system during their growth and possessed deep feelings for this system, hoping that it could continue indefinitely.

Therefore, many cultivators with high scores in moral character often decided to leave certain resources for their descendants, three generations down the line, before stepping into reincarnation, donating the rest of their savings to the [Banyan Tree Special Scholarship], offering more growth resources to their own kind.

Even if they had never met each other.

In the hearts of many old cultivators about to step into reincarnation, their affection for such ’kindred spirits’ was far deeper than for descendants they had never met.

Of course, this wasn’t unconditional. One needed to reach the corresponding threshold in moral character, academic studies, and talent. Previously, Jiang Ding had been stopped by the talent threshold.

”If you apply, you need to swear with your Dao heart that you will return double the scholarship received when you have the capability in the future.”

The Array Spirit spoke again.

This condition was overly generous. If one wanted to not repay, there were plenty of ways to exploit loopholes, all filled with the affection of predecessors for their juniors.

”Apply.”

Jiang Ding said solemnly and made an oath with his Dao heart.

The legacy of his predecessors, he had the capability to utilize for greater purposes; he would naturally become an important cornerstone in defending the Xianmen Sect.

At the same time, he made a firm decision in his heart.

One day, when time inevitably flowed past him and he reached his twilight years, he would follow the example of the virtuous predecessors, leaving certain resources for the three generations after him in Jiang Yuan and donating the rest to the Banyan Tree Scholarship.

”Application approved.”

Minutes later, the voice of the Array Spirit reached him.

”Please wait, searching for the item most suitable for your current state in the Banyan Tree Special Scholarship treasure house... not yet found... purchasing it with the existing funds and treasures... just a moment...”

The Banyan Tree Scholarship wasn’t about giving you whatever you wanted; it was according to what the Array Spirit calculated as most suitable for you, and you could only use it under the supervision of the Array Spirit land, unable to give it to anyone else.

”Most suitable for my current state?”

Jiang Ding listened to the voice, his expression suddenly changing.

What did the Central Array Spirit Computer consider he needed most right now?

”Purchase successful!”

”We have purchased a piece of Thousand-year Soul Nurturing Wood and a block of No. 21 Synthetic Geng Metal, and are currently looking for a Master Refiner to forge a sword embryo for you, estimated to be completed within three months...”

”Wait! No!”

Jiang Ding suddenly shouted, ”I have my own plans for the sword embryo, can it be exchanged for something else?”

”... Refining...”

The voice of the Central Array Spirit Computer paused for a while, seemingly calculating and deliberating with a vast amount of data.

”Request denied.”

”The calculations show that the probability of this student obtaining better materials than the Thousand-year Soul Nurturing Wood and No. 21 Synthetic Geng Metal is zero. Request not approved. The sword embryo is expected to be completed within three months and will be stored in the Banyan Tree Special Scholarship treasure house until the student applies to use it.”

Jiang Ding was on the verge of tears.

Informing of the existence of the Outer Realm, he thought about it for a long time but still didn’t do it.

Not to mention the current inability to solve the problem of transporting living beings to the Outer Realm, the Central Array Spirit Computer could be trusted but it was uncertain whether many high-level cultivators within the Xianmen Sect, including Nascent Soul Cultivators, could be trusted.

The Xianmen Sect was not an ideal society where everyone was a paragon of virtue.

Historically, there had been several massive internal wars initiated by high-level cultivators.

If it weren’t for the fact that the sects of Outer Realm Cultivators were also fraught with contradictions, and the internal strife among high-level cultivators within the Immortal Sects was even more severe than in the Xianmen Sect, the Xianmen Sect would have perished in civil wars long ago.

Now, being so weak, if a Golden Pill Monk went insane, his entire family would be put in danger.

”This is a good thing; it perfectly explains the origin of the future Taiqing Spirit Iron Sword embryo.”

Jiang Ding took a deep breath and closed his eyes to cultivate.

