You All Come at Once, I Don't Want to Waste Time Here

The next day, Wu Yong and the other four among this year's top five in the Inner Academy Selection Tournament arrived at the Vice Dean's office.

The fact that the top five of every Inner Academy Selection Tournament received special rewards was no secret within the academy. Basically, every class mentor would mention it to the geniuses in their class.

"Vice Dean."

"Mm. Since everyone is here, follow this old man."

Vice Dean Hu Gan glanced at the five youths before him, his gaze lingering slightly longer on the boy whose face carried a hint of indifference.

He could not help but feel surprised. This little fellow had entered the academy less than two years ago, yet he had gone from a Five-Star Dou Zhe to a Dou Ling. His progress was truly astonishing!

Even more rare was that his aura showed not the slightest sign of instability.

Such cultivation talent was genuinely enviable.

After walking for over half an hour, they followed Hu Gan to a quiet and spacious valley.

Golden sunlight spilled down, making the valley appear bright and open, carrying the pastoral charm of picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge.

Wu Yong silently thought that he should find himself a similar valley someday and live there in seclusion.

Before long, a Library Pavilion that had stood for several centuries appeared in their sight.

When they were about thirty meters from the Library Pavilion, Hu Gan suddenly stopped. He bowed toward it and said, "The top five of this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament have been decided. I have brought them here. I ask the elders to open the door."

His voice, wrapped in Dou Qi, echoed through the valley for a long time. The others were no fools, and they quickly followed his example, bowing toward the Library Pavilion.

Wu Yong seemed to sense something and raised his head, only to see two gray-robed figures standing before the Library Pavilion at some unknown moment.

He immediately lowered his head again.

These two were true big shots, figures worthy of Wu Yong's admiration. Even in the Central Plains, they would be formidable experts.

Two peak Nine-Star Dou Zongs—if no Dou Zun appeared, who could claim to be their match?

At the same time, the two gray-robed figures who had just appeared roughly sensed the auras of this year's top five. Without saying anything, they prepared to open the Spatial Lock.

Clearly, Wu Yong was not worthy of any special attention from them.

Thinking about it carefully, that made sense. They had lived for centuries; what genius had they not seen?

He was neither an Alchemist, nor did he possess a heavenly treasure like Heavenly Flames.

He was merely cultivating a little faster than others. It was nothing remarkable.

However, while the two elders paid little attention to Wu Yong, Wu Yong kept using the wind between heaven and earth to sense the spatial fluctuations around them as they opened the Spatial Lock.

As the spatial fluctuations gradually settled, Wu Yong snapped out of his daze and followed Hu Gan into the Spatial Lock.

"You have one hour. The items inside are protected by energy barriers. If you can take something, you may keep it. If you cannot, switch to another one quickly. Each person may only take one item. When time is up, you must come out even if you have obtained nothing."

Hu Gan succinctly explained the rules of entering the Library Pavilion to the five of them.

They nodded repeatedly and entered the mysterious Library Pavilion one after another.

The light inside the Library Pavilion was somewhat dim, relying entirely on the energy barriers along the surrounding walls for illumination.

While the others were still puzzled, a sharp rushing sound rang out. Wu Yong's figure flashed, and he grabbed a ball of light in his hand.

The others quickly gathered around, looking curiously at Wu Yong.

"A earth-attribute Xuan-tier Dou Technique. Does anyone want it?"

Wu Yong shook the energy ball in his hand and looked at them.

They hurriedly shook their heads. Every one of them already had Xuan-tier Dou Techniques, and none of them had earth attributes.

Seeing this, Wu Qing tentatively released the energy ball in his hand. In the next instant, it flew back into an energy barrier like a swallow returning to its nest.

More whistling sounds rang out as colorful balls of light shot out from the energy barriers, dazzling them all.

Watching the others leap about, Wu Yong shook his head and directly communicated with the wind, asking it to help him find something suitable.

About three minutes later, a cyan ball of light flew out from an energy barrier and was steadily caught by a large hand.

"Low-tier Earth Dou Technique: Gale Seal?"

Wu Yong reached through the energy barrier and took out the cyan scroll, keeping it as a backup choice.

How should he put it? Though he had indeed wanted an Earth-tier Cultivation Technique or Dou Technique before, now that he had truly obtained one, he felt dissatisfied instead. He wanted something even better!

After all, less than five minutes had passed, and he had already obtained a Low-tier Earth Dou Technique.

In the remaining fifty-plus minutes, perhaps Wu Yong could obtain an even higher-tier cultivation technique or Dou Technique.

Time passed bit by bit. Wu Yong acted only a handful of times, but every item he obtained was a treasure of Earth tier or above.

Half an hour passed when Wu Yong suddenly sensed an energy ball whose fluctuations alternated between strong and weak.

His figure flashed, and he caught the cyan-glowing energy ball whose aura kept waxing and waning.

