Opening Ceremony, Pagoda Training for New Students

Morning light pierced the thin mist, casting a touch of golden radiance over Myriad Manifestations Academy's black buildings. The central tower stood tall and imposing, the runes flowing across its tip seeming to breathe as they drew in and expelled the pure primal energy of heaven and earth. After several days of rest and preparation, the academy had reached a historic moment—its Opening Ceremony.

The vast Training Ground was solemn and hushed.

The eighteen new students selected through rigorous examinations had changed into Myriad Manifestations Academy's custom Student Uniforms—black as the main color, with dark silver cloud patterns along the collars and cuffs, and a miniature Nine-Story Demon Pagoda embroidered on their backs. Simple yet mysterious, the uniforms conveyed understated luxury and distinction. Arranged neatly by height, the students stood in formation, their young faces filled with tension, excitement, pride, and a trace of awe toward the unknown.

These eighteen were truly one in ten thousand. Apart from Huo Yun, the most gifted among them and already a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster, and Lin Xiaowan, the girl with the unusual Straw Martial Soul whom the dean had admitted by special exception, the rest were all determined individuals with outstanding potential. There was even a pair of twin brothers whose Martial Souls were Black and White Chessboards, a withdrawn youth with a Shadow Escape Beast Martial Soul, and a shy girl with a Healing Lily of the Valley Martial Soul... Their Martial Souls differed, but all of them had passed the harsh three-stage examination.

Before the new students stood the five "founding" students—Bing'er, Yan'er, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Ning Rongrong. They wore the same Student Uniforms, yet their bearing had already surpassed the ordinary. Like unsheathed swords and polished jade, they radiated a brilliance that won people's admiration, becoming the goals every new student looked up to.

Around the Training Ground, the guards transferred from the sect and the few core craftsmen who had remained also stood solemnly, witnessing the beginning of this newborn academy.

When the appointed time arrived.

Dong—!

At the summit of the tower, the enormous Bronze Bell rang once more. Its deep, distant chime cleansed the heart and echoed through every corner of the academy.

Everyone's gaze turned, as if by unspoken agreement, toward the High Platform before the Training Ground.

Space rippled faintly, and Qin Mo, dressed in a fitted dark silver outfit patterned with clouds, appeared soundlessly at the center of the High Platform. He was still young, and his frame even seemed somewhat slight upon the broad platform. Yet when his calm gaze swept over the crowd, an invisible, convincing authority naturally spread forth, silencing every whisper.

His eyes slowly passed over the eighteen youthful faces and saw the light in their eyes.

"From today onward, you are members of Myriad Manifestations Academy."

Qin Mo spoke in a clear voice. It was not loud, yet every person heard it distinctly, as though it had resounded directly within their hearts.

"This is not a place for pleasure, nor a secluded refuge from the world. This is a furnace, a battlefield, the beginning of the Path of the Strong—and perhaps... the end as well."

There was no impassioned incitement in his words, only calm statements. Yet they carried a cold truth that made many new students instinctively straighten their backs.

"Myriad Manifestations Academy teaches neither complacency nor mediocrity. It teaches only how to uncover your own limits, how to master the true essence of power, and how to... transcend the ordinary."

"Here, you will gain access to Cultivation Resources far beyond anything the outside world can imagine. In return, you will face training and competition far harsher than anything it can imagine. Resources will only favor the strong. The weak must earn even the right to breathe in primal energy with their sweat."

"The academy's first rule: The Strong are Respected, and The Capable Go First. Students of different grades and strengths receive different levels of resource access. Want more? Fine. Exchange your strength and contributions for it!"

"Second: Fellow Disciples Aid Each Other, and Private Fights are Forbidden. Settle any grievances on the Training Ground. If anyone dares to stab a fellow disciple in the back or harm one of their own, their cultivation will be crippled, they will be expelled from the academy, or even... Purged from the Sect!"

"Third: Loyalty to the Academy and Guard Secrets Strictly. Everything taught by the academy must not be passed on without permission. Violators will be treated as having committed Betrayal of the Sect!"

The three rules were simple and direct, yet steeped in iron-blooded severity and coldness. Every new student felt a chill in their hearts, completely abandoning any lingering thoughts of luck or carelessness.

"Now, I grant you your first privilege as students of Myriad Manifestations Academy." Qin Mo raised a hand and pointed toward the towering central pagoda. "This tower is called the Myriad Manifestations Pagoda. It is also the core of the academy's cultivation. Within it are Training Rooms, where the concentration of primal energy far exceeds that of the outside world."

At once, eager light burst from the new students' eyes. They had long been curious about that wondrous tower.

"Based on your current strength ratings, each of you may use your Student Token to claim the corresponding Pagoda Training Hours every month. Huo Yun, as the top scorer of this year's examination and rated Class A+, may enter the pagoda for twenty hours of cultivation each month."

Huo Yun's expression remained calm as he gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Dean." Yet a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Lin Xiaowan." Qin Mo's gaze fell upon the small, thin girl. "Although your talent is rated Class C-, your determination received an excellent evaluation. You are specially granted five hours each month."

