Chapter 152 - 152 134 Overly Deadly Entry Threshold

152: Chapter 134: Overly Deadly Entry Threshold 152: Chapter 134: Overly Deadly Entry Threshold “…Really? It’s gone, huh? I’ll be careful.” On the other end of the phone, Xia Qin’s tone was calm, but Lu Ping’an could hear the commotion in the background, guessing it must be chaotic over there. “Why don’t you take some time off and go out for a while?” After thinking for a moment, Lu Ping’an decided that his exaggerated performance had led to this situation. He was still a rookie after all. Xia Qin felt that at this point, he probably couldn’t help much. So instead of dragging him into this mess, it would be better to have him lay low for a while. Lu Ping’an shook his head though. Some things could not be avoided. “No, there’s no point. The moment they succeed, I’m done for. Since I can’t avoid it, it’s better to go to the scene rather than sit and wait for death…” After hanging up the phone, Lu Ping’an’s mood became even more complicated. It seemed that everything was heading towards a terrible situation. The only consolation was the recently decoded information; this type of ceremony couldn’t be triggered at will. It had not only extremely complicated procedures but also restrictions on when it could be activated. “The ceremony requires the planet to be in a specific position and takes a certain amount of time. I’m still analyzing the details, but your side should get the intelligence sooner.” He still had time, but obviously not much. “I must advance immediately…” Although becoming 2-tier was always in the plan, there was not enough time. It would take a month to advance from Mortal to Zero-order and then to Four professions. To reach the baseline of 2-tier, Lu Ping’an would need a lot more. To become 2-tier, he at least needed to know what it was. First-tier was just the entry level of a profession, which could be achieved naturally upon awakening an Abnormal Ability. For 2-tier, one had to meet specific conditions and complete a designated Advancement Ritual. The Ritual itself was a curse technique, requiring the “Deity” to witness it. It had prerequisites, offerings, and naturally, the result of “advancement.” In modern terms, this meant that you had to reach a certain standard (with diplomas or work experience) before you could take a qualification exam under supervision (by the deity) and join the profession upon passing. Actually, first-order and zero-order were essentially the same thing; one could understand 0-order and 1-order as different stages of the induction ceremony. 0-order was the induction ceremony, while 1st-tier was completing on-the-job training and meeting the entry requirements, giving you a “supplementary” certificate. Being at 0-order meant you were too inexperienced to pass the real entrance examination, so you had to work first and then receive training. But the problem was that 2-order and its conditions were very different from the relatively simple 1-order and 0-order. After 2-tier, the threshold for entering each profession was different, as well as the rituals, and most importantly, they were “polluted knowledge.” Even the most basic descriptive information from civilian sources wasn’t as clear as what was recorded in Lu Ping’an’s Life Bank. The statements were often vague and unclear. “To become a Bonsai Designer, you need a certain level of Magic Plant cultivation ability, professional Magic Plant transformation skills, a certain number of first-tier Gardener series abilities, preferably in the Magic Plant transformation direction.” Looking at this information wasn’t helpful at all. The only information he could glean was that advancement would require the two basic professional skills, with a higher emphasis on “Magic Plant Transformation (Grafting).” At the same time, several professional abilities were required, but he didn’t specify which ones were needed. Maybe even the professionals themselves weren’t sure which ability was the core requirement, and they just practiced until they felt like they could advance. That’s right, when you learn about the induction ceremony and meet the conditions, you would have a feeling of “overflowing.” At that time, you could try to advance. Looking at his own “Planting (taboo) LV5” and “Grafting (pollution) LV3”, Lu Ping’an felt quite uncertain. Worth noting was that the branching reward at Planting LV4, a generic “increase in Magic Plant survival rate.” Lu Ping’an guessed that at the lower levels, knowledge-related professionals were just learning the basics as apprentices and naturally couldn’t provide branching choices. “I don’t have enough professional skills or abilities. Should I find a class? But those classes take at least six months to start, and there’s not enough time.” No matter how low the threshold for 2-order professionals was, Lu Ping’an didn’t think LV4 and LV5 were enough. Under normal circumstances, professionals—especially those who attended formal schools—only needed time to reach the 2-order threshold. As Hua senior sister had introduced before, enrolling in an “employment package” training course and diligently completing it would develop the necessary basic abilities. If successful, they could even comprehend one or two abilities. It was said that as long as the tuition fee was paid, the package could even include materials for the induction ceremony. If he repeatedly fails to pass, he can also ask the teacher for