Xinyue Immortal Academy

Early the next morning, Xiang Qi led Wang Qi up Xinyue Mountain.

Xiang Qi looked at the young man beside her with a strange expression. "Hey, Wang Qi, why are you smiling so... creepily today?"

Wang Qi froze. "Am I?"

"Your eyes are dull, your steps are unsteady, yet you're smiling... smiling so lewdly." Xiang Qi wore an indescribable expression. "Don't tell me you didn't sleep last night?"

"I somehow feel that Senior Sister's words carry a hidden meaning..."

Xiang Qi eyed him suspiciously for a while before finally shaking her head. "After spending too long with those Myriad Dharma Sect people, it's only natural that you'd become strange."

Are you making fun of yourself...?

Wang Qi held back the urge to complain and turned to look toward Xinyue Mountain's summit.

Unforgiving Taoist's manuscripts were entirely records of turning profound theories into exquisite methods. To someone like Wang Qi, who had been a scientific researcher in his previous life, the ideas and experience within those manuscripts were simply beyond measure. Now, as long as he obtained a cultivation method of the modern system, he could gradually grasp the mysteries of cultivation. That way, it would not be difficult for him to take another step forward along the path Unforgiving Taoist, a Free and Unfettered Cultivator, had entered and left!

And as for cultivation methods... hehehe...

Wang Qi stared toward the summit of Xinyue Mountain like a miser gazing upon treasure.

Xiang Qi helplessly grabbed his head and twisted it in another direction. "Look over here!"

"Ow, ow, ow! What are you doing?"

"The summit is the Immortal Alliance's Golden Hall. I understand that you want to study miraculous techniques and wondrous methods, but the place where you'll be cultivating is halfway up the mountain."

Xinyue Immortal Academy stood on Xinyue Mountain's mountainside and was one of the Immortal Alliance's foremost academies. Thirty percent of the Five Excellences' True Disciples had been selected there a second time.

Wang Qi followed his senior sister up the mountain. As the altitude rose, the crowds gradually thinned. The prosperity of the inner city entrance was gone, replaced by a touch of ethereal solitude. Xinyue Mountain's southern slope was gentle, but its soil was thin, with even bedrock exposed in places, unable to nurture Giant Trees that pierced the heavens. Yet after immortal methods adjusted the climate, vegetation here still flourished. Dwarf pines dotted the strange rocks, creating a scenery all its own.

Yet Wang Qi's gaze could not help drifting toward the three enormous statues on the mountainside. The statues had been made from local materials, carved directly from massive native rocks. Each stood a full hundred meters tall, depicting three Taoists—one seated and two standing. Each held a longsword, their presence fierce and imposing.

Seeing her junior brother's curiosity, Xiang Qi explained, "Those three are seniors revered by everyone in the Immortal Alliance. The one on the left is one of the seniors who captured Unforgiving Taoist that day, the vice palace master of Sky Sword Palace, Senior Qian Xueshen—'Five Masters' Extinction.' The one on the right is the other vice palace master, Senior Qian Bingqiong—'Three Powers Sword Saint.' The one in the middle is the Sky Sword Palace Master, Senior Deng Jiaxuan—'Sword Crying Through the Firmament.'"

Wang Qi asked doubtfully, "Why were statues erected here for only those three?"

Xiang Qi said, "Do you know what Sky Sword Palace stands for?"

Wang Qi shook his head to show that he did not. Xiang Qi answered, "Hide from the world to protect the heavens, sheltering all people."

"Though the modern system had already surpassed the ancient system and nourished heaven and earth, and no one remained in the Divine Land who would slaughter heaven and earth to sustain themselves, remnants of ancient cultivators still lingered on many overseas islands."

"In the seas in every direction, there were countless sea demons, far outnumbering humanity. The Dragon Race was born skilled in battle, and even Dragon Kings could not be easily defeated by ordinary Free and Unfettered Cultivators! The sea demons were difficult to tame, unlike the Demon Race on land, which had long submitted to civilization. Day after day, they invaded our Divine Land's maritime borders."

