Douluo Continent, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. This place had originally been Dugu Bo's medicinal garden, but by now, it had completely changed.
At some point, a great tree had appeared here. It was red and blue, just like the original.
The tree was enormous, practically a city of trees, with many buildings scattered across it in an orderly fashion.
A sign hung at the entrance to the Tree City. It read: Akademiya Branch.
Dugu Bo and his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, were following a fox-eared youth like a pair of eager students.
The fox-eared youth was explaining the properties of the Immortal Herbs growing near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.
Just then, another girl with green hair, purple eyes, and gray clothes came running over.
She was in such a hurry that she seemed a little flustered.
"Collei, slow down. Don't rush. What happened?"
"Teacher, the Grand Sage is here."
"Oh, the Grand Sage is here? Then let's go greet her. You haven't met the Grand Sage yet, either, so come along and meet her."
"Yes, Teacher Tighnari."
Dugu Bo was extremely respectful toward Tighnari. He had no choice; he still remembered their first meeting. He had discovered that someone had taken over his treasure trove, and in his fury, he launched an attack—only for Tighnari to shoot his Martial Soul Avatar to pieces with a single arrow.
If Tighnari hadn't been so kind, he would probably be dead by now.
Afterward, Tighnari had even helped Dugu Bo treat the poison in his Martial Soul. Dugu Bo was all the more grateful to him for that.
When he learned that Tighnari came from the Akademiya, Dugu Bo joined it, becoming a member of the Amurta Darshan.
He even became one of Tighnari's students, in the same year as Collei.
Later, Dugu Bo also brought Dugu Yan into the Akademiya, where she studied under Tighnari as well.
Dugu Bo was looking forward to meeting the Grand Sage Tighnari had mentioned. It was from Tighnari that Dugu Bo learned that this Akademiya Branch had been established by the Grand Sage himself.
Before long, they met the Grand Sage. He looked nothing like what Dugu Bo had imagined.
The Grand Sage was actually just a young man who looked to be in his twenties.
The Grand Sage was named Ouyang Kong. He was, of course, a transmigrator. He had pulled Nahida twice in a ten-pull and was thrilled to have completed her constellations, when he suddenly found himself transmigrated to Douluo Continent.
And he had landed in the dangerous Star Dou Forest.
Fortunately, the system that every transmigrator needed had appeared, allowing him to inherit the Traveler's abilities.
It had also allowed him to summon the Lesser Lord Kusanali, Nahida.
With Nahida's help, they had established the Akademiya at the Lake of Life. After that, Ouyang Kong summoned several more characters, gradually completing the Akademiya's structure.
Nahida was currently working on building the Akasha. Meanwhile, Ouyang Kong, the Grand Sage, had come to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and established this Akademiya Branch.
Once Nahida finished building the Akasha, Ouyang Kong planned to announce the Akademiya's existence to all of Douluo Continent and begin recruiting students from the outside world.
The Akademiya was, at its heart, still an academy—a gathering place for scholars. Naturally, it needed to recruit students from beyond its walls.
"Dugu Bo, heh, you're quite a famous figure!"
Of course he was. He was an NPC every transmigrator had to check off their list.
"Greetings, Grand Sage! You really are young."
"Am I? I suppose so. Tighnari, how is your research on the Immortal Herbs going?"
"Reporting to the Grand Sage: I've learned about their habits, and I'm now researching whether they can be artificially propagated."
"Good. This is your specialty, so I trust you. If you need more people, tell me and I'll do my best to send some your way."
"That won't be necessary. Collei and I, along with these two new students, are enough."
Ouyang Kong nodded. He didn't have many people at his disposal, and most of them were Soul Beasts recruited from the Star Dou Forest.
Just then, a thunderous boom shook the sky. Dazzling golden light appeared overhead, and the strange phenomenon was clearly visible across all of Douluo Continent.
The Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, Spirit Hall, Sea God Island, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the Clear Sky Sect, and the other factions all turned their attention to the changes in the sky.
Ouyang Kong did the same. He watched the spectacle overhead and furrowed his brows. This hadn't been part of anything he remembered.
The golden light gradually faded, and a vast Sky Screen slowly unfurled. At the same time, words appeared across it.
[Sky Screen: Ranking the Top Ten Young Powerhouses (Under 50). Those who make the list will receive rewards, with higher rankings earning richer rewards.]
As the words appeared on the Sky Screen, a voice rang out in sync with them.
"So it's a Sky Screen! I wonder if the characters I summoned count. If they do, my people should take up more than half the list."
That was what Ouyang Kong thought. Across Douluo Continent, everyone else reacted in their own way.
In Spirit City's Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong smiled. She was still under fifty and believed she could claim the top spot on the list.
In Heaven Dou City, Tang Hao, hidden away, sighed. He was already over fifty; otherwise, he would surely have made the list.
After all, he had once been the youngest Titled Douluo on Douluo Continent.
Inside Blue Tyrant Academy, Yu Xiaogang gazed at the Sky Screen thoughtfully, then looked toward Liu Erlong.
Flender was over the age limit, but Liu Erlong was not.
"Erlong, you may have a chance of making the list. There aren't many people under fifty who are stronger than you."
Liu Erlong naturally trusted Yu Xiaogang's words completely.
"Xiaogang, if the Sky Screen really does offer rewards, I hope they can help you."
Yu Xiaogang fell silent. He would rather make the list through his own efforts, not with someone else's help. That was the last bit of pride he had deep down.
Among the Shrek Seven Devils, Ma Hongjun complained, "Why under fifty? If it were under twenty, we'd have a chance of making the list. Can you really call someone young at fifty?"
"In the Soul Master World, fifty really is considered young. Every Titled Douluo is over fifty."
Dai Mubai clearly knew more about this, but the longing in his eyes showed that he, too, desperately wanted to make the list and win a reward.
In the Star Dou Forest, at the Land of Great Calamity—the former Lake of Life—there was now a towering tree. Pavilions and towers stood among its branches. This was the Akademiya's main campus.
Nahida was in Surasthana, and she had noticed the Sky Screen too.
"Something even I can't sense? It's a little like the power that brought me to this world. Aether, does this have anything to do with you?"
Nahida wasn't particularly interested in the contents of the Sky Screen's ranking. After all, she was already five hundred years old.
As for Di Tian, Xiong Jun, the Scarlet King, Bi Ji, Zi JI, and King of Ten Thousand Demons—all these Ferocious Beasts had been recruited by Nahida as Akademiya sages.
Di Tian tried to play a trick on Xiong Jun, wanting him to test the Sky Screen, but Xiong Jun flatly refused.
"Do you really think I'm an idiot? I've been studying too. There's a saying: 'If you haven't seen someone for three days, look at them with new eyes!' Di Tian, you're ignorant and unlearned. One day, I'll surpass you!"
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