Forty Millenniums of Cultivation
chapter-138

The so-called open trading was none other than the students using their own abilities to exchange for credits.

An example would be the students of the Grand Desolate War Institution's Cultural Department, the Spirit Tattoo Artists who were proficient in Spirit Tattoo Technique.

When a student of the Combat Department wanted to engrave a spirit tattoo onto their body, they would go to the students of the Cultural Department and use their credits to buy services.

Likewise, when the students of the Cultural Department wished to acquire some kind of special demon beast blood to concoct "Tattoo Ink", they would post a mission and put forward "credits as rewards", and naturally, there would be many students from the Combat Department willing to go the depths of the Wasteland to hunt demon beasts.

And just in case, if the Combat Department's student who went hunting for demon beasts were out of luck and received an injury, they could always spend their credits to ask the Medical Department students to treat them.

Li Yao, as a student of the Refining Department, could likewise repair others’ magical equipment or could even use magical equipment which he himself had refined to exchange them for credits—of course, since he was just a nameless newbie, others would be inclined to not buy the magical equipment refined by him. They would rather spend a bit of their money to buy sabers and flying swords from sects like the "Hundred Saber Alliance". This was the way of the world.

From time to time, even the institute would post a variety of joint demon beast hunting missions with the sarmy as well as various sects. A large-scale mission would often have thousands of students from the Grand Desolate War Institution in addition to thousands of soldiers and experts from cultivation sects. In wake of such a march that was no different than a hot knife cutting through butter, even tyrannical demon beasts would flee at the very first sight.

Participating in such missions, not only would the students rake in a lot of credits, but along the way, with professors casting marvelous and unique skills and the mission itself, it would instill fighting experience into the students, allowing them to unconsciously master many abilities. Compared to having being taught stereotypically in the classroom, this way was much more effective.

These ways to earn credits were only open and aboveboard.

In private, many students liked betting; they would use their credits to start arena contests where not only would both participating sides bet many credits, but even the bystanders could use their insights and their experiences to determine the outcome and bet on one of the fighters.

This was a common practice among the students of the Iron Fist Club and the Chaos Edge Hall. Every day, many students from the Iron Fist Club and the Chaos Edge Hall would step onto the arena and go all out to the point that it was either “you die or I die”. However, the management of both sides’ student unions was very strict; seldom would the grudges on the arena be carried down the stage. And in order to encourage the students to exert themselves to cultivate, the school too would not stop it at all.

However...

"All these combat missions and open trading are only for the older students who have attained over 1,000 credits."

"Any student whose credits are lower than 1,000 are considered freshmen and can only take 'basic theoretical courses' to earn credits. Only when your total credits have amounted to 1,000 can you truly be able to live the wonderful life of the institute."

These two pieces of information emerged from the depths of his mind. After slightly reflecting upon this, Li Yao felt it was only right and natural.

It would be impossible for freshmen who had just embarked on their university life to have even a bit of credits; they were out-and-out paupers, so how could they trade or bet in a fight?

Even if they wanted to go to the depths of the Wasteland to hunt, perhaps others would find them "cumbersome". Who would be willing to fight with demon beasts where life and death was a matter of moments when there was a snotty nosed brat standing next to you?

Basically, freshmen had to lay their foundation, and only after solidifying their foundation could they think about entering the actual combat ring.

"Then, I have to choose some basic theory courses so that I could acquire 1,000 credits as soon as possible!"

Li Yao burned with impatience, but much to his dismay, when he carefully searched for information regarding "basic theory courses" in his mind, he could not find any.

"Why isn't there any information on basic theory courses?"

Just as he muttered these words, a second diamond-shaped red crystal floated in the sky upon which "basic theory courses" undulated in small characters. With a “crack!”, the crystal split into pieces before they submerged into Li Yao's brain from the top of his head.

Suddenly, Li Yao recalled over a hundred pieces of information regarding basic theory courses.

The Grand Desolate War Institution's courses had been divided into basic theory courses and specialized courses.

The basic courses were not divided by departments, and all basic courses were open to students from all departments. Usually, these courses didn't have a professor teaching them and were simply available on the Wasteland Battle Network, which had been devised in advance using telepathic thoughts.

Even exams were conducted on the Wasteland Battle Network. Moreover, the students could be tested at any time they so wished. Even if Li Yao took the courses at this moment, he could take the exam right away and could immediately earn the credits if he so passed.

However, every month, a student could only take the exam three times for the same course.

Moreover, even if you clear the exam, the credits provided from the basic theory courses were very low and was around 3-5 credits per course.

Of course, students could earn more credits from the specialized courses, but in order to take the specialized courses, the student would first have to spend credits to apply. Some specialized courses taught by powerful experts required one to spend a couple hundred credits, and even over 1,000 credits was possible.

And once one failed these specialized courses, those credits would go down the drain.

Thence, Li Yao, this pauper, could only honestly take the free basic theory courses.

"Although a cultivator's computational speed, memory, and integrative thinking ability were a dozen times better than an ordinary person, it would still take 3-5 days for each basic theory course, and within these 3-5 days, I could only earn a few credits. Wouldn't it take almost a year to gather 1,000 credits?"

