Chapter 108: Reincarnation, Devouring, and Harnessing the Power of the Provincial Government

Jiang Ming never expected that the moment he arrived, he would run into these two.

Yang Jian?
Little Stone?

He couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation across his scalp.

Shortly after, they were led to the mountainside and settled into a courtyard. It was exquisite, with the main house being a two-story building surrounded by six or seven independent bedrooms, providing enough space for everyone to stay.

Once they were settled, Instructor Yu hurried away.

Old Tang remained, smiling at the group. "You may walk around as you please, but remember, do not cause trouble. If you encounter any real problems, contact me or Instructor Yu immediately, and be back by nightfall."

"I've wanted to visit the Holy Academy for a long time; now I finally have the chance. Who’s coming with me?" Long Aotian asked, brimming with excitement.

"I’m not going. Preparing for battle!" Lan Xin replied bluntly.

"I still need to consolidate my progress!" Gun Jiu chose a room and stepped inside.

"I need some time to reflect as well!" Qin Zhiyan added. Having just awakened her maternal bloodline, she was short on time and could not afford to wander off.

Long Aotian looked at Jiang Ming with pleading eyes.

"Don't look at me!" Jiang Ming laughed. "There are too many powerhouses and too much pressure. I need to continue refining my secret techniques. A day and a night is enough for me to perfect two or three of them."

"You freak!" Long Aotian gritted his teeth, then let out a sigh. "Fine, I’ll cultivate as well! I’m just afraid that if I can't stay after the Great Examination, I’ll regret not having toured the place."

"You have no ambition, kid. You haven't even started, yet you're already planning for failure," Jiang Ming said, speechless. "Work harder and strive to break into the top hundred. I’ve heard that almost everyone in the top hundred gets to stay at the Holy Academy!"

"There might be more spots this year; after all, there are too many geniuses," Old Tang interjected.

"That’s great! I’m going into seclusion right now!" Long Aotian immediately chose a room.

"Do you think this guy was just suppressed for too long during his last training session?" Jiang Ming looked at Lan Xin. "He’s clearly under a lot of pressure and should be seizing every second, so why does he seem so restless instead?"

"He’s in the top five of the provincial prefecture, and with your Inch Punch, he likely received encouragement from his family’s patriarch. A child who has been suppressed since youth can't handle such kindness; he’s just overexcited," Lan Xin speculated. Given her understanding of Long Aotian, she was likely spot on.

"Poor kid!" Jiang Ming couldn't help but chuckle. "To be this optimistic, his mentality is truly exceptional."

"Indeed!" Lan Xin agreed.

Everyone returned to their rooms. The place was fully stocked with daily necessities. Old Tang had already brewed a pot of tea and brought it over, sitting under a tree in the courtyard.

"The Tianwu Holy Academy is the highest institution of the Federation and a sacred land for martial artists. Powerhouses are as numerous as the hairs on an ox; I am not even considered mainstream here. Since it is a sacred land, its supply of resources is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Take this guest tea, for example—it’s called 'Spirit Awakening.' One cup refreshes the mind, two cups open the potential for enlightenment, and three cups make one feel as if they can see the true face of heaven and earth." Old Tang smiled as he poured a cup for Jiang Ming. "Of course, that’s a joke, but this tea is truly a treasure."

"It smells divine!" Jiang Ming picked up the cup and sniffed. A refreshing fragrance went straight to his brain, instantly sharpening his spirit. He took a sip, and his eyes lit up. "Excellent tea!"

"Of course it’s excellent," Old Tang said, sipping his own tea slowly. "But compared to truly peerless tea, this is not even worth mentioning."

"Could you tell me more, sir?"

"Not in a rush to cultivate?"

"I can split my consciousness—one part to enjoy the tea, the other to deliberate on my secret techniques!"

"Good lad, you have such ability," Old Tang praised. "In the future, you should look for methods to cleave your consciousness into avatars. You could have multiple consciousnesses; when one part gets tired, it rests while another continues to comprehend, rotating them to maintain a peak state at all times. The only downside is that over time, it can easily lead to split personalities and mental exhaustion."

"Old Tang, although I am diligent, I refuse to be a masochist," Jiang Ming laughed.

"That’s a good mindset!" Old Tang agreed. "Life is too long to see the final curtain call, and life is too short because there is too much to do. If you really think about it, are those things truly so necessary? Otherwise, it’s just people causing their own troubles. This world continues to turn regardless of who leaves it. Be yourself; look up and have no shame before heaven, look down and have no shame before earth, and in between, have no shame before your parents and your own conscience. That is enough. Struggle, work hard, and as you go, enjoy the scenery—the flowers, the moon, the mundane daily life—and find joy in it."

