Each of the eight extraordinary meridians had four holy points.
Not many in number, but these holy points were much more difficult to form than those in the Twelve Standard Meridians.
That was why even the best disciples of the Sacred Institute might not be able to develop all of them before achieving the Reaching Heaven State.
Jiang Chen was a Reaching Heaven State already, so he didn't have that kind of pressure. He had reduced the level of difficulty to enhance his speed.
While others were laughing at him, he had developed the first extraordinary meridian. He had started to work on it on the day he beat Su Li up. It had taken him less than a month.
It should be fine to develop the second.
As the great competition was coming soon, the disciples of the Sacred Institute were practicing as diligently as Jiang Chen.
The short-term disciples who had come this year were shocked by the frenetic atmosphere.
The formal disciples thought they were better than other people, but it didn't mean they didn't work hard. The Sacred Institute had the best disciples of the whole continent. None of them were willing to lose.
Thirteen days later, the competition finally started.
Jiang Chen walked out of his room on the competition day. He seemed to be in a good mood. He stretched himself under the morning sun.
He had developed the second extraordinary meridian successfully, and he had started to work on the third.
The formal disciples who passed by his room looked at him in a complicated manner, as always. There was pity, sympathy, scorn, and indifference.
"Ignorant people," Jiang Chen shook his head and murmured.
The three states, Condensing Qi, Gathering Yuan, and Mental Wander, all relied on the strength of the meridians.
But it wasn't the same in the Reaching Heaven State. People in this state could store spirits of the universe in all parts of their bodies. As a result, the meridians weren't so important anymore.
The eight extraordinary meridians were supposed to strengthen the body.
In short, for the Reaching Heaven States, each extraordinary meridian was like an extra hand.
Since he was physically more talented, he was developing the extraordinary meridians faster than other people, which was astounding.
When I have all of my extraordinary meridians developed and go through the initial phase, I won't be afraid even in the face of Ning Haotian.
Ning Haotian had broken through to the Reaching Heaven State about a year ago. He was losing his holy pulse, so there wouldn't be a huge gap between them.
For example, he might have been 100 steps behind Ning Haotian when he joined the Natural Law School, but at that moment, he was only ten steps behind.
"Rescue my father, detoxify the poison in my mother's system, after that…"
Jiang Chen looked up. Blue sky and white clouds. The spacious sky humbled him.
The Reaching Heaven States had the power to go beyond the horizon and travel to other Planes Worlds.
"The Sacred Zone.
"My home!
"I'll come back!"
Jiang Chen clasped his hands, somewhere between excited and angry.
"Jiang Chen!"
A group of people were walking towards him while he was being sentimental.
It was the Department of Discipline. Ying Wushuang was walking in the front.
They looked aggressive, as if they had come to catch Jiang Chen because he had committed a crime.
The disciples of the east courtyard all stopped to see what would happen, but there was no sign that the Department of Discipline was going to attack Jiang Chen.
"What happened?" Jiang Chen was confused, too. The Department of Discipline had left a good impression on him, or maybe just its captain.
"Today is the great competition. You must take part in it. It's the Dean's order," Ying Wushuang looked emotionless and serious.
"Yeah, I know. I'm not going to run away," Jiang Chen was still puzzled.
"You could claim you're sick, you aren't feeling well, or something went wrong with your practice to avoid the competition. If this happens, we'll send a doctor to check up on you," a member of the Department of Discipline said. His tone had no friendliness.
"It's the Dean's order?" asked Jiang Chen.
He got an affirmative answer, and then became more puzzled. He had seen three of the Deans of the four courtyards, but the Dean the Department of Discipline had mentioned was apparently the Dean of the Sacred Institute.
He had never seen this Dean!
"Don't you understand what that means? You've caused so much trouble that your fate will be decided by your performance today. If the Dean isn't satisfied, the Sacred Institute will send you back. I suggest you pack up before the competition," another member said. He was not only unfriendly, but malicious.
"Enough. It's unnecessary to tell him these things," Ying Wushuang said unhappily, but her subordinates didn't want to stop. Another member said with disaffection when he saw Jiang Chen's puzzled face, "We were punished last time because of this guy. Captain, you were even…"
"I said enough. Didn't you hear me?" Ying Wushuang shouted.
Her subordinates stopped talking immediately. They drew themselves up and became serious.
Ying Wushuang's authority surprised Jiang Chen once again. At the same time, he realized what had happened from what her subordinates had said.
"Were you punished because of what happened to Su Li?" asked Jiang Chen.
"That's none of your business," Ying Wushuang said coldly.
"It was a fight agreed upon by both of us…"
"There should still be a limit. You were beating Su Li in the air. We had no way to stop you. Su Li was unable to get out of his bed until today. The Sacred Institute didn't punish you. We naturally became the ones to blame…"
Ying Wushuang gave a stare at the subordinate who had interrupted Jiang Chen. He shut up right away.
Ying Wushuang turned around to look at that subordinate. She didn't say anything, but her eyes were freezing cold.
The subordinate looked down, sweating in fear.
"No more comments. Otherwise, I'll ask you to leave the team," Ying Wushuang said.
She made sure she had been heard and understood by all of her subordinates. Then she looked towards Jiang Chen and said, "Let's go."
Although Jiang Chen wasn't happy with the situation, he thought he would have to go sooner or later, so he followed them, but he stopped before they could walk out of the east courtyard.
"What? You want to watch the competition? Are you finished sweeping the floor?" a sharp voice came from not far away.
Jiang Chen looked over. He saw a short-term disciple standing in the Bronze Statue Square with a broom, embarrassed and gnashing his teeth.
In front of him were a few arrogant formal disciples. Their leader had a high-pitched voice.
Almost half of the year had passed. The relationship between the short-term and formal disciples had become very complicated. Some short-term disciples were getting along well with the formal disciples. Others had formed their own groups to confront the formal disciples.
But in any case, few formal disciples would be mean to the short-term disciples like that.
Jiang Chen frowned. If he remembered correctly, during his stay in the east courtyard, it was always that short-term disciple responsible for sweeping.
He had to sweep the whole east courtyard, occupied from morning to noon.
Whenever Jiang Chen saw him, he seemed completely isolated, doing his job like the walking dead.
At that moment, he wanted to watch the competition of the Sacred Institute, to see the exciting fights between the geniuses throughout the continent, but what he had received was a negative answer. This refusal was the straw that broke the camel's back.
"What? Do you have a problem?"
That formal disciple sounded like a girl. He kept provoking the short-term disciple. He even slapped the latter's cheek while speaking.
Jiang Chen noticed the short-term disciple was trembling.
"Aren't you gonna stop him?" Jiang Chen asked.
"No one could help him, unless he fights back himself," Ying Wushuang said.
"I thought the same before, but today he has started to fight back. Now he could use some help."
Then Jiang Chen walked towards the square.
Ying Wushuang hesitated. She didn't stop him, but didn't join him, either.