Chapter 65: Second year

Chapter 65: Second year

Ever since that first day at the forest, Han Lingyun began to cultivate in the wood element cultivation ground. Once again, his cultivation speed increased by nearly 30%.

In his spiritual world, he would now sit in front of the waterfall, surrounded by the forest. His qi formed a new cycle with the forest, that breathed in and out the qi he emitted and that dissipated. Han Lingyun also maintained the previous qi cycle he had created with the waterfall, only he didn't need to imagine himself under the waterfall anymore. The humidity of the air achieved the same effect now.

At this point, Han Lingyun should have overtaken the 5th grade talents in cultivation speed. Everything was heading to the right direction as he continued to cultivate and study arrays.

As other disciples frequented the forest, Han Lingyun's new cultivation method didn't remain unnoticed. The 3rd ranked disciple using a disregarded training ground raised some eyebrows and for a time, more disciples experienced cultivating in the peaceful forest.

Ever since the last disciple rankings and Captain Lacroix's speech, the mood had noticeably shifted among the 2nd years. A wave of seriousness had swept the disciples that had entered a new phase in their cultivation journey. The untamed excitement had died down and many settled down to focus on their cultivation.

Meanwhile, the 1st years' village was facing great changes. The timeline of events and the dynamics didn't resemble what happened during the previous year.

Jia Jingguo was the only 5th grade talent this time and already had a great proficiency with the trident, his clan's traditional weapon. This led to the situation where he didn't have any true opponents and the gap kept increasing. It was Jia Jingguo and the rest. The situation of the first and second brackets were much less fixed than during Han Lingyun's year. It had become a great honor to challenge Jia Jingguo and last more than an instant.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Jia Jingguo thus had to defeat at least 5 disciples every month, unlike his major Wei Muchen that mostly remained as an untouchable adversary in the eyes of other disciples of his promotion.

Some extortion and fights began in the mid-table after a trimester when disciples found out the potential of crystals. Small groups and gangs soon emerged but the highest ranked disciples mostly remained out of the conflicts.

That was before Jia Jingguo instituting his own force. Those that wanted to join Jia Jingguo's group were screened and tested extensively. Only the ones that would most likely not abuse their power were accepted in the ranks of Jingguo's team.

Very quickly, Jia Jingguo had his own little regiment, managed to crack down on disciple crimes and ruled over the 1st years disciples. This arrangement didn't please everyone as his little government demanded a small tax for the service they provided. However, there was more grumbling than any real resistance. Jia Jingguo was quite fair with his power and the atmosphere in the village had improved under his involvement. More importantly, no one was strong enough to oppose him and his regiment.

In this healthier and more competitive environment, Han Lingyun's minor Ye Wenyan had initially lost ground in the rankings as his cultivation fell behind other 4th grade talents. He had slowly started climbing back up in the last 2 months and was now in 32nd place.

Ye Wenyan didn't really have any friends but at least he had found himself some training partners. He loved to exchange saber moves with disciples that shared his interest to the weapon. Ye Wenyan noticed with time that he would cultivate better after training and sparring with his saber.

As a result, Ye Wenyan allocated even more time to his saber which also improved his moves with the help of saber instructors, in a positive feedback loop. He marveled at all their moves as he felt that the instructors approached some sort of perfection through their saber arts. Ye Wenyan soon came to the realization that the saber would be his future path. It wasn't just because he used this weapon before arriving to the sect, far from it. In Ye Wenyan's eyes, the saber exuded a beauty that none of the other weapon could replicate. He loved its feeling to the touch, the movements it brought, the wildness that the gently curved blade was hiding.

Every once in a while, Ye Wenyan would think back to his trip with Han Lingyun to market road and his transformation since then. Han Lingyun had a powerful impact on his cultivation path and he had started to slightly idolize his major.

How was Han Lingyun faring among the 2nd years?

Time continued to tick down inexorably, summer then autumn came and went as winter once again fell on the school.

On this cold evening, Han Lingyun was contemplating the array formations he would be using in combat.

"11- Qin Tengfei

10- Qi Bo

9- Shen Lin

8- Qin Mei

7- Lai Meihui

6- Liao Zhenzhen

5- Liao Shao

4- Yu Tao

3- Han Lingyun

2- Wang Yimo

And finally, rank 1 Wei Muchen will be our flag bearer."

Wei Muchen had the honor to board the largest eagle with an old man affectionately petting it. This was a nascent soul expert! One Han Lingyun had never seen before.

Meanwhile, Han Lingyun smiled as the elder he joined on the eagle was none other than Elder Wen. As a likely candidate to enter the next realm, Elder Wen's position had risen sharply in the sect and it was no fluke that he transported the 2nd and 3rd ranked disciples. It is also reasonable to infer that Elder Wen pulled some strings to make sure he was paired with his protg.

The eagles reorganized in a triangular formation and soon disappeared to the horizon. The White Tiger Sect was coming and it was making a statement.