Lin Xiaowan's little face flushed bright red with excitement, and she bowed deeply. "Th-thank you, Dean!" To her, five hours were already an immense blessing.

The other new students received quotas ranging from five to fifteen hours according to their examination results. Everyone understood that these Pagoda Training Hours were likely one of the academy's most vital resources, incomparably precious.

"I have given you this privilege. Whether you can seize it, whether you can transform yourselves, depends entirely on you." Qin Mo concluded, "Remember what was said today. Cultivate diligently without cease. Do not waste your youth, and do not disgrace... the name of Myriad Manifestations."

The Opening Ceremony was brief and efficient. There were no long speeches or empty encouragements, only clear rules and tangible resource allocations. Yet that only made every new student feel even greater pressure and motivation.

After the ceremony ended, an Academic Affairs deacon immediately stepped forward—a Soul Saint-level elder transferred from the sect—and led the new students to their respective dormitories, familiarized them with the academy grounds, and distributed their Student Tokens and basic cultivation supplies.

The new students curiously examined the academy, which resembled a fortress of the future, finding everything novel. When they received the warm-to-the-touch Student Tokens engraved with their names and the demon pagoda emblem, along with bottles of high-quality Auxiliary Cultivation Pills, they once again felt the academy's extravagance and extraordinary nature.

The true shock came that afternoon.

When the new students first used their tokens to enter the Training Rooms on the first floor of the mysterious Myriad Manifestations Pagoda, their hearts full of excitement and nervousness—

Boom!

It was as if an invisible tsunami had crashed straight into them!

The primal energy of heaven and earth, so dense it had nearly turned liquid, instantly engulfed them! Every breath felt like directly devouring the purest Soul Power. Every limb and bone rejoiced in comfort, and their Soul Power Growth was several times faster than outside!

"Heavens... Th-this is cultivation inside the pagoda?!" "It's so fast! My Soul Power is growing like crazy!" "No wonder... No wonder the senior students are so strong! Cultivating here for one day is worth ten days outside!"

All the new students went completely wild! At last, they understood just how precious those Pagoda Training Hours were! At last, they understood why the academy's examinations were so strict! With such a secret cultivation ground, admitting mediocre talents would be the true waste!

Even Huo Yun, whose resolve was the steadiest among them, could not help but breathe more quickly after experiencing that terrifying cultivation speed. Unprecedented fighting spirit burned in his eyes. He had to reach Level 30 as soon as possible and obtain his Third Soul Ring. Only then could he earn a higher rating and exchange it for more cultivation time!

As for Lin Xiaowan, with her Straw Martial Soul, she was so excited that tears streamed down her face. She had never imagined that someone with a Waste Martial Soul like hers could enjoy such a miraculous holy land for cultivation. She clenched her fists tightly and silently swore that she would work with all her might. She would never let down the dean's special admission or this hard-won opportunity!

The entire academy sank into an atmosphere of frenzied yet orderly cultivation.

At the top of the tower, inside the Dean's Office.

The light screen before Qin Mo displayed the real-time energy flow and student conditions in every Training Room within the pagoda.

At his side, Ning Rongrong cast the Light of Assistance from her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, helping Qin Mo more clearly sense and record data such as every student's affinity with primal energy and their Absorption Efficiency.

"Dean, the quality of this batch of new students is indeed very high." Ning Rongrong looked at several particularly bright data points on the light screen and could not help but praise them. "Especially Huo Yun. His absorption and conversion efficiency for primal energy is nearly as fast as mine. And Lin Xiaowan—although her Soul Power is weak, her affinity with primal energy, especially her perception of Life Energy, seems exceptionally high?"

Qin Mo nodded slightly. "Raw jade needs carving. Send word that the first academy-wide Monthly Assessment will be held in three days. Their results will directly affect their Resource Quotas for next month."

"Yes!" Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, and she immediately became energized. A Monthly Assessment meant the competition had begun!

The news quickly spread.

The already diligent new students became even more driven, throwing themselves madly into cultivation. Once their Pagoda Training Hours were used up, they trained desperately in the Simulated Environment or the cultivation grounds outside. No one was willing to fall behind.

Huo Yun barely slept, using every moment apart from necessary rest to assault the Level 30 bottleneck. Lin Xiaowan repeatedly tried to use her Straw Martial Soul to sense and guide the Life Energy. Though her progress was slow, she never tired of it. The twin brothers with Black and White Chessboard Martial Souls began attempting to practice a peculiar Martial Soul Fusion Skill. The youth with the Shadow Escape Beast Martial Soul constantly moved through the shadows, honing his concealment and ambush techniques.

The entire Myriad Manifestations Academy began operating at full speed like a precise and efficient machine.

At the same time, the watchful eyes beyond the academy's perimeter did not diminish. Instead, with the academy's official opening, they became even more numerous.

Undercurrents continued to surge.

But at this moment, the academy's students had only one thought in their hearts—become stronger! Within this miraculous academy, seize every opportunity and grow stronger with everything they had!