Chapter 47: Spiritual Potential

"Testing Hall."

Jiang Jian extended his finger and swiped across the translucent screen.

"Verification successful!"

"Identity device permission: First Academy freshman."

A prompt tone sounded.

The testing hall’s door slowly opened.

What met his eyes was an extremely spacious hall.

Giant pillars supported the hall; the ceiling was high, about six meters or more.

"These testing instruments."

"Are no different from the one Zhang Jian used."

The testing hall was quiet, with only a few scattered people.

Jiang Jian walked up to a glowing orb and raised his wrist.

"Identity verification successful!"

"Proceed with cultivation potential test?"

A cold mechanical voice spoke.

Jiang Jian tapped confirm.

The previously dim orb instantly brightened.

Below the orb, array patterns lit up one after another; dense spiritual energy surged and churned.

"Activate your spiritual energy."

The orb spun rapidly.

Jiang Jian activated the Pure Spirit True Method.

A slender strand of pure, invisible spiritual energy curled forth and flowed into the orb.

"Testing..."

The array patterns flickered, radiating faint, brilliant light.

After nearly thirty seconds.

The testing array finally ceased.

A translucent screen condensed before the orb.

Lines of small text appeared.

"Test successful!"

"Spiritual energy potential test duration: 1 minute."

"Estimated spiritual energy upper limit: approximately 5% of Divine Bestowal realm."

Looking at the screen.

Jiang Jian frowned slightly.

"In cultivation class, my spiritual energy upper limit was already 5% of Divine Bestowal realm."

"After five hours of cultivation, it’s still 5%."

"Could the increase in spiritual potential be too minuscule?"

"So the test can’t detect it?"

Jiang Jian swiped his finger to close the screen.

Although the test result hadn’t changed,

Jiang Jian himself, when controlling spiritual energy, could clearly sense it.

After cultivation, his spiritual energy upper limit had indeed improved.

His control and use of spiritual energy had also advanced.

"Cultivation is a long, tedious, arduous practice."

"It cannot be achieved overnight."

"Rushing is meaningless."

Thinking this through,

Jiang Jian’s mind settled slightly. He opened the academy platform to check his credits.

The credits from recycling the talent light cluster had been credited.

His remaining credits: 1100.

"Right now, the most urgent thing is cultivating spiritual potential."

"First, purchase cultivation room time; then buy cultivation herbs."

As he pondered, Jiang Jian did not hesitate.

He directly navigated to the "Cultivation Room Time" page and clicked purchase!

"You are about to purchase cultivation room time: 10 hours."

"Credit cost: 100."

"Confirm?"

Jiang Jian tapped confirm.

"Purchase successful!"

"You have spent 100 credits."

"Your remaining credits: 1000."

After purchasing cultivation room time,

Jiang Jian turned and walked toward the elevator.

In the corner of the testing hall,

two students paused their actions and glanced at Jiang Jian, whispering.

"That’s Jiang Jian from our academy!"

"His talent is Level Three Art!"

"He ranked first in this morning’s cultivation class!"

"Compared to Jiang Jian, that last-place student, Shi Luohua, left a stronger impression on me."

"He’s leaving—quick, check his test results!"

As they spoke, the two hurried to the glowing orb and pulled up the test record.

The public testing hall had no privacy mode.

"5% of Divine Bestowal realm!"

"No surprise for a Level Three Art!"

One of them narrowed his pupils. "My spiritual potential is only 1% of Divine Bestowal realm!"

The other wasn’t surprised. "That’s the advantage of Art—once you begin cultivation, you’re naturally ahead from the start."

13th floor.

Jiang Jian stepped out of the elevator and returned to his room.

"Welcome back."

The robotic butler smiled broadly. "Would you like a meal?"

After closing the door, Jiang Jian sat back on the sofa, opened his identity device, and said: "Same as yesterday."

The robotic butler smiled. "Spicy chicken noodles. I’ll get it right away."

Jiang Jian swiped the screen, opened the Linjiang network platform, and searched for cultivation herbs.

"Cultivation herb: 500 Alliance Coins."

"Made from rare plants, enhances spiritual potential and accelerates cultivation."

