Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

The Martial Saint Institute lay far from Heavenly Sacred City, so far that even with Lu Changsheng's speed, it took him three full months to get there.

The journey could have been far shorter had Heavenly Sacred City possessed a long-distance teleportation formation connected directly to the Martial Saint Institute. Unfortunately, such arrays were privileges reserved for only the most powerful factions. Even ordinary factions with a Martial Saint presiding over it were not qualified.

Still, none of that mattered much to Lu Changsheng. As a Divine Ability martial artist, three months was merely a blip to him.

When Lu Changsheng finally arrived at the outer division of Martial Saint Institute, he was greeted by a sight far beyond what he had imagined.

People filled the streets, coming and going in an endless stream. At first glance, the place looked no different from a bustling mortal city. But in truth, every person here possessed at least Dao Foundation cultivation, and Divine Ability martial artists were everywhere. The sheer number of them was staggering.

Lu Changsheng could not help comparing it to Heavenly Sacred City, then to Heavenly Light City, and finally to the Ancient Region. The Ancient Region alone was already massive, and beyond it lay the Five Great Domains. However, all of that seemed insignificant when compared to the Sacred Earth, which was so vast that even a Martial Saint, flying without pause for decades, would fail to get from one end to another.

Given the size of the territory, it was hardly surprising that the Martial Saint Institute, which drew countless martial artists from every corner of the Sacred Earth, could produce such a massive crowd.

However, this was merely the outer division of the Martial Saint Institute. The inner division, which many considered the "true" Martial Saint Institute, was still some distance away.

Although the Martial Saint Institute contains an outer division and inner division, in reality, only inner division martial artists were regarded as true disciples of the institute. Outer division martial artists were not allowed to enter the institute or reside within it. Even access to cultivation techniques and resources came at a steep price.

Even so, the opportunity was invaluable. Compared to wandering alone as a rogue cultivator, joining the outer division was already a dream beyond the reach of countless martial artists.

Lu Changsheng pressed on, heading straight for the Martial Saint Institute. When the institute itself finally came into view, he spotted a vast formation enveloped the entire area. Judging by its aura, it did not feel like the work of a True One, but a True Lord. There were no guards stationed outside the entrance, because without a proper token, no one could pass through the formation.

At the entrance, Lu Changsheng calmly took out the recommendation token he had received from the Li Clan's grand elder.

Buzz...

As expected, the token cleared his way without the slightest resistance. He passed straight through the formation and into the Martial Saint Institute.

After entering the inner division of the Martial Saint Institute, Lu Changsheng noticed that compared to the crowds outside, this area was noticeably quieter, with far fewer people moving about.

After asking for directions, he soon found the registration hall. Many martial artists were already waiting inside. Like him, they had come from different parts of the Sacred Earth with recommendation tokens, hoping to register as inner division martial artists.

Lu Changsheng joined the line behind a tall, straight-backed man dressed in flowing white robes. The man glanced over his shoulder and introduced himself with an easy smile.

"Where do you hail from, Fellow Daoist? I am Wei He of Tongtian City."

Lu Changsheng only nodded. He was not about to share his background with a stranger, no matter how friendly the man seemed. After all, he had just arrived here, so it was best to tread with caution.

Wei He did not seem offended. If anything, he maintained his cheery attitude as he continued, "Anyone who comes here to become an inner division martial artist must have reached the Divine Ability Realm. In fact, that's the bare minimum requirement. The formation at the entrance checks your cultivation on the way in, so if you weren't at that level, you'd never have made it through."

Something clicked for Lu Changsheng. Ah! So by passing through the formation, I'd already completed the review! That's what Brother Li meant by the process being a formality... No wonder the token is worth so much. With it, any Divine Ability martial artist can immediately enter the inner division.

Wei He continued explaining the institute's rules. "Every new arrival must register before being given a cave residence. The stronger you are, the better your residence, and the better the residence, the more resources and benefits you receive.

"Once the residences have been assigned, every inner division martial artist is allowed to issue one challenge per year. Defeat someone with a higher-ranked residence, and you can take it from them. The system is designed to keep everyone competing.

"However, there is also a time limit. An inner division martial artist can stay at the institute for no more than ten years. Anyone who fails to become a Martial Saint within that period will be expelled. Of course, those who successfully become Martial Saints must leave as well, just for a better reason."

Wei He clearly liked to talk, and he had plenty to say about how the Martial Saint Institute worked. Although it was all just basic information, Lu Changsheng found it useful enough, so he pressed for more.

"How does the institute measure your strength when assigning a cave residence?"

Wei He chuckled. "They mainly look at your reputation for this initial assignment. The institute looks at your past accomplishments and battle records, using those as a basis to estimate your strength.

"It's why so many martial artists go pick fights before coming here, all to land somewhere better. But no one gets assigned the top ten residences. Even top fifty is rare. Most of us end up assigned the first hundred something."

Lu Changsheng nodded in understanding. At this point, since Wei He had shared so much useful information with him, it no longer seemed appropriate to withhold his name from him.

"I'm Lu Changsheng of Heavenly Sacred City," he said with a bow. "Thank you for explaining, Fellow Daoist."

"Don't mention it. I don't mind helping people out. Truth be told, the moment I saw you, Fellow Daoist Lu, I felt that we would get along well. If you ever have questions about this place, feel free to ask me."

Wei He made no effort to hide how he felt about Lu Changsheng. Although he was naturally outgoing, he did not approach everyone with the same enthusiasm. He trusted his instincts, and from the moment he saw Lu Changsheng, he had sensed something extraordinary about him. That was why he had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Lu Changsheng nodded, and the two continued waiting for the line to move.

Before long, it was Lu Changsheng's turn. The assignment of cave residences was handled entirely by the artifact spirit of an enchanted treasure. Rumor had it that the Martial Saint Institute itself was actually one enormous enchanted treasure.

Lu Changsheng handed over his recommendation token and recorded his name, sect affiliation, and place of origin before quietly waiting for his assignment.

Normally, the process took only a few seconds, yet this time, something seemed to have gone wrong. Enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn down completely, yet the artifact spirit still showed no reaction.

Confused murmurs immediately spread through the crowd.

"What's going on?"

"The artifact spirit usually assigns a cave residence within a few seconds. It's never taken this long."

"Could something have happened to the artifact spirit?"

"Or maybe there's something special about this guy."

More and more people turned their attention toward Lu Changsheng. It couldn't be a coincidence that the artifact spirit suddenly stopped the moment it was his turn. This had never happened before. No matter who came to register, the assignment was always completed almost instantly.

Lu Changsheng had no better idea than anyone else what was going on. He waited in silence until, at last, the artifact spirit's voice rang out.

"Lu Changsheng of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, Heavenly Sacred City, has been assigned Cave Residence No.1!"

At that, everyone in the registration hall slowly turned toward Lu Changsheng, their eyes wide open and fixed on him. The hall had become so quiet that even a pin drop would have been deafening.