Cultivation begins with the Druid panel

After drinking two cups of hot tea, Lu Lin felt his mind had become clearer, and even his senses had been enhanced. Just as Senior Water Dragon had said, this tea was very helpful for his cultivation of spiritual power.

Senior Water Dragon sat opposite Lu Lin, observing the changes in Lu Lin's expression, and a smile appeared on his face.

Senior Water Dragon's age is equivalent to middle age among humans in the dragon race. After transforming into human form, he smiled with an incredibly honest and simple smile: "How are you feeling? How's the tea you usually drink?"

Lu Lin quickly said, "It tastes a bit bitter, but the aftertaste is a bit sweet. I also feel that my five senses have become more sensitive and clear. It is indeed a treasure of the senior. The effect is immediate."

Senior Water Dragon chuckled and said, "If you think it's good, I have some more here; you can take some with you."

"Is what you say true, senior?" Lu Lin was extremely excited. The effect of this tea was much greater than that of the Enlightenment Bamboo Tea outside. Lu Lin estimated that one or two ounces of this tea would be worth dozens of low-grade spirit stones outside.

Of course, Lu Lin wouldn't sell such a good thing after obtaining it; he would use it for cultivation, where the benefits would be even greater.

"Of course it's true. Our dragon race relies on the power of our bloodline for cultivation and on the dragon soul for perception. This tea may seem very effective to you humans, but it's only of limited help to the dragon race," Senior Water Dragon laughed heartily, clearly happy to share his treasure.

Lu Lin smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, senior. This tea is a great opportunity for me; perhaps it will allow me to break through to the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage."

Senior Water Dragon smiled and continued, "It's a favor. Anyway, there's no one at the bottom of this lake all year round. Today, by some twist of fate, I pulled you down here. It can be considered a connection between us. In my opinion, sharing is the greatest joy in the world, so there's no need to be polite."

Lu Lin was amazed by Senior Water Dragon's temperament and character, which once again proved the saying that in the entire cultivation world, the higher the realm of existence, the better the temperament and the higher the state of mind.

Lu Lin asked curiously, "May I ask what realm you have reached now, senior?"

This question was somewhat offensive, but Lu Lin simply couldn't suppress his curiosity.

Senior Water Dragon didn't hide anything, partly because he was happy, and partly because he was confident: "At the twelfth level of Qi Refining, I'm just one step away from transforming into a dragon body."

In the dragon race, they don't say "foundation building," but rather "transformation."

Similar to bloodline purification or a dragon shedding its skin to become a true dragon.

The bodies of dragons are inherently stronger than those of humans. A true dragon at the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage might be able to hold its own against a human cultivator who has just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage but whose realm is still unstable. This is almost unique in the cultivation world.

Fortunately, he hadn't rushed to activate the Ruoshui Seal, otherwise he would have been in grave danger today. Lu Lin felt relieved, but at the same time, he didn't expect that there was actually a Qi Refining Stage 12 peak cultivator hidden in the Cliff Academy branch.

Lu Lin had lost count of how many times he had sighed in his heart about the Cliff Academy.

To be honest, it truly lives up to its name as the Cliff Academy; even as just a branch academy, it is full of hidden talents.

Seeing Lu Lin's surprised expression, Senior Water Dragon chuckled: "I have been cultivating for three hundred years, kid. You don't need to be so surprised, do you? Besides, I see that you have a considerable power residing within you. The owner of that power should be no weaker than me."

Upon hearing Senior Water Dragon's words, Lu Lin was immediately startled: "Senior, you could even see that?"

"That's natural. You haven't opened your Mind Mirror yet, so it's normal for me to see your hand." Senior Water Dragon nodded.

The so-called "Heart Mirror" refers to breaking through to the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage.

Just like the awakening of spiritual consciousness at the fourth level of Qi Refining, the Heart Mirror is a sign of entering a higher level of Qi Refining.

During the Qi Refining Stage, those who possess the Mind Mirror can usually see through the essence of things at a glance and see things that ordinary people cannot see. In books, the Mind Mirror is also referred to as the "Mind's Eye".

