The three walked side by side along the shaded path toward the Inner Academy's Central Plaza.
Along the way, many students newly admitted to the Inner Academy stopped beside the path to greet Xiao Yan, their eyes filled with awe.
By now, Xiao Yan's name had spread throughout the Inner Academy.
Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, and the other elite senior students who had once occupied the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking List had been spurred on by a certain someone. They had thrown themselves into secluded cultivation in the tower, pushing themselves to the limit, and had all met the graduation requirements and left during Xiao Yan's first year in the Inner Academy.
For the past three years, the Inner Academy had essentially been the domain of Xiao Yan, Wu Hao, Hu Jia, and their peers.
"Come to think of it, Senior Lin Xiuya and his class really left without looking back."
Hu Jia kicked a pebble underfoot and remarked casually,
"When we first arrived, everyone at the top of the Strong Ranking List was like a monster. Every day, they were either fighting or soaking in the bottom levels of the Qi Refining Tower."
"I heard from an instructor that someone formidable from two classes before theirs drove that whole group into a cultivation frenzy."
At those words, a look of admiration appeared on Wu Hao's face as well.
"You mean Senior Lu Heng, right?"
"Yes, yes, that's him!"
Hu Jia clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling.
"His statue is still standing in the Outer Academy."
"I heard he came from Wutan City too. Not only were his alchemy skills frighteningly good, he single-handedly brought all those notorious factions in the Black-Corner Region to heel."
"Senior Lin and Senior Yan fell so far behind him that it dealt them a