Leaving

At the City Lord's Mansion, a teleportation array had been set up in the center of the training grounds.

Several figures stood there, looking at the young man before them.

"You little brat, leaving so soon."

Ying Longcheng roughly ruffled Bai Ye's white hair, his tone displeased.

Bai Ye hurriedly broke free. His long hair was casually tied behind him with a hair tie, making him look much cleaner and sharper than before.

Dressed in fitted clothes, he stood before the teleportation array and looked at the people gathered before him.

Ying Longcheng, Ying Xue'er, Qiu Zidao, Yan Meng, and San Yin, who had made time to come in place of her own master.

Yan Meng would be heading to Northern Azure Spiritual Academy with him. It had been her own request.

"It's not like I'm never coming back. Why make such a big fuss?"

"You brat, can't I be reluctant to see you go? You don't know what's good for you."

Ying Longcheng rolled his eyes.

Bai Ye smiled faintly.

"Then I'll stay?"

"Get lost, get lost, get lost. Get as far away from me as you can, brat. If someone beats you to tears out there, don't come crying back to me. It'd be humiliating."

Ying Longcheng spoke with an expression of utter disgust.

Bai Ye turned his gaze to Ying Xue'er, stepped forward twice, and directly placed a hand on her head.

"I'm leaving, little sister. Keep an eye on the Old Man. Don't let him touch the wine in the Wine Cellar. I still want to drink it when I come back."

"Hey, brat, I saved up those jars one by one!"

Ying Longcheng shouted.

Ying Xue'er raised her head and shot him a fierce glare. This peak Earth Supreme immediately shut his mouth.

Angry, but not daring to say a word.

"I will, Brother. I'll wait for you to come back."

A smile appeared on Ying Xue'er's face.

Bai Ye gently patted her head. "I'll come back."

Ying Longcheng was his home. It always would be.

He nodded to Qiu Zidao. Everything that needed to be said was left unspoken. For this scholar, a concerned greeting was no match for that simple nod.

This kind of friendship between gentlemen, light as water, was the farewell Qiu Zidao held in his heart.

Then Bai Ye looked toward San Yin.

"Give my regards to Third Mother and me."

"And?"

San Yin smiled sweetly, her smile beautiful.

Bai Ye smiled faintly. He understood what San Yin meant. "And Jiu Yin. Tell her I've left."

San Yin nodded to show that she understood.

Finally, Bai Ye turned to look at the City Lord's Mansion. He had lived here for seven years. Three years in Sin Domain, six years drifting from place to place—this vast City Lord's Mansion was where he had stayed the longest.

"Have you found your answer?"

Ying Longcheng asked softly.

Bai Ye knew what he meant.

"Who knows? I'll just take things as they come."

Just let nature take its course.

"Oh, right. I went into the Spirit Art Pavilion and took three spirit arts."

"I thought you didn't like cultivating those things?"

Ying Longcheng asked with a smile.

Bai Ye shook his head, recalling the battle from before.

"I suddenly felt like it wouldn't hurt to practice them."

He would grow stronger. Very, very strong.

"Old Man, these past ten-odd years, I've muddled through life and stumbled over countless hardships. But I've been lucky. I've always met benefactors along the way."

Bai Ye took a step forward and walked toward the teleportation array.

"You're one of my benefactors too."

Whoosh. Light flashed, and Bai Ye vanished into the teleportation array with Yan Meng.

Only the remaining few were left looking at one another.

"Little brat."

Ying Longcheng rubbed his nose, a gentle light flashing through his eyes.

"Don't cry. It's embarrassing."

Ying Xue'er said flatly.

"Tch, I wouldn't."

Ying Longcheng shook his head and turned to leave.

Such a stubborn old man.

In Ying Longcheng, Jiu Yin watched the light flare up at the City Lord's Mansion, her gaze dimming slightly.

"What, can't bear to see him go?"

Ba Yin's voice came from behind her. She had just finished a performance and come backstage to rest, only to find her younger sister standing here alone, staring blankly in the direction of the City Lord's Mansion.

Jiu Yin nodded without speaking.

Now it was Ba Yin's turn to be speechless. She had not expected Jiu Yin to admit it so openly.

She reached out and gently patted Jiu Yin's head.

"It's all right. He'll come back."

Jiu Yin looked at the distant light.

Would he come back?

At the same time, many others were watching in that direction.

Some were happy, some were saddened, and some breathed a sigh of relief.

