High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Zhenyuan City

More than a dozen blurry spiritual clones appeared on the chairs in the main hall.

The three from Lingshan also took their seats.

"Lingshan, Du Qiongyu, Qin Xu."

The spirit sitting on the left slowly spoke.

"It's been three months. How much spiritual energy did that junior convert for you? How is your original essence recovering?"

Qin Xu replied in a deep voice, "After three months of continuous transformation day and night, the spiritual energy reserves of the three of us have now recovered to about 50%."

"Fifty percent..."

A slight commotion arose among the spirits inside the hall.

"At this rate, it should take a few more months for the three of us to return to our peak condition, and then we'll send him away."

Lingshan Daoist stroked his beard and added.

Upon hearing this deadline, a brief silence fell over the hall.

Then someone spoke up.

"You three, aren't you oversimplifying things? You think you can just fill your three spiritual energy reserves and send him away? What about us old bones? Are we just going to stay here and wait to die?"

These words immediately created a somewhat subtle atmosphere in the hall.

Ling Shan frowned slightly: "It's not good to break the agreement we made back then."

"He can leave, but not so soon..."

The spirit on the left raised its hand: "Well said. Zhenyuan City needs this junior. Our plan is to wait until the three of you are fully recovered before sending him away."

"The three of you continue to let him produce spiritual energy, then store the overflowing energy through the spirit-gathering array and use it to nourish us. As for how long you can hold out..."

"It all depends on Shen Chang'an's patience. If he's anxious, then we'll tentatively delay him for another year. If he's calm and collected, then we'll find a way, using all sorts of means, to delay him for a little longer. Even one more day will give us more resources."

Although Ling Shan Dao Ren felt that this was somewhat unfair, he could only nod helplessly in the face of the bigger picture: "Fine, for the sake of Zhenyuan City, I'll give up my old face and let this child suffer a little more."

"Since we need to keep him occupied, we can't treat him unfairly."

"What methods have you taught him in these past three months? Don't try to fool him with some common, low-quality stuff."

Qin Xu said, "I taught him close combat skills, as well as the Lesser Thousand Swords Formation."

The Taoist of Lingshan stroked his beard: "I gave him the Golden Light Mantra and the Five Thunder Orthodox Method. Once he has mastered them, I will teach him how to shrink the earth to an inch."

"I taught him the art of fire control, and I just completed a body tempering for him. When the time is right, I plan to pass on the Nirvana Technique to him as well."

"Nirvana Technique?!"

Upon hearing this, all the spirits in the hall couldn't help but utter questions.

"Du Qiongyu, you're even willing to bring out your most treasured techniques?"

Du Qiongyu curled her lip: "This kid suits my temperament, and besides, I'm obligated to give him something in return."

Qin Xu sighed with some regret, "It's a pity he doesn't practice swordsmanship. If he were willing to practice, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pass on my skills to him."

"Oh?"

The person on the left was clearly somewhat surprised.

"From what you're saying, this young man has exceptional talent?"

Du Qiongyu smiled, "It's more than just extremely high. After my first body tempering, his spiritual sea has reached seven hundred miles. I see that he not only hasn't reached the barrier, but he also has plenty of energy left. I bet that after the second body tempering, he has a chance to break through the legendary limit of the fifth realm of humanity—a thousand-mile spiritual sea!"

"A thousand-mile-long spiritual sea?"

The hall erupted in chaos. This was a legendary prodigy, said to have only occasionally appeared once or twice during the most glorious ancient era of cultivation!

He slapped the armrest with his right hand: "Excellent! What a magnificent Thousand-Mile Spirit Sea! Truly, there's always a way out! Such a promising talent absolutely cannot be wasted in this godforsaken place!"

Ling Shan Daoist, seizing the opportunity, cupped his hands to the assembled spirits and said, "My old friends, the three of us have pulled out all the stops. Since you also think highly of this lad, shouldn't you also show some appreciation and bring out some of your most treasured possessions?"

The spirits looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"That's how it should be."

But Zuo Yi suddenly spoke up, reminding everyone: "Wait a minute. Methods and techniques are ultimately just unorthodox paths for killing and defending against enemies. If you truly want to walk the path to heaven, the most crucial thing is to cultivate your body and your spirit!"

"Don't bite off more than you can chew. Du Qiongyu's Nirvana Technique is already the pinnacle of self-cultivation methods. The Golden Light Mantra and Shrinking Earth Technique from Mount Ling are enough to save his life. Thunder magic and Qin Xu's sword formation are also extremely powerful killing techniques. I think that if we choose him a top-tier method of cultivating the divine, plus a most domineering killing technique, that will be enough for him to benefit for the rest of his life!"

Everyone agreed.

"I will handle the art of killing."

The spirit on the far right opens its mouth.

"My Heaven and Earth Severing Seal can sever life force and separate Yin and Yang!"

All the spirits nodded in agreement, acknowledging the effectiveness of this killing technique.

Zuo Yi nodded slightly, then said, "As for the method of cultivating the spirit... I will pass on my Great Dream Spring and Autumn Technique to him, which is most suitable for tempering the foundation of the spirit."

"The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn..."

Ling Shan Daoist's eye twitched; this old fellow had really gone all out.

"but......"

"The Dharma should not be passed on lightly. The Heaven and Earth Severing Seal and the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Technique are both heaven-defying techniques. Ling Shan, in the coming period, you should observe this boy's character closely. If he is of pure heart, we will pass these two supreme techniques on to him; if his heart is wicked... it is better to let these two supreme techniques be lost than to raise a tiger that will cause trouble!"

The Taoist priest of Lingshan's expression turned solemn, and he nodded earnestly:

"I understand."

......

University dormitories in Shanghai.

Bai Yin looked at Li Xiwan sitting next to her with some concern.

Since Shen Chang'an was given a death certificate, Li Xiwan has become a completely different person in the past three months. The girl who was originally shy but gentle has now become very sullen and taciturn. Apart from attending classes, she spends almost all her time in the training hall and library, cultivating desperately.

"Xixi, are you really sure you want to sign up for this year's national youth competition's school selection trials?"

Bai Yin held a registration form in her hand, her brows furrowed as she offered her advice.

Li Xiwan stopped reading the spellbook and looked up: "Yes, I've made up my mind."

"I know you recently broke through to the second realm, but this selection competition is divided into tracks based on the third and fourth realms, and those in the second realm can only register for these two tracks."

"With your current level of cultivation, you have absolutely no chance of winning. You haven't been involved in cultivation for very long, which is a huge disadvantage..."

Faced with Bai Yin's barrage of persuasion, Li Xiwan simply shook her head, her delicate face showing no fear: "I know you mean well. But... I don't want to be like before... unable to help at all."

Bai Yin was speechless for a moment, her eyes stinging slightly. She knew that no matter how much she tried to persuade her, it would be useless.

For the past three months, the campus of Shanghai University has remained bustling with activity.

The freshmen gradually adapted to the pace of university life, while the upperclassmen continued to compete fiercely for resources.

As for Shen Chang'an, the madman who boasted on the first day of school that he would take on the entire school, he has been almost completely forgotten.

The cultivation world is cruel like this; Shen Chang'an was merely a dazzling shooting star. Once he fell, no one would care anymore.

Bai Yin sighed, a deep sadness welling up in her heart.

"Boss... if only you were still here."