"The Name 'Reversing the Mortal World'"

"Reversing the Mortal World!"

When those two words, brimming with endless defiance and soaring heroic spirit, rang out clearly and thunderously from the supremely authoritative mouth of Chu Tianxing, the Vice Dean of the Outer Academy, echoing through every corner of the Mission Hall, an epic storm that had long been pushed to its climax finally received its most brilliant and stirring coronation!

After ten breaths of deathly silence, the entire Mission Hall instantly drowned beneath earth-shaking cheers bursting forth like collapsing mountains and tsunami waves, filled with boundless fervor and worship!

"Reversing the Mortal World! Reversing the Mortal World! Reversing the Mortal World!"

"Heavens! Am I dreaming? The academy... the academy actually made an exception and established an entirely new class for them, one that stands above Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow!"

"With a mortal body, walk against the current and slay immortals! Good! What a 'Reversing the Mortal World'! This name is simply... simply tailor-made for them!"

"From today onward, the Outer Academy of Cloud Creek Academy will no longer be an era where the Heavenly Martial Society reigns alone! A new immortal legend, one capable of rivaling the sun and moon in brilliance, will officially rise from this day forth!"

For all those ordinary students who had previously developed a trace of fanatical worship for Lin Xiao because of his bold words, the flame of hope in their hearts, long mercilessly extinguished by cruel reality, was completely reignited beneath Chu Tianxing's final announcement, filled with supreme authority!

And it burned more fiercely and brilliantly than ever before!

One by one, they no longer cared about the terrifying pressure emanating from the academy's upper echelons. Like the most fanatical believers who had witnessed the god they worshipped descend into the mortal world, they used every ounce of strength in their bodies to madly roar that immortal designation destined to leave a bold and vivid mark upon Cloud Creek Academy's history!

—Reversing the Mortal World!

On the other side.

The core members of the various factions who had previously been full of schadenfreude and disdain toward Lin Xiao and the others now had faces as gray as ashes!

Like remnants of an old dynasty watching a new king ascend the throne, they could only stare blankly, with endless terror and despair in their eyes, at that lean figure receiving the worship of countless fervent gazes.

Only one thought remained in their hearts.

It was over.

The good days of their respective factions throwing their weight around, living in comfort and pleasure within the Outer Academy of Cloud Creek Academy, were likely at an end!

Lin Xiao paid no attention to the crazed cheers around him, waves rising higher than waves in a tsunami.

He merely turned around and bowed deeply, neither servile nor overbearing, toward Chu Tianxing, the Vice Dean of the Outer Academy, who was watching him with a gratified and approving expression, as well as the academy higher-ups behind him, whose expressions were equally complicated.

"This student, Lin Xiao, thanks the Vice Dean on behalf of every member of the 'Reversing the Mortal World' class!"

"Hahaha, good, good, good!" The smile on Chu Tianxing's face grew even broader. "No need for such formalities! This is glory that you and your team won honorably with your blood and strength! You deserve it without shame!"

With that, he turned around. His authoritative gaze slowly swept across the several thousand students present, who had already quieted considerably due to his arrival, before he announced once more in a resonant voice that brooked no doubt.

"From today onward, the 'Reversing the Mortal World' class will officially take up residence in Tingzhu Pavilion, located at the very heart of the Outer Academy's spiritual vein!"

"The resource allocation and permission rank of every member shall be equivalent to that of the Chief Instructor of Heaven Class One!"

"The class's daily instruction and cultivation will be personally overseen by this old man!"

Boom!

Chu Tianxing's words were like an even more terrifying bomb than before, exploding thunderously in everyone's hearts once again!

Tingzhu Pavilion!

That was the legendary sacred cultivation ground with the densest spiritual energy and most tranquil environment in the entire Outer Academy!

It was said to have once been the secluded cultivation residence of a legendary dean of Cloud Creek Academy who had ascended to the higher realm! It had always remained sealed, and even the Chief Instructor of Heaven Class One was not qualified to step even half a pace inside!

Yet now, Chu Tianxing had directly allocated that precious land, enough to drive anyone mad with envy, to this newly established "Reversing the Mortal World" class?!

And he was even going to teach them personally?!

This... this was no longer favoritism!

He was clearly nurturing them at any cost as the future pillars of the academy!

"Alright." Chu Tianxing ignored the eyes of the crowd, already completely reddened by jealousy and envy. He turned to Lin Xiao and the young men and women behind him, who were likewise stunned, and revealed a gentle smile. "You have just gone through a brutal battle. You are all injured and undoubtedly exhausted."

"Come with me first."

"This old man will show you your future new home."

With a sweep of his sleeve, a gentle yet irresistible force instantly enveloped Lin Xiao and the fifteen members of the "Reversing the Mortal World" class.

Then, beneath countless gazes filled with fervor and envy.