Inner Energy surged among his meridians, and the countless minuscule branches of the extraordinary vessels were slowly nurtured and tempered. The entire system of meridians and Inner Energy within his body continued to expand, its efficiency far surpassing that of before.

He estimated that in just over a month, he would be able to complete the cultivation of the Eaglet Large Circle of Vital Energy.

Two hours later, after taking the remaining Purple Jade Life Essence Pill, Jiang Ding left the Cultivation Room and slurped down two large bowls of rice noodles at the school gate’s noodle shop to fill his stomach before returning home.

When he arrived home, it was after six in the evening. Lin Wanqiu had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him with Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Ding hurriedly grabbed some chopsticks and a bowl.

”Dingding, does becoming a cultivator mean that you often have to go into secluded cultivation?”

Lin Wanqiu said somewhat melancholically, watching Jiang Ding and Jiang Yuan eat, she didn’t feel like eating.

It was one thing for him to not come home for two consecutive days during the final exams, but now, not even so many days had passed, he had already been away for three days straight. Who knows how much longer it would be in the future.

”For these three days that you weren’t home, there was no one to cook for me!”

Jiang Yuan complained.

”You must have been so happy ordering takeout these few days!”

Jiang Ding gave Jiang Yuan a sidelong glance, exposing the lie, before he pondered for a moment and said, ”It is true that situations like this will occur, but all the loneliness and sacrifices are for gaining more time in the future.”

As long as one becomes a High-Level Cultivator, even if it requires squandering, one must use all precious resources to forge a foundation building and extend life by two hundred and fifty years.

”Alright then.”

Lin Wanqiu sighed.

...

Within the Sword Casting Manor.

The Talisman Sword fluctuated one meter off the ground, gathering the essence of the Great Sun and Spiritual Energy to refine the sword, like a shadow of the sun.

Jiang Ding glanced at the surveillance drone of the Jindao School; the black-robed cultivator, suspected to be at the Peak of Qi Practicing, was still sitting next to the Blood Pool beside the Ancestor Temple, not moving for a long time during his cultivation.

Reviewing the surveillance footage from the past three days revealed the same behavior.

”Don’t tell me he’s a Foundation-building cultivator?”

Jiang Ding looked grave, feeling an ominous premonition.

The higher the rank of the cultivator, the less they cared about the passage of time. It was normal for Golden Pill Monks to be in seclusion for more than a decade at a time, which is enough time for a mortal to grow from infancy to adulthood.

”No matter!”

”Even if he is a Foundation-building cultivator, he will have to leave one day, and besides, the likelihood of that is very small. Why would a Foundation-building cultivator bother with mundane matters? It would be a waste of talent!”

Jiang Ding stopped pondering over these matters and placed his hand on the sword hilt, staring intently at the three pieces of ore, each the size of a head.

Clang!

Draw sword, sheath sword.

The three pieces of iron ore silently split in half in midair and kept breaking apart as they fell to the ground, soon turning into a pile of thumb-sized fragments, their edges neat and smooth.

”The sharpness of the Sword Qi has increased a lot.”

Jiang Ding was delighted, yet it appeared to be something he had anticipated.

He drew the sword and held the blade close to observe every minute detail.

At the blade, amid the blurry sword light, there now existed a hint of pale blue metallic luster, which had significantly enhanced the sharpness of the Sword Qi.

Whoosh!

Jiang Ding recalled the Talisman Sword and observed its densely inscribed formation lines. He noticed that the changes in the Talisman Sword were even more profound, the formation lines now bearing a pale blue metallic hue, imprinted on the Flying Sword.

With a thought, the Flying Sword shot forth from his hand, slicing a head-sized ore in half, and the residual Sword Qi further turned the two halves into two small piles of fine rubble.

Its speed and sharpness had also greatly increased.

”If Wan Qianyu were to appear within a hundred steps of me again, she would not be able to escape.”

Such a thought surfaced in Jiang Ding’s mind.