Chapter 285 - 283: Golden Core Zhenren

Yang Shen didn’t hide the news of his breakthrough to the True Gang Realm from the academy.

Only by accurately assessing his realm could the academy match him with more suitable Cultivation Techniques and provide him with more resources.

He didn’t plan to stop this aspect of his Cultivation just because he’d broken through. Even though its strength was already at the level of a Late-stage True Gang, there were still too many areas to refine, such as precision, Fen Gang, and Gang Condensation.

He only concealed the true strength of his True Gang—especially its uncanny length.

He told everyone it was just 18 centimeters long, which was more than enough.

「Monday. Qiangwu Academy, Freshman Year Office.」

His counselor, Sheng Qin, blankly pushed up her glasses.

"You... you’ve reached the True Gang Realm?"

It had only been half a month since Yang had submitted his application for breakthrough guidance.

And it had been just over a week since the True Gang guidance class had started.

’Are all the young people this fast nowadays?’

Sheng Qin had struggled for three long years to break through, and she’d made no progress since. In comparison, she felt like a pile of wet garbage wearing stockings...

Yang raised a hand, telekinetically grabbing a pen from Sheng Qin’s desk and spinning it in his palm as proof.

Then he said, "It was a stroke of luck, a fortunate coincidence."

’If that stupid squirrel hadn’t been throwing things around, I probably wouldn’t have broken through this quickly.’

’It would have taken at least another day or two otherwise.’

Their conversation drew the shocked attention of the other teachers in the office, who all craned their necks to look over like a mob of meerkats.

Their minds naturally started racing with calculations.

This had undoubtedly broken Jiangti’s record and had most likely shattered the national record as well...

Scholarships, commendations, rare Cultivation Techniques, Divine Weapons... all the requisite rewards were sure to follow.

’A guaranteed spot in the graduate program! He must be offered a spot!’

If Yang were willing, one of Jiangti’s faculty positions—a spot more precious than gold—could be immediately earmarked for him!

Sheng Qin rubbed her face. As the student she was responsible for, his achievements would naturally reflect well on her.

She just felt like she hadn’t been very involved.

She hadn’t even had one of her "caring big sister" talks with him; he’d just shot up through the ranks all on his own.

"I understand. I’ll report this immediately. But you don’t need to stop the breakthrough guidance sessions right away. I suggest you use them to stabilize your realm first. The academy leadership might even add some rare Cultivation Techniques to your curriculum."

Yang smiled. "Of course. That’s what I was thinking too."

The news grew wings and flew straight up the chain of command, quickly reaching the highest levels of the administration.

Yang had already brought Jiangti too many surprises, but this one still had a fresh, powerful impact.

Soon, the news also spread throughout campus, passed along by some of the younger teachers.

...

On a certain sports field, Jiang Xin was sprawled out on his back while two beautiful women massaged his legs.

After hearing his lackey’s report, he began to shake his leg in frustration.

"True Gang? How is that possible? Didn’t he just break through to Late-stage Innate a little while ago?"

The Zizai Extreme was anything but at ease.

’I’m still preparing for Late-stage Innate, and you’re already at the True Gang Realm?’

"That’s not it... That’s not it! Haven’t you eaten? Put some muscle into it!"

The two senior girls could only apply more pressure.

"Still not right! It’s not helping! You, come massage too!"

The burly man who had delivered the report pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Yes! They’ll do the calves! You do the thighs!"

"Uh... okay..."

Jiang Xin suddenly pointed to a random student passing by. "You too! You massage my right leg!"

The passing student pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Thirty thousand!"

The student readily complied, beginning to massage his leg with an unpracticed hand.

"Something’s wrong... something’s just not right!"

"ARGH!! This is so frustrating! So frustrating!"

——————

「The club room for Yang’s Disciples, a standalone old villa.」

Several Named Disciples were carefully moving a 50-centimeter-tall rosewood statue of their Revered Master, placing it in a prominent spot right by the entrance.

It had been designed when he first made it onto the Qilin List. They had commissioned a famous artisan, and it was worth a fortune. The design alone had gone through seven revisions before it could properly capture their Revered Master’s brilliant and martial spirit.

"Okay! A little to the left... a little further back... Perfect!"

