Chapter 177: Upper Limit (Please subscribe)

After the morning lesson on September 15th, Xu Jin came to the Danxia Academy according to the Grand Master's request.

Outside the Danxia Academy gate, Ying Ge, Ji Hongli, Niu Ju, Wang Jiugao, Bu Qinyu, and others were all waiting outside the hall. When Xu Jin arrived, the five of them were simultaneously overjoyed and came over one by one to welcome Xu Jin.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

"Good morning, Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother!"

The last one to come up was Ji Hongli, who gave Xu Jin a sweet smile, making Xu Jin feel that the weather had cleared up quite a bit.

Through one Battle of Merit Selection, Xu Jin not only established absolute authority among these few, but also made himself someone they trusted extremely deeply.

At the hall entrance, Pang Yu watched this scene, his gaze shifting slightly.

Xu Jin's prestige was truly very high.

"Eh, where is Mingzhang?" Xu Jin asked.

"The Grand Master is asking questions inside; we have all already been questioned, Senior Brother," Ying Ge said.

Inquiring about the battle situation was also to be expected.

Dozens of breaths later, Yin Mingzhang came out of the Danxia Palace; he first greeted Xu Jin, then smiled at the crowd, "The Grand Master wants us all to go in."

"He didn't call Senior Brother in alone?" Ying Ge asked in surprise.

"No."

"Let's go, the Grand Master must have his own arrangements; let's go in," Xu Jin said, and he was the first to step into the Danxia Palace, with Ji Hongli, Ying Ge, and the others all following behind Xu Jin.

Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao's complexion was excellent, and as he watched the group of disciples enter, a faint smile hung on his face.

"I don't need to say much about the battle results; you know them better than I do!

But what I want to say to you is, you've worked hard!" Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao looked at the disciples and said.

The disciples hurriedly said they didn't dare take credit.

"This time, you have set a precedent for the junior brothers and sisters of future generations, and made a good start!

You have also won supreme glory for the disciples of our Great Chen National Dao Academy!

In the past, Star Palace disciples were the representatives of the strong.

But this time, you have completely annihilated them!

You seven will be permanently remembered by our Great Chen National Dao Academy and will also become role models for future disciples to learn from," Cheng Yuexiao said.

After a round of praise, the disciples all felt a bit embarrassed and frequently looked at Xu Jin.

Everyone knew very well that the thing they did most during this Battle of Merit Selection was to follow Xu Jin's commands.

They really hadn't contributed much strength.

"Last night, I discussed it with several Libationers and decided to reward you heavily."

Once these words were spoken, all the disciples' eyes lit up.

The praise was only verbal; the substantial things had finally arrived.

"First, reward each person with 10,000 Dao Merits to support your cultivation."

The first reward made the disciples' eyes light up one after another.

10,000 Dao Merits were enough to significantly speed up their cultivation, especially for the disciples other than Ji Hongli and Ying Ge, who came from wealthy families in the prefectures and counties; although they were given a large amount of cultivation resource support, it was ultimately still limited.

Of course, the happiest one was Xu Jin.

With the 10,000 Dao Merit reward, Xu Jin could let go and use supreme-grade Refine Star Pills for cultivation.

"Second, starting from today, reward you with ten hours of cultivation time in the fourth-tier Star Power Secret Realm every month, for one year," Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao said.

This reward almost made the disciples cheer.

The cultivation effect of the fourth-tier Star Power Secret Realm was more than 30% stronger than that of the third-tier Star Power Secret Realm, and this was an extra gift.

If one wanted to purchase cultivation time in the fourth-tier Star Power Secret Realm from the Academy, one hour required consuming 400 Dao Merits.

Calculating this, it was equivalent to directly gifting 50,000 Dao Merits.

This was definitely a heavy reward.

"The third reward is slightly different! Among you, who hasn't consumed a Divine Refinement Golden Pill?" Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao asked.

Five people immediately stood out.

Among the seven, only Xu Jin and Ji Hongli had consumed a Divine Refinement Golden Pill.

