A sharp pain pierced between his brows.
In his sea of consciousness, the brilliance of the eye of his heart's dharma seed flickered, the illusory eye was on the verge of collapse, teetering on the brink of breakdown.
Just a little longer!
Zhang Jing gritted his teeth, his face twisted in pain, yet he still struggled to uphold the state of the eye of his heart.
Under the full operation of his thoughts, a wisp of white mist began to rise from his forehead.
Although he was not sure what the [Ghost Sea Dragon Swallowing Tao Rhyme·Remnant] displayed on the jade talisman was, Zhang Jing instinctively felt that it was a good thing.
It was his opportunity!
Finally.
The ninth breath.
Blackness filled Zhang Jing's vision, the illusory eye vanished. He promptly retreated from the state of the eye of his heart.
If he could have lasted a bit longer, it would have been better...
Zhang Jing thought regretfully.
Regaining his senses, he surreptitiously looked out through the door crack. He found that the Immortal was still cultivating oblivious to his actions.
Phew—it's good that he didn't notice!
Zhang Jing released a quiet breath.
Dragging his groggy head and extremely exhausted body, he slowly returned to his original position and sat down again.
He felt the bundle next to him; there were no signs of disturbance.
Zhang Jing then closed his eyes in relief.
He could feel a special rhyme, fleeting as if it were not there, continuously circulating in his heart, as if he could mobilize it whenever he wished.
"This must be the [Ghost Sea Dragon Swallowing Tao Rhymes·Remnant]."
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Zhang Jing eyes.
Although he was eager to try it out, thinking of the Immortal cultivating outside the room made Zhang Jing decisively suppress his suicidal thoughts.
After all, this was not the dharma seed from the mysterious jade talisman with its silent activation.
What if it made some sound and was discovered by the other party, how would he explain it then? He couldn't possibly say that he had cultivated from watching the Immortal.
Although it was the truth... who would believe him if he explained it that way!
He could only wait until he entered the Dao Institute before exploring the exact application of [Ghost Sea Dragon Swallowing Tao Rhyme·Remnant].
Just as he thought about this, a wave of sleepiness suddenly washed over Zhang Jing.
...
...
Thud—
A muffled thunder-like sound exploded in his ears, followed by a series of intense vibrations.
In the room.
Cries of alarm and screams mixed together in a cacophony.
Among the crowd, Zhang Jing looked dazedly around, completely unaware of what was happening.
He subconsciously looked up.
He saw that unlike others, Ji Bochang and his group of four were unfazed, seeming to have anticipated this situation.
Noting Zhang Jing's gaze.
Ji Bochang opened his fan in a flamboyant manner and began fanning himself, looking like the only sober person among a crowd of drunks. He looked at Zhang Jing, mouthing something.
Because of the surrounding bustle, Zhang Jing failed to hear him clearly, and could only guess based on his lip movements.
"We... have... arrived!" He read out word by word.
Then he was hit with a shock.
We've arrived! Dragon Lake Dao Institute!
He grabbed the bundle next to him and hurriedly stood up.
At the same time.
The soft voice of the Immortal came from outside, overpowering the noise and clearly resounding in everyone's ears.
"Dragon Lake Dao Institute has arrived, come out of your rooms quickly."
As soon as the words fell, the wooden house became instantly quiet.
Not long after.
Including Zhang Jing, everyone left their rooms and stood on the back of the Spirit Crane, curiously looking around.
It was getting late.
Half a sun of dusky red floated at the end of the lake in sight, where the fiery sunset and the rippling water merged completely, becoming inseparable.
As the azure spirit light around the Spirit Crane dissipated.
The moisture in the air instantly rushed into every pore of Zhang Jing's body, washing away all the exhaustion.
This was a vast lake with no boundaries, dotted with numerous islands and countless pavilions and towers.
Longze Lake!
Zhang Jing remembered the description from the "Three Five Seeking Immortals Record Examination" and instantly understood his current location.
Longze Lake was located in the eastern part of Nanli, stretching over a region of fifteen hundred miles. With numerous islands scattered around, an abundance of spiritual energy, and a vast variety of spiritual beasts, it was considered a sacred place for the Immortal Way and the location of the Dragon Lake Dao Institute. It was a place that common mortals would find almost impossible to navigate.