The wooden statue depicted Yang in the middle of a spear thrust, full of dynamic tension and exquisitely detailed, making it look incredibly lifelike.

One of them admired it for a moment. "Excellent. As expected of a design that took seven revisions. Every time I see it, it’s like our Revered Master is standing right here!"

"Just one look strengthens my martial resolve."

"Everyone, don’t just touch the Revered Master whenever you want. Be careful not to build up a patina on him."

As they were speaking, the club’s vice president and the Eldest Senior Sister of the Yang’s Disciples walked in, announcing loudly, "Everyone, I have great news! Our Revered Master has broken through to the Early-stage True Gang Realm!"

The announcement sent shockwaves through the group.

"What? For real?"

"Holy shit! A True Gang at eighteen! Doesn’t that make him the first in history?!"

Several of them immediately turned and kowtowed to Yang’s statue!

After sharing the good news, Cao Wei looked at the statue and said:

"This statue is no longer suitable. It doesn’t capture the power of our Revered Master in the True Gang Realm, nor the age at which he broke through."

"I understand! I’ll contact the artisan to make a new version right away!"

"Vice President, what should we do with this one?"

Cao Wei flicked her hair back and said coolly, "I’ll take it home and carefully exam... I mean, I’ll keep it safe!"

————

Jiangti, as an institution of higher learning, was more reserved. After all, it couldn’t be like a high school that would hang a banner at the front gate for a top student. Still, the news was enough to stun the academy’s leadership.

In Jiangti’s 200-year history, Yang’s achievement was still monumental and was guaranteed to break the academy’s records. As for whether it broke the national record, that depended on the young Daoist priest who descended from the mountains during the Cataclysm.

This was a great hero who had sacrificed his life for the country, but the records were vague. Many even believed he was a fictional character, created during a time of national crisis to boost the morale of the Yanhu People.

And so, that afternoon, Yang received a call from Sheng Qin.

The Director had invited him for tea.

Yang was a little excited. At first, he thought it was the honorary "Nine Martial Venerable."

But he soon realized he was mistaken. That figure was nearly three hundred years old; he wouldn’t be handling daily affairs, let alone be sitting around on campus.

He probably hadn’t even visited the academy in over a decade.

It was just that subordinates didn’t bother specifying titles like "Vice Director," simply referring to them all as "Director."

Still, a Vice Director was a top-tier figure. Qiangwu Academy had three Vice Directors, and according to public records, all of them were in the Guiyuan Realm.

That was the realm after True Gang, Jade Viscera, and Tongshu.

Yang followed Sheng Qin to a corner of the campus.

But the further they walked, the more Yang felt that something was off. "Isn’t Vice Director Zhan’s office in Qiangwu Tower?"

Sheng Qin shook her head. "Director Zhan is in charge of academic affairs, but he usually works out of his small building here. Qiangwu Tower has too many offices occupied by the different grade levels, so there’s no space to spare."

Yang thought to himself, ’Whether or not space could be spared was just a matter of him saying the word...’

’If the Director wants a private office, of course his subordinates will claim there’s absolutely no space available elsewhere.’

As they were about to arrive, Yang glanced a few dozen meters away and saw another "old villa"—it was the "club room" for his Yang’s Disciples, which he rarely visited.

He then turned back to see a building with no sign that read "Vice Director’s Office Villa."

’Well, I’ll be damned. So it’s right under his nose!’

’Doesn’t that mean all the absurd antics of my Yang’s Disciples have been on full display for him, like a daily theater performance?’

Sheng Qin led him inside. There was no sign on the exterior, but the small doors inside were all labeled. They went up to the "Vice Director’s Office" on the second floor, which was in the exact same position as the "deluxe office" that theoretically belonged to Yang next door.

’So I’m basically neighbors with the Vice Director.’

’And the Vice Director doesn’t even have a shark tank...’

Inside the office, a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties or fifties was reviewing documents. He looked up and smiled. "You must be Yang. A true hero emerges from the young!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yang used "Life Chart Inspection" the second he walked through the door.

"Zhan Wangchuan: Early-stage Golden Core (Approximate)"

"Life Chart: Killing and Seal Mutual Generation"

"Killing and Seal Mutual Generation: Killing, Strong, and Clear Seal; Transforming Evil into Authority"