Chapter 551: 550. Chapter 545: Still Applying to Be a Dao Master

550. Chapter 545: Still Applying to Be a Dao Master

"I also plan to join a Dao Law Academy, but it's hard to stand out in a top-tier one, and equally hard in a terrible one—I can only aim for a mid-tier Dao Law Academy…"

Ding Huan agreed with Seeing Ji Luo's view.

Seeing Ji Luo chuckled: "Don't brag—you're currently at the peak of Great Yi Immortal. With your cultivation, you couldn't even get into the worst Dao Law Academy."

Ding Huan understood Seeing Ji Luo's meaning: Dao Law Academies weren't something you could just join at will—they were harder to enter than any major faction.

"I'll first ascend to Great Luo Immortal, then apply to Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy." Ding Huan chose an academy.

Although Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's name suggests it specializes in Divine Arts, it's actually a comprehensive Dao Law Academy.

Its Divine Arts instruction is relatively famous, and since there are so many Dao Law Academies, it deliberately adopted a distinctive name: Divine Arts Academy.

The name "Divine Arts Academy" limits its recruitment, making it less appealing than comprehensive Dao Law Academies.

But compared to water-element academies, fire-element academies, and others, Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy is decent.

Another point: Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy is under the Star Realm Dao Cultivator Alliance, which is a mid-tier power in the Great Dao Corridor.

It holds promotion slots for Immortal Sovereigns.

Officially, Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy belongs to the Star Realm Dao Cultivator Alliance, but its entry threshold is far higher than that of the Alliance itself.

This is because the academy's Dao Law instructors themselves transcend ordinary cultivators, and Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy even has a chance to obtain Immortal Emperor promotion slots.

Of course, the way the academy obtains Immortal Emperor promotion slots differs from how major powers in the Great Dao Corridor obtain theirs.

The Immortal Emperor promotion slots of major powers in the Great Dao Corridor are fixed—each one's quota is clearly known.

Any academy's Immortal Emperor, Immortal Sovereign, or Immortal King promotion slots are earned through competitive examinations and martial contests.

Even the number-one academy in the Great Dao Corridor, Xixu Dao Law Academy, must secure a high enough rank in the examination contests to earn an Immortal Emperor slot.

Even if you're from the lowest-ranked Dao Law Academy, if you perform well enough in inter-academy examinations, you can still earn an Immortal Emperor promotion slot.

This is the greatest difference between Dao Law Academies and factions.

"Young brother, be sure to keep an eye out for treasures like the Nine-Colored Void Lotus and Mist Jade Immortal Fruit—I'm counting on you," came Seeing Ji Luo's pitiful voice.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for you," Ding Huan said—he had already planned to help Seeing Ji Luo find materials to restore his physical body.

Seeing Ji Luo was a decent person, and he had left the Dao of Ten Thousand Paths for Ding Huan to study; helping Seeing Ji Luo restore his body was something Ding Huan would do wholeheartedly.

…

Two days later, Ding Huan simulated a Tribulation Crossing scene in the wilderness, ascended to Great Luo Immortal, and headed straight for Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy.

Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy lay within the Star Realm Dao Cultivator Alliance's territory, so Ding Huan dared not use the Cosmic Cauldron.

He rode a top-grade flying immortal artifact for five days to reach Nanyi Xiancheng, then took a teleportation array from Nanyi Xiancheng to Yongzhou Xiancheng.

Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy was inside Yongzhou Xiancheng.

In fact, after arriving in Yongzhou Xiancheng, Ding Huan realized Yongzhou Xiancheng was entirely within Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy.

Everywhere in Yongzhou Xiancheng were signs of Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy.

Even immortal inns, merchant towers, lodging houses, and streets bore Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's banners.

It seemed that if anything in Yongzhou Xiancheng had no connection to Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy, it was suspect.

The streets of Yongzhou Xiancheng were orderly; compared to Tianyuan Market, this place felt far more harmonious and peaceful.

When he extended his spiritual sense, he found almost no spiritual sense-blocking arrays in Yongzhou Xiancheng.

Many immortal clans and minor sects had established outposts in Yongzhou Xiancheng.

These were all drawn here by Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy.

Ding Huan didn't need to ask anyone for directions—he arrived at Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy.

The academy's outer protective array was a Level Nine Immortal Array, completely sealing the entire campus—under normal circumstances, spiritual sense couldn't penetrate it.

The streets outside the academy were several times wider than elsewhere, with four guards at the entrance.

Even outside the academy, the celestial energy was far stronger than elsewhere.

Ding Huan sighed inwardly: this Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy was only a mid-sized academy, yet it was already so grand.

If it were the number-one Xixu Dao Law Academy, its aura would surely be even more imposing.

"Non-students, keep away from the academy," a guard blocked Ding Huan as he approached the gate, his tone stern.

Ding Huan bowed: "Brother, I've long admired Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy and wish to apply as a Dao Master—how do I proceed?"

Upon hearing this, all four guards stared in shock.

It wasn't that no one applied to be a Dao Master at Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy—in fact, too many applied daily.

The problem was Ding Huan's cultivation and apparent age seemed inadequate.

Ding Huan clearly hadn't reached Luo Tian Immortal, and he looked young.

The minimum requirement for Dao Master applicants at Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy was Great Luo Immortal; in reality, nearly all applicants were late-stage or peak Luo Tian Immortals.

