Master Mu Wan

"Brother Feng, you don't need to worry. Qianyang will definitely be fine today. Although getting into the Heavenly Court is difficult, with his cultivation level, passing the test will be as easy as turning over his hand." Liu Qing held Li Yanfeng's palm and said.

"That's good. Qianyang truly puts one at ease." Li Yanfeng nodded.

"Qianyang should thank you too. If not for your connections letting him take Qu Yucheng's spot, he wouldn't have obtained a Yanhuang Order." Liu Qing said sweetly.

"A trivial matter." Li Yanfeng narrowed his eyes and searched the crowd for Liu Qianyang.

"Brother Feng, my father passed away unexpectedly. Now that my family has fallen from favor in Thunder Lord Manor, and you've successfully become Thunder Lord Manor's son-in-law, my family will have to rely on you from now on." Liu Qing nestled against his chest, speaking in a soft, coquettish voice.

"We're already husband and wife. Don't speak so formally." Li Yanfeng stroked her long hair and smiled faintly.

The husband and wife were deeply affectionate, making others green with envy. Liu Qing in particular was alluring and fiery, drawing many jealous gazes toward Li Yanfeng.

Li Yanfeng felt like the spring wind had lifted him high. Status in the Flame Capital and a beauty were now both in his grasp, proving that everything he had done had been so correct.

"By the way, Li Tianming will definitely come today. If he learns that this year's passing test requires the Companion Beast's grade to be assessed first, will he cry himself to death?" Liu Qing recalled that youth, her delicate brows knitting slightly.

"What a complete waste of a Yanhuang Order. A First-Order Companion Beast appearing on the Yanhuang Battlefield will only add another laughingstock to his name." Li Yanfeng said sternly.

"Luckily, Brother Feng cut ties with him and no longer has the status of father and son with him. Otherwise, he would have affected Brother Feng's reputation."

"Mhm." Li Yanfeng nodded. At that moment, his eyes narrowed, because he had spotted Li Tianming amid the crowd.

"Brother Feng, who are you looking at?" Liu Qing asked curiously.

"Look." Li Yanfeng gestured. Following his indication, Liu Qing also saw that utterly unconcerned youth.

"He really came. Then let's look forward to seeing what kind of stir he causes next. A First-Order Companion Beast, after all." A trace of coldness entered Liu Qing's smile.

Li Yanfeng said nothing. He was only considering one question.

After severing their father-son relationship and stripping him of his status as eldest legitimate son, would people henceforth think that he had nothing to do with Li Tianming?

If Li Tianming disgraced himself, could Li Yanfeng remain unscathed alone?

The Yanhuang Battlefield was now divided into five regions, the examination areas of the five great halls.

Li Tianming took a look. As expected, the Myriad Beasts Hall and Phoenix Hall had the most people.

He had already received the hall examination rules. They stated that passing this examination was divided into two stages. The first stage was to determine the true grade and cultivation level of the Companion Beast. The Companion Beast's cultivation level represented the beastmaster's cultivation level, and it would be tested through its Beast Essence.

More than sixteen hundred people had registered for Phoenix Hall this time. The first stage of the hall examination would retain only one thousand people for the second stage.

The second stage was actual combat. There was no need to determine victory or defeat; the main goal was to pass the practical combat test. Phoenix Hall's higher-ups would assess talent and strength, taking into account talent, age, on-the-spot combat ability, and all kinds of details, ultimately selecting five hundred people to enter Phoenix Hall, truly making it fair and open.

More than five hundred people would be eliminated in each of these two examination stages, so obtaining a Yanhuang Order did not mean one could enter Yanhuang Academy.

The rules of the other four halls were roughly the same. Myriad Beasts Hall also recruited five hundred people, Azure Hall seemed to recruit three hundred, while Origin Spirit Hall and Heavenly One Hall recruited two hundred each.

Those who passed both stages and became disciples of Yanhuang Academy were among the more than one thousand greatest talents in the entire Vermilion Bird Kingdom over the past four years.

There were more than two thousand cities like Lihuo City in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, so for remote cities, having even one Yanhuang Academy disciple was an honor.

Li Tianming looked over the requirements. Neither stage posed any difficulty for him, so he only hoped his turn would come quickly, allowing him to begin preparing for the ranking battle.

