29: Chapter 29 Meeting Instructor Zhou

"Langya Prefecture, Kongsang Prefecture, He Liang."

After entering the name, the temporary token in Shen Moyan's hand vibrated slightly, and the nine Black Bird totems on the back of his hand seemed to sense something. One Black Bird lit up, glowing with a faint golden light.

"Wait, this... so that's how it is. I understand now."

Ordinary Mortal Transformation Cultivators can access the Nine Songs Net, but without an official position granted by the Holy Court, not a single one of the nine Black Birds can be lit. However, they can still register an identity and browse the forums online.

Someone like Shen Moyan, who entered through the back door, can obtain a first profound rank official rank after joining the Holy Court by virtue of his status as a temporary dispatcher.

Indeed, official positions in the Holy Court have nine Xuan levels; the more Black Birds there are, the higher the rank.

Although his starting point was not as good as the Cultivators who took the exams, making him a beast of burden of the lowest tier.

Those who participate in the City Examination, Prefecture Examination, and Prefecture Level Examination undergo a series of reviews by high-ranking figures. If a talent they favor appears during the exams, that Cultivator can obtain a higher starting point. However, most of them fail to make the cut.

Passing the City Examination grants at least a first profound rank rank, the Prefecture Examination a Two-Xuan rank, and the Prefecture Level Examination a third profound rank rank, and so on.

Inspector Jiang Zhiqiu, for instance, was a third profound rank official.

The Prefecture Governor of Kongsang Prefecture is a Six-Xuan official, while the prefect of a whole prefecture is a seventh profundity official.

There are three ways to increase this official rank: first, by increasing one's cultivation; second, through promotion by superiors; and third, by performing great services for the Holy Court.

This is the orthodox promotion route within the Holy Court establishment!

Shen Moyan extended his Divine Sense into the nine songs seal and began browsing through the sea of information.

"There are several sections: Forum, Communication, and Positioning. These are the only areas currently open to a first profound rank rank."

Shen Moyan now only regretted that he hadn't taken the City Examination and gone through the formal assessment channel. At least then, his starting point might have been a bit higher.

"To hell with Xu Mingxuan, I was actually played by him." Shen Moyan felt disgusted when he recalled Xu Mingxuan's smiling face.

He took out the token Xu Mingxuan had given him; it was a third profound rank official token for the Deputy Director of the Construction and Maintenance Department.

"He wants me to sit in the Deputy Director's seat for a month? How should I, a first profound rank dispatcher..."

Shen Moyan pressed the token against the back of his hand, and the three Black Birds on his hand instantly lit up.

At the same time, several darkened areas within the nine songs seal in his Divine Sense were illuminated.

"third profound rank permissions: querying Geographical Gazetteers, Prefectural Histories, Emergency Contacts..."

Looking at the several new functions that had suddenly unlocked, he abruptly understood.

The nine songs seal only recognizes the token, not the person.

Doesn't that mean others could do as they pleased as long as they possessed a high-ranking token?

Shen Moyan suddenly recalled the scene back in the Da Qi Kingdom when his ministers, relying on one of his Supreme Command Tokens, could rally everyone in the Jianghu with a single call as if he had arrived in person.

"Heh, in the end, strength is what matters most," Shen Moyan sneered.

No matter what, these official ranks are directly linked to one's cultivation.

If you are a True Monarch of the Guizang Realm, you would directly become a Six-Xuan Prefecture Governor upon joining.

Power is built upon strength.

The underlying logic of official positions in this world is, ultimately, one's cultivation Realm.

No matter what token you hold, without strength, it is nothing more than the fox borrowing the tiger's prestige.

"Alright, now that things here are settled, let's go take a look at the Academy."

Perhaps because a third profound rank official rank was still too low, no knowledge regarding cultivation had been opened to him.

The Holy Court maintained a strict blockade on cultivation knowledge beyond the Mortal Transformation Realm.

"As for Xu Mingxuan's matter, I'll deal with it after I return."

Things had to be done one by one. Shen Moyan quickly made his decision... Before the morning dew had dried, the Spirit Gathering Lecture Hall of the Kongsang Academy was already glowing with a faint spiritual light.

