Chapter 26 (1/2)

“And speaking of, I know almost all the Donghua City applicants whose Primordial Spirit Values are 99.” Jing Xiu examined Zhou Bai with interest. “How come I don’t know you? Are you new to Donghua City?”

Zhou Bai nodded. “I used to be a survivor in the wilderness. I was saved by the Rescue Team not long ago.”

Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai with astonishment. “Wilderness? There are still survivors in the wilderness?”

She then covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Sorry about that. But if you can survive in the wilderness, then the rest of us probably don’t come close to you in terms of willpower, other than that freak Zuo Dao.”

As she said this, she looked at Zhou Bai with deep respect.

Zhou Bai scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Not at all, not at all. It was just luck.”

As Zhou Bai chatted with Jing Xiu, a young teacher hovered above everyone. He looked at the applicants before him and said, “Hello, everyone. I’m the proctor for this round of your exam, and I’m also a teacher for the new class for Tao academy students, Lu Chongyang.”

“You are all people with hopes of entering the Tao, with practicing Tao as your goal.

“Then you probably know that a hundred years ago the great friar of our Donghua University, independent Taoist Qingjing, brought up the three main codes of Tao practice. These have since been used extensively and are now common knowledge among all the practitioners in the Tao realm. No matter what, do not violate these three main codes.”

The young teacher then said solemnly, “One, you must not face the Heavenly Tao directly.”

“Two, you must not let your primordial spirit separate from your body.

“Three, you must not be greedy for advancement.

“Only by following these three codes of Tao practice can we go further on the path of seeking Tao. That’s the only way we can maintain the number of human practitioners we have now and avoid insanity and mutation.

“Strictly following these three main codes of Tao practice requires a strong will and incredible self-discipline. That is why our Donghua Tao Academy’s entrance exam always tests the applicant’s willpower to see if he can endure the hardships on the journey of practicing Tao.”

All the students, looking very disciplined, held their breath and lined up spontaneously as they quietly listened to Lu Chongyang’s words.

Someone nodded every now and then, agreeing with Lu Chongyang’s speech.

After Christina had withdrawn into Zhou Bai’s mind, she had kept silent out of spite, but when she heard the three main codes of Tao practice, she suddenly nodded and said, “This sounds really familiar. Haven’t I said this in the past?”

Zhou Bai rolled his eyes and replied, “It was said by someone a hundred years ago. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Right now, the remaining 12,000 applicants have been divided into four examination sites to go through the second round of testing simultaneously.” As Lu Chongyang spoke, he made a Tao seal with his hands. Blue light illuminated beneath everyone’s feet, and then the light joined into lines that formed a wide, long running track.

“The subject of this round of exams is running,” said Lu Chongyang. “But it’s not ordinary running. This three-mile-long running track is the latest practice talisman that our school has created. It’s called the Heavenly Way.”

“Running on this Heavenly Way not only demands physical strength but, more importantly, the strength of will.

“Every step you take on this track will induce Spark. Therefore, running on it will not only exhaust the body but also quickly exhaust your mind. If your will is not strong enough, you’ll run slower and slower. It’s 10 times harder to run on this track than on normal ground.

“You applicants who haven’t entered the Tao haven’t strengthened your bodies yet—You only have primordial spirit power. But in this test, you’re only allowed to use your physical strength; you may not use primordial spirit power to assist your running.

“Therefore, if you want to continue running on the Heavenly Way, you need a strong will. The stronger your will, the farther and faster you can run on the Heavenly Way.”