Only Lin Yunsheng sat miserably in front of his own home, on the verge of tears.

Who would have thought that after hiding for so many days, Ying Madman would still give him a brutal beating before leaving?

If he had known, he would have stayed hidden outside. Why had he come home like an idiot?

"Are you Lin Yunsheng?"

Just then, a serious voice sounded.

Lin Yunsheng turned his head and saw a black-clad youth walking toward him.

Zhao Mingya?

"I am. Do you need something?"

Lin Yunsheng was puzzled. What could possibly connect him to this guy?

"I heard you're the strongest in this Hunting Tournament."

Zhao Mingya spoke seriously, battle intent blazing in his eyes.

He had heard that Bai Ye had come to challenge him before, which meant this guy was probably not weak.

"Fight me."

Lin Yunsheng's eyes filled with terror as he frantically shook his head.

"Don't come any closer—"

On this day, Bai Ye left the familiar Ying Longcheng. In the truest sense, he entered the Great Thousand World alone.

This was a vast and boundless land. The sky was azure, white clouds drifted overhead, mountains rose one after another, and forests stretched as far as the eye could see.

This was a world with a special existence.

As light surged, Bai Ye and Yan Meng appeared atop a high platform. The platform was packed with people, numbering several thousand.

Bai Ye and Yan Meng looked around.

"Quite a lot of people."

These people had all obtained places at Northern Azure Spiritual Academy.

Well, perhaps not all of them. Bai Ye and Yan Meng had gotten in through the back door, after all.

Noticing people curiously looking their way, Yan Meng hurriedly put on the hat she had prepared beforehand, covering her ears.

The Spirit Fox Clan was, in the end, still unable to openly show themselves.

"If even you believe that bloodline is lowly, then why did you come here?"

Bai Ye spoke calmly.

His words made Yan Meng pause slightly. She bit her lip, but in the end, she did not remove her hat.

She did not want to cause trouble, especially since she knew the boy beside her hated trouble most of all.

Bai Ye said nothing more and merely surveyed his surroundings. The spiritual energy fluctuations within these people were not weak. Even the weakest were at the early Spiritual Wheel Realm. Northern Azure Spiritual Academy did have some standards.

At the very least, it stood alongside Ten Thousand Phoenix Spiritual Academy, which was supported by the Wen Family of the Northern Domain, as one of the Five Great Academies. Its caliber spoke for itself.

"Interesting."

Boom. Just as Bai Ye was thinking this, a soft hum suddenly rang out from the center of the platform.

Everyone turned their gazes toward its source.

It was a stone monument. Flickering light burst from it, and before long, a Light Shadow took a step out and condensed into form.

"Good morning, little ones. Have you eaten breakfast?"

As everyone looked on in confusion, the Light Shadow spoke.

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes at the suddenly appearing Light Shadow.

Very strong. Though it was only an Avatar, its powerful aura leaked out without restraint.

"Ah, are you wondering where this is? Little ones, welcome to the Northern Azure Realm!"

He paused conspicuously, clearly waiting for the crowd to respond.

But the boys and girls on the platform were all chatting among themselves, leaving the Light Shadow abruptly awkward.

"Senior, what is the Northern Azure Realm?"

Bai Ye smiled faintly and spoke.

This Light Shadow was rather interesting.

Hearing someone respond, the Light Shadow immediately turned toward him and explained loudly, "Ahem. The Northern Azure Realm is the place our Northern Azure Spiritual Academy specifically uses to test students."

Now that they had gotten to the point, this area resembled the Ancient Spirit Realm of Ying Longcheng. The Ancient Spirit Realm's grounds were all simulated, but this place seemed like a genuine world.

As Bai Ye pondered this, the Light Shadow spoke again.

This time, he did not dare fool around. Instead, he began explaining in earnest.

"There are four Northern Azure Realms like this in total. There are several hundred high platforms like yours."

Whoosh. The crowd erupted into an uproar.

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. Several hundred platforms? Did that not mean there were hundreds of thousands of people taking the assessment?

That number was rather exaggerated.

"Quiet."

Buzz. The Light Shadow's voice spread outward, carrying immense pressure that instantly cowed the noisy crowd into silence.

Bai Ye felt that pressure.

What an enormous gap.

A Sovereign?

"Honestly, if you're going to make a fuss, at least wait until I finish explaining the rules." The Light Shadow coughed twice before continuing. "The Northern Azure Realm contains countless Spiritual Beasts and dangerous places. Your task is to overcome these difficulties and reach the Northern Azure Hall at the very center."