"My only disadvantage is my age. Since I'm older, they might deduct many points during the second-stage practical combat test. After all, between two people of the same cultivation level, one twenty and one fifteen, even if I defeat my opponent, they may not necessarily let me pass."

The five great halls had now begun the first stage of their examinations!

Ten "masters" presided over the Phoenix Hall examination!

A master's status, strength, and qualifications were all higher than those of an ordinary Yanhuang Academy teacher.

Basically, every Yanhuang Academy master controlled a class.

For example, Phoenix Hall recruited five hundred people every year, dividing them into ten beginner classes overseen by ten masters. Each master generally had several teachers under her who guided disciples in all aspects of cultivation, while disciples from intermediate and advanced classes also taught lessons.

Four years ago, Li Tianming had entered one of Phoenix Hall's ten beginner classes, "Mu Wan's Class," because the master responsible for Mu Wan's Class was named Mu Wan. Fang Zhao and Lin Qingyu had both been Li Tianming's classmates in Mu Wan's Class.

And today, among the ten masters responsible for the hall examination was Li Tianming's former Master Mu Wan!

Master Mu Wan was a woman of boundless charm. She was tall and slender, with a cold, beautiful face, the dream lover of many in the academy. Rumor had it that her cultivation was heaven-reaching. If not for her swift and decisive manner and her ** personality, which had frightened off many people and made many others feel ashamed of their own inadequacy, even more people would have pursued her.

Four years later, the disciples of Mu Wan's Class had advanced to the intermediate classes, and today she would be taking in new disciples again.

There were more than thirty masters in all of Phoenix Hall, showing the status masters held within Yanhuang Academy. They were not comparable to ordinary teachers. It was said that all academy masters came from Heavenly Court disciples, and Master Mu Wan herself had also been a Heavenly Court disciple more than ten years ago.

Li Tianming actually had a rather good impression of Master Mu Wan. She had once guided his cultivation. After the incident three years ago, she had also asked after his circumstances instead of keeping her distance from him like everyone else. In the end, she had been the one to suggest that he leave Yanhuang Hall first and had handled the procedures for him. Because she had completed those procedures in advance, he had not been expelled from Yanhuang Hall. If he had been expelled, he would have been stained by that mark and would not have been able to come here today.

"All disciples must first pass the examination, choose a master, and become beginner-class disciples. Only the first place in the ranking battle can enter the Heavenly Court directly. There is still some time before the ranking battle, so I should first choose to become Master Mu Wan's disciple before considering the ranking battle."

Li Tianming made his decision.

After all, among the ten masters, Master Mu Wan was the most popular with the boys. For instance, she was sitting atop the platform with her legs crossed, half of her snowy-white, slender thighs exposed. Though her face was frosty, the sight still made the young men drool...

"Li Tianming, you've been bewitched by beauty." The Little Yellow Chick was linked to his mind and could sense his thoughts even within the Companion Space...

"Bullshit. I'm simply honoring old ties and repaying kindness, understand?" Li Tianming said with a perfectly serious expression.

"Tsk, tsk. Then if you've got the ability, don't look at her legs."

"Everyone else can look, so why can't I?" Li Tianming declared righteously.

While he was whispering with the Little Yellow Chick, two ** gazes suddenly came from behind him. When he turned around, he saw a tall figure standing in line behind him, accompanied by a petite beauty.

"Li Tianming, why are you here?" Chen Ding of the Starfall Chamber of Commerce looked at him with contempt. The girl beside him was naturally Chen Ying.

Li Tianming had seen them at the Starfall Heavenly Palace. He had not expected them to come to Phoenix Hall as well. It seemed their Companion Beasts were both avian beasts.

"Why can't I come?" Li Tianming shrugged.

"Didn't your Companion Beast die? Could it be that you used a Blood God Contract to bind some trashy vicious beast?" Chen Ding looked at him with a half-smile.

"You guessed it. How clever." Li Tianming gave him a thumbs-up.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Don't you know any shame? You used a Blood God Contract to bind a Companion Beast, yet you still have the nerve to bring it to Yanhuang Academy. Don't you find it filthy?" Chen Ying curled her lips and spoke softly from the side.

"And you're overage, aren't you?" Chen Ding's gaze turned unfriendly.

