Chapter 58: Intelligence on the New Continent

"Over these past few days, I've walked all around the entire City of Edge Sea, and I've basically figured out the general situation of this continent." Zhen Yi poured himself a cup of tea and spoke with an air of mystery.

"Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us already," Feng Ting urged impatiently.

Only then did Zhen Yi continue, "This city departed half a year ago from Xichi Island in the Michuan Continent of Central Province, heading for Dunshe City in the Lanru Continent. A one-way trip alone takes a full year, and midway it has to pass through a perilous zone of ten perils known as the Stormy Sea. It is rumored that the celestial phenomena there are chaotic and exceptionally dangerous, and only trans-boundary ferries like the City of Edge Sea, anchored by mighty experts at the Soul Formation stage or above, can pass through safely."

"Central Province?" Qiu Ci caught the keyword. "What do you mean by Central Province?"

"I looked into that as well. I heard there are three thousand continents in this world, collectively classified into three provinces," Zhen Yi explained further. "They are Central Province, Yu Province, and Mian Province. Each province contains thousands of continents within it. Between every single continent, there are natural barriers like the Stormy Sea. Crossing between continents is extremely difficult, and crossing between provinces is even harder. It is rumored that only some top-tier factions know the methods. Both the Michuan Continent and the Lanru Continent belong to Central Province."

"..." As soon as his voice fell, not just Feng Ting, but even Qiu Ci was somewhat astonished.

She knew the external map was vast, but she hadn't expected it to be *this* huge. These three thousand continents were practically no different from the legendary three thousand worlds.

"I've heard that the Michuan Continent is barren in resources, and very few people can attain the Soul Formation stage. On the contrary, the Lanru Continent is much better in comparison, so many cultivators are willing to go there to cultivate." Zhen Yi looked at Qiu Ci and said, "Didn't you mention before, Sister Xiao Ci, that there are higher realms above Soul Formation, but you weren't clear on the specific divisions? I inquired about that this time too."

Qiu Ci genuinely didn't know the subsequent realm divisions. After all, the information she received at the base only went up to Soul Formation; although Tribulation Crossing, Mahayana, and similar terms were occasionally mentioned, there were no specific breakdowns.

"What realms are above Soul Formation?" Feng Ting asked anxiously as well.

"Above Soul Formation, there are four major realms in total: Tribulation Crossing, Integration, Mahayana, and the Celestial-Human Realm," Zhen Yi ticked them off one by one on his fingers. "I heard that only when one's cultivation reaches the Celestial-Human Realm does one attain the legendary celestial-human communion, sensing the opportunity to become an immortal. However, there are also rumors that the Celestial-Human Realm is not the ultimate realm, and that there are other realms above it, though whether that's true remains unclear."

"Four major realms..." Qiu Ci sighed. She had known she was a tiny nobody, but she hadn't realized she was *this* small. True to the system's words, her graduation from elementary school was accurate indeed.

"We are only at the Core Formation stage now, which means there are still..." Feng Ting counted on her fingers, her expression sinking. "Sigh, the path of cultivation is long and seemingly endless."

Zhen Yi's expression darkened as well. He had also suffered a blow when he heard this. He had originally thought that his and Feng Ting's Core Formation cultivation could be considered peerless, and they had always been hailed as geniuses in the Linyuan Continent. But upon arriving here, he realized that in this world, Nascent Soul experts were as common as dirt, and Core Formation cultivators were less than dogs.

"How much do you know about the situation in the Lanru Continent?" Unwilling to watch them sink further into depression, Qiu Ci quickly changed the subject.

"I managed to find out some things, but I don't know many details." True to form, Zhen Yi snapped out of it and continued, "I heard that place is different from us; they don't have concepts like sects."

"Ah? Then how do they cultivate?" Feng Ting asked anxiously. Surely they weren't all rogue cultivators?

"The Lanru Continent is rich in spiritual Qi and abundant in resources. It is said that most people born there possess spiritual roots, so almost every town and city has immortal cultivation academies teaching introductory cultivation arts," Zhen Yi said with a trace of envy.

"Does that mean anyone can cultivate?" Feng Ting wore a look of utter amazement.

"You could say that." Zhen Yi never expected that introductory cultivation arts, treated as supreme treasures back in the Linyuan Continent, were everywhere in this world. "Aside from that, those whose cultivation reaches the Core Formation stage can also enter various universities to study superior mental cultivation methods."

"Universities?!" Qiu Ci was startled. It couldn't be what she was thinking, could it?

"Are they the same as sects?" Feng Ting asked.

"No, they're different." Zhen Yi seemed to recall something, his eyes brightening. "Universities recruit disciples once every five years, and they only take in disciples at the Core Formation stage or above. But joining a university doesn't mean you belong to it forever. The university arranges for supreme masters to teach uniformly, and how far one's cultivation progresses depends entirely on the individual. Once your cultivation reaches Nascent Soul, or after fifty years have passed, you can choose to leave the university on your own to seek other opportunities."

"There's such a thing?!" Feng Ting was utterly shocked. One had to understand that in the Linyuan Continent, secret teachings were never imparted externally; once you entered a sect, you remained a disciple for life, and your honor and disgrace were entirely tied to the sect. It was the first time she had ever heard of a sect where practitioners could freely leave once they finished their studies.

On the other hand, Qiu Ci was very calm. Weren't these just schools?! It seemed the Lanru Continent was indeed much more advanced, at least in terms of education.

"I was quite amazed when I first heard it too," Zhen Yi said with a look of admiration. He had even heard of exceptionally talented cultivators who, after graduating from one university, turned around and joined another. Such an action—akin to betraying one's master and ancestors—seemed quite normal in the Lanru Continent, though formal master-disciple lineages were excluded, of course.

"However, I've heard that joining these universities requires examinations, and the difficulty is extremely high," Zhen Yi continued. "The reason so many Core Formation cultivators in this City of Edge Sea crossed continents is precisely to take these university examinations."

"Sister Xiao Ci!" Feng Ting grabbed Qiu Ci's hand excitedly and said, "After we reach the Lanru Continent, should we also pick a university and take the exams?"

Zhen Yi looked over with anticipation as well.

Qiu Ci was momentarily stunned. To be honest, she had no interest in entrance examinations; after all, she had been recommended for admission all the way through elementary school, and currently she just wanted to find the next Blue Star base as soon as possible. But looking at the excited and expectant expressions of the two, she genuinely couldn't bring herself to refuse.

"Let's wait for Socially Awkward Jing to come out of seclusion first, and we can discuss it together then," she finally said. Cultivation still had to be continued, and since she had brought them out, she naturally had to take responsibility to the end. Entering a school to study wasn't a bad option either.

The two thought about it and nodded in agreement. Naturally, taking the exams meant the four of them should stick together.

"Oh, right!" Suddenly remembering something, Zhen Yi asked, "Do you know where to find a map of the Lanru Continent, Sister Xiao Ci?"

"I do." To her surprise, Zhen Yi nodded directly. "Maps like that are sold everywhere on the street."

As he spoke, he pulled out a map, and sure enough, the name "Lanru Continent" was written across the top.

Qiu Ci took it directly without examining it closely, intending to take it back and have the system scan it so she could easily locate the base's specific coordinates. Ever since they left, that damn system seemed to have been fried by lightning, failing to detect the base's location after several consecutive scans—even though it still reacted back in the Linyuan Continent.

She guessed it might be due to the distance being too great, which was why she boarded this large ship, planning to take things step by step as they traveled.