Lu Lin suddenly felt incredibly insecure.

This cultivation world is really dangerous.

"By the way, what brings you to this branch of the Cliff Academy?" Senior Water Dragon suddenly asked.

"I'm going to take the assessment for Spirit Plant Masters." Lu Lin didn't hide anything.

Senior Water Dragon was taken aback for a moment: "A spirit plant master? Your age... is quite rare, but your spiritual power attribute is indeed very suitable for this profession. You should be able to pass the assessment within three attempts."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin felt a heaviness in his heart: "Is this Spirit Plant Master assessment really that difficult?"

"It's not that the Spirit Plant Master assessment is difficult. It's that all the assessments at the Cliff Academy are difficult." Senior Water Dragon shook his head. "You should know that as long as a cultivator passes the Cliff Academy's assessment, it means that he has secured a livelihood for the rest of his life, and he will never lack cultivation resources again."

Besides, you're just a child. Although you're more mature than your peers, you can't compare to those older cultivators in terms of knowledge or cultivation experience. You may have only seen those spiritual plants in books, while they've seen them in real life at least three times.

Under such circumstances, even if you are an exceptional person, it will be difficult for you to stand out.

"The way of Heaven in this world is impartial. Time may take some things away from them, but it also leaves them with a wealth. This wealth cannot be taken away, destroyed, or evened out by the word 'talent'."

That makes a lot of sense.

Lu Lin didn't quite understand. After all, including those twenty-odd years in the other world, he had only lived forty years. He also had to exclude his two childhoods. Compared to these guys in the cultivation world, he was indeed inferior in terms of experience.

The assessment hadn't even started yet, but the pressure on him was already immense. Lu Lin sighed and said, "Then I can only give it my all. If I pass, great; if not, I'll try again next time."

"That's a great mindset," Senior Water Dragon smiled.

Lu Lin gave a wry smile.

In such a situation, if you don't have a good mindset, you'll probably explode on the spot.

Lu Lin felt that on his journey from Tianhang Mountain to Guling City, apart from having the upper hand in fights, he was completely outmatched by others in terms of temperament and knowledge.

Whether it was the scholar's temperament before, the knowledge and ease of the Su family's heir later, or the experience of Senior Water Dragon now, they all completely overwhelmed him, and it was an indisputable overwhelming dominance.

Seeing the bitterness on Lu Lin's face, Senior Water Dragon laughed twice and then asked, "By the way, I heard you say earlier that you're preparing to break through to the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage?"

Lu Lin's thoughts were then pulled back: "Yes, I have now reached the bottleneck of the fifth level of Qi Refining. With the tea that the senior gave me, I may be able to give it a try when I get back."

Senior Water Dragon said, "There's no need for that. We have a better way. You might want to try it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin quickly asked, "Please enlighten me, senior."

"When I pulled you into the water just now, you should have been able to feel that your spiritual power was no longer restricted by the restrictions in this lake, right?" Senior Water Dragon asked.

"Yes." Lu Lin nodded.

Senior Water Dragon continued, "Temper your body under the pressure of the lake water, and then refine your spiritual power while your spiritual energy is sealed. Once you get ashore, breaking through to the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage should be a natural outcome."

Lu Lin was very clever and understood immediately what Senior Water Dragon meant. However, he also had his own concerns: "But Senior, I won't die on the way, will I?"

Senior Water Dragon was taken aback. This was indeed something to be careful about. Senior Water Dragon opened his palm and took out a dragon scale:

"This dragon scale contains a portion of my power. If you encounter danger on the way, this dragon scale can protect your life. If you succeed, once you reach the shore, you can infuse it with your spiritual power, and it will transform into an inner armor that you can wear."

Lu Lin's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the dragon scale in his hand: "Thank you, senior."

Senior Water Dragon chuckled, "You're quite clever, kid, not saying a single polite word. But it's alright, if you have the chance in the future, come here and chat with me, you can also cultivate here."

"If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely come." Lu Lin nodded repeatedly and agreed.