"What the fuck does it have to do with you? If I got in, then I meet the requirements. Shut your mouths and stop meddling in my business." Li Tianming found these two mocking fools irritating. So young, yet without the slightest manners!

"You're courting death!" Chen Ding was enraged. He had not dealt with Li Tianming a few days ago, thinking the man was merely dust. Yet after a few sarcastic remarks, Li Tianming actually dared to call himself his father before him!

"Touch me and see what happens. Want the academy masters to throw you out?" Li Tianming sneered. There was truly no justice. Although his identity was special, did everyone who saw him really have to sneer at him a few times?

"Li Tianming, you're finished anyway. Brother Yao can't be bothered to deal with trash like you, but I'm different. You offended me, and once you leave the academy, I'll definitely crush you to death." Chen Ding lowered his voice, speaking like a beast roaring.

"That's right. I've never seen someone as fearless of death and shameless as you." Chen Ying said helplessly.

"Hehe, the two of you fools standing together look like a bear paired with a pheasant." Back in the day, Li Tianming had been someone who could anger people to death with just a few words...

The moment he said that, Chen Ding and Chen Ying's faces turned livid. If Chen Ying had not pulled him back, Chen Ding likely would truly have lost control and attacked someone at this time when fighting was forbidden.

"You don't accept being called a bear? Look at that idiotic expression you have while getting angry. Go look in a mirror." Li Tianming added with a smile.

"You street rat from three years ago, a molester who drugged and violated someone else, and you still dare come back and make a spectacle of yourself!" Chen Ying held Chen Ding back, but her scolding was anything but smooth.

"Have you finally remembered my true nature? Then you'd better be careful. I love drugging little girls around fifteen or sixteen." Li Tianming gave Chen Ying's figure a sinister look.

Chen Ying shrank back in fright, while Chen Ding was already so furious that his anger soared to the heavens, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Don't worry. You look very safe. With looks like yours, you'd only waste my drugs." Li Tianming curled his lip. Teasing these two young people put him in an excellent mood.

He left the two behind him with faces alternating between green and purple in rage, cursing incessantly, but Li Tianming turned a deaf ear.

He focused on the academy's first-stage test. His turn would come soon.

This stage was very simple. Beside each master stood a "Starstone," a special kind of Spirit Ore. By observing the star points in a Companion Beast's eyes, one could judge its grade, but the Starstone could make a more accurate and detailed judgment.

When Companion Beast blood was dripped onto the Starstone, it displayed one of seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—representing First-Order through Seventh-Order Companion Beasts. It could also distinguish upper, middle, and lower grades within the same order. For example, among Fifth-Order Companion Beasts, light cyan represented a lower-grade Fifth-Order Companion Beast, while deep cyan represented an upper-grade Fifth-Order Companion Beast.

Relying on star points alone, one could not determine upper, middle, and lower grades.

Besides determining grade, this stage of the hall examination also tested the Companion Beast's cultivation level. The masters tested this personally. With their cultivation, they only needed to take control with one hand to know the Companion Beast's realm.

Li Tianming saw that any Companion Beast below Fifth Order was basically eliminated regardless of cultivation level. Some lower-grade Fifth-Order Companion Beasts were also eliminated directly. Clearly, today's standards were even stricter. This step had not existed four years ago.

At that moment, a sudden commotion rose from the Yanhuang Battlefield.

The commotion came from the Myriad Beasts Hall side.

A dazzling blue light shone from there, incomparably deep.

"Chen Yao, Companion Beast: Six-Star Radiant Lion, an upper-grade Sixth-Order Companion Beast. Cultivation: third level of the Spirit Source Realm!"

This youth drew the admiration of the masses.

Because so far, he had the highest Companion Beast grade and the highest cultivation level.

Chen Yao stood there with deep eyes and a smile on his face. This was his moment beneath the gaze of countless people. He shone brilliantly, and he had long expected this scene. His strength and talent truly ranked among the best in the nation.

"Impressive."

"He's Sage Chen's youngest son. A tiger father truly breeds no dog son."

Voices of admiration sprang up naturally.

"Li Tianming, did you hear that? Do you understand what a gap is now? Brother Yao is only sixteen!" Chen Ying said impatiently.

Li Tianming could not be bothered with her, because it was almost his turn on Master Mu Wan's side.