Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

”Temporary notice, the mid-term practical exam is cancelled,” Zhang Dingjun glanced at his phone, ”The notice on the school network is that the principal, acting as the enemy in the drill, encountered some problems during his cultivation.”

”Alright, class dismissed!”

The classmates were surprised; it was extremely rare for a foundation-building cultivator’s body to have issues. Many may have never even heard of such a thing since entering the school.

The crowd dispersed, those with flying magic tools took to the skies while others went to take the bus.

”Jiang Ding, stay behind for a moment,” Zhang Dingjun called from not too far away.

”Okay.”

Jiang Ding finished warming his meridians with Inner Qi, somewhat reluctantly placing the blue steel sword back on the weapon rack.

”You kid, your passion for cold weapons is a bit too much, and that’s not the path of a Xianmen cultivator,” Zhang Dingjun frowned and said nothing more.

”How much do you understand about the direction of scouting infantry?” he asked.

Jiang Ding honestly replied, ”Not at all.”

”I’ll introduce it to you then, as it’s very important for your college entrance exam and future career,” Zhang Dingjun nodded, ”The core ability of scouting infantry is the ’Minor Concealing Breath Technique,’ but that doesn’t mean other abilities, like ’Vajra Print,’ ’Thousand Threads Traction,’ ’Mathematics - Array Path,’ and so on, aren’t important. You also need to study them, even better than most classmates.”

”Scout infantry is an elite profession, better none than a bad one; no one needs a lousy scout exposing themselves out of nowhere.”

”Therefore, the ’Minor Concealing Breath Technique’ must be cultivated to a minor level of proficiency before results can be produced, otherwise, no matter how many points you score in other areas, it’s all zero.”

”Zero?”

Jiang Ding was astonished; this was too harsh.

”Yes.”

Zhang Dingjun nodded, ”Starting off, scouting infantry requires investing in two high-quality magic tools, which costs much more than for frontline infantry. The Xianmen doesn’t want too many students choosing this path.”

”Moreover, someone who hasn’t mastered the ’Minor Concealing Breath Technique’ is useless in reconnaissance and forcing them to do so harms others and themselves.”

”Sun Xiao and the others before you have also tried but gave up soon after. So, what are your thoughts now?”

Jiang Ding pondered this carefully.

”Teacher Zhang, I still want to give it a try for a while.”

”Mhm, make your decision as soon as possible,” Zhang Dingjun didn’t say much, ”The longer you delay, the worse it is for your college entrance exam.”

”Understood.”

…

On the bus.

”You’re now considered the top person in our class in the Internal Qi Realm, right?”

Li Junhao’s words were full of sourness.

”Far from it, at the moment, I still can’t see any hope of entering the Xianmen,” Jiang Ding shook his head, his right hand forming a fist in the air, feeling that something was missing, his whole body uncomfortable.

”Ah,” Li Junhao also sighed, ”If only we could combine our strengths, we’d be way ahead of the Qianling University Cultivation Department.”

”That’s impossible.”

Getting off the bus, Jiang Ding dashed to the cultivation room as fast as smoke and lunged for the weapon rack.

Clang!

The sword with its greenish blue blade was drawn, making him feel a lot more at ease.

A regular arc appeared out of thin air, faintly glowing with white light, as bright as the full moon hanging high in the sky, dimming only with his breaths.

Jiang Ding, completely oblivious, performed a set of sword techniques as smoothly as clouds and flowing water, with streaks of sword-light appearing and disappearing in the air.

After a while, he sheathed the sword.

His mind went blank, a tide of countless sword technique thoughts surging up.

Ding!

It wasn’t until all the thoughts subsided that the pale blue panel in front of Jiang Ding slowly unfolded.

[Name: Jiang Ding]

[Student ID: 1246215]

[Realm: Initial Accomplishment of Internal Qi Realm]

[Last training subject: ”Soaring Eagle Sword Technique” No. 68 Set (Minor Accomplishment 32%)]

”My base cultivation method’s proficiency jumped more than twenty points in an instant,” Jiang Ding revealed a happy expression, ”This must count as a minor epiphany.”

He noticed that there was a new detail button under the ”Soaring Eagle Sword Technique.”