Ying Ge had also not consumed one.

"Those who haven't consumed one will be directly rewarded with one Divine Refinement Golden Pill! Additionally, those who have consumed one can choose between one Divine Refinement Golden Pill or three Long Gui Soul-Forging Pills," Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao said, looking at Xu Jin and Ji Hongli.

In the Purple Wind Star Domain, Xu Jin had obtained one Divine Refinement Golden Pill, which he was currently nourishing, and there was another Divine Refinement Golden Pill that had already been nourished and needed to wait for the right time to be consumed; after thinking about it, Xu Jin also chose one Divine Refinement Golden Pill.

This Divine Refinement Golden Pill was prepared by Xu Jin for his sister, Jiang Er.

Jiang Er was about to perform Star Pointing, so he had to prepare it well.

Xu Jin had already seen the huge improvement that powerful divine soul strength brought to cultivation and combat power, so he had to plan ahead for his sister.

Among the several types of elixirs that improved divine soul strength, the Divine Refinement Golden Pill was the most precious, and it didn't circulate on the market at all.

Just like Ying Ge, the eldest grandson of the Songzhou Viceroy, couldn't even get a Divine Refinement Golden Pill, which showed its preciousness.

As for the Long Gui Soul-Forging Pills, he should be able to get a few in a few days.

Moreover, the Long Gui Soul-Forging Pills should be much easier to get than the Divine Refinement Golden Pill.

Opportunities were rare.

What surprised Xu Jin was that Ji Hongli also chose the Divine Refinement Golden Pill.

"Grand Master, although it's a bit wasteful to consume another Divine Refinement Golden Pill, I want to use this Divine Refinement Golden Pill to try and impact Divine Soul Forge Star," Ji Hongli said.

"This was won by your own life, so it doesn't matter if it's wasteful or not! With your current divine soul cultivation, you should be able to perform Divine Soul Forge Star," Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao said.

Xu Jin looked at Ji Hongli and forcibly suppressed the thought in his heart.

Now was absolutely not the time.

Helping Ning Yuchan with nourished elixirs was because Ning Yuchan was about to head to the Star River Battlefield, where a moment of carelessness could mean life and death, so he had to help!

But as for Ji Hongli, although there had been some hugging and holding, Xu Jin felt that it might just be this girl's reliance on him in a specific environment and emotional state.

It would naturally disappear in the future.

In the future, when Xu Jin was strong and had the opportunity, it would be fine to give her some nourished elixirs to improve her strength, but now, it was courting death!

Especially since Ji Hongli had a powerful background; if her strength improved by leaps and bounds, she might be dug out by the powerful members of her family.

Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao distributed one Divine Refinement Golden Pill to each person on the spot; looking at the excited and eager disciples, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao smiled and said, "Don't be in a hurry, your rewards aren't finished yet."

"The fourth reward is that everyone is rewarded with three opportunities to ascend the Heavenly Staircase."

Another heavy reward.

Before the disciples could be happy, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao smiled again, "There is also a fifth reward, and this fifth reward is the true heavy reward! Everyone can ascend the tier to learn one fifth-tier star pattern."

Hiss!

This time, the disciples were truly shocked.

What a heavy reward!

This was the true heavy reward!

According to the rules of the Great Chen National Dao Academy, one could exchange for learning one fifth-tier star pattern with 30 great merits, or 3 special merits, or 1 miraculous merit.

Many fifth-tier powerhouses only knew one or two fifth-tier star patterns.

Yet they were directly rewarded with one now.

To say they weren't surprised would be a lie.

Although it was only ascending the tier to learn, meaning they could ascend the tier to learn one among the star patterns they already knew, the value was still super high.

Generally speaking, the power of a star pattern differed by one layer for every small tier.

For example, the power of a fourth-tier upper star pattern and a fifth-tier lower star pattern differed by one layer.

And a fifth-tier upper star pattern was a full three layers stronger in power than a fourth-tier upper star pattern!