With just one glance, Wu Yong immediately decided on his choice.

After taking the cyan scroll out of the energy barrier, Wu Yong threw out the Earth-tier mid-tier cultivation technique scroll from his Storage Ring.

Earth-tier cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques were certainly rare, but for Wu Yong, it was not as though he would be unable to obtain them in the future.

Besides, with the [Son of Wind] talent, his control over the energy of heaven and earth would only grow more effortless. Even a Xuan-tier Dou Technique could display Earth-tier power in his hands.

On the Dou Qi Continent, what was truly rare was a suitable Secret Art, especially for a lone wanderer like Wu Yong.

A Secret Art that could let him unleash greater strength in a short period could save his life at a critical moment!

Secret Art: Wind and Cloud Transformation: A wind-attribute Secret Art. Those who cultivate this Secret Art can temporarily unleash power beyond their original level, but this power lasts only a short time, and using it will leave them in a weakened state.

Note: The greater the user's affinity with wind-attribute energy, the greater the power unleashed by the Secret Art, the longer its duration, and the weaker its negative effects.

Very soon, an hour passed, and the five walked out of the Library Pavilion with smiles on their faces.

Seeing their expressions, Hu Gan knew that their gains must have been quite good.

After warning them not to spread word of this place, Hu Gan slowly led the five out of the area covered by the Spatial Lock and bid farewell to the two elders.

Although he had left, Wu Yong continued using the wind to sense the spatial fluctuations.

After returning to his dormitory, Wu Yong felt the sensations transmitted back by the wind and pondered for a long time.

Following the feeling in his heart, Wu Yong began gesturing in the air before him with his fingers.

Then, at a certain moment, prompted by the wind around him, Wu Yong seemed to understand something. He abruptly tapped the space before him, and a tiny transparent ripple flashed before his eyes and vanished.

"Hehe... Hahahahaha..."

Wu Yong suppressed his laughter as he slapped the table beside him. Only after wrapping the surrounding space with wind did he burst into uninhibited laughter.

After laughing wildly, Wu Yong wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. His tone was complicated as he kept looking over his left hand.

"So this is the world of geniuses? Cultivation really is... as easy as turning over one's hand..."

After calming himself, Wu Yong took out the Secret Art scroll he had just obtained.

He was very curious. With the affinity between his [Son of Wind] and wind-attribute energy, how much strength could this Secret Art grant him? How long would it last, and what would its negative effects be like?

That night, the somewhat pale-faced Wu Yong learned the answers to those questions.

If one looked closely into Wu Yong's eyes, they would see a touch more confidence and composure in his gaze.

It was as though even if the heavens collapsed and the earth split apart, he would not panic in the slightest and could handle everything with ease.

Two days after the Inner Academy Selection Tournament ended, the top fifty of this selection all boarded flying magic beasts bound for the Inner Academy. Under the protection of several Dou Emperors from the academy, they arrived at Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, hidden deep within the Magic Beast Forest and shrouded in mystery.

Following Vice Dean Hu Gan, the new students passed through the disguise created by spatial power and entered the gates of the Inner Academy. There, they saw the two elders who had long been waiting for them, as well as the eager old students of the Inner Academy.

After the elders exchanged a few pleasantries, they began explaining the Inner Academy's unique welcoming ceremony to the new students—the Fire Energy Hunting Competition.

"...So, if you want to keep your Fire Energy, run!"

The moment Elder Wan finished speaking, just as the new and old students were preparing to enter the Fire Energy Hunting Competition grounds, someone suddenly stepped forward and stopped them.

Under everyone's puzzled gazes, Wu Yong stepped out and walked up to Elder Wan.

"Elder, I don't think there is any need for this year's Fire Energy Hunting Competition to begin."

His voice was not loud, but his exceedingly calm tone left everyone present utterly confused. What was this guy trying to do?

Elder Wan looked doubtfully toward Hu Gan and the others, but the Vice Dean and several Outer Academy elders who had yet to leave also shook their heads. They had no idea what this brat was trying to do.

"Little fellow, what do you mean?"

Elder Wan looked at Wu Yong with a smile, curious what shocking words this little fellow could possibly say.

Wu Yong bent slightly at the waist, then turned to look at the new and old students around him, sweeping his contemptuous gaze across every one of them.

"I mean, whether you're new students or old students, you all come at once. I don't want to waste time here."

"Arrogant!"

"Presumptuous!"

"Such audacity!"

For a moment, many old students who did not know the truth glared furiously at Wu Yong, wishing they could immediately teach this ignorant brat a harsh lesson.

Yet when these old students looked at the new students opposite them, they discovered that the new students were strangely quiet, as though they had already accepted this fact.

Even stranger, they could not see the slightest anger at being looked down upon in the new students' eyes.

The new students' abnormal reaction, along with Wu Yong's incomparably calm gaze, made the old students' hearts tremble.

Could there be a monster among this year's new students?