Jiang Jian’s fingers moved slightly, setting the purchase quantity to 15.

"Fifteen portions of cultivation herb: 7500 Alliance Coins."

"Confirm purchase?"

Jiang Jian tapped confirm.

"Purchase successful!"

"Your expenditure: 7500 shopping credit."

"Your remaining shopping credit: 52500."

"Your goods will be delivered by dedicated personnel and vehicle within three hours."

Closing his identity device, Jiang Jian smelled the aroma and looked up.

The robotic butler had stepped out of the mechanical room, carrying a steaming tray.

"Today at noon, you received one delivery."

The robotic butler set down the tray, turned, and pointed to the box by the door.

"Shipped from the academy warehouse. I inspected it—five portions of cultivation herb inside."

Jiang Jian nodded. "I see."

The five portions of cultivation herb were the prize from the ranking match in this morning’s cultivation class.

Added to the fifteen portions he purchased.

There are 20 portions total.

“After eating, I’ll take a nap.”

Jiang Jian said while eating noodles, “Wake me when the cultivation herbs arrive.”

The robotic butler brought a cup of mocha, its expression concerned: “It’s already evening; you should rest soon.”

Jiang Jian shook his head: “I’m going to the campus cultivation chamber tonight—I won’t be back to rest.”

The robotic butler said: “Your schedule shows a theory class at 9 a.m. tomorrow.”

“I know.”

Jiang Jian smiled: “Ten hours—after I leave the campus cultivation chamber, I’ll go straight to the lecture hall.”

Hearing this,

the robotic butler froze.

Its database contained countless records of first-year students’ daily routines.

Yet among those countless records,

there was absolutely none like Jiang Jian’s.

A student who moved into the campus cultivation chamber the day after enrollment.

One reason is that cultivation chamber time must be purchased with credits—extremely expensive.

More importantly, most students gradually slack off mentally, alternating between effort and laziness.

In the corner of the living room stood a virtual gaming pod and a virtual headset.

These facilities offered extremely high realism and were provided free by the academy.

They allowed students to relax after studying.

But Jiang Jian had never even touched them.

“Credits aren’t enough!”

“Far from enough!”

Jiang Jian leaned back on the soft sofa, eyes gently closed.

Yet his thoughts never ceased flowing.

One thousand credits, if spent entirely on cultivation chamber time, would buy only one hundred hours.

Far too little to sustain his long-term cultivation plan!

Jiang Jian did not know that

the campus cultivation chamber was among the most expensive facilities in the entire academy.

Most students only used it when hitting a bottleneck or stuck at a cultivation barrier.

Then, gritting their teeth,

they would spend precious credits

to buy a little chamber time.

The amount

was usually one or two hours.

Anything more would cause these students real pain.

Because credit acquisition channels were extremely limited.

Aside from the initial credits awarded upon enrollment,

the only way to earn credits was by accepting “learning tasks.”

Learning tasks were dangerous—so much so that students feared them.

No one wanted to take them.

Moreover,

credits could buy an enormous variety of things.

Anything available on the Linjiang network was also on the academy platform.

And things not available on the Linjiang network were also on the academy platform.

“If I follow my plan and live permanently in the campus cultivation chamber,”

“I’ll consume at least one hundred credits per day.”

Jiang Jian opened his eyes, activated his identity device, and logged into the academy platform.

He navigated to the “Learning Tasks” page.

The page was densely packed with hundreds of learning tasks.

Their rewards ranged from dozens to over a thousand credits.

But all these tasks appeared grayed out.

Jiang Jian tried clicking “Accept.”

His identity device beeped: “Permission insufficient!”

Jiang Jian frowned and clicked the help button on the right.

A semi-transparent screen immediately popped up with an explanation.

“Detection indicates you are a new student.”

“New students cannot accept learning tasks.”

“A new student is defined as any first-year student within seven days of enrollment.”

“Access will be unlocked after seven days.”

Jiang Jian swiped away the screen, expression calm.

“I still have ten hours left in the campus cultivation chamber.”

“The remaining one thousand credits can buy another one hundred hours.”

“Seven days.”

“More than enough.”

Thinking this,

Jiang Jian gently closed his eyes and rested quietly.

(End of Chapter)