"Even within the Divine Land itself, there was no shortage of turmoil born from restless human hearts."

At this point, Xiang Qi gave a bitter smile. "You've already entered through the gates of the modern system, so you should understand that great achievement requires bitter searching and wholehearted comprehension. Now, apart from a few Free and Unfettered Cultivators, the foremost thinkers of the modern immortal path had all withdrawn from the world to seek the Great Dao with all their strength. Hundreds of Free and Unfettered Cultivators, all their immortal traces vanished into mist."

Wang Qi fell into thought. "I've never heard of anything like this... Is it because of those three seniors?"

Xiang Qi sighed. "There will always be people willing to give up the joy of seeking for the sake of the world. Those three are among them. Several centuries ago, Unforgiving Taoist split Misty Palace apart, throwing the immortal path into chaos and nearly affecting the entire human race. Ancient cultivators struck back, and the Dragon King emerged from seclusion. At the moment of crisis, Sky Sword Palace used peerless force to suppress the internal unrest and set chaos right; outside, they slew the ancient cultivators, drove the sea demons back three thousand li, and forced the Dragon King to swear an oath beneath the city walls. The Dragon Race would never again approach within three thousand li of the Nine Provinces' shores. Afterward, countless great Free and Unfettered Cultivators lamented that their own existence had damaged humanity's internal stability, and so they withdrew from the world one after another. Only a group of cultivators remained at Sky Sword Palace to shoulder the duty of protecting the Divine Land."

"The Heaven-Piercing Hall at the summit was built to erect statues for heaven-blessed geniuses and peak great cultivators who revolutionized the modern system. Though Sky Sword Palace specialized in combat, and its masters could not compare to the Grandmasters commemorated in the Heaven-Piercing Hall if judged solely by cultivation, if judged by merit, Sky Sword Cultivators were no less worthy than those seniors who had revolutionized the modern system."

After saying this, Xiang Qi bowed slightly to the three great statues on the mountainside in salute.

Wang Qi copied her gesture and offered a salute as well. Having been born in the Divine Land in this life, he too had received the protection of those great figures.

Xiang Qi continued, "Also, Senior Deng is the headmaster of Xinyue Immortal Academy. In his early years, cultivating the Heavenly Sword method left him with internal injuries. He rarely travels and has remained at Xinyue all this time. Remember this firmly—do not show any discourtesy!"

Now that they had left the crowded area, Xiang Qi simply led Wang Qi in using movement techniques to hurry toward their destination—flight was forbidden in the inner city, but swift travel was not.

Before long, the two arrived at their destination. Xinyue Immortal Academy was unremarkable in appearance and did not occupy much land. It had only a dozen or so pavilions, and even including its rather spacious martial practice grounds, its total area did not reach the scale of an ordinary university. Thus, it was not particularly conspicuous from the foot of the mountain. The academy had no walls, only a main gate with a plaque above it bearing four large characters: "Xinyue Immortal Academy."

Xiang Qi set down her junior brother and walked up with him.

Wang Qi said, "Senior Sister, it's fine if you send me only this far. As they say, after seeing someone off for a thousand li, one must eventually part."

Xiang Qi was practically his only remaining friend in the immortal path. She had taken good care of him these past few days, and now she had even brought him here. As far as he knew, Xiang Qi becoming a Safety Officer had originally been training before forming her core. Once she stepped down, she would return to Burning Gold Valley to enter seclusion and attempt core formation. Cultivation knew no passage of years; thinking that they might not meet for several years made Wang Qi feel a little sorrowful.

—Especially since Xiang Qi was rather pretty.

Xiang Qi shook her head. "I didn't come here specifically to see you off."

Huh?

