Chapter 80: Spirit Liquid Pool

"The spiritual energy concentration in this Spirit Liquid Pool is more than ten times higher than that of the Cultivation Room in the Civil Way Academy!" Wang Shichen took a deep breath, a hint of awe flashing in his eyes.

Ling Zhantian had already stripped off his outer garment and jumped into the Spirit Liquid Pool: "Amazing! This spiritual energy is practically drilling straight into my body!"

Wang Teng followed suit, immediately letting out a blissful groan: "Damn! This feels way better than soaking in a hot spring! Lao Xia, Ye Lingxi, get in quick!"

Jiang Xia and Ye Lingxi exchanged a glance, then each entered the changing room, changed into swimwear, and jumped into the Spirit Liquid Pool.

The water in the Spirit Liquid Pool was warm, and spiritual energy entered through the pores of the skin, nourishing every limb and bone.

Jiang Xia closed his eyes and converted the spiritual energy into his own power.

He could feel his internal spiritual energy becoming denser, and the progress bar for his breakthrough was skyrocketing.

Ye Lingxi sat beside Jiang Xia; her Xuanming inheritance, nourished by the Spirit Liquid, emitted a faint blue glow.

She looked at Jiang Xia and said softly, "Your cultivation base is rising quickly, but advancing from Wu Zong Early Stage to Wu Zong Mid-Stage requires accumulating vast amounts of spiritual energy—this Spirit Liquid Pool should greatly help Itachi."

Jiang Xia opened his eyes and nodded: "Yeah, I can feel my spiritual energy growing rapidly—I estimate I won’t take long to break through to Wu Zong Mid-Stage."

"What about Itachi? Your ice-based ability, combined with the Ice Phoenix Feather, should be close to a breakthrough too, right?"

Ye Lingxi smiled faintly: "Almost. The Ice Phoenix Feather contains intense ice-elemental primordial power—I’m trying to integrate it into my own ability. Once I succeed, my ice attacks and defenses will both rise a full tier."

At that moment, commotion erupted on the other side of the Spirit Liquid Pool.

Akatsuki Jin stepped into the Spirit Liquid Pool; his flame aura instantly spread outward, causing the surrounding liquid to boil, turning the originally pale blue water a faint red.

"Incredible flame power!" Wang Teng couldn’t help exclaiming, "Akatsuki Jin really lives up to his reputation!"

Everyone except the top ten prodigies quickly moved away from Akatsuki Jin, fearing they’d be affected by his flame aura.

But Akatsuki Jin paid no mind, walking straight to the center of the pool, closing his eyes, and beginning to absorb the spiritual energy within.

Thus, all of them cultivated in the Spirit Liquid Pool throughout the afternoon, only leaving reluctantly when the training camp’s break bell rang, heading to their randomly assigned dormitories.

At six a.m. the next morning, the shrill wake-up call sounded on time.

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng shared the same dormitory—a standard double room.

Equipped with smart air conditioning, a private bathroom, and spiritual energy-sensing lights for cultivation, the facilities were far more luxurious than those in the Civil Way Academy dorms.

"Get up quick! Can’t be late on the first day of training!" Wang Teng shouted as he pulled on his training uniform.

Jiang Xia rubbed his eyes and quickly got up to wash up. By the time they reached the training ground, the other A-Class trainees had mostly arrived.

Akatsuki Jin stood at the front of the formation, arms crossed, his gaze arrogant as he surveyed those around him.

Cui Jue stood in a corner of the formation, surrounded by faint ghostly energy, radiating an aura of "keep your distance."

Ye Lingxi wore her training uniform, her long hair tied into a high ponytail, standing among the group—her cold, detached demeanor stood out sharply.

At six ten, a middle-aged man in the uniform of a Town Demon Army Colonel stepped forward.

He was tall and muscular, his face rugged, radiating a terrifying aura of the Zunzhe Realm.

"I am your chief instructor, Lei Zhan. For the next three months, I will oversee A-Class training."

Lei Zhan’s voice boomed, carrying undeniable authority: "In this training camp, only the strong deserve resources."

"Each week we’ll hold a ranking match—the bottom five will be demoted to B-Class, while the top five from B-Class will be promoted to A-Class."

Lei Zhan’s gaze swept over the twenty A-Class trainees, finally settling on Akatsuki Jin: "Kid from Fen Tian Pavilion, Itachi boiled the pool water yesterday—thinking your fire’s too hot?"

"Today’s a combat session—Itachi’re up first. Let me see what the number one prodigy on the Heavenly Prodigy List can do."

Akatsuki Jin raised an eyebrow and walked slowly to the center of the virtual combat platform.

Lei Zhan pressed his wristband; instantly, a Level 5 Late-Stage Flame Tiger materialized, its body engulfed in roaring flames.

"No abilities—only basic martial arts to defeat it," Hou Lie said, arms crossed, tone absolute.

Akatsuki Jin paused, then sneered, charging barehanded toward the Flame Tiger.

His steps were swift; dodging the tiger’s claws, he drove a punch straight into its chin.

Though seemingly ordinary, the punch carried the explosive force unique to fire-based abilities—the Flame Tiger’s virtual body cracked instantly; after three strikes, it collapsed and dissolved into data.

"Not bad. Your fundamentals haven’t rusted," Hou Lie nodded, then turned to Jiang Xia: "Jiang Xia of the Night Watchers—your turn. Opponent: Level 5 Late-Stage Crack Earth Lizard. Also no abilities allowed."

Jiang Xia stepped onto the platform, sealing all his abilities, assuming a stance, and fixing his gaze on the Crack Earth Lizard.

Instantly, the lizard whipped its tail; Jiang Xia sidestepped, then pushed off the ground, using momentum to strike the lizard’s side neck joint.

His punches lacked Akatsuki Jin’s brute force, but each landed precisely on vital points; within two minutes, the Crack Earth Lizard lost all mobility.

"Good. Itachi know how to use technique to compensate for power gaps."

"Now, run fifty laps around the training ground—ninety minutes limit! Go!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the prodigies surged forward. One lap was one kilometer—fifty laps totaled fifty kilometers. Challenging for ordinary cultivators, but not overly difficult for A-Class prodigies.

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng ran side by side, their pace steady, consistently maintaining a mid-to-upper position in the group.

Akatsuki Jin led the pack, moving at blistering speed—he clearly didn’t consider this exercise demanding.

Cui Jue trailed behind leisurely, his ghostly aura reducing his physical exertion.

"Lao Xia, have Itachi noticed? Akatsuki Jin’s aura is much stronger than during the auction."

Wang Teng panted as he ran, "His fire ability seems to have broken through again."

Jiang Xia nodded: "Yeah, his aura’s stronger than before. These prodigies are all secretly advancing—we can’t slack off either."

After fifty laps, many prodigies were breathing heavily, but only the top ten, including Akatsuki Jin, showed no signs of fatigue.

Lei Zhan looked at them and nodded approvingly: "Good. Everyone completed it on time."

"Next is ability training—proceed to the Ability Training Hall for ability intensity tests and precision drills."