Their figures vanished out of thin air from the already overcrowded Mission Hall, as though they had teleported.

When Lin Xiao regained his vision, he found himself in a secluded paradise filled with tranquility and poetry.

Beneath his feet lay a snow-white path paved with some unknown kind of warm, lustrous jade.

Beside him was a jade-green lake so clear that one could see its bottom, with colorful koi occasionally swimming joyfully within it.

At the center of the lake stood an exquisite antique bamboo pavilion brimming with Dao Charm.

Around the bamboo pavilion stretched a vast, boundless forest of purple bamboo, swaying in the wind and producing pleasant rustling sounds!

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, more than ten times denser and purer than that in the Heaven Class area, blanketed this isolated blessed land like thick fog that could never disperse!

Merely taking a breath here made Lin Xiao's long-dried and depleted meridians feel an unprecedented comfort and nourishment!

This was Tingzhu Pavilion!

"How is it?"

Stroking his beard, Chu Tianxing smiled as he watched the young men and women, already too stunned by the dreamlike sight before them to speak. His face bore the smug pride of an elder showing off a treasured collection to juniors.

"Are you satisfied with the cultivation environment here?"

"Sat... satisfied! More than satisfied!"

Before Lin Xiao could speak, an honest voice filled with boundless surprise and excitement impatiently rang out.

It was Shi Lei.

At some point, he had already finished dealing with matters at the Discipline Hall. Together with Monkey and the remaining dozen or so team members, he had been transported here by Chu Tianxing's great divine ability.

At this moment, they looked like country bumpkins entering a city for the first time, gazing everywhere with utterly unpromising expressions as exclamations of endless astonishment continuously poured from their mouths!

"Hahaha." The smile on Chu Tianxing's face deepened. "Good that you like it."

His smile gradually faded, and a trace of solemnity flashed through his cloudy old eyes.

"Lin Xiao."

"This student is here."

"You have just experienced a brutal fight to the death. Both your bodies and minds have reached the limit, on the brink of collapse."

"So from today onward, this old man is granting you a month-long break."

"During this month, you need not attend any classes, nor do you need to carry out any missions."

"The only thing you need to do is rest and recuperate properly within Tingzhu Pavilion, restoring yourselves to your absolute peak state!"

"At the same time, properly digest the enormous harvest from this expedition, one enough to make anyone green with envy!"

"One month from now, this old man will personally come to assess your cultivation results."

"At that time, I hope to see a brand-new, true 'Reversing the Mortal World' capable of making the entire Outer Academy tremble!"

Having said that, he did not linger in the slightest. He nodded approvingly at Lin Xiao, and his figure silently dispersed from where he stood like a wisp of green smoke.

Leaving behind only thirty young men and women who remained immersed in immense happiness and shock, unable to come back to their senses for a long while.

As well as a brand-new future filled with endless opportunities and challenges!

That night.

While every member of the "Reversing the Mortal World" class had entered deep cultivation and recovery within the bamboo pavilion, where the spiritual energy was abundant enough to intoxicate anyone.

Lin Xiao, their Chief Instructor, did not immediately tend to his terrifying injuries, which had already reached the brink of collapse.

Instead, he sat alone in meditation upon the stargazing platform at the top of the bamboo pavilion.

He arranged all the spoils gained from this journey into the Black Wind Mountain Range before him according to category.

The reckoning began!

First came the vast number of merit points, enough to drive any faction completely mad!

[Mission reward: points]

[Heavenly Martial Society members' Storage Bag inventory: points]

[Wu Tianxiong's storage ring inventory: points]

[Total: points!]

Looking at the long string of terrifying astronomical figures on his Chief Instructor jade plaque, enough to make any normal person suffocate completely!

Even with Lin Xiao's composure, his heart, normally as still as an ancient well, could not help but twitch violently!

One hundred ninety thousand!

A full one hundred ninety thousand merit points!

What kind of concept was that?!

One had to know that when he had equipped every member of Yellow Class Nine with a basic set of cultivation gear, he had nearly emptied all his savings and spent only a little over twenty thousand points!

Yet the huge sum now in his hands was enough to arm that former Yellow Class Nine from head to toe nine entire times!

"With this money, let alone... even doubling the strength of every member of the 'Reversing the Mortal World' class within ten days would be no difficult matter!"

A brilliant light called ambition flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes!

Next, his gaze slowly shifted toward the mountain-like pile of pills, spirit stones, and various heavenly treasures.

These were likewise immense fortunes looted from the unlucky "transport brigade" of the Heavenly Martial Society!

If their total value were converted into merit points, it would likely be another terrifying figure no less than one hundred thousand!

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xiao directly selected thirty portions of the mildest and most effective third-tier upper-grade healing elixirs and foundation-strengthening pills.

Once dawn arrived, he planned to distribute them to Shi Lei and the others, helping them thoroughly eliminate every hidden injury and lingering danger left behind by this desperate battle in the shortest possible time!