"You are truly broad-minded, sir!" Jiang Ming admired.

People's troubles often stem from a lack of contentment. If they don't have something, they want it; if they have it, they want something better. Desires are endless, and they breed countless troubles.

To lie flat is to end all strife. To use a vulgar expression: "To hell with it, I’ll eat well, drink well, kick back with my legs crossed, and enjoy myself, regardless of the world's chaos."

"Narrow-mindedness is the loss of the drive to improve!" Old Tang smiled and continued. "As for the way of tea—if the leaves are good, the water is good, and it’s brewed properly, it’s good tea. As for all those messy 'tea ceremonies,' most are just labels for 'style.' Generally speaking, it’s just people with too much time on their hands showing off. Let’s not dwell on that. The best tea I know of is the Enlightenment Tea. One cup, and your comprehension skyrockets, drawing you closer to the rhythm of heaven and earth, plunging you into deep enlightenment."

"That is the truly peerless tea!"

"I have never even tasted it, which is a great regret!"

"Secondly, I believe there is the Blood God Tea. This tea is extremely special and can be called a cosmic marvel. One cup, and it can excavate the body's potential, even directly awakening bloodline powers."

"There is also the Spirit-Granting Tea, which has a certain chance to grant people supernatural abilities. Although acquired, it still holds immense potential. It’s incredible."

Old Tang opened the floodgates of conversation, broadening Jiang Ming’s horizons. Just in the realm of tea, there were thousands of varieties, many of which were cosmic wonders.

After finishing the tea, Old Tang stopped the conversation.

"Old Tang, do you have a way to get the profiles of the students participating in the Great Examination?" Jiang Ming asked.

"It’s not for the students from the 108 provinces, is it? Surely not; you already have those. You want the profiles of the true geniuses," Old Tang laughed. "I can't get detailed files, but simple information might be possible."

"Then what are you waiting for, sir?"

"Haha, you brat."

Old Tang tapped his device and began contacting acquaintances. In no time, he obtained the data and forwarded it to Jiang Ming. "Just summarized. Photos, names, and basic information."

"This is enough!" Jiang Ming was overjoyed and immediately began browsing.

Shi Lei: Supreme Bone, unparalleled physique.
Yang Jian: Has developed the Ruin Thunder Eye in his brow.
Ye Bai: Great Desolate Sacred Body.
Chen Bei: Reincarnation Body, carries great terror.
Fang Qinghan: Awakened the Devouring Body, comprehended the Dao of Devouring, and carved out his own path.
Wang Qiutong: Innate Dao Body, suspected to possess Divine Pupils.
Jun Qiye: Supreme Ghost Body, eerie and unpredictable.
Li Pingan: Great Desolate Tyrant Body.
...

Jiang Ming’s mouth twitched as he looked up at Old Tang. "Is this for real? I’ve watched previous exams, and based on past experience, this cannot be true. It’s absolutely impossible. Any one of these top twenty could easily take the championship."

"That is why your generation is known as the Golden Generation, the Death Generation, the Incredible Generation, the Supreme Generation—unprecedented and incomparable," Old Tang said with a look of sympathy, his voice dropping. "You still have a chance to challenge the top twenty. As for the others? Gun Jiu might barely make it, Long Aotian will struggle, Qin Zhiyan awakened too late—it’s a pity—and Lan Xin is still a bit off."

Jiang Ming was speechless. The pressure was already immense. After seeing this, he felt a sense of despair. Look at what they had: Great Desolate Sacred Body, Supreme Bone, Great Desolate Tyrant Body, Reincarnation Body, Devouring Body... As for awakening telekinesis or controlling supernatural powers, they were all just minions.

"Don't lose heart," Old Tang smiled. "Only by fighting geniuses can you witness the true terror of peers in this world, and it serves as the best tempering. If you keep winning, you will forge an invincible mentality. 'I am invincible, my will is like iron.' Even if you lose, it will be a glorious defeat."

"Do you still have confidence, kid?" Old Tang asked, mostly out of curiosity. Even he couldn't see the depth of Jiang Ming. This boy was hiding too much. Even the geniuses in the provincial exams couldn't force him to unleash his true combat power.

"I do, but I’ll have to fight for my life!" Jiang Ming grinned, his eyes sharp. "The Great Examination lasts over twenty days; that’s enough for me to digest this recent consolidation. Sacred Body? Reincarnation Body? Tyrant Body? I’ll use this mortal body of mine to trample them all underfoot."

"Great ambition!" Instructor Yu walked in and praised him heartily. "If you take the top ten in this exam, the Provincial Prefecture will give you ten billion in startup capital. For every rank you advance, it increases by another ten billion. First place, the Martial Top Scholar, gets one hundred billion, plus the strongest support from the province—the most powerful backing in history."