What qualification did a mere Great Luo Immortal like Ding Huan have to apply for a Dao Master position at Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy?

Some students at Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy already had cultivation beyond Great Luo Immortal.

After a long pause, the guard who had blocked him finally asked again: "You want to become a Dao Master at Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy?"

"Yes," Ding Huan nodded firmly.

The guard stifled a laugh and forced himself to look serious: "Go to the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's Dao Master Recruitment Immortal Tower in Yongzhou Xiancheng—they'll give you the details."

"Thank you," Ding Huan said, bowed, and turned to leave.

From the guards' expressions, he guessed applying to Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy was difficult.

It wasn't because the academy lacked Dao Masters—in fact, every Dao Law Academy was short of them.

What they lacked weren't ordinary Dao Masters, but capable ones.

Precisely because they were short of Dao Masters, Yongzhou Xiancheng had a dedicated Dao Master Recruitment Immortal Tower.

Ding Huan arrived at the Dao Master Recruitment Immortal Tower in Yongzhou Xiancheng and found it packed with people.

Many people clearly wanted to try their luck.

The vast majority were probably like Ding Huan—not seeking a job, but a chance to advance.

Ding Huan waited in line at the back for a full hour before paying ten thousand top-grade immortal crystals to secure an application qualification and a small examination array tablet.

What he received was a recruitment jade slip.

The jade slip's process was simple: on the tenth day, take the first-round written exam at the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy; after passing, proceed to the second-round Dao trial.

After passing the Dao trial, rest for three days, then take the Law trial.

After passing the Law trial, comes the interview.

If the interview is passed, you become a probationary Dao Master of the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy. The probation period lasts one year; failure means immediate dismissal without condition.

Just by looking at this process, it was clear such recruitment was ongoing—and that qualified Dao Masters were extremely rare.

All the inns near the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy were packed to capacity.

Ding Huan found an inn only far from the academy: the Xiantu Inn.

Inns not tied to the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy's name were truly few.

Even though it was a small inn, the price was not cheap.

One night cost ten thousand top-grade immortal crystals; Ding Huan chose to stay twenty days—that amounted to two hundred thousand top-grade immortal crystals.

This was still an inn far from the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy; closer ones would be even more expensive.

Clearly, the Yonghuang Divine Arts Academy brought immense economic benefits to Xiancheng—many, like Ding Huan, came here to stay twenty days for the examination.

If you failed the exam, you could only slink away in shame.

In truth, ninety-nine point nine nine percent of people would fail the exam.

After entering the inn, Ding Huan had no intention of leaving.

Inside the inn, Ding Huan sensed the lingering poison aura of the Fugu Shidao toxin on Zuo Shanwei growing weaker.

At this moment, Ding Huan could only sigh inwardly: without sufficient strength, he could only watch helplessly as the dung beetle purged the poison.

After sealing his room with forbidden marks, Ding Huan decided to study the Three Thousand Great Dao.

The Heavenly Thunder Art lacked only cultivation; now he intended to study a new Divine Art.

First, naturally, was the Heavenly Gang Art.

Ding Huan found it strange: among the Three Thousand Great Dao, the Heavenly Gang Art still existed, but the Earth Sha Illusion Art had vanished.

The Earth Sha Illusion Art must have once been among the Three Thousand Great Dao—it had been torn away.

"Big brother, I have a question," Ding Huan's spiritual sense settled on the Heavenly Gang Art and transmitted a voice message to Seeing Ji Luo.

"What is it?" Seeing Ji Luo was now counting on Ding Huan.

In this godforsaken place, he dared not even manifest himself.

There were too many strong experts here; one misstep and he'd be discovered.

"I previously cultivated the Heavenly Gang Art, but I feel something was wrong with it. Now I want to re-cultivate it—is there a problem?"

Seeing Ji Luo, a seasoned veteran, immediately understood: "You didn't learn it from that residual soul, did you?"

It wasn't that Seeing Ji Luo was particularly thoughtful—it was simply that the Heavenly Gang Art, as a primordial Dao technique, was impossible for ordinary people to even encounter.

Ding Huan answered honestly: "Yes. Later, I discovered the fellow had planted a trap in the Heavenly Gang Art he gave me."

After a long silence, Seeing Ji Luo said: "The versions of the Heavenly Gang Art that have spread are all copies of the Three Thousand Great Dao. The first copy might still be called a great Divine Art; multiple copies can only be called minor Divine Arts."

The one you learned wasn't just a minor Divine Art—it was a tampered one, barely worthy of the name.

I advise you to completely forget what you learned and start over."

Forget? Ding Huan froze. How do you forget?

Seeing Ji Luo clearly had no good solution and fell silent.

After thinking for a full day, Ding Huan could only reluctantly abandon cultivating the Heavenly Gang Art.

When he first memorized the Heavenly Gang Art from the hide scroll, he had been ecstatic.

Now it had become his burden.

Alas—who can truly see the line between misfortune and fortune?

Ding Huan searched the Three Thousand Great Dao again, and soon his spiritual sense settled on a new Divine Art: the Great Heavenly Eye Art.

He possessed the Great Wilderness Eye, which could only passively advance as his own cultivation level rose.

Now, cultivating the Great Heavenly Eye Art would be perfectly suited.