Only after finishing all this did his gaze finally fall upon those several Profound-Tier Cultivation Method manuals emanating powerful Spiritual Energy fluctuations!

Among them was none other than Wu Tianxiong's famous Profound Grade Upper Tier Art—the Great Sun Burning Heaven Art!

As well as the Profound Grade Upper Tier sword art awarded for the "perfect" rating on the High-level B-grade Mission—the Rushing Thunder Swordplay!

Without a second thought, Lin Xiao placed these two supreme arts, which any Outer Academy student would fight until their heads bled to seize, directly into his Storage Bag.

He had no intention of keeping them for himself.

Rather, he planned to thoroughly study these two arts, discard their dross and retain their essence, then simplify and improve them into new versions best suited for the members of the "Reversing the Mortal World" class before teaching them.

This was the greatest source of confidence and advantage possessed by him, who had the System!

As for the remaining dozen or so Yellow Grade Upper Tier and Profound Grade Lower Tier martial arts looted from the other members of the Heavenly Martial Society, he did not overlook them either.

"System! Absorb all these cultivation methods for me! Disassemble them! Integrate them into my martial arts database!"

[Ding! Instruction received!]

[Cultivation method absorption in progress...]

[Blazing Sun Saber Technique analysis successful! Saber technique database completion +0.8%!]

[Gale Sword Art analysis successful! Swordplay database completion +0.6%!]

[...]

[Congratulations, Host! The martial arts database has successfully recorded over one thousand martial arts above Yellow Grade! Additional experience reward: points!]

Listening to the pleasant System notification that suddenly sounded in his mind, a faint smile finally appeared on Lin Xiao's face, one that came from the bottom of his heart.

Ten thousand experience points!

This was truly an unexpected delight!

Adding the more than three thousand experience points he had accumulated in the Black Wind Mountain Range before this.

As well as the five thousand experience points awarded for completing the High-level B-grade Mission.

His total experience had now reached the extremely terrifying amount of over eighteen thousand points!

Enough for him to do many, many things!

"System!" Lin Xiao no longer hesitated at all and directly issued the first, as well as most important, command since his awakening!

"Consume five thousand experience points! Repair all damage to my martial arts foundation caused by this battle!"

[Ding! Instruction received! Deducting 5000 experience points!]

[Dao foundation repair program activated!]

[Repairing... 1%... 10%... 50%... 100%!]

[Repair complete! Congratulations, Host! All hidden injuries have been completely removed! Martial arts foundation stabilized as before!]

"Bzzz—!"

As the System notification fell.

An incredibly warm and vibrantly life-filled strange current suddenly rose from every limb and bone in Lin Xiao's body!

In an instant, it flowed throughout his entire body!

He could feel his meridians and physical body, which had been riddled with holes and nearly collapsed after forcibly using "Reversing the Mortal World," rapidly repairing and reforming at a terrifying speed visible to the naked eye beneath the nourishment of that warm energy, like divine sweet rain. In the end, they became even tougher and stronger than before he had been injured!

Even that trace of a Dao foundation crack, enough to make any genius despair, was completely smoothed over in an instant!

"Huu..."

Lin Xiao slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air carrying faint dark-red blood threads. His face, which had remained somewhat pale, finally regained a trace of color.

He could clearly feel that his body had never been as light and powerful as it was now!

Yet he did not stop there.

"System! Inject all my remaining experience into my cultivation realm!"

He wanted to strike while the iron was hot!

Using the extremely precious trace of martial insight gained from fighting a Half-step Spirit Movement expert to the death, along with the immense resources enough to make anyone jealous, he would forcibly push his cultivation to an entirely new height!

—Body Refinement Ninth Level!

[Ding! Instruction received! Injecting thirteen thousand experience points...]

"Boom—!"

A terrifying torrent of energy, more than ten times vaster and purer than what had repaired his Dao foundation earlier, erupted thunderously within his body like the Nine Heavens Milky Way bursting through a broken dam!

At the same time, Lin Xiao no longer hesitated in the slightest. He crazily stuffed the dozen or so bottles of third-tier upper-grade cultivation elixirs he had long prepared, looted from Wu Tianxiong's storage ring, into his mouth as though they were sugar beans!

Two torrents of terrifying energy, enough to instantly burst any ordinary Body Refinement Eighth Level cultivator apart, converged and collided madly within his body, finally transforming into an unstoppable flood of advancement!

It crashed violently against the solid barrier he had already touched countless times!

The night passed without incident.

When the first wisp of purple qi at dawn pierced through the clouds and fell upon this tranquil forest of purple bamboo.

An immensely powerful aura, far more terrifying and condensed than yesterday's, shot into the sky from the top floor of that antique bamboo pavilion like an ancient dragon that had slumbered for hundreds of millions of years finally awakening!

Straight into the clouds!