Ninth In the World

Surprised, Di Jiu immediately withdrew the short saber he was holding in his hand. He was able to use the Di Clan’s second saber move with ease after a night of practice. The speed at which he had learned it was much faster than the amount of time the Di Clan’s first saber move had taken him.

Di Jiu’s ability to integrate the Di Clan’s second saber move so quickly was not due to any improvement of his abilities. He was only able to do so after he reached the first-stage Qi Refinement realm of the Major Conduit Internal Records.

Unlike the Di Clan’s first saber move, he did not feel physically unwell after practising the Di Clan’s second saber move. Although he’d had to use hundreds of thousands of medical herbs to help along his training at the time, there hadn’t been much harm done to his body this time.

Martial arts cultivation depleted one’s Essence Energy in exchange for strength. The Major Conduit Internal Records, however, increased both one’s Essence Energy and strength at the same time. Hence, the latter was definitely superior to the former.

When he saw that Di Jiu had withdrawn his saber, Qi Xiang, who had been practising his saber moves from afar, immediately ran over.

Although Qi Xiang was sweating all over, his eyes were gleaming with excitement. It was evident that he had experienced the power of the Di Clan’s first saber move.

“Brother Jiu, the set of saber moves you taught me is indeed formidable. If I had known these moves a few years ago, my brother Qi Wei would not have died an unfair death.” Qi Xiang felt grateful to Di Jiu for teaching him the Di Clan’s Seven Sabers.

Di Jiu shook his head as he said, “Those moves are outdated. There are many cultivation techniques on the Fairy Planet way more formidable than the Di Clan’s Seven Sabers. The Di Clan’s Seven Sabers alone will be insufficient in the future. While you are cultivating the Di Clan’s Seven Sabers, do remember to follow the instructions written and purchase the right medical herbs to recharge your body.”

“I will. If there’s anything I am unsure of, I will definitely ask you. Let’s go back to take a shower and eat something first. Then, I will show you the way to the Swallow University, so you can search for Ji Xiaorong,” Qi Xiang said excitedly. He was clearly still excited about the Di Clan’s saber techniques.

“I will find Ji Xiaorong on my own. You still have a more important task to take care of,” Di Jiu said immediately.

“What task are you referring to?”

“We need superior steel sabers to cultivate the Di Clan’s Seven Sabers. The sabers that we currently have are of low quality. Your task is to forge two superior steel sabers right away.” Di Jiu had always wanted to forge a good saber, but he had lacked any expertise in that field. Qi Xiang was the best person to carry out this task.

Qi Xiang hit his chest and said, “Leave this to me, Brother Jiu. I will return with two superior sabers by nightfall.”

…

The Swallow Capital University’s Institute of Martial Arts had been China’s first Institute of Martial Arts.

Due to the early establishment of the institute, many of its graduates had already entered the Fairy Planet. Some of its graduates had even become Earth Tier warriors.

Everyone dreamed of entering the Swallow Capital University’s Institute of Martial Arts.

Due to the early establishment of the institute, advanced classes had already formed. However, all new students had to start with the preparatory classes, regardless of their background.

The new students had to gain enough strength to face the challenge of the martial arts hall. They had to be able to throw a punch with at least 200 kilos of strength in order to qualify to enter the advanced classes.

Most martial arts warriors who entered the Fairy Planet came from these advanced classes.

Advanced class students were not granted direct entry to the Fairy Planet, though. They had to be able to throw a punch of 500 kilos in order to enter the Fairy Planet.

If they qualified to be true Yellow Tier Warriors, advanced class students were accepted directly into the elite class. Elite class students were given free access to the Fairy Planet.

The notion that the Fairy Planet was open to all students of the Institute of Martial Arts was mere propaganda. Students had to be strong enough before they were allowed to enter the Fairy Planet.

Preparatory class students were asked to leave the Institute of Martial Arts if they were unable to progress to the advanced classes within three years of training. The Institute of Martial Arts did not want to waste its resources on students who lacked martial arts talent.

