Mirror of Judgment, Starlight Enters the Body

Old Dean deduced a terrifying conclusion from the slightest of clues:

If he were to face the true form of the divine artifact, the Mirror of Judgment, he—a newly ascended Sovereign who had yet to forge a Supreme Dharma Body and could not even be considered a First Grade—would likely be obliterated in an instant.

Hence, the saying: "The foundation of the Five Great Academies is so profound it cannot be opposed."

For the Northern Spiritual Academy, the road to catching up with the Five Great Spirit Academies is long and arduous.

"Hmm? What is that?"

Lost in his thoughts, Old Dean suddenly wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Looking out, the ground was filled with academy students sitting cross-legged, exhausted and drained of strength.

Yet, one slender figure stood proudly, his expression calm and composed.

I am a dignified Sovereign, and even I must retreat before the vast pressure of the Five Great Academies' divine artifact. That is certainly something to boast about, but who are you to compare yourself to me?

Oh, it's the young prince. Never mind then.

Dean Xiao took a closer look and realized it was Mu Chen, immediately retracting his gaze with a sullen expression.

Perhaps sensing something, Mu Chen even had the leisure to wave at the old man.

Is that not infuriating?!

"Hum!"

At this moment, the Mirror of Judgment, standing within the dark rift and towering thousands of feet high, saw its jade-like surface suddenly ripple, casting forth mysterious waves.

An indescribable, terrifying fluctuation and a vast pressure that had shrouded the heavens and earth began to recede, allowing all living beings who had been bowing in suppressed fear to finally heave a sigh of relief.

Even the countless ancient and profound patterns covering its surface seemed to come alive, swimming like tiny tadpoles and connecting into even larger divine runes.

To the left of Dean Xiao, the lean, middle-aged instructor was the first to react, raising his voice to urge: "All students preparing for the selection, step forward at once!"

Instructor Xi, at the early stage of the Heavenly Passage Realm, was, like Teacher Mo, a highly sought-after instructor in the Heaven Tier.

"Swish!"

The thousands of academy students standing on the field dispersed, leaving only three hundred behind.

The Spirit Road Selection was incredibly harsh; those who could participate were naturally the best of the best.

Furthermore, the eccentric selection criteria—bone age under eighteen and spiritual cultivation not exceeding the Sensing Realm—weeded out a large number of potential candidates.

Not everyone could have the last laugh and earn the qualification for the Spirit Road empowerment.

Two years of life-and-death trials without the ability to refine spiritual energy carried the risk of death.

If the gain was not worth the loss, it was better not to go.

No sooner had Instructor Xi finished speaking than the massive body of the Mirror of Judgment shuddered, blooming with boundless divine radiance that shone brilliantly and condensed into beams of light crashing down below.

In an instant, the three hundred students sitting on the ground were all enveloped by deep blue pillars of light.

The pillars were azure and profound, mysterious and ancient, rippling like water curtains from time to time.

The exceptionally active starlight followed the skin and pores, infiltrating the youths' bodies as if nothing could stop it, wandering through their limbs and bones, seemingly probing for something.

Bone structure, bloodline, spiritual roots, marrow, or otherwise.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

One after another, the starlight pillars extinguished, revealing face after face of frustration.

Like the others, Mu Chen sat with his eyes closed, accepting the starlight infusion.

However, due to his naturally powerful soul strength, his perception was much keener.

These starlight beams, darting through his body like fish, seemed to have the effect of purifying bloodlines, compressing spiritual energy, and tempering the soul—truly profound.

Noticing this, Mu Chen immediately perked up.

"Great Pagoda Art!"

With a whisper too low to be heard, the Ancient God Canon was awakened.

Within his body, strands of thin yet resilient dark spiritual energy emerged, surging along the meridians and finally flowing into the space above the sea of energy in his abdomen.

As it writhed, it condensed into a mysterious light pagoda about the size of a palm.

It was pitch black, nine stories high, slightly illusory, and incredibly ancient.

The moment the mysterious light pagoda appeared, it began to vibrate with a low rumble, impatient, erupting with terrifying suction that swallowed all the starlight pouring into his body.

In just a few breaths, the starlight pillar enveloping Mu Chen was nearly drained dry.

As it continuously absorbed the energy, the color of the nine-story pagoda grew increasingly dark.

The Spirit Road trial had been open for thousands of years; where had there ever been such a precedent?

Facing the probing of an ancient divine artifact, every cultivation genius would wait for the results with trepidation. Who would dare to be as bold as Mu Chen, secretly stealing the divine power of the starlight?

The projection of the Mirror of Judgment, having traveled across countless continents from billions of miles away, did not think too much; the meager consciousness it possessed could not support such complex thought.

Following convention, it subconsciously increased the infusion of starlight, scattering it downward.

The thin, barely visible pillar of starlight enveloping Mu Chen instantly solidified once more.

The more it increased the input to stabilize the pillar, the more vigorously the mysterious light pagoda above Mu Chen's sea of spiritual energy sucked it in; after draining his body, it drained the exterior, and after draining the exterior, it drained the physical pillar of starlight itself.

It damaged an ancient divine artifact just to fatten up this "giant rat," Mu Chen.

Poor Mirror of Judgment!

Half an incense stick of time passed, and most of the three hundred starlight pillars on the field had dissipated, declaring failure, with only a dozen increasingly bright pillars left struggling to hold on.

"Hmm, not bad, a bumper harvest."

The high-level officials of Northern Spiritual Academy, who had been observing for a long time, finally felt the heavy weight in their hearts lift, as the selection neared its end.

Even if a few more people were eliminated, it was still a massive profit for the academy.

Dean Xiao, sitting firmly on the sidelines, glanced unobtrusively at the elegant youth in fine robes among the crowd and nodded secretly, thinking, The Royal Heir is indeed intelligent and lives up to expectations. With this, I can finally give an account to the King.

"Boom!"

It was at this very moment that the intensity of the starlight pillar enveloping Mu Chen plummeted sharply, exploding with a roar amidst the shocked gazes of the entire field.

Dean Xiao: ???

Old Dean, who had witnessed this scene with his own eyes, stood up with a "whoosh," nearly ripping out the beard he had painstakingly cultivated for decades.

Where is the pillar? I just placed it here, where is that massive pillar?!

"How is this possible? There must be something wrong with the Mirror of Judgment."

"The Royal Heir is of peerless talent and stands head and shoulders above the rest. Even if no one in the Northern Spiritual Academy could pass the selection, the Royal Heir should never have been left out."

Teacher Mo slammed his hand on the table, his old face flushed red as he shouted excitedly.

Although he was Mu Chen's mentor in name, if King of Hundred Spirits Mu Feng were to find out about this and hold him accountable, not only would he suffer, but the entire academy would likely face the consequences.

The one person who should never have been eliminated had been eliminated!

One by one, the high-level officials of the academy stood up, their expressions grave; they clearly realized the severity of the problem. This was going to be troublesome.

The students were even more incredulous; that was the Royal Heir, the top student of the Heaven Tier.

At this moment, no one noticed that the Mirror of Judgment, the divine artifact hanging high above in the nine heavens, was shaking violently, vibrating frantically, its projection becoming increasingly dim and lusterless.

It radiated a complex mix of emotions—grievance, exasperation, and resistance—full of spiritual intelligence.

Divine artifacts have spirits; they are not inanimate objects and possess their own wisdom.

Damn you, you almost sucked my projection dry! I'm done with this!

If only someone could understand it.