Chapter 564: Chapter 346: Wind and Clouds

By the time Xu Yang and his group arrived at the mountaintop where the gate tower of the Celestial Strategy Academy stood, a massive crowd had already gathered. Long queues snaked across the area as people waited for identity registration, Waist Token distribution, and housing arrangements.

The crowd was split into two lines: one for ordinary students, and the other for the geniuses on the Lingyun List. Carrying their luggage, Xu Yang and Sun Tao quickly joined the back of the Lingyun List queue. Xu Yang noticed a signpost erected beside the line, covered in guidelines for the newly admitted Academy students.

The first rule stated that the Identity Waist Token was of utmost importance and must be carried at all times anywhere within the Celestial Strategy Academy. The second rule concerned followers. Every genius on the Lingyun List was allowed to bring up to three followers into the Academy. These followers had to be registered, and once inside, they were forbidden from roaming freely; their movements were strictly confined to the residential areas. There were additional restrictions for followers, but since Xu Yang had no intention of bringing any, he quickly skimmed past this section.

The third rule detailed the Lingyun List. The benefits granted to the geniuses were directly tied to their ranking. Anyone dissatisfied with their current position could challenge those ranked higher. If successful, they would receive a corresponding credit reward based on how many ranks they climbed. Xu Yang read the details: advancing one rank awarded ten credits, and two ranks meant twenty. The rules further stipulated that no one could refuse a challenge. If a challenger failed, they had to wait three months before issuing another one. Private duels were also strictly prohibited; a teacher from the Celestial Strategy Academy had to be present to supervise the fight. Additionally, if someone lost their rank to a lower-ranked student and later challenged them to reclaim it, they would not earn any credits. Credit rewards were exclusively granted for climbing past their initial placement on the finalized entry list.

"This is to prevent people from colluding to farm credits," Sun Tao remarked. For instance, since he was good friends with Xu Yang and held a higher rank, without this rule, he could intentionally lose to Xu Yang, let him collect the credits, and then have Xu Yang pretend to lose the rank back to him.

"Brother Jiang, how many spirit coins are ten credits worth?" Xu Yang asked curiously. The credits at the Celestial Strategy Academy functioned just like the contribution points at the Purple Sun Sect—an internal currency. He needed to figure out their exact value.

Jiang Fan chuckled. "Credits can be exchanged for absolutely anything here at the Academy. Cultivation Techniques, Spirit Medicines, Spiritual Soldiers, Elixirs—you name it. And of course, you can swap them for spirit coins too. If I remember correctly, one credit can be exchanged for three spirit coins."

Xu Yang’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected them to be so valuable. For a fleeting moment, he was tempted to challenge every single person ranked above him one by one.

"I’ve suffered a massive loss!" Sun Tao slapped his thigh hard. "If I had known about these benefits earlier, I would have played the fool and then steamrolled through the geniuses on the Lingyun List one by one after entering the Academy!"

He stared intently at Xu Yang, his expression practically screaming: *Did you know about this rule all along, and is that why you deliberately hid your talent?* Sun Tao did the math. If he had fought his way up from outside the Lingyun List all the way to his current rank, he would have earned a whopping eight hundred and sixty credits. Converted to spirit coins, that would be nearly three thousand.

"Brother Jiang, why didn’t you mention this earlier?" Xu Yang chimed in, realizing the missed opportunity. For nearly three thousand spirit coins, he would have gladly given up the chance to kill Lin Jingyu just to continue hiding his talent.

Jiang Fan laughed. "It’s because the sign isn’t clear enough that you guys are getting these wild ideas. This reward is capped at a maximum of fifty credits. The Academy’s teachers aren’t fools; they wouldn’t have missed such a glaring loophole."

"Fifty credits is still a lot!" Sun Tao was filled with regret. If he had known, he wouldn’t have shown off so much of his strength. With his current rank, he would have to break into the top ten to earn those fifty credits. No matter how confident he was, he had no guarantee of pulling that off.

"So, there is a group of people on the Lingyun List who have been hiding their talent," Xu Yang concluded. Fifty credits was enough of an incentive for many to purposefully conceal their abilities. After all, much like the contribution points in the Purple Sun Sect, credits weren’t something you could just buy with money.

Jiang Fan shook his head. "Probably not that many. The Lingyun List is just for us new students, and it only lasts for half a year. If you want to keep receiving preferential treatment after six months, you have to compete for the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List, which ranks all the students together.

"Furthermore, challenging someone isn’t as simple as issuing a challenge today and fighting tomorrow.

"You have to apply with a teacher first. The teacher then communicates with your target to set a date for the duel. We are all Martial Artists, after all. Sometimes a secluded cultivation session lasts for months. They aren’t going to interrupt their training just to fight you."

Xu Yang realized the flaw in the plan. Failing a challenge meant a three-month cooldown. If they failed again after those three months, the six-month window would close, leaving them with no chance for a third attempt. If everyone hid their talent, no one would know the true depth of anyone’s strength upon entering the Academy, making it incredibly easy to suffer a disastrous defeat. Coupled with the unpredictable scheduling of challenges, it was far better to display one’s talent before entering the Celestial Strategy Academy. The final ranking on the Lingyun List provided a guaranteed, risk-free reward upon enrollment. There was no way the Academy’s teachers hadn’t accounted for all these loopholes.

