"You claim to understand the meridian pathways initiate but your transfer file indicates zero formal training." Professor Wang tapped a thick wooden pointer against the chalkboard.Three hundred students filled the tiered lecture hall of the Jiangbei Imperial Medical Academy. The morning sunlight illuminated the dust motes drifting over the rows of antique oak desks. Ye Tian stood at the base of the amphitheater wearing his simple grey uniform.Dai Bo sat in the front row flanked by his wealthy cronies. The arrogant senior student still twitched occasionally from the residual nerve damage of the curse he suffered yesterday. A cruel vindictive anticipation burned in his swollen eyes. He had utilized his vast family fortune to bribe the strict orthodox professor into staging a public execution of this new peasant."I do not require a piece of paper to validate my sight." Ye Tian kept his voice level and calm."We demand verifiable credentials in this institution." Professor Wang sneered

"You will solve the Nine Palace Meridian Lock or you will pack your bags and leave this academy today." Professor Wang pointed his cane at the towering bronze statue in the center of the courtyard.Ye Tian arrived for his morning cleaning assignment only to find his path blocked by a massive crowd. Hundreds of students and dozens of faculty members stood gathered around a complex anatomical dummy cast in heavy bronze. The morning sun reflected off the metallic surface highlighting hundreds of intricate grooves and glowing energetic nodes.Professor Wang orchestrated this elaborate public spectacle to avenge his ruined reputation. The disgrace he suffered during the Blackbane incident festered in his mind all night. He needed to reassert his orthodox dominance and humiliate the arrogant initiate in front of the entire institution."This construct is an ancient tool used to test the aptitude of our highest elders." Professor Wang addressed the whispering crowd to ensure they understood

"Halt your step, initiate." The armored guardian crossed his steel spear over the entrance threshold. "State your business.""I require immediate entry to the flower reserves." Ye Tian stood before the underground gates of the Inner Vault.Thick iron doors blocked his path. The surface bore the faint glowing runes of an ancient sealing array. Ye Tian placed a hand over his aching chest. A sharp pain pulsed deep within his ribcage. The violent unrefined earth energy he consumed during the Zhonghai ambush continued to scrape against his fragile mortal veins. He possessed Peak Stage Foundation Establishment power but his vessel lacked the reinforced bone and muscle density to wield it safely. My core is a furnace burning down its own walls. Ye Tian felt a cold sweat form on his neck. The raw power demands a stronger container. If I do not reach the Core Formation stage soon my body will rupture from the internal pressure.The breakthrough required rare high tier resources. He needed

"You are betting against a man who cures death with rat poison." The silver crested senior warned Dai Bo as they stood near the edge of the grand square. "I am betting against a peasant attempting to manipulate a dormant volcano." Dai Bo sneered and pulled a thick stack of bearer bonds from his uniform pocket. "He got lucky with the meridian puzzle yesterday but this relic is a death trap. I am wagering two million yuan that he blows his own hands off before the bell rings." The morning sun illuminated the sprawling central courtyard of the Jiangbei Imperial Medical Academy. The whole student body abandoned their morning lectures to witness the spectacle. Over two thousand scholars clustered along the stone perimeter while dozens of elite faculty members occupied the elevated viewing balconies. Ye Tian had formally submitted the weathered yellow parchment to the discipline committee at dawn. He officially initiated the Dragon Vein Cauldron challenge and forced the highest authoritie

"Transfer the Moon Silk Lotus and the Earth Marrow Root to my possession immediately." Ye Tian tapped his glowing digital token against the counter.The doors of the Inner Vault loomed behind the administrative desk. Ye Tian possessed the required ten thousand Merit Points after completing the grand courtyard puzzle. His mortal heart fluttered a dangerous erratic rhythm against his ribs. He needed the rare catalysts to begin his Core Formation before his heart ruptured from the internal pressure.Elder Gu sat behind the counter wearing the dark robes of the Pavilion Master. A thick bead of sweat rolled down his temple. Gu did not reach for the token resting on the black stone."The withdrawal of primordial herbs requires extensive administrative oversight." Elder Gu stammered while avoiding the gaze of the initiate. He wiped his forehead with a silk handkerchief. "The approval process takes twenty four hours to clear the central registry."Ye Tian narrowed his dark eyes. He expanded