Ye Xuan gazed at Sky-Mending Pavilion, which had stood tall for countless years, a glimmer flashing deep in his Double Pupils.
This would be the first stop on Shi Hao's rise.
It would also become the center where the winds and clouds gathered.
"Let's go down."
Ye Xuan spoke calmly.
"Caw—!"
The Azure Sky Roc let out a piercing cry that seemed to split metal and stone.
The terrifying pressure of a king at the peak of the Array Forming Realm burst forth without restraint.
The noisy crowd before the mountain gate fell silent in an instant.
Everyone looked up in terror.
They saw a massive blue divine bird blotting out the sky, descending like a dark cloud.
Howling winds buffeted the so-called geniuses, still in the Blood Moving Realm or Cave Heaven Realm, sending them staggering and leaving their faces deathly pale.
"Is that... a Primordial Remnant Species?"
"My heavens! A vicious bird in the Array Forming Realm!"
"Has some great figure come here?"
Under the crowd's awestruck gazes,
the Azure Sky Roc slowly landed on a huge boulder before the mountain gate.
Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the masses below.
Little Shi Hao jumped down. Though he was small, his fearless, upstart bravado was in no way lacking.
"Little Dot."
Ye Xuan pointed toward the towering mountain gate, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"Go on."
"This is where you'll begin making a name for yourself across the Desolate Domain!"
"Remember, don't make me clean up after you."
"If anyone refuses to accept you, beat him until he does!"
Little Shi Hao grinned, showing a row of small white teeth.
"Don't worry, Big Brother!"
"I'll show them what it means to be the Young Supreme who loves drinking beast milk most!"
Ye Xuan: "..."
Loves drinking beast milk most?
At those words, the corner of Ye Xuan's mouth twitched a few times.
A vast shadow fell over Sky-Mending Pavilion's mountain gate.
The Azure Sky Roc, at the peak of the Array Forming Realm, folded its wings and hovered in midair.
Though it made no deliberate show of its ferocity, the oppressive aura of its Primordial Demonic Bird bloodline still left the young geniuses below, who had come to seek instruction, pale-faced and trembling at the knees.
This was a king-level vicious bird.
In the Eight Lower Realms, beings of this caliber often served as the guardian Sacrificial Spirits of ancient kingdoms. Now, one was docilely serving as a mount.
"Which senior has come to Sky-Mending Pavilion?"
An old voice, yet full of vigor, rang out from deep within the pavilion.
Immediately afterward, several streaks of light shot into the sky.
At their head was an old man in gray robes, with white hair and beard and deep-set eyes.
Faint runic light swirled around him, and each step he took caused the void to tremble slightly.
He was none other than the Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion.
Behind him followed the Four Elders, their hair and beards white, all wearing grave expressions.
They had assumed that a pure-blooded creature from some Primordial Divine Mountain had arrived with its offspring to gain experience. After all, this kind of spectacle hardly seemed like something humans would arrange.
However, when they saw the white-clad figure atop the bird's back, the gravity in their eyes instantly turned to astonishment.
A human?
It was actually a human youth?
Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back atop the Azure Sky Roc's head.
He made no effort to conceal his aura. The pressure of a peak Venerable flowed forth naturally, like a mighty river.
Before that pressure, the Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion—at the peak of the Array Forming Realm and only half a step from the Venerable Realm—felt his breathing catch, as if a mountain had settled on his chest.
A powerhouse.
An absolute powerhouse.
This youth was even ten times more terrifying than the Azure Sky Roc.
The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion drew a deep breath, suppressed his shock, and clasped his hands in greeting, his manner exceedingly courteous.
"This old man is the Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion. May I ask which Daoist friend has come to visit?"
In this world, strength was supreme, and the stronger one was the senior.
Though Ye Xuan looked young, his cultivation was enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Sect Masters of the various great sects.
Ye Xuan gave a slight nod and returned the greeting, neither humble nor arrogant.