The entire lecture hall used thousand-year-old sunken wood for its beams, and the walls were inlaid with polished white jade. The Spiritual Qi flowing within the jade meandered like small streams, weaving into a translucent spiritual inscription formation on the floor.

This was the Heart-Calming Qi-Gathering Array unique to the Academy, which allowed listeners to clear their minds and more easily grasp the true meaning of the Spells taught by the instructors.

The three hundred prayer mats in the hall were already filled with Disciples. The young men and women either wore silver crowns or had their dark hair hanging down. Their fingertips were more or less surrounded by fragments of spiritual light, and the Storage Pouches and Spirit Mirrors hanging from their waists clinked.

They were either children of various immortal clans or outstanding students from the common folk who had entered the Academy through layers of screening.

At this moment, they sat upright with bright, piercing eyes, all looking at the figure at the front of the hall.

"Spiritual Power is mostly directly related to the Soul, Physical Body, or natural spirituality; it is the energy foundation contained within the life form of a Cultivator." Zhou Zhanpeng's voice was not loud, yet it carried the vibrations of Dharma Power, clearly reaching the ears of every Disciple.

"After the collapse of the Immortal Dao, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi cannot be absorbed indiscriminately. Once the sampled and gathered Spiritual Qi enters the body, the quality of Spiritual Power is naturally determined by its grade and strength."

"For example, a Spiritual Power Cultivator who gathers Fifth-Grade Heavenly Astral Qi can enhance their will and physical strength through training, and the nature of their energy may change depending on their personality."

"Dharma Power, on the other hand, is the product of the extreme compression of Spiritual Power. It is usually described as the power refined by the caster through Mental Energy and external energy, combined with specific natural laws. Its core lies in the precise control of Spells."

"Unlike Spiritual Power, Dharma Power emphasizes aligning with the so-called rules to drive specific Spells. The total amount of Dharma Power may be limited, requiring techniques to improve efficiency. Dharma Power is often shaped into structured energy dedicated to specific purposes."

"Condensing Dharma Body, Transforming Feather Garment, and Seeing Xiyi—through these three steps of Mortal Transformation, Dharma Power continuously improves until it reaches Perfection, whereupon one can see the threshold of the Purple Mansion..."

After a class ended and the students had left, Zhou Zhanpeng received a notification.

"Someone is looking for me?" He walked out of the Academy to the exterior of the lecture hall and saw a handsome man in ethereal green robes.

"Instructor Zhou's explanation of the principles of spiritual laws just now really explained profound concepts in simple terms and with great vividness," Shen Moyan complimented.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shen Moyan, and I have come here to study at the invitation of Fellow Daoist Jiang."

By now, Shen Moyan had discarded his disguise and returned to his original appearance.

In the Holy Court, he was the newly hired beast of burden He Liang; in the Academy, he was an aspiring student coming to seek a master and education.

Zhou Zhanpeng looked puzzled, but upon hearing 'at the invitation of Fellow Daoist Jiang,' his expression suddenly changed:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang? Could it be that kid Jiang Zhiqiu?"

"Exactly. Inspector Jiang and I were kindred spirits despite the age gap, but unfortunately, he met with a tragic end and fallen in East Mountain City." Shen Moyan put on a look of dejection.

"Before we parted, he saw that my talent was acceptable and recommended that I come to Kongsang Academy to find Instructor Zhou. Seeing you today, I have indeed come to the right place."

"Is that so..." The look in Zhou Zhanpeng's eyes as he watched Shen Moyan became calm, and most of his previous wariness dissipated.

"That kid really knows how to find trouble for me." He smiled bitterly and, after a long silence, let out a long sigh:

"Fine, come over here then."

"Thank you, Instructor Zhou!" Shen Moyan said excitedly.

Since Shen Moyan's Ascension to the Cultivation World, his understanding of the Great World of Mountains and Seas had only come from killing and Soul Search.

Soul Search would be influenced by the person themselves, and most of those Shen Moyan had searched were rural Loose Cultivators; how broad could their knowledge be?

But now, entering an academy established by the Holy Court, he could finally systematically make up for his lack of knowledge!