Chapter 166: The Dean's Favor

Although the Seven-Colored Revolving Swords were not array flags, they possessed certain qualities reminiscent of them; even any single sword on its own was a magic treasure of extraordinary grade.

Such an ingenious concept left Kuang Lizhen itching with admiration. Although his mastery of array formations far surpassed Lin Xiaobao's, that did not mean he could not be awed by some of Lin Xiaobao's unique ideas.

Seeing this, Kuang Lizhen could no longer be bothered with testing Lin Xiaobao's aptitude for array formations. With a wave of his large hand, the illusions before Lin Xiaobao vanished completely, revealing an octagonal pavilion exuding an aura of antique simplicity.

Kuang Lizhen, who was full of praise for Lin Xiaobao's artifact-crafting ingenuity, had no idea that Lin Xiaobao's inspiration for forging the Seven-Colored Revolving Swords came from the fragments of the Chaos Mirror.

Back in the Yun family, when Lin Xiaobao was preparing to forge weapons, he had specifically considered that if the magic treasure he crafted was of too high a grade, it would likely be ruthlessly devoured by the Chaos Mirror fragments. However, if the grade were too low, having it or not having it would make virtually no difference to him.

Under these circumstances, Lin Xiaobao came up with a method that did not raise the magic treasure's grade yet enhanced its combat power. Of course, this was also related to Lin Xiaobao's mastery of certain array formation principles incomprehensible to this world.

Take Kuang Lizhen, for instance. Had he not witnessed Lin Xiaobao's Seven-Colored Revolving Swords, he would never have thought in this direction. Even now that he had seen them, if he were to forge a similar set of magic treasures himself, he might be able to pull it off, but he could never conceive the idea as quickly as Lin Xiaobao had, nor would the power necessarily surpass that of Lin Xiaobao's Seven-Colored Revolving Swords.

"Greetings, Dean Kuang!" Upon finally seeing Kuang Lizhen, Lin Xiaobao knew he had successfully passed the test.

Kuang Lizhen waved his hand, signaling that Lin Xiaobao need not stand on ceremony, and said with a smile, "Could you let me take a look at that set of magic treasures?"

His tone carried a hint of consultation, for magic treasures of this kind naturally concerned personal secrets. Strictly speaking, such a request from Kuang Lizhen was somewhat rash, but he was simply too curious about the creativity behind the Seven-Colored Revolving Swords.

However, to Lin Xiaobao, the Seven-Colored Revolving Swords were merely a display of creativity. He believed that as his cultivation improved and his understanding of the array knowledge instilled by Old Wu deepened in the future, he would be able to forge even more powerful magic treasures. Without hesitation, he retrieved the Seven-Colored Revolving Swords from his storage ring and presented them with both hands to Kuang Lizhen.

Seeing that Lin Xiaobao did not hesitate in the slightest, Kuang Lizhen was extremely satisfied. Taking the Seven-Colored Revolving Swords, his gaze never once strayed from the blades—at times splitting them into seven long swords, and at other times merging them back into one, as if he had forgotten Lin Xiaobao's existence entirely.

Out of boredom, Lin Xiaobao began to examine Kuang Lizhen's study. Four tall bookcases stood in the room, each filled to the brim with various books. When Lin Xiaobao's gaze lingered on the last bookcase, he noticed that the books displayed upon it seemed to be arranged according to the pattern of a certain array formation.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaobao could not help but frown slightly. Logically speaking, given Kuang Lizhen's current status, ordinary people could not possibly enter this octagonal pavilion, not to mention the array formed by the Violet Heaven Spirit-Swallowing Bamboo outside. Although Lin Xiaobao had passed the test, it did not mean he had breached the array. He could sense that although the earlier trial had been somewhat difficult, Kuang Lizhen had definitely not exerted even a tenth of the array's full power.

That being the case, why did Kuang Lizhen still set up an array here? What was he trying to hide? Could it be that fragments of the Chaos Mirror were concealed within? Thinking of this, Lin Xiaobao immediately and casually shifted his gaze away, while struggling to control his breathing to ensure not a shred of abnormality showed on his face.

He stood there quietly, waiting for Kuang Lizhen to finish studying his Seven-Colored Revolving Swords.

A full half-hour later, Kuang Lizhen finally moved his gaze away from the Seven-Colored Revolving Swords, looking somewhat embarrassed as he said, "I was simply captivated by something marvelous and got too carried away!"

"Not at all, not at all. The Dean's spirit of deep study is a model for us all to emulate!" When it came to flattery, Lin Xiaobao was absolute second nature.

"Chen Chong once mentioned to me that you possess some unique insights into array formations. Now it seems that is indeed the case!" After offering his praise, Kuang Lizhen produced a brand-new set of academy uniforms and handed them to Lin Xiaobao. "Now that you have passed the test, you are qualified to wear this attire!"

"You flatter me, Dean!" Lin Xiaobao respectfully accepted the garments and immediately put them on right before Kuang Lizhen, playing the picture of a well-behaved student.

"With your current cultivation, being able to forge such magic treasures certainly shows extraordinary talent. However, this set of magic swords still has a few shortcomings!" With that, Kuang Lizhen pointed out several detailed issues that had arisen during the forging process, causing Lin Xiaobao to nod repeatedly.

Whether in terms of creativity or the overarching direction of inscribing array formations, Lin Xiaobao displayed the flair of a master. Yet, he truly lacked experience when it came to minor details. If he were to forge according to Kuang Lizhen's guidance, this set of Seven-Colored Revolving Swords could undoubtedly be elevated to an even higher level in both grade and power.

"However, I believe you will gradually learn these things during your coming years at the academy." Kuang Lizhen then handed a nearly transparent rectangular jade plaque to Lin Xiaobao. "This is your academy token!"

An academy token? Lin Xiaobao was slightly startled as he took the palm-sized jade plaque, feeling a chill seep into his hand. Looking at the blank plaque, Lin Xiaobao naturally extended his spiritual sense into it, as this was a common method for cultivators to transmit information.

Immediately, a vast torrent of information flooded into Lin Xiaobao's mind. The information even began with the origin of the Dragon Soaring Continent and narrated right down to the present day. Many of the details were infinitely more thorough than those found in the introductory chapters of Wind and Snow.

Another portion of the information introduced the Dragon Soaring Academy, giving Lin Xiaobao a preliminary understanding of the institution. As his spiritual sense probed deeper, a number materialized upon the nearly transparent jade plaque, glowing with the figure five hundred.

This was Lin Xiaobao's initial academic credit. From the information within the jade plaque, he learned that the Dragon Soaring Academy awarded a certain number of initial credits based on the talents displayed during the tests. These credits determined the amount of time one could cultivate within the Questioning Pagoda—in other words, it shared an effect wonderfully similar to the contribution points of the Wind and Snow Pavilion.

Credits could likewise be earned by contributing to the academy, such as by inscribing talismans, forging magic treasures, or refining pills. Naturally, students who chose the path of martial cultivation could also acquire credits by hunting spirit beasts in designated locations. Furthermore, the academy would gift a portion of credits to every student each month. On the whole, the welfare benefits were quite remarkable.