More importantly, there were sea dragons in the Longze Lake!
...
...
A moment later.
The Azure Sky Spirit Crane spread its wings and flew straight into the depths of Longze Lake, disappearing from sight.
On an island not far from the lakeshore.
"Stop looking, that senior brother is only responsible for bringing you youngsters here."
An abrupt and robust voice rang out.
Zhang Jing and the others hurriedly turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
They saw a middle-aged man with a broad smile on his face, looking at them.
Under their gaze, the man cleared his throat and continued:
"Young talents from Huizhou, welcome to the Seventh Temporary Institute of Dragon Lake Dao Institute. I am one of the instructors responsible for your examination this time. You can call me Coach Wang."
"Greetings Coach Wang!"
The sixty-five of Zhang Jing's group shouted in unison.
"Hmm," Coach Wang nodded, saying, "I presume you've heard of the stringent examinations of Dragon Lake Dao Institute before coming here. In reality, the examinations are even stricter than you could imagine."
"Even though all of you are the chosen talents from various counties within Huizhou, I can assure you that no more than ten among you will pass this examination!"
"The path of the Immortal Way is a difficult journey. Talent, wisdom, perseverance, luck movement - lack one, and you'll fall short!"
"Enough said. Tonight, all you need to do is choose a place to stay. The accommodations are divided into three classes, 'A', 'B', and 'C'. Choose based on your abilities."
Coach Wang pointed towards a sizeable group of buildings in the distance.
The others started looking in the direction he pointed.
Zhang Jing used the view he had seen from the Azure Sky Spirit Crane to analyze the distribution of the buildings on the island.
Their current location was a square about a hundred feet long and wide. The ground was firm and smooth, without any gap, much like a cleanly cut huge stone slab.
In the centre stood a monument more than two persons high, inscribed with the words 'Seventh Temporary Institute'.
There were several buildings distributed evenly on both sides of the open ground, including the Dharma Lecture Hall, Spirit Food Hall, and Cultivation Hall.
The accommodation area that Coach Wang mentioned was further out, in an arc shape, divided into clearly different tiers.
The closest tier comprised standalone courtyards, shrouded within the woods.
The middle tier consisted of several rows of neat bungalows while the outermost tier had small stone houses that looked run-down.
"After settling in, rest for tonight. We will assemble at the Dharma Lecture Hall tomorrow morning at 1:15."
Having said that, Coach Wang strode off.
The remaining people stood looking at each other, unsure of what to do.
Before long.
As people started leaving in small groups, the others followed, rushing frantically towards the standalone courtyards, clearly hoping to stake their claim early.
"An effort in vain."
Ji Bochang, who was standing next to him, sighed, freely swinging his Painting Fan.
Confused, Zhang Jing asked, "Brother Ji, what do you mean by that?"
"Brother Zhang, the accommodations in the Temporary institute doesn't belong to whoever gets there first."
"The courtyards on the innermost layer house arrays, have plenty of spiritual energy, but require a substantial amount of Spirit Stones to stay in. The bungalows in the middle require silver, while the stone houses on the outer ring don't require anything."
Before he could finish his sentence.
Ji Bochang reminded in a serious tone, "Brother Zhang, the examination from Dao Institute starts now!"
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Ji."
On hearing those words, grimness welled up inside Zhang Jing.
The Dao Institute certainly doesn't lack silver.
Spirit Stones must be the currency for cultivators, and the Dao Institute most likely doesn't lack those either.
Which meant...
He recalled what Coach Wang had said earlier.
"Talent, wisdom, perseverance, luck movement... So, being born to a wealthy family is also considered a kind of luck, huh. This is interesting."
Witnessing Ji Bochang and his group leisurely strolling towards the courtyards, Zhang Jing didn't dare to delay anymore and sprinted towards the bungalows.
He was currently out of options for Spirit Stones, but he had some silver.
He had to go and ask for the details first.
Zhang Jing only had twenty-seven taels of silver. If the price was too high, he would have to stay in the free stone houses.
Ps: Drinking really messes things up, no more drinking for me!