The fourth rule on the sign addressed fighting. Unauthorized brawls were strictly prohibited within the Celestial Strategy Academy. Anyone caught violating this rule would be immediately expelled. Beyond these four rules, there was nothing else. However, Xu Yang noticed that after registering, each student received an introductory booklet about the Academy. Many who had already finished registering were squatting to the side, reading it with great relish.

After queuing for half an hour, it was finally Xu Yang’s turn. He handed in his previous token and stated his name. Soon, he was given a new tag—made of a material that looked like iron but wasn’t—inscribed with a string of numbers. The token was no ordinary item. It was forged entirely from Spirit Iron, radiating a faint Spirituality and etched with several mysterious runes.

"This Waist Token is your pass within the Celestial Strategy Academy from now on," the teacher distributing them warned. "Access to many areas requires it, so you must not lose it. If you do, you might as well withdraw from the Academy yourself."

"This disciple will certainly keep it safe," Xu Yang said, cupping his hands in respect.

The teacher then pulled out four objects that closely resembled spirit coins from a nearby box. "You are ranked twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List. According to the Academy’s rules, you are rewarded with eighty credits. Here they are."

Xu Yang reached out and took the eighty credits. He noticed that one bore the engraving "Fifty," while the other three each read "Ten." He found that, much like spirit coins, they were cast from a blend of various Spirit Irons. However, the energy fluctuations they emitted were distinctly different.

"Don’t even try to counterfeit them," the teacher warned again. "These are forged using a special method. If you are caught, both you and whoever is backing you will be annihilated."

Ordinary people couldn’t replicate such items, but highly skilled Weapon Forgers likely possessed the capability. Unlike spirit coins, these credits held far greater value, making it highly probable that someone greedy enough would risk their life for wealth.

"This disciple understands!" Xu Yang said, cupping his hands again.

The teacher nodded and handed Xu Yang an introductory booklet. "Go on. Someone will arrange your living quarters shortly. Everything else you need to know is in this booklet."

"Thank you, Teacher." With a final cupping of his hands, Xu Yang quickly stepped aside, making way for Sun Tao.

"They really are generous!" Xu Yang murmured, tucking the credits away. Eighty credits equated to two hundred and forty spirit coins. However, Jiang Fan had just mentioned that in private transactions between Academy disciples, the minimum exchange rate was five spirit coins per credit. Sometimes, when someone was in desperate need, the price could be driven up to an exorbitant seven or eight spirit coins per credit. This was because the Celestial Strategy Academy offered a plethora of resources that simply couldn’t be found in the outside world. This was precisely why the teacher had explicitly warned against counterfeiting—the practical value of the credits far exceeded their material worth.

Finding a quiet corner, Xu Yang opened the booklet and began to read. "I actually get two chances to select a Cultivation Technique," he noted with surprise. The very first page outlined the benefits for the geniuses on the Lingyun List. In addition to the credit rewards, those ranked below fifty were granted one opportunity to choose a Cultivation Technique. Those ranked from eleventh to fiftieth received two chances, while the top ten were given three.

"This will save me a significant amount of credits," Xu Yang said, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Currently, the Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength, Golden Gang Skill, Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture, and Vajra Glazed Body in his possession were all incomplete. He needed the follow-up portions for every single one of them. Having two opportunities to select techniques would save him a considerable fortune in credits.

The booklet went on to explain that, aside from the technique selections, the geniuses on the Lingyun List would also receive a monthly stipend of credits based on their ranks. Ranks one hundred to eighty received three credits a month. Ranks seventy-nine to sixty received six credits. Ranks fifty-nine to forty received nine credits. Ranks thirty-nine to twenty received twelve credits. Ranks nineteen to eleven received fifteen credits. And the top ten received twenty credits a month.

Of course, this preferential allocation of resources was only guaranteed for half a year. After six months, the special treatment would end, and they would all receive a standard stipend of one credit per month, just like the ordinary students. If they wanted to maintain their privileges, they had to fight their way onto the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List. According to the booklet, the rationale was simple: if a student received so many advantages and still failed to widen the gap between themselves and ordinary geniuses, they no longer deserved special treatment. This page didn’t offer any details about the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List, so Xu Yang had no idea how difficult it would be to earn a spot on it.

The next section on the page detailed the living arrangements for the Lingyun List geniuses. Their residences were specially constructed, boasting a much denser concentration of Spiritual Qi than ordinary areas.

Xu Yang pondered, "This must be why so many people are willing to become followers to the geniuses on the Lingyun List."

He was just about to continue reading when he sensed Sun Tao approaching.

"This Celestial Strategy Academy really is generous. It’s much better than the Purple Sun Sect," Sun Tao said, his face glowing with delight. With access to so many resources, he was confident that his Cultivation would soon improve enough to patch up his weaknesses, allowing him to break into the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List.

Xu Yang chuckled. "If they weren’t generous, why would so many Sects be willing to send over the geniuses they’ve painstakingly cultivated?"

"Everyone who has finished registering, come over here! I will take you to your living quarters!" a voice shouted from a distance.

"We can finally go to the real Celestial Strategy Academy," Sun Tao said with a grin. Their current location was merely the mountain gate of the Academy. The actual grounds of the Lower Courtyard were still quite a distance away. Grabbing their luggage, the two reunited with Jiang Fan and quickly walked toward the guide who had called out. As for Li Chuyang, since he had never gotten along with Xu Yang or Jiang Fan, he had split off from them the moment they arrived. Ye Qiuling had done the same, having scurried off long ago to find her backer, Wu Xiuyuan.

Following the guide, the group soon descended the mountain along a side path.

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