Chapter 11675 — The Concretization of Vital Qi

"Many thanks."

Wei Zhao was the last to take his jade talisman. He channeled his divine sense into it, and his eyes lit up at once.

It was no exaggeration to say that the talisman in his hand alone would, anywhere else, be a priceless treasure comparable to a god-tier item.

Yet here it was merely one trial among many for trainees in the selection.

One could only say that the Heavenly Dao Academy lived up to its name—truly rolling in wealth.

The very first line of the information borne within the jade talisman was an explanation of the True Mandate.

"The so-called True Mandate is the concretization of one's own vital qi of life."

"Once the True Mandate is concretized, it can withstand all harm from without."

Two short sentences—yet the sheer weight of information packed into them made Wei Zhao's scalp prickle.

An ordinary cultivator might read them and feel nothing special, but Wei Zhao had keenly sensed that this overturned the entire system of rule-based cultivation!

From the Giant Realm to the Venerable Realm, the whole development and extension of the power system had in essence been a seeking outward, a borrowing of external force.

All the way up to the Divine Realm, the mobilization and command of external power could be said to have reached its utmost extreme.

Ancient God cultivators were no exception.

Their only difference from ordinary cultivators lay in the source of the power they commanded—nothing more.

The former commanded the power of a new world they had created themselves; the latter commanded the power of the main world. Between the two there was no difference in essence.

But the concretization of the True Mandate before him was utterly different in nature.

This was from the inside out, through and through—a seeking inward in the truest sense of the word.

In a way it was instead rather like those initial stages, Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment, except that the understanding of the essence of power at that stage could not be mentioned in the same breath as what lay before him now.

In an instant, Wei Zhao felt a whole new world open before him.

Every piece of information he had received before this had insisted on one thing: human potential is limited, and to grow stronger one must borrow the power of the outside world.

Yet this jade talisman of the Heavenly Dao Academy told them plainly that the mightiest power lies within your own body.

To call it a complete overturning of one's worldview was no exaggeration at all.

Not only Wei Zhao—everyone present wore the same look of shock.

By any normal reckoning, the instructor ought to have given them a proper explanation at this point. Something so revolutionary—even if only to show off the Heavenly Dao Academy's prestige—deserved at least a primer on the basic concepts, so that they need not fumble about in the dark.

After all, one could hardly expect everyone to possess the insight to grasp the wonder of it on the spot.

But there was nothing.

Lord Song simply lay there sleeping on his own, not to mention guiding them personally—he showed not the slightest inclination even to glance their way.

The whole affair screamed of going through the motions.

Seeing this, the others one and all gave up any thought of asking him for clarification. After all, comprehending it independently was, in all likelihood, itself one dimension of the selection.

If they ran their mouths with questions and got themselves eliminated outright, they would be too late even to weep.

The group exchanged glances, then each found a spot and sank their minds into careful study.

Each was plainly on guard against the others, fearful of falling behind.

Half a day passed, and still they were stuck where they began.

To have been noticed by the selection officials and recommended here, there could be no doubt: every last one of them was among the very finest talents of their respective worlds, their aptitude and the like maxed out to the limit.

Had it been any ordinary cultivation method or secret manual, it would likely have been mastered in minutes in their hands.

But faced with a revolutionary art like the concretization of the True Mandate, for all their top-tier gifts, for a time they had no idea where to begin.

Until, among them, a plain-looking woman suddenly gave off a layer of translucent aura.

Everyone started at once.

The aura was thin, yet the life force it exuded was stronger than anything they had known, rivaling a prehistoric behemoth!

A name flashed swiftly through Wei Zhao's mind.

Ye Yinxiao.

Of everyone on the field, this woman was arguably the least conspicuous; no one had expected her to be the first to score a breakthrough.

Then came an even more astonishing sight.

Ye Yinxiao actually rose to her feet with an easy expression, every gesture light and airy, none of the former difficulty about her.

Among the ten trainees, her physical body ranked at the bottom, and she should have been the one who moved with the greatest hardship—yet now, with merely one added layer of True Mandate concretization, everything had turned on its head.

"Is the concretization of the True Mandate really that miraculous?"

The eyes of the others lit up at once.

They had already sensed the revolutionary notion behind it, but just how wondrous it truly was, they had still harbored doubts.

Now, in an instant, those doubts were dispelled.

At the same time, the rest of them felt a sense of urgency kindle within.

The least conspicuous Ye Yinxiao had already stolen a march on them; who among the others could be sure they would not be the last?

At this point Di Liankong rose and walked over to Ye Yinxiao's side, his face wreathed in smiles. "Congratulations, Miss Ye. Might you share your insights with me?"

Everyone frowned at once.

Was that even allowed?

Ye Yinxiao instinctively looked toward Lord Song. The instructor was still snoring away, showing no sign whatsoever of waking.

But anyone could work it out with their toes: every move and gesture of everyone present must surely be under his all-encompassing surveillance, and Di Liankong's maneuver could not possibly escape his notice.

Lord Song gave no reaction—which meant Di Liankong's move was not against the rules?

Di Liankong continued, "Meeting like this is fate. Barring the unexpected, we shall all be classmates of the same year entering the Heavenly Dao Academy, and helping one another is surely something the Academy would be glad to see."

Seeing Ye Yinxiao still hesitating, he deliberately added one more line.

"Miss Ye, the selection surely has more than this one trial. Later on, we can help each other too."

Ye Yinxiao's eyes brightened slightly.

The implication was plain: the two sides could forge an alliance of offense and defense.

That way, so long as the instructor Lord Song did not step in to stop it, they would enjoy a natural advantage over the others in the trials to come.

And once a snowballing effect set in, that advantage might well grow larger and larger.

Seeing Ye Yinxiao waver, Di Liankong turned to invite the others. "If any of you are willing to advance hand in hand, by all means join us. The more the merrier—one more person is one more share of strength. Let us watch out for one another and strive to remain in the Heavenly Dao Academy together!"

The others were all moved, though some also frowned inwardly.

At this rate, joining Di Liankong's little clique would secure an advantage, while anyone who did not wish to join would naturally fall behind.

Judged purely on probability, this was no longer a question of choice—it was a question with only one answer.

Wei Zhao gave Di Liankong a look full of meaning.

No wonder the man had been ingratiating himself with everyone from the very start—so this was the game he had in mind, laying the groundwork well in advance.