An increase of three layers of power was the guarantee for killing enemies across tiers.

Fifth-tier and above star patterns were the true unique skills of the National Dao Academy and various Star Palaces. "Are you satisfied with the rewards the Academy gave you this time?" Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao asked with a smile.

The disciples nodded fiercely.

Satisfied!

Simply too satisfied!

With these rewards as a foundation, in time, the ranking of many of them among the true disciples would definitely be able to improve significantly.

"Good. Regarding the Divine Refinement Golden Pill, I'll give you another suggestion: it's best to use up the three opportunities to ascend the Heavenly Staircase to further improve your divine soul cultivation before consuming the Divine Refinement Golden Pill; the chance for Divine Soul Forge Star will be greater."

"Pang Yu, take the junior brothers and sisters to the side hall to wait, and then bring them over one by one according to the order of the audience just now to choose the fifth-tier star pattern they need to learn. Hmm, this fifth-tier star pattern is a top secret for each of you; don't easily tell others," Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao said.

After the disciples were taken away, Pang Yu suddenly walked back quickly and looked at Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"What is it? Speak."

After Cheng Yuexiao glanced at Pang Yu, he said.

"Grand Master, this disciple dares not speak."

"If you dare not speak, then why are you acting like this? Speak."

Finally, Pang Yu gathered his courage and said, "Grand Master, are the rewards given to them too much? Many fourth-tier Condense Star Realm senior brothers have to fight in the Star River Battlefield for several years before they can obtain one fifth-tier star pattern."

"Fight?"

Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao sneered, "Is that fighting? That's gilding!"

"These seven people went to participate in the battle with their heads on the line this time; in previous years, it would be good if three or four returned, and the others all had to sacrifice their lives for the Academy!

Their actions have already proven their loyalty!

Therefore, such rewards are not excessive at all!"

After finishing, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao looked at Pang Yu again and said, "You, you need to broaden your horizons and open your heart; only then can you see further and go higher!"

The four words "go higher" were intended, making Pang Yu's heart tremble.

He hurriedly nodded and kept saying he had been taught.

But when he went to the side hall to call Ji Hongli, Ying Ge, and the others over one by one, Pang Yu still felt a bit of resentment.

The reason was simple—he, Pang Yu, had served in the Star River Battlefield for three years during the late Condense Star stage before he exchanged for one fifth-tier star pattern.

The harvest of these junior brothers and sisters before him made even him a bit envious.

Xu Jin was the last one to be called in.

Before being called in, Xu Jin had already decided that he wanted to choose the fifth-tier upper-grade Fire Source star pattern.

This was the star pattern that could significantly improve his combat power at present.

It was also the best choice.

But what Xu Jin didn't expect was that the Grand Master called him in but didn't rush to let him choose the star pattern.

With a flick of his finger, a point of starlight exploded, wrapping the entire Danxia Palace, and then Cheng Yuexiao looked at Xu Jin and said, "Alright, now, you can tell me everything that happened in the third-tier Purple Wind Star Domain; apart from me, no one else will hear it."

Outside the Danxia Palace, Pang Yu watched the starlight that isolated the inside from the outside, but sighed secretly; he still hadn't gained the Grand Master's complete trust.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been prevented from listening.

Regarding the battle process in the Purple Wind Star Domain, Xu Jin had thought about it all night after returning last night.

The fact that he could bring in fourth-tier emblems could not be said.

If he said it, it would involve a series of troubles, including the Arena.

So, Xu Jin racked his brains last night and made up a process that was still plausible.

He hid the process of forcibly killing them.

He made the whole process sound a bit more clever and a bit more lucky.

He didn't change much.

Basically, it was 95% truth and a small half-percent lie.

For example, the death of the Prince Prince Zi Yi Clan King, Xu Jin said.

This matter couldn't be hidden.

He told most of it truthfully, including learning that Zi Hao was controlled, the operation of sending a letter with the purple broken wing tip as a token, and the matter of sending the Soul-Splitting Secret Technique; he told it exactly as it was.