"That’s a huge gamble!" Old Tang was shocked.

"This generation is called the strongest in history. If you can emerge from among these many geniuses, the full support of the province is well-deserved," Instructor Yu’s voice was firm. He stared intensely at Jiang Ming. "We will sell everything we have to support your growth! This was just decided at the provincial roundtable meeting. They told me to ask you: do you have any certainty? If you show the depth to reach the top ten, we will support you with everything starting now. Tell us what you need, and we will send it to you."

"Has the list of participants been received?" Old Tang asked.

"Yes!" Instructor Yu looked incredulous. "The candidates this year are truly unfathomable. No, the geniuses of this generation are truly beyond reason. If you can make it into the top ten, you will certainly step into the pinnacle of martial arts in the future, enough to warrant the province pouring everything into your cultivation. Powerhouses are what we, what Blue Star, truly need."

"Are Yin-Yang and Space not enough?" Jiang Ming asked curiously.

"Not enough!" Instructor Yu shook his head. "We don't know to what extent you've comprehended them. Could it be..." He took a deep breath, his heart skipping a beat. "Are they both at Great Perfection?"

Old Tang looked over as well.

"Instructor Yu, you underestimate me!" As Jiang Ming spoke, his internal energy surged, transforming into a Yin-Yang Taiji diagram, even changing the properties of his energy. One Yin, one Yang, rotating endlessly.

"Yin-Yang, at Perfection!" Old Tang could sense it clearly.

"Good!" Instructor Yu praised, his eyes brightening further.

Jiang Ming retracted his energy, flicked a finger, and the void trembled, ripples spreading outward. The teacup on the table shattered silently. Old Tang raised a hand to block, his pupils shrinking. Instructor Yu’s gaze hardened, and he actually projected two divine lights that were blocked by the ripples. "Space at Perfection!" His voice trembled. Entry-level and Perfection were two completely different concepts.

"Is that enough?" Jiang Ming asked with a smile.

"Enough, more than enough!" Instructor Yu suppressed his excitement. "Of course, the more depth you show, the more determined they will be!"

"Alright then!" Jiang Ming moved his mind, and two kinds of aura appeared outside his body—one of life and one of death, fused perfectly. As they rotated, it felt like the passage of spring and autumn. A potted plant nearby withered rapidly, only to burst with new life, its leaves swaying.

"Life and Death energy!" Old Tang’s pupils shrank. "At Perfection!"

"Another of the Ten Great Artistic Conceptions, also at Perfection! Unbelievable!" Instructor Yu exclaimed.

Then, the aura changed again. A domain formed around him, and pressure descended, creating a binding force.

"World Concept!" Old Tang was numb.

"Also at Perfection!" Instructor Yu was also numb.

"Is that enough?" Jiang Ming asked with a smile.

"Enough, more than enough!" Instructor Yu breathed rapidly. "With your talent, your aptitude—if we don't cultivate you with all our might, we would be struck by lightning. You kid, you really are heaven-defying. You are the most talented person I have ever seen, without exception. Those geniuses are only strong because they awakened special talents—Tyrant Bodies or Supreme Bones. But you? A common physique, relying only on comprehension to reach such heights. By the way, you also have a supreme physique. Jiang Ming, you really are going to defy the heavens."

"Your comprehension is truly rare throughout the ages," Old Tang marveled, looking at Jiang Ming. "You’ve always been steady, kid. I suspect you’re still hiding something! Don’t—don’t say it. Leave us some room to digest this."

"I can't take any more, or my little heart won't be able to handle it," Instructor Yu laughed. "Student Jiang, what do you need?"

"Just tell us what you need. The wealth of the Provincial Prefecture is far beyond your imagination. Furthermore, there is the support of the Zhongtian Divine Martial University behind us. Speak boldly, don't have any concerns, and don't worry that today's support will become a shackle for you in the future. It won't—absolutely not."

"Good!" Jiang Ming felt their sincerity and pondered. "On the martial path, I have already opened over two hundred acupoints. It’s hard to make significant progress in a short time. Opening a few more, or even dozens, won't be of much use!"

"It’s also unlikely to have a breakthrough in body refining in such a short time!"

"I need help beyond the Divine Path to help me comprehend the Soul Concept and step into the Sixth Rank."

"I just need a catalyst!"

"Without having experienced the Soul Concept, I’m at a loss. My current progress on the Divine Path has created a mental block, so I need a catalyst!"

"Additionally, I need secret techniques—techniques for fighting across ranks and turning the tables in a losing battle. Don't worry about whether they are too difficult; just provide them if they exist."

"Do you have these?" Jiang Ming asked, full of anticipation.