Northern Azure Hall—

That did not seem too—

"Wait, wait, wait. Surely no one actually thinks our assessment would be that simple, right?" The Light Shadow's voice was full of teasing. "All of you, come forward and touch this stone monument. Then I'll tell you something fun."

Everyone was stunned, unsure of what to make of it.

Still, some people followed the Light Shadow's instructions, stepping forward to touch the stone monument.

Then light flashed across the monument and shot directly at one person's forehead. In an instant, a dark yellow Mark appeared between his brows.

Looking closely, there seemed to be a hidden character for one within it.

"One, Level One."

Seeing someone try it, the others could no longer hold back and began trying one after another.

Yellow, yellow, yellow.

Red. Within the red marks, there seemed to be a three.

But after everyone had touched it, those with dark yellow marks were the majority.

It was an interesting phenomenon. Those with red Marks had far stronger spiritual energy fluctuations than those with yellow Marks.

Yan Meng took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward.

Though she could feel many people watching her, she gathered her courage and pressed her hand against the stone monument.

"Whoosh."

Red.

At the early Divine Soul Realm, receiving red did seem reasonable.

Yan Meng met Bai Ye's eyes. Bai Ye immediately moved, passing through the crowd and placing his hand on the stone monument.

Whoosh. Unlike every previous flash of light, this time, a golden Mark appeared on Bai Ye's forehead.

Gold?

"Level Five. I never thought I'd encounter a Core Quota on the platform I'm overseeing. Now that's a rare sight."

Light Shadow seemed rather surprised. Golden Marks were indeed rare; at least on the platform where these several thousand people stood, only one such golden mark had appeared.

"What does that mean?"

Bai Ye looked at Light Shadow and asked.

It was time to reveal the real rules.

"Don't be impatient. Allow me to explain in detail. These marks are divided into nine levels. Level one is an Initial Quota, level three is a Seed Quota, and level five is a Core Quota."

As he said this, Light Shadow deliberately looked in Bai Ye's direction.

It was not just him; many others also looked at Bai Ye.

"Now, this is where it gets interesting."

Light Shadow suddenly raised his voice, startling many unprepared students.

"Everyone with a mark below level four is unqualified. In other words, you have no right to enter the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy."

The moment those words came out, the platform erupted into commotion. What was this supposed to mean? Didn't that mean that, aside from that pretty boy with the Golden Mark, they would all be eliminated?

Why?

What was the point of coming here, then?

"Quiet."

Sound waves carrying the pressure of spiritual energy appeared once more, instantly suppressing the restless crowd.

"I never said you had no chance."

Light Shadow picked at his ear.

"Well, the level of these marks can be raised. There are Spiritual Beasts and natural Spirit Objects within the Northern Azure Realm, and both can increase the level of your mark."

Hearing this, the other students finally relaxed.

Bai Ye frowned slightly. Could it really be that simple?

"However..."

Sure enough, there was more to it.

"The fastest way to increase it is to seize someone else's mark. Convenient, isn't it? If you seize this level-five mark, you can immediately become level five yourselves."

As Light Shadow spoke, he made no attempt to hide his incitement of the others.

As expected, everyone's breathing grew rapid as they looked at those red marks and the Golden Mark above Bai Ye's head.

As long as...

The corners of Bai Ye's lips curled up slightly. These rules seemed rather interesting.

Seeing the looks in everyone else's eyes that they could no longer conceal, he tilted his head, excitement gleaming in his gaze.

He hated trouble, but he did not hate interesting trouble.

"Alright, that's it. Head for Northern Azure Hall with all you've got. The Northern Azure Spiritual Academy welcomes you."

Light Shadow stood at attention as he spoke, then pressed two fingers together and swept them across his forehead in a casual salute before vanishing from the platform.

"Oh, right. I forgot to remind you: the higher your mark's level, the greater the benefits when you enter the academy. So don't hold back. See that Golden Mark? A real man would just go for it."

After saying that, Light Shadow disappeared completely.

Yet at this moment, the atmosphere on the platform gradually turned strange.

Perhaps because of Light Shadow's final remark, everyone's eyes turned toward that golden mark.

Yan Meng edged slightly closer to Bai Ye. But when she looked up, she discovered that a smile had appeared on Bai Ye's face.

What a brilliant smile...