Ji Xiaorong had been a preparatory class student for more than two years, yet she was only able to throw a punch with 102 kilos of strength. Even though her strength was greater than the average person’s, it was barely enough for her to enter the advanced class.

If it were not for her father and brother, Ji Xiaorong would not have needed to enter the Fairy Planet. Her brother was currently unconscious due to his poisoning, and her father had gone missing ever since he had entered the Fairy Planet. As a result, she was obliged to check out the situation on the Fairy Planet. Unfortunately, the extra hard work that she put in could not make up for her lack of martial arts talent.

The Swallow Capital University’s Institute of Martial Arts had 21 preparatory classes, with 100 students per class. The classes with better students would normally get better teachers and resources.

Ji Xiaorong had spent almost three years in the preparatory class, which only affirmed her weak qualifications. She was currently assigned to the 7th class. According to her results, she would have normally been assigned to the last class. However, she was allowed to stay in the 7th class due to her family’s prominent background and wealth.

The lesson that day was an important one, so students from the 6th to 10th class had gathered to attend it. The lecturer would be the famous warrior Zhang Wei, who had just returned from the Fairy Planet.

It was rumored that Zhang Wei’s strength was already at the half-step Earth Tier and he had managed to kill a fierce beast single-handedly on the Fairy Planet. As soon as they heard that Zhang Wei would be the lecturer of the day, the students who were not in the selected classes came and hid outside the martial arts hall, just so they could listen to his lecture.

There were about 400 to 500 students sitting in absolute silence in the bright, spacious martial arts hall. It was not until the bell rang that a middle-aged man of average height walked into the martial arts hall confidently.

As soon as the man entered the hall, the students stood up and greeted him respectfully, “Good afternoon, Professor Zhang.”

The middle-aged man nodded and waved for them to sit down. “Please sit down.”

When the crowd had settled down, the middle-aged man said in a gruff voice, “Most of you have heard about me, yet none of you know me. I will introduce myself. I am Zhang Wei, and I have just returned from the Fairy Planet.”

“Professor Zhang, is it true that you killed a fierce beast there all by yourself?” a student asked bravely.

Zhang Wei looked at the student before he said gently, “Yes, I did kill a beast single-handedly. However, I was almost killed in the process. Just because you are in this advanced class, it doesn’t mean that you could fight a fierce beast on the Fairy Planet. I do not want to discourage you, but an advanced class student is nothing in the face of a fierce beast.”

He calmed down before he added, “The requirements to enter the Fairy Planet are exceptionally strict. For example, you will have to throw a punch of at least 500 kilos of strength before you can enter the advanced class. These requirements were set to prevent deaths.”

“But, sir, isn’t it true that wealthy people can access the Fairy Planet easier?” someone asked in a soft voice.

When she heard the question, Ji Xiaorong laughed coldly. If money was the solution, she would have entered the Fairy Planet a long time ago. She knew that she would indeed be granted access to the Fairy Planet based solely on her wealth. However, what would she do once she was there? The Fairy Planet was different than it used to be in the past. At first, all places on it had been completely accessible. However, people without a certain level of skill were now restricted to the Fairy Square.

She did not want to be restricted to the Fairy Square when she entered the Fairy Planet. She had to search for her father and any medicinal herbs that could cure her brother.

Zhang Wei laughed and said, “You are right. The rich could enter the Fairy Planet by taking advantage of their wealth, but they would still be restricted to the Fairy Square. If you intend to stay within the boundaries of the Fairy Square when you reach the Fairy Planet, then what is the point of studying at the Institute of Martial Arts?”

The crowd grew quiet as Zhang Wei added, “I cannot elaborate on the dangers of the Fairy Planet any further, as we have very limited time. What I will be teaching you today is why some people are unable to muster their Essence Energy…”

As soon as they heard his words, the students got excited. Amidst the hundreds of students there, almost half were unable to muster their Essence Energy. Cultivation techniques could only cultivate the body, not the spirit.