Wang Qi looked at his senior sister in confusion. Xiang Qi explained, "After the seniors of my sect learned of what I went through yesterday, they felt that my emotions were too turbulent for seclusion and told me to spend a year calming my state of mind. So I applied for a position as an assistant instructor at the academy while I was at it—actually, I should have brought you here last night, but my transfer order didn't arrive until today... Hey, Wang Qi? What's wrong?"

Wang Qi looked as though he wanted to cry but had no tears. "Give my gratitude back!"

Don't you know I'm actually in a hurry? I thought you were taking meticulous care of me, but it turns out you delayed me for another half day!

With mixed feelings, the two headed toward the mountain gate—or rather, the school gate that looked like a mountain gate.

From afar, Wang Qi saw someone already standing at the school gate. As they approached, that person came forward to greet them. Once Wang Qi saw the man's face clearly, he was greatly startled. "Brother Su?"

It was Su Junyu, the Myriad Dharma Sect cultivator who had played several rounds of cards with him yesterday!

Su Junyu showed no surprise at all and greeted him warmly. "Yo, we meet again, Wang Qi. And after years apart, how have you been, violent girl?"

Xiang Qi snapped, "Yesterday, when I heard Wang Qi's description, it already sounded familiar. So it really was you, you filthy rich bastard!"

Wang Qi stared wide-eyed. "You two know each other?"

Su Junyu smiled. "We were classmates of the same generation at the same immortal academy. Of course, I wasn't very familiar with this tigress."

Xiang Qi smiled faintly. "Several years apart, and your itchy skin must have gotten worse, filthy rich bastard. Would you like this lady to help you change into a new one?"

Su Junyu's body trembled almost imperceptibly. Smiling, he said, "I'm here to receive you two. The task from above is for me to guide the newly arrived assistant instructor and newly admitted disciple into the academy. You can't start anything."

Xiang Qi sneered. "There's no need to rush if I want to beat you up. Lead the way!"

Su Junyu made a gesture and said, "Please." He turned and headed for the gate. Just as Xiang Qi and Wang Qi prepared to follow, something strange happened.

A black-clad cultivator suddenly passed by the three of them. Cultivators' perception far surpassed that of ordinary people, and among the three, Su Junyu and Xiang Qi were even more exceptional than ordinary cultivators. Yet none of them had detected the black-clad man in advance. Wang Qi even clearly heard Zhen Chanzi utter a soft "Huh" within his spiritual awareness when the man appeared. This black-clad man had actually evaded the perception of someone at the Mahayana Stage!

None of the black-clad man's movements were particularly fluid; they seemed scattered and without order. Yet his walking steps were steady and continuous, as though every movement had been carefully calculated with extraordinary precision. Every motion seemed like a replica of the one before it, without the slightest change in posture or bearing.

This is... an expert?

Wang Qi was uncertain, but then his heart instantly burned with excitement.

This movement technique, this ability to evade a Mahayana cultivator's spiritual awareness—he was definitely an expert! Not to mention that thoughtful bearing of his. To maintain such an air gleaming with the light of wisdom even while walking, and to even crash into a pillar with such flair...

Wait? Crash into a pillar?

Just as Wang Qi was imagining the man's "masterly bearing," the black-clad man slammed headfirst into a gate pillar.

Moreover, because the black-clad man had been using a movement technique and had not slowed down before impact, the stone pillar, made of some unknown material, was actually cracked by the collision! Caught off guard, the black-clad man fell stiffly to the ground.

Because the academy entrance stood on a slope, the black-clad man was almost upside down, with his head lower than his feet. Only then did Wang Qi see his face clearly.

The man's appearance was ordinary, with a trace of honest simplicity between his brows and eyes. His somewhat thick lips were still moving as he muttered to himself, though no one knew what he was saying.

Xiang Qi and Su Junyu were both shocked and immediately bowed. "Disciple greets sect master uncle!" "Disciple greets sect master Chen!"

Zhen Chanzi quietly explained to Wang Qi, "Though this man looks unremarkable, his cultivation has already reached the realm of perfection. If he wished, he could ascend to the Free and Unfettered Realm anytime, anywhere!"