Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

The Thousand Sails Space Zone was indeed a place where dreams began.

Since the place was a camp for all the free Exos, many Exo Societies, while travelling in the sea of stars, would bring adolescents living in remote areas who had absolutely nothing except ambitions back here.

In this place, the young men could receive offers and work in several Exo Societies while they underwent their training.

When they thought that they were capable enough, they could take part in the various matches held in the Thousand Sails Space Zone or the entrance tests of the Cultivation sects which would immediately recruit them after they passed the exam.

Other than that, a lot of bounty missions were often announced in this place, too.

For those who were able, their future would be the last thing they needed to worry about after they arrived in the Thousand Sails Space Zone. The best of them often considered the Thousand Sails Space Zone as a platform to leap forward to Heavenly Saints City, the holy land of Cultivation in the Flying Star Sector!

It was exactly the path that Li Yao was going to walk on.

After the carnival, he returned to his cabin alone and connected to the local Spiritual Nexus of the Thousand Sails Space Zone with his crystal processor.

He had been informed by Lei Dalu that there was a virtual place named ’Dream Square’ in the Spiritual Nexus of the Flying Star Sector. The sector’s latest news would always be updated there, including anything from sect transfer to employment, from entrance tests to the registration procedures for matches, and so on.

Shua!

Li Yao activated the Half-Step Great Illusionary Land mode and entered the Dream Square. He immediately appeared in a metropolis that was packed with people and vehicles. There were hundreds of thousands of citizens as far as one’s eyes could see, making the city livelier than anyone could imagine.

By scanning the information streams, one could also log in to the Dream Square, with an even higher efficiency in the information processing.

However, the travelers to the place had all drifted alone in the bleak, cold cosmos for a long time. They had been faced with zigzagged pathways, narrow cabins, and hundreds of old faces all day.

Joining a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people gave them the feeling that they were still part of society. It was a psychological need as well as the best comfort after a long journey of solitude.

Taking a deep breath, Li Yao looked around. Dozens of skyscrapers were standing around the square which were displaying advertisements made of mystic rays, including a transfer agency, talents fair, information exchange center, sign-up locations for matches, and registration places for the entrance tests of various sects. There were also a lot of educational institutions such as formal universities, community colleges, vocational schools, and training centers of Cultivators.

Li Yao was almost dazzled by what he had seen. He was having trouble deciding what to do next, when a streak of greenness suddenly darted close from afar and condensed into a sneaky, short man who observed his clothes, especially the badge on his chest. Then, the guy’s eyes shined while he said with a smile, ”Is my fellow Cultivator from the Great Horn Exo Society?”

Li Yao hadn’t changed his clothing when he entered the Dream Square; he was still wearing his real-life clothes. There was an emblem of a gold bull horn on his chest. Therefore, his identity was recognized without much trouble.

Before Li Yao opened his mouth, the short man continued rapidly, ”Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hao Lingtong, and I am a disciple of the Falcon Hunter Sect. As for what I do for a living… Haha. I’m a headhunter. It is my responsibility to help excellent geniuses such as yourself find a suitable sect. Of course, I also have in my pocket the requirements of dozens of Cultivation sects who are all horny, no, hoping to hire more talents. If my fellow Cultivator has a certain sect that you would like to join, I will definitely help you get the best package!”

Headhunter?

Li Yao was dazed for a moment. Then he smiled. ”You don’t even know who I am, and yet you are sure that I’m an ’excellent genius’?”

Hao Lingtong rolled his eyes and replied, ”It’s true that I don’t have the privilege of knowing your name yet, but the Great Horn Exo Society has become quite famous recently. Travelling through more than ten space zones, slaying space pirates of Storm Prison, breaking into the Dim Flame Belt, and luckily surviving the space swirl caused by a True Fusion in the end. It was an unbelievable miracle!

”The entire Thousand Sails Space Zone, or rather, all the Cultivators of the Flying Star Sector, have heard your name! I’m told that many media outlets are waiting in line to interview you!

”As a member of the Great Horn Exo Society, after all you’ve been through, you are definitely an experienced warrior regardless of your Cultivation. Many Cultivation sects are in need of seasoned hands such as yourself!

”Don’t hurry to turn me down yet. Whatever your reason for coming to the Dream Square is, it won’t cost you anything to listen to my introduction for half a minute, will it?”

Hao Lingtong waved his hands. Multiple light beams appeared around him, and countless information streams poured down, as he explained casually, ”Look. This one. Dual Poles Island. 27 posts are open for talents of various backgrounds, including tutor for saber arts, public relations officer, accountant, and chef. Even if you are just a cook of the Great Horn Exo Society, you can be sold at a high price with my help!

”Look at this one, Red Glow Sect. It has excavated an asteroid with enormous mother lodes and established a new branch and a new route for it. Right now, it is recruiting guards for the route. As long as you sign the contract, apart from the salary, you will be free to read 70% of the books and Cultivation arts of the Red Glow Sect. It is very suitable for you!”

A plump, middle-aged female Cultivator whose arms were blinking in redness floated close. She glared at him and yelled, ”Hey hey hey, Hao Lingtong, you again! We have rules that forbid anybody from opening personal light beams inside the square. Do you not know? So many people are coming and going. You are blocking everybody’s way!”