"I am Ye Xuan. I've brought my younger brother, Shi Hao, to cultivate at your pavilion for a while."
His calm voice carried clearly across the mountain gate.
The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion froze.
He'd brought his younger brother to cultivate?
He instinctively looked behind Ye Xuan.
There stood a little boy still drinking beast milk, his wide eyes curiously taking in his surroundings.
That was it?
A Venerable-level Great Power had personally brought a baby here to seek instruction?
"Daoist friend, you're too kind."
The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion was, after all, the leader of a sect. He reacted quickly, a smile immediately spreading across his face.
"Since he's Daoist Ye's younger brother, he must naturally have exceptional talent. Sky-Mending Pavilion welcomes talented people from all under heaven. We couldn't ask for more!"
Having a Venerable owe him a favor was a deal that could only pay off.
"Thank you, Master."
Ye Xuan nodded, then changed the subject, turning his gaze toward the cloud-shrouded area deep within Sky-Mending Pavilion.
"Besides arranging for my younger brother to study here, I have one other request."
The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion's heart skipped a beat. "Please, go ahead."
"I'd like to visit your Ancient Sacred Academy."
The moment he said this, the entire place fell silent.
The expressions of the Four Elders standing behind the Master changed at once.
"Absolutely not!"
One elder couldn't help speaking up.
"The Ancient Sacred Academy is a Forbidden Zone of Sky-Mending Pavilion. Only the most outstanding disciples of each generation have the chance to enter. Outsiders are forbidden from setting foot inside!"
The other elders said nothing, but their expressions were just as resolute.
This was a rule handed down by their ancestors, and the source of their sect's legacy. How could they let an outsider casually peer inside?
The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion also looked troubled.
"Daoist Ye, this..."
Ye Xuan's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected this reaction.
His Double Pupils opened and closed slightly, Chaos Qi swirling within them. His gaze seemed to pierce through the years and glimpse the Ancient Vine, on the verge of withering away, in Sky-Mending Pavilion.
"Everyone, rules are dead, but people are alive."
Ye Xuan looked at the Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion, his voice calm but striking to the heart.
"I can see your pavilion's fortunes are flourishing like a raging fire, but beneath that prosperity, a Great Calamity is approaching."
"Your Sacrificial Spirit is dying, and wolves are circling."
"Once this Great Calamity erupts, whether Sky-Mending Pavilion can survive will be anyone's guess."
The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion shuddered, his pupils contracting sharply.
The fact that their Sacrificial Spirit was nearing its end was Sky-Mending Pavilion's greatest secret. Only he and a few core elders knew of it.
How had this youth seen through it?
"What do you mean by that, Daoist friend?" The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion's voice tightened.
"If you let me enter the Ancient Sacred Academy,"
Ye Xuan said confidently, hands behind his back,
"when Sky-Mending Pavilion faces trouble in the future, I will lend you my aid."
"I'll ensure your Dao Lineage survives."
Those words carried immense weight.
The Four Elders exchanged glances. They wanted to object, but didn't dare.
A Venerable's promise was priceless.
If the Sacrificial Spirit truly fell, Sky-Mending Pavilion would face annihilation.
When that happened, an outside ally at the Venerable level might be their only lifeline.
The Master of Sky-Mending Pavilion fell silent for a long while.
He weighed his options.
On one side was a rule they had always upheld; on the other, the survival of their sect.
At last, he raised his head, a decisive glint flashing in his eyes.
"Very well!"
"Since Daoist Ye has asked, I'll make the decision and break the rule this once."
"You may enter the Ancient Sacred Academy."
A smile tugged at Ye Xuan's lips.
"The Master is indeed a man of discernment."
The deal was done.
At the Assessment Arena outside the mountain gate,
the place was already packed with people.
Talented youths from the various ancient kingdoms and the estates of kings and marquises had gathered there, each one distinguished in appearance and carrying an air of confidence.
By comparison,
the little boy carrying a bundle bigger than himself and clutching a milk jar looked especially conspicuous.
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