targeted tutoring to find out what exactly he’s lacking. This training model is highly praised in the industry…. making wild professionals envious since they can only rely on themselves. Lu Ping’an knows that the “honest” way of going to school and fully cultivating professional skills is the best, and this is an opportunity that ordinary professionals can’t even get. But he’s destined not to have this time. Compared to the high demands of the 2-tier, what bothers him more is that the demands themselves are too “vague”. Unfortunately, asking others won’t yield clear answers…. they don’t know what your LV implies, and those who have successfully taken up their positions don’t even know what their conditions are overshooting. “It’s hard to take shortcuts….” Is there a difference between a Court Gardener and an ordinary Bonsai Designer? They’re actually different names for the same profession, with differences like that between a “Shield Swordsman” and a “Royal Shield Swordsman”. The difference lies in the details. In many cases, the latter, being a more comprehensive upgraded version PLUS, has higher requirements while being stronger. “The differences between a Court Gardener and a Bonsai Designer are not significant, mainly the induction ceremony is different. At least the requirements of a Bonsai Designer must be met.” Brother Guan’s statement is also quite vague, but there’s no other way. His willingness to provide Lu Ping’an with the “doorway to the induction ceremony key” is already a big favor. However, Lu Ping’an still has quite a few crooked ideas. “Check the career abnormal ability to see the usage conditions, maybe you can reverse the entry requirements.” This is an old method, but still effective. Although awakening an abnormal ability before taking up a position in the first-tier is different from the second-tier, where one must obtain a profession first, at least the general requirements can be seen. [Gain a small amount of tips on Brass-level spell ‘Bonsai Manufacturing’. Current progress 15/100.] Lu Ping’an clicked on the screen in the void, and more information was sent back. [Black-iron level spell Bonsai Manufacturing: Construct a plant-themed ‘Space Scene’ within a piece of polluted merchandise.] This professional abnormal ability is still only Black-iron level to start with; however, the Brass-level dividend that Lu Ping’an gets from Brother Guan should provide an advantage in subsequent promotion. [Usage Requirements: Planting LV7, Grafting LV7, Spatial Perception LV7, Writing (Pollution) LV7, any one of the general skills of Sculpting/Painting/Item Modification LV4, Black Iron Abnormal Ability Pollution Pen, Black Iron Abnormal Ability Life Listening, Black Iron Abnormal Ability Shock Life, Black Iron Abnormal Ability Life Sharing, any kind of Spatial Abnormal Ability of Black Iron level, Black Iron Middle-rank Spirit, Bonsai Manufacturing Experience 100/100.] Lu Ping’an blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “I’ve never heard of a 2-tier profession being this exaggerated…” However, Lu Ping’an understood that Combat Gardeners were inherently different from other Gardeners, and their benchmark could reach weaker third-tier professions, so it was normal for them to have more and varied requirements. These requirements may not be all entry requirements, but Bonsai Designers must have achieved them; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to use their most fundamental abnormal ability to create their own “Bonsai”. Looking at the list of requirements one by one, Lu Ping’an felt a little uneasy. The professional skill of Writing Pollution and the abnormal ability of Pollution Pen both belong to the Scholar’s Career Ability, which is expected. Abnormal Ability Life Listening is the only core Gardener’s abnormal ability he has. Shock Life sounds scary but is just a Gardener’s abnormal ability to scare Magic Plants into not moving randomly. Life Sharing, which sounds intimidating, is still a Black-iron level Gardener’s Abnormal Ability. It simply resonates life perception with a magic plant, so it hurts when the plant hurts. It’s a super useless abnormal ability. Since this is still a 2-tier Gardener, it’s normal to have more Gardener-series abnormal abilities. It’s also very normal for them to require Spatial Abilities and Spatial Perception since this “Bonsai” ability clearly belongs to the spatial system. But when these normal requirements are combined, they become extremely abnormal! “Four professional skills, one general skill, at least five professional abnormal abilities, and Black Iron Middle-rank Spirit hardware. By the way, the hardest part for ordinary Gardeners is the requirements for Spatial Abnormal Ability and Spatial Perception. How do you train for LV7 Spatial Perception….” With so many requirements in various aspects, it’s no wonder that Combat Series Gardeners can’t become mainstream. At least three first-tier professions need to reach a high level before they can attempt to advance. However, upon careful study, Lu Ping’an found that these requirements were not entirely unattainable for him. All he needed was more polishing and time. But the “induction ceremony” information Brother Guan informed him about next left him a bit confused. “Create a themed work of art with Magic Plants. The better it is, the easier it is to be recognized by the Pavilion Master? That’s too much! Are you guys holding art exams here?”