He clicked on it.

```

[Unknown Understanding: Can retain the sword shadow for 0.2-0.5 seconds using optical principles. At that time, Inner Energy changed its circulation structure to..., possibly originating from the literature ”Shenxiao’s Hundred-Step Flying Sword”, ”Great Sun Sword Cultivation and Refining Secret”, ”Great Sun Bright Sword Technique”...]

”Retaining the sword shadow... it’s useless, just a skin effect.”

Jiang Ding thought about it and felt somewhat disappointed, ”It would have been great if the sword shadow appeared before the sword’s edge or gave the illusion of disappearing. It would be a formidable weapon in swordsmanship.”

As for the literature references, they were all from documents he had read recently, some of which unknowingly used certain Inner Qi circulation methods.

Having expended all his Inner Qi, Jiang Ding swallowed a Hundred Essence Qi Pill and silently ran his Cultivation Method to restore Inner Qi while using static exercises to refine the second primary meridian, the Pericardium Meridian.

He shook the empty elixir bottle.

”Only one bottle of Hundred Essence Qi Pills left. If I want to maintain my cultivation speed, I must search for elixir materials again,” Jiang Ding thought quietly. ”Now that I have broken through to the Internal Qi Realm, I can be a little more daring.”

In addition to his cultivation, Jiang Ding opened the ”Minor Concealing Breath Technique” and, referencing the annotations of his predecessors, didn’t seek immediate understanding but simply memorized it in his mind.

...

Knock knock!

Huang Deyou lightly tapped the backyard door twice and waited quietly.

He had formed a tacit understanding with the rarely outgoing owner to greet him several times every morning at the door. If there was no response, he would leave on his own to start the day’s business.

”Come in.”

Huang Deyou pushed the door and entered.

What caught his eye was a fair and handsome youth in blue clothes, who was drawing something on a desk with a pen. He glanced at it and saw complex lines that gave him a headache.

Huang Deyou lowered his head, not daring to look again.

As the Inner Qi surged like tides, Jiang Ding struggled to make the final stroke.

Hum!

The pale yellow talisman paper vibrated slightly, a faint and almost invisible gold light flashed by, and the paper talisman seemed to become much harder.

Sharp Gold Array!

Jiang Ding’s Inner Qi was nearly depleted as he sat down with a long sigh of relief.

Ever since he had successfully depicted the Sharp Gold Array in the style of the Hundred Step Flying Sword under his teacher’s protection during a math class, he had inexplicably gained some understanding of the basic formation methods. After pondering for several days, he finally managed to draw the standard Sharp Gold Array.

’I need to improve my math grades by 5 to 10 points. As long as I successfully master the five basic formation methods, I should be able to pass, right?’ Jiang Ding thought to himself.

Cultivation is a subject combining practice and theory. With Inner Energy, a low-level form of energy, the previously incomprehensible theories of formation methods and Cultivation Methods became somewhat easier to learn.

Packing up the Golden Light Formation diagram, Jiang Ding looked at Huang Deyou.

The only use for this Array diagram was to place it in a location with dense spiritual energy for several years, with the possibility of the diagram turning into a metal plate; it was of little use.

”Good morning, owner!” Huang Deyou greeted respectfully: ”Here are the accounts for the shop from this period.”

Jiang Ding took the account book, quickly listed the various income and expenditure data onto the display screen projected by invisible glasses, and checked against the calculations in the microcomputer’s spreadsheet.

There was a discrepancy of thirteen coins.

It was likely not corruption, as Huang Deyou wasn’t originally from an accounting background, so some errors were inevitable.

Jiang Ding pointed out the errors, asking him to correct them, and then praised, ”Manager Huang, the collection progress of animal and plant specimens has increased several times faster than before in recent days. You’ve done well. If you keep it up, I’ll have a bonus for you at the end of the month.”

”It’s my duty,” Huang Deyou replied, pleased. Although the owner was strict with accounts, he was generous with payments, not like his previous bosses who were just all talk.

He hesitated for a moment.

”Owner, most of it is thanks to Han Lin, the worker you brought back. His grandfather used to work for the Qixuan School, so he has a lot of connections, and he knows many of the herbalists.”

The Qixuan School, formerly a large martial arts sect, had a great demand for various herbs, thus maintaining a large team of herbalists, of which Han Lin’s grandfather was one.

”Additionally, he wishes to study martial arts at the new Qixuan Martial Club after work.”

”Since the Flying Snow Fairy returned to reopen the sect, a new policy was announced: anyone from Qixuan School’s old ranks can study martial arts for free at the Qixuan Martial Club. If they achieve something, they have the chance to be admitted into the Qixuan Mountain and become formal disciples of the Qixuan School,” Huang Deyou said, his tone somewhat angry.

In his view, the owner had saved this kid when he was close to starving, giving him food and requiring him to work only four hours a day, with two days off every week and a high wage. What a great kindness it was!

And this ungrateful wretch dared to think of climbing up the social ladder!

”If he wants to go, let him,” Jiang Ding said indifferently. ”As long as he works diligently during his shift, and doesn’t partake in illegal activities or petty theft after work, it doesn’t matter what they do.”

”I understand,” Huang Deyou said, startled and somewhat confused.