”I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Sister Sun. I’ve met a true talent and got really excited. Turning it off, I’m turning it off!”

Hao Lingtong reduced the light beam to the size of the palm and handed it to Li Yao’s nose. He said, somewhat embarrassedly, ”My fellow Cultivator, what do you think…”

Li Yao was amused. He had no opinions about headhunters, but Hao Lingtong did not look like a proper headhunter at all. It was quite likely that the guy was merely a middleman who gathered information and earned money on both sides.

However, such a person must be a native of the Thousand Sails Space Zone and have a lot of connections. Li Yao thought for a while and said, ”How about this? I’ll pay you five hundred Flying Star dollars for ten minutes of your time. You will give me information that I’m interested in. If the duration of our conversation exceeds the limit, I will pay you a hundred Flying Star dollars for every extra minute.”

Hao Lingtong blinked and said, ”Deal!”

The two of them moved to the edge of Dream Square, where it was less populated. Li Yao pondered for a moment and asked, ”I’m a refiner, and I’ve completed most of the fundamental training sessions. Now, I want to get in touch with the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art theories and techniques, preferably the more practical ones. I also want to communicate with other experts in Heavenly Saints City more often and improve my capability as soon as possible. Are there any places that I can go to?”

Hao Lingtong quickly tapped his light beam. A lot of new information immediately popped up. He answered, ”Of course there are. There is everything in the Thousand Sails Space Zone!

”Speaking of the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art theories and techniques, the best places to go to are, of course, Flying Star University and Heavenly Saints Institute. My fellow Cultivator, you said that you’ve completed the fundamental training sessions. I assume that you are older than twenty? If you don’t want to take the exam, you may consider applying for the graduate schools of the two colleges to be a graduate student of a certain professor!

”The two best colleges are home to some of the sector’s greatest Cultivators. Many professors there are Core Formation Stage or even Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. To be their graduate students is like being the ’true disciples’ in the ancient Cultivation world! You’ll definitely have access to the most advanced theories!

”May I ask what my fellow Cultivator’s degree is?”

Li Yao coughed and said, pretending to be cool, ”I’m a self-taught student.”

”Self-taught? Well, well, it’s not a big deal. There are many Cultivators who have undergone fortuitous incidents and become real experts. Many professors do not mind the degree when they are recruiting graduate students! Look, this is a list of the professors related to refining in the two supreme colleges and their respective admittance information.

Li Yao glanced through it and noticed that most avatars on the list were grey, indicating that the professors all had certain demands on the degree.

For those who had no requirements on the degree, their academic level was relatively low, and the fields they worked on were rather unpopular, too.

It was true that fortuitous incidents happened to a lot of Cultivators, but such persons were often less scrupulous during their Cultivation due to the lack of a formal, academic education.

For such Cultivators, it was often suggested that they receive at least two to three years of formal education in a college. If they were really prodigies, they would distinguish themselves very easily.

Li Yao was aware of the importance of a formal education, but his time was too limited. He did not want to waste a few years on the rudimental subjects in a college.

”Anything else?”

”Yes, yes. Other than the two supreme colleges, many schools and agencies also provide opportunities for further training. Moreover, the six major sects of Heavenly Saints City have public entrance tests. If you can join one of the sects, you will be able to get in touch with the latest Cultivation theories for sure! And these…”

Li Yao skimmed through the information and was not satisfied by any of them.

Other schools apart from the two supreme colleges did not deserve his time. Joining one of the six major sects meant that he would be bound by the daily trifles of the sect. Besides, none of the six major sects were particularly famous for refining. They all had too many departments and complicated personnel. It would take him at least a year and a half to figure out the details of the sect.

”What is this?”

Li Yao raised his eyebrow and zoomed in.

It was a piece of information about a match. ’Skyhill Sword Seminar’ would be held in a world fragment named ’Skyhill Domain’ in one month.

What interested Li Yao was that the match was co-hosted by Iron School, Silver Heart School, and Red Line School, three main crystal suit centers of the Flying Star Sector!

Li Yao knew that the six major sects were the unquestionable kings in regard of manpower.

But when it came to refining crystal suits, the three centers were definitely on top.

The three main crystal suit centers boasted the best refiners of the Flying Star Sector. They also had deep ties with the two supreme colleges and almost monopolized the manufacturing of classic crystal suits in the Flying Star Sector.

Even the six major sects and the five best arenas had outsourced a lot of their crystal suits to the three main crystal suit centers!

Hao Lingtong explained, ”Skyhill Sword Seminar is an annual event of the Thousand Sails Space Zone co-hosted by the three main crystal suit centers. It is open to all the young refiners below the age of forty.

”As its name ’Sword Seminar’ suggests, the subject of the match is to refine melee magical equipment such as sabers or swords!

”Although contestants of the match are all young refiners, the winners every year often receive special offers from the three main crystal suit centers. The top three even have the opportunity to join the star projects of the three crystal suit centers and work with the renowned pillars of our age!

”Therefore, countless eligible refiners crowd in every year. There are too many geniuses to count. It is a mind-blowing match!”