The root of Li Yao’s teeth began to get sore.

He discovered that gathering 40,000 credits in one year was simply an impossible task!

According to the institute's curriculum, under normal circumstances, it was indeed the case. After a freshman entered the institute, it would take him one or two years to finish the basic theory courses before he could get rid of the "freshman" status and truly take part in actual combat and open trading.

Li Yao, instead, had to take just one month for what others would take one year to finish and only then would it be possible to somehow gather 40,000 credits in one year. Wasn't it just wishful thinking?

"Hey, Battle Ranking? What the hell is Battle Ranking?"

Li Yao, who was anxious, suddenly found very dazzling words among the information.

"The institute, in order to encourage the student to train madly, has set a 'Wasteland Battle Ranking' through which the students who have earned the most credits can get various rewards!"

"Whereas, for the freshman who have entered the institute for no more than a year, there was a ‘Newcomer Ranking'. At the end of every month, the top 100 students, top 10 students, top 3 students, and the top student who have earned the most credits will receive additional rewards respectively."

"For the freshmen, the first month in the institute was extremely important. Whoever finishes the most basic theory courses in the first month and stand out among the tens of thousands of other freshmen—the one who is ranked first in the ‘Newcomer Ranking'—will be directly granted a reward of 1,000 credits!"

First on the Newcomer Ranking!

1,000 credits!

With this, he could directly enter open trading and actual combat ring!

Li Yao's blood started boiling, his eyes turned crimson, and he could not wait to shout one or two times to release the excitement bubbling in his heart.

"If I want to gather 40,000 credits in a year, first and foremost, I need to become first in the Newcomer Ranking to get the 1,000 credit reward so that I could conduct open trading and enter the true combat ring. Only then could I unleash my specialty and madly zoom through courses!"

"Battle Ranking, quickly show me the Battle Ranking! Let me see who my competitors are? Who exactly are the experts here?"

Even though the Grand Desolate War Institution was popular in the southeastern region, there were still major towns and cities in the north which housed countless cultivation geniuses of the Wasteland. In their own hometown, they were akin to feathers of a phoenix and horns of unicorns.

However, for the 40,000 credits, in order to become a registered refiner, in order to make the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit soar into the ninth heaven, Li Yao could only do all he could so that he could steamroll these "feathers of the phoenix and horns of the unicorns".

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

When Li Yao muttered "Newcomer Ranking", a glittering list immediately emerged in front of him.

It had already been seven days since the institute had opened. Ordinary students might still be adapting to university life, but as far as these cultivation geniuses were concerned, the maddening blood battle had already begun!

Names of many students had already appeared on the Newcomer Ranking and were decorated with several credits after. The top most student has already earned 14 credits.

In other words, in this period of seven days, this person had already passed 4-5 basic theory courses, with an average of almost one course per day. He was truly worthy of being a one in ten thousand cultivation genius!

"Zhao Tianchong, Lu Tieshan, Gu Feixuan, Wen Ruorong..."

Li Yao narrowed his eyes as he etched these four names into his mind.

Zhao Tianchong was none other than the cultivation genius who had acquired 14 credits, while the remaining three each had 11 credits, thereby tying for second place.

These four had credits which was already in two digits, marking a much larger difference than the other students. They should be the best among the best freshmen of this year, and they were also Li Yao's biggest competitors for the next month.

"However, what the hell is this Hidden Dragon Hall?"

Li Yao discovered that all of their names were followed by two annotations; the first was the name of the student union they belonged too.

Li Yao's name itself was followed by "Starfire Union". Furthermore, it was glittering and overflowing with colorful lights to highlight his "extraordinary" identity as the "Starfire Union's President".

The four cultivation geniuses respectively came from the four major departments, but their names were also decorated with "Hidden Dragon Hall" at the very end.

The third crystal that bore the "Hidden Dragon Hall" characters floated over and split open over the top of his head, following which a realization immediately dawned upon him.

"So it was like this. The Hidden Dragon Hall is a training camp for 'specially recruited students'."

"Members of the Hidden Dragon Hall are all cultivation genius who have displayed outstanding performances during the Limit Challenge Competition and were later specially recruited by the Grand Desolate War Institution."

"They did not have to take the College Entrance Examination, so in these 3-4 months, they had gathered at the institute and were undergoing special training."

"These specially recruited students are far more powerful than the ordinary students. Each one of them is a monstrous genius, and they regard themselves very highly and consider themselves to be 'hidden dragon'. They simply disdain competing with ordinary students."

"The indeed had the ability to be proud. Every month, the top 100 positions of the Newcomer Ranking is occupied by these 'hidden dragon', and only 3-5 ordinary students could pave a way to the 70-80 positions at most."

"And there was none who could make it to the top 10."

"However, this year..."

Li Yao licked his lips as round after round of ripples gushed out from the depths of his eyes. His blood seemed to have changed into a hot steam.

"Let's see whether it will be you, these hidden dragons, or me, the vulture who would finally soar into the sky and sweep the winds and clouds!"

Having punched out, Li Yao started silently pondering with all his concentration:

"Bring up all the basic theory courses, no matter what difficulty level it is! The higher the credits, the better it is!"