The matter of killing Zi Hao.

He changed it slightly, turning it into the Prince Prince Zi Yi Royal Palace Great Commander Zi Chi seeing Zi Hao distracted and weak, then rising up and slaying him, while Xu Jin quietly approached relying on a technique to hide his aura and snatched the Heart of Lei Yu.

That's right, Xu Jin proactively told the matter of refining the Heart of Lei Yu.

Only by saying this could Xu Jin openly learn and use lightning-type star techniques in the future.

Otherwise, lightning-type star techniques would never be able to see the light of day.

At the same time, only by telling of the existence of the Heart of Lei Yu would Xu Jin have the possibility of entering the Purple Wind Star Domain again in the future to obtain greater benefits.

Otherwise, relying on Xu Jin personally, sneaking around without the support of the national machine, let alone conquering the third-tier Purple Wind Star Domain, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even be able to enter the third-tier Purple Wind Star Domain.

"Heart of Lei Yu?"

Even someone as strong as Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao was shocked by Xu Jin's account at this moment.

This luck, this boldness, it was simply...

Xu Jin also took out the Heart of Lei Yu he had already refined without hesitation and handed it to the Grand Master for viewing.

The Grand Master could even directly gift him the Heart of Red Scale, so he absolutely wouldn't have any other thoughts about this primary-tier Heart of Lei Yu.

On this point, Xu Jin still trusted the Grand Master very much!

"Yes, it really is the Heart of Lei Yu!"

After pondering for a few breaths, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao suddenly laughed loudly, "Good, good, good!"

"The Cangming Star Palace used such strong underhanded tactics this time, but I didn't expect it to still be broken by you!

In the end, they even lost the Heart of Lei Yu, and the Prince Prince Zi Yi King Zi Hao, whom they previously controlled, also died!

This is simply losing the wife and the soldiers!

The results of their several previous attacks on the third-tier Purple Wind Star Domain have been completely lost."

After pondering for a few breaths, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao returned the Heart of Lei Yu to Xu Jin.

"Do not tell anyone else about this matter! I will prepare in secret and strive to launch an attack on the third-tier Purple Wind Star Domain once before you break through to the Condense Star Realm! Perhaps you can control the entire Purple Wind Star Domain in one fell swoop, and if your luck is good enough, perhaps you can obtain another Heart of Lei Yu."

Subsequently, Xu Jin handed the seven jade beads captured from the Star Palace disciples to the Grand Master.

After just one look, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao was first stunned, and then said angrily, "No wonder! No wonder that in the merit selection battles when adopting the Category B plan in recent years, the battle results of our National Dao Academy have been getting worse and worse, and the losses have been getting bigger and bigger!

So it was them who snatched these Seven Stars Linked!"

After scolding, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao laughed again, "Good, good, good, very good! With this treasure, the possibility of us winning a great victory in next year's Battle of Merit Selection is even greater! Xu Jin, you have made another great contribution to the National Dao Academy!

How should I reward you for this?"

"This is what this disciple should do!" Xu Jin hurriedly said modestly.

"Xu Jin, I know that the true pillar of this Battle of Merit Selection was you! Without you, our National Dao Academy would definitely have suffered heavy losses in this Battle of Merit Selection.

Therefore, when deciding on the rewards earlier, I had already decided to reward you extra heavily.

This is also the reason why I kept you behind alone," Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao said.

"The previous decision was to reward you with an additional fifth-tier star pattern on the basis of the previous five rewards, but now, I feel it's still not enough."

Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao pondered for a few breaths.

"How about this, I will take the responsibility and directly upgrade the original star pattern that was to be ascended to the fifth tier to the top limit!" Cheng Yuexiao said.

"What does upgrading to the top limit mean?" Xu Jin didn't understand.

"It means you can choose one star pattern and directly learn it to the research and deduction limit of the National Dao Academy!"

Xu Jin's eyes widened; this time, he was truly shocked.

Directly learning to the limit!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 178 =====